Nerd in the 'Noke

Sucker Punch (2011), PG-13, 109 minutes - Much like Battle: Los Angeles, my opinion of Sucker Punch has shifted a bit after having a little time to reflect on it. Originally, I was quite disappointed in Zack Snyder's latest directorial effort. Now I think I'm only sort of disappointed. After 300 and Watchmen, Sucker Punch is definitely a letdown story wise. That may be because this wasn't just directed by Zack Snyder, but written by him as well whereas his previous films have been adaptations of other writer's works (and highly regarded writers at that). Visually, it more than holds it's own. It looks and feels like a Zack Snyder film and that's the best thing that it has going for it. The majority of the story takes place in the mind of a single character and doesn't quite tie together when it is all said and done. Baby Doll (Emily Browning) is admitted to an insane asylum after she attacks her stepfather in the aftermath of her mother's death...

In an effort to get caught up after my lack of posts over the last couple of weeks (you can thank the NCAA tournament for that), I'm going to provide real quick thoughts of the movies I have seen as opposed to my usual longer posts. Rango (2011), PG, 107 minutes - Rango is a fun animated film carried by Johnny Depp voicing the main character - an acting chameleon trying to find his way in the world. There are a couple nice references to previous films including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and a very convincing Clint Eastwood impersonation by Timothy Olyphant in the form of 'The Spirit of the West'. Battle: Los Angeles (2011), PG-13, 116 minutes - Immediately after watching Battle: Los Angeles, I didn't think very highly of it. Now that I've had time to reflect, I realize that feeling was primarily because the people in the theater that I saw it in felt the need to clap and cheer when it ended. Battle: Los Angeles isn't nearly that good (altho...

The Adjustment Bureau (2011), PG-12, 105 minutes - For those that read my '10 Most Anticipated Films of 2011' post, The Adjustment Bureau should look familiar (as it topped the list). For those that haven't, take a look here . The Adjustment Bureau is based on a Philip K. Dick short story titled 'Adjustment Team' (which I have not read). I actually didn't realize this until I read it in the end credits - one more thing to add to my 'to read' list. It centers around David Norris (Matt Damon), a young, rising political star who is running for the U.S. Senate and seemingly has a lock on the seat. After a story breaks about some class reunion shenanigans, he gets steamrolled in the election. On his way to deliver his concession speech, he has a chance encounter with Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). There's an instant attraction and after their talk he completely ditches the speech that he had planned on making and instead goes with a much more matter ...

It's that time of year again. Time for me (and my friend Chris Wieder) to take a stab at predicting the turnout of this year's Academy Awards. The format below is basically the same as my picks were from last year ( see previous blog post ): the categories, the nominees, which nominees from that category that Wieder and I have seen, and our thoughts about that category. We've picked the seven most well known categories, and with a little luck we'll disagree somewhere (I did not read Wieder's picks prior to making my own). Otherwise, what's the fun in having multiple opinions? Wieder is a friend and former co-worker who, I must say, has pretty decent taste in movies. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have seen Winter's Bone as early as I did. Knowing that he and I have many of the same interests when it comes to movies, I will apologize in advance on the off chance that he and I have similar rants concerning the Best Lead Actress ca...

As promised earlier in the week, here is an archive post of my picks for last year's Oscars. This was originally posted in a note on facebook because I had not started this blog yet. Picks for this year's Oscars will be posted either later tonight or tomorrow morning. The 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be held tomorrow night. Just in case anyone is counting, 5 of my 7 picks were correct (I botched the scripting categories). So I did this a couple of years ago in a blog on myspace and apparently skipped doing it last year for whatever reason, but these are my picks for who/what films should win at tonight's Oscars. I'm only going over the biggest categories as I really haven't seen any of the foreign films, documentaries, or short films. I'm also going to skip the editing/art direction/music because, to be perfectly honest, I just don't have the technical knowledge to really be able to make a decision. At this point, they are all excellent o...

