#510 - Harold and Maude

Harold and Maude is a film in which the only reason I would have ever heard of it was through constant requesting by my one friend Dan. Unfortunately for me, Dan was wrong about the quality of the film. The film is extremely odd and the plot makes no sense at all. The film does not make me feel any emotions for the characters and the way in which the story is told is poorly done. Plus the way in which there becomes a romance between our two central characters. I give the film 3.5 stars just to make Dan happy.

#509 - The Jerk

The Jerk is a film starring Steve Martin and tells the story of a man who was raised by a poor black family. The film is really quite funny and Steve Martin's acting in incredible. The whole plot until the end of the film works well and tells a nice and complete story. There is not much else to say about the film but it is a good film but is not the greatest film ever. The one place that it fails is that a lot of the things that happen call for a lot of suspension of disbelief especially when Martin makes a large amount of cash over a simple invention. I give the film 4/5 stars.

#508 - Shrek Forever After

Shrek Forever After, the fourth and final film in the series, tells a 'what if' story. The film is a much better then the previous installment when it comes to the villain. Rumpelstiltskin was much better then Charming. The main way is in the fact that the final plan to get rid of Shrek is much better then a play, Charming's plan. The film is not overly funny which I feel some people will be complaining about but it seems that the plot of this film actually would have been worse if there was more humor involved in the film. I feel that this film is a great way to the end of the series. I give the film 3/5 stars because of the fact that the minor characters we have learned to love barely had a place in the film.

#507 - Marnie

Marnie is a film starring Sean Connery and is directed by the famous director Alfred Hitchcock. The film centers around a girl who after a horrible childhood. The film is a good study of the girl's psyche and that after Connery's taking her in how she slowly deteriorates until what actually happened is revealed. Once it is revealed I have to say that the revelation is actually very shocking and I did not at all see it coming. As with most Hitchcock film this film kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. It was well directed because of the fact that the actors' performances are amazing. In general this film could have been better though in the pacing of the film. I give the film 3.5/5 stars.

#506 - Predator

Predator is one of the two classic alien horror films and brings the govanator into an incredible role that has many quotable lines to the public. The film has a good plot but as was my complaint with Friday the 13th as each if the different characters die off we begin to not care about the deaths as much because we don't learn enough about them. The one thing that I fully enjoyed the plot of the film. The fact that the plot has them in the field for some unknown reason makes the film's plot into a stereotypical film but it works with the villain's central motive. I give the film 3.5/5 stars.

#505 - There's Something About Mary

There's Something About Mary is a classic rom-com starring Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller. The film is very funny but a lot of the funniest moments are ruined by the different 'funniest scenes' or 'best comedies' montages or the commercials for it on TV. The moments were still amusing but I think that if I had seen the film live in theaters when it first came out they may have been funnier. The acting by Stiller and Diaz is amazing. The plot twist involving Stiller's friend is also great and the whole plot involving Dillon is incredible. I give the film 3.5/5 stars.

#504 - MacGruber

MacGruber is the latest film based of a sketch from SNL. The film retains the stars of the sketches and is not that great. The film's main humor comes from a very poor location. Most all of it is potty humor or sexual humor and all comes from Will Forte's mouth. The main humor comes straight from Kristin Wiig who plays the sidekick to the bumbling hero. The plot works if the film was actually a thriller but being it a comedy it needs serious improvement in order to be taken serious in my book. The acting, or in this film comedic time, is amazing all of the actors timing is great but the writing needed improvement. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#503 - Robin Hood (2010)

The new Robin Hood stars Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett and takes a different look at the famous archer. Instead of the regular Robin Hood fights the Sheriff of Nottingham instead they decided to make the French into deceiving bastards who have their eye on power, Crowe works as Robin Hood but I dislike the fact that they don't make him start off as Robin of Locksley but they have to go through other means to get him to be that. I personally would have preferred to see the typical Robin Hood storyline and not this one but the writers have a right to do what ever they want. The the one thing they should have done was to tell the back story through other ways besides the title cards. I give the film 2.5/5 stars because of my disapproval of the plot.

