Movie Ratings: 2011

MOVIES FOR ADULTS

Rise of the Planet of the Apes(2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 80%
Daring enough to make the Ape, Caeser, the protagonist. Franco does a solid job, but he is a supporting player. The movie starts relatively slow but has a lot of narrative pipe to lay. The whole movie is a setup for the big 3rd act. And the 3rd Act was very good.There are a few ridiculous character behaviors to keep the story moving, but it doesn't ruin it for me.

The Ides of March (2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 80%
I may have liked this movie more than the average person because of my intellectual interest in American politics.

The King's Speech (2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 90% (+filmcraft)
Incredible performance by Colin Firth. Geffroy Rush, Guy Pierce et al. put in strong performances as well. Fine filmmaking all around. Scenes that could have otherwise dragged on popped.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo(2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 70%(-Slow Pace)
Well written, acted, and directed. Plods along a bit early but I remained engaged. The mystery made for a good reveal, but their method of solving it was underwhelming. The third act of the movie was excellent.

Unknown(2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 70%
Despite catching on to the twist early, it remained an engaging thriller. I'm getting Liam Neison burnout but it didn't stop me from liking the movie. Lots of good acting. Well done action scenes. Better than Taken for me.

The Company Men (2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 70%(-TV Movie Feel)
Well done quiet drama. Second half of second act lags. I actually liked Ben Affleck here along with most of the other actors. Affleck was well cast. Makes me wonder if the role was written for him. Liked Kevin Costner in it too.

Super 8(2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 70% (-Slow Pace)
Well made. Great acting, great directing, good script. Checked my watch at the end of the 2nd act (so it lagged for me there). I wish I could have liked this movie more. It deserves whatever accolades it gets.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60%(-Extremely slow pace)
This is a super-slow movie. You have to really be patient. But you will be rewarded with a good story, nuanced performances and fulfilling resolution. 

The Source Code(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80%(+Unique Concept)
Not quite the movie you expect from the promos. I enjoyed watching it, but nothing about it was particularly good. Just a solid sci-fi film all around.

Moneyball(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
Great acting and dialogue. Much less of a sports movie than anticipated. Oddly staged baseball sequences that didn't work for me. Slow second act (middle). Unlike some, I liked the ending.

Contagion (2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60%(-Grim Tone)
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Drive(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60% (-Lack of dialogue)
A quiet movie that is not at all about a guy who drives cars for criminals. This is a loner falls in love (and thereby complicates life) movie. And it is executed pretty well. There are moments of excitement and danger, but as in real life, they are brief, jarring and consequential.

Cedar Rapids(2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%

Small scale quirky comedy. Just quietly enjoyable. John C. Reilly is the movie's greatest asset.
Friends with Benefits(2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
Make no mistake, this is a Mila Kunis movie. It was sold as a dual leads movie, but hers is the performance to watch. Timberlake, who I loved in the Social Network, is a dud dramatically. He's funny, but he doesn't hold up his end in the important character moments. I appreciated how low key the story was; how small events affected the characters profoundly.

Battle Los Angeles(2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
A war movie that happens to be us versus aliens. Lots of war movie cliche, but I wasn't bothered by most of it. Aaron Eckhart has great gravitas.

Hanna (2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
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Crazy Stupid Love (2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
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The Artist(2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
Great (silent) performances by almost everyone. The weakness is the story. It's odd and it is paced poorly. And that didn't have to be the case. The bottom line is that I like the first half, and mostly loathed the second half.
The Debt(2011): C (5/10)
Appeal: 50%
Not a bad movie, but I didn't enjoy it much. I didn't find the acting performances very engaging, and I didn't like where the plot went. My reaction to the movie's third act: "WTF."

The Tree of Life(2011): ? (?/10)
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The Help(2011): ? (?/10)
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Warrior(2011): ? (?/10)
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The Conspirator(2011): ? (?/10)
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50/50(2011): ? (?/10)
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Hugo(2011): ? (?/10)
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Larry Crowne(2011): ? (?/10)
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MOVIES FOR OUR INNER CHILD

Bridesmaids(2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 90%(+Broad Comedy)
Very good comedy. The laughs, for me, came it fits and spurts, but overall, it works at the comedy level and a dramatic level too (like 40 Year Old Virgin did). 2nd half of 2nd Act dragged a bit to me. This movie is long for a comedy (almost 2 hours even).

Captain America: The First Avenger(2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 70%
Well done comic-book movie that will infuriate some people with the "liberties" it takes with logic and storytelling. I was kinda bugged by 'Caps' sudden martial abilities after being given the super-soldier serum. Hugo Weaving's performance as the Red Skull was excellent, better than his 'Agent Smith'. Chris Evans worked as Captain America despite my misgivings. I did not like the previews of this film but it truly surprised me. Very good set pieces.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2(2011): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 80%
Second half of the movie is a great payoff for the entire series. However, this was not the best made of the eight films. The first half is slow and even a bit aimless.

Horrible Bosses(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80%(+High Concept)
Funny but not as funny as you would expect from the preview. The bad behavior of the bosses is not center stage. It's in the three guys responding to the situations they get themselves in to. Character behavior is inconsistant. Movie doesn't take itself or its story very seriously. Aniston seemed under-used compared with Farrell and Spacey.

Fast Five(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60%(-Silly Premise)
Great ending takes it over the top. Enjoyed F&F 4 more throughout, but 5's ending much better. Great epilogue(s) after 1st part of credits too.

X-Men First Class (2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80% (+iconic characters)
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Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (4)(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
Definitely better than the last one, though I remember liking MI:2 more when I first saw it (now, it feels dated). A solid flick with some good character development stuff. I think it got over-hyped because of how slickly it was made.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: %
Loved the first one. Only liked this one. The performances of the leads was at the usual high standard. Moriarty, as portrayed in the film, was underwhelming. The plot and mystery of this film was inferior to the first. The Holmes-Moriarty confrontation was done well. 

