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I haven’t been keeping up with the blog at all over the past several months as I’ve been busy on several other projects that have been monopolizing my time. Here’s what I’ve seen since the AMC Movie Marathon:

18) Alice in Wonderland (IMAX 3D) -
Lush visuals and a typically creepy Tim Burton environment made the movie fairly fun to watch. The story itself was not all that great and tended to drag at several points. Helena Bonham Carter’s voice acting for the Red Queen was definitely the highpoint of the big name cast that populated the film. A movie that’s worth seeing but probably not worth owning (unless you are a huge Burton fan).

19) Clash of the Titans (2010) -

20) A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) -

21) Iron Man 2 -

22) Predators –

23) Salt –

24) Piranha 3D -

2 Saturdays. 10 movies. Today marked the end of the Best Picture Showcase, with the AMC screening the last 5 films. Of all the films we saw today the only one I had previous watched was Inglourious Basterds and I definitely enjoyed seeing it again. On with the reviews:

13) An Education –
One of the movies that I had heard the least about turned out to be a great film. The acting was excellent, particularly Peter Sasgaard, and the narrative was extremely compelling. The movie does start to drag a bit toward the end but is generally well paced. The film is essentially a tale of growing up and the pitfalls that accompany it (as well as the chances at redemption that sometimes are offered along the way). Well worth the admission price.

14) The Hurt Locker –
A story about a bomb disposal unit in post-war Iraq is a haunting reminder of the continual upheavel in that area of the world and the toll that it takes on not only the civilians but also on the soldiers stationed there. The whole film plays like a psychological study of the effects of war. The story is incredibly intense and the underlying emotion of the entire film is one of sadness and resignation. It is almost uncomfortable to watch. The main character, much like Ryan Bingham (George Clooney in Up in the Air), is a tragic figure in the mold of a Hamlet.

15) Up in the Air –
Another excellent film from George Clooney. The supporting cast all performed admirably. Initially, I had thought that it was going to be a comedy but am glad that a friend had told me that it was definitely more serious in tone. Not exactly what I had expected but a good selection for the final pool of Oscar candidates.

16) The Blind Side –
The film that I watched with the most trepidation in advance (I really don’t like Sandra Bullock) turned out to be an average film so, better than I had anticipated. The script seemed to have trouble getting it’s story told and Sandra Bullock’s accent is just awful but the film is fairly entertaining and the rest of the cast put in good performances. Overall, an average movie and one of two (the other being District 9) that really have no place being nominated for a best picture Oscar.

17) Inglourious Basterds –
I would argue that Inglourious Basterds is the best Quentin Tarentino film since Reservoir Dogs (my all time favorite of his). The entire cast are fantastic but Christoph Waltz steals the show as the sociopathic and hilarious Col. Hans Landa. The film is incredibly violent (as are all of Tarentino’s films), particularly climactic blood bath, so definitely not for the kiddies (or anyone remotely squeamish about gore). A film that I will be adding to my Blu-Ray collection very soon.

Of the 5 films that I watched today the best, in my opinion, was An Education. The worst was the Blind Side. I still believe that Avatar will win the best picture but leave out hope that A Serious Man somehow pulls it out. Will be back tomorrow with review of the new Alice in Wonderland (on an IMAX 3D screen!).

12) The Crazies –
A pretty good “zombie” film. I put zombie in quotes since they are never really referred to as such and there is no portrayal of the eating of human flesh. The movie had some good scares and was entertaining from start to finish. Definitely not a film for little kids but anyone older than about 13 or 14, and not super squeamish, should be able to handle the gore in the film (only a few scenes that have all that much, anyway).

I meant to publish this last night but was really tired when I got home from the theater. As has been my habit for the last four years, I once again went to the Best Picture Showcase at the AMC 24 at Quail Springs Mall in Edmond. Unlike previous years, when all 5 movies were shown in a single day, this year’s 10 movies are being shown over the course of two Saturday’s (Feb 27 and Mar 6). Here are my notes/ratings on the 5 movies I saw yesterday (listed in order of screening):

7) Avatar IMAX 3D –
I still think that this is probably the Oscar favorite but I’m not sure how I feel about that. The visuals are gorgeous but the story itself is somewhat bland. Still, fun to see at the theater and I am glad that I finally got to see the IMAX version (apparently it was something the local theater decided on at the last minute and was not a chainwide thing).

8 ) Up –
A charming cartoon. One of three movies that I had already seen that I watched again today (along with Avatar and District 9). I’m glad that the expanded Best Picture category allows the voters to take chances on cartoons and other films that would have had no chance to be up for the highest honor. Up is well done and even has moments of seriousness (which is becoming more common for children’s movies).

