2010 Movies

Here they are in date order with the rating Jeff and I gave them in Netflix. 

January:

(500) Days of Summer (01/04/10) - 5 stars, love Zoey Deschanel.  Unique timeline in the movie gives a different view of a love story.  (Although it says up front this isn't a love story.)

Beautiful Girls (01/06/10) - 5 stars, great cast.  Sort of a day in the life kind of movie with lots of stuff to relate to.

Rachel Getting Married (01/09/10) - 3 stars.  I understand why Anne Hathaway was nominated for an Oscar for this, but I really didn't relate to this and didn't like any of the characters.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (01/13/10) - 3 stars.  Yes, I watched a movie titled, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past as in a take on A Christmas Carol.  It was silly but it did have redeeming parts to it (ie. Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner).

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (01/14/10) - 3 stars.  Don't make fun, I am a fan.  Similar to the book however, it seems to be very long and not get anywhere.

An Unfinished Life (01/15/10) - 4 stars.  Lovely movie about forgiveness.  The ageless Robert Redford is always amazing, and of course Bart the Bear was scary in all the right parts.

Eastern Promises (01/20/10) - 3 stars.  Pretty disappointing for Viggo and Naomi, but hey, I guess they can't always hit homeruns.  Huge plot gaps in this flick as well as crazy violence that is way too graphic.  It isn't even graphic in an emergency room sort of way, no this is graphic in a the director is just trying to make you cover your eyes sort of way.

The Quiet (01/21/10) - 4 stars.  Reminds you of how incredibly cruel children can be to each other.  Both of the girls in this film do an excellent job, Camilla Belle and Elisha Cuthbert.  This family's dysfunction makes the rest of us immensely normal.

The Cake Eaters (01/22/10) - 4 stars.  I have no idea why this is called The Cake Eaters.  Someone must explain this to me.  Bruce Dern is awesome in this, he plays the awful grandpa in Big Love and just really is amazing.  Kirsten Stewart plays a disabled girl and her performance is amazing.  All of these men are searching for love after their mother/wife dies and only one proves to have any success.

The Importance of Being Ernest (01/24/10) - 3 stars.  Just okay, even if it did have Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon and was a period film, I love a period film.

Whip It (01/27/10) - 4 stars.  For all of you Austin crazies out there you have to watch this!  Fantastic roller derby, meets the girl from Juno, meets keep Austin weird.  Love it!

Nothing But the Truth (01/29/10) - 3 starts.  Could have been great.  Great cast with Kate Beckinsale, Noah Wylie, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda.  It just fell a little flat, worth watching but not great.

February:

Avatar (02/06/10) - 4 stars (maybe 5).  We saw this at the theatre in 3D.  Jeff didn't like the 3D but I did.  I do think you need to see it the theatre regardless.  It is basically your next gen Star Wars, is is that epic good versus evil with a love story, story.  It is sort of Dances With Wolves meets Pocahontas meets Star Wars.  Seriously, unless you want to be left out of pop culture in the year 2010, see this movie.

Couples Retreat (02/07/10) - 4 stars.  Funny comedy about married life.  I always like Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman is hysterical in this playing it straight.

Body of Lies (02/14/20) - 3 stars.  Good movie, and I always like Leo in anything.  I have to admit though I am a bit tired of the Middle Eastern bad guy.  Is that wrong to say?  I preferred the Russian bad guy or the German bad guy, the Middle Eastern bad guy wears me out.

Four Christmases (02/16/10) - 3 stars.  Funny flick, but a bit over the top.  No subtle humor here.  I like Vince Vaughn and Reece Witherspoon was good, but some of the ancillary characters seemed a bit forced.

Hurt Locker (02/23/10) - 4 stars.  Good movie and probably worthy of the Oscar nomination, but I don't think it will win.  I am trying to look past the war theme and Middle Eastern bad guy rut that Hollywood has gotten into.  It is good and has a break out performance by Jeremy Renner, to date he has been in a lot of no name movies, but this guy is the real deal.  It just came short of the coveted 5 star award by Jeff and I, sigh.

The Hangover - (02/26/10) Jeff gave this 5 stars, it might be 4 stars on a really good day, but most days it was just average. 3 stars. I know heresy. But it really wasn't as funny as I was expecting and maybe that was part of the problem. It certainly was no Old School or Goldmember or Swingers, three of my favorite comedies of all time. Road Trip would actually rate higher than The Hangover for me, at least I cried because I was laughing so hard in Road Trip. I never cried in The Hangover, from laughing that is.

March:

A Perfect Getaway- (03/01/10) - 3 stars.  This was a nice thriller, not too scary.  Just the way I like them.  I like Milla Jovovich and Steve Zahn.  It will make you worry the next time you travel and you meet friendly tourists who want to hang out.

Adam -  (03/03/10) - 4 stars.  Great movie.  It is about a man with Asperger's Syndrome whose father dies and he is forced to get along in the world.  And it is a love story.  Lovely movie.

Amreeka - (03/08/10)  3 stars.  I wanted to like this.  I wanted it to be as good as Towelhead, but it wasn't.  It was a bit awkard at times although somewhat endearing.  I think it is good to watch movies that put discrimination at the forefront.