In an attempt to add some (hopefully) fun content other than my usual movie reviews, I've posted a couple of different updates this week. The first was my list of films that I am most looking forward to in 2011. The second follows this brief introduction. It is the first of what I hope I will be able to turn into a somewhat regular feature (well, somewhat regular in relation to my own ability to keep up with regular posts): the guest review. Also, keep your eyes open later this week for my Oscar picks for this year. I'd hate to boast, but I did pretty well with the picks last year. I also hope to have one or two guests make their picks as well. I may even post last year's picks here just for the heck of it, as they occurred before I started this blog. Thanks for checking in. I hope you enjoy what you've read. As always, feel free to leave feedback!

The inaugural guest review was submitted by a friend and co-worker who, quite possibly, 'wastes' as much time on movies as I do. Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, a review for Unknown by one Mr. Scott Abbott: WARNING: Scott was able to stay pretty spoiler free in regards to the specifics of Unknown's plot. He does however, manage to completely blow Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince out of the water. I'm not sure that between the book, the movie, and the internet that there is anyone that this warning really applies to, but you've been warned just in case. Unknown (2011), PG-13, 113 minutes - I just got back from seeing Unknown with my good friend - that dude that someone needs to check his brain - and let me tell you, I should have checked mine before I even took my seat in the theater. If there was a time that I wish I could have gone to see a movie with a blank mind, this was it. Here is why: if you have seen the previews, you have ...

I have little doubt that as the year goes on other films will make themselves known, but as of today, this is my list of the ten movies that I am most looking forward to this year (luckily none of them have been released yet so I'm not late with my list). I have provided trailer links where available and tentative release dates. Here we go, in reverse order: 10b. Super 8 (June 10) - Here's another film from the mind of JJ Abrams. And with it we get more classic Abrams secrecy. I chose this trailer because it gives us a little better idea of what's going on than the Super Bowl spot did. 10a. Green Lantern (June 17) - A couple months ago, Green Lantern would have been much higher on this list. The current Geoff Johns run on the Green Lantern comic has been amazing and the character has a ton of potential on the big screen, but the trailer comes off as a little more campy than I had anticipated. I hope the movie plays better. The cast is pretty solid with...

The Eagle (2011), PG-13, 114 minutes - I wasn't really sure what to expect going into The Eagle. On one hand, it is a Roman epic, which is generally the type of film I jump all over. On the other hand, The Eagle's star is Channing Tatum. And in the past, the only movie that he starred in that I enjoyed was Stop-Loss. He tends to headline 'chick flicks' (not that that's a bad thing, they just don't interest me at all) but definitely has the potential to be a leading action man. So, walking out of the theater with a couple friends after watching The Eagle, I was pleasantly surprised with what I had just seen. Tatum plays Marcus Aquila a young Roman Centurian who strives to find out what happened to Rome's storied Ninth Legion, and as a result, what happened to his father (the commander of the Ninth) so that he can clear the family's name. He is joined in his quest by his British slave Esca (Jamie Bell). The relationship between Marcus and Esca is ...

Rabbit Hole (2010), PG-13, 91 minutes - I have already seen all ten of this year's Oscar nominees for Best Picture, so I have also seen most of the Best Actor/Actress nominees. One nominee that I had not yet seen was Nicole Kidman's performance in Rabbit Hole. It came to the Grandin a week or so ago so I jumped on the chance to knock another nominee off of the 'need to see before the Oscars' list. Rabbit Hole shows us the story of a couple (Becca and Howie, played by Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) just eight months removed from the tragic death of their young son (he chased the family dog into the street and was hit by a car), and how they are - or more importantly in Becca's case, how she isn't - coping with their loss. You also see how this effects those around them - the neighbors who invite them to a neighborhood cookout, the younger sister who just found out that she's pregnant, the mother who has also experienced the loss of a son (albeit an older, n...