50 films challenge (2008)
The goal is to watch 50 movies within 2008. Each title will be linked to it's imdb page, rated and reviewed. I'm a tough grader so don't be expecting any 10s.
May contain spoilers!
total: 25/50 (more than I've seen in the past few years combined xD)
01) Stardust
02) Spiderman 3
03) Enchanted
04) National Treasure
05) Shaolin Soccer
06) Stargate SG1: Ark of Truth
07) Pirates of the Caribbean 3
08) Jumper
09) National Treasure: Book of Secrets
10) Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
11) A Dog's Breakfast
12) Stargate SG1: Continuum
13) The Dark Knight
14) The Forbidden Kingdom
15) REC
16) Pathology
17) Serenity
18) The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
19) Kill Bill vol 1
20) Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
21) The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning
22) The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
23) The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mine
24) Lilo & Stitch
25) Iron Man
bold = newest
Stardust
rating: 6.5/10
It was enjoyable. I loved the pirate guy and the ghosts XD LMAO @ pervert ghost! The romance parts were kinda meh and I really can't believe Tristan learned how to use the sword like that in only a week or so. Still I found it amusing, specially at the end when the ghosts were watching the fighting.
Spiderman 3
rating: 6/10
I can't say I remember much about the first two films. I was interested by the pictures I had seen of the black costumed Spidey though. I think the movie can be summed up with Peter and Mary Jane acting stupid. Man did Peter get so full of himself with all the Spiderman posters, costumes etc. I knew his overconfidence would bite him in the ass. I'm a little glad Harry came around in the end though. However it is a sequel and you know how those get worse with every installment. I watched this while my net was down so atleast it was a nice timewaster.
Enchanted
rating: 6.5/10
Okay the little girl in me loved this xD;; specially with all the references to cinderella, snow white and sleeping beauty. Then there was Patrick Dempsey from Grey's Anatomy in it :D and the trademark Disney optimistism, singing and helpful animals. Overall it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour.
National Treasure
rating: 7/10
Who doesn't like Indiana Jones type movies? Although Indy has to travel to exotic locales to find treasure while Ben finds it closer to home. I loved the historical bent to it with the Declaration of Independance, Liberty Hall etc. I loved the treasure room, I couldn't help going :O when I saw it. Anyway the movie has a nice bit of action, could have used more comedy but overall I was pleased and I'm looking forward to the sequal.
Shaolin Soccer
rating: 1.5/10
Of all the Chinese movies, why this one was chosen to be not only imported but also dubbed is beyond me. I've heard it mentioned before so when I saw it at the library I decided to check it out. I mean it's not everyday you find a Chinese film in a tiny library branch. It got like one chuckle out of me, the rest was complete fail.
Stargate SG1: Ark of Truth
rating: 8/10
I really wish they had skipped the last episode of SG1 and just gone straight to this movie which was just about everything I could've hoped for. I'm satisfied with how they wrapped up the Ori and based on how the first movie turned out I am pretty excited about the next one 8D
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
rating: 5/10
Lots of action scenes and everyone betraying everyone. Nice touch with showing Jack's dad. I'm a little sad that it's over, I would've given it a higher rating except the ending was very wtf-y for me. Where's my disney ending?!
Jumper
rating: 5/10
It wasn't too bad, not too great either. It's about this dude who discovers an ability to jump/teleport which he puts to good use but then the shit hits the fan and suddenly he's got enemies on his ass. I liked the whole team-up thing he tried to get going with the other dude. I get the sense that it's open-ended enough for a sequel but I've no idea if that is in the works. Probably not. This had the potential to be a really cool action flick but didn't quite make it there. Should've ditched the girl and focused on the team-up thing. Btw don't read the full synopsis at imdb, it basically outlines the whole movie.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
rating: 7.5/10
I found this to be as enjoyable as the first one, maybe even a bit more. Action packed chases around the world, following clues, doing the unthinkable and getting away with it. As with the first movie my fav part is the grand sets specially the scene where they're standing inside with water pouring down around them. I laughed when stuff started breaking because that's pretty realistic given how old it was. I wish it was real, I would love to see all that for myself! And something said at the end leads me to believe there will be a 3rd movie. Just what the hell was on page 47? Hurry up sequel!
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
rating: 9/10 (fangirl bias :D/ not 10 though because it was way too short!)
