2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

To paraphrase Adam_S from last year's thread:

Couple of changes I'm putting forward:

1. I'm going to try to keep an index of everyone's list at the end of this post, so you can get to yours easier and find others easier. Hopefully this will encourage people to update more often. If I miss your list, just PM and I'll be sure to add a link.
2. Every time you update your list, reply to the thread with a short comment related to your updates. This will keep the thread on the first page, and hopefully get some discussion going.

I'm definitely up for suggestions if anybody has any other ideas, though.

Film Lists Index:
Adam Lenhardt's Film List
Justin_S's Film List
Travis_S's Film List
Adam_S's Film List
ChrisBEA's Film List
Elizabeth S's Film List
Michael Reuben's Film List
Kirk Tsai's Film List
Brian.L's Film List
Craig S's Film List
Michael Elliott's Film List
Kristen's Film List
Jeff Adkins's Film List
filmfandan's Film List
Steve Christou's Film List
Edited by Adam Lenhardt - 8/22/09 at 9:10pm

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

2009 Film List

Total Films Seen: 21

Last Updated: 22 June 2009

Criteria: Seen in a cinema during 2009; 2009 North American releases seen on DVD in 2009

Films (By Date Screened)
01.01.09  Yes Man  Peyton Reed   (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)
03.01.09  Seven Pounds  Gabriele Muccino   (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
13.01.09  Gran Torino  Clint Eastwood   (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
18.01.09  My Bloody Valentine 3D  Patrick Lussier   (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)
27.01.09  W. [2008]  Oliver Stone    (Proctors Theatre)
08.02.09  Push  Paul McGuigan    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
14.02.09  Taken  Pierre Morel    (AMC Loews Rotterdam Square 6)
27.02.09  Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In) [2008]    (Spectrum 8 Theatres)
07.03.09  Coraline [3D]  Henry Selick    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
08.03.09  Watchmen [IMAX]  Zack Snyder    (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)
21.03.09  Knowing  Alex Proyas    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
27.03.09  I Love You, Man  John Hamburg    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
04.04.09  Adventureland  Greg Mottola    (Spectrum 8 Theatres)
21.04.09  Observe & Report  Jody Hill   (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
09.05.09  17 Again  Burr Steers    (Hollywood Drive-In Theatre [Averill Park, NY])
09.05.09  X-Men Origins: Wolverine  Gavin Hood    (Hollywood Drive-In Theatre [Averill Park, NY])
19.05.09  Star Trek [IMAX]  J.J. Abrams    (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)
27.05.09  Terminator Salvation  McG    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
31.05.09  Up [3D]  Pete Doctor    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
06.06.09  The Hangover  Todd Phillips    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
21.06.09  The Brothers Bloom  Rian Johnson    (Spectrum 8 Theatres)
23.06.09  The Uninvited  Charles and Thomas Guard    (DVD of Theatrical 2009 Release)
12.07.09  Away We Go  Sam Mendes    (Spectrum 8 Theatres)
15.07.09  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince  David Yates    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
24.07.09  I Love You, Beth Cooper  Chris Columbus    (Hi-Way Drive-in [Screen 3])
28.07.09  500 Days of Summer [Free/Promotional] Marc Webb    (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)
31.07.09  Funny People  Judd Apatow    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
06.08.09  Orphan  Jaume Collet-Serra    (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)
15.08.09  District 9  Neill Blomkamp    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
15.08.09  Race to Witch Mountain  Andy Fickmann    (DVD of Theatrical 2009 Release)
21.08.09  Avatar [IMAX 3D Extended Preview]  James Cameron    (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)
13.09.09  Inglourious Basterds  Quentin Tarentino    (Malta Drive-In [Screen 1])
13.09.09  The Final Destination  David R. Ellis    (Malta Drive-In [Screen 1])
17.09.09  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [IMAX]  David Yates    (Jordan's IMAX Reading)
19.09.09  The Big Lebowski [Lebowskifest 2009 Boston]  Joel Coen    (House of Blues Boston)
03.10.09  Zombieland  Ruben Fleischer    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
12.10.09  The Invention of Lying  Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson    (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)
17.10.09  Surrogates  Johnathan Mostow   (Cumberland 12 Cinemas)
24.10.09  Next Day Air  Benny Boom   (DVD of Theatrical 2009 Release)
07.11.09  A Christmas Carol [3D]  Robert Zemeckis    (Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13)
07.11.09  The Taking of Pelham 123  Tony Scott    (DVD of Theatrical 2009 Release)
08.11.09  Hardwired  Ernie Barbarash   (2009 Direct-to-DVD Movie)
13.11.09  2012  Roland Emmerich    (Regal Crossgates Stadium 18 & IMAX)


Edited by Adam Lenhardt - 11/13/09 at 5:49pm

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Ratings are on a scale of * to *****
Total seen: 36
Last watched: Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009 FILMS SEEN

Adventureland (Director: Greg Mottola)  ****

Box, The (Director: Richard Kelly) ****

Collector, The (Director: Marcus Dunstan) ***½

District 9 (Director: Neill Blomkamp) ***½
Donkey Punch (Director: Olly Blackburn) ***
Drag Me to Hell (Director: Sam Raimi) ****½

