Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Sock Monkey]

Don Jon: I've become a pretty big fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick is one of my all-time favorite movies) so I was looking forward to this. Overall, it was a success, but a mixed bag at that. I thought the first 2/3 of the film was funny, clever and had an interesting take on how expectations of real relationships can be skewed by fantasy (either adult films or romantic dramas). It was in the last third of the film that the film veered and while the it made sense in the progression of the JGL's character, I felt it sidestepped some of more interesting elements and felt like the film lost some of its own identity and momentum. It might not help the film that I'm not the biggest Julianne Moore fan. Grade: B

[srboone]

The Wolf of Wall Street: An orgy of 80's excess with a dynamic performance by Leonardo DiCaprio and quirky, but stellar support by Johanh Hill. A bit shocking in the beginning, (apaprently a lot of people have walked out of the movie during it's first 2 hours), but the movie contains scene after billiant scene of debauchery--the "cerebal palsy" scene is an instant classic. It loses steam in it's last hour and the denouement takes longer than it should. There's also the problem that there doesn't seem to be a sufficiently strong enough moral to this story. It appears to be more a celebration of the lifestyle than a warning of it's downfalls. Too long by about 30 minutes (it should be noted that Goodfellas followed the same formula and clocked in at only 2:26) and never taking a stand, this movie is still a wild ride and one worth taking.

3.5/5

[srboone]

Time for those pesky end of the year lists. I grew up with list of five; ten is utterly ridiculous. So here are my 5 worst films of 2013.

1. 12 Years a Slave
2. The Desolation of Smaug
3. The Purge
4. The Evil Dead
5. Carrie

I haven't seen a lot of films that are reportedly stinkers (like The Lone Ranger). These are the worst of the ones I've seen this year.

[Dan Hocker]

Time for those pesky end of the year lists. I grew up with list of five; ten is utterly ridiculous. So here are my 5 worst films of 2013.

1. 12 Years a Slave
2. The Desolation of Smaug
3. The Purge
4. The Evil Dead
5. Carrie

I haven't seen a lot of films that are reportedly stinkers (like The Lone Ranger). These are the worst of the ones I've seen this year.

Interesting choices. I can see where you are coming from on most of those. 12 Years a Slave at your number 1 is a bit of a shocker though given the reviews and that it will likely be nominated for an Oscar and given the movies this year has a pretty good chance of getting it. That said I haven't actually seen 12 Years a Slave and don't plan on it as it's just not my kind of movie. I can also see how a lot of people would like the 2nd Hobbit, but to claim it as one of the worst movies of the year seems a bit harsh. Just my opinion though.

[T-Dogz_AK47]

Interesting choices. I can see where you are coming from on most of those. 12 Years a Slave at your number 1 is a bit of a shocker though given the reviews and that it will likely be nominated for an Oscar and given the movies this year has a pretty good chance of getting it. That said I haven't actually seen 12 Years a Slave and don't plan on it as it's just not my kind of movie. I can also see how a lot of people would like the 2nd Hobbit, but to claim it as one of the worst movies of the year seems a bit harsh. Just my opinion though.

Even though I normally absolutely hate films laden with too much CGI, I rated The Desolation of Smaug as the best movie of 2013 in the review I posted above, so I cannot say I agree with that entry on the list. I haven't seen 12 Years a Slave or The Purge, but I have seen both Carrie and The Evil Dead, which I thought were both extremely disappointing considering how good the originals were.

[srboone]

People rarely agree on "lists" anyway. But they're fun.

Still have a few more movies to see, but so far my favorite film of the year has been Gravity.

[Dan Hocker]

People rarely agree on "lists" anyway. But they're fun.

Still have a few more movies to see, but so far my favorite film of the year has been Gravity.

Yea that's pretty much what I'm hearing from most people. I'm a bit upset I didn't see it while it was still in thearters in 3D because I hear that the 3D actually makes a difference in the movie. That said I'm not really a big fan of Sandra Bullock or George Clooney.