I loooooooooove Babylon 5 so I was estactic when I found out JMS was making these "lost tales" aka new material. The opening footage nearly killed me, didn't expect to see that again plus the opening monologue is by G'kar T_T but the station looks great. Everything looks great with the new CGI. I didn't realize how much I missed the background music, just really beautiful stuff. First tale is about a test of faith. What happens when enlightened space-faring people are faced with proof that evil exists? Second one is focused on Sheridan returning to the station after 10 years. Tons of references so you have to be on your toes in order to catch it all. Overall it makes me crave more and I'm excited that more is likely on the way. I know there are plenty of stories left to tell, I just hope JMS gets to tell them all.
A Dog's Breakfast
rating: 8/10
This is probably funnier to fans of Stargate due to all the cameos but it's good on it own too. The main character Patrick does not react well to his sister getting engaged. He is so much like an alternate universe Rodney, he has weird quirks like seperating his fruit loops by color. Paul McGillion is in it too! LOL Paul's character is an actor on a "space show". Oh geez, who let Teyla in? Strangely enough she acts better on the fake space show than she does on SGA :\ ROFL THE LEOPARD PRINT ROBE!!!!! Missa you'd love that part. Oh Patrick you are so much fail. These surprise cameos are awesome btw. And is that... Paul in drag O_O haha David needs to write more movies!
Stargate SG1: Continuum
rating: 7.5/10
As much as I loved seeing old familiar faces (Hammond, Jack etc) I think I liked the first movie better. First off for a plot centering around Ba'al he doesn't get much screentime does he? There were quite a few things that were left unclear, you can puzzle them out yourself but it would have been nice if they had just explained it. I was also hoping that they would've rebeled and tried to fix the timeline despite being ordered not to. Still it was enjoyable enough and hey, it's SG1 :D I still think it'd be really cool if one of the pilots had been John though.
The Dark Knight
rating: 6/10
To be honest I was bored during the first hour or so. Batman was barely around. I think I expected the film to get more into Bruce's head, not ignore him. I was a little irritated that he'd give up being Batman so he could hook up with the woman. Could he really just stop like that? As for the Joker I liked the part where he says that he needs Batman cause it's true. Reminds me of a comic where he gets rid of Batman then realizes how boring it is without him. LMAO @ the mayor's eye makeup. I would've liked to have seen Batman lose control after a certain event happened. Mostly I'm just displeased that they teased me with the 5 seconds of Scarecrow :\ wtf?
The Forbidden Kingdom
rating: 6/10
Karate fanboy gets swept into epic adventure where he has to rescue the Monkey King. I liked that they had a lot of dialogue in Chinese since most of the film is set in China. The monkey king was amusing and crafty. I liked Jackie Chan's character in this. There is a lot of fighting choreography but I'm not into that so I wouldn't buy it but overall it was a nice way to pass the time.
REC
rating: 3/10
A spanish horror flick. It's about a television reporter and cameraman that are filming what firemen do and while following them to an emergency everyone gets caught up in some freaky shit. You see everything from the viewpoint of the camera. I didn't find it scary but there were some ewww moments. If seeing crazy people biting other people isn't your kinda thing then I wouldn't reccommend this. Lol I don't even know what prompted me to watch, it's def not my thing. Also having a snack while watching = not a bright idea.
Pathology
rating: 3/10
horror/thiller about a group of medical students trying to create a perfect murder that would stump the others. It didn't scare me in the slightest, though I didn't like the part when they crack open ribs with what looks like a huge pair of shears. Other than that I've seen too much csi to be squicked by body parts. I'd say the only thing worth watching this for is the nice looking dude and getting to see his ass.
Serenity
rating: 4/10
Serenity basically ties up loose ends from the canceled series Firefly much like how the SG1 movie finishs the Ori plot. It also leaves room for them to continue. With all the hints they kept dropping about the reavers I had already guessed how they had come about. My biggest complaint is the dialogue, some of it made me roll my eyes. As did the scene with River standing over the dead reavers because the door somehow opened on it's own. I was like "lol ~*~dramatic~*~" XD anyway it completes the story which makes me satisfied.
The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
rating: 5/10
Alex is kinda cute. I don't really like the replacement actress for Evey and the sequel is pretty boring. I only laughed at the part when the Yeti kicked a soldier over an arch, looks back at his fellow Yeti and they're like "goal!" XD anyway it's pretty much something I'd save for when I've got nothing else to do.
Kill Bill vol 1
rating: 5.5/10
It was a little too artsy for me. I didn't like the random animation or the long conversations in Japanese without subtitles. The sword fighting was nice. Not too sure about the plot, I'll probably edit this once I've seen the sequel.