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Director: Wes Anderson) ****½
Final Destination, The (Director: David R. Ellis) **
Fourth Kind, The (Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi) ****

Gamer (Directors: Neveldine/Taylor) **½
Grace (Director: Paul Solet) ***½
Great Buck Howard, The (Director: Sean McGinly) **

Haunting in Connecticut, The (Director: Peter Cornwell) **
House of the Devil, The (Director: Ti West) **½
Hurt Locker, The (Director: Kathryn Bigelow) ****½

Informers, The (Director: Gregor Jordan) **½
Inglourious Basterds (Director: Quentin Tarantino) ****½

Jennifer's Body (Director: Karyn Kusama) **½

Knowing (Director: Alex Proyas) ****½

Moon (Director: Duncan Jones) *****

Observe and Report (Director: Jody Hill) **½
Orphan (Director: Jaume Collet-Serra) *
Outlander (Director: Howard McCain) ***

Pandorum (Director: Christian Alvart) ***
Paranormal Activity (Director: Oren Peli) *****
Perfect Getaway, A (Director: David Twohy) ***

Skeptic, The (Director: Tennyson Bardwell) **
Sorority Row (Director: Stewart Hendler) ***½
Sunshine Cleaning (Director: Christine Jeffs) ***½
Surveillance (Director: Jennifer Lynch) ****

Terminator Salvation (Director: Joseph McGinty Nichol) **

Unborn, The (Director: David S. Goyer) **½
Uninvited, The (Directors: Charles & Thomas Guard) ***½

Watchmen (Director: Zack Snyder) *
Whiteout (Director: Dominic Sena) *½

Zombieland (Director: Ruben Fleischer) ****

FILMS BY RATING

*****
Moon
Paranormal Activity

****½
Drag Me to Hell
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Hurt Locker, The
Inglourious Basterds
Knowing

****
Adventureland
Box, The
Fourth Kind, The
Surveillance
Zombieland

***½
Collector, The
District 9
Grace
Sorority Row
Sunshine Cleaning
Uninvited, The

***
Donkey Punch
Outlander
Pandorum
Perfect Getaway, A

**½
Gamer
House of the Devil, The
Informers, The
Jennifer's Body
Observe and Report
Unborn, The

**
Final Destination, The
Great Buck Howard, The
Haunting in Connecticut, The
Skeptic, The
Terminator Salvation

*½
Whiteout

*
Orphan
Watchmen

Edited by Justin_S - 11/20/09 at 4:12pm

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

2009 Film List

Total Films Seen: 29

Last Updated: 9/6/09

Criteria: North American Release

Films
My Bloody Valentine 3-D (Director - Patrick Lussier) **1/2
Friday the 13th (Director - Marcus Nispel) **1/2
Taken (Director - Pierre Morel) ***
Watchmen (Director - Zack Snyder) ***1/2
Last House on the Left (Director - Dennis Illiadis) ***
Monsters vs. Aliens (Directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon) **1/2
Knowing (Director - Alex Proyas) ***
Fast and Furious (Director - Justin Lin) **1/2
Observe and Report (Director - Jody Hill) **1/2
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Director - Gavin Hood) **
Star Trek (Director - J.J. Abrams) ***1/2
Obsessed (Director - Steve Shill) **
Angels and Demons (Director - Ron Howard) **1/2
The Hangover (Director - Todd Phillips) ***1/2
Terminator Salvation (Director - McG) **1/2
Drag Me To Hell (Director - Sam Raimi) ***
Up (Director - Pete Docter) ***1/2
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Director - Michael Bay) **1/2
Public Enemies (Director - Michael Mann) ***
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Director - David Yates) ***1/2
Orphan (Director - Jaume Collet-Serra) ***
Funny People (Director - Judd Apatow) ***
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Director - Stephen Sommers) ***
Julie & Julia (Director - Nora Ephron) ***
District 9 (Director - Neil Blomkamp) ***1/2
World's Greatest Dad (Director - Bobcat Goldthwait) ***
Inglourious Basterds (Director - Quentin Tarantino) ****

Halloween II (Director - Rob Zombie) ***

The Final Destination (Director - David R. Ellis) **

Ranking
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Star Trek
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
4. Up
5. District 9
6. The Hangover
7. Watchmen
8. Drag Me To Hell
9. Funny People
10. Orphan
11. Taken
12. World's Greatest Dad
13. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
14. Last House on the Left
15. Public Enemies
16. Halloween II
17. Julie & Julia
18. Knowing
19. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
20. Terminator Salvation
21. Friday the 13th
22. Observe and Report
23. My Bloody Valentine 3-D
24. Fast and Furious
25. The Final Destination
26. Monsters vs. Aliens
27. Angels and Demons
28. Obsessed
29. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Edited by Travis_S - 8/10/2009 at 12:42 am GMT
Edited by Travis_S - 9/6/09 at 9:08pm

