Movie of the Year, so far

Dinner for Schmucks was pure awesomeness! I have not laughed that hard for a long time. Not quie Caddyshack, but a great comedy.

If you have not gone to yet, don't wait!

I was under the impression that Inception held this title. Oh, well.

Would you say that it was on par with last years The Hangover?

And to that end...what are your plans for Labor Day?

Pale Horse said:

Would you say that it was on par with last years The Hangover?

And to that end...what are your plans for Labor Day?

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Inception has my worst movie of the year thing going for it! I liked it better than Hangover, but a different style of humor.

Labor day, I want to hit the Telluride Film Festival, but will probably be working! You and the Fam?

Inception was a good movie, but definitely over-hyped. I think it just happened to be one of the better films released this year, which has been a flat-out pathetic year of movies, so people got carried away with it. Worst movie of the year? Come on.

roundshort said:

Inception has my worst movie of the year thing going for it! I liked it better than Hangover, but a different style of humor.

Labor day, I want to hit the Telluride Film Festival, but will probably be working! You and the Fam?

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Same Ole Same Ole...Mickey and the gang there in the Napa Ro...um Anaheim. The littlest is enrolled in their annual fitness marathon through the park. 5 days of bliss. (at a price).

He's old enough for longer road trips now. We'll head North to Monterey come spring...and further soon.

So far for me this year my favourites are:
Hot Tub Time Machine
Iron Man 2
The A-Team
Toy Story 3
Inception
The Other Guys
Prince of Persia and Sorcerer's Apprentice weren't bad either.

I'm sure I'm going to add to this list with the big ones coming out at Christmas (TRON, Deathly Hallows, Narnia). Still haven't seen The Expendables - hoping to see it tomorrow on my birthday or later this week.

Pale Horse said:

Same Ole Same Ole...Mickey and the gang there in the Napa Ro...um Anaheim. The littlest is enrolled in their annual fitness marathon through the park. 5 days of bliss. (at a price).

He's old enough for longer road trips now. We'll head North to Monterey come spring...and further soon.

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NIce! I am long over do for a NR visit. Look forward to the next time y ou up here!

My Top 5 (so far)

1. Inception
2. Toy Story 3
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
4. Kick-Ass
5. How to Train Your Dragon

(Although I loved Iron Man 2, Despicable Me, and throughly enjoyed Karate Kid. Sorcerer's Apprentice was goofy fun. )

I really liked Pince of Persia, and I just got back from Toy Story 3. It was a very special pixar movie I think. Truly one-of-a-kind.

I can only think of 3 movies this year that really stood out for me.

1. Toy Story 3

Because for all intents and purposes, this should have sucked and been made solely for $$$. However, Pixar take it to a whole other level, they actually give you a compelling story that provides a perfect ending. It's well written, well animated and has a lot of heart. If you grew up with these films, it means even more when that last scene arrives... and with it, it feels like an end to your childhood in a weird way. It's been 15 years since I saw the first in theaters.

2. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

While the story itself isn't the best, visually it's a stunning and creative film. It takes a lot of stuff from pop culture that aim directly at the hearts of people in my age group (late teens, twenties). Zelda music, Seinfeld, anime influences, rock n roll, etc. It feels like you are watching a comic book come to life and that's a good thing. It's zany, different and I enjoyed it very much.

3. Inception

While I am not as crazy about this film as everyone else. I have to agree that it is one of the best and most creative ideas in a film this year. I enjoyed the cast and the plot had me confused and wondering what was going on all the way to the end. From time to time I'd get it and then something else would happen and I would wonder, "Okay wait, what's going on?" But by the time the credits rolled I understood the ending, but it leaves you thinking afterwards. Any film that makes you think after it's over is a good film imo.

No Ticket said:

it means even more when that last scene arrives

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I had one problem with that part that almost ruined it for me, and it's that










SPOILER ALERT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!











Andy gives away his beloved toys to a girl. In my experience girls don't play with action figures. Was it that hard to give his toys to another boy? That made me feel like the toys wouldn't be happy playing tea party with girls toys all the time. Does anyone agree?

I'm so far behind the curve on current movies...unless it's kids' fare. I've seen almost every animated feature out there, but the wife and I getting away for an adult movie tends to take some planning (and luck). That said, I'm still eager to see Inception as I've heard nothing but good about it. My son and I are going to take in Scott Pilgrim over the weekend. I have to confess that I'm also anxious to see The Expendables for a trip back to overblown eighties action fare.