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
rating: 6/10
I didn't enjoy it as much as the first movie, it was alright. This one has a darker tone, lots of death and violence. Ofcourse there's the religous bent to it, Lucy was the only one who believed without needing to see proof. There was a LOTR feel to it with the fighting trees which are always awesome to see. I really hope the actor playing Caspian is legal age >> and we get to see him in the next movie, woohoo!
The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning
rating: 4/10
I am such a little girl at heart xD;; the original was my fav disney movie when I was little. I haven't seen the sequel yet but this my friends is a prequel. Basically after Ariel's mom dies her father banned music from the kingdom and Ariel, rebellious as always, fights to bring the music back. It's not outstanding but it sure brings back memories.
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
rating: 6.5/10
I knew the main actor from another show and I love movies like Indiana Jones and National Treasure so I knew this would be a safe bet. Plus I saw a commercial for the 3rd movie and figured it was high time I finally watched this series. It's about a guy in his 30s who stayed in college earning degree after degree until he was forced to find a job. He recieves an interview with a library and surprisingly gets the job where he discovers that he'll need to look after the most important artifacts in the world, ie the holy grail, excalibur etc. A job I'd kill for XD anyway the movie actually isn't that bad. I like the National Treasure ones a bit more but it was still enjoyable.
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mine
rating: 6/10
Not bad. Pretty much something you'd watch if you had nothing else to do. I forgot to mention the Librarian series is toned down for families which equals boring to me, yet I have a soft spot for this genre so I'll be watching the next sequel.
Lilo & Stitch
rating: 8/10
Yes I finally watched the whole thing xD;; I've only seen about 5 minutes of it before, the scene where Stitch reads about the ugly duckling but it was enough to hook me. I kinda don't like the way the humans are drawn though. The crossdressing alien always cracks me up XD I really loved how Stitch changed and grew throughout the film. One time when I was at Disneyworld we watched one of their artists show how they draw and I remember seeing a wall with posters of upcoming films. One of the posters was for Lilo & Stitch, I thought it was a dumb concept at the time but they definately proved me wrong. I'll never doubt Disney again!
Iron Man
rating: 4/10
Is it bad that at the very beginning the music reminds me of a Supernatural episode? Uh what can I say... I didn't particularly like Stark. I mean another rich playboy? The plot didn't wow me either. I actually paused a few times to do other things, play a game etc before coming back to finish it. I did sorta like the end though.
other lists:
missatralissa
spinspiderspin
zeehondpunk
(anyone else doing this, drop me a link!)
May contain spoilers!
total: 25/50 (more than I've seen in the past few years combined xD)
01) Stardust
02) Spiderman 3
03) Enchanted
04) National Treasure
05) Shaolin Soccer
06) Stargate SG1: Ark of Truth
07) Pirates of the Caribbean 3
08) Jumper
09) National Treasure: Book of Secrets
10) Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
11) A Dog's Breakfast
12) Stargate SG1: Continuum
13) The Dark Knight
14) The Forbidden Kingdom
15) REC
16) Pathology
17) Serenity
18) The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
19) Kill Bill vol 1
20) Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
21) The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning
22) The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
23) The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mine
24) Lilo & Stitch
25) Iron Man
bold = newest
Stardust
rating: 6.5/10
It was enjoyable. I loved the pirate guy and the ghosts XD LMAO @ pervert ghost! The romance parts were kinda meh and I really can't believe Tristan learned how to use the sword like that in only a week or so. Still I found it amusing, specially at the end when the ghosts were watching the fighting.
Spiderman 3
rating: 6/10
I can't say I remember much about the first two films. I was interested by the pictures I had seen of the black costumed Spidey though. I think the movie can be summed up with Peter and Mary Jane acting stupid. Man did Peter get so full of himself with all the Spiderman posters, costumes etc. I knew his overconfidence would bite him in the ass. I'm a little glad Harry came around in the end though. However it is a sequel and you know how those get worse with every installment. I watched this while my net was down so atleast it was a nice timewaster.
Enchanted
rating: 6.5/10
Okay the little girl in me loved this xD;; specially with all the references to cinderella, snow white and sleeping beauty. Then there was Patrick Dempsey from Grey's Anatomy in it :D and the trademark Disney optimistism, singing and helpful animals. Overall it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour.
National Treasure
rating: 7/10
Who doesn't like Indiana Jones type movies? Although Indy has to travel to exotic locales to find treasure while Ben finds it closer to home. I loved the historical bent to it with the Declaration of Independance, Liberty Hall etc. I loved the treasure room, I couldn't help going :O when I saw it. Anyway the movie has a nice bit of action, could have used more comedy but overall I was pleased and I'm looking forward to the sequal.
