Number of times I've seen it ( )
Copyright © 2003-2010 Movies Kick Ass. All Rights Reserved
MOVIES I'M WATCHING
this filmal
JANUARY
01/01/10 Broken Embraces (2)
Wonderful, but there's so much to cover and interpret about it.
Read my review.
Wonderful, but there's so much to cover and interpret about it.
Read my review.
01/02/10 The Lovely Bones (1)
It's been getting awful reviews, but it's not a bad movie at all. It just has some tonal
problems. Saoirse Ronan is an actress to really watch though. Her performances are
brilliant.
Read my review.
It's been getting awful reviews, but it's not a bad movie at all. It just has some tonal
problems. Saoirse Ronan is an actress to really watch though. Her performances are
brilliant.
Read my review.
01/04/10 Brothers (1)
Tobey Maguire's Golden Globe nod is a big WTF?
Read my review.
Tobey Maguire's Golden Globe nod is a big WTF?
Read my review.
01/04/10 Inglourious Basterds (2)
With all the awards hoopla circling around it, I thought I would be overwhelmed by my
second viewing of Tarantino's movie. My feelings remained the same and as good as it is, I
just really can't bring myself to unashamedly love it. I do love the performances and
Tarantino's restraint, but something still doesn't click and I would be extremely surprised if
this won the Best Picture Oscar. Still Mélanie Laurent kicks major ass though.
With all the awards hoopla circling around it, I thought I would be overwhelmed by my
second viewing of Tarantino's movie. My feelings remained the same and as good as it is, I
just really can't bring myself to unashamedly love it. I do love the performances and
Tarantino's restraint, but something still doesn't click and I would be extremely surprised if
this won the Best Picture Oscar. Still Mélanie Laurent kicks major ass though.
01/05/10 Dark Habits (1)
Heroin addicted nuns, tigers living in convents, missionaries being eaten by cannibals and
mother superiors involved in lesbian affairs. What more but a Pedro Almodóvar flick? The
master's third movie is a delightful, sinfully funny, dark comedy that might've offended the
Church but only because they failed to see beyond the scandalous surface. The cast
features a who's who of Pedro's muses (Chus Lampreave steals the movie of course)
including a fresh Cecilia Roth. The movie is a must watch not only because of its divine
camp, but because it's practically essential to see how Pedro evolved. And boy how has he.
Heroin addicted nuns, tigers living in convents, missionaries being eaten by cannibals and
mother superiors involved in lesbian affairs. What more but a Pedro Almodóvar flick? The
master's third movie is a delightful, sinfully funny, dark comedy that might've offended the
Church but only because they failed to see beyond the scandalous surface. The cast
features a who's who of Pedro's muses (Chus Lampreave steals the movie of course)
including a fresh Cecilia Roth. The movie is a must watch not only because of its divine
camp, but because it's practically essential to see how Pedro evolved. And boy how has he.
01/05/10 Amreeka (1)
A sweet tale of the American dream.
Read my review.
A sweet tale of the American dream.
Read my review.
01/05/10 The Headless Woman (1)
I felt kind of guilty after watching it because every review I read pointed out to how the
film was about social inequity and I barely noticed that and concentrated on its aesthetic
examinations instead.
Read my review.
I felt kind of guilty after watching it because every review I read pointed out to how the
film was about social inequity and I barely noticed that and concentrated on its aesthetic
examinations instead.
Read my review.
01/06/10 Whip It (1)
Set to become as rewatchable as "Bring It On".
Read my review.
Set to become as rewatchable as "Bring It On".
Read my review.
01/07/10 Ricky (1)
A strange film that very well represents Francois Ozon's odd career.
Read my review.
A strange film that very well represents Francois Ozon's odd career.
Read my review.
01/07/10 Up in the Air (2)
I don't get what's so special about Jason Reitman.
So what? Sue me!
Read my review.
I don't get what's so special about Jason Reitman.
So what? Sue me!
Read my review.
01/08/10 Borat (2)
I hadn't seen it since the time when it opened and to my dismay it has aged a bit in terms
of freshness. Sacha Baron Cohen is still a master of character but in the aftermath of Bruno
this one seems a bit lacking.
