I've been watching a lot of movies with the cat this week, so here goes.
Watchmen: 5/10. This rating is probably harsher based on how excited I was to see this, but I wasn't very impressed. I think it was about 40 minutes too long, and I think the whole of the production could've stood to be darker than it was. It's a dark plotline that takes place in a dark world, and I think Snyder tried to represent that, but didn't accomplish it very well. I think the characters lacked depth, and his use of colour and costuming made it feel like X-Men was trying to be hardcore or something.
The ending was of course a great turn of events, however I'd had that spoiled for me before the film was even released back in 2006, and I think the impact of it would've been greater if they'd spent more time with Adrian Veidt. If they'd divided their time evenly between flashbacks to how it used to be between everyone, and the present state of oppression surrounding the murder, I think it would've been much more focused at the end, but there was a lot of meandering. Kind of a bummer, but Zack Snyder seems to do that in his films; (excepting 300) he takes a great idea and then stylizes it to death so that the story is lost in his cinematography. With him, the visuals come first.
Star Trek Into Darkness: 7.5/10. I have a nerd boner for the revamp. This wasn't too bad. I like that they gave Scotty quite a bit to do, because I love Simon Pegg. It was fast-paced and exciting the whole way through, though I lament that (and this was a problem with the previous Abrams film) their villains receive so little development. My understanding of Khan is that he's evil because he's just a power-hungry *******, and frankly, villains that are out for power are overused and frankly, not particularly interesting.
It's Kind of a Funny Story: 6/10. I watched this entire film once before at some point in my life, and I can't for the life of me figure out where. I had 0 recollection of it too, which is weird for me.
Anyways, it was kind of a cute coming-of-age story with kind of a cute idea, but its very Hollywood portrayal of mental health institutions and conditions was distracting. I should probably not watch psychologically-based films anymore.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home: 6.5/10. I liked the plot, the jokes, and most of the points it hit, but I felt again like the characters were a bit underdeveloped. Maybe I have this problem because my heart resides with screenwriting for television, but I wanted to feel more for Jeff and his mother than they ever really brought out of me. Pat was just a ****ing ******* though, nothing redeeming about that douchebag at all. Honestly, his resolution was not satisfying because he was so much of a dick the whole film.
Also, am I the only person who has trouble telling Ed Helms from Jason Sudekis? White people all look the same.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: 7/10. Michael Cera being Michael Cera. It was actually a pretty funny, pretty cute little indie romcom, though I will probably always pick 500 Days of Summer instead when I want to watch such a thing.
The Way Way Back: 8/10. Jim Rash and Nat Faxon killed it with this. Rash is a genius, and I can't wait for more work from these guys. The characters were endearing, the writing was smart and adorable, and Sam Rockwell was hilarious. For fans of Dan in Real Life or Lars and the Real Girl. Fantastic cast as well.
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