Limitless

The movie that proves Bradley Cooper to be a stud. A kinetic style and quick pace are maintained for the entire run. You get those drippy eyes of Cooper in a complete panic. The camera work and effects in sync with the story. As a cast bonus, Anna Friel drops by and no matter what state of mind her future characters will be in, she'll forever be Chuck. And Chuck is wonderful. The ending provides a payoff that you cant help but feel satisfied by. The film had numerous chances to blow a good thing but somehow refused to do it. Great movie, no matter how fiction the science and its nice to see Di Nero in something worthwhile again.

Battleship

I feel awful for Taylor Swift. Guy gets put in films that are unjustly torched. I cant write his actual last name because it positions my tongue in a way that induces vomit. Don't get me wrong, I find him to be a very good actor. He was the third best part of that awful Wolverine movie (behind Ryan Reynolds and that intro), he was very good in John Carter and now here. He was a solid lead. I was with it, man. He had me with that chicken burrito stunt and nailed that little never-in-too-big-a-rush-to-help-a-kid-learn bit.
The movie itself was actually very entertaining. The action was ridiculous, over the top, unnecessary, illogical and heavily inspired by Transformers, but for a movie about a board game? Well done. It rode that line of taking itself as seriously as a story while knowingly accepting the absurdity that it is in fact based on a board game. I especially applaud it for acknowledging the monumental death count. Something previous movies (even far superior ones like The Avengers) don't fully accomplish. (Lets not forget how Fast Five nonchalantly genocided all of Rio De Genaro.)

8 out of 10.

Secret Movies 2012

2012

1. Cabin In the Woods

2. Looper

3. Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters

4. Upside Down

5. 47 Ronin

6. Chronicle

7. Hotel Transylvania

8. Premium Rush

9. Red Dawn

10. Ted

11. The Wettest Counrty

2011 Recap

1. Immortals (11.11.11) - Finally Henry Cavil lead role! - Watched!

2. Now (9.20.11) - Andrew Niccol directing/writing, Cillian Murphy lead.

Title Changed to In Time, Lead roles actually Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. Degradation of excitement level and as a result, Unwatched.

3. Fright Night (8.19.11) - David Tennant is in it. Brilliant. - Watched! Owned.
4. Super (4.1.11) - Dwight K Schrute and Nathan Fillian and Ellen Page + utter brutality. Watched!
5. Paul (3.18.11) - Pegg, Frost + Alien. Pending!
6. The Appirition (9.9.11) - Malfoy being a good guy? - Totally forgot about it. Moved to 2012
7. Cabin in the Woods (unknown) - Whedon et al. - Bumped to 2012
8. The Thing (10.14.11) - Solid cast and promising, but obvious, story. - Pending!
9. Your Highness (4.8.11)- Everything about it. - Incredulously Pending!
10. Limitless (3.18.11) - Bradley Cooper looks like Aleem. - Incredulously Pending!
11. Restless (1.28.11) - Trailer kind of ruins it. - Cant remember a thing about it.

12. Bunraku (unknown) - Some freaky combo of live action and animation as yet unseen. - Saw the trailer and it looks good. Still pending!

Prediction: Three Musketeers

Would be shocked if it got good reviews. Would be shocked if I didn't enjoy it...although Lerman is not leading man material, Orlando Bloom should, if featured sufficiently, make up for that.

Director Power Rankings (8/12/11)

Noteworthy names as of publishing. Filmmakers who had made an impact on a developing taste of movies. This list will evolve henceforth. In parentheses are the number of films they have made that I enjoyed.

Rian Johnson (3)

Tarsem Singh (3)

Ben Affleck (2)

Edgar Wright (3)

J.J. Abrams (3)

Michel Gondry (5)

Joss Whedon (2)

Jason Reitman (3)

Darren Aronofsky (5)

Matthew Vaughn (4)

Christopher Nolan (8)

David Fincher (9)

Quentin Tarantino (8)

Jon Favreau (6)

Wes Anderson (7)

Bryan Singer (9)

Zach Snyder (6)
Martin Scorsese
Steven Spielberg

Preist

At its best, a mix of Blade, Dredd (both the Stallone and Urban incarnations), and V for Vendetta. At its lamest, it withholds excellence in favor of banality to be more of a Legionish, Max Payne type. All you really need in a movie are Bettany being Bettany while Urban pops a death jig in a cowboy hat on screen as much as possible!.

Bridesmaids

At times unrealistic but eventually satisfying, like a Dragonfruit.