Oscar Nominate Live Action Shorts

I saw all five again this year.  My favorite was "The Voorman Problem" which I rate at 4 Boos.  The rest were a combination of 3's and 4's.  As a group this year's nominations were not as good as last year's.

A Comma in the Title. You Don't See That Everyday!

I rate "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" at 3 Boos.

Idiot Brother Role Reversal

Contrary to the last movie we watched, this time my wife really liked it, and I thought it was just ok.

I rate "Our Idiot Brother" at 2 Boos.

Disaster? It Depends on Who You Ask

I liked it, the wife did not.

I rate "It's a Disaster" at 3 Boos.

Stand Up Guys

Kind of slow, but I was generally entertained.

I rate "Stand Up Guys" at 3 Boos.

Now I Gotta Watch Mary Poppins. Bummer!

First movie of 2014 seen in a theater on January 1st, and it was pretty good.  We're off to a great start!

I rate "Saving Mr. Banks" at 4 Boos.

2013 - That's a Wrap!

2013 found me seeing and rating 40 different movies.  The average rating was 3.525 Boos, which is the best average score for any year ever.  (Caveat:  I did not do a year end wrap up for 2012, so it will remain the mystery year.)   I only made it to the theater 12 times, which is way below where I want it to be.  I aspire to get to the theater once a week, but clearly that is a stretch goal.

Limiting myself to current movies, "Blue Jasmine" was the best movie I saw in 2013, while my favorite movie of the year was "Star Trek Into Darkness."  If you haven't seen either of them, get to work!

The Final Movie of 2013

We ended 2013 by watching "In the Loop" a British comedy.  That was a lie, we actually ended the year watching Season 2 of "Parks and Recreation."  But the final movie of the year was ItL.  We liked it.

I rate "In the Loop" at 3 Boos.

The Shawshank Redemption

This movie really stands the test of time.  It could have been made yesterday, and it's still outstanding.

I rate "The Shawshank Redemption" at 5 Boos.

Gravity

Just as good everyone says.

I rate "Gravity" at 4 Boos.

American Hustle

Very good!

I rate "American Hustle" at 4 Boos.

PT&A Stands the Test of Time

I can't believe this movie is 16 years old!  It still holds up very well.  Except for the lack of cell phones, and the wife's hairstyle, this movie feels very fresh.

I rate "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" at 4 Boos.  It almost makes me wonder if it would have scored a coveted 5 Boos rating back in the day.

Jingle Some of the Way

I'm on record as being a big fan of Arnold movies.  This was not one of his best.

I rate "Jingle All the Way" at 2 Boos.

White Christmas

Of the various old-timey movies I've seen in recent years, I think "White Christmas" was better than average.

I rate "White Christmas" at 3 Boos.

I Actually Liked Love Actually

Surprisingly good.

I rate "Love Actually" at 4 Boos.

Catching Up on the Backlog

I rate...

"Sleepwalk with Me" at 4 Boos.

"A Little Help" at 3 Boos.

"Before Midnight" at 2 Boos.

The Tall Silver Guy

Didn't love it, didn't hate it.  Since I vowed to never give a partial Boo I'm stuck between 2 and 3.

I rate "The Giant Mechanical Man" at 2 Boos.

Anchorman 1

I finally got around to seeing "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy".  It was ok, but not as funny as most Will Ferrell movies.  As I write this, I'm discovering there is a sequel that will be coming out in December.  Despite being underwhelmed by this one, I'm still willing to see the sequel.

I rate "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" at 2 Boos.

In a World

Weird and compelling, a story about the strange world of professional voice-overs.

I rate "In a World" at 4 Boos.

We Have a Misunderstanding

Nessuno mi ha detto questo film era in italiano!  The premise was promising.  But the execution was lacking.  Don't get me wrong, it had a lot of funny moments.  And maybe something was lost in the translation, but this movie was not good.

I rate "We Have a Pope" at 2 Boos.

Butter, not The Butler

No, we didn't watch "The Butler", the acclaimed movie about the butler who served eight presidents in the White House.  We watched "Butter" which is about scandal among competitive butter sculptors.  It was good.  There were a lot of little subplots, some of which didn't add much. But overall a weird and funny movie.

I rate "Butter" at 3 Boos.

Pretty Spectacular

You may recall last year in my review of "The Descendants" I recommended you keep an eye out for actress Shailene Woodley. Well she's back and she did another spectacular job in "The Spectacular Now".

You should go see this movie.  And if you haven't seen "Blue Jasmine" yet you should go see that too.

I rate "The Spectacular Now" at 4 Boos.

42 - Discouraging or Encouraging?

The era portrayed during Jackie Robinson's first season with the Dodgers was not that long ago. I can't believe it was that bad that recently.

I rate "42" at 4 Boos.

Blue Jasmine

Woody Allen's latest "Blue Jasmine" is a great movie.  Great story, great writing and great acting.  Cate Blanchett was wonderful.

I rate "Blue Jasmine" at 5 Boos.

The Way Way Back

There were several good characters that were very well done.

I rate "The Way Way Back" at 4 Boos.

Even Time Travel Could Not Save This Disaster

The wife has been wanting to watch "Somewhere in Time" for some time now.  Finally we did.  OMG, was that bad!  Regular readers know I have a soft spot for time travel stories.  I can only image how bad it would have been without the time travel aspect.

Spoiler alert:  Here's how to time travel.  Close your eyes and wish really really hard, and maybe cry a little bit.  Poof, you're back in time.

I rate "Somewhere in Time" at 1 Boo.

Sperm Shenanigans

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman in a typical sperm donor mix up.  It was light and fun.  The kid was good.

I rate "The Switch" at 3 Boos.

Heated Girl Buddy Cops

"The Heat" - raunchy and funny.  A typical Melissa McCarthy movie. I liked.

I rate "The Heat" at 4 Boos.

Killing Lincoln

Documentary.  Narrated by Tom Hanks.  About a President. Well done.

I rate "Killing Lincoln" at 4 Boos.

The Rainmaker

"The Rainmaker" based on a John Grisham novel should have been better.  It was too long and too stiff.  It needed to have 20 minutes edited out.

I rate "The Rainmaker" at 2 Boos.

This Means War

Standard romantic comedy.  Light, fun, and easy to watch.

I rate "This Means War" at 3 Boos.

Star Trek Into Darkness

LOVED IT!!!   OK, I'm a Star Trek fanboy, I admit it.  I'm loving this Star Trek reboot.  Bring on the next one!

In a nod to the wife, I'll concede that some of the fight scenes could have been edited down a bit.  I've never been a big fan of extended fight scenes or extended car chases.  A little goes a long way.  That said, I LOVED IT!!!

I rate "Star Trek Into Darkness" at 5 Boos.

A Little Something for Everybody

A light romantic comedy with some time travel thrown in.  This is a movie that everybody in the family can get behind.

I rate "Safety Not Guaranteed" at 3 Boos.

Lincoln - As Good As They Say

I really enjoyed "Lincoln" for many of the same reasons I loved "John Adams".

I rate "Lincoln" at 5 Boos.

Gilbert Grapes On

I first saw "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" 20 years ago.  I remembered liking it, but not much else about it.  Fast forward to 2013, with the exception of the haircuts, it doesn't feel dated at all.  To my surprise, it stands the test of time.

I rate "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" at 4 Boos.

Argo - The Best Movie of the Year?

"Argo" won Best Picture Oscar.  It was pretty good, but I don't know that it was that good.

I rate "Argo" at 4 Boos.

Boo Movies EIGHT YEAR Anniversary

Boo Movies launched eight years ago today on Oscar day 2005.  As faithful readers may have noticed I've scaled back Boo Movies lately.  I didn't even get around to my traditional year-end wrap up.  And this annual anniversary post is pretty much being phoned in.

Happy Oscars!  Enjoy the show.

Silver Linings Playbook

At it's core it's the standard romantic comedy plot, in this case light on comedy.  The details of the story were done well, and the acting was great across the board.  It's not the best movie of the year.

I rate "Silver Linings Playbook" at 4 Boos.

Other Movies I've Seen So Far in 2013

I rate "Hyde Park on Hudson" at 3 Boos.  It started slow, but grew on me.  I was eventually able to forget I was looking at Bill Murray.

I rate "Zero Dark Thirty" at 4 Boos.

I rate "End of Watch" at 3 Boos.

Oscar Short Films from 2012

This was my third year in a row to see all five of the Oscar nominees for the Best Short Film (Live Action). This has become one of my favorite movie events of the year. Here we go in alphabetical order...

Asad (18 min)
I kept thinking it was going to turn into "The Old Man and the Sea." It did not. I really liked the ending.

I rate "Asad" at 4 Boos.