Shaolin Soccer
rating: 1.5/10
Of all the Chinese movies, why this one was chosen to be not only imported but also dubbed is beyond me. I've heard it mentioned before so when I saw it at the library I decided to check it out. I mean it's not everyday you find a Chinese film in a tiny library branch. It got like one chuckle out of me, the rest was complete fail.
Stargate SG1: Ark of Truth
rating: 8/10
I really wish they had skipped the last episode of SG1 and just gone straight to this movie which was just about everything I could've hoped for. I'm satisfied with how they wrapped up the Ori and based on how the first movie turned out I am pretty excited about the next one 8D
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
rating: 5/10
Lots of action scenes and everyone betraying everyone. Nice touch with showing Jack's dad. I'm a little sad that it's over, I would've given it a higher rating except the ending was very wtf-y for me. Where's my disney ending?!
Jumper
rating: 5/10
It wasn't too bad, not too great either. It's about this dude who discovers an ability to jump/teleport which he puts to good use but then the shit hits the fan and suddenly he's got enemies on his ass. I liked the whole team-up thing he tried to get going with the other dude. I get the sense that it's open-ended enough for a sequel but I've no idea if that is in the works. Probably not. This had the potential to be a really cool action flick but didn't quite make it there. Should've ditched the girl and focused on the team-up thing. Btw don't read the full synopsis at imdb, it basically outlines the whole movie.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
rating: 7.5/10
I found this to be as enjoyable as the first one, maybe even a bit more. Action packed chases around the world, following clues, doing the unthinkable and getting away with it. As with the first movie my fav part is the grand sets specially the scene where they're standing inside with water pouring down around them. I laughed when stuff started breaking because that's pretty realistic given how old it was. I wish it was real, I would love to see all that for myself! And something said at the end leads me to believe there will be a 3rd movie. Just what the hell was on page 47? Hurry up sequel!
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
rating: 9/10 (fangirl bias :D/ not 10 though because it was way too short!)
I loooooooooove Babylon 5 so I was estactic when I found out JMS was making these "lost tales" aka new material. The opening footage nearly killed me, didn't expect to see that again plus the opening monologue is by G'kar T_T but the station looks great. Everything looks great with the new CGI. I didn't realize how much I missed the background music, just really beautiful stuff. First tale is about a test of faith. What happens when enlightened space-faring people are faced with proof that evil exists? Second one is focused on Sheridan returning to the station after 10 years. Tons of references so you have to be on your toes in order to catch it all. Overall it makes me crave more and I'm excited that more is likely on the way. I know there are plenty of stories left to tell, I just hope JMS gets to tell them all.
A Dog's Breakfast
rating: 8/10
This is probably funnier to fans of Stargate due to all the cameos but it's good on it own too. The main character Patrick does not react well to his sister getting engaged. He is so much like an alternate universe Rodney, he has weird quirks like seperating his fruit loops by color. Paul McGillion is in it too! LOL Paul's character is an actor on a "space show". Oh geez, who let Teyla in? Strangely enough she acts better on the fake space show than she does on SGA :\ ROFL THE LEOPARD PRINT ROBE!!!!! Missa you'd love that part. Oh Patrick you are so much fail. These surprise cameos are awesome btw. And is that... Paul in drag O_O haha David needs to write more movies!
Stargate SG1: Continuum
rating: 7.5/10
As much as I loved seeing old familiar faces (Hammond, Jack etc) I think I liked the first movie better. First off for a plot centering around Ba'al he doesn't get much screentime does he? There were quite a few things that were left unclear, you can puzzle them out yourself but it would have been nice if they had just explained it. I was also hoping that they would've rebeled and tried to fix the timeline despite being ordered not to. Still it was enjoyable enough and hey, it's SG1 :D I still think it'd be really cool if one of the pilots had been John though.
The Dark Knight
rating: 6/10
To be honest I was bored during the first hour or so. Batman was barely around. I think I expected the film to get more into Bruce's head, not ignore him. I was a little irritated that he'd give up being Batman so he could hook up with the woman. Could he really just stop like that? As for the Joker I liked the part where he says that he needs Batman cause it's true. Reminds me of a comic where he gets rid of Batman then realizes how boring it is without him. LMAO @ the mayor's eye makeup. I would've liked to have seen Batman lose control after a certain event happened. Mostly I'm just displeased that they teased me with the 5 seconds of Scarecrow :\ wtf?
