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The Five-Year Engagement 2012
As predictable as any other modern rom-com, but entertaining based on the cast.
It does have some interesting twists, but it still goes where you immediately think it will.
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Evil Dead II 1987
Other than the chainsaw-hand, there's really nothing here that is drastically better than the original. Maybe it makes a difference seeing this INSTEAD of the original, but as a sequel, it is really just a retread with (I assume) a higher budget.
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The Dark Knight 2008
TDK is a good movie, but I still feel Batman Begins is a better 'Batman' film. Heath Ledger is the real star of TDK, and deservedly so. I'm not sure what I would've felt about it had they cast anyone else.
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Hugo 2011
A little slow at times, but a pretty delightful adventure. This may be the first movie I actually regret not seeing in 3D...
The whole movie was pretty captivating, but meandered a bit often. When things would finally come together, it was a lot of fun.
All that, and it is at least somewhat based on a true story, or at least a real person.
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Spider-Man 3 2007
I really think Spider-Man 3 isn't much "worse" than the first two iterations, it just has MORE of the bad parts that those did, and those bad parts are also BIGGER.
There are things almost as dumb as the "emo-Spidey" piano scene in the other movies (Dunst running through a park in a wedding dress?) but they were short and overshadowed by pretty decent movies.
The real reasons that this movie sucked were the complete ret-con of the Uncle Ben…
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2012
It surely wasn't perfect, but I thought this was a much better Spidey rendition than any of the Raimi series.
Webb might have gone a little too strong with the teen romance angle, but overall the dynamic is far more believable than the Mary Jane relationship in the previous trilogy. I'm glad Gwen got a fresh start in the "reboot" after her brief introduction in Spider-Man 3, because had they continued to Spider-Man 4, I imagine that would've been way,…
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Friends with Kids 2012
Predictable, but the cast makes it enjoyable. Pretty decent as far as rom-coms go.
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Let the Right One In 2008
This film is in the middle of something of a scandal after the US distributor put bullshit translated subtitles on the DVD. I made sure to watch it with the original subtitles, and from what I’ve heard, that is the only proper way to see it.
Regardless, I thought the movie was pretty impressive start to finish. This would even be a compelling story without the vampire element. It is the sort of story that doesn’t get told in American…
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The Maltese Falcon 1941
I find that whenever I watch a film from the “classic” generation, I am immediately struck by the charisma of the actors and actresses that shaped Hollywood. Soon after, however, I feel their oozing drama is a bit over the top by today’s standards. I would be really curious to see how these early actors, such as Bogart, would far in today’s entertainment industry.
I feel more American just having seen the famous Sam Spade character. The entire film noir…
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I Love You, Man 2009
Prior to watching this film, I had heard pretty mixed reviews. Jason Segel and Paul Rudd have both attained pretty high levels of success in comedy films, so I figured it could not be any less than adequate.
I would sum up the film by saying it is not the best film for Segel, that would go to Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). It is not the best film for Rudd, that would go to Role Models (2008). Yet, it is…
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(500) Days of Summer 2009
An independent film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel is like a match made in heaven. Hearing reviews from the summer film festivals, this film was poised to capture my heart.
The story is simple: A boy falls in love, and a girl breaks his heart.
Nearly every single moment of this movie is something a guy can relate to. It is nearly perfect in the non-linear way it follows and highlights their relationship. The stark contrast between highs and lows of the couple’s 500 days together is nothing but brilliant.
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Adventureland 2009
The first thing to know about Adventureland: it was filmed at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh.
The second thing to know about Adventureland: it is nothing like Superbad.I probably would have really, really liked this movie a year ago. It is a dark comedy, mixed with romantic comedy, but still rather dramatic and endearing. The only problem is that films like Once (2006) and 500 Days Of Summer (2009), and even Garden State (2004), are so much better. I’d still…
