Films Seen In 2011
Roughly in chronological order. Updated every month or so - going to try using IMDb Check-Ins for up-to-date stuff.
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- DirectorJoseph McGrathStarsJim DaleSpike MilliganAngela DouglasDigby consumes a bowl of a liquid growth formula called Project X. Soon he becomes a sheepdog of gigantic size.Watched this one several times with my daughter. She loves the dog, I love the fact that there's a Nazi/Heil Hitler joke in a goofy kid's movie.
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsJason StathamJoan AllenTyrese GibsonEx-con Jensen Ames is forced by the warden of a notorious prison to compete in our post-industrial world's most popular sport: a car race in which inmates must brutalize and kill one another on the road to victory.
- DirectorJacques AudiardStarsTahar RahimNiels ArestrupAdel BencherifA delinquent Muslim man struggles to get by in prison until he is taken under the wing of a powerful mob boss, but his gradual rise through the organization's ranks brings him in conflict with his mentor.
- DirectorKen KwapisStarsCaroll SpinneyJim HensonFrank OzBig Bird is sent to live far from Sesame Street by a pesky social worker named Miss Finch. Unhappy, he runs away from there, prompting the rest of the Sesame Street gang to go on a cross-country journey to find him.Another one I've seen a few times with my daughter. She's just shy of two, but she's already old enough to know how sad the "Bluebird of Happiness" is.
- DirectorPierre MorelStarsCyril RaffaelliDavid BelleTony D'AmarioCaptain Damien must team up with Leito, a local insurgent from District 13, to defuse a neutron bomb that has fallen into the hands of a local drug lord, Taha, and rescue Leito's sister Lola.Impressive stunt work, a silly story & very satisfying violence make for fun. 7/10
SPOILER ALERT: I've seen enough police films & lived long enough to understand that authority figures are often handcuffed from "doing what's right". That being said, I love it when a cop pulls a "forget it, it's Chinatown" and the hero responds by nonchalantly breaking his neck. - DirectorDwayne Carey-HillStarsBilly WestKatey SagalJohn DiMaggioPlanet Express sees a hostile takeover and Bender falls into the hands of criminals where he is used to fulfill their schemes.I remember being disappointed by the Futurama DTV movies upon first release. Revisiting them, I realize: a) nothing could have lived up to my expectations at the time; b) they're classic Futurama, with all the elements that made the original series so great. 7.5/10 rounded down to 7/10 as traveling back & forth to 1999 isn't my favorite story arc.
- DirectorNicky PhelanStarKathleen O'RourkeIt's night; a wide-eyed fearful child is in bed. When her granny enters the room, the child pretends to be asleep. Granny O'Grimm isn't fooled; she pokes the child with a walker and picks up the book "Sleeping Beauty." We see the story as she tells it, images jumping between fairies at a baby's christening and Granny's agitated narrating. The aged fairy, who wasn't invited to the feast, looks just like Granny, but with small wings. As the child's terror deepens, Granny reaches the end of her version of the story. Will the child get any sleep?
- DirectorTim BurtonStarVincent PriceYoung Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams which annoys his mother.
- DirectorsPhil LordChristopher MillerStarsAnna FarisBill HaderBruce CampbellA local scientist is often regarded as a failure until he invents a machine that can make food fall from the sky. But little does he know that things are about to take a turn for the worst.
- DirectorRobert RodriguezStarsAntonio BanderasSalma HayekJohnny DeppHitman "El Mariachi" becomes involved in international espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent and a corrupt Mexican general.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsLouis JourdanAdrienne BarbeauRay WiseAfter a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsBela LugosiJohn CarradineGeorge ZuccoA scientist seeks to transplant a brain into the body of a thawed caveman in order to get it to do his bidding.
- DirectorJoseph KosinskiStarsJeff BridgesGarrett HedlundOlivia WildeThe son of a computer programmer goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed. He meets his father's corrupted creation and a unique ally who was born inside the digital world.Cinemark Antelope Valley Mall
First theatrical (& 3D) movie of 2011. As you may know, my work & family responsibilities keep me from seeing many movies when they first open.
