As promised from my "Happy 2015" post, here is the epic of epic movie posts! Most of these will be very short. Usually, I add the actors names in, but there are too many movies and I've already placed the empty parentheses for some of them. I'm just going to leave them blank. You can Google the movie if you want to know who is in it. :)
47 Ronin ( ) - The special effects for this movie were interesting. Unfortunately, the way the story was told, with the special effects, and the script, it was sometimes hard to take this movie seriously. I did NOT know this is actually based on a piece of Japanese legend till the very end. Knowing that, I was rather disappointed in the movie that it wasn't better. Grade: C-/D+
Labor Day ( ) - This wasn't too bad. I liked the story, overall. It was an interesting story about love and family. I liked Winslet too. I thought she did a good job. I thought they all did good jobs. It's your atypical feel good love story. It went a way I wasn't exactly expecting, but the end made it all work out. Grade: C+
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ( ) - I thought this was cute, gentle, feel good movie. There's nothing strenuous about the movie, but it's an interesting little adventure and it worked for me. The end of the movie was really touching. With that said, it's nothing earth shattering. Grade: C+
Ride Along ( ) - Typical comedy you'd expect. It wasn't terrible, but wasn't great. Grade: C-
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ( ) - I was expecting more, but it wasn't terrible either. I didn't think it was as good as the general populace, but it did its job. My complaints are it was too long and too many villains. The too many villains issue muddles the plot a little and there things in the plot that you went, "Why was that mentioned?". At the same time, they're trying to GO places in the Spider-Man-verse ala Avengers so I get that too. I didn't mind Foxx and the heartbreaking moment was done really, really well. It was tasteful and slightly less traumatic than what is actually in the comics. It's still mostly true to the comic, but changed just enough to make it less traumatic and still have the same impact, shock, and horror. I'll watch the 3rd one and any spin-offs. Grade: C/C+
The Monuments Men ( ) - I can see why this didn't do so great in the box office. With that SUPERB of a cast, you expect the movie to be spot on and good. The story just doesn't have the "oomph" you'd expect. It's lacking in conveying its message, I think. I liked the acting. I liked the concept. I liked what they tried to do with it, but it's just missing its heart, maybe? I don't know. It was lackluster for me and a disappointment. Grade: C-
Gambit ( ) - Cute film. I actually rather liked it. I liked Diaz and Firth wasn't bad either. It's got a nice little twist at the end I wasn't expecting. I will say, it's pretty sub-par for Firth and even for Diaz because it IS supposed to be silly and you're not supposed to take it seriously as anything. With that said, it was kind of fun to watch Diaz and Firth in the same film. LoL Grade: C
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ( ) - Not my favorite Jack Ryan. They went younger, which isn't a problem, but this movie had 2.5 action scenes in it. Action scenes do not make a movie, but the non-action parts just didn't jive with me. They were kind of bland and boring. Grade: C-
Her ( ) - I thought this was cute, if slightly bizarre and rather slow paced. It's an interesting story about love and what counts as love or a relationship. Phoenix was really good. Let's be honest, he's mostly acting to a voice and no body around him. I thought he did a good job. I liked Johanssen as the voice too. Adams and everyone else in the film were very much there as a support cast to show different types of relationships and how it IS possible for him to have fallen in love with Samantha. Cute film, but it is slow and different. Grade: B
Maleficient ( ) - I must be one of the few who didn't enjoy the film as much as my friends. Not to say it was terrible, but I wanted more out of it. I didn't like Fanning. I didn't like the Prince. I sometimes didn't like Jolie either. With that said, mostly, I really liked Jolie. I thought she was a good Maleficient and was looking forward to that. I thought the King was well-done too. I liked the twist on the story too. Other than that, it was just okay for me. Grade: C-