The Forbidden Kingdom
rating: 6/10
Karate fanboy gets swept into epic adventure where he has to rescue the Monkey King. I liked that they had a lot of dialogue in Chinese since most of the film is set in China. The monkey king was amusing and crafty. I liked Jackie Chan's character in this. There is a lot of fighting choreography but I'm not into that so I wouldn't buy it but overall it was a nice way to pass the time.
REC
rating: 3/10
A spanish horror flick. It's about a television reporter and cameraman that are filming what firemen do and while following them to an emergency everyone gets caught up in some freaky shit. You see everything from the viewpoint of the camera. I didn't find it scary but there were some ewww moments. If seeing crazy people biting other people isn't your kinda thing then I wouldn't reccommend this. Lol I don't even know what prompted me to watch, it's def not my thing. Also having a snack while watching = not a bright idea.
Pathology
rating: 3/10
horror/thiller about a group of medical students trying to create a perfect murder that would stump the others. It didn't scare me in the slightest, though I didn't like the part when they crack open ribs with what looks like a huge pair of shears. Other than that I've seen too much csi to be squicked by body parts. I'd say the only thing worth watching this for is the nice looking dude and getting to see his ass.
Serenity
rating: 4/10
Serenity basically ties up loose ends from the canceled series Firefly much like how the SG1 movie finishs the Ori plot. It also leaves room for them to continue. With all the hints they kept dropping about the reavers I had already guessed how they had come about. My biggest complaint is the dialogue, some of it made me roll my eyes. As did the scene with River standing over the dead reavers because the door somehow opened on it's own. I was like "lol ~*~dramatic~*~" XD anyway it completes the story which makes me satisfied.
The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
rating: 5/10
Alex is kinda cute. I don't really like the replacement actress for Evey and the sequel is pretty boring. I only laughed at the part when the Yeti kicked a soldier over an arch, looks back at his fellow Yeti and they're like "goal!" XD anyway it's pretty much something I'd save for when I've got nothing else to do.
Kill Bill vol 1
rating: 5.5/10
It was a little too artsy for me. I didn't like the random animation or the long conversations in Japanese without subtitles. The sword fighting was nice. Not too sure about the plot, I'll probably edit this once I've seen the sequel.
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
rating: 6/10
I didn't enjoy it as much as the first movie, it was alright. This one has a darker tone, lots of death and violence. Ofcourse there's the religous bent to it, Lucy was the only one who believed without needing to see proof. There was a LOTR feel to it with the fighting trees which are always awesome to see. I really hope the actor playing Caspian is legal age >> and we get to see him in the next movie, woohoo!
The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning
rating: 4/10
I am such a little girl at heart xD;; the original was my fav disney movie when I was little. I haven't seen the sequel yet but this my friends is a prequel. Basically after Ariel's mom dies her father banned music from the kingdom and Ariel, rebellious as always, fights to bring the music back. It's not outstanding but it sure brings back memories.
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
rating: 6.5/10
I knew the main actor from another show and I love movies like Indiana Jones and National Treasure so I knew this would be a safe bet. Plus I saw a commercial for the 3rd movie and figured it was high time I finally watched this series. It's about a guy in his 30s who stayed in college earning degree after degree until he was forced to find a job. He recieves an interview with a library and surprisingly gets the job where he discovers that he'll need to look after the most important artifacts in the world, ie the holy grail, excalibur etc. A job I'd kill for XD anyway the movie actually isn't that bad. I like the National Treasure ones a bit more but it was still enjoyable.
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mine
rating: 6/10
Not bad. Pretty much something you'd watch if you had nothing else to do. I forgot to mention the Librarian series is toned down for families which equals boring to me, yet I have a soft spot for this genre so I'll be watching the next sequel.
Lilo & Stitch
rating: 8/10
Yes I finally watched the whole thing xD;; I've only seen about 5 minutes of it before, the scene where Stitch reads about the ugly duckling but it was enough to hook me. I kinda don't like the way the humans are drawn though. The crossdressing alien always cracks me up XD I really loved how Stitch changed and grew throughout the film. One time when I was at Disneyworld we watched one of their artists show how they draw and I remember seeing a wall with posters of upcoming films. One of the posters was for Lilo & Stitch, I thought it was a dumb concept at the time but they definately proved me wrong. I'll never doubt Disney again!
Iron Man
rating: 4/10
Is it bad that at the very beginning the music reminds me of a Supernatural episode? Uh what can I say... I didn't particularly like Stark. I mean another rich playboy? The plot didn't wow me either. I actually paused a few times to do other things, play a game etc before coming back to finish it. I did sorta like the end though.
other lists:
missatralissa
spinspiderspin
zeehondpunk
(anyone else doing this, drop me a link!)