Buzkashi Boys (28 min)
I've heard about Kabul in the news for years.  During this movie it dawned on me, I've never seen pictures of the place. And I never knew you could play polo with a dead goat. This was my least favorite of the five movies, but it was very well done.

I rate "Buzkashi Boys" at 3 Boos.

Curfew (19 min)
The brother, the sister, the little girl. Loved it! The little girl, Fatima Ptacek, was wonderful.

I rate "Curfew" at 5 Boos.

Death of a Shadow (20 min)
This was so awesome! Dead guy needs his body back, so he steals peoples' shadows as they die.

I rate "Death of a Shadow" at 5 Boos.

Henry (21 min)
I wasn't scared of getting old until I watched this movie.

I rate "Henry" at 4 Boos.

The Boo Movies Short Oscar goes to...  "Curfew"!

My Final Movie of 2012 Was Released in 1988

Barring the unexpected,the final movie I will watch in 2012, will be 1988's "Rain Man."  It has done an amazing job of withstanding the test of time.  It is still very watchable.

I rate "Rain Man" at 4 Boos.

I Was Not Miserable

66% of the people I attended Les Misérables with hated it.  I did not hate it, although I had some problems with it.  I was generally entertained, and liked many of the songs.   It was definitely too long!

I rate "Les Misérables" at 2 Boos.

Meet Me in St. Louis

An old classic movie, which does not fit well into my normal rating system.  At least they make St. Louis sound good.  And what is up with Judy Garland's hair?

I rate "Meet Me in St. Louis" at 3 Boos.

Tarantino Unchained

Quentin Tarantino must sit around his house after every movie and wonder what line he has not crossed yet.  Then he sets out to make his next movie.  His latest, "Django Unchained," makes "Inglourious Basterds" look like Mary Poppins.

I rate "Django Unchained" at 4 Boos.

The Five-Year Engagement

A romantic-comedy, but not the stereotypical cookie-cutter plot.  They did a nice job shaking things up and doing it a little differently.  And it has that Emily Blunt who I like more every time I see her.

I rate "The Five-Year Engagement" at 4 Boos.

Christmas is Ruined This Year

In our quest to watch some holiday movies, we went with "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" last night.  Oh boy was that a mistake.  It just wasn't funny, at all, period.  It sucked.

I rate "Christmas Vacation" at 1 Boo.

Dude, It's Not That Good

I saw "The Big Lebowski" way back when it was in the theaters.  I wasn't very impressed.  In the fourteen years since then I've heard countless people rave about how good it is.  It's a Coen brothers film for God's sake.  So I figured I must have just been in a weird mood that night, and probably didn't have enough sleep in me

So I decided to give it another try recently.  What up?  It had some good lines, and it was (mostly) entertaining.  But I don't see what all of the hype is about.  Just because they use the word "dude" a lot, doesn't make it a great movie.

In retrospect, I believe all of those Lebowski worshipers I've encountered were males (i.e. dudes) who are younger than me.  I guess it's a generational thing.

I rate "The Big Lewbowski" at 2 Boos, dude.

Flight

Wow, intensive!  Both parts.

I rate "Flight" at 4 Boos.

Bernie

Not your typical Jack Black role.  An interesting diversion.

I rate "Bernie" at 4 Boos.

No Surprises Found

A typical romantic comedy.

I rate "No Strings Attached" at 3 Boos.

MI3

I think this is my favorite of the MI movies so far.

I rate "Mission: Impossible III" at 4 Boos.

Skyfall - Not Just Another Chicken Little Movie

Daniel Craig remains unequivocally my favorite Bond.

"Skyfall" was pretty darn good, but I'm going to stick with "Casino Royale" as my favorite.

I rate "Skyfall" at 4 Boos.

Swing Vote

I rate "Swing Vote" at 3 Boos.

Cool Hand Luke

This has really stood the test of time.  Doesn't feel dated at all.

I rate "Cool Hand Luke" at 4 Boos.

Some Like It Hot

I rate "Some Like It Hot" at 3 Boos.

Rock On

American males can generally be split into two groups.  Those who fantasize about becoming a professional sports hero, and those who fantasize about being a rock star.  I am a member of the latter group.  So it was with great excitement that I went to see "Rock of Ages."  I don't know that it was necessarily a good movie, but it was definitely a FUN movie!  I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

I rate "Rock of Ages" at 4 Boos.

Another Comics Movie

My comics first love was, and still is, the daily comics in the newspaper.  My childhood comic book interest was not Marvel nor DC, but rather Mad Magazine and Cracked.  So the current Hollywood obsession of making movies based on comic book action heroes is not something that makes me stand in line for the midnight show.  But I generally enjoy them.  I finally caught "The Avengers" and thought it was a solid movie.  I knew the back story for Iron Man and the Hulk, but the rest of the characters were all new to me.  The Captain America character seems interesting.  I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about him.

I rate "The Avengers" at 3 Boos.

Moonrise Kingdom

Everyone else seems to love it.  I hear it has early Oscar buzz.  It was very unique and very well done, I agree.  I generally enjoyed it, but I can't say I love it as much as everybody else seems to.

I rate "Moonrise Kingdom" at 3 Boos.

Barely Avoided Disaster

I didn't hate it, but definitely didn't love it.  The Ben Stiller character was kind of annoying.  If you see it be sure to watch the credits until the end.  You don't want to miss the Alan Alda - Lily Tomlin sex scene.  Yes, you read that correctly.

I rate "Flirting with Disaster" at 2 Boos.

That Bear Really is Magical

If you look at the short list of movies that have previously been awarded a 5 Boos rating, you'll see that it's largely comprised of movies that are nominated for Best Picture Oscars.  Well, now there's "Ted."  I really doubt we'll see Marky Mark up on stage accepting the gold statuette for "Ted," but I don't care. I thought it was hilarious.  Every moment of this movie was funnier than the last.  I loved it.

I rate "Ted" at 5 Boos.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Despite what the title suggests this is not a movie about a young Abraham Lincoln. Good story, good intrigue. I liked it.

I rate "The Lincoln Lawyer" at 4 Boos.

Hunger Games - They Actually Did It

I was part way through reading "The Hunger Games" when I learned there was a movie in the works. I could not imagine how they could pull it off, but they did. It was a good movie, and it was faithful to the book.

I rate "The Hunger Games" at 4 Boos.

Boo Movies SEVEN YEAR Anniversary

Boo Movies launched seven years ago on Oscar day 2005. My original post quickly drew a comment calling me a "down right a moron." Ahh, those were heady days.

This year I don't have a lot to say in terms of Oscar predictions, because frankly the nominees just did not get me excited. War Horse? The Tree of Life? No thanks, I'll pass. Despite that I'm looking forward to tonight's ceremony. Time to go put on my tux, so I'm not late for the red carpet.

Year 8 of Boo Movies starts tomorrow. See you at the movies.

Revisiting Tuba Atlantic

Ten days later after seeing and rating all of this year's shorts I need to make a correction. I now believe I did not give "Tuba Atlantic" its fair due. Upon reflection I don't think anything different could have been done to make this movie better. In fact I'm going to go so far as to say that of the shorts it was the best movie. "Time Freak" is still my favorite, but "Tuba Atlantic" is the best.

I rate "Tuba Atlantic" at 5 Boos.

Midnight in Paris

"Midnight in Paris" is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. I just watched it. Is it the best picture of the year? Certainly not! But it was enjoyable to watch.

I rate "Midnight in Paris" at 3 Boos.

Amreeka

Solid. A tiny glimpse at a world that is far removed from my own.

I rate "Amreeka" at 3 Boos.

Wild Target

I've had a really good run of Emily Blunt movies I liked, but alas that ended tonight. "Wild Target" started strong, but deteriorated by the end. Although I don't blame Emily. I thought the plot was stupid.

I rate "Wild Target" at 2 Boos.

Never Say I'm Not Open-Minded

Today I'm going to review the Justin Bieber documentary "Never Say Never." WHAT!?!... Perhaps some background is necessary. My first introduction to Mr. Bieber was on Saturday Night Live. I always enjoy SNL more when the musical guest is able to step out and join in the comedy skits. While that was entertaining, alone it was not enough to tempt me to watch the Bieber documentary. Frankly I'd never heard of it, and had no idea it even existed. Then along came this challenge from my friend Meg "I-call-her-Margaret" Beugg. So here we go...

With modest expectations and a bit of trepidation I sat down to watch "Never Say Never." While it's clear Justin Bieber is a talented kid, the style of music he performs is not one that is on my regular playlists. Watching NSN I learned that he seems to have legitimate and diverse musical talent. (Hey Justin, in the future I'd like to see a little more drumming, and a little less dancing.) He comes across as truly a nice young man. Clearly this is a carefully crafted product by Team Bieber. So of course he's going to be presented as a good guy. In fact, that's the main problem with Never Say Never. To be truly engaging a story has to have some conflict. With the exception of some concern whether his vocal cords would last for the big concert, (spoiler: they did), there was little tension in this movie. I would have been happy with a lot less time spent interviewing his drooling prepubescent female fans. But overall I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. I genuinely like the kid, and wish him well as he grows up. I'm already curious to see what he'll be up to in his mid-30s.

