Cinematic Pontifications

Best Movies of 2010

2011-05-16T14:22:00.000-05:00

Better late than never, right? Normally I try to get this thing out by the Oscars, but this year has been crazy, and even when I've had free time, I've been too tired from work to write. So I apologize to the three of you who regularly read this blog. It seems that every year people want to complain that "this was such a weak year for movies." As with every other time I hear this, I disagree.

The Sunset Limited

2011-02-12T23:12:00.003-06:00

I just finished part two of our Samuel L. Jackson double feature, beginning with MOTHER AND CHILD, and ending with the premiere of THE SUNSET LIMITED on HBO. The first film was very good, and certainly worth your time, but the second film deserves a slightly longer mention. Based on a play by Cormac McCarthy, THE SUNSET LIMITED ponders the existence of God, the state of humanity, and other

2011 Oscars

2011-01-26T00:01:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year again, when I'm desperately trying to watch as many great films from a newly depleted year so I can have a respectable top 10 list. Even though I haven't had the opportunity to write many reviews this year, I have seen a ton of 2010 films (approximately 70, most of them good), and I look forward to writing about the best ones in more detail. As usual, my deadline is the

Best of 2010 So Far - Fall Update

2010-10-08T18:05:00.001-05:00

Although not a popular opinion, I maintain that this has been a good year for cinema. Of the almost fifty 2010 U.S. releases I've seen this year, I'd venture to say that about half of them are very good films. What makes it even more positive for me is that my two most anticipated films of the year, Aronofsky's Black Swan and the Coens' True Grit, have yet to be released. While I can't wait to

Shutter Island vs. Inception

2010-07-29T10:43:00.006-05:00

SPOILER WARNING - This entire post contains plot details for both films.Why am I comparing these two particular films? First, they are two of the best studio films to be released in 2010. Second, both films are from highly loved and respected directors, and both films were highly anticipated by film lovers. Third, both films feature Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading role. It doesn't stop there

2010 So Far

2010-05-12T15:45:00.002-05:00

As of today I've only seen fifteen 2010 films so far, but I have enjoyed every one of them to some extent. Here is a sentence or two on each film, starting with the film I enjoyed the least and ending with my favorite of the year thus far. That said, I do reserve the right to change my mind before the end of the year! Hot Tub Time MachineWhile mildly enjoyable and funny, I was pretty surprised

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2010

2010-03-26T11:51:00.001-05:00

In honor of seeing Shutter Island last month, I decided to do a quick list of my most anticipated films of 2010. I find that these lists are often made up of very commercial films because those are the ones that are typically well advertised a while in advance. I searched IMDB's release schedule and even looked up movies that didn't show up on there, but that I knew were supposed to be coming out

The Best Films of 2009

2010-02-24T22:30:00.000-06:00

Not only do I think that 2009 was a great year for movies, but I saw more films this year than ever, seeing almost one hundred 2009 releases either in the theater, on DVD/BluRay, or on-demand through cable or Netflix. Most critics and bloggers do a "Top 10" list with "runners up," where they throw in several other good movies. I am going to stick with ten films this year, however, I will be

The Oscars: Opinions and Predictions

2010-01-24T20:24:00.014-06:00

It's that wonderful time of year again; when most of the good movies in the theaters are from last year, and normal people like us are finally able to weigh in on the films that have already won a handful of awards, and critics have already praised and included in their top ten lists. The Oscar nominations have been out for almost a week, so let's see how they did this year...First, let me list

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans

2010-01-20T17:00:00.015-06:00

The latest from German director Werner Herzog is not a sequel to the 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, directed by Abel Ferrara. In an interview, Herzog has mentioned that he's never seen that film. After seeing Herzog's film The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, it is easy to believe Mr. Herzog. It employs the name simply as a marketing ploy because one of the producers owned the rights. The

What is Your Favorite Movie of 2009?

