I thought it was time for another movie update, otherwise I’ll completely forget what I’ve been watching.
In no apparent order (although I’m numbering them to keep track), we have:
7. 10 Things I Hate About You: I have seen this movie so many times, I can pretty much quote the whole thing, but it is a movie I’ve watched this year, so I’m going to go ahead and count it. This is on my list of all-time favorites. Even my brother, who is utterly disdainful toward anything that’s not high-browed and critically-acclaimed, likes it. It came out in 1999, amidst a group of similarly-genred movies that debuted between 1998-2001 that I also love, like Can’t Hardly Wait, Bring It On, She’s All That, Center Stage, Drive Me Crazy, Get Over It and Save the Last Dance. It’s a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, and it is awesome. Stars Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Krumholtz and Larisa Oleynik. (Speaking of, I just found out the first season of The Secret World of Alex Mack is on DVD. So Netflixing it.) Five Cherry Chapsticks.
8. Enchanted: I liked it. Didn’t love it, and I don’t really feel the need to add it to my DVD collection, but it was cute. Amy Adams was really great and boy, is she able to adapt an annoying Disney princess voice. I could’ve done with less of Susan Sarandon’s entire storyline and more (much more) of Patrick Dempsey. Drool. All in all, I’d say Disney did a good job. Three-and-a-cap Cherry Chapsticks.
9. Fierce People: I kind of wish Kristen Stewart hadn’t been in this movie, because then I wouldn’t have ever had to subject myself to it. As it is, I fast-forwarded through a lot of it. It was really random, and disturbing, and fairly revolting at times, and the only characters I even remotely liked were Maya (Stewart) and Finn (Anton Yelchin). They were 14 at the time this movie was filmed — seriously, what were their parents thinking letting them do something like this? Anyway, the cap off a Cherry Chapstick, just because Kristen has a two-minute scene at the very, very end that made the viewing experience worthwhile almost sort of worthwhile.
10. 21: Loved it, loved it, loved it. I have already talked about it in a prior post, but it was fantastic. I want to see it again. Four Cherry Chapsticks.
11. Becoming Jane: I really, really liked this. A lot. I really like Anne Hathaway, and after Atonement, I also like James McAvoy. I’ve heard that it’s not accurate, but hey, I’ve never read and will never read a biography on Jane Austen, so it didn’t bother me at all. I especially loved the Pride and Prejudice parallel. Four Cherry Chapsticks.
12. Rounders: I like this movie a lot, but the desire to punch Edward Norton in the face never really goes away. I can’t believe that Mike (Matt Damon) continued to bail Worm out after the dude just disregarded, well, basic human decency and trashed his so-called best friend’s reputation all over town and ruined his life, pretty much. Anyway, it’s a really good movie, especially if you’re a fan of that whole Texas Hold ‘Em scene. I, personally, find movies like it, 21, Ocean’s 11, etc. fascinating. Three Cherry Chapsticks.
13. Speak: Like In the Land of Women and 10 Things I Hate About You, I tend to watch this movie a lot. So I’ll only count each one time, even though I’m sure I’ll watch them again. I’ve gone on ad nauseum about the awesomeness of this movie, so if you want to know more, I’m certain it has its own tag. Five Cherry Chapsticks.
14. Transformers: I wasn’t really that interested in seeing the movie in the theaters, even though I watched the cartoon (and Go Bots!) as a kid, so I’m glad that Kevin wanted to watch it with me. It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I’m looking forward to seeing Shia LeBeouf (who will always be Louis Stevens to me) in the next Indiana Jones installment. The special effects, particularly the Autobots and Decepticons transforming, were spectacular, and as an added bonus, there was the hotness of Josh Duhamel. Three Cherry Chapsticks.
15. The Messengers: I guess this is considered a horror movie, but I think of horror movies as all those ridiculous Friday the 13th/Halloween/whatever movies that have absolutely no plot, one-dimensional characters, and gallons of blood. I like movies like The Shining, and The Ring, and similar films that are more psychologically scary than slasher crap. I’d definitely characterize The Messengers as psychologically creepy. It’s another Japanese horror adaptation, much like The Ring and The Grudge. I thought it was pretty well done. Kristen Stewart is fantastic, but then, that’s pretty much to be expected. The little boy that plays her brother is absolutely adorable. John Corbett, Dylan McDermott and Dustin Milligan also star. (And there’s a cameo by Cigarette Smoking Man.) Anyway, I liked it, even if I will never be able to go into a basement or look at a crow again. Three and a cap Cherry Chapsticks.
