podunk411

This isn’t going to win best movie of the year but for a Marvel movie, I really enjoyed it (& I’ve skipped a lot the recent ones).

Really cool adaptation of Sarah Water's Fingersmith. I loved the book and the BBC adaptation way back when. Park's version definitely takes some liberties with the plot, and in some ways better than the original. However he also goes a bit graphic, kinky & gratuitous (e.g. you can tell it's a dude directing with some key sex scenes) and things get almost comic-booky, but I still totally enjoyed it and he definitely captures the solid romance that underlies Fingersmith. There's some real comedy in there as well which was totally surprising and perfect. The cinematography was absolutely stunning. If you have a chance to see this movie in theaters, do it.

Slick, well shot, acting pretty good overall, but story isn't there--very cliche'd and even cartoony at times. The only real plot device is messing with the audience 's allegiance to either the thieves or homeowner. Really wish it had more to it then just the cheap scares. Definitely wait for this one on Netflix or DVD.

This was a surprisingly fun movie. Yeah, it's not as a funny as the first one, and it's definitely missing that intimate personal story line that the first two had (e.g. Bill Murry & Sigourney Weaver's story) that kind of gave everything more stakes. This one is just about the ghostbusting, with the same light-heartedness as the first two. The acting is fine, if anything I wanted more of the four together. Wish it was a better script, but overall totally fun Friday night movie for sure.

The shots and direction are amazing, the plot is thin, DiCaprio's performance is great, many of the trials Glass goes through seem a little contrived to one-up the last thing he survived, but overall I still liked The Revenant. Worth seeing in the theater for sure.

Really entertaining yet well told story about the complicated mortgage (& then financial) collapse of 2008. The style was innovative given the subject matter, funny at times, sort of documentary-like and worked really well I think. Cast was fantastic, script was solid though the pacing was a little different toward the last 3rd of the film. Definitely worth watching-- it's one of the better movies of 2015 for sure.

Solid 6 out of 10. Shocked at the rehashed story (pretty much ripped wholesale from the prequels) and endless plot holes. Because you've seen this story before (ahem) none of the story moves are surprising-- you see every move coming. The acting was great (given the material) and there are some really great moments, it's just too bad J.J. Abrams & the writers couldn't come together on a more original script. This script feels written by the Disney marketing team. I still had fun watching TFA though, even if the nostalgia is a big part of it.

The directing and cinematography were great. The overall performances were solid. However I can't get past how poorly written the main character is, (Emily Blunt) or her partner. There's something missing when they get the short end of the stick in the story. Almost feels like several key scenes were cut that would've given Blunt's character more of an active role in everything. Whatever the reason for the oversight, it's still an action packed movie worth watching, just not best film of the year.

We thoroughly enjoyed the movie, The Martian. Having read & loved the book, I went into the theater with some reservations, and yes there are some big things missing, changed & moved around in the adaptation (for instance, I definitely prefer how the book ends versus the film) but that's to be expected. Overall the movie kept to the heart of Andy Weir's story, so bravo for that! Casting was pretty great --Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain & Michael Pena were particularly great, along with Sean Bean (& the fantastic LotR in-joke). We saw it in 3D, which was effective in a several key sequences, but the film is strong enough on its own that you don't need to see it in 3D if you're not into that. One of the better movies I've seen this year--definitely worth a visit to the theater!

Solid 7 out of 10. Definitely worth seeing in the theater. Very similar to the first Avengers, though I might give the first one the edge as far as story. The second installment feels cropped a bit on plot/story, but is definitely more action packed with far better effects/sequences than the first. Really enjoyed it.

Well shot movie, fast paced, visually great to look at. The story is sophomoric, to say the least, but that doesn't bother me as much as the lack of character development. I wanted to care more about the characters, it just wasn't there. The slow-mo/campy "big" moments also detracted from the story rather than adding to it, that aside, technically the visuals/shots are really great. Acting is solid, and Swinton's over-the-top character was strangely fun to enjoy,( though I'm sure many will cringe at her performance).