[Sock Monkey]

Robot and Frank: Great cast led by Frank Langella about a man who resumes his cat burglary profession with the help of a robot given to him by his son. I can't say that all the plot threads pull together in a way to make this a great movie, but it was fun and Langella gives one heck of a performance. Grade: C+

The Way, Way Back: I like Steve Carrell and I'm a huge Sam Rockwell fan, so I knew I'd like this one. The story of a 14-year-old dealing with the divorce of his parents and his mom's new boyfriend and is funny and heartwarming but doesn't break any new ground, hitting all the right notes just where and when you want them to. Good flick that I'll revisit in the future. Grade: B+

[Sock Monkey]

Resolution: I heard a lot of good things about this slow burn indie horror flick about a guy who essentially holds his buddy captive and forces him to detox from meth. Now, just to clarify this is by no means survival horror as the detox is only one facet of the plot. Isn't quite fire on all cylinders, but there's enough here that if you like your horror on less gruesome and more eerie-side, then I would recommend it. Grade: C+

You're Next: is exactly what you think it's going to be from the trailer. Though it is also smart, well-paced, and has a great protagonist to cheer on (You know, one of those characters in horror movies that do smart things). It's not the best home-invasion movie I've seen (Ils (Them) is one of my favorites, and, though not home-invasion, but in roughly the same vein, Eden Lake). The last few minutes faltered for me, but the rest was a good ol' time. Grade: B+

[subie09lega]

I just finished watching the new Carrie followed by the original version. The remake is obviously for another generation and I often don't like remakes but I thought it was okay. It was definitely more like watching high schoolers, I felt the original cast was like watching college kids, but maybe they were more mature back then.
I still prefer the original, Sissy's performance is terrific. I certainly felt more sympathy for Sissy.

[coderedx]

Horror

Carrie - I liked it, although I agree with the commentator above that Sissy was way more sympathetic. This movie seemed very teenager-ish. Maybe I'm getting old. 3/5 Stars

You're Next - Very entertaining. Not particularly original, but entertaining. I jumped at a few points. 4/5 Stars

Non-Horror

American Hustle - If this movie wins Best Picture at the Oscars I'm going to lose it. It wasn't bad or anything... I just wasn't impressed, and I can't for the life of me figure out how it has been nominated for best picture. 3/5 Stars

Wolf of Wall Street - This is Best Picture worthy, although I still prefer Captain Phillips. It reminded me a bit of Goodfellas, albeit with more excess. Great acting, great cinematography, and a few chuckles. My only complaint is that at 3 hours long, it was getting a bit tedious. 4.5/5 Stars

[Joe315]

American Hustle - If this movie wins Best Picture at the Oscars I'm going to lose it. It wasn't bad or anything... I just wasn't impressed, and I can't for the life of me figure out how it has been nominated for best picture. 3/5 Stars

Wolf of Wall Street - This is Best Picture worthy, although I still prefer Captain Phillips. It reminded me a bit of Goodfellas, albeit with more excess. Great acting, great cinematography, and a few chuckles. My only complaint is that at 3 hours long, it was getting a bit tedious. 4.5/5 Stars

I agree with all of this. American Hustle, while a good movie, is not, IMO, the best movie if the year. Wolf was great but a bit long. And I really liked Captain Phillips. I thought Hanks performance in the final half hour was outstanding.

[Dan Hocker]

I think the biggest problem with American Hustle was the hype. That movie was hyped beyond belief so, so most people went into it with extremely high expectations, which any movie would have a hard time living up to. I think everyone would think it was a better movie if they had seen it hearing nothing about it before hand.

A good example of this for me was Out of the Furnace. I knew nothing of what this movie was about going into it, and thought it was a fantastic movie. Better than American Hustle and definitely a better performance by Christian Bale.

[coderedx]

I think the biggest problem with American Hustle was the hype. That movie was hyped beyond belief so, so most people went into it with extremely high expectations, which any movie would have a hard time living up to. I think everyone would think it was a better movie if they had seen it hearing nothing about it before hand.

A good example of this for me was Out of the Furnace. I knew nothing of what this movie was about going into it, and thought it was a fantastic movie. Better than American Hustle and definitely a better performance by Christian Bale.

A very good point. I was expecting American Hustle to be fantastic, so I guess part of the problem was the let down. With Wolf of Wall Steet, I half expected to be annoyed by the inaccurate portrayal of Wall Street, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Watched Kings of Summer this weekend. I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. I had heard it compared to Stand by Me, which I don't think is an apt comparison, but it is a good story about growing up. Apple TV had it for $.99, so it was a decent deal.

[Dan Hocker]

I saw I, Frankenstein over the weekend. Not a great movie plot wise, but it was an enjoyable mindless action movie. Especially if you like the Underworld movies, as it has a similar tone. Also I really like Aaron Eckhart as an actor.