2009-12-21T10:16:00.004-06:00

I just added a poll that hopefully includes your choice for the best movie of the year. If not, select "Other," then comment on this blog post to tell me what amazing film I left off the list. The poll will remain open through February 2010 to allow you to see as many 2009 releases as possible before the Oscars. Please Vote!!

This is harder than I thought...

2009-12-18T09:41:00.009-06:00

I love writing about and discussing film. Along with actually watching movies, it's easily my favorite hobby, bordering on obsession. My intention this year was to review, at least to some extent, every movie I saw that was released theatrically in 2009. This turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be...My personal life was crazy this year, as I was trying to help Grace plan our

Other September Releases

2009-11-30T23:29:00.002-06:00

I realize I am really late getting to these but I am trying to catch up, especially so I can get to some much better films I've seen lately. Please comment if you've seen any of these films and agree or disagree!Julie & JuliaThis film features two of the best actresses working today. Meryl Streep is fantastic as Julia Child, with her over the top persona and mannerisms, while Amy Adams is

2009 Releases I've Seen on DVD, BluRay, and On Demand

2009-11-04T20:04:00.000-06:00

SugarThis film wins the award for most pleasant surprise of 2009 so far. I had heard essentially nothing but positive things about this movie, but it still didn't catch my attention as a film I'd really enjoy. If you know anything about this film and have had the same feelings, ignore those feelings and see this movie. It's a movie about a baseball player from the Dominican Republic (his nickname

Ponyo

2009-11-02T23:22:00.000-06:00

I have always loved animated movies, from the glory days of Disney to the modern classics produced like clockwork by Pixar, however, I had yet to discover the magic that is the animation from Hayao Miyazaki, who is responsible for such critically acclaimed films as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. A few months ago (yes, I am VERY far behind in my reviews) I was able to remedy that glaring

District 9

2009-10-06T14:00:00.004-05:00

I wasn't able to catch this film until about two weeks after it opened. By then the hype for this movie was through the roof. I heard only that it would not be what I expected, and that it was an allegory for apartheid. The initial teaser trailer reminded me of Independence Day, shot documentary style. What I ended up seeing was a smaller story than I expected, but one with much more heart and

Inglourious Basterds

2009-09-27T01:55:00.002-05:00

Spoilers... I try to avoid them, but you should definitely see this film before reading this review!To say that I was eagerly anticipating this movie would be a drastic understatement. Quentin Tarantino is my favorite film maker. His films offer such an intense entertainment experience, equal parts action, comedic, and suspense. He makes films that he would like to watch, always focusing on the

He chose...poorly

2009-09-15T22:15:00.002-05:00

When Jonathan asked me if I would be interested in contributing to Cinematic Pontifications I was both thrilled and honored that he would grant me the privilege to share my ruminations on film as well as provide updates on current developments in Hollywood. Simply put, the movie business is a fascinating world where the creativity of the mind is pitted against the value of the almighty dollar.

Honeymoon in Alaska

2009-08-21T13:33:00.005-05:00

The Great Buck HowardThis was the first of two films I was able to watch on the plane trip to Alaska. It was actually a movie I wanted to see, which is more than I can say for most of the movies I watched on this trip. This film is worth seeing for John Malkovich's eccentric performance as the title character, a some what washed up magician, I mean mentalist, still making the rounds to small town

G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra

2009-08-21T13:32:00.004-05:00

Normally, I wouldn't go to a movie like this (I try to see mostly good movies), but I was hanging with a bunch of my friends two nights before my wedding and we decided to go see the midnight showing. Most of us grew up in the 1980s and played with the toys, and thought, "Hey, it could be fun." Boy were we wrong...To start with we got there about 15 minutes before it started and ended up having

Funny People

2009-08-03T13:08:00.015-05:00

Funny People is Judd Apatow's third movie as director, and most assuredly his most personal endeavor. Featuring a very good performance from Adam Sandler and just about everyone involved, this film is very funny at times, but goes for laughs much less than either 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up. There is a somber, realistic tone throughout, and one could imagine that this is an accurate