#502 - Resident Evil

Resident Evil is the first in the line of four films based off the video game series. It stars Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. The film has a good plot and good special effects. The acting on the other hand feels weak and forced by the actors. The ending was incredible and either is based off the stereotypical zombie scene or started it and it is incredible in every possible way. The film does make me care for some of the characters which most of the best known horror films fail to do. After the shut down of the central computer and we are down to about five people we begin to fully care for the characters. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#501 - Poltergeist

Poltergeist is a classic horror film about a family whose house gets infested by ghosts. The film has a good story and it works well. The problem was that the plot of the movie is exactly like an episode of Family Guy and I couldn't help but think of that episode throughout my viewing. The acting was okay and the effects for the time were excellent. I was shocked to ee Craig T Nelson in the film. I was unaware that he had one of the central roles int he film. I cannot think of anything else to say about the film but I give the film 3/5 stars.

#500 - The Dead Pool

The Dead Pool is not only the 500th film I've seen this past year but it is also the last film in the Dirty Harry saga. Like numbers two and three this film seems to be a slight waste of time for Harry's specific talents. Harry seems to be becoming a celebrity in his own universe to the point that a journalist seems to be only interested in him. The film centers around the case of a dead celebrity. This film seemed to have a need to toss as many celebrities as possible into the film. For one Liam Neeson is involved and then we get a small guest appearance by Jim Carrey and we even have Patricia Clarkson as the nosey reprorter. Overall this film was not the way for the series to end but it was decent film. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#499 - Sudden Impact

Out of the first four Dirty Harry's Sudden Impact, like the first film, has a depth that requires Harry's intervention. Unlike number one though this film is set up more as a vengeance story then as a typical cop story. Harry as usual is incredibly awesome but it seems that for some reason the murders that keep piling up end up being immediately placed on Harry as the prime suspect. The cinematography in this film is also much better then in parts 2 and 3 of Harry's saga with the lighting used perfectly for the method in which the film is being used. The story is much better in this version and the fact that instead of a simple chase film it ends up being an actual police investigation. Overall the film is not quite as good as the original but much better then the last two films. I give the film 3.5/5 stars.

#498 - The Enforcer

The Enforcer is the third Dirty Harry film and involves some eco-terrorists who are plotting against the city of San Fransisco. It may just be me but eco-terrorists are not exactly on the same level as a rapist or serial killer. It may just be me but Harry's time could be used someplace else. It was nice to see harry with a rookie inspector, played by Tyne Daly, who ended up being his equal in many ways. I would have actually liked to perhaps see her in other films but for some reason (sorry this is a bit of a spoiler) they kill her off at the end of the movie. The film seems to move to slow for me. No real action with the case ends up happening till there are 30 minutes left in the film. Clint as usual is awesome in the film but the plot needed some serious improvement to be a great Dirty Harry film. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#497 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

The third Turtles film is probably the worst of the three films in that they made too many changes and did not seem to work well in the saga. It was nice to see Casey brought back after a lapse of a film. The fact that the filmmaker changed the way in which the turtles look makes them more cartoonish and not as cool as they did in the previous films. They also made the personalities of the turtles more like stoners then warriors. The addition of time travel just seemed to be a way for them to deal with the turtles without the Shredder coming up with a deadly plot against them. Splinter also seemed to get a makeover that was not exactly better then his look before and he does not even seem to move from the location in which he is placed. The film could have used a lot of improvement and the acting should have been one of the first things that needs improvement. I give the film 2.5/5 stars.

#496 - The Odd Couple (1968)

The Odd Couple is a film starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matheau and tells about two very different roommates who end up living there after Lemmon's character gets divorced from his wife. The film is meant to be a comedy but is not extremely funny. The main source of comedy seems to come from Lemmon and Matheau's interactions throughout the apartment. Lemmon though has the most humor as Felix, the health and cleaning nut. The supporting cast of the four poker buddies also add into the humor of the film a bit but mostly the film gets it from Lemmon. The final scenes seem to be quite touching and are very interesting in the sense that even though we see Oscar going crazy from Felix's antics. I give the film 3.5/5 stars.

#495 - Friday the 13th (1980)

So Friday the 13th is one of the three classic slasher films that introduces us to the Voorhes family at Camp Crystal Lake. The film is not amazing and it would have been much better if the group of characters were not killed off so quickly in the first hour and that we were left with only two characters for the last half hour. It would have been better if they had it more into a chase instead of BAM Sharon's dead, BAM Bill's dead, etc. within 30 minutes. The characters themselves did not seem to be that great either. we barely learn about them and it is hard to actually care if they end up living or dying at the end of the film. The only ways this film could be good is if there was a psychological aspect and we learned about each character. So overall this film could use some serious improvement. I give the film 2.5/5 stars.

