Movies 2010, Week 19

May 23-29, 2010
118) Alfie.  Jude Law, Marisa Tomei, Nia Long, Sienna Miller, Susan Sarandon, Omar Epps.  Stereotypical open with a guy full of himself talking directly to the camera... and then it continued ad nauseum... for real?  That was hands down the lamest part of the film.  Then the fact that there were no real surprises.  Then you didn't care about his character.  Boring.  2.3 stars
119) Precious.  In some ways not as bad as I thought it was going to be, in other ways as every bit as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Shockingly, there was even some humor.  Very difficult to watch at times.  3.8 stars
120) The Cider House Rules. Toby Maguire, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd star in this film set in the 1930s about a boy raised in an orphanage and taken under the wing of the home's doctor.  As the boy takes his own path in life, the story shifts more completely to him.  Engaging and enjoyable if a bit of a slow start.  4 stars
121) Let's Get Lost. Documentary about Chet Baker.  Visually interesting... the story line was a little too lost for my taste.  Very free form.  Fantastic music.  3.4 stars
122) The Man Who Knew Too Much.  The 1956 version of the Hitchcock classic, starring Doris Day & Jimmy Stewart.  Some interesting twists and I definitely never wanted to stop watching.  I was a bit let down by the final moments but it is still absolutely worth watching.  4.3 stars
123) Observe and Report.  Silly mall security movie starring Seth Rogen.  Not for the faint of cursing and male n.udity.  Some amusing moments, thought.  For what it was, 3.6 stars
124) My Sister's Keeper. Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin star in a film about an 11-year-old battling her parents to keep from giving a kidney to her dying sister.  Why do films insist having characters on talk directly to the camera?  It's so ridiculous.  Isn't the point of a film to be immersed in a person's life?  How can I do that if you have each of the main characters talking directly to you?  I didn't enjoy this version of a story told in flashback, either.  Very sentimental.  Worst of all, though, it felt interminable.  Not to mention the completely multiple unnecessary scenes at the end.  Talk about belaboring the point.  2 stars
125) Sex and the City 2. The girls are back... but this time in Abu Dhabi.  Just meh.  The score was horrid.  The first one I never wanted to end.  This one I didn't really care.  It didn't help that I had Rashan next to me saying it was written by TylerPerry!!  There were some clichéd overly-dramatized moments.  That's not to say there weren't good moments.  They were just farther apart than I would've liked.  3 stars