To wrap up this adventure I decided having made this time investment into Justin Bieber, I had to find at least one song to add to my iPod. This was tricky, because this movie did not magically change my musical preferences. After a Friday night spent listening to his stuff (while the wife was out), I've settled on "Baby" from 2010's "My Worlds Acoustic" album. So if you're riding in the car jamming out with me, and you're suddenly overwhelmed by Biebermania, now you'll know why.

I rate "Never Say Never" at 3 Boos.

It Is Alive! and Short!

I saw all five of the Oscar nominees for the best Short Film (Live Action) category tonight. Here we go in alphabetical order...

Pentecost (11 min)
What would it be like if a Catholic parish was run like a sports team? Apparently that's how they do it in Ireland. I loved this movie.

I rate "Pentecost" at 5 Boos.

Raju (24 min)
A German couple goes to India to adopt an orphan. Bad things happen. Suspenseful.

I rate "Raju" at 4 Boos.

The Shore (30 min)
The longest of the shorts. A man returns to Northern Ireland with his daughter for the first time since he left. Old relationships are renewed. The feel-good movie of the group.

I rate "The Shore" at 3 Boos.

Time Freak (11 min)
There is nothing not to love about "Time Freak," and that's before we even talk about it being a time travel movie. I could watch it over and over.

I rate "Time Freak" at 5 Boos.

Tuba Atlantic (25 min)
Oskar really hates seagulls, and he has precisely six days to live. Before he dies he waits for the wind to shift to the west so he can play the big tuba to find his brother.

I rate "Tuba Atlantic" at 4 Boos.

Correction: I now rate "Tuba Atlantic" at 5 Boos. More on this situation here.



I'm drawn to the really short ones. I like the challenge of seeing what can be said in under 15 minutes.

The Boo Movies Short Oscar goes to... "Time Freak." Probably my time-travel bias is rearing its head, but that movie is hard to resist.

Moneyball

I know less about baseball than just about anybody, but I still watched "Moneyball" and found it very entertaining. I may have had an advantage over the average American viewer because I had no idea, what was going to happen in the movie, because I had not idea what had already happened in real live.

Best movie of the year? I don't think so. But it's definitely worth watching.

I rate "Moneyball" at 4 Boos.

Setting Expectations

It's become clear to me that I am just not motivated to make the effort to see all of the Oscar Best Picture nominations before the broadcast. I was not very excited about some of this year's nominations when they were announced, and I have not been able to get excited about them since them. So rather than surprise everybody at the last minute with the bad news, I'm announcing now there is no reasonable expectation that I'll have reviewed them all. You'll just have to go and see the rest for yourselves.

Understanding Impossible (NO DANGER OF SPOILER)

I compare "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" to the "Mission Impossible" movies. The whole time I had no freakin' idea what was going on. The difference is that MI had all kinds of exciting car chases and shootouts to distract me from my confusion. TTSS had no similar mitigating features. The acting was excellent, but the movie was just not for me.

I rate "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" at 2 Boos.

The Oscars Are Incredibly Close

The Oscar nominations have been announced and thus begins my quest to see all of the Best Picture nominations by February 26. It so happens I recently saw The Descendents" (one down). Last night we saw "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (two down, seven to go). An excellent movie that I probably would not have seen were it not nominated (which is the whole point).

It is a tear jerker, but worth it. I'm surprise the kid did not get nominated for anything. It was quite a performance for someone his age.

I rate "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" at 4 Boos.

Groan!

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning. This year will be particularly difficult to see all of the Best Picture nominations. I just have no desire at all to see "War Horse" or "The Tree of Life". I'm sure they're both good, but... We'll see how it goes.

Clooney is on a Streak (thankfully the kind with clothes on)

Imagine my excitement when I discovered in the early minutes of "The Ides of March" that two of my favorite actors were in it - Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It is a really good movie. I had a few quibbles with the plot. For instance, as a voter I just wouldn't be upset, or surprised, to discover that the campaign manager for my guy had a conversation with the campaign manager for the other guy - especially during the primary. Plot quibbles aside I was very happy with this movie. Oh, and George Clooney did a good job too.

I rate "The Ides of March" at 4 Boos.

Clooney Descends Up

More often than not I'm disappointed with George Clooney movies. Happily "The Descendants" was pretty darn good. I liked it a lot. I thought Clooney did a great job, and I thought the actress who played the older daughter, Shailene Woodley, did an outstanding job. I'll be watching for her future movies.

I rate "The Descendants" at 4 Boos.

A Horribly Surprising Delight

The synopsis for "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" did not begin to do it justice. It was an unexpected delight!

I rate "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" at 4 Boos.

Darwin is Awarded 2 Boos

Well 2012 got off to a disappointing start. The premise of "The Darwin Awards" sounded great. But it just did not deliver. I had trouble staying interested until the end.

I rate "The Darwin Awards" at 2 Boos.

2011 - That's a Wrap!

After a disappointing 2010 at Boo Movies, things were looking up in 2011. Movie viewing was up with 44 movies watched and rated. The average rating for 2011 was 3.43, which is typical.

An unprecedented five perfect 5 Boos ratings were awarded! Four of which were given to current movies I saw in the theater. You'll recall only 15 perfect Boos have been granted since the dawn of time, and a bunch of those went to old classics. This means a lot of quality work was seen in 2011. I declare that "Black Swan" was the Best movie I saw in 2011, and "The Adjustment Bureau" was my Favorite movie of 2011.

The lowest rating given this year was 2 Boos, to eight different movies. I'm going to forego my tradition of highlighting the worst movie I saw last year because none of them stand out as being worse than the rest. Collectively they were just disappointing movies.

I made it to the theater nine times. While still not at the level I want to be, it is trending upward from last year.

I'm hopeful for a great year at the movies in 2012. I'm eagerly anticipating the release of "Fun Size," produced by Michael Beugg, which has (spoiler alert!) at least one scene filmed in the same cemetery where Dead President James Garfield resides.

See you at the movies.

CUT!

The wife had never seen "Edward Scissorhands" and I had not seen it since it was in the theaters in 1990. Frankly I couldn't remember anything about it. So we made it our last movie of 2011. I'd say it has stood the test of time well. I thought Winona Ryder's performance was very weak, but otherwise this 21 year old movie is still pretty watchable.

I rate "Edwards Scissorhands" at 3 Boos.

Hell Yes, I'd Like Some of Those Pills

...and I'd be a lot smarter with them than the guy in the movie.

I rate "Limitless" at 4 Boos.

Punching the Clown

I love the name of this movie. Sadly no clowns made an appearance, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

I rate "Punching the Clown" at 3 Boos.

It Really Was a Happy Accident

I've long said that my wife and I are perfectly compatible in every way except one - our choice in movies. So how lucky was it that she found us a romantic time travel movie?

I rate "Happy Accidents" at 4 Boos.

The Awesomeness of Alice Creed

It was one of those perfect moments when I knew absolutely nothing about this movie. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Very well done!

I rate "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" at 4 Boos.

Update: Upon reflection I think this movie deserves a better rating. I just don't know how they could have done it any better. Be warned though, this movie has some disturbing moments, it's not for the faint of heart.

I rate "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" at 5 Boos.

Wiig

I think Kristen Wiig is fantastic in SNL, and I thought she was fantastic in "Bridesmaids". It'll be interesting to see if she can keep up this pace for her whole career.

I rate "Bridesmaids" at 4 Boos.

Everything Was Slow

I was very disappointed in the whole experience.

I rate "Everything Must Go" at 2 Boos.

Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce...

Lately I've been struggling with myself to eat better. In a quest for inspiration I turned to the movies. I thought about watching "Food, Inc." but decided I still need to eat something. So I turned instead to "Super Size Me." It was an interesting experiment that made for an interesting movie. I would not argue for a moment that it was unbiased. Nor would I argue that its findings are scientifically valid. But it was certainly thought-provoking. Reminiscent of a Michael Moore movie, but probably not quite as good, I think it's worth watching.

Incidentally, I did not walk to McDonalds today, but instead made my way to the salad bar at Whole Foods. Let's hope that attitude lasts.

I rate "Super Size Me" at 3 Boos.

Moon x 3

I really liked "Moon." Never heard of it. Didn't know anything about it. It was a Netflix recommendation, which is ironic because it will be my last Netflix DVD since the jerks nearly doubled the price. Anyhow back to the movie. I liked it a lot. You'll like it too.