Love Happens - (03/11/10) 3 stars.  Cute romantic comedy.  I like Jennifer Anniston.  It was about a guy who lost his wife (instant pull on the heart strings) and becomes a self help writer and guru.  He has a break through moment and of course falls in love.  I cried, I admit it.  This is one I watched while Jeff was out of town.

2012 - (03/15/10) 2 stars.  Seriously, I was prepared to be disappointed, but come on.  The first ten minutes was RIDICULOUS.  Jeff likes end of the world movies, I endulge him, but this was beyond terrible.  I was generous to give it 2 stars.

The Counterfeiters (3/16/10) - 4 stars.  Great movie, about how you can make the right choices even in life threatening situations. 

Did you hear about the Morgans? (3/27/10) - 3 stars.  Your run of the mill romantic comedy, not a must see.

April:

Up in the Air (4/17/10) - 4 stars.  I give this four stars strictly because my husband really liked it.  I think if you aren't in corporate America and haven't gone through at least one layoff then you may miss some of the point.  Not sure it was Oscar nomination worthy.

May:

Mary Poppins (5/13/10) - 4 stars.  The kids really enjoyed this, never gets old. 

Brothers (5/15/10) - 5 stars.  Really well done, Jake Gyllenhaal is awesome and although I am not a huge Tobey McGuire fan he is pretty fantastic in this movie.  Just a tiny taste of what veterans must go through.

The Blind Side (5/21/10) - 4 stars.  Good, solid, but Oscar winning???  I don't think so. 

An Education (5/25/10) - 4 stars.  I am pretty sure that Peter Sarsgaard always plays a lecherous older man, to the young innocent.  Really interesting plot for what really is a coming of age/ romance movie.  Man meets girl, girl falls in love, man asks girl to marry him, girl is 16, parents say, okay; why the heck not?

Extract (5/29/10) - 3 stars.  Not great, but I must admit I am a sucker for Jason Bateman.  I like to see that Mila Kunis (from That 70s Show) is starting to get into some interesting films.

June:

Precious (6/5/10) - 4 stars.  Heartwrenching and unbelievable in its rawness.  It is hard to believe that anyone would have to grow up under those circumstances or that they could turn into a good person or even a great person.

Crazy Heart (6/23/10) - 4 stars.  Truly wonderful movie.  On one hand it makes me think that everyone should pursue their passion regardless of adversity or age, on the other it makes me wonder if you should pursue your passion when you know it may kill you and drive everyone who loves you away.

It's Complicated (6/26/10) - 4 stars.  Solid romantic comedy.  I like that it isn't all bublegum and roses.  As we get older we realize that the perfect love story just doesn't exist.  Sometimes you need to grab onto love regardless of its form.

July:

Shutter Island (7/6/10) - 4 stars.  Awsome psychological thriller.  Some bad karma in the movie regarding the family situation.  But all in all a great movie with twists and turns up until the very last scene.  Leo gives a fantastic performance.

Inglorious Basterds (7/7/10) - 4 stars.  Not what I was expecting, but really good nonetheless.  This is a Tarantino flick, so if you don't enjoy gratuitious gore and guts, don't watch it.

True Blood Season 1 (Still in progress) - 3 stars.  Yes, I got my husband to watch a show about vampires.  Craziness.  It is pretty good, interesting for a TV show.  Some of the actors are fantastic, and some are just so-so.  It will be interesting to see how we like it once some of the characters are developed a bit more.

Everybody's Fine (7/22/10) - 4 stars.  I think this may be closer to 5 stars, maybe if Netflix would allow you to give a half of a star it would be 4.5 stars.  Really good for all the Daddy's out there to watch.  Also a good reminder that children are yours for life, not just 18 years, so prepare yourself!  Sometimes I am not a fan of De Niro in a nonaction flick, but he really hits the mark in this one.

When in Rome (7/24/10)  2 stars.  What you see is what you get, sort of a Disney romantic comedy.  Imagine this, in the end the two beautiful people fall in love.  Sorry for ruining it for you.

Green Zone (7/26/10) 3 stars.  I am kind of ready to see Matt Damon in something other than action/war movies.  This is good, and makes you think.  But the whole conspiracy theory movie about the Middle East is a bit passe isn't it? 

August:

She's Out of My League (8//3/10) 4 stars.  Very cute romantic comedy with some good lessons.  Nobody will like us or love us until we like ourselves.

The Runaways (8/10/10) 4 stars.  I like Kristin Stewart in just about everything she does (maybe Twilight excluded) and little Dakota Fanning has grown up and is pretty awesome in this flick.  If you are a Joan Jett fan, you have to see it.

Chloe (8/15/10) 3 stars.  Any other time in my life, this might have received 4 stars.  But being pregnant I related way too much to this character.  I think Julianne Moore is an amazing actress and she really does a great job here.  I just boo hooed a bit too much through it, and I don't think most people would cry in this movie at all!

Step Brothers (in home)  Not expecting much from this one.