My 2010 in Movies

Dec 25 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Sweet little comedy that warms your heart, especially if you're a fan of Jane Austen's stories. It was really cool as a meta movie about the stories that I've enjoyed over the years. All the good ones are there - Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion and others. Good acting all around also helps.

Dec 25 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Dec 23 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Dec 12 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Dec 12 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Decent movie but rather disappointing for the all hype it got. It really is hard to make a movie when the only character is stuck in one location for 75% of the movie.

Dec 10 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Darren Aronofsky delivers again with this psychological thriller, much in the mould of Pi, combined with the raw intimacy of The Wrestler. Stunning work.

Dec 8 @ Blu-ray
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Decent horror/sci-fi thriller despite the dated special effects.

Dec 5 @ In-flight Movie
India, Hindi
(First Viewing)

Farcical comedy with a corrupt cop as the anti-hero. It's very funny for the most part, especially when it doesn't take itself too seriously.

Dec 5 @ In-flight Movie
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Mediocre romantic comedy which doesn't offer anything remarkable but isn't boring enough to stop watching altogether.

Dec 2 @ TV
USA, English
(First Viewing)

I just wanted a mindless action movie but this doesn't even fit that bill. It just got more and more ridiculous all the way to the predictable climax. I expected better from the director, but alas it wasn't to be.

Dec 2 @ TV
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Lived up to my pretty low expectations for a mindless action thriller.

Nov 19 @ In-flight movie
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Sweet little comedy about a misfit anti-hero.

Nov 12 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

There's a lot of competent actors playing incompetent people in this movie.

Nov 8 @ TV
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Has a really cool soundtrack and a really dull plot. Orlando Bloom is a limited actor and Kirsten Dunst is wasted as his sidekick. There are fleeting moments of chemistry between the two but nothing that sustains for the length of the movie. Most of the characters are written with an attempt to make them quirky but all of them come off as ridiculous. The movie rests on Orlando Bloom's inadequate shoulders and he isn't up to it.

Other than the mediocre acting, nothing in this movie made any sense whatsoever. How can one lose a billion dollars on one shoe design? How stupid would the CEO of such a company be? Is it possible to lose a billion dollars on a single shoe design? Every shoe company I know of has dozens of designs at any one time. Why was the airline running a flight with only one passenger? Such a flight would have been cancelled days in advance. Why did Claire send Drew on a meaningless road trip?

Why did I watch this movie?

Nov 6 @ Download
USA, Spanish/English
(First Viewing)

Stunning documentary about Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and football player (and captain of the national team) Andrés Escobar. Both Escobars rose from the city of Medellin in Colombia and their lives would intertwine for decades. Both Escobars met with violent deaths, allegedly by the hands of the same people. The movie isn't just about these two people, it's about everything that surrounded them. You could accuse the filmmakers of being melodramatic at some points in the film, but you can't deny the truth of the events and their power to move you.

Nov 5 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

The ideas aren't all original but the movie puts an original spin on the whole superhero / villain from another planet idea. Successfully spoofs the Superman franchise and most superhero franchises in general. It's not (mega)mind-blowing, but it's fun entertainment that will not insult your intelligence.

Oct 29 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

The best movie I've seen all year. Explores the roots of the current global financial crisis, though focused heavily on the USA. It's non-partisan approach and in-depth research compels you to watch.

Oct 23 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Stellar acting, barely a story. Matt, Clint, what were you thinking?

Oct 22/23 @ Netflix Streaming
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Jared Diamond explores his hypothesis explaining why Europeans have dominated much of human history. Based on his book of the same name.

Oct 21 @ Netflix Streaming
Spain, Spanish
(First Viewing)

A fantastic psychological thriller from Spain. Our protagonist, Laura buys the house that served as a orphanage for her during her childhood. Once they move there, Laura's son starts to behave strangely. Is there something sinister in the house that is affecting Billy or is this all in Laura's head? Once her son disappears, the movie hurtles towards a shocking conclusion.

Oct 20 @ Netflix Streaming
Denmark, Danish/Chinese
(First Viewing)

Keld is recently divorced from his wife and doesn't know what to do with himself. To pay off his wife, he agrees to a marriage of convenience to Ling, the sister of the owner of his favourite Chinese eating joint. Things don't go exactly as planned when falls in love with Ling.

Oct 14 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Pixar pull ou the storytelling stops for one final(?) adventure for Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang. They have to cope with Andy growing up and moving to college, a sociopathic teddy bear, young kids at daycare hell bent on destroying toys, among other calamities. The final 15 minutes are pure storytelling gold, that lift the movie from your regular action-adventure-comedy to something special. BTW, anyone notice that Bo Peep went missing, leaving woody with no love interest? I wonder why they took her out, it was surprising.

Oct 9 @ Theatre
UK, English
(First Viewing)

The premise was very interesting (and relatively original) and the acting was great. Overall, the movie would have been much improved if we got more insight into what the characters were thinking and feeling. It isn't until the last 30 mins that you really start to get a feel for the characters. A better director might have helped.

Oct 1 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Another movie that is "based on" true events i.e. most of it is actually made up, only the names haven't been changed. Despite that. it's a very well directed and acted movie. The pace doesn't slacken for even a moment. Funniest thing about it is that the *only* Indian guy is played by an actor of English and Chinese descent, which just cracked me up.

Sep 27 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Entertaining high-school comedy. Emma Stone's comedic talents are on display again, much like last year's Zombieland.

Sep 24 @ SIFF Cinema
Spain, Spanish
(First Viewing)

Disturbing film about the how different people exploit a very troubled man after he develops stigmata on his hands. His life is regularly punctuated by tragedy and any happiness seems fleeting. Shot is stark black and white, this movie will stay with you even after you've left the theatre.

