11 movies packed into this segment of The Weekly Watch and they are a rather awesome and diverse bunch. I watched some Kubrick classics in A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket, Edward Norton at his best in American History X and one highly rated comedy in Anchorman. I’m also up to the third Terminator movie in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
As for new releases I managed to see 6 2012 films including two great documentaries in Searching for Sugar Man and Marley. I reviewed Looper and Arbitrage while also seeing Aussie movie Bait. Finally, I watched a real surprise hit in Pitch Perfect. Read on for all my thoughts!
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Bait (2012) – An Australian movie that has quite an interesting plot, a tsunami hits a coastal town in Queensland and causes civilians to be stuck in a flooded supermarket with a Great White Shark. While the movie is poor, with terrible CGI, horribly fake American accents and an often awful script, I actually had a bit of fun with it. It’s funny at times (especially to laugh at) and has a couple of tense scenes. Julian McMahon is great too. I wouldn’t recommend the film but it’s not my worst of the year. C+
Arbitrage (2012) – <<< Read my review here. Richard Gere is great in a film that starts off interesting and becomes enthralling. B
Looper (2012) – <<< Read my review here. I want to see this again. While it has it’s flaws it’s often revolutionary with it’s concept and execution. B+
Marley (2012) – A documentary on the life of Bob Marley, it really is a touching and great story. However the huge problem is that it is simply too long. Worth a watch. B
Anchorman (2004) – A film that is definitely overrated in my books, it still entertained me and had some great one liners and characters. The cast of Steve Carrell, Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd is super, especially with so many guest performances popping up too. I’ve seen funnier comedies this year, let alone decade, but it’s very popular amongst many so you might just love it. I’m not too sure what all the raving is about, though perhaps 8 years ago I would have been. B
A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Stanley Kubrick’s film is very unique and hard to swallow. I can see why it’s hailed as a classic however it’s extremely weird and also quite graphic. I’m not sure what audience it appeals to but I appreciated it without truly loving it. B+
Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Probably the best opening half to a film of all time, it is filled with memorable scenes and more importantly memorable quotes, as I recognized a lot of the script. The second half however is a let down as it simply runs out of steam and becomes quite slow, unlike the first half. B+
Pitch Perfect (2012) - I will be reviewing this hilarious musical/comedy very soon. While I thought it would be like Rock of Ages (which I disliked), I found myself loving the songs – almost being mesmerised by them. Anna Kendrick is amazing, Rebel Wilson is hilarious and Alexis Knapp is very easy on the eye. I’m shocked by how much I loved this film. A-
Searching for Sugar Man (2012) – Continuing a run of awesome documentaries, the less you know about this film before seeing it the better. Therefore all I will say is that it’s truly an incredible story and also got me a little emotional. Almost worthy of a better grade although it didn’t hold my attention the entire time, but for the most part. B+
American History X (1998) – Certainly the best performance from Edward Norton I have seen, the message in this film is a strong one for mankind. I really loved the cinematography shots and the use of black and white to colour to distinguish between present and past. For a film to be so emotional, exciting, interesting and visually appealing is great. It’s a must see. A
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) – The third Terminator is not as good as the first two, but it’s not that far behind. Arnie is back as John Connor is now grown up and on the run from, well you guessed it, the machines. The chase and action scenes were just as good as ever. B+
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*phew* That was a huge fortnight. While I’ve heard some terrible things, I will be checking out Taken 2 this week. Otherwise I may just catch up on some older films as the other week’s main release I’ve seen in Searching for Sugar Man. Would love to hear what you think of some of these.
I couldn’t even get through Anchorman, I’ll nevere understand the appeal of this movie or Will Ferrel for this matter, he is so painfully unfunny. I can’t wait to see Pitch Perfect – Rebel Wilson, now that one is so funny!
It might have been your blog that reminded me I need to see Anchorman sati! I don’t really like Ferrell either, I didn’t mind him in The Campaign but still.
Yes, I need to get a review of that one out! So much fun!
Solid week, man! I think you may be the only person alive who thinks Pitch Perfect is a better film than Full Metal Jacket and A Clockwork Orange, but, well, maybe not haha.
Glad you liked AHX so much. That one has power.
Haha I strongly considered not giving Pitch Perfect an A- but I definitely enjoyed it more then both of those as an example.
AHX was fantastic, was close to giving it an A+!
You gotta give the ratings that you believe in, I am definitely interested to see Pitch Perfect now, looks like a good date movie I reckon, also just looking at Anna Kendrick for an hour and a half is worth the money.
Pretty much, and yes, I think it would be a good date movie. I enjoyed Anna Kendrick on the screen, as well as Alexis Knapp