I rate "Moon" at 4 Boos.

Cedar Plods

Apparently my expectations were too high. I expected "Cedar Rapids" to be better. It was OK, but I was disappointed.

I rate "Cedar Rapids" at 2 Boos.

It Wasn't a Comedy About the Tobacco Industry

How many times have I said that I love going into a movie knowing nothing about it? We'll I got what I asked for tonight. I assumed "I Love You Phillip Morris" was a comedy. Not really. Oh it had plenty of funny moments, but it was not at all what I expected. But it was definitely entertaining.

I rate "I Love You Phillip Morris" at 3 Boos.

OK Corral - Take 3

Tonight we watched our third version of the story of the gunfight at the O.K. corral, specifically 1946's "My Darling Clementine." This is the version with Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp, and Victor Mature as, our hero, Doc Holliday. By far, the least historically accurate of the three, and the least violent. Valuable screen time that could have been used for shootouts and hijinks was instead spent on a square dance. I enjoyed it for its quaintness, but it did the worst job telling the story. Too much focus on the love interests, and not enough time on the feud.

Faithful readers may be wondering if we have developed some weird fetish for this story. Actually what's going on is that the next book our Book Club will be reading is "Doc" by Mary Doria Russell. This is a retelling of the story of Doc Holliday. So we thought it would be interesting to bone up on the popular legend of this man before reading the book. Three movies later, we're ready to go.

I rate "My Darling Clementine" at 2 Boos.

OK Corral - Take 2

Tonight we watched our second version of the story of the gunfight at the O.K. corral, specifically 1957's "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral." This is the Burt Lancaster / Kirk Douglas version. Other than the music which was ridiculously dated, it was actually pretty good. In fact the music was so bad that it actually became a highlight of the movie. I think Tombstone, the previous version we saw, was more factually accurate. But I thought this was the better movie.

Burt Lancaster was a better Wyatt Earp than Kurt Russell (advantage GatOKC), although Kurt looked more like the real Wyatt. Whereas, Val Kilmer was a better Doc Holliday than Kirk Douglas (advantage Tombstone).

It's also interesting to note that the famous gunfight was the climax to this version. In Tombstone, by contrast, it was in the middle of the movie.

And I must note I enjoyed seeing DeForest Kelley (you know him as Dr. McCoy on Star Trek) as a much younger actor. There were countless occasions during the movie when he could have said, "He's dead, Wyatt." But alas, it never happened.

I rate "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" at 3 Boos.

OK Corral - Take 1

"Tombstone" couldn't decide if it wanted to be an action or a comedy. It took so long trying to decide that it went on way too long.

I rate "Tombstone" at 2 Boos.

Conquest Becomes Rise, I Become Happy

It's well documented that I am a lifelong fan of the Planet of the Apes. As such I could hardly wait to see the latest offering "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." This version had a number of things going for it. It's the first serious attempt to document how the apes began their rise to power. Furthermore it's the first time we've been offered a plausible explanation for how a species became smart enough to acquire the power of speech. What really made this version interesting is that it's basically a retelling of the story originally portrayed in "Conquest of the PotA." Interesting because these are the events that are talked about at great length in the other PotA sagas, but were so badly presented in Conquest.

So kudos all around to everybody involved. I really liked it, and I'm ready for the next one.

I rate "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" at 4 Boos.

I'm Beginning to Think I Saw the Preview Too Many Times

I had unrealistically high expectations for "The Beginners" going in. I was bored for the first 30 minutes, but probably only because the previews had revealed everything that was going to happen. As the movie went on it did grow on me. In the end, I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

I rate "The Beginners" at 3 Boos.

Too Bad 9 Boos is Off the Chart

I somehow found myself watching "The Nines" recently. The plot summary was weak and non-descriptive. This turned out to be a good thing. "The Nines" is just the type of movie that the less you know going in, the better. So without further ado, I recommend you watch it.

I rate "Then Nines" at 4 Boos.

Searching for Bobby Fischer

I rate "Searching for Bobby Fischer" at 3 Boos.

Giamatti is a Winner Winner

I'm very close to elevating Paul Giamatti to the It-Doesn't-Matter-Level. As in, it doesn't matter what the movie is about or who else is in it. If Giamatti is involved, I'll just go to see it no questions asked. This elite class contains such luminaries as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Ron Howard. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime I'll say that "Win Win" was quite good.

I rate "Win Win" at 4 Boos.

Expectations Falling

When I sit down to watch a Bruce Willis movie I expect it will be awesome. Alas, 1998's "Mercury Rising" was only just ok.

I rate "Mercury Rising" at 3 Boos.

Not Bad Baby Not Bad

The middle got a little confusing, but overall not a bad watch.

I rate "Gone Baby Gone" at 3 Boos.

Old Milk

I recently caught the 1984 documentary of Harvey Milk. It was interesting and had good background. But if you only want to watch one movie to learn about this man, I recommend you invest in the 2008's "Milk" starring Sean Penn.

I rate "The Times of Harvey Milk" at 3 Boos.

Yes Man, I Did Like It

A solid romantic comedy.

I rate "Yes Man" at 3 Boos.

Source Code

My kind of movie!

I rate "Source Code" at 4 Boos.

Good Use of Nipple Clamps

"Date Night" with Tina Fey and Steve Carell was an enjoyable comedy. Nothing ground breaking, but fun to watch.

I rate "Date Night" at 3 Boos.

Maybe There Was a Communication Gap

Well we have no idea why anything happened, nor do we understand the motivation of any of the characters. But there was a really bad ass scooter chase and shootout. That's gotta be worth something.

I rate "The American" at 2 Boos.

Back to 1984

I'm on the record as having a major weakness for time travel stories. So I couldn't pass up a chance to see "The Philadelphia Experiment." It feels dated, but not so bad as to be unwatchable. What this movie needs is to get rid of the love interest. It doesn't work now, and I doubt it worked back then. The woman was annoying and whiny. Under no circumstance can I imagine I would jump out of the time vortex to spend it with her.

One interesting contrast between then and now is the sex. If this had been prime time network television in 2011 the clothes would have been flying off within the first 30 minutes. Apparently back in 1984 they were more modest. We didn't get to see a thing.

I rate "The Philadelphia Experiment" at 2 Boos.

The Madness of King George

It was lively. It was entertaining. However, having seen it on the heels of both "John Adams" and "The King's Speech" it suffered in comparison.

I rate "The Madness of King George" at 3 Boos.

No Adjustment Necessary

"The Adjustment Bureau" hits the sweet spot as a nearly perfect movie for me. When I look back at 2011, it may not be the best movie I saw all year, but it will certainly be in the running for my favorite movie of the year. I loved it.

I rate "The Adjustment Bureau" at 5 Boos.

Boo Movies SIX YEAR Anniversary Oscar Preview

Tonight is Oscar Night! Let's get right to it.

Actress in a Supporting Role
I saw four of the five nominated performances, everybody except Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom." This is a very strong category this year. My top two are Melissa Leo in "The Fighter" vs. Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit." Steinfeld should have been nominated for Actress in a Leading Role (where she would have been crushed by Natalie Portman). But she wasn't, she was nominated in the Supporting Role category. Hers was an amazing performance, so I award the Boo Movies Oscar to Hailee Steinfeld.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Again, I saw four of the five nominated performances, everybody except Jeremy Renner in "The Town." There's no contest this time. Christian Bale dominated in "The Fighter." He is the winner of the Boo Movies Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Actress in a Leading Role
Well, I only saw three of the five nominated performances, "The Kids Are All Right," "Winter's Bone" and "Black Swan." All the buzz says that Annette Benning will win. I don't get it. Benning gave a great performance, as did Jennifer Lawrence, but Natalie Portman owned the screen this year as the black swan. Congratulations to Natalie Portman, this year's recipient of the Boo Movies Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Actor in a Leading Role
I didn't get to see Javier Bardem in "Biutiful," but I saw the rest. This is a tough one. I will be happy if either Jeff Bridges or Colin Firth goes home with the Oscar. But I am going to award the Boo Movies Oscar to Firth for his role in "The King's Speech."

Short Film (Live Action)
Now we cut to some attractive starlet they sent over the week before to hand out the Oscars in the categories that nobody cares about. Previously the Boo Movies Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film was awarded to "The Confession." Congratulations.

Best Picture
This year I succeeded and have seen all ten of the nominated movies. I am therefore qualified to give out this Oscar. It comes down to three, all of them 5 Boos recipients:

• Black Swan
  
• The Fighter
  
• The King's Speech
  

I loved them all. As great as it was "The Fighter" gets edged out (as opposed to knocked out) by the other two. I've gone back and forth between "Black Swan" and "The King's Speech." If either one wins, I'm very happy. But after much deliberation, I award the Boo Movies Oscar for Best Picture of 2010 to "Black Swan."