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

I'm in.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

TITLE	-	RANKING	-	DATE
Penelope	-	7 of 10	-	01/01/09
Tell No One	-	9 of 10	-	01/02/09
The Fall		8 of 10		01/04/09
The Visitor		8 of 10		01/04/09
Wall*E		10 of 10		01/05/09
Trading Places		8 of 10		01/05/09
Native Land		9 of 10		01/08/09
Revolutionary Road		7 of 10		01/13/09
The Wrestler		10 of 10		01/13/09
Seven Pounds		9 of 10		01/14/09
LA Story		10 of 10		01/14/09
Bolt		9 of 10		01/15/09
Kingdom of Heaven		7 of 10		01/16/09
Eyes Wide Shut		7 of 10		01/16/09
The Reader		9 of 10		01/17/09
Man on Wire		10 of 10		01/19/09
Bad Girl		9 of 10		01/20/09
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day		8 of 10		01/22/09
The Incredibles		10 of 10		01/23/09
Night Shift		7 of 10		01/25/09
Kung Fu Panda		8 of 10		01/28/09
Encounters at the End of the World		6 of 10		01/31/09
Chocolate		7 of 10		02/04/09
No Greater Love: The Human Condition I		5 of 10		02/06/09
Lavatory - Lovestory		8 of 10		02/07/09
Oktapodi		8 of 10		02/07/09
This Way Up		8 of 10		02/07/09
Le Maison de Petites Cubes		10 of 10		02/07/09
Presto		8 of 10		02/07/09
Hellboy II		9 of 10		02/07/09
On the Edge		8 of 10		02/08/09
The New Boy		8 of 10		02/08/09
Toyland		8 of 10		02/08/09
The Pig		8 of 10		02/08/09
Manon on the Asphalt		8 of 10		02/08/09
In Bruges		9 of 10		02/08/09
Must Read After My Death		9 of 10		02/11/09
The Class		9 of 10		02/14/09
Trouble the Water		8 of 10		02/15/09
The Duchess		8 of 10		02/15/09
Frozen River		8 of 10		02/15/09
Il Papi di Giovanni		8 of 10		02/18/09
Defiance		9 of 10		02/20/09
The Changling		8 of 10		02/21/09
Waltz with Bashir		8 of 10		02/21/09
Wanted		8 of 10		02/22/09
Taken		9 of 10		02/28/09
Tokyo		6 of 10		03/04/09
Watchmen		7 of 10		03/06/09
Leatherheads		7 of 10		03/07/09
L'Argent		4 of 10		03/08/09
Tokyo Sonata		9 of 10		03/10/09
Let the Right One In		8 of 10		03/11/09
My Neighbor Totoro		10 of 10		03/12/09
Harvard Beats Yale 29-29		9 of 10		03/12/09
Sunshine Cleaning		9 of 10		03/13/09
Coraline		9 of 10		03/14/09
Pinocchio		10 of 10		03/20/09
Seven Samurai		10 of 10		03/21/09
Everlasting Moments		10 of 10		03/22/09
The Hidden Fortress		6 of 10		03/26/09
Chungking Express		10 of 10		03/28/09
Ohayo		6 of 10		03/28/09
Don't Look Now		10 of 10		03/28/09
Japanese Girls at the Harbor		7 of 10		03/29/09
The Apartment		10 of 10		04/01/09
One Two Three		10 of 10		04/01/09
Ice Age		6 of 10		04/02/09
The Decameron		9 of 10		04/03/09
Salo		2 of 10		04/03/09
Canterbury Tales		8 of 10		04/04/09
The Robe		5 of 10		04/05/09
Monsters Vs Aliens		6 of 10		04/05/09
Fast and Furious		7 of 10		04/05/09
Z		10 of 10		04/05/09
Teen Witch		4 of 10		04/06/09
Arigatosan		10 of 10		04/08/09
Let the Right One In		9 of 10		04/12/09
Doubt		9 of 10		04/12/09
Quo Vadis		7 of 10		04/13/09
The Third Man		9 of 10		04/15/09
L'Atalante		7 of 10		04/16/09
Observe and Report		5 of 10		04/17/09
The Masseurs and a Woman		9 of 10		04/18/09
Young People Fucking		7 of 10		04/18/09
Raiders of the Lost Ark		10 of 10		04/18/09
Sugar		7 of 10		04/19/09
Airport 77		6 of 10		04/20/09
Kiss of the Spider Woman		8 of 10		04/22/09
In the Realm of the Senses		10 of 10		04/23/09
The Soloist		9 of 10		04/25/09
Howard the Duck		1 of 10		04/26/09
X-Men Origins: Wolverine		5 of 10		05/01/09
Departures		9 of 10		05/03/09
Back to the Future		10 of 10		05/04/09
Airport		5 of 10		05/05/09
La Bete Humaine		8 of 10		05/08/09
Star Trek		9 of 10		05/09/09
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence		6 of 10		05/09/09
Naughty Marietta		5 of 10		05/09/09
Sixteen Candles		3 of 10		05/10/09

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Ratings: -

Total Films Seen = 1
*2008 Films Seen in 2009 = 1
Best of the Year =
Worst of the Year =

January = 1
01/03/09: Bedtime Stories*

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Will list films seen theatrically. (Using U.S. non-festival release dates)