9) A Serious Man –
I had no idea what to expect with this film as I hadn’t read any reviews about it and had heard little word of mouth on it. Once again, the Coen brother’s come up with an excellent, Oscar worthy film. A very entertaining black comedy that watches the unraveling of a man’s life. Of the five films that I saw yesterday, this one was my favorite and I would love to see it win. There’s virtually no chance of that as Avatar seems to be an almost certain lock, at this time.

10) Precious –
The other film that was unknown quantity to me yesterday, Precious is an excellent film. It is also the most depressing film of all of the Best Picture Oscar contenders that I have watched over the last 4 years of attending this event. I’m not sure that I’d ever want to see it again but it is certainly worthy of being a nominee. The story is compelling and most of the characters are very 3-dimensional.

11) District 9 –
I’m still not sure why this movie was nominated for an Oscar. It was a mediocre Sci-Fi film. Even if you want to go along with the Antiaparthied theme, Invictus was a much better film that tackled the same issue. The movie is watchable but the one I was least looking forward to seeing yesterday.

Of the 5 movies I watched yesterday, I think that A Serious Man was my favorite but that Avatar is still the most likely to win the award. I will post again next week with the final five films that are shown.

As anyone who knows me well knows, I really like seeing movies at the theater. I’ve been to six so far this year and will be seeing all 10 Oscar best picture contenders over the next two weekends at the local AMC. So far I’ve seen:

1) Daybreakers
2) the Lovely Bones
3) Book of Eli
4) Legion
5) Wolfman
6) Shutter Island

Paranormal Activity ranks up there with Blair Witch, in my opinion, as one of the most disappointing movies ever. While in limited release, it received substantial press touting it as one of the most terrifying movies ever. After having seen it I can only wonder if the press sampling was made up entirely of five year old children. The acting was subpar, particularly that of the leading female (Katie Featherston). There were a few moments that might startle you but only 2 or 3. The camera work was much better than Blair Witch in that you won’t get nauseated while viewing it and was probably the highlight of the film. While the ending is strange, I won’t give it away, it is not terrifying in the least. If you want scary, stick with The Exorcist or even the later Nightmare on Elm Street movies and save your $10.

MY RATING: 1-1/2 out of 5 stars

I am finally into the home stretch, the last twenty movies in my horror movie marathon. I’m almost totally sick of horror films and will be glad when I am done.

20. Evil Dead 2
19. Army of Darkness
18. Frankenstein (1931)
17. Bride of Frankenstein
16. Idle Hands
15. Carrie
14. the Frighteners
13. A Nightmare on Elm Street
12. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
11. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
10. New Nightmare
9. Freddy vs. Jason
8. Aliens vs. Predator
7. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
6. 28 Days Later
5. Paranormal Activity
4. Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy
3. the Wolf Man (1941)
2. the Mummy (1999)
1. the Mummy (1932)

And, that is it. I made it through 100 horror movies in a little over 3 months. I’m going to be taking a break from horror movies for awhile and the next one I intend to see is the remake of the Wolfman coming out in February.

I just got back from viewing Zombieland and must say that it is one of the best horror/comedy films I’ve ever seen and ranks right up there with Shaun of the Dead as far as pure inanity. All four of the main stars are superbly cast, including the always entertaining Woody Harrelson. The opening few moments may be a bit on the graphic side for those not used to modern zombie flicks but the film is overall more goofy than outright gorey. Also, be on the lookout for a hilarious cameo from Bill Murray.

MY RATING: 4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Continuing my movie countdown. I am now 3/5ths of the way through and have a little over a month left. I suspect that I will make it but it’s going to be close:

40. Vacancy
39. Pandorum
38. Lady in White
37. Zombieland
36. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
35. [REC]
34. the Blob (1958)
33. Dracula (1931)
32. Underworld
31. Underworld: Evolution
30. Halloween (1978)
29. Halloween II (1981)
28. Black Sheep
27. Leprechaun
26. Re-Animator
25. Jaws
24. the Exorcist
23. Children of the Corn (2009)
22. Witchboard
21. the Ruins

Continuing on my horror movie marathon. I’ve been watching a bunch of Friday the 13th movies and will be done with the entire series (including the remake) by next week.

60. Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter
59. Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
58. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
57. Friday the 13th Part VII: the New Blood
56. Shutter
55. Sorority Row (2009)
54. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
53. Session 9
52. Deadgirl
51. Hellraiser (20th Anniversary Ed.)
50. Cabin Fever
49. Whiteout
48. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
47. Autopsy
46. Jennifer’s Body
45. Children of the Corn (1984)
44. Friday the 13th (2009)
43. Lord of Illusions
42. Dead & Breakfast
41. Diary of the Dead