#494 - Away We Go

Away We Go is an indie film from 2009 that stars Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski as a couple who are expecting a baby. The film looks specifically their look for a way to parent their kid. They go out and seek advice friends and family and learn mostly what they should not do. The film is good but it wasn't exactly amazing. Most other reviewers seem to consider this one of the best from 2009 but I have to disagree with them. Krasinski's character is very interesting and seems to be slightly neurotic and is quite is the opposite of his character Jim from The Office and seems more like Dwight. It was also nice that Rudolph was able to use the skills she acquired on Saturday Night Live in the movie during the story they were telling to the niece. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#493 - Capote

Capote is a sort of biopic about the famed author Truman Capote, during the writing of his last book. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and he does an amazing job of portraying the author. Now I do not know much about the author prior to my viewing of the film but from Hoffman's performance of him he seems to be a very interesting. The story of the writing of his book is intriguing and it makes you wonder how much of it is true and how much was fictionalized for the film. By the end of the film, before the boys actually confess to the murder, I actually believed that the two of them had not committed the crime. The film could have been much better though being that the film moves along at a very slow and deeply relaxed film but I think the film could have moved a long a little bit faster then the film did. overall though the acting has to be the greatest part of the film. I give the film 3.5/5 stars.

#492 - Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa is the sixth Rocky film and tells about Rocky after the death of Adrian and his return to boxing after his retirement for one last fight. The film makes Rocky into a kind hearted guy after the death of Adrian who seems to be looking into the past for an answer to what to do since she has died. The film works on that fact and it works well for the person that Rocky first came to be in our hearts. The fight seemed to be a let down even though the film didn't start the talking about the fight until about 35 minutes remaining in the film. It was nice that they spliced in the previous films into the fight though. The story worked out well and it was definitely better then the fifth film because this one seemed to have much more heart then that one. The relationship between Rocky and Lil' Marie seemed more of a romantic storyline then a friendship. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#491 - Witness

Witness is a film that has a script that is suppose to be one of the greatest scripts ever written. It stars Harrison Ford as a Philadelphia cop who has to protect this young Amish boy who has witnessed the killing of a cop. The film seems to act more as an eductional film to me then that of a drama or action film. Why you may ask? It is because of the fact that for at least 2/3rds of the movie is set at the home of the Amish boy and his family. The film works though. Ford is awesome as usual as the Philadelphia detective who has been charged to protect this young boy and the love story of the film seems a little farfetched and should have gone somewhere and not ended near the end of the film. I give the film 3.5/5 stars.

#490 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

The second Turtles movie is not quite as good as the first film but deals more with the origin of the Turtles. The new henchmen that the Shredder creates with the Ooze seem kind of ridiculous and seem to only forward the plot of the Ooze's power. The final fight in this one is much better and moves at a nice pace. The fact that they changed April's actress and entirely removed Casey from the story disturbed me. The introduction of the pizza delivery boy seemed to make it like they were willing to replace April but not Casey and needed a new male human in the mix. It was interesting that they killed off the Shredder, or at least made it look like it, to forward the plot away from the Shredder. The SuperShredder was a nice touch but they made him die off too quickly for any use. I give the film 3/5 cowabungas!

#489 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, named after the central characters does a good job of telling the origin of our favorite amphibious ninjas and their rat sensei. The film does a good job of introducing each of the characters in and it tells us a little bit about them as we go along in the film. The way in which the film goes about the story is very interesting. It does not seem to work into a very good and easy transition into the central conflict and the final battle between the Shredder and the Turtles seems to move along much too quickly. The way in which the origin story was told was interesting and it was nice that it was used in multiple flashbacks instead of just told the imagery of it makes it better. I give the film 3/5 cowabungas!

#488 - Slap Shot

Slap Shot is a hockey comedy starring Paul Newman and many other lesser known stars. The film is hysterical! The scenes in which they are actually playing hockey is had me in pain. Paul Newman is great in his role of the coach of the Chiefs and each of the individual players are amazing in their own way. The Henson brothers are incredible and I love the fact that the other characters think they are retarded until they actually get on the ice until they start pounding everything that moved. I thouroghly loved this film and every part of it and I am not at all a hockey or sports fan in any sense of the word. I give the film 4.5/5 stars for Paul Newman's absolute awesomeness..