I'd compare this to the original Star Wars. It's a fun action-adventure with some great special effects & a back-story if you want it. The most obvious difference between this & Star Wars is that this back-story feels convoluted & inorganic. Probably appropriate for a film set entirely within a computer mainframe, but not as satisfying. At least it's a fun action-adventure with some great special effects. 6.5/10 rounded up to 7 because I like Jeff Bridges - DirectorRob StefaniukStarsRob StefaniukJessica ParéPaul AnthonyA comedy centered on a rock 'n' roll band that will do anything to become famous.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.Director's Cut, from the Arrow blu ray
- DirectorsArthur LubinGerry ChiniquyRobert McKimsonStarsDon KnottsCarole CookJack WestonA meek book keeper with an obsession for fish has his world turned upside down, when he is transformed into one, himself and helps the American Convoy save the country, during the war in the 1940's.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe PesciThe story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.First time seeing it. (I know, I know...)
- DirectorAlejandro JodorowskyStarsAxel JodorowskyBlanca GuerraGuy StockwellA former circus artist escapes from a mental hospital to rejoin his armless mother - the leader of a strange religious cult - and is forced to enact brutal murders in her name as he becomes "her arms".The Egyptian Theatre
Played on a double-bill with Fando y Lis, but I'm embarrassed to say I fell asleep for a few minutes towards the end and left at intermission. It's getting harder for me to stay up & watch movies. Which is especially tough because most films I want to see are, like Santa Sangre, completely inappropriate for family fare.
I'd like to revisit this on the Severin blu-ray. I really enjoyed what I remember - much more accessible than the other Jodorowsky I've seen. The psychoanalytical subtext serves the story, rather than just us cineastes. - DirectorAlan RafkinStarsDon KnottsJoan StaleyLiam RedmondA timid typesetter hasn't a ghost of a chance of becoming a reporter--until he decides to solve a murder mystery and ends up spending a fright-filled night in a haunted house.
- DirectorNick ParkStarsPeter SallisAnne ReidWallace's whirlwind romance with the owner of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin; Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsRichard DreyfussRon HowardPaul Le MatA group of teenagers in California's central valley spend one final night after their 1962 high school graduation cruising the strip with their buddies before they pursue their varying goals.New Beverly Cinema
Played as part of "The Wright Stuff" series, on a bill with Animal House. Edgar Wright hosted John Landis for a Q&A between films.
My second time seeing American Graffiti on the big screen (the first time also being at the New Beverly), and I enjoyed it much more this go-round. Ultimately, it's still not for me (I can't be nostalgic for something I've never experienced), but the characters are so charming (and innocent) that I'm giving it a solid 7/10. - DirectorJohn LandisStarsJohn BelushiKaren AllenTom HulceAt a 1962 college, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him.New Beverly Cinema
Played as part of "The Wright Stuff" series, on a bill with American Graffiti. Edgar Wright hosted John Landis for a Q&A between films.
FUN FACT: I asked Mr. Landis about Otis Day, and he told us that he's a straight actor, not a singer, and lip-synced his scenes. Yet the character was so popular that to this day he tours Europe to affectionate audiences who think he's actually performing. - DirectorNick ParkStarsPeter SallisSally LindsayMelissa CollierWallace and his dog, Gromit, open a bakery and get tied up with a murder mystery. But when Wallace falls in love, Gromit is left to solve the case.
- DirectorTom TykwerStarsFranka PotenteMoritz BleibtreuHerbert KnaupAfter a botched money delivery, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks.New Beverly Cinema
Played as part of "The Wright Stuff" series as a midnight movie. Edgar Wright hosted. He chose it because it was one of the first films to employ "video game logic", which of course plays heavily into Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
First time seeing it. This is the German arthouse version of Crank (which, if you know nothing about me, means I LOVED IT). Not as irreverent or offensive as Crank, but equally energetic. I appreciated how you could follow Lola's "learning" throughout the tracks. 8/10 - DirectorJohn LandisStarsDavid NaughtonJenny AgutterJoe BelcherAmerican college students David Kessler and Jack Goodman on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists. Jack dies. David recovers in a hospital, where he has nightmares.My friend played this alongside The Fly as his Valentine's Day horrific romance double-feature.
I love American Werewolf more & more each time I see it. The two lads are real people, and they don't do anything wrong. In fact, they try & do as much right as they can. But no man can stop a bad moon rising... 9/10