Edge of Tomorrow ( ) - Oh wow. Now THIS was a good summer film! It's not doing well at the box office and that's a shame because it is a good movie. Considering the amount of movies I see and the fact I LOVE a good non-stop action film, this was really good. I don't even like Tom Cruise and if it wasn't for Chris who wanted to see it, I wouldn't have seen it. I have to say, I liked Cruise in the film, which is good because I didn't like him in Oblivion. I liked Blunt too. She was kick butt! You didn't learn a whole lot about her, but it wasn't necessary. I just liked having a strong female for once (*ahem* Michael Bay!). I liked how they handled the flashbacks. There was also some humor in the beginning, but there was also heart as you saw how hard it is to repeat everything. It was a good film. I own it on DVD now. Grade: A
X-Men Days of Future Past ( ) - Slightly disappointed, but I liked it more than Spider-Man 2. I think I didn't like it as much as Edge of Tomorrow, though. I think I was more excited for the end credit scene than anything else. I thought there were some really good action scenes, but I think I liked the "Future" story better than the "Past" story. The end was rather "fluffy" too. There were just too many things, in my opinion, that weren't needed. There were some really neat moments, though. Grade: C+/B-
A Million Ways to Die in the West ( ) - Disappointment. I liked it more than Ted, but it wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be. There were some "ha ha" moments, but they were chuckles rather than flat out laughs. I wanted a good belly laugh or something and you never got there. There were some funny and quotable moments, though. Grade: C
Gozilla ( ) - Not bad. I liked it. It was a little too long and they did some weird things with the plot that was both origin and continuation story so that was a little weird and confusing, but it wasn't bad. I liked the CG. The script did ruin some of the "suspense" about Godzilla in the very beginning and everyone I know who saw it had the same idea at the very end battle scene with the nuke, but, eh. I did wish there was more Godzilla fighting, though. Not enough Godzilla time! Who cares about the humans?! LoL The humans were okay. Olsen (not one of the twins) kept tripping me out, though, because that Olsen gene is VERY strong through all the girls! Grade: C+
How to Train Your Dragon 2 ( ) - Aww...I liked it! I don't think it's as good as the first one, but it'll be close. I do think the movie ran in chapters, though. Chapter 1, blah. Chapter 2, blah. So the movie was a little chunky and didn't flow very well, but other than that, I liked it! Plus...a glowing Toothless! I watched this in theater and DVD. Grade: B+
22 Jump Street ( ) - Cute sequel. Wasn't as good as the first, but it wasn't terrible. Grade: C+
Transformers: Age of Extinction ( ) - Too long. Wayyyy too long and I watched this in theater and on DVD. The dinosaurs were cool, though. That was about it. Oh, no, I liked how there wasn't a stupid male lead and female lead romance story! Not to say there wasn't a romance story (what's with the panicking females during the big fights?), but it wasn't like the others. Grade: C-
Saving Mr. Banks ( ) - I liked it! I thought it was well-done all around. Grade: B+
Walk of Shame ( ) - I read in some article about the most forgettable movies of 2014 and this one made the list. LoL It is rather forgettable and really tedious and not funny. Grade: D
3 Days to Kill ( ) - Could have been worse. Could have been better. Kind of your typical has-been spy movie, except this one has a terminally ill former spy. Grade: D
Robocop ( ) - Er...Let's hope the franchise ends with this movie or someone else tries for a different movie. I haven't seen the original and this movie wasn't good and since the original is iconic, this HAD to have been terrible in comparison! It's an okay sci-fi action movie, but I didn't enjoy the story. Grade: D+
Lone Survivor ( ) - As said by the name, everyone dies. LoL It's sad in the beginning because of that, but I liked the acting. The story was interesting too. Good modern war film, but not great. Grade: C+/B-
Divergent ( ) - I liked this more than the book. Not sure what that says about me since I normally like the book more than the movie, but maybe I liked the book just enough and the movie had enough in it for me to like the movie more. I know I'm in the minority. People who liked the book, thought the book was better. Eh. Either way, I liked it enough to make me want to read the next book, but I know how many people were upset with the 3rd book that I don't REALLY want to read it. We'll see. I'll watch the next movie on DVD like this one. Grade: C
Rio 2 ( ) - It was cute. Similar to the first one, but always with a different angle. I liked the music. Not much to say. Grade: C
Noah ( ) -What a terrible movie! I think one of the worst movies of the year. Even if you don't know the Biblical story of Noah, you'd STILL think it was terrible. That's how bad it is. Grade: F
The Other Woman ( ) - Kind of a fun, silly comedy. Nothing tough about it at all. Could have been more memorable or better? I don't know. It falls flat. Grade: C-