#487 - Footloose

Footloose is an 80s film revolving around a high school senior who moves into a town where dancing is illegal. The film wasn't too bad. I have to say the best acting job was by John Lithgow as the preacher who is setting up the laws that Kevin Bacon does not believe are fair. I tried to figure out if there was a message in the film and there did not seem to be an overall message. I will admit that the film had a good musical selection and had a decent story but the film seemed slightly weak when it came to a reason all of it was going on. It just wasn't that thrilling to me. It might have been that I am not exactly a fan of dance but hey when that is what the film is all about then the film just wasn't up my alley. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#486 - Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead is the classic zombie film that started the path that Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead could follow and make fun of. The film is slightly grainy in its quality but it may have been Netflix's Instant Queue's quality of it. The plot of the film was okay and it did not take much setup to get it going. The acting was not exactly of supreme quality but it is not somehting that you would be massively worried about in this type of film. My next comment may seem racist so I am going to apologize if it offends anyone right now. So as I was going to say the film does something that is irregular to most of the horror films that I know of. It allows the central African American character survives until near the very end. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#485 - Fail-Safe

Fail-Safe is the dramatic version of the story of Dr. Strangelove . The film stars Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau. The film follows the exact same storyline that Dr. Strangelove follows but at some points it diverts to add to the drama. For instance the ambassador and U.N. representative are only heard by phone and there is much more dramatics then the film it is slightly based off. Oddly though both of the films appeared at the same time and one was a slight parody Dr. Strangelove is probably the much superior film. This film moves too slow in the set-up and when it gets into the action it takes a while till something happens. The acting is well done but Matthau seems to just be added in to be the devil's advocate in the whole scenario. I give the film 3.5/5 stars.

#484 - The NeverEnding Story

The NeverEnding Story is a classic movie that has been spoofed for years. Watching it I could not help but try and find every single issue with the film just because everything in it is just so far fetched. I am going to attempt not to tear the film too much apart because it is a good film for a children's movie. It has a clear message to believe in yourself. Here are my issues with it. First off, when we first meet Falkor and most of the other scenes with Falkor he seems to hate Atreyu. If he is so lucky then why the hell did he allow Atreyu to fall to what could have been his death, also couldn't he have just flown Atreyu all the way to the second gate rather then sit on his ass with the doctor and scientist. Second thing, the attic that Bastion is in while reading the story looks way to old to actually be in a real school. Was it suppose to be a barn or something cause they I would have believed it. Third, the racing snail and his rider had no point in the story at all. He ran there and then he vanished near the end because the nothing killed him. Fourth, it only takes a new name to heal the empress. I really wish I had that ability. Arm cut off...MY Name is Steve Now ... My hand has returned. If that was an actually healing method so many doctors would be out of work that our unemployment would be massive. I am not gonna say anything else because this post would be so long that it would take about a month to read it. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#483 - Fletch

Fletch is a comedy by Chevy Chase and it deals with a undercover journalist and the mystery that he gets caught up in. The film is not bad. It is not fully hysterical but it is funny at moments. The plot of the film works well and it kept me hanging throughout the film. Normally with these films it takes only a few moments into the plot to fully understand a film but they were able to keep me until the very end guessing what the villain main plot was. Chase as usual was incredible in his use of humor and various costumes to help him move the plot forward and add in some humor. I give the film 4/5 stars for Chevy Chase.

#482 - The Boondock Saints

The Boondock Saints is a look at two Irish men who decide to take the law into their own hands. The film gives us three heroes but it is hard to figure out who we are suppose to side with. William Dafoe's character of the federal agent who is investigating these crimes has to be the most dramatic storyteller I have ever seen on the screen. At one point he is dancing and yelling about how the crime went down and then starts shooting his gun up in the air. The character also gets really creepy at the end of the film where we see him dressed up as a woman and making out with one of the mafia Don's henchmen. I don't consider this movie a must see but I give it 3.5/5 stars just because of William Dafoe.

