2008: The Midway Mark.
Tragic.
Everybody tryin' to hide all of those habits...
it's kinda bizarre, when it's who you are.
I was REALLY looking forward to seeing a buncha great movies this year, and I guess I still am, but why has everything pretty much sucked so far? Disappointing!
Iron Man is probably my favorite film of 2008... so far. I didn't have a real desire to see it, went in with no expectations and wound up loving it completely. Kinda rare, right? Superhero movies (with the exception of Batman, of course) don't even interest me that much! But everything about Iron Man was pretty perfect and you can't argue with that.
The Other Boleyn Girl was also surprisingly good. I love naughty period pieces (see Dangerous Liaisons, people!) and this hypnotic historical drama slash soap opera left me wanting more. Besides, I adore Natalie Portman, and her fierce, wicked performance - particularly an intense breakdown scene near the end - alone made the movie worthwhile.
Cloverfield managed to be an excitingly original scare picture... despite the fact that the basic concept is a rip-off of The Blair Witch Project. But whatever, I liked it. The story was fun, insightful and cleverly affecting.
Then there was The Strangers - an effective nail-biter that could've plunged deeper psychological depths, but didn't - and Sex and the City: The Movie. Now, I love the SatC TV show, and my initial reaction to the film was, in a word, fabulous. But in retrospect, it was only okay. The creators did a good job, but I find it hard to ignore the fact that the movie only met my expectations. That's not a bad thing; I thoroughly enjoyed it! But the series was groundbreaking. So, was a big-screen version really necessary?
Additionally, there were plenty of films that either fell short of my expectations or just barely met them (Smart People, Baby Mama and Get Smart, to name a few). On the other hand, I also enjoyed a guilty pleasure or two (yes, I'm talking about Prom Night - deal with it).
All and all, it's been a letdown at the theater this year... again, so far. But I can't wait to see The Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road and the latest Harry Potter flick!
I did catch a couple of 2007 movies I missed, though - including Dan in Real Life and The Savages - and liked each of them in one way or another. My favorite has to be No Reservations. Random, I know, but every element was executed flawlessly. It was a kinda downbeat romantic dramedy, but it was also an honest, skillful character study with superb acting, effortless tonal changes and a remarkable accuracy of subtlety and detail. Well done!
Now hold onto me,
pretty baby...
if you wanna fly.
In other news, summer has begun, I recently moved into my own place... and I feel rejuvenated. Which is nice. Cheers!
Everybody tryin' to hide all of those habits...
it's kinda bizarre, when it's who you are.
I was REALLY looking forward to seeing a buncha great movies this year, and I guess I still am, but why has everything pretty much sucked so far? Disappointing!
Iron Man is probably my favorite film of 2008... so far. I didn't have a real desire to see it, went in with no expectations and wound up loving it completely. Kinda rare, right? Superhero movies (with the exception of Batman, of course) don't even interest me that much! But everything about Iron Man was pretty perfect and you can't argue with that.
The Other Boleyn Girl was also surprisingly good. I love naughty period pieces (see Dangerous Liaisons, people!) and this hypnotic historical drama slash soap opera left me wanting more. Besides, I adore Natalie Portman, and her fierce, wicked performance - particularly an intense breakdown scene near the end - alone made the movie worthwhile.
Cloverfield managed to be an excitingly original scare picture... despite the fact that the basic concept is a rip-off of The Blair Witch Project. But whatever, I liked it. The story was fun, insightful and cleverly affecting.
Then there was The Strangers - an effective nail-biter that could've plunged deeper psychological depths, but didn't - and Sex and the City: The Movie. Now, I love the SatC TV show, and my initial reaction to the film was, in a word, fabulous. But in retrospect, it was only okay. The creators did a good job, but I find it hard to ignore the fact that the movie only met my expectations. That's not a bad thing; I thoroughly enjoyed it! But the series was groundbreaking. So, was a big-screen version really necessary?
Additionally, there were plenty of films that either fell short of my expectations or just barely met them (Smart People, Baby Mama and Get Smart, to name a few). On the other hand, I also enjoyed a guilty pleasure or two (yes, I'm talking about Prom Night - deal with it).
All and all, it's been a letdown at the theater this year... again, so far. But I can't wait to see The Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road and the latest Harry Potter flick!
I did catch a couple of 2007 movies I missed, though - including Dan in Real Life and The Savages - and liked each of them in one way or another. My favorite has to be No Reservations. Random, I know, but every element was executed flawlessly. It was a kinda downbeat romantic dramedy, but it was also an honest, skillful character study with superb acting, effortless tonal changes and a remarkable accuracy of subtlety and detail. Well done!
Now hold onto me,
pretty baby...
if you wanna fly.
In other news, summer has begun, I recently moved into my own place... and I feel rejuvenated. Which is nice. Cheers!