Cook up a big tub of popcorn, set up the DVR and enjoy the show.

The Underdog Triumphs

Another great movie in this year's Oscar lineup. I loved everything about "The Fighter." The acting was outstanding across the board, as evidenced by three well-deserved Oscar nominations. It's great to see Amy Adams continue to branch out in the types of roles she takes. The characters were great, including even minor characters like the gaggle of sisters. I'm looking forward to reading up on Micky Ward to see if his family has even half as much "personality" as portrayed in this movie.

I rate "The Fighter" at 5 Boos.

Straight Man Sees Movie About Ballet

Oooh, a movie about ballet! Where can I get a ticket? It turns out "Black Swan" is not your typical ballet movie. Is there a typical ballet movie?

This was a great movie. Remember all the whining about how intense "127 Hours" was supposed to be? Well this was the movie that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. This is definitely in contention to get my nod for Best Picture of 2010. Stay tuned on Oscar Day for my vote.

I rate "Black Swan" at 5 Boos.

Count Me Among the Dead

Geez people! For all the hype and buzz I heard about "127 Hours," I thought I was going to spend 90 minutes watching this guy saw his arm off. It was nothing like that. It was a very good movie. Not the best movie of 2010, but very good nonetheless.

Had I been trapped under the rock, it's safe to say I'd still be there.

I rate "127 Hours" at 4 Boos.

And the Short Oscar Goes To

I've wanted to do this for years and finally pulled it off this year. I saw all five nominees for the Live Action Short Films Oscar. In general I was surprised how long they were. Two were over 20 minutes. The shortest was 15 minutes. I'd really like to see something more in the neighborhood of 10 minutes. I love the idea of seeing what the writer and director could pull off in a super short time frame, not unlike the elegance required to successfully tweet.

So here we go, in alphabetical order:

"The Confession" (26 min)
Little kid's preparation for his first confession takes a tragic turn. This kid is gonna need a lot of therapy. It was gripping.

I rate "The Confession" at 4 Boos.

"The Crush" (15 min)
Little kid has crush on his teacher. Hi-jinks ensue. It started strong, but didn't keep the momentum.

I rate "The Crush" at 3 Boos.

"God of Love" (18 min)
Tale of a modern day cupid. Goofy and fun.

I rate "God of Love" at 4 Boos.

"Na Wewe" (19 min)
During the civil war in Burundi there is a confrontation over the occupants of a minibus. It was an intense scene, but didn't grab me.

I rate "Na Wewe" at 3 Boos.

"Wish 143" (24 min)
Cancer-stricken kid's request to wish-granting organization involves time alone with naked woman. I loved the premise, and especially the character of the priest who steps in to lend assistance.

I rate "Wish 143" at 4 Boos.


And the Short Oscar goes to... "The Confession." This is one that will be hard to get out of my head.

Mom, What's Uncle Jim Doing on Facebook?

I signed up for Facebook very shortly after they opened it to the general public. At the time I thought it was pretty cool. I urged my contemporaries to join too. Most of them scoffed at me. I befriended my college-aged nephew who reportedly exclaimed, "Mom, what's Uncle Jim doing on Facebook? That's only for college kids." Well over time Facebook has changed. Many of the aforementioned contemporaries are now enthusiastic Facebookers. Meanwhile I've grown to... (I'm searching for a word that is reminiscent of "despise," but not quite as strong) ...Facebook.

That was the backdrop when I heard there was a fictionalized account of the creation of Facebook coming to a theater near me. I couldn't have been less interested in seeing "The Social Network." Then everybody started talking about how good it was. Still not interested. Then it was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Dammit!

So in the end I had to see it. It turned out to be a pretty entertaining movie. Certainly more so than I would have predicted. It's not going to win Best Picture nod from me, but it's worth seeing.

I rate "The Social Network" at 4 Boos.

A Movie Less Than Ordinary

During the final minutes of watching "A Life Less Ordinary," the dog farted. Like the movie it was a stinker.

I rate "A Life Less Ordinary" at 2 Boos.

Missouri Film Nominated for Second Year Running

Next up in my Oscar viewing marathon was "Winter's Bone." I knew absolutely nothing about this movie when I sat down to watch it. It took me to a world that is not far from where I live, and yet it's a million miles away. No big stars, no big budget, but very well done.

It's not my pick for best movie of the year, but that should take nothing away from it. Kudos to my neighbors in southern Missouri for a great movie.

I rate "Winter's Bone" at 4 Boos.

Three's a Charm

I had no intention of watching "Toy Story 3." Don't get me wrong, I loved TS 1 & 2. And I generally like everything Pixar has done. And I'm a big fan of Tom Hanks. But as a rule of thumb, once the second sequel arrives I'm out, unless there's a compelling reason to act otherwise. Along comes the Oscar nominations for Best Picture. I'm back in.

Well no surprise, it's really good. But surprise, it may indeed be my favorite of the Toy Story trilogy. I really admire the dark direction it went in. Is it the best movie of 2010? Of course not. But, it's really good, and worth watching.

I rate "Toy Story 3" at 4 Boos.

Shut the Front Door

My quest to see all of the movies nominated for a Best Picture Oscar continues. The second one for today was "The Kids are All Right." An enjoyable flick. I'm not going to give it my best picture nod, but I definitely liked it.

I rate "The Kids Are All Right" at 4 Boos.

Shit Shit Shit Fuck Bugger

I really enjoyed "The King's Speech" Any words I would use here would not be eloquent enough to do it justice. Just go see it.

I rate "The King's Speech" at 5 Boos.

Croupier a Sure Bet

I saw "Croupier" at the theater when it first came out. It was my first exposure to Clive Owen. I was taken by his performance and have subsequently kept my eyes open for things he's in. I tend to like his movies. Recently I watched Croupier again, and I still think it's pretty good.

I rate "Croupier" at 4 Boos.

Old Grit

It was a mistake to watch the new "True Grit" before the original. John Wayne's version probably would have stood on its own just fine. However the new one does it much better in just about every way, thereby making the old one kind of hard to watch.

It's too bad the Coen brothers couldn't get Glen Campbell to sing a theme song... Just kidding!

I rate 1969's "True Grit" at 3 Boos, (but I think I'm being nice).

UPDATE
After sleeping on it, I realize this grit was no longer true (sorry). Had I blogged about this in the 1960's, I probably would have given it 4 Boos. Had I blogged about it last year, prior to the Coen brothers' version, I probably would have given it 3 Boos. But the fact is, I'm blogging about it now, and it has been knocked from its pedestal. Sorry Mr. Wayne.

I rate 1969's "True Grit" at 2 Boos.

2010 - That's a Wrap!

Boo Movies HQ was on the move in 2010. Consequently movie viewing was way down this year. I saw and rated only 30 movies, compared to average of 56 over the last three years. I only made it to the theater a paltry 6 times!

The average rating was 3.4 Boos, which is typical. Three perfect 5 Boos ratings were awarded, but sadly none of them where for a 2010 release. The best thing I saw was the "John Adams" miniseries from HBO. Since that was made as a TV miniseries, I'll give "Milk" the award for the best movie I saw in the past year. The movie I hated the most was "Alice in Wonderland". This should not be confused with "Scrooged" which was the worst movie I saw in 2010.

My goal for the coming year is to get back to the movies and especially back to the theater. First up I need to catch up on all of those great 2010 movies I missed. See you at the movies.

Iron Man 2 of 3

"Iron Man 2" was not as good as the original, but it was still a very fun ride. It will very likely be my final movie of 2011 2010, and it was a good way to end it.

I rate "Iron Man 2" at 4 Boos.

Coming Attractions

While waiting for "True Grit" to begin I was treated to three previews that I think merit comment.

First up was "The Adjustment Bureau" starring Matt Damon. This movie looks fantastic. I love the premise, and desperately hope it is as good as it looks. I'm very excited to see this movie.

Next up was a preview for "The Rite". It's an exorcism movie starring Anthony Hopkins. Now movies of this nature often preview well, but don't deliver. I'm cautiously optimistic this one will actually be as good as it looks.

Lastly was what appeared to be another look at what really happened on the Apollo 11 moon mission. Clearly a cover-up had happened way back in the 60's. This looked really good, until we discovered the movie was another "Transformers" sequel. GROOOOOOOAN! I'm on record as hating this franchise. I'm very disappointed.

True Grit

Let's begin with a confession. I have never seen the original 1969 "True Grit" starring John Wayne. When I was growing up I just never got into westerns. When I see one today, I tend to like it just fine, but they're not part of my movie heritage. I intend to see the original soon given that everyone says it's quite good. I anticipate an interesting comparison.

