Top shelf
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1.
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The Dark Knight |
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Absolutely fantastic. Lives up to and passes Batman Begins. All praise of Ledger is deserved, but Eckhart is the real surprise. |
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2.
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Rachel Getting Married |
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Outstanding from start to finish, the film doesn't assume the audience is stupid, trusts the actors and delivers completely. Anne Hathaway deserves all the praise she has been getting and more. |
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3.
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WALL•E |
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Phenomenal in every way. |
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4.
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Iron Man |
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Everything you could ask for in a superhero movie. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect. |
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5.
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Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist |
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Charming, romantic and funny. Outstanding. |
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6.
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Forgetting Sarah Marshall |
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Jason Segal ably carries a film that, while by no means perfect, is full of laughs and a lot of fun to watch. Great work by Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell as well. |
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7.
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The Wrestler |
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Mickey Rourke is fantastic as advertised. |
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8.
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button |
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Beautifully shot and acted, thought-provoking if a little long. |
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9.
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Milk |
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Genuinely interesting even when it drags a bit in the middle. I predict Sean Penn will win an Oscar. |
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10.
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It Might Get Loud |
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Terrifically entertaining window into three rock gods. |
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11.
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The Damned United |
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Michael Sheen may be the most underappreciated actor working. |
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12.
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno |
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Kevin Smith is always funny and the movie's content keeps it from feeling too sweet. Some odd choices though that make me wonder if it's time he let someone else at least edit his films. |
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13.
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Role Models |
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Hilarious from start to finish. You can really feel Paul Rudd's influence over the script. |
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14.
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Ghost Town |
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Very, very funny. It's a shame Gervais' first starring role was so poorly marketed. |
Middle shelf
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15.
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Tropic Thunder |
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Consistantly funny and thankfully not totally focused on Ben Stiller. Robert Downey Jr. is phenomenal. |
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16.
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Shine a Light |
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Non-Stones fans will be a bit disappointed by the set list, but Scorcese has made the best-looking, best-sounding concert film ever. |
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17.
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Body of Lies |
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Thought-provoking, well-acted with nice action scenes but ultimately I'm not sure what it was about. |
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18.
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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull |
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It's well-made, the acting is good and it looks pretty. Something of the wit, energy and fun is missing from the first three. Better on second viewing without the weight of expectations. |
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19.
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Burn After Reading |
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The Coens never disappoint even if they aren't perfect. Predictably cold and unsentimental. To be clear, that's not a bad thing. |
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20.
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Hamlet 2 |
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Ridiculous but still pretty awesome. |
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21.
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Get Smart |
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Well-paced and funny throughout. A satisfying action comedy. |
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22.
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The Incredible Hulk |
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Leaps and bounds better than the Ang Lee version, but something's still missing. At least we got a "HULK SMASH!" out of the deal. |
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23.
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army |
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Visually stunning but generally uneven. |
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24.
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Wanted |
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A lot of fun if a bit too stylized. A capable and relatively faithful (at least in spirit) adaptation. Ultimately full of sound and fury signifying nothing. |
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25.
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Step Brothers |
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Moments of absolutely hilarity among the total randomness. I appreciate how far they were willing to go even if it never quite makes sense. |
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26.
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Be Kind Rewind |
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Clever and charming in a ramshackle sort of way. The plot is surprisingly formulaic. |
Bottom shelf
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27.
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Cloverfield |
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The concept is interesting, but it eventually feels a little dull. Maybe if half the dialogue wasn't |
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28.
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Vicky Cristina Barcelona |
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It's interesting right up until you realize it wasn't really about anything. More annoying the second time around. |
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29.
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Happy Go Lucky |
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More like Crappy Go Sucky. More annoying than charming. |
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30.
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Semi-Pro |
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Disappointing on a variety of levels. Just not funny. Highly uneven tone and pacing. |
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31.
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Twilight |
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I'm not the target audience, but this is a shitty, shitty movie. |