I have wondered how different would things have been if this one had opened later and
Bruno first.
I hadn't seen it since the time when it opened and to my dismay it has aged a bit in terms
of freshness. Sacha Baron Cohen is still a master of character but in the aftermath of Bruno
this one seems a bit lacking.
I have wondered how different would things have been if this one had opened later and
Bruno first.
01/09/10 Curse of the Golden Flower (1)
Zhang Yimou's takes Chinese drama to Shakespearean levels in his masterful tale of
revenge, lust and martial arts. Every frame in this movie is a beautiful sight to behold and
the intricate detail of the costumes, art direction and cinematography deserve an analysis
of their own. But the movie suffers because unlike the Bard's tragedies, the one here
seems over the top and done only in the service of visualizing how wonderful blood would
look splattered on golden walls.
Zhang Yimou's takes Chinese drama to Shakespearean levels in his masterful tale of
revenge, lust and martial arts. Every frame in this movie is a beautiful sight to behold and
the intricate detail of the costumes, art direction and cinematography deserve an analysis
of their own. But the movie suffers because unlike the Bard's tragedies, the one here
seems over the top and done only in the service of visualizing how wonderful blood would
look splattered on golden walls.
01/09/10 The Wrestler (2)
Mickey Rourke gives one of the greatest male performances of all time in this one.
And boy Marisa Tomei is such an underrated actress.
Mickey Rourke gives one of the greatest male performances of all time in this one.
And boy Marisa Tomei is such an underrated actress.
01/09/10 Body of Lies (1)
Paint by the numbers Iraq thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. Watching
how Ridley Scott takes this movie to all the expected places just made me appreciate what
Kathryn Bigelow does in "The Hurt Locker" even more. She abstains from diverting into the
faux political essay and delivers a movie that pretty much speaks on its own.
This one on the other side has nods to everything while saying absolutely nothing at all.
Paint by the numbers Iraq thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. Watching
how Ridley Scott takes this movie to all the expected places just made me appreciate what
Kathryn Bigelow does in "The Hurt Locker" even more. She abstains from diverting into the
faux political essay and delivers a movie that pretty much speaks on its own.
This one on the other side has nods to everything while saying absolutely nothing at all.
01/10/10 Goodbye Solo (1)
Simple, but pretentiously vague tale of two men changing each other's worlds.
Read my review.
Simple, but pretentiously vague tale of two men changing each other's worlds.
Read my review.
01/10/10 It's Complicated (1)
Why is it that Meryl Streep seems to be having more fun cooking here than in "Julie &
Julia"? She's a delight.
Read my review.
Why is it that Meryl Streep seems to be having more fun cooking here than in "Julie &
Julia"? She's a delight.
Read my review.
01/11/10 Police, Adjective (1)
The deadpan delivery of the Romanian New Wave is epitomized in this steadily paced tale
of policemen and grammar.
It sounds dull in concept, but the execution is nothing but brilliant.
Read my review.
The deadpan delivery of the Romanian New Wave is epitomized in this steadily paced tale
of policemen and grammar.
It sounds dull in concept, but the execution is nothing but brilliant.
Read my review.
01/12/10 Three Blind Mice (1)
Wonderful Australian film that gives Gene Kelly a run for his money.
Read my review.
Wonderful Australian film that gives Gene Kelly a run for his money.
Read my review.
01/13/10 Fantastic Mr. Fox (1)
Wes Anderson should probably try stop motion once again as it made for his best movie
since "The Royal Tenenbaums".
Read my review.
Wes Anderson should probably try stop motion once again as it made for his best movie
since "The Royal Tenenbaums".
Read my review.
01/14/10 A Serious Man (1)
One of the Coens most introspective films, with a stunner of a performance by Michael
Stuhlbarg.
Read my review.
One of the Coens most introspective films, with a stunner of a performance by Michael
Stuhlbarg.
Read my review.
01/14/10 Up (4)
It's such a wonderful work of art that unlike most movies just gets better with each
screening. The layers in the screenplay are a thing of beauty.