Meanwhile, back to 2010, I have watched the Coen brothers version and thought it was very good. They easily could have taken it to an extreme, and resisted the urge. The acting was great all the way around. Special kudos are due to Hailee Steinfeld who was fantastic in her first movie role.

I rate "True Grit" at 4 Boos.

Call Me a Scrooge, But It Was Pretty Bad

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, but "Scrooged" was pretty bad. I think Bill Murray used the lessons learned here to more successfully make "Groundhog Day" five years later. Incidentally, the Ghost of Christmas Present was my favorite character in the movie.

I rate "Scrooged" at 1 Boo.

Holiday Inn (the movie, not the hotel chain)

Continuing our tradition of catching up on classic holiday movies at Christmas time we watched 1942's "Holiday Inn" last night. It stars Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and is best known as the popular introduction of the song "White Christmas". As old movies go, I liked this one. The acting seems more natural than others I've seen where the old style feels very stiff.

An intriguing aspect of the story is the character Lila who managed to dump both of the leading men basically at the altar. And yet there seems to be no hard feelings. Everybody manages to remain friends. I can only conclude that Lila must have been pretty good in the sack. We watched it on AMC, which edited out all of the naughty bits.

I rate "Holiday Inn" at 3 Boos.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Sched.... Arrrrgh Zombies!!!!

I'm not in the habit of reviewing TV shows here at Boo Movies. However something amazing has happened that demands special action. Prompted by a positive review from a mainstream media TV critic, I somehow convinced my wife to watch "The Walking Dead" with me. It's another telling of the classic zombie tale, resplendent with visually juicy graphic detail. It abounds with shots of internal organs be ripped out, and plenty of great axe work. The amazement begins in that somehow my wife sat through six hours of this. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have tolerated six seconds. Granted she covered her eyes and squealed like a girl, but she toughed through it. For this to have happened clearly there is something really special about "The Walking Dead". I'm looking forward to the second season.

I rate "The Walking Dead" at 4 Boos.

Hannibal Endures

Time has been kind to "Hannibal". It does not feel at all like a 9 year old movie.

I rate "Hannibal" at 4 Boos.

I Think It Was a Comedy

It took a bit to get into "The Informant". Once I got there, I really enjoyed it. Matt Damon's character is great.

I rate "The Informant" at 4 Boos.

Frost/Nixon at last

I've been eager to see "Frost/Nixon" for two years and finally it happened. I found it fascinating. We saw it via HBO, but it would have been even more interesting to see the DVD version. I'm certain the DVD extras would have enhanced the experience. Subsequent reading on wiki gives a different spin on a number of events portrayed in the movie.



On a related note, if you get the chance to visit the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum (and grave) in Yorba Linda, California, I highly recommend that you do so. It is a really good one.

I rate "Frost/Nixon" at 4 Boos.

Hickenlooper's Finale

I had the good fortune to attend the St. Louis premiere of the latest, and the last, George Hickenlooper film, "Casino Jack". George Hickenlooper died 2 weeks ago. George was one year behind me at SLUH, so we've known each other for over 30 years. It would be misleading to say we were great friends. George was very good friends with some of my very good friends. I would describe us as acquaintances, maybe acquaintances-plus. To be honest it always gave me a secret thrill when we'd cross paths over the years, and he would remember who I was. In 1999, I spent a day as an extra on "The Big Brass Ring". It was quite thrilling when I saw my face prominently displayed on the big screen. I've been bragging about it ever since. (Look for me shortly after the blow job scene.) I always liked to imagine that George had the option to use any of dozens of shots in that scene, but opted to use the shot of me just to be nice.

It was obvious way back when George was a freshman in high school that he had immense talent. There are very few people who made an impression on me as a freshman. In fact there are very few people who made an impression on me in high school period. George was special. In subsequent years every time I saw a George movie I marveled that some kid I knew in high school made the movie I was watching. I'm talking about real movies shown in theaters.

Casino Jack is a fascinating movie. When I heard George's latest project was about lobbyists, my first thought was, "Oh no, snoozefest." Ah, but I knew it was a George project so no worries. Sure enough, Jack Abramoff turns out to be a fascinating guy. I was further pleasantly surprised to find Jon Lovitz turned in a scene-stealing performance.

The buzz is that "Casino Jack" is George's best work, and that Kevin Spacey is in line to get an Oscar nomination. Both of those things may be true. However, I'm going to stick with "The Man from Elysian Fields" as my personal favorite. (You gotta love those movies about male prostitution, right?) Remember that kid I went to high school with? He directed Mick Jagger in a movie. How cool is that?

Meanwhile, back to the St. Louis premiere. Prior to the screening a highlight reel of George's career brought back some good memories, along with a reminder that I've missed a few along the way. Remembrances and tributes from family, friends and colleagues were heartfelt and humorous. The last of which was surprise guest Kevin Spacey himself, who seemed very sincere in his fondness for George. Following the movie, was a 90 minute Q&A with Spacey and co-star Spencer Garrett.



I rate "Casino Jack" at 4 Boos.

Farewell George. Thanks for the memories.

Dull Sim Funeral

The premise seemed promising, but it just didn't deliver. I couldn't work up an emotion while watching this snoozer.

I rate "Dim Sum Funeral" at 2 Boos.

Starship Troopers Does Not Suck!

To the untrained eye, "Starship Troopers" may seem to be just another bad sci-fi action flick. One might be fooled by the many flaws in this movie, not the least of which is bad acting. (Hello, Denise Richards.) However in the context of 1997, when it was released, the director's imaginings of interactive news (i.e. Internet 2.0 style) was way ahead of it's time. This is born out by watching it 13 years later and still it does not seem dated or hokey.

The plot is deeper than it appears on the surface. Many subtle touches, such as the "good guys" being dressed in uniforms that have an almost Nazi Germany feel about them, make this more than the splatterfest it would appear to be.

I've seen it several times over the years, but I must confess I was delighted to discover that it still seems fresh and exciting.

I rate "Starship Troopers" at 4 Boos.

I'm a Sucker for Time Travel Movies

I love a good time travel movie, book or story. This one could have been a bit more time-travely, but I'm not complaining. I saw this when it first came out in 2002, and having just rewatched it, I must say it stands the test of time. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I rate "The Time Machine" at 4 Boos.

Duplicity

I loved Clive Owen's performance in "Croupier" way back in 1998. His role in "Duplicity" brought me back to that place.

I rate "Duplicity" at 4 Boos.

Not Asstastic

...but it was cute.

I rate "Couples Retreat" at 3 Boos.

Breaking Away Still Rides Strong

Thirty-one years later "Breaking Away" remarkably holds its own. This is not to be confused with the fashion and hair styles depicted. What were we thinking?

I rate "Breaking Away" at 3 Boos.

Saw Milk?

I've been wanting to see "Milk" ever since it was nominated for Best Picture a year and a half ago. I finally saw it, and it was outstanding. Ironically, before the nomination I had zero interest in seeing it. Sean Penn was fantastic as Harvey Milk. Given that he won an Oscar for his performance, I guess I'm not revealing anything new.

The story is fascinating. It's amazing how far we come, and yet, how far we have to go.

I rate "Milk" at 5 Boos.

Inception

There's a lot going on in "Inception". Really too much to possibly catch every detail. But I do know this. If I was trapped in limbo for 50 years, I would certainly dream up some baristas to man the coffee shops.

I rate "Inception" at 4 Boos.

Lots of Naked Dudes in A Single Man

I thought the acting was great. The highlight was the main character's preparations. But overall the story left me a little empty. I can't quite put my finger on what went wrong.

I rate "A Single Man" at 2 Boos.

Best Supporting Actress Nomination? That's Crazy

There were a lot of good things about "Crazy Heart". The music and singing were good. Jeff Bridges did a great job. In fact they even gave him a little award known as Oscar for his performance.

But I had big issues with "Crazy Heart". Specifically the Maggie Gyllenhaal character. Something went terribly wrong with both the premise and the delivery. First up, why would that pretty young woman fall for that loser? For it to be even slightly believable there should have been a back story explaining her self esteem issues. Alternately, they could have made that character a down-on-her-luck slightly haggy forty-something. I could have bought into that.

Gyllenhaal's delivery was terrible too, and yet she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. What's up with that? I theorize nobody is a good enough actress to pull off this ludicrous premise. So they nominated her just for trying - an A-for-effort thing, if you will.

My recommendation is to watch "Crazy Heart" to enjoy the musical performances, and to watch Jeff Bridges, just try to ignore the plot. Oh, and you might want to close your eyes during the make out scenes.

I rate "Crazy Heart" at 2 Boos.

Shutter Island

Good suspense. It went in a direction that I did not anticipate.

I rate "Shutter Island" at 4 Boos.