Maybe my expectations were too high, but Argo fell a little flat for me. Definitely an old-school spy caper with "docudrama" feel given the real story. However several of the suspense/thriller moments felt contrived (though some were well done) including the ending act. Ben Affleck was good, but probably miscast himself--which is a real career hazard when Actor turns Director. Really liked John Goodman and Alan Arkin as the Hollywood guys--overall, a pretty good film but as far as great (recent) spy capers to me: Tinker Tailor Solder Spy and the Bourne movies hold the top honors

Reminded me of Sorkin's West Wing, except better written and set in the Lincoln White House. As others have mentioned, this is an intimate look at Lincoln's struggle (indeed, our nations struggle) to get the 13th Amendment passed. Definitely a movie for political junkies and history buffs, with some stellar acting by Daniel Day Lewis and a great (and large!) cast of a supporting actors. I didn't realize how long the film was--truly enjoyed it all the way through.

Not as a good as Casino Royal, for sure. This Bond movie felt like several stories mashed together (or several scripts?), and though long, seemed to be missing the real character moments/buildup of stakes. There were a few too many action sequences that probably could've been taken out. Even with that, still a good movie--Craig as Bond really makes up for a lot and Bardem is always great to watch. Probably worth seeing a matinee for the special effects and cinematography--but it's not a must see.

I've read the book and surprisingly, found Life of Pi to be one of the few examples where the movie stands out over the book. Wonderfully shot/directed, well acted, spectacular visuals and a real emotional (philosophical even) movie. To top it off, I thoroughly enjoyed this film in 3D (it's not overly done or contrived for 3D - the story still drives everything). There is a particular scene where we go through the universe (visually) into the ocean from the Tiger to Pi and it truly was one of the most cinematic moments I've ever seen. Just beautiful. Highly recommend seeing it in 3D in the theaters!

This was such a risky movie, so many ways for this to fail given the premise. Instead we all came away satisfied and surprised at how good this movie actually was.

We'll, 7.5 movies later, we finally reach the end. After the somewhat terrible pacing and decision making that went in to Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Harry goes Camping), this final film is many steps up from that. Its hard to keep epic pacing up with so many movies over so many years, and I don't think they ever really had that down (Harry Potter movies never seem to be at the level of Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings), but they still managed to get a good solid --almost epic-- film at the end. Definitely worth seeing this on the big screen (not sure it's worth 3D though).

definitely a DVD rental, not a lets-go-to-the-movies-full-price-ticket movie. If Bridesmaids is still out in your area, that's a far funnier film and worth a full price ticket.

This was a surprisingly great film about family--- though lighthearted in a lot of ways, I'm was surprised by how touching it really was. All the performances were spot on, including the kids and I especially loved Annette Benning's performance. The film isn't swinging for the fences, yet sits with you afterward and I have to say it is one of the better movies of 2010. Definitely give it a shot on DVD.

On the surface, the story is very simple, but underneath there is a lot going on (aside from the black comedy of the book). The skill with which the Coen bros orchestrate this film is really awesome. From casting, acting, plot, theme, allegory, cinematography and the best of all--dialogue---they really should be proud of True Grit as I'm sure the original author would be given how closely they followed his book (as opposed to the John Wayne version). I loved every minute of this film and am pretty excited to see it again actually.

I have to agree with some others on here, maybe in comparison to other movies released in 2010, The Social Network shines--but that says more about 2010, than anything. It's a good solid film--not great, just pretty good. I loved the West Wing, and this was definitely an extended version of an episode. It did lack something, which is why I don't really think it's a 10 type movie (definitely not monumental except maybe for someone who hasn't seen a lot of movies?)---but it definitely tells a story that grabs you and keeps you there, even if you find the dialogue a little too precious/contrived--and some of the characters a little too over the top (which seems intended). But still, highly recommended given the dredge that's out there.

I thought in making the movie they would at least cut out the fat from the book that everyone complained of--but no, they decided to keep one of the most glaringly long-winded tangents-- the wondering in the woods saga, rather than any of the more exciting elements--especially regarding Dumbledore. I have to say, other than awful pacing, the other pieces of this movie are there. Which makes it really frustrating and you feel sort of conned out of a Harry Potter movie. The acting was great, the fx were pretty cool and well timed--the plot elements are there if you look hard enough, yet what they focused on were the most uninteresting parts of the book--and they really focused on them! I hope the last chapter finds it's mojo again.