Moon

2009-08-03T13:08:00.012-05:00

Moon is a small, low budget movie starring the ever amazing Sam Rockwell and the voice of Kevin Spacey, and is directed by first timer Duncan Jones, the son of David Bowie. When the trailer came out I was so intrigued by it's suspenseful, dark tone, and minimalist aesthetic. However, when I discovered Clint Mansell was composing the score, my interest could not have been higher. Clint is my

The Hurt Locker

2009-07-27T11:12:00.013-05:00

The Hurt Locker is the best Iraq war film ever, and one of the best war films since Saving Private Ryan. It's a taught thriller, wrapped in the rough, sandy exterior of the war in Iraq. Part of the reason The Hurt Locker succeeds is that it's primarily a character study and stays away from political analysis and opinion about the war itself. This is easily Kathryn Bigelow's best film, and is sure

(500) Days of Summer

2009-07-27T11:12:00.008-05:00

(500) Days of Summer is the bubblegum pop music video version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, without the science fiction. It's every young man's celebration of frustration, a clinical case of fascination and rejection viewed from outside the fourth dimension. This film preys on young white male nostalgia much like Garden State or Adventureland, but focusing more on the relationship

Two Lovers

2009-07-17T12:39:00.003-05:00

This little gem of a film came out very early this year and I was just recently able to catch up with it on Netflix. Two Lovers has achieved moderate fame for being Joaquin Phoenix's "last film." This of course being due to his foray into the hip hop performance industry, leaving his acting career in the dust. It's hard to take him seriously, especially when he appeared as he did on Letterman

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

2009-07-13T09:19:00.008-05:00

This was a fun outing with my my son, my parents, my fiancé, her sister, and her kids. We just about filled up an entire row, and had a great time. This movie is pretty awesome to look at, and the 3D was fairly well done, although I'm not convinced it added too much. The story is simple and predictable, but humorous throughout. The main characters, voiced by Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Dennis

Bruno

2009-07-13T09:19:00.006-05:00

This movie was SO gay... I mean that in the most derogatory, homophobic sense of the word, and literally of course. Unlike Borat, Bruno isn't very funny, rather it evokes cries of shock and horror, as well as nervous laughter. Nor is Bruno smart, clever, profound, or revealing in any way. Here's the problem: I can get behind a satire exposing racism, even if it's found in the most obvious of

Public Enemies

2009-07-05T00:42:00.010-05:00

Going into this year, Public Enemies was easily one of my top five most anticipated movies of 2009. Although he'd lose out to Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers, I look forward to Michael Mann's films more than most. Since my son was in town, I had to go see this movie at 10:35 PM, which had us leaving the theater after 1 AM due to the 140 minute run time. Usually this is

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

2009-06-22T09:41:00.004-05:00

I have to admit that going into this movie I was not expecting anything great. The reviews were mixed, and I saw it the second weekend, having already listened to several podcasts discussing the film. However, I tend to really enjoy Tony Scott's hyper stylized film making, especially his films from the nineties, including True Romance, Crimson Tide, and Enemy of the State. Lately I've been a

Killshot

2009-06-14T23:40:00.004-05:00

Killshot is a movie that for some reason its creators tried to kill early on. Anytime a film is pushed back a year or two, chances are the reason is that it isn't any good. However, this film's release was not only pushed back for years, but when it did finally see the big screen, it was for literally one week in Arizona. Not New York or L.A., Arizona! This movie has the pedigree of a champion,

The Hangover

2009-06-07T22:50:00.010-05:00

I think I'm still in shock over what I just saw. The closing credits are simply... Well, nevermind. This is a funny movie, easily the funniest I've seen this year so far, although that isn't necessarily saying much. The Hangover is the latest film from director Todd Phillips who brought us comedy gems like Road Trip and one of my personal favorites, Old School.This is a story about four guys who

