2011 In Film: A Year In Review

2011 brought a lot of interesting film experiences. I set a goal at the beginning of the year to see as many films as possible, regardless if I wanted to see the film or not. It has been a fascinating and eye-opening experience so far to say the least. Half the films I saw this year I either didn't want to see or was indifferent on seeing.  Some of them have been surprisingly good, some have them have been god awful, and others have been in between. Overall 2011 has been a good year for film. Not the greatest ever, but it could have been a lot worse. I still have plenty of films left to see (most of which I don't want to see), but here is my wrap-up of the year in film.

(* is a film that I did not want to see initially)
86.Beastly*(0/5)
85.The Roommate*(1/5)
84.Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son*(1/5)
83.Madea's Big Happy Family*(1/5)
82.Apollo 18*(1/5)
81.Red Riding Hood*(1/5)
80.Bellflower(1/5)
79.Shark Night 3D*(1.5/5)
78.Spy Kids: All the Time In the World*(1.5/5)
77.Season of the Witch*(1.5/5)
76.Gnomeo and Juliet*(1.5/5)
75.Sanctum*(1.5/5)
74.Zookeeper*(1.5/5)
73.The Rite*(1.5/5)
72.Priest*(2/5)
71.The Dilemma*(2/5)
70.I Am Number Four*(2/5)
69.Cars 2*(2/5)
68.The Eagle*(2.5/5)
67.Larry Crowne*(2.5/5)
66.Green Lantern*(2.5/5)
65.Colombiana*(2.5/5)
64.Hanna*(2.5/5)
63.Rango*(2.5/5)
62.Tucker and Dale Vs Evil(2.5/5)
61.Take Me Home Tonight*(2.5/5)
60.Red State(2.5/5)
59.Rio*(3/5)
58.Mr. Popper's Penguins*(3/5)
57.Battle: Los Angeles(3/5)
56.Everything Must Go(3/5)
55.Captain America: The First Avenger*(3/5)
54.Your Highness(3/5)
53.Fright Night*(3/5)
52.Real Steel*(3/5)
51.Arthur*(3.5/5)
50.No Strings Attached*(3.5/5)
49.The Greatest Movie Ever Sold(3.5/5)
48.Kung Fu Panda 2(3.5/5)
47.Friends With Benefits*(3.5/5)
46.Hesher(3.5/5)
45.The Change-Up(3.5/5)
44.Conan the Barbarian*(3.5/5)
43.Limitless*(3.5/5)
42.The Adjustment Bureau*(3.5/5)
41.The Mechanic(3.5/5)
40.Just Go With It*(3.5/5)
39.Our Idiot Brother*(3.5/5)
38.Bad Teacher*(3.5/5)
37.Immortals(3.5/5)
36.Scream 4*(3.5/5)
35.Win Win(3.5/5)
34.Drive Angry(3.5/5)
33.Hall Pass(3.5/5)
32.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides(4/5)
31.Cowboys and Aliens(4/5)
30.Kill the Irishman(4/5)
29.Crazy, Stupid, Love*(4/5)
28.The Green Hornet(4/5)
27.Transformers: Dark of the Moon(4/5)
26.Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest(4/5)
25.Cedar Rapids(4/5)
24.Conan O'Brien Can't Stop(4/5)
23.Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol(4/5)
22.Super(4/5)
21.Bridesmaids*(4/5)
20.Rise of the Planet of the Apes*(4/5)
19.Paul(4/5)
18.Unknown(4/5)
17.Thor(4/5)
16.The Hangover Part II(4/5)
15.13 Assassins(4/5)
14.30 Minutes or Less(4/5)
13.The Lincoln Lawyer(4/5)
12.Sucker Punch(4.5/5)
11.Hobo With a Shotgun(4.5/5)
10.X-Men: First Class(4.5/5)
9.Horrible Bosses(4.5/5)
8.Moneyball(4.5/5)
7.Attack the Block(4.5/5)
6.Source Code(4.5/5)
5.Warrior*(4.5/5)
4.Super 8(4.5/5)
3.Fast Five(4.5/5)
2.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (4.5/5)
1.50/50(4.5/5)
 
2011 Films I haven't seen yet (That I actually want to see):
Drive
Killer Elite
The Rum Diary
A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas
Tower Heist
J.Edgar
The Sitter
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows
Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy

Movie Review: Shark Night 3D (Film Number 42 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

