I know it’s a tad late, being that January is coming to a close soon, however, it’s not too for me to share my cinema likes and dislikes from 2007. I would generally say that I judge movies based on whether or not I was kept entertained, then if it failed, met, or exceeded my expectations. So that’s how I’ll share my opinions; sporadically and with an inconsistent measuring stick. Enjoy!
Arranged by release date:
The Messengers
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Somewhat; it had it’s moments of excitement and chills.
Recommended: Probably, if it were for some reason free.
Ghost Rider
Expectation: Met
Entertained: I got in for free; I still miss those precious lost moments.
Recommended: Maybe for military torture; but only if its for the good of the nation.
Wild Hogs
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Shamefully; it was royally dumb, but I couldn’t help but enjoy myself. It was actually pretty funny.
Recommended: Yeah, in rental. Don’t expect too much.
Zodiac
Expectation: Met
Entertained: If I didn’t love David Fincher’s work, I’d probably have become bored at some point through the movie- it was long. However, being as it is, I enjoyed myself and got what I wanted out of Fincher.
Recommended: Yes, especially if you’re a fan of his previous stuff (se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room).
300
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Yeah, I enjoyed myself, it just should have been better.
Recommended: Yes
Reign Over Me
Expectation: Blown out of the water.
Entertained: I cried. Adam Sandler does his job way better when he’s not trying to make me laugh.
Recommended: Absolutely.
Blades of Glory
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Yes, it was funny, but no where near as funny as their premise allowed for.
Recommended: Only if you can put up with needlessly lewd humor.
The Lookout
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Yes. Joseph Gordon-Levitt did an awesome job as the lead and it was great pretty much every time he was on screen. Beyond that though, we’ve kind of seen the story already and the rest of the package was only mediocre.
Recommended: Eh, sure
Meet the Robinsons
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Not really
Recommended: It’s not worth the rental
Disturbia
Expectation: Seriously met
Entertained: Crap yes; the characters were seriously believable, the situation wasn’t too far fetched. It did a great job keeping you on the edge of your seat and Shia, he did an awesome job.
Recommended: Yes, emphatic, yes!
Hot Fuzz
Expectations: Failed
Entertained: Only for the last few minutes. The mock-action movie shtick was pointless because it only described the last few minutes of the movie.
Recommended: Unless you’re a fan of the troop, no.
The Invisible
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: By how bad it was.
Recommended: No way
Next
Hahahahaha
Spider-Man 3
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Yup; it was funny, exciting, cool and in the end pretty satisfying.
Recommended: Yeah, but don’t expect the Mona Lisa on screen, she won’t be there.
28 Weeks Later
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Yes, it was good second installment. I found that I cared about the characters and easily got involved with their situations.
Recommended: Sure
The Ex
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Yes, but it was hard to watch. It was in the same vein as Meet the Parents in that things just kept going wrong for the main guy, so much so that it almost hurt.
Recommended: Good date movie
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Only so much that it finished out the trilogy and wrapped some stuff up. Jack Sparrow lost his appeal, the spontaneous wit from the first move was gone by the third.
Recommended: If you’ve seen the first two
1408
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: It was genuinely scary. Cusak did an awesome job and it had a good word buried under the thrills.
Recommended: Yes
Evan Almighty
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Not so much
Recommended: No
Live Free or Die Hard
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Definitely; tons of fun action. It’s nice to see them let Bruce Willis just go nuts with a ridiculous character.
Recommended: For sure
Transformers
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Again, Shia is awesome, the action and effects were cool, and the soundtrack was totally epic.
Recommended: Of course
Joshua
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Very, it was slow, but characters and situations were so ominous, however pacing wise, it was slow. The photography was excellent.
Recommended: Unless you have an affinity for film photography, probably not.
Hairspray
Expectation: Met
Entertained: I love musicals, and this one was through and through
Recommended: Get the sing along version.
Sunshine
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Yeah, but it felt really incomplete; like they poorly adapted a graphic novel.
Recommended: No
The Simpsons Movie
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: They did a great job taking genuine Simpsons humor and putting it in a full length movie plot. It didn’t seem like a really long episode and good thing! I also appreciated that it was, by and large, pretty clean.
Recommended: Yes
The Borne Ultimatum
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Like the rest in the series, it was awesome. Really compelling and tons of fun. Plus, its great cause Jason so satisfyingly stays one step ahead, all the time.
Recommended: Watch the first two first.
Hot Rod
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Lots of good belly laughs. Nothing too crude. Stupid, it’s unrelentingly stupid, but in a witty, creative way.
Recommended: Yes, watch it with friends.
Stardust
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Yeah, it was fun and funny
Recommended: Yeah, but you gotta be okay with cheese.
Superbad
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Unfortunately. Michael Cera was really good, but it was so raunchy that I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy most of it.
Recommended: No way.
3:10 to Yuma
Expectation: Blown away
Entertained: Thoroughly. Maybe the only meaningful, powerful, thrilling, western I’ve ever seen. Everyone does an awesome job.
Recommended: Definitely.
Across the Universe
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Marginally; the music was good but strung together in a relatively incoherent manner.
Recommended: Eh
Trade
Expectation: Obliterated
Entertained: That’s not a good word, really. It was truly powerful and thought provoking. Marvelously acted. I cried through a good third of the movie.
Recommended: Yes, but it’s heavy. You need to be ready to consider what the movie is bringing to you. It’s not just for fun.
Darjeeling Limited
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: It was genuinely funny, not too slow, I cared about the characters and their relationships to each other. I could have done without the sex.
Recommended: Yeah, but start it 15 minutes in. You’ll miss the gratuitous nudity.
Gone Baby Gone
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Yeah, Casey Affleck did a great job and I liked the outcome.
Recommended: Yes
Martian Child
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Definitely; everyone did an awesome job. The story was touching, but not hokey.
Recommended: Definitely
No Country for Old Men
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Definitely, the movie was genuinely chilling and thrilling. Although it was gory in the beginning, they stopped showing it unnecessarily once they got the point across (unlike others, i.e. Pan’s Labyrinth)
Recommended: Yes
Beowulf
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Yeah, kind of.
Recommended: Probably if its free
August Rush
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Only a little cause I liked the music; but by and large it was just cheesy without much to say for it.
Recommended: No
Hitman
Expectation: Failed… miserably
Entertained: I forgot what movie we’re talking about
Recommended: Only if it can be refined into an alternate fuel source.
The Mist
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Definitely, it looks the way books do in my head when I read them. The effects were sometimes sub-par, but I enjoyed the photography.
Recommended: No, you’ll be disappointed with the ending.
Juno
Expectation: Met
Entertained: Definitely. Really funny, moving, and treating a serious topic with a lot of respect while still making us laugh.
Recommended: Yes
I Am Legend
Expectation: Failed
Entertained: Yeah, I enjoyed Will Smith in the roll and it did keep me thrilled. However, with the plot they had, they could have taken the movie for three hours and I would have stuck with it. As is, they cut it short and it felt forced.
Recommended: Not really
Sweeney Todd
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Oh yeah, I love musicals, I love Tim Burton, I love Johnny Depp. Recipe for success. The atmosphere was awesome, music was awesome. Gore was whimsical and obviously artificial, which made it easier for me to watch.
Recommended: Yeah, but you need to okay with a lot of fake blood.
There Will Be Blood
Expectation: Exceeded
Entertained: Thoroughly; everyone did an awesome job and the characters were legitimately interesting.
Recommended: Yes
