I will accept no such reservation of that right. You've conceded. You lose, Kenneth. Loser.

My goal of annihilating all fellow posters and crushing all discussion just got a whole lot easier.

Fool, do not make me invoke the "PeachyPete is a doodyhead" defense. My finger is poised above the button.

The beautiful, shiny button.

The jolly, candylike button...

March 2012

1. Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010) - 5/10
2. Tyrannosaur (2011) - 7/10
3. Sleeping Beauty (2011) - 6/10
4. Give 'em Hell Malone (2009) - 6/10
5. My Week with Marilyn (2011) - 4/10
6. Sinners and Saints (2010) - 6/10
7. 21 Jump Street (2012) - 6/10
8. Project X (2012) - 3/10
9. Young Adult (2011) - 6/10
10. The Descendants (2011) - 7/10
11. The Kid with a Bike (2011) - 6/10

Bleh.

Two films I want to see there that you didn't give much more than a meh: Tyrannosaur and The Kid With the Bike. Is there not much to Tyrannosaur outside of the performances?

I'm feeling mighty tired, so I'm calling it a night. 53 viewings in all for April, folks.

APRIL:

1. 21 Jump Street - 7/10
2. Things to Come - 6/10
3. The Hunger Games - 7/10
4. Lawrence of Arabia - 10/10
5. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage - 5/10
6. Hunger (2008) - 8/10
7. The Old Dark House (1963) - 5/10
8. Patton - 10/10
9. Mr. Sardonicus - 7/10
10. Wrath of the Titans - 5/10
11. 'Round Midnight - 9/10
12. The Darkest Hour - 5/10
13. Absolute Beginners - 4/10
14. Mystery Science Theater 3000: "Code Name: Diamond Head" - no rating
15. Into the Abyss - 8/10
16. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - 5/10
17. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax - 4/10
18. Ordinary People - 8/10
19. The Swell Season - 7/10
20. Fireworks (1997) - 5/10
21. M (1931) - 9/10
22. Cave of Forgotten Dreams - 9/10
23. 8 1/2 - 7/10
24. The Cabin in the Woods - 8/10
25. Vampire Circus - 5/10
26. Undefeated (2011) - 7/10
27. The Three Stooges (2012) - 5/10
28. Easy Rider - 7/10
29. New York, I Love You - 5/10
30. The Raid: Redemption - 6/10
31. X (2011) - 5/10
32. Kind Hearts and Coronets - 6/10
33. You Don't Know Jack - 8/10
34. The Joneses - 7/10
35. Dance with Me, Henry - 7/10
36. The Battle of Algiers - 10/10
37. The Innkeepers - 7/10
38. Zulu - 6/10
39. 11-11-11 - 4/10
40. Contraband (2012) - 6/10
41. My Life as a Dog - 7/10
42. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - 7/10
43. Battleship Potemkin - 9/10
44. The Grapes of Wrath - 9/10
45. Cinema Verite - 5/10
46. A Streetcar Named Desire - 5/10
47. Mystery Science Theater 3000: "The Violent Years" - no rating
48. Terms of Endearment - 6/10
49. Queen of Outer Space - 6/10
50. Brief Encounter - 7/10
51. The Band Wagon - 7/10
52. World on a Wire - 5/10
53. Mirror Mirror (2012) - 5/10

April 2012

Amarcord 3.5/4
To Be or Not To Be 3.5/4
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 3.5/4
Metropolis 3.5/4
Bridesmaids 2.5/4

High ratings for the films off of the top 1000 list, of course. All great movies, but none of those four really amazed me. The last movie to do that was Tartovsky's The Mirror.

April 2012

Ulisse/Ulysses (1954) (Camerini) - 5/10
Police Story 3: Supercop (1992) (Tong) - 8/10
The Black Power Mixtape 1967 - 1975 (2011) (Olsson) - 5/10
Midnight in Paris (2011) (Allen) - 7/10
Death Race 2000 (1975) (Bartel) - 5/10
Avatar (2009) (Cameron) - 6/10*
Immortals (2011) (Singh) - 3/10
Killer Elite (2011) (McKendry) - 5/10
Horrible Bosses (2011) (Gordon) - 5/10
Hellboy (2004) (Del Toro) - 7/10*
The Harder They Come (1972) (Henzell) - 7/10
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) (Forman) - 8/10
The Producers (1968) (Brooks) - 4/10
Cat People (1942) (Tourneur) - 7/10
Tango & Cash (1989) (Konchalovskiy) - 3/10
Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus (2010) (Ray) - 2/10
Margin Call (2011) (Chandor) - 8/10
The Debt (2011) (Madden) - 7/10

* - repeat viewing

Is this the Fassbinder made for TV two parter?

That it is. It sort of has some interesting ideas going on, in the way of free will and how human technology can allow computer programs to become...but it's all so goddamned boring. The hero is an emotionless stiff, the story rambles on aimlessly for ages, and those aforementioned themes are addressed in what come across as a handful of flat existential tantrums.

