I saw a pitiful number of movies last quarter. That was mostly due to moving to Mexico where the theaters, which are actually nicer than you might think, usually don’t offer a particularly thrilling lineup. Not having Netflix was killer, too.
A
Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness – I started a blog series breaking down each of the six parts of this film that give lessons from long-ago deceased philosophers on how to live a life of happiness. It was highly enjoyable and I’d encourage anyone to watch it.
A-
Contagion – I really liked this. Basically about the response to a virus wreaking havoc on humanity. Great cast and script.
Resurrecting the Champ – Samuel L. Jackson plays a homeless former boxer that becomes the focus of an up-and-coming journalist’s career piece. I was surprised at how good this was.
Neds – Great Scottish film about Non-Educated Delinquents. Neds exposes the failings of certain social systems like education and family life through the story of one young delinquent. You may want to try this one with the subtitles on though, the English being spoken in the movie was at times inaudible.
End of America – Pretty awesome film pointing out some of the ways the Bush administration paralleled the tactics used by totalitarian governments to undermine the freedom of society. You can watch it here.
The Crash of 1929 – Documentary film about U.S. society leading up to the stock market crash of 1929 and the various factors that caused the crash. Really fascinating. Made me feel bad for the people back then because they were all just such total suckers without a clue. Makes me wonder what will cause people to say that about us in another 80 years. A lot, I’m sure.
B+
Dream House – A poor man’s Shutter Island and I love me some Shutter Island.
Jack and Jill – About as dumb as a movie gets, but it had me laughing quite a bit.
C
War of the Worlds (2005) – Just seemed so one-dimensional. Tom Cruise running from aliens for 120 minutes. That was the whole film.
D+
Killer Elite – Ugh this was just dreadful. I can almost hear the production meetings “let’s get De Niro, Clive, and Stratham and just blow a lot of shit up, it’s like guaranteed $40 mil box office right?” “Yea Jim, sounds great, let’s run with this one!”
D-
Shark Night – I feel dirty having participated in the consumer experience of buying a ticket to see this.
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