Here we go again... The "stay out of the water" horror genre as I like to call to it, got a bit of a revival last year with Piranha 3D (which is still the only film I've ever seen that I can't form a solid opinion on). Shark Night 3D is the latest attempt to keep the genre going and let's just say it's not particularly successful in it's goal. Shark Night is basically Piranha's tamer, lamer PG-13 cousin. There are spurts of dumb fun to be had here, but it's mostly just bad. If the movie had fully embraced it's B-movie status and amped up the gore and had a more comic tone, it could been a lot of fun. Instead we are left with a half-baked and relatively bloodless movie were a bunch of college kids on a lake are taken out by sharks that were released into the water by a couple of revenge-seeking rednecks. That's really about all there is to Shark Night and then it just ends abruptly. I will say there is a couple of hilarious death scenes (one in particular involving a jet ski had me laughing my ass off for a solid 2-3 minutes), so it wasn't a complete waste of time. Shark Night is a dull and safe take on the B-movie and it could have been a lot of fun if it wasn't restrained by it's PG-13 rating.

1.5/5 Stars   

Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

A couple of years ago I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw Kung Fu Panda during a free preview weekend of HBO. I couldn't believe that a non-Pixar animated film was that funny and clever. Fast forward to last week when I watched Kung Fu Panda 2 and was again surprised that the sequel was almost on par with the original. The sequel is able to recapture most of the magic of the original by following a similar formula without feeling rehashed or stale. The great ensemble voice cast (including Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Dustin Hoffman and of course, Jack Black in the title role) returns and is just as good as the original. Jack Black again makes Po one of the most likable animated heroes in recent memory. His goofy charm comes through even when it's just his voice on screen. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a fun time and is without a doubt the best family film of 2011. It doesn't quite live up to the original, but it's still a sucessful film.

3.5/5 Stars

NFL Wild Card Picks

It's been a long time since I've written about sports. With the start of the NFL playoffs this weekend, I felt like I should offer my thoughts/picks on this weekend's slate of games.

My picks:
Cincinnati Bengals Over Houston Texans: If this game had been played in October, I would have went with Houston all the way. But with the slew of injuries the Texans have suffered, I really can't see them winning.  Rookie T.J Yates (who was the third string quarterback at the beginning of the season) is getting the start, despite his shoulder injury suffered last week against the Titans. Yates is going against the great defense of the Bengals, whose pass rush has been extremely effective all season long. The Bengals also have the advantage of being healthy and the leadership of Andy Dalton (who is without a doubt the best rookie quarterback in the league in my mind, sorry Cam Newton). It should be a good game, but I foresee Houston's fairy tale season coming to an end tomorrow night.

New Orleans Saints Over Detroit Lions: The Lions have been the surprise team of the year. I called before the season that they would be much improved, but even I didn't expect them to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, they have the daunting task of playing the Saints in their first playoff game. The Saints are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They have been decimating their opponents in the last few games. Drew Brees has been playing like a man possessed and has showed just how elite of a quarterback he is. Their playoff experience and the chip on their shoulder from their shocking early playoff exit last season gives them an extra advantage.

Atlanta Falcons Over New York Giants: This is my upset pick of the weekend. The Giants have been way too inconsistent to advance in playoffs. If they bring their A-game, it's very possible they could win this game, but I wouldn't be willing to gamble on them. On the other hand, Atlanta has been looking very strong recently. Matt Ryan has stepped up big time in the second half of the season after a sluggish start. He looks to be very determined to lead this team on a run in the playoffs. The Falcons have a lot of weapons (not to say the Giants don't) that should overwhelm the Giants defense (especially in the passing game). It's going come down to a couple of big plays to decide the outcome and I think the Falcons will take it because of that.

Pittsburgh Steelers Over Denver Broncos: Even with a banged up Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall going down for the year, I don't see the Steelers losing this game. Their defense is too good and they don't really need to score too many points to beat Denver. The Broncos also limped into the playoffs. They played absolutely awful in their last three games (especially the last two). Their one-dimensional offense will get eaten alive by Pittsburgh's defense. The only advantage the Broncos have is that this game is in Denver. Denver is the hardest place to play in the NFL, but I don't see it being too much of a problem for Pittsburgh. Unless Tebow Time strikes again, I don't see Denver having a chance in this one.