Eligible 2009 films seen: 37
All films seen theatrically in 2009: 43

****

***1/2

The Hurt Locker
Moon
Overheard

***

Taken
Sunshine Cleaning
Star Trek
Sin Nombre
(500) Days of Summer
Jerichow

**1/2

Duplicity
State of Play
Angels and Demons
Terminator Salvation
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Everlasting Moments
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Public Enemies
Whatever Works
Rudo y Cursi
Spread
Julie & Julia
The Time Traveler's Wife
Zombieland
The Men Who Stare at Goats

**
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
The Brothers Bloom
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
District 9
A Perfect Getaway
Cold Souls
The Invention of Lying
Where the Wild Things Are
A Serious Man
The Box

*1/2

Crank: High Voltage

*

2008 non-festival release films seen in 2009:

The Reader ***
Gran Torino ***
Valkyrie **1/2
The Wrestler ***
Revolutionary Road **1/2
I've Loved You So Long **1/2


Edited by Elizabeth S - 11/10/09 at 11:54pm

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

I'm going to try to participate this year, but I won't be doing stars or grades. If I'm particularly impressed by something, for one reason or another, I'll put a red asterisk by it, but the absence of one doesn't mean I think a film is bad. Early films in the list are 2008 releases that I'm catching up on.

In-theater viewings only:

January
01/02/09: The Reader (Kips Bay Loews/AMC)*
01/03/09: Valkyrie (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
01/04/09: Revolutionary Road (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
01/15/09: The Day the Earth Stood Still (IMAX) (bleh!) (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
01/17/09: Defiance (Ziegfeld)
01/19/09: Just Another Love Story (Kærlighed på film) (Cinema Village)*
01/24/09: Waltz with Bashir (Lincoln Plaza)*
01/29/09: Donkey Punch (Cinema Village)
01/31/09: Taken (AMC Lincoln Sq./Loews Aud.)

February
02/01/09: Trouble the Water (IFC Center)*
02/07/09: Coraline 3D (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
02/12/09: Notorious (AMC 34th St.)
02/14/09: The International (AMC 25/Times Sq.)*
02/15/09: Gomorrah (Lincoln Plaza)**
02/21/09: Must Read After My Death (Quad Cinema)*

March
03/08/09: Phoebe in Wonderland (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
03/14/09: Sunshine Cleaning (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
03/15/09: He's Just Not That Into You (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
03/19/09: Watchmen: The IMAX Experience (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
03/21/09: Duplicity (Kips Bay AMC/Loews)
03/22/09: Sin Nombre (Lincoln Plaza)**
03/28/09: Shall We Kiss? (Un baiser s'il vous plaît) (Lincoln Plaza)
03/29/09: The Great Buck Howard (Angelika)

April
04/04/09: Goodbye Solo (Lincoln Plaza)
04/05/09: Sugar (AMC 25/Times Sq.)*
04/09/09: Monsters vs. Aliens IMAX 3D (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
04/11/09: Adventureland (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
04/12/09: Lymelife (Landmark Sunshine)
04/19/09: State of Play (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
04/23/09: Lemon Tree (Lincoln Plaza)*
04/25/09: Is Anybody There? (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
04/26/09: American Violet (AMC 25/Times Sq.)

May
05/02/09: The Soloist (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
05/03/09: Every Little Step (Lincoln Plaza)
05/09/09: Adoration (Lincoln Plaza)*
05/10/09: Star Trek (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
05/17/09: The Brothers Bloom (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
05/18/09: Valentino, The Last Emperor (Lincoln Plaza)
05/19/09: Revanche (IFC Center)
05/21/09: Rudo y Cursi (Landmark Sunshine)*
05/22/09: Terminator Savlation (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
05/23/09: Easy Virtue (Lincoln Plaza)
05/24/09: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
05/25/09: Summer Hours (Lincoln Plaza)
05/30/09: Departures (Lincoln Plaza)
05/31/09: Up (3D) (Ziegfled)

June
06/06/09: The Hangover (AMC 34th St.)
06/07/09: Away We Go (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
06/13/09: Moon (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
06/14/09: The Taking of Pelham 123 (Kips Bay AMC/Loews)
06/20/09: The Proposal (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
06/21/09: Whatever Works (Lincoln Plaza)
06/27/09: Cheri (Paris Theater)
06/28/09: The Hurt Locker (AMC Lincoln Sq.)*

July
07/03/09:  The Girl from Monaco (Lincoln Plaza)
07/04/09:  Public Enemies (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
07/05/09:  Tetro (Landmark Sunshine)
07/11/09:  Bruno (AMC 25 Times Sq.)
07/12/09:  Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (Lincoln Plaza)*
07/16/09:  Transformers 2 IMAX (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
07/19/09:  (500) Days of Summer (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
07/25/09:  In the Loop (Lincoln Plaza)*
07/26/09:  Humpday (Angelika)
07/30/09:  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince IMAX 3D (AMC Lincoln Sq. IMAX)

August
08/02/09:  Funny People (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
08/06/09:  Lorna's Silence (Lincoln Plaza)
08/08/09:  Julie & Julia (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
08/09/09:  Adam (AMC 25/Times Sq.)*
08/15/09:  Cold Souls (Landmark Sunshine)
08/16/09:  District 9 (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
08/22/09:  Inglourious Basterds (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
08/23/09:  World's Greatest Dad (Landmark Sunshine)*
08/30/09:  The Baader Meinhof Complex (Angelika)

September
09/05/09:  Amreeka (Lincoln Plaza)
09/06/09:  Extract  (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
09/07/09:  Big Fan (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
09/12/09:  9 (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
09/13/09:  Still Walking (Lincoln Plaza)
09/19/09:  The Informant! (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
09/20/09:  Jennifer's Body (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
09/26/09:  Bright Star (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
09/27/09:  Surrogates (AMC 25/Times Sq.)