The Road

I don't think it's giving anything away to reveal there are no funny bloopers after the credits of "The Road".

I rate "The Road" at 4 Boos.

Worse Than I Thought

Two months to the day after my scathing review of "Alice in Wonderland" I'm reading the newspaper only to discover it was a sequel! Boy oh boy did I hate that movie.

I'm Just Not a Wonderland Kind of Guy

I did not want to see "Alice in Wonderland". Unfortunately circumstances worked against me and I found myself in the theatre wearing 3-D glasses. I enjoyed the first 10 minutes until Alice fell down the rabbit hole. From that point forward I could not wait for this movie to end. Many of the individual characters were interesting, but that was about it. This was probably a good movie, but man oh man, I was not in the target demographic.

I rate "Alice in Wonderland" at 1 Boo.

Precious

Wow! "Precious" was everything I heard it was and then some. I am not even qualified to comment on the content of this movie, and that's a good thing. It was a worthy contender as a nominated film for the Best Picture Oscar.

I rate "Precious" at 4 Boos. And to be honest, after I sleep on it I may come back and bump it up.

Upon further reflection that movie was so disturbing I just don't know how they could have done it any better. I rate "Precious" at 5 Boos.

Saving Silverman

We have just been granted 3 free months of HBO. Consequently I expect the random quotient of the movies I review to increase. First up, "Saving Silverman" from 2001. With each passing moment it got stupider and stupider. However, Steve Zahn and Jack Black are masters of doing stupid well. It was a funny movie. Granted one has to be in the right mood to enjoy this level of stupid. Apparently I was right there tonight.

I rate "Saving Silveman" at 3 Boos.

THE BEST THING I'VE WATCHED IN YEARS

Two years later I finally got around to watching the HBO miniseries "John Adams". It was outstanding. I was absolutely fascinated. Everything about it was great, the acting, the costumes, the writing, the cinematography, the history, the whole ball of wax.

There were so many aspects to this story that amazed me. For example the wigs and clothes the men wore is beyond comprehension in today's world. The portrayal of George Washington was riveting. I've never seen him move or speak. In my mind George was nothing more than a profile on a dollar bill. Given the medical knowledge of the day, I find myself surprised that the human species even lived through it. And high society in France at the end of the eighteenth century, wow!

I look back on all the time in school spent in history class. I now feel like it was a complete waste. If American History taught in school today is still anything like when I attended, they should trash the whole program. Just show this miniseries, and discuss between episodes. Students will get a far superior understanding of the founding of our country.

I cannot recommend it highly enough. Only rarely do I watch something a second time, but I anticipate that someday I'd love to watch "John Adams" again. Kudos to everyone involved it's creation.

I rate the HBO miniseries "John Adams" at 5 Boos.

Boo Movies FIVE YEAR Anniversary

It's Oscar day, and life has once again prevented me from succeeding in my quest to see all of the Best Picture nominated films. I have seen 7 of 10, everything except "The Hurt Locker", "Precious" and "Up". (Off topic: I'm aware that my placement of commas and periods outside of the quotation marks is technically incorrect. However, I believe the people who designed the English language got it wrong, and I refuse to support that error.) It's especially disturbing that I haven't found time to see "The Hurt Locker" as the buzz suggests it's one of the contenders to win. For many well documented reasons (e.g. the St. Louis connection, the Michael Beugg connection) I would love love love if "Up in the Air" swept every category it's nominated in. The other two movies that would also make me very happy if one of them was to win are "District 9" and "Inglorious Basterds". But let's face it, that's not going to happen. I must also add that while "Avatar" was an great movie on many levels, it is certainly not Best Picture worthy. If it wins, as I fear it might, I'll lose a lot of respect for the Academy voters.

I thought all of the Best Picture nominees I saw were very good movies. In fact I gave every one of the a 4 Boos rating. (Correction: I gave "Avatar" a 3 Boos rating.) Oddly (not really), my only 5 Boos rated movie of 2009, "Star Trek", is mysteriously missing from the list of nominees.

In regard to the category Actor in a Supporting Role, even though I saw only 3 of the 5 performances, I find it unimaginable that the ones I missed could possibly outshine Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger".

Lastly I'm rooting for Anna Kendrick for Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in "Up in the Air" (there it is again).

Cook up a big bucket o' popcorn, set up the DVR so you don't miss a moment, and enjoy the show. I will.

Go Woody! Go Beugg! Go St. Louis! And the Oscar goes to...

Blind Sided Me

When I saw the previews for "The Blind Side" I immediately assumed it was another formulaic underdog sports movie, ala "Glory Road" and the ilk. I was quite shocked when the Oscar nominations came out and it was on the list for Best Picture. So with an open mind I saw it tonight, and it was quite good. Best Picture? Not so much. But quite good nonetheless.

I rate "The Blind Side" at 4 Boos.

Taking My Time on Woodstock

Well I saw "Taking Woodstock" weeks ago. I've just never found the motivation to write my review. It was perfectly enjoyable. It's light, and kind of fun. I don't think I gained any historical insight into the Woodstock experience. There are lots of naked hippies, so if you're into that kind of thing...

I rate "Taking Woodstock" at 3 Boos.

Avatar, At Last

I finally got around to seeing Avatar. I went in with mixed expectations, and it delivered exactly as I predicted. The technology and the visuals were very impressive. The 3-D was interesting, and not too over the top. I was willing to pay $12.50 this one time to experience this new technology that is the talk of the town. However it was not so impressive that I anticipate I'll be willing to pay that kind of premium in the future.

The movie itself was too long. A good editor could have sliced 30 minutes out with no problem. The story was fine, but predictable. Overall, it was an enjoyable movie, and I'm glad I saw it. It's nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. It won't be getting my vote.

I rate "Avatar" at 3 Boos.

Engage

Star Trek... The Borg... Time travel... What's not to like?

I rate "Star Trek: First Contact" at 3 Boos.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

I'm working my way through the HBO miniseries "John Adams." So far it's excellent. They'll really have to stray off course in a dramatic way to not get an excellent Boo rating. But that's not why I'm here right now. I just have to say that the wigs are amazing! I can barely take my eyes off of them. For years I've proclaimed the idiocy of the American man's suit and tie, specifically the tie part. But wow, the wigs. I'm speechless. I cannot even fathom how they looked at each other and kept a straight face.

Boys Behaving Badly

"The Hangover" had a lot of funny moments. It was raunchy as promised, but rose above its genre.

I rate "The Hangover" at 3 Boos.

A Dubious Start

Well the first movie I watched in 2010 was on Lifetime. Need I say more?

I rate "Friends with Money" at 3 Boos.

2009 - That's a Wrap

In 2009 I rated 54 movies here at Boo Movies. This is slightly fewer than last year, but in the same ballpark. The average rating was 3.48 Boos, a notable uptick from last year's average.

Two movies were given a perfect 5 Boos rating. One of which was new in 2009, "Star Trek." Indeed I declare "Star Trek" the best movie of the year. In fact it received the first 5 Boos rating I've given to a current movie since 2006.

The worst rating given this year was 2 Boos, and only five movies received it. Happily none of them were 2009 movies. I declare "Pineapple Express" as the worst movie I saw this year.

For the first time in 2009 I began tracking movies watched in the theater versus at home. In this context "home" includes DVD, pay-per-view and broadcast TV. I saw 21 movies in a theater compared to 33 at home. That's only 39% seen in the theater. I'd like to see that percentage go up in the future.

A 2009 highlight was watching the filming of "Up in the Air" in St. Louis. Thanks to good friend Michael Beugg for a behind-the-scenes peek, and the VIP tickets to the St. Louis premiere.

I picked up a handful of new readers this year. Welcome brother. Welcome niece. Comments remained few and far between, but I welcome them all. If you have an opinion about something you read here, speak up and share it. I'm accustomed to and not bothered by contrary opinions (hello coworkers).

2009 also marked the first time I included a picture with a Boo Movies posting. Can you find it? Technology these days, wow!

I declare 2009 a really good year for the movies. Average scores were up. Perfect scores were up. Readership was up. Movies made in St. Louis were up. See you at the movies.

New Year's Eve Movie Triumvirate

Well three movies does not a marathon make, but it's still a good day.

The day began with "Invictus," the latest Morgan Freeman / Clint Eastwood pairing. As usual, it was very good. I was lucky in that I did not know the true story going in, thus the suspense was better. I recommend this movie.

Next up, I watched "Arlington Road." I was surprised to discover after watching it that this movie is 10 years old. It has stood the test of time. Another movie that the less you know going in, the better. I recommend this movie too.

Finally, I decided to ring in the new year with a guaranteed winner. I opted to watch "Little Miss Sunshine" again. It's still excellent. If you haven't seen it yet, do so.