#481 - Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 is the direct sequel to the first Iron Man and with all the hype this movie does not disappoint. As I said this film is a direct sequel to the first film and the way in which it is told is at about the same pace as the previous Iron Man had been done and Robert Downey Jr is still great as Tony Stark. The movie made one casting change from the first film which I feel was well done and much better then before. That is that Terrence Howard was replaced by Don Cheadle and Cheadle does a much better job. In the first film it seemed that Rhodey was too excited about the Iron Man armor and in this film he definitely did a better job of staying in the military role then the previous one where he should have told Tony that the weapon was dangerous and should hand it over to the government. Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell do a great job as the two villains of the story and Rockwell's character seems to come off a sort of a creep to me to start with and maybe should have been more of an evil mastermind. The final fight seemed to have some other people on-line upset but I was very happy with is especially when you have small throwbacks to other points in the movie. The insertion of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the story worked perfectly and the slight reference to our special behind the credits scene was nice to see in the middle of the movie so that we knew to possibly expect something. Plus Scarlett Johansson was gorgeous as the Black Widow and I hope they do that spin-off they are now talking about. I give the film 4.5/5 stars.

#480 - Sixteen Candles

Sixteen Candles is the classic coming of age story for girls. I would technically call it the start of the chick flick era. The film was written by the late John Hughes and stars Molly Ringwald. The film is amusing but it is too much of a chick flick for me to handle especially at points in the beginning and at the end of the film. The main humor comes from the character Long Dunk Dong and the head Geek played by Anthony Michael Hall. Overall the film is to be enjoyed but it just is not one that I would say to guys to go and rent right away but girls you will enjoy this. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#479 - Alien

Alien is the classic space horror film that deals with our hero Ripley and the Alien creatures. The film is very interesting and the plot movies along at a very good pace. I was unaware of how many actors that i knew prior were actually in this film and was shocked when I saw John Hurt and Ian Holm as members of the crew that cause the problem int he first place. The effects are amazing in this film and I am unsure what else to say because it is not like this film has probably not been seen by all of of you or even a large percentage. So overall I give the film 3.5/5 stars becuase there are parts that just seem too corny for me.

#478 - Muscle Beach Party

There is not much for me to say about Muscle Beach Party. It was never meant to be a film of great magnitude of importance or even award worthy. The film was part of a large line of movies in the 60s that were meant for teenagers to go to the show with a date and have a good time. Now some of you may be wondering why I chose to view this film. The reason is that Don Rickles is in it as sort of the villain of the story. Now when you look at the the film as a worm of teenage comedies it is funny and is more slapstick then anything else. So that being said there is not much more to say. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#477 - The Losers

Now before I saw this film I called it the poor man's version of The A-Team and the film does not disappoint me in this. The Losers is about an elite special forces team that gets 'burned' by what we are led to believe is a very highly placed agent of the federal government but is actually a criminal. The film only has a couple major twists and they do suprise you but it seems that they are slightly forgotten or quickly resolved. The way int he film is set-up as a sort of comic with-in itself with some of the transitions and the introduction of the characters is interestingly done and slightly reminiscent of Kick Ass. The one major thing I enjoyed with the style is when we see where we are located it is placed on the screen like a major stamp, plus and loved a specific scene with Zoe Saldana. Oh, and if you see this stay for a small bit after the credits for a special bonus scene that is quite amusing. I give the film 3/5 stars.

#476 - Coraline

Coraline is a very interesting and amusing animated film from 2009. It takes a look at the classic kid who wants to runaway from home story and makes it into a darker film involving the kidnapping of these children. The film was originally shot in 3D, the first animated film to do so, I however did not watch the film this way. The fictional button world is very amazing in its beauty and the way in which only one character seems to be on Coraline's side besides the cat from her world. If I had to choose a moral that the film seems to give off for kids it seems that the film wants them to know that they should be happy with the life they are in. I give the film 4/5 stars for its creativity.

#475 - 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days is a film from Romania and it deals with a very sensitive subject to those in America ad around the world. That subject is abortion. Now I am not going to state my stance on abortion because well I doubt many of you will agree or it may cause some major turmoil on this blog. So that be said I am just going to state my views on the film. The film takes an interesting look at the subject but near the end becomes close to a horror film with the way in which the post-abortion is shown. The film does have an interesting story but unfortunately it does not work so well without the central subject. I give the film 3.5/5 stars because of the fact that it takes a very gruesome look at a very disgusting topic.

#474 - WarGames

WarGames is a film from the early 1980s that plays out what would happen in the case of a nuclear war. it stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy. The premise of the film is very interesting but it could have been better. The computer fact of the story made it very interesting and seemed to work well for this film. The acting was okay but could have been much better. The only actor who it seems does a great job is Broderick who is in about 90% of the scenes in the film. I don't highly recommend this film but if you enjoy films surrounding the Cold War conflict then watch it. I give the film 3/5 stars.