I had high hopes in this film, mostly due to Michael C. Hall and Lucy Liu (and the amount of “wheats” on the poster, honestly), but it wasn’t any good. Perhaps I’m overlooking something because the moral or running theme wasn’t executed well enough, but this seemed like several unfinished or rushed stories thrown together into a ninety-minute film. The ending was predictably happy, but without any real feeling of climax because nothing built up to it. There were no redeeming aspects to speak of here, unfortunately.
The Trouble With Bliss.

This was a surprisingly great sequel to two films I grew up loving. Will Smith can do no wrong. It stayed true to the originals down to the score, was funny, and didn’t need CGI overload to over-compensate for a lacking script.
Men in Black 3.

This was almost a generic rehashing of Blue Valentine in many ways, though the main theme focuses on something said in a shower amongst married women: “They like new things; new things are shiny!” to which an older woman responds, “New things get old.” The sad focus of mundane married life is not a new plot, of course, and the only saving grace to this particular film about it is Michelle Williams, who really steals the spotlight the entire time. Between her forbidden love interest coming on way too strong and Seth Rogen being completely incapable of successfully pulling off a dramatic role, she shines in a way that is almost mesmerizing. Being one of the most beautiful women on the planet and one of our time’s greatest actresses, you really just stare in awe at her extraordinary acting skills and adorable mannerisms. As her character grows discontent over her vaguely poor marriage and falls for a man who draws her in over a vague connection, it is only her acting that gives this otherwise substanceless story the illusion of depth. Simply put, this is not a terrible film in the slightest, but Michelle was way too good for it.
Take This Waltz.

I can’t get enough Jason Segel. I went and saw this by myself tonight and it was as cute and hilarious as I anticipated, albeit not the most creative or spectacular romantic comedy I’ve ever seen. Jason Segel was as great as ever and while Emily Blunt was an unlikely candidate for lead female, she actually was quite adorable and pulled it off pretty well. It’s sad to see this doing so poorly in the box office.
The Five-Year Engagement.

This was super adorable and awesome. To my surprise, they took something I grew up with and loved and didn’t ruin it by overly modernizing it. It was just about perfect, probably in part due to the genius and natural cuteness of Jason Segel, who co-wrote and starred in it. The songs were incredible, the self-satirizing not too over-the-top, and the cameos tasteful. I love when something I adored as a kid is brought back in a way that makes it seem as though it grew up with me.
The Muppets.

Despite being his first film that doesn’t rely on trickery and pranks, this was fucking hilarious. Great closing commentary on the illusion of democracy here in America, too.
The Dictator.

Thanks! Let me know which ones you wind up totally loving!

Grace forced me to watch this last night. I really, really love musicals, but this one was oftentimes too over-the-top and the songs weren’t all that great. For the most part, I enjoyed it, but “Springtime For Hitler” was the only song that was enjoyable.
The Producers.

I have no idea how such a monumentally bizarre and awful team-up such as Jim Henson, George Lucas, and David Bowie ever came to be, but it wound up resulting in one of the most wonderfully terrible family films of the ’80s. I hadn’t seen this since I was a child until tonight and nothing about it made sense one bit. It’s just one of those films so bad, that you enjoy every second of laughing at it. David Bowie was incredibly creepy the entire time, as he held a baby captive from a young and very attractive Jennifer Connelly. and the puppetry was very creepy.
Labyrinth.

This was a really beautiful, heavy film. Tackling both the struggle of being a lesbian and being so in a predominantly black community, I thought they really captured it with realism and a graceful sensitivity. This is definitely an important one and I think everyone should check it out as soon as they can.
Pariah.

This small, beautifully shot independent film about two Japanese siblings visiting America for two weeks was really sweet and real in an almost painful way. After getting stuck in a small, middle-of-nowhere town in Texas, the girl, Atsuko, winds up becoming enamored with the beautiful and the ugly she finds in the American youths she winds up meeting, and the film itself winds up displaying how people can find connections despite coming from different cultures, different parts of the world, and even despite speaking different languages. I hated the character Cory and the kid who played him because his acting was terrible. Fortunately, it didn’t steal from anything and you still wind up feeling somewhat bad for him. This was definitely a great little story about what short-lived experiences and beauty can exist when you are taken out of your element.
Littlerock.

This classically indie film about a boy genius test tube baby was super cute and funny, bordering on Wes Anderson type greatness. I loved it.
Jesus Henry Christ.

This film about love and distance made my heart swell up pretty badly. Much like Blue Valentine, though admittedly not as good, it told a subtle story of the overwhelmingly hopeful beginnings to love that oftentimes gradually dissolve for one reason or another, or no reason in particular, into nothingness. Distance can exist, after all, even when you’re right next to one another. The ending was devastatingly real. It also made me really angry at borders and immigration/visa laws. The acting was superb and I really liked the music that popped up here and there: some Figurine at a party, some Tallest Man On Earth in their hotel. Good movie, after all. I’m glad I gave it a chance. And I think I officially really like Anton Yelchin.
Like Crazy.

After being told repeatedly by dozens of people to see this, and after coincidentally being brought up around me over and over again over the last two years, I finally gave this Pixar film a shot. I’m not sure why I even waited so long. It was, like, too cute; almost too cute to handle, honestly. I also loved the commentary on the potential future of mankind if we continue our lazy, unsustainable, technology-obsessed ways. What really set this one apart from other Pixar films is that is bravely relied solely on storyline and emotion, having almost no dialog whatsoever. I loved it.
WALL-E.

What a wonderfully, adorably cheesy romantic comedy filled with absurd love-at-first-sight scenarios, unrealistically happy turnouts, and a climactic culmination of outrageously dramatic gestures of love. I definitely have a soft spot for these sorts of films because of ones like this.
Love, Actually.