Movie Review: Mr.Popper's Penguins (Film Number 41 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

I am probably in the minority of people in my age group that didn't read Mr.Popper's Penguins as a kid. With having never read the book, that didn't give me any form of nostalgia factor when watching this film. To my surprise, I actually end up enjoying Mr.Popper's Penguins a decent amount (even without any fond childhood memories of the book). Every once in a while, you see a film that's flawed, but you can forgive those flaws because it's entertaining. Mr. Popper's Penguins is a prime example of this type of film. It has it's downsides, but it's harmless, light, and is good for some laughs so you can forgive it's flaws. Jim Carrey has a good time with the role. He gets to use his impecable gift of physical comedy for a new generation. This is an old-school Carrey role and he really is this heart and soul of this film. Mr. Popper's Penguins is not a great film, but that doesn't mean it's not worth watching. It's an innocent, simple film that has just enough laughs and charms to work.

3/5 Stars

Movie Review: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

The Mission Impossible franchise took a pretty long break after the third installment. The third one had a mixed reception overall and I was surprised when I heard they were making a fourth one. I am so glad they decided to make a fourth one because Ghost Protocol is  the best Mission Impossible film to date.

What really drives Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is the quality of the action. This is the type of old-school, smart,  non-stop entertaining action film that isn't made nearly as much now-a-days. Every sequence is done on such a grand scale that it captivates the audience and takes their breath away. The much-talked about scene in which Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) jumps out of a 100-story plus building completely lives up to the hype. It's one of the most exhilarating scenes not only in a 2011 film, but any action film ever. Though the action is the main attraction, Ghost Protocol is also a very-well made film. Brad Bird shines in his live-action directing debut. He has a great sense for directing, he manages all the gigantic action scenes with ease. I hope he continues to direct live-action films. He brings the same brilliance that be brings to animation to live-action. The new cast additions around Cruise are also solid. Jeremy Renner's character make for a good number 2 and Paula Patton is a believable female action star. That being said, Simon Pegg gives the standout performance in the film. He is hilarious as always and seeing him getting a much bigger role than in the third film was awesome. The only thing preventing Ghost Protocol from being completely amazing is the lack of a strong villain. All of the villains are paper-thin and really don't do anything at all. It was kind of a buzzkill when everything else about this film is so strong.

Ghost Protocol is a thrilling blockbuster. This will sure to please. The action scenes are big, loud, and exciting. Ghost Protocol is a full-fledged revival of the franchise. It's my favorite installment of the series so far and I hope they make another one after the success of Ghost Protocol. Ghost Protocol is a very entertaining spectacle of a film that is perfect for the holiday blockbuster season.

4/5 Stars

January In Film

Happy New Year everyone! January marks the start of the new year and I am very intrigued to see what 2012 can bring. The film slate for 2012 has some potential, but you don't really know until the end of the year what the overall quality will be. Anyways, here is my take on the first crop of films of the new year with my thoughts on all of January's films.

Films I Want To See
3.Man On A Ledge (1/27)-It's not the most original concept ever, but the trailer looks pretty good. The solid cast adds to the my excitement level.

2.Underworld: Awakening(1/20)- Having Kate Beckinsale back is a huge boost. I'm also glad they are going back to the roots of the franchise and not continuing on with the prequel series. I only hope this is in the same ballpark in terms of quality as the original.

1.Contraband(1/13)-This might be the best looking film for the first few months of 2012. Mark Wahlberg is back to his gritty-film past, Ben Foster should make a good villain, and the plot is very intriguing. The second week of January the past few years has produced some great films and I hope Contraband will join that list.

Films I'm Not Sure About
Red Tails (1/20)-This could end up being great (George Lucas is producing it), but I feel like I don't know enough about the film right now to make a decision about weather or not I want to see it.

Haywire(1/20)-I am not a huge fan of Steven Soderbergh's work, but the trailer for this isn't bad. I will probably give it a shot.

The Grey (1/27)-I just saw the full-length trailer a few days ago and I am more interested in seeing it now than I was after I saw the teaser. I still feel like this could end being kind of dull (depending on the length), but it has some potential.

Films I Have Zero Interest In
The Devil Inside (1/6)-Yet another exorcism movie. This one looks particularly bad. I actually can't think of the last time an exorcism movie looked this bad (and there has been a LOT of bad ones in the past 5-10 years.) I will be avoiding this one like the plague.

Joyful Noise (1/13)-I really can't stand musicals and this isn't going to change it. It is really funny to me that Dolly Parton is in this though.