The Dressmaker

Billed as a "revenge comedy," though the two never quite really came at the same time: it was more like: comedy, comedy, comedy---and then a switch to revenge.

It doesn't matter, though: this movie gets high marks just for being DIFFERENT.



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Deadpool

Deadpool is funny, Deadpool is violent, Deadpool is an effects movie.

Two of the most special effects: Deadpool's eyes, and Ryan Renolds' keyster.


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Pan

Why was the character of Tiger Lily whitewashed, how is it Captain Hook is more like Indiana Jones, and why the HECK are the pirates singing Nirvana & The Ramones?!?

I sat through this thing thinking of the far superior prequel stories written by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson.



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The Martian

Well, of course there is no suspense involved in this movie: I mean, only an idiot would think they are going to let Matt Damon die on Mars.

I actually liked this movie a whole lot more than I thought I would--unlike the prequel they made, where I really didn't care if Sandra Bullock stayed spaced out.


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Black Mass

This was pretty rough to sit through: a long string of  violent crimes, plus Johnny Depp's makeup.

It would have been nice to have a palate cleanser at the end, like a Jackie-Chan-style reel of hilarious outtakes.


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Fantastic Four

Okay, I couldn't NOT go see it, and I'm sure my lowered expectations from the wretched reviews helped, but -- I liked it.

Ah, c'mon: it is CERTAINLY better than the previous versions (just admit it)!

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Ant-Man

I knew little about Ant-Man going in, but this might be my second-favorite Marvel Studios movie.

Which does not necessarily mean I would want to sit through it a second time.



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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1

I stayed to the very, very end of the credits!

I was sure Samuel L. Jackson would show up to recruit Katniss, but no such luck.

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The Hundred-Foot Journey

Very enjoyable movie, and there's some great food porn in there!

They also show some French food.


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Les Misérables

Anne Hathaway deserves an Oscar for her performance--and she still would, even if her only scene in the whole film had been the one in which she sings The Susan Boyle Song.

For multiple viewings, though, I'm still gonna side with The Devil Wears Prada.




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Life of Pi

Missing some bits from the book that really make the story, and lacking just about everything in the way of suspense.

But if you can get all around that, it's truly enjoyable.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Interesting to see the movie adaptation of a book being written & directed by that book's author.  

Believe it or not, it even ends up being a good adaptation.

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The Hunger Games

I really enjoyed it; sure, it didn't fully capture the subtext of the book, but what can one do?

I guess we'll have to wait for the reboot to find out.




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Thor

Wasn't even sure I wanted to see it: the comic had never appealed to me, and I always find Portman & Hopkins to be OTT in their "anything for the money" roles.

Once I got over snickering at "ice giants," I found the movie to be, surprisingly, much better than I could have dared hope.

I Love You Phillip Morris

Essentially a prison-break version of "Catch Me if You Can," with which it has in common both true-life roots and a level of repetition that begins to border on exhausting.

At one late point, the main character receives a hearty slap to the face; this would have made a perfect final moment, as the rebuke could have been seen as final retribution upon the guy on behalf of the "slappee," of society, and of course, the audience.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

The final film in the trilogy had me on the edge of my seat, mesmerized as I probably haven't been since-- well, probably not since The Girl Who Played with Fire.

These movies are so good, that I'm really scared by the prospect of the upcoming American remakes--why try to redo a perfect product?

Robin Hood

The fact that the advertising screamed this was from the director of Gladiator probably should've told us all we need to know about this film.

Brings little with it in the way of wit, or anything at all special to add to the Robin Hood mix.

Kick Ass

It was funny, it was awesome, & I loved it.

So much so, I hope there's no sequel.

Me and Orson Welles

If you've ever wanted to say, "Zac Ephron plays Me in the movie," I guess this is your chance.

That aside, we've got quite a funny movie here overall, and a possibly award-worthy performance by Christian McKay as Orson Welles.

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Started out mildly amusing, ended making me wish I'd never walked into the theater in the first place.

The way I figure it, these four very talented people really wanted to work together, now, without any consideration as to whether they actually had any material worth presenting.