Planes: Fire & Rescue ( ) - A lot like the original Planes. It's cute for a kid. Wasn't enamored of it, but I like the franchise. Grade: C
Muppets Most Wanted ( ) - Cute movie. Falls in line with the original well. I liked the Kermit and Ms. Piggy romance story. I liked the cast too. Grade: B-
Draft Day ( ) - The surprise shocker of the year for me. Not knowing almost anything about the football draft, I had no idea what I was going into watching this. It had a fun little twist at the end! I'm not sure if I think it's a twist because I have no idea what goes into a draft and someone who does might see it coming, but it was unexpected for me and I liked it. Garner has NO point in the movie, though. She's the "moral compass," but whatever. Other than that, I liked it. Grade: B
Transcendence ( ) - Oh Depp...what's happened to you? This movie was...not good. Grade: D
Guardians of the Galaxy ( ) - I've watched this twice on DVD (don't even own it on DVD) and in theater...'Nough said. Grade: A
They Came Together ( ) - I can't tell if I like this movie or not. LoL I can see why the reviews are mixed...It was really different than a normal rom-com and almost tongue-in-cheek...? I don't know. It's different, but I watched it fascinated by it and I liked Poehler's and Rudd's chemistry. Still a really weird rom-com... Grade: C/C+
Dom Hemingway ( ) - Not what I expected it to be...I like Jude Law, but that's just about it...It's rough to watch. Grade: D
Need for Speed ( ) - I should know better than to rent a racing movie that I hadn't heard of before...Car scenes were cool, I guess. Grade: D
The Railway Man ( ) - Rented this because it was Firth and Kidman in it. I had no idea what it was about, but I liked it. I thought it was a good acting job on everyone's part. It is a little slow and has some other small issues, but I liked it. Grade: B-
Non-Stop ( ) - You know it's a forgettable movie when I can't even remember who's IN this movie, let alone what it's about. I like Taken, but Neeson has got to stop these type of films! They keep getting worse the more he does...With that said, I still enjoy watching Neeson kick butt :P Grade: C
Snowpiercer ( ) - What a unique film...Not sure what to expect from it, but Chris wanted to see it and it was getting good reviews. It's like a dystopia movie for adults. It's good acting on Evans part and the story was interesting. It's an action film, but it works with what it has on the train (it takes place on a train). I'm still confused about what I really watched (I should rewatch it), but it's good...? I don't know. It's weird. Grade: C+
The Fault in Our Stars - D'awww...The book made me cry. The movie made me cry. I feel like I'm complete now with TFIOS. It does a good adaptation of the book. It has heart. Grade: B
Neighbors - Just what I expected it to be. There were funny scenes in it, but always ends up with some sort of "soft" message at the end. The scene at the end with Effron and Rogen modeling outside Abercrombie and Fitch (I think it was A&F) is hilarious... Grade: C
Sex Tape - Diaz needs to pick better rom-coms...I didn't even like Diaz's and Segel's chemistry... Grade: D
Chef -Wanted to watch this in theater, but Chris didn't want to. Got to watch it and it met my expectations. It's a cute film and I liked it from start to stop. My only problem with it is the heart-warming story is marred by the innuendos. They're not as bad as a comedy like Neighbors, but it's not entirely appropriate for this type of film. It feels a little awkward. With that said, I still immensely enjoyed the movie even with the cussing and innuendos. Grade: B
The Prince - This was another "What film was this?" Even after reading the synopsis, I still have troubles remembering it... Grade: D
Hercules - Well...it could have been worse, but it could have been lots better. I don't like Dwayne Johnson in these types of films... With that said, the story progression was a different take. Still...nope. Grade: D
Mr. Peabody and Sherman - Another good animation this year. New animations are just so much better than the sequels, though. I liked this. I thought it was fun. Grade: B
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - Eh. Not as good as the first one, but I do enjoy watching the style of the movie. Grade: C-
Earth to Echo - A cuter version of E.T. Mostly. Pretty much. Basically, E.T. + kids filming the adventure themselves + growing up and moving away from your best friends. Other than that...it was slow and didn't hold my attention well. Grade: D
The Expendables 3 - What you'd expect. Grade: C
Tammy - Kind of a disappointment. I expected more from it. Tammy was rather unlikeable in the beginning so that didn't help things at all... Then the whole story was kind of like, "What?" Grade: D