It's such a wonderful work of art that unlike most movies just gets better with each
screening. The layers in the screenplay are a thing of beauty.
01/17/10 The White Ribbon (1)
Michael Haneke always surprises in the most unexpected ways. He's known for his
recklessness when it comes to showing brutality and violence and what should've been his
most graphic movie (at least what one would expect) he does quite the opposite.
Read my review.
Michael Haneke always surprises in the most unexpected ways. He's known for his
recklessness when it comes to showing brutality and violence and what should've been his
most graphic movie (at least what one would expect) he does quite the opposite.
Read my review.
01/15/10 The Secret in their Eyes (1)
A wonderful film that could've verged into ridiculous, but has such a grounded theme that it
overcomes obstacles to be quite brilliant.
Read my review.
A wonderful film that could've verged into ridiculous, but has such a grounded theme that it
overcomes obstacles to be quite brilliant.
Read my review.
01/18/10 The Devil Wears Prada (9)
Meryl Streep's delicious star turn as Miranda Priestly puts into perspective how bleh I feel
about her current chances of winning the Oscar for "Julie and Julia". If there ever was a
comedy where she truly excelled in, it's this one, the same goes for the amazing Stanley
Tucci and Emily Blunt who's suddenly popular for playing Queen Victoria when Oscar robbed
her of a nomination so horribly for her breakthrough role in this one.
Meryl Streep's delicious star turn as Miranda Priestly puts into perspective how bleh I feel
about her current chances of winning the Oscar for "Julie and Julia". If there ever was a
comedy where she truly excelled in, it's this one, the same goes for the amazing Stanley
Tucci and Emily Blunt who's suddenly popular for playing Queen Victoria when Oscar robbed
her of a nomination so horribly for her breakthrough role in this one.
01/19/10 The Princess and the Frog (1)
It doesn't amount to much more than good intentions and Disney's last attempt to try and
save American 2D.
Read my review.
It doesn't amount to much more than good intentions and Disney's last attempt to try and
save American 2D.
Read my review.
01/20/10 The Road (1)
Viggo Mortensen is becoming a better actor with each movie.
Sadly this one doesn't make justice to the kind of performance he gives.
Read my review.
Viggo Mortensen is becoming a better actor with each movie.
Sadly this one doesn't make justice to the kind of performance he gives.
Read my review.
01/21/10 Amelia (1)
Mira Nair's biopic of the tragic American aviatrix proves that the Indian director is at her
best when studying the cultural traditions of her country and not trying to Hollywoodize
herself (even in the so-so "Vanity Fair" she had the chance to include some Bollywood).
Her story of Amelia Earhart though is an empty, dull movie that merely tells, instead of
expanding on the twentieth century icon. As portrayed by Hilary Swank who has the looks
but not the soul, she's a capricious woman who wants to have her way to obtain notoriety
(it makes sense considering how Swank probably thought Oscar number three when she
signed on for it). The supporting characters merely fill up the space around Swank's black
hole of a performance. The movie features a beautiful production, but its intentions are so
unclear that you too might fly away somewhere more interesting while watching it.
Mira Nair's biopic of the tragic American aviatrix proves that the Indian director is at her
best when studying the cultural traditions of her country and not trying to Hollywoodize
herself (even in the so-so "Vanity Fair" she had the chance to include some Bollywood).
Her story of Amelia Earhart though is an empty, dull movie that merely tells, instead of
expanding on the twentieth century icon. As portrayed by Hilary Swank who has the looks
but not the soul, she's a capricious woman who wants to have her way to obtain notoriety
(it makes sense considering how Swank probably thought Oscar number three when she
signed on for it). The supporting characters merely fill up the space around Swank's black
hole of a performance. The movie features a beautiful production, but its intentions are so
unclear that you too might fly away somewhere more interesting while watching it.
01/21/10 What Have I Done to Deserve This?