October
10/03/09:  Whip It (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
10/04/09:  Zombieland (AMC 34th St.)
10/10/09:  An Education (Lincoln Plaza)*
10/17/09:  A Serious Man (AMC 25/Times Sq.)*
10/18/09:  The Damned United (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
10/24/09:  Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
10/25/09:  The Invention of Lying (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
10/31/09:  Paranormal Activity (AMC 25/Times Sq.)

November
11/01/09:  The Maid (Angelika)
11/07/09:  The Men Who Stare at Goats (AMC Lincoln Sq.)
11/08/09:  The Box (Loews Kips Bay/AMC)
11/15/09:  Pirate Radio (AMC 25/Times Sq.)
11/21/09:  The Messenger (Lincoln Plaza)**
11/22/09:  Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (AMC 25/Times Sq.)

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

2009 films seen: 61
Last edited: 11/19/09

Coraline (3D) - ***
The International - ***
Taken - **
Watchmen - ***
Paul Blart: Mall Cop - **1/2
Push - *1/2
Gomorrah - ***1/2
Adventureland - ***1/2
Duplicity - ***1/2
I Love You, Man - **1/2
Knowing - *1/2
The Soloist - **
State of Play - ***
Monsters vs. Aliens (3D) - **
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - *1/2
Star Trek - ***1/2
Rudo Y Cursi - ***
Angels and Demons - **1/2
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - *
Terminator Salvation - **
Up (3D) - ***1/2
The Hangover - ***
The Taking of Pelham 123 - ***
Whatever Works - **
Year One - *1/2
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - *1/2
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - **
Public Enemies - **1/2
Tetro - ***
The Hurt Locker - ***1/2
Notorious - **
Bruno - **1/2
Funny People - *1/2
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - ***
(500) Days of Summer - ***
Ponyo - ***1/2
District 9 - ***
Julie & Julia - ***
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard - **
GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra - **
Inglourious Basterds - ***1/2
The Cove - ***1/2
The Secret Life of Bees - **
Summer Hours - ***
Tyson - ***
The Informant! - ***1/2
Surrogates - *1/2
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (3D) - ***
Whip It - ***1/2
9 - **
The Invention of Lying - **1/2
Sugar - ***1/2
Fighting - **
Zombieland - ***
Capitalism: A Love Story - **1/2
Where the Wild Things Are - **1/2
Goodbye Solo - ***1/2
Sunshine Cleaning - **1/2
The Men Who Stare at Goats - **1/2
A Christmas Carol (3D) - **
Precious - ***



Edited by Kirk Tsai - 11/19/09 at 12:27am

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Added Seven Pounds, the enigmatic Will Smith starrer. I'm still not sure what to make of it. I figured out the ending very early on, and from there on just watched to see how Smith's character grappled with a morally ambiguous decision. My date was initially as undecided as me, but ultimately came down hard against it. I don't think he made the right decision, but I think maybe he made the decision that he had to make.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Last Updated: 11/22/09
Last Seen: Gummo - ZERO STARS
Eligible 2009 Film Count: 71 (seen between 1/1/09 and 12/31/09)
2008 Film List Continued: 93
Pre-2008 Films Seen For the First Time: 55
Revisits: 13
Total Seen to Date: 232

2009 Film List

ALL RATINGS OUT OF (FIVE) STARS


Adventureland

District 9

Goodbye Solo

In the Loop


Coraline
Drag Me to Hell

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Hurt Locker

Pontypool

Star Trek
State of Play
Up

Angels and Demons

Antichrist
The Brothers Bloom

Duplicity
Food, Inc.
The Girlfriend Experience

The International

Observe and Report

Public Enemies
Tokyo Sonata

Tyson

Watchmen: Director's Cut

Away We Go

Crank 2: High Voltage
Fast & Furious

Fighting
I Love You, Man

Killshot

Knowing
Land of the Lost
Last House on the Left

Monsters vs. Aliens

Notorious
Outlander
Race to Witch Mountain
The Soloist

Sunshine Cleaning
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Two Lovers

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

12 Rounds

Donkey Punch

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

The Great Buck Howard

Inkheart

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Obsessed

Punisher: War Zone
Push
Shrink
Taken

The Uninvited

Whatever Works

Year One

Adoration
Dragonball Evolution
The Haunting in Connecticut

He's Just Not That Into You
Orphan

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
Trick 'r Treat

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Blood: The Last Vampire

Friday the 13th (2009)
My Bloody Valentine 3-D

The Unborn

 

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

2008 Film List continued...
(these titles will also be added to the actual 2008 Film List)

ALL RATINGS OUT OF (FIVE) STARS

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

 