In the meantime, the highest summer movie mark I could hand out would be for Iron Man 2. A solid sequel and fun popcorn flick.

The film I've been watching for an opportunity to see is <I>Winter's Bone</I>. It's more or less Ozarks noir, and did very well at Sundance. Anyone seen it?

JP Jones said:

Andy gives away his beloved toys to a girl. In my experience girls don't play with action figures. Was it that hard to give his toys to another boy? That made me feel like the toys wouldn't be happy playing tea party with girls toys all the time. Does anyone agree?

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Absolutely not.

Bonnie showed herself to be an extremely bright, thoughtful child who cared for her toys and played with them with love, enthusiasm and imagination. Her other toys were very happy.

Except for Buzz Lightyear, none of Andy's toys qualify as "action figures" anyway.

Aside from Buzz believing himself to be a "real" Ranger in Toy Story 1, all of the toys have their own personalities, irrespective of what their toy identities would suggest. Rex, for instance, is a dinosaur, but he is neurotic and insecure, not remotely fearsome. Hamm is portrayed as a villain in Andy's fantasies, but, of course, is a trusted and loyal friend in real life.

The toys just want to be loved and appreciated. Those kinds of rigid, outmoded gender roles about who plays with what are - 1) barely true anyway and 2) of no concern whatsoever to the toys.

Seems like you missed the point.

Attila the Professor said:

The film I've been watching for an opportunity to see is <I>Winter's Bone</I>. It's more or less Ozarks noir, and did very well at Sundance. Anyone seen it?

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Yes. It's brilliant.

Lance Quazar said:

The toys just want to be loved and appreciated. Those kinds of rigid, outmoded gender roles about who plays with what are - 1) barely true anyway and 2) of no concern whatsoever to the toys.

Seems like you missed the point.

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No, I didn't miss that specific point you just brought up. I give the ending a thumbs up because the toys finally got to get played with again, and they made some new friends.

My point is, I know from experience with small children (my cousins) that the mindset that males have is totally different from that of females. It doesn't matter how smart you are, it's that boys tend to play with toys in a nearly opposite way than girls. My boy cousin likes to smash his star wars ships together and make explosion noises while my girl cousin likes to play go fish with my mom.

I sound terribly sexist right now, and I know it's not a huge deal. It just irked me a little while watching it.

Lance Quazar said:

Absolutely not.

Bonnie showed herself to be an extremely bright, thoughtful child who cared for her toys and played with them with love, enthusiasm and imagination. Her other toys were very happy.

Except for Buzz Lightyear, none of Andy's toys qualify as "action figures" anyway.

Aside from Buzz believing himself to be a "real" Ranger in Toy Story 1, all of the toys have their own personalities, irrespective of what their toy identities would suggest. Rex, for instance, is a dinosaur, but he is neurotic and insecure, not remotely fearsome. Hamm is portrayed as a villain in Andy's fantasies, but, of course, is a trusted and loyal friend in real life.

The toys just want to be loved and appreciated. Those kinds of rigid, outmoded gender roles about who plays with what are - 1) barely true anyway and 2) of no concern whatsoever to the toys.

Seems like you missed the point.

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I can't agree with this enough. Indeed, I think it had to have been a girl who inherited the toys in the end, rather than a boy, which would have been the obvious, cheap choice, and one that would imply an exact continuation of their old life. Rather, they'll be treated with the same sort of imaginative care, but in a context that isn't merely Andy II.

Despite what has been said, I think it's actually been a decent year for movies. I wasn't expecting much this year, so perhaps I was more easily pleased than I would have been otherwise. For what it's worth, here's the films I think were either better-than-expected or knockouts!

1) Kick-Ass (absolutely the best movie I've seen in MANY years)
2) Predators (finally a worthy sequel)
3) Iron Man 2 (good, and not just because my friend was in it)
4) Alice In Wonderland (I know a lot of purists hated it, but I thought it was fine fare)

I haven't yet seen Inception, A-Team or Prince of Persia however (missed 'em, catching Indy trilogy runs -- I love Hollywood theaters), but I've heard those are all pretty good shows.

A good half-dozen quality movies in a year when I expected maybe 1 or 2. I'd say it's been a good harvest so far, and let's not forget, TRON is still to come!!!!!!

A-Team was fun, and TRON looks awesome.