Pedro Almodóvar's fourth film had him pay tribute to the grand ladies of Neorrealism as he
tells the story of a poor woman (Carmen Maura) with a dominant husband (Angel de
Andrés López), a demanding mother in law (the extraordinary Chus Lampreave) and her
kids one of whom is gay and the other a drug dealer. Forget your prejudice at the door
because the film includes everything from hookers with hearts of gold, murder witnessing
lizards, impotent cops and crass humor that would feel more at home in a Pasolini movie.
The wonder is how Pedro is able to keep Maura as the emotional anchor for all the crazy
events, during her last scenes she seems to turn into Giulietta Massina.
Pedro Almodóvar's fourth film had him pay tribute to the grand ladies of Neorrealism as he
tells the story of a poor woman (Carmen Maura) with a dominant husband (Angel de
Andrés López), a demanding mother in law (the extraordinary Chus Lampreave) and her
kids one of whom is gay and the other a drug dealer. Forget your prejudice at the door
because the film includes everything from hookers with hearts of gold, murder witnessing
lizards, impotent cops and crass humor that would feel more at home in a Pasolini movie.
The wonder is how Pedro is able to keep Maura as the emotional anchor for all the crazy
events, during her last scenes she seems to turn into Giulietta Massina.
01/22/10 Winter in Wartime (1)
Makes total sense it made AMPAS foreign shortlist.
It's so in their league, it might even go ahead and win.
Read my review.
Makes total sense it made AMPAS foreign shortlist.
It's so in their league, it might even go ahead and win.
Read my review.
01/23/10 Thirst (1)
"Twilight"'s worst nightmare?
Read my review.
"Twilight"'s worst nightmare?
Read my review.
01/23/10 The Milk of Sorrow (1)
Claudia Llosa's allegorical tale of human rights abuse in Perú is both mystifying and
frustrating to a level.
Read my review.
Claudia Llosa's allegorical tale of human rights abuse in Perú is both mystifying and
frustrating to a level.
Read my review.
01/24/10 No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti (1)
I'm a bit surprised AMPAS didn't shortlist this considering it's so in their alley.
Read my review.
I'm a bit surprised AMPAS didn't shortlist this considering it's so in their alley.
Read my review.
01/25/10 Kika (1)
An amalgam of Hitchcochkian voyeurism, Spanish crassness and pure bad taste,
Almodóvar's film of the title character played by Veronica Forqué is definitely not Pedro's
highest point, but it's difficult not to succumb to its insanity. Forqué is hilarious and Victoria
Abril as a psycho journalist in robo Gaultier outfits is fascinating, but the whole movie feels
made just for the sake of being. The movie has nothing much to say about anything and
the ending is unsatisfying.
An amalgam of Hitchcochkian voyeurism, Spanish crassness and pure bad taste,
Almodóvar's film of the title character played by Veronica Forqué is definitely not Pedro's
highest point, but it's difficult not to succumb to its insanity. Forqué is hilarious and Victoria
Abril as a psycho journalist in robo Gaultier outfits is fascinating, but the whole movie feels
made just for the sake of being. The movie has nothing much to say about anything and
the ending is unsatisfying.
01/26/10 Red Road (1)
Andrea Arnold's debut feature film tells the story of a CCTV guard (Kate Dickie) who spots
a man from her past (Tony Curran). She becomes obsessed with following him and
avenging something he did to her. Arnold deftly makes us become interested in the
woman's mission without revealing too much. In fact it might be a turn off for some that
nothing seems to happen and as most mysteries like these, this one suffers because the
eventual revelation will probably never live up to what each audience member expected.
Still Dickie is terrific and Curran is haunting and devastating.
Andrea Arnold's debut feature film tells the story of a CCTV guard (Kate Dickie) who spots
a man from her past (Tony Curran). She becomes obsessed with following him and
avenging something he did to her. Arnold deftly makes us become interested in the
woman's mission without revealing too much. In fact it might be a turn off for some that
nothing seems to happen and as most mysteries like these, this one suffers because the
eventual revelation will probably never live up to what each audience member expected.
Still Dickie is terrific and Curran is haunting and devastating.
01/27/10 The Seventh Continent (1)
Wrote a small post about it here.
Wrote a small post about it here.