The Giver - Didn't read the book so I can't compare to it or any other version, but...It was okay? My immediate thought was, "Is The Giver the original dystopia novel?!" Eh. Grade: D+
The Hundred-Foot Journey - I wanted to see all the food movies this year. LoL I knew this was a DVD rental, though. This was a good movie. It's predictable. It's not taxing. It's just a good, solid film. I liked the acting. I liked the story. I liked the cooking. It's cute. It might be a little slow, but it works for the way it's set-up. Grade: B
Let's Be Cops - Silly from start to stop, but I did like the end and where they ended up. Grade: C-
Jersey Boys - Basically the male version of Dreamgirls. I haven't seen the play. It was okay...I think Dreamgirls is better, though Grade: C
When the Game Stands Tall - It wasn't terrible, but I'm still not quite sure what the point of the movie was. Was it supposed to show the kids got through the loss, picked themselves up, and still triumphed? I don't know. Grade: D+/C-
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Er. It could have been worse? LoL Grade: D+
And So It Goes - Kind of a mind boggling film with good actors. Was this supposed to be a rom-com like As Good As it Gets? If so, it failed by a LOT. If not, I have no idea what this was supposed to be. It was too heavy of a film... Grade: D
The November Man - Not terrible, but I expected more from it considering it was sort of Bond-like... Grade: C-
Blended - This was listed in the "forgettable movies of 2014." Granted, it's forgettable. On the other hand, it was kind of cute too. It's quirky and kind of suffers from things here-and-there, but it was cute. It wasn't as bad as I thought it could have been. Grade: D+/C-
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn - Don't bother...LoL If you're going to watch a Robin Williams movie, don't watch this one... Grade: D
The Spectacular Now - Old movie from a few years ago that I wanted to watch, but never got to watch. It's a coming of age movie. Wasn't terrible. Wasn't great. Grade: C-
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Oh The Hobbit...At least you were better than the Desolation of Smaug. Unfortunately, you only had two cool scenes in you the entire time. And Legolas had the worst most memorable line in the movie. LoL I'll still buy you in extended DVD and watch you again, but LotR is much better and I'll keep watch the first one more instead. Grade: C+
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 - I think the movies are good adaptations of the books. Catching Fire is still my favorite movie, though. This movie was good, but I don't like the place Katniss is in emotionally and mentally. It grates on my nerves. So this movie wasn't as enjoyable as I'd like, but I still liked it. Grade: C+/B-
Big Hero 6 - This is one of my favorite movies of the year. It's so cute! It's a good film. Good for older children, but also good for adults. I enjoyed it and I liked the heart in it. I'm clueless, though, because I had no idea it was a super hero movie till you got the "aha" for why it's called Big Hero 6. Derp on me. Grade: A
The Equalizer - Kind of like Taken in a different vein. It was an interesting watch. It is violent, but it is good. Grade: B
Fury - What a good film, but it was sad. It was good acting and the depiction of war was good. I thought everyone did a good job in this and I wasn't sure about some of the actors. Grade: B+
The Maze Runner - Didn't read the book, but I liked the movie. I thought they did a good job. The girl was kind of useless as the fact she was a girl (not as a body), but I'm sure she'll have a stronger role down the road. Grade: C+
Speed Racer - OLD movie, but I never watched it before! This is Chris's boss's favorite movie so he lent it to us. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The style of the movie was interesting too. Grade: C
Pitch Black - Now I'm really going back in time...I saw Riddick this year, which I highly enjoyed. I hadn't watched Pitch Black, though, which is the first Riddick film. So I watched it. I like it. The scene when he rotates his arms around is NUTS, though! Grade: C
The Interview - The last movie of 2014 I watched. Watched this Christmas Eve when it was available to rent digitally. It was what I expected it to be. It had some funny scenes and, of course, it has its "touching" side. It was mostly "eh." It met my expectations. Grade: C-
There it is! 103 movies! Movie year recap will be coming up...I will actually do one this year unlike last year where I drafted it and never posted it. :P
I've already watched 2 movies this year: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Boyhood. I'll post those later.
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