In short, this godforsaken thing didn't need to be three and a half douche-gobbling hours.

Hmm... so far, I've been compiling each month into just one post (this one), due to not watching as many movies lately and even hitting a sad low with five in the month of March.

But maybe having an entire post dedicated to a single month will motivate me/guilt me/whatever.

Here goes.

MAY

The Terminator (***1/2)
Into the Abyss (***1/2)
The Room (1/2)
The Third Man (****)
From Russia With Love (***)
North By Northwest (****)
Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theater (***1/2)
The People vs. George Lucas (**1/2)
Drive (****)
2001: A Space Odyssey (****)
Citizen Ruth (**)
Young Frankenstein (***)

Oh man 5 is a rough month. It's my all-time low for a month, set in January 2005. Not that I kicked ass in April either, but still.


April
Week of 4/2 – 4/8
They Live (1988) ***
No Reservations (2007) **½
Week of 4/9 – 4/15
The Lookout (2007) ***
American Reunion (2012) ***
Week of 4/16 – 4/22
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) ***½
Nick of Time (1995) **½
The Life of Emile Zola (1937) ***
The Cabin in the Woods (2011) ***
Week of 4/23 – 4/29
Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) *½
The Five-Year Engagement (2012) **½

MAY:

1. Starman - 7/10
2. American Reunion - 5/10
3. Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story - 7/10
4. Robinson Crusoe on Mars - 7/10
5. The Taming of the Shrew (1967) - 5/10
6. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence - 7/10
7. Marvel's The Avengers - 8/10
8. Out of Africa - 7/10
9. Jitterbugs - 6/10
10. Anton Chekhov's The Duel - 4/10
11. Last Year at Marienbad - 4/10
12. The Big Sleep (1946) - 7/10
13. Fade to Black (2006) - 5/10
14. MASH - 7/10
15. 42nd Street - 9/10
16. Golden Swallow - 5/10
17. Romeo and Juliet (1968) - 9/10
18. The Monster Club - 6/10
19. Enter Nowhere - 5/10
20. Paris, Texas - 9/10
21. Albert Nobbs - 6/10
22. Varsity Show - 6/10
23. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - 8/10
24. Wishful Drinking - 7/10
25. The Theatre Bizarre - 5/10
26. The Five-Year Engagement - 7/10
27. Macbeth (1971) - 9/10
28. Oliver! - 7/10
29. Sisters (1973) - 8/10
30. Metropolis (1927) - 9/10
31. The Lucky One - 4/10
32. Dark Shadows - 5/10
33. The Last Emperor - 9/10
34. Harakiri - 9/10
35. The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior - 4/10
36. Kramer vs. Kramer - 6/10
37. Certified Copy - 5/10
38. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": The Castle of Fu Manchu - no rating
39. Beastie Boys Video Anthology - no rating
40. Nashville - 7/10
41. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame - 6/10
42. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": Last of the Wild Horses - no rating
43. Battleship - 5/10
44. Top Hat - 7/10
45. What to Expect When You're Expecting - 5/10
46. Belle de Jour - 7/10
47. We Need to Talk About Kevin - 9/10
48. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": Time of the Apes - no rating
49. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": King Dinosaur - no rating
50. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": Mighty Jack - no rating
51. Meet Me in St. Louis - 5/10

April

4/1/2012: The Spirit Of The Beehive: 10/10.
4/2/2012: Outrage: 6/10.
4/3/2012: Three Outlaw Samurai: 10/10.
4/4/2012: Frankenstein (1931): 8/10.
4/5/2012: The Square: 8/10.
4/6/2012: Jigoku: 5/10.
4/7/2012: Design For Living: 7/10.
4/8/2012: The 39 Steps: 9/10.
4/9/2012: Bigger Than Life: 7/10.
4/10/2012: A Night To Remember: 8/10.
4/10/2012: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask: 5/10.
4/11/2012: Blast Of Silence: 6/10.
4/11/2012: The Devil & Daniel Webster: 7/10.
4/12/2012: Clean, Shaven: 8/10.
4/12/2012: The Last Seduction: 8/10.
4/13/2012: The Cabin In The Woods: 8/10.
4/13/2012: Trouble In Paradise: 7/10.
4/14/2012: The Descendants: 7/10.
4/15/2012: The Host: 7/10.
4/16/2012: The Quiet Man: 7/10.
4/17/2012: Letter Never Sent: 10/10.
4/18/2012: Viridiana: 9/10.
4/19/2012: Ivan's Childhood: 8/10.
4/19/2012: Missing: 9/10.
4/20/2012: Absence Of Malice: 6/10.
4/21/2012: Ugetsu: 8/10.
4/22/2012: Fires On The Plain: 7/10.
4/23/2012: Red Road: 7/10.
4/24/2012: The Mirror: 7/10.
4/24/2012: In A Lonely Place: 9/10.
4/25/2012: Big Deal On Madonna Street: 9/10.
4/25/2012: Wise Blood: 6/10.
4/26/2012: A Generation: 5/10.
4/27/2012: Killing Zoe: 8/10.
4/27/2012: Pitfall: 9/10.
4/27/2012: The Pirates: A Band Of Misfits: 7/10.
4/28/2012: The Raven: 5/10.
4/29/2012: Year Of The Horse: 6/10.
4/30/2012: Zulu: 7/10.
4/30/2012: X-Men Origins: Wolverine: 4/10.