Drag Me to Hell

2009-06-01T21:35:00.010-05:00

As I'm sure you've figured out if you've read two or three of my reviews, I rely heavily on Rotten Tomatoes to help me decide what movies to go see. Also, if you know anything about my taste in movies, I generally can't stand horror movies. The last good horror flick I saw was The Decent back in 2005, and before that who knows when. So with Drag Me to Hell, I wanted to see it for its 95% (at the

Terminator Salvation

2009-06-01T21:35:00.007-05:00

I went into this film with very low expectations based on seeing the negative reviews roll in, as well as listening to several movie podcasts bash it for a few hours. However, this was one of those films that I was looking forward to so much, that I decided I needed to check it out in theaters, you know, for the special effects and the action sequences...Well, the effects might be the only good/

Up

2009-05-30T01:55:00.004-05:00

Pixar has released ten consistently great films (although I have not seen A Bug's Life), and this film might surpass them all in beauty, story telling, visual style, humor, and overall significance. I somehow managed to temper my anticipation by reminding myself of how Wall-e had received even higher praise from critics, and was ultimately not the be-all-end-all of animated films that it was made

2009 Memorial Day Weekend Movie Extravaganza

2009-05-25T20:59:00.019-05:00

Wow, what a weekend! I drove up to Atlanta Friday afternoon to see my grandparents and hang out with my friend Stephen. I usually try to take advantage of the independent cinemas any time I'm in a bigger city, but this weekend I took it a step further. Stephen and I had decided we were going to simulate a film festival, in honor of Cannes. We managed to catch six films at the theaters and another

Star Trek

2009-05-10T16:44:00.003-05:00

One thing about Rotten Tomatoes, a site which I absolutely love and rely on, is that it can instigate some pretty high expectations for a film. For example, if a film has, say, a 96% on the Tomatometer, one might be inclined to think that this is one of the best films of the year, or almost perfect, etc. No, the reason for the high score is the movie is highly accessible, and well made of course.

Earth

2009-05-04T23:17:00.004-05:00

I had a chance to check out Earth in Austin, TX with my son, Westin. First, I have to give mad props to any documentary that can hold the attention of a 4 1/2 year old for 90 minutes. Second, as far as nature documentaries go, this could be the best one I've ever seen. I thought going in that it might get old after a few minutes, but I was captivated throughout. It follows a few different animal

Sin Nombre

2009-05-04T23:16:00.007-05:00

I think it's important to note that I came into this movie with very high expectations. Although I had never heard of it until about March, it quickly became one of my most anticipated films of the year. I'd never heard of writer/director Cary Fukunaga, but the subject matter as well as the high praise from many critics had me salivating when I realized I might get a chance to see in while I was

The Soloist

2009-04-27T20:57:00.006-05:00

At first glance, The Soloist is exactly the type of film that the Academy seems to crave. It features an Academy Award winner and nominee in Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr., so, when the release was delayed from late 2008 (prime Oscar season) to early 2009, there didn't seem to be much hope that this film was going to be any good. However, I was still anticipating this film, primarily because

State of Play

2009-04-23T20:00:00.007-05:00

I was a bit reluctant about going to see this film, and actually didn't really consider it until all the good reviews came pouring in. While the cast is very impressive, the trailer looked and felt like a cookie-cutter thriller. I finally went with my fiancé to see it last night, and it did not disappoint. In hindsight, I shouldn't be surprised. State of Play is a thriller directed by Kevin

Monsters vs Aliens

2009-04-23T19:44:00.003-05:00

I'm going to get away from my structured, four paragraph review a little bit with this one, and maybe with other movies for which I do not have a lot to say. This movie is very enjoyable, funny, and perfect for kids. I didn't get to see it with him, but my four-year-old son loved it, and it was fun recapping some of his favorite parts on the phone with him. Monsters vs Aliens is full of cute,