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas (2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60% (-very dirty humor)
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The Lincoln Lawyer(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
Having read the book hurt my enjoyment of the movie, I think, because I remember so much of the plot and twists. However, there was a lot of good performances, esp. McConaughey, who killed. Didn't like Ryan Philippe very much as the defendant, though he had one particularly good scene.

The Tower Heist (2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60% (-odd tone for a comedy)
It gets this grade because of how funny it is, the brisk plotting (once it gets going) and the performances of the principles. Interesting choice to play the main story straight, despite the overall comedic tone, to make Stiller's character sincerely motivated. Biggest flaw of this film is the holes in the  heist staging. Don't think about it too much. There are several things very wrong with it, especially related to timing.

Immortals (2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60% (-CGI overload,-mostly no name actors, B-movie feel)
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Real Steel(2011): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
Saw on IMAX one day 'cause I was bored. Pleasantly surprised. Robot fight scenes were done very well. Hugh Jackman and the kid actor have great chemistry. It could fairly be described as the usual Hollywood tripe, but cliche can still work if it is done well. Though more than a little over the top, it is done well here.

The Hangover, Part II(2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
Get's off to a good (and funny) start, but it is only intermittently funny throughout. Focus of the movie is on big shocks. Not that they weren't trying, but the dialogue just isn't nearly as good (this sequel lacks the original's almost continuously amusing nature). There are some good moments and well made scenes but some of the material just didn't work for me. I was also disappointed at how narrow the story focus was on Stu. The original was just a much richer movie in every way.

Your Highness(2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50% (-juvenile humor)
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The Change-Up (2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
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Rango(2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
Quirky animated western. Funny in spots, but I wish it had been funnier. I really liked the ending. Too long a movie also.

Green Lantern(2011): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50% (-geeky)
For comic geeks only. Complicated story. Some characters developed better than others. I liked the story despite its flaws and Ryan Reynolds does a good job. This barely gets the B-/C+.

Hall Pass (2011): C (5/10)
Appeal: 40% (-starts very poorly)
Kinda funny but lacked momentum. The movie is just kinda there and putters along until the end of the second act (about in hour in). Sudakis and Wilson played their roles as caricatures of dorky husbands. Energetic, funny conclusion saves film from being what I would call "bad".

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides(2011): C (5/10)
Appeal: 60%
Pales in comparison to first three dramatically. I think this was the worst of the series (Dead Man's Chest may not have been much better). Sword fights not nearly as good as I remembered the trilogy having.

Final Destination 5 (2011): C (5/10)
Appeal: 40%
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Dream House (2011): C (5/10)
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The Sitter (2011): C (5/10)
Appeal: 50%
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What's Your Number (2011): C (5/10)
Appeal: 50%
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30 Minutes or Less (2011): C (5/10)
Appeal: 50%
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Thor(2011): C-/D+ (4/10)
Appeal: 50%
Liked the action sequences and the story was decent, if a bit odd. But the plot does not justify movie length. Pretty weak acting all around (Anthony Hopkins mailed it in; Portman had little to do; Exception was actor playing Loki).

In Time (2011): C-/D+  (4/10)
Appeal: 40%
Weak third act.

Scream 4(2011): C-/D+ (4/10)
Appeal: 40%
The first truly disappointing movie of the year that I took the effort to see in the theater. The casting of the next generation of Scream teens was terrible. The girl playing Sidney's cousin was particularly bad. The opening was the worst of the four movies, for me, though a small minority will probably like it. The middle of the film had some good moments and I was kinda entertained throughout. But I had a serious problem suspending disbelief for some of the stupid things that happened, especially the ending. Liked the first half of the movie more than the second half.

Bad Teacher (2011): D (3/10)
Appeal: 30%
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Big Mommas: Like Father Life Son (2011):D(3/10)
Appeal: 30%
Not a very good movie, obviously, but oddly charming in a way with some laughs. One or two good musical numbers too.

The Green Hornet (2011):F(1/10)
Appeal: 10%
I really didn't like anything about this movie, not even the action sequences, for the most part.

Insideous(2011): ? (?/10)
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Paranormal Activity 3(2011): ? (?/10)
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Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon(2011): ? (?/10)
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Zookeeper([year]): ? (?/10)
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Priest([year]): ? (?/10)
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Fright Night([year]): ? (?/10)
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Abduction([year]): ? (?/10)
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Mr. Popper's Penguins(2011): ? (?/10)
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The Three Musketeers(2011): ? (?/10)
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Apollo 18(2011): ? (?/10)
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MOVIES FOR ACTUAL KIDS

Puss N Boots (2011): C (5/10)
Appeal: %
Solid story arc but disappointing amount of laughs.

Rio(2011): ? (?/10)
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Cars 2(2011): ? (?/10)
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Hop(2011): ? (?/10)
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Kung Fu 2(2011): ? (?/10)
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Muppets(2011): ? (?/10)
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UNKNOWN TYPE

The Mechanic(2011): ? (?/10)
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The Rite(2011): ? (?/10)
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The Eagle(2011): ? (?/10)
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Just Go With It(2011): ? (?/10)
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I Am Number Four(2011): ? (?/10)
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The Adjustment Bureau(2011): ? (?/10)
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Limitless(2011): ? (?/10)
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Sucker Punch(2011): ? (?/10)
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Paul(2011): ? (?/10)
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Cowboys and Aliens(2011): ? (?/10)
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Killer Elite(2011): ? (?/10)
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[title](2011): ? (?/10)
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