Matthias99

I'm a sucker for this one, as it's a Christmas holiday tradition at my family's house (along with "A Christmas Story".) Heartwarming in that this-was-made-before-everyone-in-the-world-was-cynical kind of way. Even if you're not particularly religious (and my family isn't), it's hard not to appreciate the spirit of the story and Schulz' attempt to tease out the true meaning of Christmas from the "modern" commercialism that he saw taking over even 40 years ago. A brilliant score as well.

60 _10%

Jumper (2008) - Rated 10 Jul 2008

It's pretty bad. It actually has a pretty interesting premise (Christensen's character, and a handful of others, can teleport to any location in the world that they have already been to) -- but the script is just terrible. Bad dialogue, gaping plot holes, characters who behave in nonsensical ways, and a terrible ending. The acting is bad. Even Jackson is lousy. The effects are okay, but mostly used as an excuse to shoot on location. Bell is funny, but it's so bad...

90 _66%

Knocked Up (2007) - Rated 10 Jul 2008

Funny, well-written, well-cast. It manages to mostly avoid feeling forced or contrived, although watching some of the deleted scenes on the DVD you can see where they cut out some plot points and smoothed things over. I loved the cameo from Harold Ramis as Rogen's dad. I only saw the DVD release, so I'm not sure how much it was changed from the theatrical. As others have pointed out, this is a dirty, dirty movie. And a damned funny one. And not a bad romantic comedy either.

94 _89%

WALL·E (2008) - Rated 10 Jul 2008

Visually stunning, and very different from their other films. Lighter on dialogue (especially in the first reel -- er, hard disk?), heavier on morality (save the environment = good, let machines run your life and do nothing = bad), more adult than "Toy Story" or "Monsters Inc." It's hard to really explain what pulls the movie together. You can tell that Pixar really poured their heart into this one; it feels more personal. Ultimately, it's a love story. With robots. And a damned good one.

85 _41%

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006) - Rated 10 Jul 2008

Feels like they were trying too hard at points. (My friend commented that they wanted to be a more metal version of Wayne's World.) The editing is also heavy-handed -- I have no clue why they pulled the scene/song in the Army/Navy store, as it was damned funny and explained why they magically had walkie-talkies later. Also -- why did they not do anything with Amy Poehler after the setup? Still, even with the faults, Black and Gass have tremendous energy and chemistry, and it's a funny flick.

90 _66%

The Incredible Hulk (2008) - Rated 26 Jun 2008

A solid summer action flick. Good special effects, although the plot is a little thin. Not that it matters too much, because it's basically there to string together a series of ridiculous over-the-top action setpieces and some killer CGI. Between those, though, it can drag a bit -- but it's still better than a lot of crappy comic-book adaptations. It's no 'Iron Man' (although Downey Jr. does have a brief cameo in this film), but it's a fun popcorn flick.

87 _52%

Robots (2005) - Rated 31 May 2008

Decent, but not spectacular. The plot kind of wanders all over the place in the middle, and the ending is rather abrupt. Williams is funny, and Kinnear is a smooth-talking villain.

80 _23%

Fantastic Four (2005) - Rated 31 May 2008

I saw roughly the second half of this on TV. I'm kind of glad I didn't see the whole thing. Very disappointing. Watchable, if only for Alba. Just not all that exciting, and the "big fight" at the end is horrible.

88 _56%

Rocky Balboa (2006) - Rated 31 May 2008

Clearly not in the same category as the original "Rocky", or "Million Dollar Baby", but a fitting conclusion to the Rocky series. Stallone gets some redemption after the crime against humanity known as "Rocky V".

94 _89%

Ratatouille (2007) - Rated 31 May 2008

An incredible piece of animation from the folks at Pixar. Touching and heartfelt without being sappy; superb voice-acting, a strong script, and state-of-the-art CGI combine to make a great cinematic experience.