I rate "Invictus" at 4 Boos.
I rate "Arlington Road" at 4 Boos.
I previously rated "Little Miss Sunshine." Read my earlier review here.

Message to the Academy, Nominate Woody

The acting in this movie was superb. Woody Harrelson needs to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role.

I rate "The Messenger" at 4 Boos.

In the Days Before Email

It's a well established fact that I'm not a big fan of old movies. They just don't do it for me. However I had occasion to watch 1940's "The Shop Around the Corner" last night. It is the inspiration for the more recent "You've Got Mail." I enjoyed it. In fact I enjoyed it more than I enjoy most old black & white movies. I think that young actor named Jimmy Stewart might even have a future.

I rate "The Shop Around the Corner" at 3 Boos.

The Willage

I saw M. Night's "The Village" at the theatre when it first came out. However that was in a long-forgotten era before Boo Movies existed. So I'll review it now having just rewatched it on DVD. I really liked it the first time I saw it. However, it's the type of movie that once you know when it's going to happen, there's really no point in watching it again. The suspense and lack of knowledge is what makes the movie work.

I rate "The Village" at 4 Boos (for the first viewing only).

Sherlock Downey Jr.

I'm liking Robert Downey Jr. more and more every time I see him. His latest is no exception. Although I will say that I'm more excited about the sequel to "Iron Man" than I am about the sequel to "Sherlock Holmes."

I rate "Sherlock Holmes" at 4 Boos.

Things From 1963

"The Great Escape" was born the same year as me, and we're both still kicking. I've seen this movie countless times over the years. Despite that it stands the test of time. It's been a long time since I've last seen it and in the intervening years they've invented something called the internet. I took the opportunity to research the real story starting on wiki, and branching out from there. It was fascinating to read the history and compare it to the movie portrayal. Check it out.

I rate "The Great Escape" at 5 Boos.

Thirteen is Neither Lucky Nor Unlucky, It's Just There

I enjoyed the first one. I can't remember the second one, although I'm sure I probably saw it. This one was a perfectly pleasant continuation of the franchise. Certainly nothing to get excited about, but a pleasant two hour distraction.

I rate "Ocean's Thirteen" at 3 Boos.

Perfect Timing or The Christmas Miracle

Under any other circumstances I would have to slam "A Christmas Story" as just plain awful. (Since they all run together, remember this is the one where Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.) However, we watched this movie on Christmas Eve. Because of that timing it felt right, so I am elevating my rating.

I rate "A Christmas Story" at 3 Boos on Christmas Eve, and only on Christmas Eve.

I Liked Both Halves

I've heard that many critics, both professional and amateur, have praised the Julia (Meryl Streep) half of "Julie & Julia" but panned the Julie (Amy Adams) half. I disagree. I enjoyed both halves equally, and thought they played well off each other.

I rate "Julie & Julia" at 4 Boos.

It's No Little Miss Sunshine

It's impossible to watch "Happy Texas" without drawing comparisons to "Little Miss Sunshine." H.T. was not that good. But it did have some really funny moments.

I rate "Happy Texas" at 4 Boos.

I Nearly Forgot I Got An Education

I realize I neglected to rate "An Education" even though I saw it weeks ago. It made me uncomfortable. It's funny how creepy pedophiles do that. It was quite good.

I rate "An Education" at 4 Boos.

Half a Boo Per Christmas

"Four Christmases" was cute and predictable. It had some genuinely funny moments. But it was missing that Christmas feel that we were searching for after decorating the tree.

I rate "Four Christmases" at 2 Boos.

Sandra Bullock and the Younger Man

It was cute. It was enjoyable.

I rate "The Proposal" at 3 Boos.

God Is Mad At The Rest Of You, But Not Me

No critic is going to like 2012. No highbrow liberal is going to like 2012. Your average moviegoer is not going to like 2012. I liked 2012. It falls smack in the disaster-movie sweet spot which I consider one of my guilty pleasures.

I rate "2012" at 3 Boos.

St. Louis is Up in the Air

I had the great fortune to score VIP passes to the exclusive Hilton advance screening of "Up in the Air." (Paris couldn't make it.) It was an excellent film. And it was exciting to look for St. Louis landmarks, as well as St. Louis friends in the movie. I hear there is Oscar buzz about it. I certainly think it's a worthy candidate.

Kudos also to Mr. Clooney. Some of his recent efforts have been disappointing, but this one was good. I believe it was the guiding hand of Oscar-nominated Executive Producer Michael Beugg that brought the whole thing together.

The only thing I will ding UitA on is the trailer. It didn't make me want to see the movie. Were it not for the local connection and the friend connection, I would have passed it right by based on the trailer.

I rate "Up in the Air" at 4 Boos.

Seriously

"A Serious Man" was interesting as hell. I'm sure I missed a lot because I don't have the necessary cultural reference point. But it was fun to watch nonetheless.

I rate "A Serious Man" at 4 Boos.

House of Jennifer and Ben

"House of Sand and Fog" was not even on my radar of movies to consider. Fortunately the Boonatrix grabbed it off the shelf. It turned out to be excellent.

I rate "House of Sand and Fog" at 4 Boos.

Watching John Malkovich

I'd never heard of "The Great Buck Howard." However, when I saw John Malkovich was in the movie, I went for it. He rarely disappoints, and this was no exception.

I rate "The Great Buck Howard" at 4 Boos.

Thank God for Bruce Willis Movies

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Thank God Bruce Willis wasn't elected the governor of California. Thank God Bruce Willis is still making movies.

I rate "Surrogates" at 4 Boos. My surry does too.

Billy Bob in Orbit

The premise was clever. The plot was ludicrous. They had the good sense not to take themselves too seriously. It was enjoyable and family-friendly.

I rate "Astronaut Farmer" at 3 Boos.

That's One Freaky-Ass Wedding

That whole sister-getting-out-of-rehab-causing-stress-for-other-sister's-wedding-thing was completely unnecessary. Just watching this weird wedding hosted by this family and all their musician (hmmm!) friends was entertaining in its own right.

Also I must give kudos where kudos are due. It always makes me happy when I see a movie with an interracial relationship and that fact is never even commented on. It gives me a tiny bit of hope that we're moving toward a world that is not so racially polarized. Way too slow, but maybe we're going in the right direction.

I rate "Rachel Getting Married" at 3 Boos.

Inglourious Tarantino

If you like Quentin Tarantino movies, you'll probably like IG. If you don't, you won't. I like Tarantino movies.

I rate "Inglourious Basterds" at 4 Boos.

District 9

I've been waiting and waiting to get a chance to see "District 9" and it finally happened. I had cautiously high hopes going in. The reality exceeded my wildest dreams. I loved it!

I rate "District 9" at 4 Boos.

The Soloist

I anticipated really liking this movie. In the end I just plain old liked it. So I guess it was a bit of a letdown.

I rate "The Soloist" at 3 Boos.

Dead People Are Messy

Going in I expected "Sunshine Cleaning" to be more of a comedy than it was. I liked it nevertheless.

I rate "Sunshine Cleaning" at 3 Boos.

TTW

I was very skeptical that the book "The Time Traveler's Wife" could be made into a movie without screwing it up. I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the movie good, but it was amazingly faithful to the book.

I rate "The Time Traveler's Wife" at 4 Boos.

Sad Sack Harvey

Eh. It was a tiny bit better than I was expecting. I wasn't expecting much.

I rate "Last Chance Harvey" at 2 Boos.

A Few Less Dick Jokes Would Be Nice

Let's face it, going to an Adam Sandler movie is risky at best. However, "Funny People" was a decent effort. There were a few unfortunate moments when Sandler slipped into his comedy shtick with the stupid voice, but despite that I enjoyed the movie overall.

It also happened to be the first movie I've seen since Pineapple Express. Fortunately for Seth Rogen that won't be the lasting impression I have of him.

I rate "Funny People" at 3 Boos.

Fun fact: I have only one Adam Sandler song on my iPod: Werewolves of London!

Apparently I Should Have Been High

Last night we rented "Pineapple Express." What's up with that? One of the unfunniest comedies I've ever seen. Maybe 3 or 4 times I chuckled a bit. It was not funny down to its very core.

Hey stoner friends, did you guys find this movie funny?

I rate "Pineapple Express" at 2 Boos, and I'm being generous.

Clint Delivers Grandly, As Usual

Clint Eastwood is in a rut. He makes a movie, and it's damn good... again... as usual. I finally got to see "Grand Torino," and as stated by pretty much everyone who saw it before me, it was really good.

I wonder who would win in a Clint Eastwood vs. Ron Howard movie smackdown? I think it would be a close match. Dirty Harry vs. Opie, interesting to think about it, isn't it?

I rate "Grand Torino" at 4 Boos.