The Class (Entre les Murs)
The Counterfeiters (Die Fälscher)
Frozen River
Hunger
Man on Wire
Reprise
Standard Operating Procedure
Synecdoche, New York
Waltz With Bashir
Wendy and Lucy
The Wrestler


The Band's Visit (Bikur Ha-Tizmoret)
Che: Part One
Che: Part Two
Defiance
Elegy
Encounters at the End of the World
Gomorra
Nights and Weekends
Tell No One (Ne Le Dis À Personne)
Rachel Getting Married
Religulous
Revolutionary Road
Role Models
Slumdog Millionaire
Surfwise
Valkyrie


Baghead
Blindness
Body of Lies
Bolt
Changeling
Choke
Doubt
Flash of Genius
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
I've Loved You So Long (Il y a Longtemps Que Je T'aime)
Lakeview Terrace
My Winnipeg
Nothing But the Truth
Pineapple Express
Pride and Glory
RocknRolla
Traitor
Trouble the Water
W.
What Just Happened


Appaloosa
Battle for Haditha
City of Ember
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Funny Games (2008)
Good

Marley & Me
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
The Reader
Shine a Light
The Spirit
Timecrimes (Los Cronocrímenes)
The Wackness
Yes Man
Zack and Miri Make a Porno


Battle in Seattle

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
The Lucky Ones
Mamma Mia
My Blueberry Nights
Paranoid Park
Seven Pounds
Twilight


Australia
Babylon A.D.
Bedtime Stories
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Death Race
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Max Payne
Miracle at St. Anna
My Name Is Bruce
Run Fatboy Run
Savage Grace
Swing Vote
The Tale of Despereaux
Transporter 3


Bangkok Dangerous
Mirrors
Saw V
Stop Loss

ZERO STARS
Christmas on Mars
Fireproof

Pre-2008 Films Seen For the First Time

ALL RATINGS OUT OF (FIVE) STARS

Blind Chance (Przypadek) (1981)

Bloody Sunday (2002)
In the Name of the Father (1993)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Muriel's Wedding (1995)

Ordinary People (1980)
The Pornographers (1966)
[Rec] (2007)
This Man Must Die (Que la Bête Meure) (1969)
To Our Loves (À Nos Amours) (1983)


After This Our Exile (Fu Zi) (2006)
Audition (Ôdishon) (2001)
Death of a Cyclist (Muerte de un Ciclista) (1955)

Defending Your Life (1991)

Fletch (1985)

High and Low (Tengoku to Jigoku) (1963)
Jules and Jim (Jules et Jim) (1961)
The King (2005)
Knife in the Water (Nóz w Wodzie) (1962)

La Collectionneuse (1967)
The Last Metro (Le Dernier Métro) (1980)

Little Voice (1998)

Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006)
Pierrot le Fou (1965)

The Quick and the Dead (1995)

Swimming With Sharks (1995)

The White Diamond (2005)

White Dog (1982)

The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) (1959)

Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

Gregory's Girl (1981)

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2007)

Mimic (1997)
My Night At Maud's (Ma Nuit Chez Maud) (1969)

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Torn Curtain (1966)
The Wrong Man (1956)

Domestic Disturbance (2001)

Elektra (2005)
In The Realm of the Senses (Ai No Corrida) (1976)

Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
Pickpocket (1959)

The Punisher (2004)

Repulsion (1965)

Revolver (2007)

Saboteur (1942)

Silent Running (1972)
The Trouble with Harry (1955)

Ghost Ship (2002)

The Man Without a Past (Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä) (2003)

Howard the Duck (1986)

Raising Cain (1992)

ZERO STARS
Gummo (1997)

Revisits

ALL RATINGS OUT OF (FIVE) STARS


Sideways (2004)

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 Luni, 3 Saptamani si 2 Zile) (2008)

Harakiri (Seppuku) (1962)

Lost in Translation (2003)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

United 93 (2006)

 

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Scenes From a Marriage (Scener ur ett Äktenskap) (1973)
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)

 

Broken Arrow (1996)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

The Exorcist (1973)

Edited by Brian.L - Today at 1:56 am

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Craig's 2009 Film List

Criteria: NY/LA Academy Qualification

Rating Scheme: 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest)

Last updated November 22, 2009

Number of Films Seen: 47 (All seen theatrically except those marked with * seen on DVD)

(500) Days Of Summer: 10 (8/7/09)
An Education: 10 (11/22/09)
The Hurt Locker: 10 (8/9/09)
Inglourious Basterds: 10 (8/22/09)
Up: 10 (6/14/09)

Capitalism: A Love Story: 9 (10/2/09)
Funny People: 9 (7/31/09)
The Hangover: 9 (6/7/09)
Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince: 9 (7/717/09)
Knowing: 9 (3/22/09)
The Informant!: 9 (9/19/09)
Paranormal Activity: 9 (11/07/09)
Public Enemies: 9 (7/4/09)
Star Trek: 9 (5/23/09)
Where The Wild Things Are: 9 (10/25/09)
Zombieland: 9 (10/2/09)