Observe and Report

2009-04-11T17:01:00.005-05:00

Observe and Report is the second film from writer/director Jody Hill, also responsible for the awkwardly hilarious Foot Fist Way, starring the rapidly rising star Danny McBride. McBride has a small role in Observe and Report, but this film is pretty much a star vehicle for Seth Rogen; a chance for him too show some serious acting chops, albeit in a ridiculous role.Rogen is perfectly cast as mall

Adventureland

2009-04-11T16:26:00.012-05:00

The latest film by Greg Mottola is vastly different from his previous directing effort, Superbad, although it contains come of the same sweetness and nostalgia experienced in the later moments of that movie. The main difference is that Greg also wrote Adventureland, and there's a real sense of personal experience coming through which adds to the richness of this distinctive look at a pivotal

Sunshine Cleaning

2009-04-11T14:49:00.011-05:00

Sunshine Cleaning is a charming little film about two sisters, and was written and directed by two women, Christine Jeffs and Megan Holley. Although they are both relatively inexperienced in their respective facilities, they added a much needed "women's touch" to this film, which is probably an accurate look at the bond of sisterhood, touchingly displayed between Amy Adams and Emily Blunt.Amy

Gomorrah

2009-04-04T23:51:00.015-05:00

Gomorrah is a gritty, realistic look at the Italian mafia, more specifically the Camorra crime family based in Naples, whose reach extends around the world. The film is based on the book of the same name by Roberto Saviano, who went undercover and put his life in danger while doing research for the book. The fact that he is under police protection to this day adds to the haunting realism

Duplicity

2009-04-04T14:29:00.009-05:00

Write/director Tony Gilroy is a great writer and has recently proven a competent director. Until he decided to try on the director hat he was best known for penning the screenplay for all three Bourne movies, which were both critically and commercially successful. Now he has seemed to find his niche with the underhanded dealings of corporate espionage, first with his critically acclaimed, Oscar

I Love You, Man

2009-03-28T22:21:00.008-05:00

I Love You, Man is the latest from writer/director John Hamburg whose previous directing job was the less than stellar Along Came Polly. However, he's also the guy who contributed to the screenplays for Zoolander and Meet the Parents, the latter of which is one of my favorite comedies of the past decade. That, coupled with the use of two of the most relevant funny guys in the business right now

Hotel for Dogs

2009-03-25T11:01:00.005-05:00

Allow me to preface this by telling you why I went to this movie. Unlike a professional movie critic, I typically try to stay away from films that I think are going to suck. With a full time job as a CPA I only have a certain amount of free time to indulge my cinematic cravings; therefore I usually go see the films that look good to me or have received high critical acclaim. So when my 4 year old

Coraline

2009-03-20T23:44:00.004-05:00

No, I didn't go see this with my 4 year-old son, and after seeing it I would definitely not take him to it. This film is a dark, creepy, suspenseful romp through Henry Selick's twisted mind; in no way was it appropriate for small children, despite the PG rating. That being said, I loved it. It was an extremely gratifying experience; a feast for the eyes, if you will. This is one of the guys who

Watchmen

2009-03-12T21:47:00.005-05:00

I must start by saying that I do not read comic books at all. Never have. I've only heard about Watchmen from comic book junkies who host movie sites on the internet. I went into this movie expecting to be entertained but not much more. Boy was I in for a treat!This dark, brooding tale is set in a parallel universe in which Nixon is in his fifth term as President and the U.S and Russia are so

Taken

2009-03-06T09:23:00.000-06:00

Taken is the second film from director Pierre Morel, his first being the insanely hyper-active District B-13. Although Taken's protagonist, played by Liam Neeson, is much older than the usual action movie stars, Morel maintains a frantic pace throughout the film, reminiscent of the Bourne trilogy or some of the more recent Bond films.Not only does Liam keep up, but he is extremely believable as

The Best Films of 2008

2009-02-28T01:53:00.000-06:00

I couldn't think of a better way to kick-off my new blog than a best of list, so without further ado... st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }