Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

This is such a weird movie. It's quirky, obvious in its intentions, and never plays it straight. I can't say I enjoyed it. The movie has a decent start, but it turns into nothing but action sequences that are completely boring. I didn't like the characters at all, the visuals were mediocre, and the movie was just too wacky for my tastes. It will keep the kids entertained, but it has nothing to keep the adults from sleeping out of pure boredom. There's no heart or soul in it. Babysit the kids with it while you do something worth your time. Like going to another room and watching a Pixar movie.

Gamer

Look up the definition of mediocre and you'll probably find Gamer in there somewhere. It has plenty of potential that gets squandered by the directors and their "style". I think the cameraman might have been having a seizure when he filmed this because the camera never stops moving and it is nauseating at times. Throw in poorly developed characters (other than a couple brief flashbacks there isn't any character development at all) and thinly outlined character motivations and you get a movie that is all style and no substance. The acting is all meh, with Michael C. Hall going completely over the top in a hilarious performance (good or bad, I'm not sure). This could have been a thought-provoking and disturbing film about the ramifications of all this on society, but instead it is a poorly constructed action film with a strong premise being muddled in the background.

Surrogates

A very intriguing premise that seems plausible later on in the future. I find that kind of eerie. The films ideas are basically the background for a predictable whodunit, but I thought the movie was enjoyable and certainly isn't the action movie its advertising campaign is making it out to be. It's very dialogue driven and I thought the sci-fi ideas presented were enough to carry the movie. It doesn't completely follow through on its premise (this could have been an outstanding movie), but like I said you most likely won't be bored. The acting isn't great, but it isn't bad either. If you want a semi thought-provoking and enjoyable thriller then this is your ticket.

The Hurt Locker

It's amazing that such a film about war can have no politics whatsoever, have very little in the way of an actual plot arc, and yet still completely satisfy. Kathryn Bigelow did such a fantastic job directing this movie. It has top-notch action sequences with tension dripping from every scene, great acting from a pretty unknown cast of actors, and has that feeling of "being there" from the start. The movie is pretty long, and it isn't always an "enjoyable" movie in the sense that we normally think, but it is a great film, and one that stands as top 2009 material. This movie will not be forgotten anytime soon. I actually think it will be remembered long after most of 2009 has been forgotten.

A Perfect Getaway

It has a nice start and I really enjoyed the first hour where they set up everything and let you pick & choose who you think the killer is, but as soon as the reveal starts and they get into the conventional slasher parts it gets tiresome, boring, and predictable. The screenwriters also apparently have no respect for their audiences intelligence because they spend an agonizing amount of time in flashbacks explaining everything up until that point when it was completely obvious how they did it. They could have shaved off 15-20 minutes of the movie and it would have made for a tighter and leaner movie. The pacing might not have been as erratic. I really liked that first hour so it isn't getting a horrible score overall, but the rest of the movie sucks. Just goes to show that something can go wrong even when you had so much going for you along the way.

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli is a cool, intoxicating post-apocalyptic action movie with a spiritual message that doesn't bog it down. Even those who aren't religious that I've talked to have enjoyed it which speaks for itself. No one is cooler in this kind of role than Denzel Washington and he does a solid job, while Gary Oldman gets back to playing the bad guys he used to be known for. He plays it straight and doesn't go over the top, so we believe in his character from the get go. Mila Kunis doesn't do much other than look pretty, but that is all the movie asks of her. There's strong support from a few others as well. The movie gets a little ridiculous towards the end and it is a little hard to swallow, but until then this is an engaging and thought-provoking movie with some great cinematography and bleak atmosphere that draws the viewer in from the get go. It's quite entertaining too, just in case that is what you are looking for.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

The Goods is one of those movies you unabashedly enjoy on an entertainment level, but you realize you might be losing a few brain cells along the way. The movie is crude, rude, offensive, but it is still occasionally funny in those ways. It's a guilty pleasure sort of movie, and I admit to liking it in that way, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's just not a recommendable movie. You know if you like these kind of movies, and if you do The Goods will satisfy. If you don't, stay far, far away as The Goods will probably make you want to vomit on the people that inspired it. I will say though, that all the actors looked like they were having a good time, and it rubs off on the viewer.

Daybreakers

A bloody and entertaining vampire movie with an interesting story that is pretty intriguing. The ending kind of leaves you hanging and I don't know if there will be a sequel or not, but it is certainly a possibility. I found the beginning parts more interesting because of the questions that arise from the premise since the latter parts revolve more around action, but I enjoyed both parts still. The acting is decent by the cast, with Dafoe seemingly having the most fun with his part of the mains. It has tons of graphic violence (it is a rated R vampire movie) and some people that I went with were turned off by that, but I loved the B movie moments. Daybreakers was a decent way to start off the year, especially in the dumping ground that January usually is.

The Final Destination

This is the first Final Destination movie that I've seen all the way through (I've seen parts of number 3 on TV) and it was still exactly as I expected. Predictable, disposable horror movie that has bad dialogue, cheesy moments, and is completely absurd from start to finish. After about the first 10 minutes I kind of settled in knowing that this is how the movie was going to be and enjoyed it for what it was, but I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. I didn't watch the movie in 3-D, but I guarantee it wouldn't add anything to my enjoyment of the movie.

9

It's nice to see a darker and more mature animated film with stunning visuals. We need more of these to break the thought that animated films are just for children (although Pixar has been battling this for a decade now). 9 has its problems, like a thin story and a reliance on action over character development, but it is an enjoyable adventure that has great atmosphere and I liked the story despite there being very little of it. The previously mentioned action is very good. 9's visuals do seem to have a lot of Burton in them and the movie has all the kinetic energy of a Bekmambetov picture (they were both producers). Those looking for great visuals and action will get what they are looking for, while those looking for a great story should probably stick to Pixar (for now).

Paranormal Activity

This is what I'm talking about. A horror movie that actually feels real and frightening. I rarely get scared by movies, but this one got to me. I watched it by myself at night and that seems to be the best way to do it if you want to scare the crap out of yourself. The acting is entirely convincing and the minimalist approach to the film-making works. This is one of the best horror movies I've seen in a very long time.