Top five first-time viewings:

Three Outlaw Samurai
The Spirit Of The Beehive
Letter Never Sent
Missing
Viridiana

May

5/1/2012: The Last Temptation Of Christ: 10/10.

Looks like we had the same idea for our Z movie, eh?

But he was smart enough to realize it was at least 7 worthy! One of my favorite films

Aw shit. Can one respond over a month later?

7/10 for Tyrannosaur is a definite "see it!" from me. The movie was interesting, and often a bit difficult to watch. I do think that the performances were the best part though.

As for The Kid With a Bike, I think we've been there and seen better. It feels like a mashup of Bicycle Thieves and The 400 Blows just not anywhere as good as either of those movies. I admire the Dardenne's decision to commit to such a completely unlikeable protagonist, but...did they have to commit to such a completely unlikeable protagonist? The "kid" is very irritating by design. That makes the movie so much more work. That's often good, but in this case I thought it bad.

April 2012

1. The Inbetweeners Movie (2011) - 7/10
2. The Hunger Games (2012) - 6/10
3. American Reunion (2012) - 5/10
4. Omohide poro poro / Only Yesterday (1991) - 7/10
5. Killer Elite (2011) - 6/10
6. Anonymous (2011) - 5/10
7. Bushi no ichibun / Love and Honor (2006) - 7/10
8. Scream (1996) - 7/10
9. Arthur (2011) - 5/10

I should mention that The Inbetweeners Movie is probably the funniest movie I've seen for the year. Do check it out!

You had never seen Scream? Damn dude

May 2012

In Time (2011) (Niccol) - 5/10
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) (Hackford) - 6/10
Pickpocket (1959) (Bresson) - 9/10
Missing in Action (1984) (Zito) - 1/10
Heat (1995) (Mann) - 5/10*
The Back-Up Plan (2010) (Poul) - 1/10
Meng long guo jiang/ The Way of the Dragon (1972) (Lee) - 5/10*
Killshot (2008) (Madden) - 3/10
Les yeux sans visage/ Eyes without a Face (1960) (Franju) - 8/10
Superbad (2007) (Mottola) - 6/10
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) (Ritchie) - 4/10
Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) (Bird) - 8/10
Melancholia (2011) (von Trier) - 8/10
Crash (1996) (Cronenberg) - 4/10

* - repeat viewing

It's been a weird month of movie watching, ranging from excellent (Pickpocket, Eyes withou a Face, MI4, Melancholia) to excrement (Missing in Action, Back-Up Plan). Still, 4 very good movies out of 14 is a decent quota.

I'm calling it a month -- 51 first-time viewings for May, yo.

MAY:

1. Starman - 7/10
2. American Reunion - 5/10
3. Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story - 7/10
4. Robinson Crusoe on Mars - 7/10
5. The Taming of the Shrew (1967) - 5/10
6. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence - 7/10
7. Marvel's The Avengers - 8/10
8. Out of Africa - 7/10
9. Jitterbugs - 6/10
10. Anton Chekhov's The Duel - 4/10
11. Last Year at Marienbad - 4/10
12. The Big Sleep (1946) - 7/10
13. Fade to Black (2006) - 5/10
14. MASH - 7/10
15. 42nd Street - 9/10
16. Golden Swallow - 5/10
17. Romeo and Juliet (1968) - 9/10
18. The Monster Club - 6/10
19. Enter Nowhere - 5/10
20. Paris, Texas - 9/10
21. Albert Nobbs - 6/10
22. Varsity Show - 6/10
23. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - 8/10
24. Wishful Drinking - 7/10
25. The Theatre Bizarre - 5/10
26. The Five-Year Engagement - 7/10
27. Macbeth (1971) - 9/10
28. Oliver! - 7/10
29. Sisters (1973) - 8/10
30. Metropolis (1927) - 9/10
31. The Lucky One - 4/10
32. Dark Shadows - 5/10
33. The Last Emperor - 9/10
34. Harakiri - 9/10
35. The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior - 4/10
36. Kramer vs. Kramer - 6/10
37. Certified Copy - 5/10
38. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": The Castle of Fu Manchu - no rating
39. Beastie Boys Video Anthology - no rating
40. Nashville - 7/10
41. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame - 6/10
42. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": Last of the Wild Horses - no rating
43. Battleship - 5/10
44. Top Hat - 7/10
45. What to Expect When You're Expecting - 5/10
46. Belle de Jour - 7/10
47. We Need to Talk About Kevin - 9/10
48. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": Time of the Apes - no rating
49. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": King Dinosaur - no rating
50. "Mystery Science Theater 3000": Mighty Jack - no rating
51. Meet Me in St. Louis - 5/10