* = Terrible
** = Had some redeeming qualities, but probably would not watch again.
*** = Recommended movie with some flaws.
**** = Perfection
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas *
Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. No plot. No humor. No anything.
The King’s Speech ****
As someone who went through six years of speech therapy, I really appreciated this film. Simply outstanding film.
Black Swan **
There was a lot I liked about this film, but I’m not sure how much the average viewer got out of it. I spent a lot of my youth around ballet as my sister danced for years (including en pointe), and understood all the competition, drama, and dedication dancers went through. Without that background, I feel like this film may have missed the mark for most people. Regardless, that shouldn’t influence my rating. A lot of the symbolism was bashed over our heads without much subtlety: we get it, she’s transforming, you don’t need to change her leotard colors to gradually get darker. On another note, the scene at the end when she was the Black Swan and the costume transformed into feathers and wings was amazing. I had to watch it around ten times in a row just to fully comprehend how awesome it was. All of this combined? A solid two stars. The plot was otherwise “meh.”
Milk ***
Milk was a film that was great film. A few annoying narrative choices and a plot that tried to cover too much in the allotted time, but was overall solid.
The Thin Man ***
A classic detective film that took a little too long to finally hit the main plot, and had far too many characters to keep track of. Their motives were often poorly explained and never really felt connected to anybody in the movie. I realize the sequels are superior, but I figured I would start at the beginning.
Casino ***
A gritty and flashy film that makes no bones about what it is, I enjoyed this flick. However, it didn’t realize when it should finish up and went for about an hour longer than it really needed to.
Gran Torino **
Clint Eastwood was great in this film, and that’s about it. The plot was mediocre at best.
City of God ***
Not entirely sure how I feel about this one. It just feels like two stars. I enjoyed it; I’d watch it again, but I never really felt that connected to the plot or its characters.
Léon: The Professional ***
Much better than La Femme Nikita, but Portman’s role was a little too sexualized and unbelievable to make this a four-star film.
Fargo ****
Throughout this film I kept wishing it was longer than just ninety minutes, because I was enjoying it too much for it to end. But when it was over, I realized it was the perfect length and ended precisely when it should have.
Another Earth **
Good plot. Not enough Sci-Fi.
Nikky's Notes 