Movie Ratings: 2012

MOVIES FOR ADULTS
Safe House(2012): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: High
This movie took itself more seriously than I thought it would, and that worked out to its credit. Denzel kills, of course. The surprise is the performance Ryan Reynolds puts in, and the chemistry between the two leads.

Prometheus (2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: High
I very much wanted to like this movie more than I did. There's a lot to like: Interesting themes, awesome visuals, developed characters...But I think it is a movie that serves too many masters. It tries to be a lot of things and doesn't get any right-enough to make it great.

Premium Rush (2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: High
[notes]

The Bourne Legacy (2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: Average
Know, going in, that it is essentially a chase movie. Having said that, it is a good chase movie. Just expect next to nothing in terms of Bourne mythology.

Looper (2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: High
Good but not great. Takes itself seriously (which is why it is in this category) and plays it as straight as it can considering the material. A lot of the scenes lacked pop and felt like connect-the-dots pieces.

Lincoln(2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: High
Slow and over-long, but filled with great acting and good film craft.

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World (2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: Average
[notes]

Haywire(2012): B- (6/10)
Appeal: Average
Barely a B, this movie won me over with craft with which it was made and specifically Soderberg's interesting directorial decisions. However, it can be fairly critiqued as being about absolutely nothing except how badass Gina Cerano is.

Magic Mike (2012): B- (6/10)
Appeal: Average
[notes]

Skyfall(2012): B- (6/10)
Appeal: Average
Feels like Bond (in a very good way), but not very fun like Bond.

Seven Psychopaths(2012):C+ (5/10)
Appeal: Average
[notes]

Lawless (2012): C+ (5/10)
Appeal: Average
[notes]

Savages (2012): C+ (5/10)
Appeal: Low
[notes]

End of Watch (2012): C (5/10)
Appeal: Low
Stellar acting and unique directing approach, but I was unhappy/disappointed with the story told and the steps with which it was told. 

TBD(2012): TBD
Appeal:
[notes]

MOVIES FOR OUR INNER CHILD

The Campaign (2012): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: High
[notes]

The Cabin In The Woods(2012): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 60% (-genre bender)
Very enjoyable campy horror. Starts slow, and as I watched it, the humorous dialogue wasn't working for me. But the second half of the movie kills.

Avengers (2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80% (+iconic chars; +movie event)
Great set piece at the end. Great hero-to-hero dialogue, especially between Iron Man and anybody else. However, Loki was not a compelling villain, and the overall story was not very interesting. The movie was a bit over-long as well.

Lockout(2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: 50% (-B-movie ish feel; -odd story structure)
This move has a lot to like about it but plenty of flaws as well. Guy Pierce's performance in the lead is the #1 reason to see the film. The rest of the casting is strong as well. The setting and special effects are a plus too. The novice directing is a downside, as well as a strange third-act that I can't dissect without spoilers.

21 Jump Street(2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
First half much funnier than second half. Great set-pieces that matched the tone of the film. The movie took itself just a little too seriously. Loved Ice Cube's supporting role. He was used just the right amount.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50% (-overlong; -plotting;-story issues)
A must-see for the sake of the trilogy, but perhaps the worst Chris Nolan movie. A very messy plot that takes a long time to develop. The set-pieces weren't up to par. About the only thing it really got right was being a proper thematic bookend to the trilogy.

Total Recall (2012): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50% (-inferior remake)
Loved the original but I tried to take this one at its own merits. For that, I enjoyed it, but it is clearly inferior, despite the stunning visuals.

Battleship (2012): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50% (-acting)
Only thing I liked about it was the big battles, but they were nice and covered most of the second half of the movie.

Wraith of the Titans (2012): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50%
Despite the shlock, I liked it.

Contraband(2012): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
I enjoyed this movie despite the glaring plot holes (PLURAL) and the flimsy-ness of the villains. Walberg is a bit too badass for the movie's sake. Awesome set-piece set in Rio De Janiero that was my favorite part of the movie.

The Watch (2012): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50% (-overly silly)
I did not think this movie would be good and only watched it on a lark (for 2 bucks). But it was funny, and pretty coherent of a narrative. Has some decent character development stuff.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70% (+iconic character)
Liked the new actor as Spidey over Toby Maguire, but I didn't like the story very much.

Dredd (2012): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50% (-lack of char dev;-B movie-ish)
[notes]

The Hunger Games(2012): C (5/10)
Appeal: 60%
I think maybe the filmmakers should have had a little more fun with the story. This telling is very dry and by-the-numbers. Felt like filmmaking by committee, no risk and no vision (just do what the book says). The story is good, but the movie bored me.

Underworld Awakening(2012): C (5/10)
Appeal: 40%
This movie just goes from start to finish. Doesn't take time to really establish itself. Watching it, I felt disconnected/unattached to what was going on. It did have very enjoyable set-pieces, including the conclusion.

The Expendables 2(2012): C (5/10)
Appeal: 40%
[notes]

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012): C (5/10)
Appeal: 30% (-acting)
[notes]

Alex Cross(2012): C-/D+ (4/10)
Appeal: 30% (-poor film making)
Start off ok, and then tumbled to its conclusion.

MOVIES FOR ACTUAL CHILDREN

Brave (2012): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80% (+wide appeal)
[notes]

WATCH LIST

A Thousand Words (2012): TBD
Appeal:
[notes]

Taken 2(2012): TBD
Appeal:
[notes]


Chronicle(2012): TBD
Appeal:
[notes]


Project X (2012): TBD
Appeal:
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Think Like A Man (2012): TBD
Appeal:
[notes]