01/28/10 The Turning Point (1)
I truly don't get what was AMPAS infatuation with Herbert Ross in 1977. Two of his movies
got nominated for Best Picture and seven of his actors were nominated (which out of a
possible twenty nods is impressive) but both his movies are middlebrow, pointless works.
This one which deals with the rivalry between two ballerinas is exhaustive both in its
running time and emptiness. Shirley MacLaine plays the one who chose a family but
wishes she has chosen a career, while Anne Bancroft plays the one who got the career
and is all alone now. Their hate/love relationship is well played by both actresses
(Bancroft had me fooled she was a pro) but when they're not at each other's throats the
movie is just a contrived dull mess. A subplot between Leslie Brown and Mikhail
Baryshnikov is so full of cliché and senselessness that it's shocking to discover they both
got nominated for Oscars for what amounts to bad, cold acting with great dance moves.
I truly don't get what was AMPAS infatuation with Herbert Ross in 1977. Two of his movies
got nominated for Best Picture and seven of his actors were nominated (which out of a
possible twenty nods is impressive) but both his movies are middlebrow, pointless works.
This one which deals with the rivalry between two ballerinas is exhaustive both in its
running time and emptiness. Shirley MacLaine plays the one who chose a family but
wishes she has chosen a career, while Anne Bancroft plays the one who got the career
and is all alone now. Their hate/love relationship is well played by both actresses
(Bancroft had me fooled she was a pro) but when they're not at each other's throats the
movie is just a contrived dull mess. A subplot between Leslie Brown and Mikhail
Baryshnikov is so full of cliché and senselessness that it's shocking to discover they both
got nominated for Oscars for what amounts to bad, cold acting with great dance moves.
01/28/10 Pigsty (1)
That sly man Pier Paolo Pasolini takes on free industrialist Nazis, idealistic '68 youths and
history's penchant for sacrificial lambs in this movie. Pierre Clementi and Jean-Pierre Léaud
play equivalents in different historical times. Clementi is a Middle Age knight who turns to
cannibalism, Léaud is a well to do German bourgeoisie who loves his pigs a little more
than he should. Both become vessels and scapegoats for the hypocrisy of their
corresponding ages. One of Pasolini's most shocking films, even if it has no sex, violence
or even that much nudity, it's the power of his words that sears across your brain. Few
people had so much fun pointing out how revolting we as humans can be.
That sly man Pier Paolo Pasolini takes on free industrialist Nazis, idealistic '68 youths and
history's penchant for sacrificial lambs in this movie. Pierre Clementi and Jean-Pierre Léaud
play equivalents in different historical times. Clementi is a Middle Age knight who turns to
cannibalism, Léaud is a well to do German bourgeoisie who loves his pigs a little more
than he should. Both become vessels and scapegoats for the hypocrisy of their
corresponding ages. One of Pasolini's most shocking films, even if it has no sex, violence
or even that much nudity, it's the power of his words that sears across your brain. Few
people had so much fun pointing out how revolting we as humans can be.
01/29/10 The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner (1)
Terribly contrived and disingenuous.
Read my review.
Terribly contrived and disingenuous.
Read my review.
01/31/10 An Education (2)
Carey Mulligan is a delight in this movie, but my hat goes off to the wonderful Rosamund
Pike who gives one of the year's most underrated performances.
What she creates with a glance, a gesture and a smile is more affecting than anything
else anyone in the cast does with witty dialogues.
Carey Mulligan is a delight in this movie, but my hat goes off to the wonderful Rosamund
Pike who gives one of the year's most underrated performances.
What she creates with a glance, a gesture and a smile is more affecting than anything
else anyone in the cast does with witty dialogues.
01/31/10 Bright Star (2)
Watching this movie is like being immersed in a poem.
The thrill of what the camera does, the warmth evoked by the colors and the deep sense
of romance conveyed by Abbie Cornish would require a Keats poem of their own.
Watching this movie is like being immersed in a poem.
The thrill of what the camera does, the warmth evoked by the colors and the deep sense
of romance conveyed by Abbie Cornish would require a Keats poem of their own.