Sep 21 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

What impulse made me watch this movie? I can't even recall it. It's funny in patches, and those patches are all in the trailer. The bits in-between aren't very funny at all.

Sep 19 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Crime drama about a group of Boston bank robbers. Ben Affleck directs and directs exceptionally well. While the overall plot feels a little far fetched (much like Oceans 11/12/13), the characters and their relationships always feel authentic. Affleck is now a bona fide director, proving that 'Gone Baby Gone' was no fluke.

Sep 12 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

This movie is only for fans of the franchise, it's the 'Twilight' of middle-aged sex comedies. Fortunately, I am a fan of the franchise and the further adventures of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha are still welcome. Despite that, the film makers should think seriously before they make a third instalment, they are close to overstaying their welcome.

Sep 8 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Easy entertainment on a weekday night. Doesn't tax your brain too much but keeps it interested enough to enjoy the fast paced action and adventure. The direction is good and the acting is competent. The acting ranks are filled with Britishers, for what reason, I cannot fathom.

Aug 19 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Unmitigated garbage. The plot is ridiculously convoluted, actually it's just plain ridiculous. The script seems to have been written by an adolescent with a fascination for trashy spy fiction or bad Robert Ludlum novels. Nothing about the stale plot was even faintly surprising. All that is made worse by how seriously the whole plodding enterprise seems to take itself. A little bit of humour might have injected some life into the movie and maybe distracted the audience from the littering of bad clichés in second half of the movie. Easily the worst movie I've seen this year.

Aug 15 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

It's a clever movie but has trouble consistently funny. I lost count of the number of video game references there were. Once the novelty of the video game invading the real world wears off, the story or the characters aren't enough to see it through to the end. Kieran Culkin nearly steals the show as Scott's gay roommate. He's about the only character that is consistently interesting (and surprising). Overall, I have to say this was a disappointment.

Aug 13 @ Download
Taiwan, Chinese
(First Viewing)

Sweet screwball comedy about a man pining for his girlfriend who is in Paris, a book store employee with a crush on him and a bunch of inept mobsters. The editing is superb, the acting is understated and the background score perfectly complements the mood.

Aug 7 @ Download
Canada / Egypt, English / Arabic
(First Viewing)

Aug 3 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Great animation, half decent story combined with my Batman obsession makes for a reasonably entertaining movie. Wouldn't recommend it though.

July 30 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Ridiculous and contrived but funny. None of the characters or situations are even remotely believable (or fresh) but the laughs still keep on coming. With the massive amount of comedic talent on display, the movie should do better than this.

July 25 @ DVD
UK, English
(First Viewing)

Disappointing spoof of Sherlock Holmes and the detective genre in general. However, it's a rather dull script which isn't enlivened by the presence of John Cleese.

July 24 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

My first movie in 2 months... this is a light year for movies apparently. And what a cracker of a movie it was. Christopher Nolan delivers again.

May 23 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Michael Cera has made a career out of playing hapless teenagers. He's on great form here, playing Nick as well as his alter-ego Francois, trying to get the girl of his dreams in typically incompetent fashion.

May 21 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Absolutely gorgeous looking movie, Wonderland has never looked this good on film before. Unfortunately, the story is not up to scratch. Instead of a straight adaptation of the book, the film makers decided to be clever and crafted up a 'sequel' of sorts with a grown up Alice. Despite the beautiful conception of Wonderland, the movie is pretty dreary for the most part. In the process of growing up, we've lost the sparkle of the original story. Such a wasted effort, really. As a side note, I absolutely loved Stephen Fry's voicing of the Chesire Cat, it complemented the beautifully rendered cat on-screen perfectly.

May 14 @ Theatre
USA, English
(First Viewing)

May 8 @ Theatre
Argentina, Spanish
(First Viewing)

May 1 @ Download
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Basically, the film makers needed an excuse to have swordplay in the middle of New York city. Funny to see an American (Lambert) play a Scotsman, while a Scotsman (Connery) plays an Egyptian(?). Stays interesting for the first half but the over-the-top presentation eventually gets to you. A little more character development would have gone a long way.

Apr 30 @ Netflix Streaming
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Apr 17 @ Theatre
UK, English
(First Viewing)

The movie has only two modes - believable or totally absurd, it treads no middle ground at all. It isn't quite the masterpiece that Kill Bill is but it treads the same grounds of self-parody and extreme bloodshed.

Apr 11 @ Download
Sweden, Swedish
(First Viewing)

Apr 10 @ Theatre
Sweden, Swedish
(First Viewing)

The first couple of hours of the movie are a taut and well acted mystery thriller but the director really blows it by going over the top in the final 15 mins. Such a shame.

Apr 10 @ Blu-ray
Spain, Spanish
(First Viewing)

Pedro Almodovar comes up short with latest movie. It has his usual trademarks - quirky characters, explosive emotions and a twisted tale. Unfortunately, the main plot is too well worn for it to make any impact. Great cinematography and competent acting keep the movie from falling into mediocrity, unfortunately with no plot to match.

Apr 4 @ Netflix Streaming
USA, English
(First Viewing)

Great acting all round but this story of a middle aged man having a fling with a young student leaves me nothing memorable in the end.

Apr 3 @ Blu-ray
France, French
(First Viewing)

Lots of slick action, zero story. Deserves B-movie status but with all the money spent on it, it looks too good for a B-movie. The writer and director should be commended for keeping it short, it's over before it gets on your nerves. The short duration also fits into the attention span of a male adolescent, the only category of movie goers who will actually enjoy this. The rest should stay away.