9: 8 (9/19/09)
District 9: 8 (8/14/09)
Duplicity: 8 (3/21/09)
The International: 8 (2/14/09)
Julie & Julia: 8 (8/8/09)
Moon: 8 (7/19/09)
Observe & Report: 8 (4/19/09)
State Of Play: 8 (5/9/09)
Sunshine Cleaning: 8 (4/12/09)
Watchmen: 8 (3/14/09)

2012: 7 (11/21/09)
Adventureland: 7 (4/12/09)
Extract: 7 (9/6/09)
Fanboys: 7 (2/7/09)
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard: 7 (8/15/09)
I Love You, Man: 7 (3/28/09)
The Invention Of Lying: 7 (10/4/09)
The Taking of Pelham 123: 7 (6/13/09)
Terminator: Salvation: 7 (5/25/09)

Angels & Demons: 6 (5/16/09)
The Box: 6 (11/7/09)
Law Abiding Citizen: 6 (10/17/09)
The Men Who Stare At Goats: 6 (11/7/09)
Pirate Radio: 6 (11/15/09)
Taken: 6 (2/14/09)
Taking Woodstock: 6 (8/29/09)
Wolverine: 6 (5/10/09)

Land Of The Lost: 5 (6/7/09)
The Time Traveler's Wife: 5 (8/30/09)
Year One: 5 (6/20/09)

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen: 4 (7/11/09)

The ever-changing "2009 Releases I Want To See" List:

Ashecliffe
Avatar
Biutiful
Brothers
Coco Before Chanel
Green Zone
Invictus
Killshot
The Last Station
Leaves Of Grass
The Lovely Bones
Margaret
Nine
Ondine
The Road
A Serious Man
Sherlock Holmes
Up In The Air
Young Victoria


The "Missed It - Gotta Wait For The DVD" List:

Amelia
Away We Go
The Brothers Bloom
Che
Coraline
The Cove
The Girlfiriend Experience
It Might Get Loud
Ponyo
Sin Nombre
Whatever Works
Whip It

The "Life Is Too Short" Pile:

Films I refuse to waste my time & money on. This especially includes torture porn or anything starring Dane Cook or Martin Lawrence (sorry dudes, you're just not funny). To those of you brave enough to see these, I salute you - thanks for taking one for the team!



The "Already Looking Forward To 2010" List:

Agora
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1
Shutter Island
Toy Story 3
Tree Of Life
The Wolfman
Youth In Revolt

The "Even Looking Forward To 2011" List:

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2
The Hobbit, Pt. 1
Newt

The "And Thinking Way Ahead To 2012" List:

The Hobbit, Pt. 2

The "2008 Releases Seen In 2009" List:

Defiance: 9 (1/24/09)
The Duchess: 8 (2/17/09) *
Gran Torino: 9 (1/9/09)
Last Chance Harvey: 9 (1/31/09)
Man On Wire: 9 (2/28/09) *
Milk: 9 (2/1/09)
Rachel Getting Married: 8 (4/18/09) *
The Reader: 9 (1/4/09)
Revolutionary Road: 8 (1/24/09)
The Secret Life Of Bees: 7 (4/11/09) *
The Spirit: 3 (1/1/09)
Towelhead: 6 (7/8/09) *
The Visitor: 9 (4/5/09) *
The Wrestler: 10 (1/24/09)


Edited by Craig S - Today at 3:34 pm

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Added Gran Torino, a masterpiece that captures the subtleties between racism and political incorrectness. It also completes the arc of Clint Eastwood's tough guy persona; even as recently as Unforgiven we would not have been willing to accept such a final showdown. A great values film that's never preachy and never rings a false note.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Updated to add The Day the Earth Stood Still in IMAX. Terrible film, but I had a free pass, some free time, and I wanted to check out the new IMAX theater in Times Square (only the second one in Manhattan).

A 12-day gap between movies is unusual for me, but it's always slow in January. And I've been seeing Broadway shows.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Is the Times Square IMAX the traditional (full-size screen, 65mm film) format, or the newer, scaled-down (smaller screen, 4k digital) format? Albany just got the latter last fall, and even with the smaller (but still huge) screen the screen door effect was noticable at times with the digital.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

I'm no expert, but my guess is the latter. The projection was clearly digital, and the screen is a fraction the size of the older IMAX venue near Lincoln Center, where the screen is three stories tall. That space was designed and constructed for IMAX, whereas the Times Square facility was a retrofit into an existing theater.

I didn't notice the screen door effect, but you can't go by me, because I've never been sensitive to it.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Updated to add Defiance. Despite obvious Hollywood elements in the script, it's a much better film than many critics are making it out to be (especially the two jokers on At the Movies).

