120+ Movies: Lagging behind!

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120+ Movies of 2011

I hit a dry-spell. Summer came along. I went on holiday. There is suddenly an epic amount of TV I have to watch on my list. Films just slipped away. Hopefully the next few weeks of film-age should change that.

Transformers: Dark of the MoonTransformers: Dark of the Moon (29/06/11)

The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.

Sometimes I think I’ve given this film a slightly higher rating than it truly deserves. It wasn’t a great film. It bordered on being a good film at the best of times. And yet I’ve given it a 4/5. Why? My childhood bias, I believe.

Dark of the Moon isn’t nearly as strong as the first film, a lot stronger than the second film but with plenty of hiccups. It’s literally a film of two halves. The first half being filled with some of the worst characters I have ever seen in a film. The second half filled with some of the best CG and most awesome robots ever seen.

Question – what on Earth did they do to Sam’s character? He’s gone from being a likeable and very relatable character in the first film to being the most annoying in the third. I just wanted him to stop complaining and whining about his poor pathetic life and just get on with things.

I have to admit – Alan Tudyk’s character, Dutch, did make me laugh. He was funny! Well, he brought some light relief.

What this Transformers film did better was focus on the robots. They’re in the title after all! But still not enough. The battle in Chicago was awesome to see. Grateful that I chose 2D over 3D. My retinas would have been dying after some of the battle sequences. It should all have been about the Transformers and less about Sam’s inability to get on with his life and the weak politics of the great US of A.

Steve Jablonsky has once again produced a very fitting score. While he did produce a theme for this film, I couldn’t help but thinking of the score from The Last Samurai, when I listen to it.

If there’s a plan to do a fourth, there’s still plenty to learn from this third film.
Rating: 4/5

PredatorsPredators (30/07/11)

A group of elite warriors are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators.

I was expecting something along the lines of the original Arnie Predator when I started watching this film. I was mightily disappointed.

There was just nothing special about the film. Sure we see a slightly more evolved predator and there’s some more story given to those ugly aliens, but everything else was just blah. Nothing unexpected, nothing new. Felt like a very by the numbers film.

I thought with a name like Robert Rodriguez onboard they’d be something more in the film. Sadly there was not. I’d happily take Predator and Predator 2 over this one.
Rating: 2/5

Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The First Avenger (31/07/11)

After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top-secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals.

The onslaught of summer comic book films continues. I did enjoy watching Captain America, but it just lacked that something extra that made Thor and X-Men: First Class great comic book films.

Chris Evans did a great job as Steve Rogers. He filled out the role I was expecting of Capt. America. Gave the film some heart. Good job! The villain of the piece – Red Skull… he was, well just didn’t convince. Who else does the great Captain America go up against but a Hitler-esque adversary?

Or maybe it was the whole plot of the film. The plot didn’t veer from going from A to B. There weren’t any surprises. A lot of the time I couldn’t help thinking the plot was very similar to that of GI Joe: Rise of Cobra.

I think it’s getting harder and harder for comic book films to really stand out from the crowd. There are just so many of them. Captain America does blend into the background a little bit, but as it’s part of The Avengers franchise, we’ll be seeing more of Cap. And I’m actually happy about that. I see potential, everything’s there. Just a better story.
Rating: 3/5

Read on to see the entire list of movies seen this year so far:

63 Movies so far this Year

  1. The Horse Whisperer 3/5 (1/1/1)
  2. The Informant! 3/5 (09/01/11)
  3. The Fighter 4/5 (11/01/11)
  4. 127 Hours 5/5 (14/01/11)
  5. The Wolfman 3/5 (15/01/11)
  6. Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story 4/5 (16/01/11)
  7. The King’s Speech 5/5 (19/01/11)
  8. The Town 4/5 (20/01/11)
  9. Ninja Assassin 2/5 (24/01/11)
  10. He’s Just Not That Into You 1/5 (25/01/11)
  11. Imagine That 1/5 (27/01/11)
  12. Gentlemen Broncos 2/5 (04/02/11)
  13. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale 4/5 (06/02/11)
  14. Daybreakers 3/5 (12/02/11)
  15. The Book of Eli 2/5 (13/02/11)
  16. True Grit 4/5 (15/02/11)
  17. Red 1/5 (19/02/11)
  18. Invictus 3/5 (20/02/11)
  19. Coraline 2/5 (28/02/11)
  20. Juno 3/5 (02/03/11)
  21. Monsters vs. Aliens 1/5 (06/03/11)
  22. Jennifer’s Body 2/5 (06/03/11)
  23. Rango 4/5 (09/03/11)
  24. The Crazies 4/5 (11/03/11)
  25. Lakeview Terrace 1/5 (12/03/11)
  26. Battle: Los Angeles 3/5 (13/03/11)
  27. Submarine 4/5 (14/03/11)
  28. The Adjustment Bureau 2/5 (16/03/11)
  29. Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief 2/5 (18/03/11)
  30. The Happening 1/5 (19/03/11)
  31. Sucker Punch 2/5 (02/04/11)
  32. Carriers 1/5 (03/04/11)
  33. Source Code 4/5 (06/04/11)
  34. 3:10 to Yuma 3/5 (09/04/11)
  35. Walking Tall 1/5 (12/04/11)
  36. Your Highness 3/5 (13/04/11)
  37. El Mariachi 3/5 (14/03/11)
  38. From Paris With Love 3/5 (15/04/11)
  39. Scream 4 3/5 (16/04/11)
  40. Hot Tub Time Machine 2/5 (17/04/11)
  41. Attack the Block 4/5 (20/04/11)
  42. The International 2/5 (23/04/11)
  43. Thor 5/5 (25/04/11)
  44. Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist 5/5 (28/04/11)
  45. A Beautiful Mind 4/5 (06/05/11)
  46. Extract 2/5 (05/05/11)
  47. Hanna 4/5 (06/05/11)
  48. Catfish 3/5 (07/05/11)
  49. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2/5 (20/05/11)
  50. The Hangover Part II 3/5 (27/05/11)
  51. How to Train Your Dragon 4/5 (28/05/11)
  52. Zodiac 4/5 (28/05/11)
  53. Up in the Air 5/5 (30/05/11)
  54. X-Men: First Class 4/5 (01/06/11)
  55. Electra Luxx 3/5 (04/06/11)
  56. The Usual Suspects 5/5 (05/06/11)
  57. Senna 5/5 (10/06/11)
  58. The Human Centipede 1/5 (10/06/11)
  59. Green Lantern 2/5 (17/06/11)
  60. Paul 3/5 (18/06/11)
  61. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 4/5 (29/06/11)
  62. Predators 2/5 (30/07/11)
  63. Captain America: The First Avenger 3/5 (31/07/11)

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