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

I'll only be tracking the 2009 films I see but here goes:

(500) Days of Summer
Orphan
Taken
Friday the 13th
My Bloody Valentine 3-D
Perfect Getaway, The
Last House on the Left, The
Inglourious Basterds
Terminator Salvation
Edited by Michael Elliott - 8/22/09 at 8:25pm

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Added Just Another Love Story (Kærlighed på film), the latest from Danish director Ole Bornedal, whose original Nightwatch (not the poor English-language remake with Ewan MacGregor) I still want to see. An entertaining, stylish noir, with creative borrowings from many sources. Narrated by a dead man, featuring an amnesiac femme fatale with a mysterious past, punctuated by spooky scenes in hospitals and morgues, and featuring a soundtrack that knows the shock value of sudden silence.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Updated to add foreign language Oscar nominee Waltz with Bashir. I've only seen two of the nominees, but I wouldn't be surprised if this one wins, because it's powerful, disturbing and uses animation in ways I doubt anyone's ever seen before.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Updated to add W., which I finally caught tonight at an old movie palace (still one massive, ornate auditorium) in Schenectady. Just dreadful. Some actors are parodying the people they play, others are valiantly trying to create a genuine performance from a hackneyed script. Scenes set before his presidency show promise and Josh Brolin creates a complex, nuanced portrayal of Bush: a smart man spoiled by a priviledged upbringing who looks at the work through a stark, black and white lens. His portrayal deserves a better movie. The intercutting serves no discernable purpose, the presidential scenes are hamfisted at best, and it just sort of peters out at the end. Either a vicious satire or a serious, well-researched exploration would have been preferable to this middle-of-the-road mess.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Updated to add Donkey Punch, a nasty little sex-and-gore fest from Britain. Did my liking for it just go to prove Stephen Fry's claim that Americans think anything's better with an English accent? I don't think so. I liked that there was some obvious thought behind the script, and that when people behaved stupidly (as they must for such films to work), it was credibly stupid behavior instead of the usual contrivances. And in place of the typical motiveless psycho, we get panicked people reacting without thinking. I've seen plenty of those.

The title refers to an alleged sexual practice that is either an urban legend or was invented for the film. Even in the telling, it makes no sense (which is pretty much the point).

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Updated with this weekend's viewings. I would normally skip a film like Taken, but it has three things going for it:

1. it's from the Luc Besson factory, which makes superior pop junk food;
2. it's directed by Pierre Morel, who did a nice job with District B13; and
3. its unlikely lead is Liam Neeson, and the surest way to revitalize a formula is to cast an unlikely lead, especially if he's a real actor.

One or more of the local arthouses shows the Oscar-nominated documentaries at this time of year, even if it's on a limited schedule. Trouble the Water has only one showing a day, but it was worth it. The Oscar nominating process may not be perfect, but it's come a long way if something like this can make it through. It's nothing less than an eyewitness account of surviving Hurricane Katrina, complete with terrifying home-video footage of rising waters as the subjects of the movie -- Kimberly and Scott Roberts and their friends and family -- climb to their attic, then the roof of a neighboring building, and finally escape to higher ground. Interwoven with archival clips and footage of the Roberts' return to New Orleans in 2006, this documentary's triumph is to make you feel the force of Katrina's devastation through the experience of particular individuals without ever once losing sight of the scale of the disaster.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Last Updated: 10/15/09

Total Film Count: 20

• 2009 Films: 12
• Pre-2009 Films - First Time Viewings: 6
• Pre-2009 Films - Revisits: 2

Rating System

- Excellent
½ - Great
- Good
½ - Average
Poor
½ - Dreadful
- Garbage
__________________________________________________ __________


9 /  / 09/11/09
Adventureland / / 04/16/09
Coraline (3D) / / 02/16/09
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra / / 08/14/09
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ("IMAX 3D") / / 08/02/09
Inglourious Basterds /  / 09/02/09
Ponyo /  / 08/31/09
Star Trek / / 05/07/09
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ("IMAX") / / 07/03/09
Up (3D) / / 06/19/09
Watchmen / / 03/14/09
Whip It /  / 10/14/09



Army of Darkness (1993) / / 03/12/09
Be Kind Rewind (2008) / / 03/12/09
A Scanner Darkly / (2006) / 03/18/09
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) / / 01/24/09
Taxi Driver (1976) / / 03/11/09
Vanilla Sky (2001) /  / 09/20/09


Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog (2008) / / 06/07/09
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Director's Edition (1982) / / 04/26/09
Edited by Kristen - 7/4/2009 at 02:57 am GMT
Edited by Kristen - 8/3/2009 at 01:07 am GMT
Edited by Kristen - 8/16/2009 at 01:25 am GMT
Edited by Kristen - 10/15/09 at 10:41am

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Updated to add Coraline. Lovely animation; beautiful use of 3D. Hilarious voice work from Ian McShane, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Keith David.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

How did the story go over for you? Where I live, it hasn't reached the theatre yet.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

It's a kid's story, but the animation gives it scale. I didn't know the book; so I came to it fresh. But the story has so many familiar elements (old house, lonely child, tempting world with dark secret) that you slip right in, as if it were an old tale from childhood.

Re: 2009 Film List (Reviews, Discussion & Tracking)

Coraline's on my must-see list before it leaves theaters, but it's on the backburner right now because Regal doesn't accept passes for 3D movies.

Update with Push, the other Dakota Fanning movie that came out Friday. What a frustrating experience. Both Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans do a really good job, and Peter Sova's cinematography operates a very unique place. I even admired Nicolas Trembasiewicz's editing, which is unconventional but effective. The film is smarter than it looks, but there's just too much story for the running time. Without ruining anything, it feels like The Third Man would have if it'd cut to credits just before the Ferris Wheel scene: Oh man! We just got to the good part!