So, if you're new, you might not know what I do. This is the third year that I've done my two part "Year In Review" blogs where I talk about every film released in a single year that I've seen. I started in 2009 (as can be seen here and here) and did it again in 2010 (which can be looked at here and here). Let me clarify that all of the films listed are going by American release dates and not film festivals or foreign release dates. Well, let's start 2011!

 

January

"You and your dad are tunnel buddies, huh?"

The Green Hornet: Despite the backlash surrounding him, I still tend to like Seth Rogen (as a few later entries will clearly display). Here, however, I wasn't a fan; this seemed to be a sort of vanity project for the comedy star, yet he ends up being the biggest weak link. Elements like Jay Chou, Christophe Waltz and director Michel Gondry's visuals tended to spice things up, but Rogen's annoying character (along with the convoluted plot and the waste of Cameron Diaz's character) really made this an uneven superhero comedy. 2.5/5

 

No Strings Attached: I'm not that big of a romantic comedy guy. I think a lot of that has to do with the over saturation of lame rom coms that A) don't have genuine romantic chemistry between their leads and B) aren't that funny. Then this one came along and surprised me with it's charm. A big part of that comes from it's leads. Sure, Natalie Portman isn't that much of a surprise as she just radiates charm, but Ashton Kutcher actually managed to hold his own as well. The film also has some fun supporting performances, but it does kind of go down hill in the third act, particularly with Lake Bell's character & those annoying end credits gags. Despite those things, it's one of the better "guy & girl only have sex but end up getting closer" movies... though I didn't see that other one with Portman's Black Swan co-star from this year. 3.5/5

 

The Mechanic: Wow. I really don't remember much about this one. I remember that it stared Jason Statham, had a few cool action scenes and was the first movie I had seen Ben Foster in for a while... but everything else is just kind of hazy. Oh wait, I remember the poor editing, lame love interest and Donald Sutherland doing a decent job... but nothing else. I guess that speaks for the movie itself; had some impressive moments & wasn't that bad, but just so forgettable. 2.5/5

 

February

"Captain, you know what this badge means, right? Federal Bureau of get the FUCK out of my way!"

Cedar Rapids: I might be alone in saying that Ed Helms is my favorite part of those Hangover movies and The Office. That dude brings awkward comedy to a completely different level as he proved with his first big film vehicle, which is surprisingly very small in scope. That was part of the charm with this film; how the big stakes of the film were surrounded something as lame as a convention for insurance agents in Iowa. The film also has such a great cast of comedic character actors, including personal favorite like John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Rob Corddry, Alia Shawkat and Thomas Lennon, whom all add to the mix of a pretty damn funny movie. 4/5

 

Gnomeo and Juliet: Not much to say. It was heavily flawed, but much more cute than I thought it would be. Sure, some jokes suck and it has some annoying animated film cliches (ie loud sidekicks, everyone dances at the end, etc), but it was decently effective in terms of making fun Shakespeare references, used its diverse voice cast well and had a pretty cool animation design with the gnomes. 3/5

 

Unknown: A tight and enjoyable little thriller, even if it sort of outstays its welcome during the climax. For the most part it's an engaging story that Liam Neeson really carries with his usual soft spoken charm and has some well choreographed & shot action scenes that fit Neeson's disorientation. Then comes the twist that (while a clever twist) is poorly revealed and sets up a decent climax that (unfortunately) features more of the bland January Jones & a final action scene that's too dark to see. That being said, it's not a bad watch. 3.5/5

 

Drive Angry: Nicolas Cage needs to make more ridiculous movies like THIS! I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this, especially since I had been burned by previous attempts to capture that 70s grindhouse style (particularly that mostly disappointing Tarantino/Rodriguez collaboration). However, this film managed to mix that right amount of balls to the wall action with creative concepts, making it work quite well. I was especially enthralled by William Fitchner's character, who was so memorable thanks to Fitchner's charm and the great dialogue he was given. 4.5/5

 

Rubber: A noble, but flawed effort. French director Quentin Dupiex does a nice job of playing with structure here as he attempts to sell this very silly premise and all the stuff involving the telekinetic killer tire works very well in a ridiculous sense. The structure stuff does tend to get grating though when Dupiex involves this whole subplot about a skeptical audience that watches the film's events, which feels like a good idea gone wrong. 2.5/5

 

March

"He can't become a monster to fight the monster."

 

The Adjustment Bureau: Surprisingly works despite not taking full advantage of its sci-fi concept. Yeah, the whole "Bureau" thing isn't really developed that well here, but it's still explained in a digestible fashion, it serves the story well enough and there are some cool visuals (particularly all the stuff with the doors). What really kept this engaging was the genuine chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. The two of them develop their characters over the course of a relationship in a way that you become very attached to, which makes you root for them as these "Fates" of sorts try to break them apart. 3.5/5

 

Rango: I know everyone is praising this as the animated film of the year, but I wasn't as big of a fan. I'm not denying the quality of this one, though; the visuals are spectacular & pay great respect to the western genre, the voice cast is pretty hilarious and the script is filled with a variety of gags (both visual and dialogue related) that mostly hit right on. However, I did feel that the main villain of the whole thing was pretty thin as a character and there were a few too many kiddie jokes thrown in at random, particularly the fart noises (which I'd often expect out of a Nickelodeon co-production). Still, it's a solid start for ILM's budding CG animated film productions. 4/5

 

I Saw The Devil: DAMN! These Koreans are fucked up! But seriously, I LOVED this! And not just for the superficial gore stuff either (but man was all that shit good). I was really engaged with the central storyline and the themes of how far off the edge one could go in pursuit of vengeance. The performances by Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik really sold to me just how depraved and sick these characters could be and how painful the gore scenes were. In fact, the only negative I really have is that some of these blood baths were just too damn uncomfortable to watch on occasion. I don't usually watch foreign films, but this one was so worth the two hours & twenty minutes I spent watching it. 4.5/5

 

Battle: Lost Angeles: While I'm not the biggest video game type of guy, I would have much rather played any of the number of video games that Battle: LA ripped off rather than sit through it again. Boring characters, boring war movies cliches that should have died around 1955 and a story that had no real potential. Some of the effects and action were decent, but this is such a forgettable noisy clunker. 2/5

 

Limitless: Despite a pretty laughable concept, I was genuinely surprised by how awesome this turned out. The way director Neil Burger did such a fantastic job of contrasting Bradley Cooper's normal dull life with the life he acquired under the influence of the pill thanks to the bizarre visual style. The cast is strong, particularly Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Robert De Niro in what is probably his best film since Stardust. What I loved most about this one was how sharp and disturbed some of the twists and turns of the story were, going so insane that it increased my interest tenfold. There is an epilogue for the film that I felt was a bit half assed, but the rest of the film is so strong that I'd highly recommend it to anyone. 4.5/5

 

Paul: This was a weird one. I enjoyed most of the parts of this movie quite a lot, but it ends up being a pretty forgettable film overall. The best part is still the titular alien; Simon Pegg & Nick Frost's script, Seth Rogen's and the special effects made him feel like a real character who would be fun to hang out with. A few other performances were also fun to watch (Pegg, Frost, Kristen Wiig, Sigourney Weaver, Jason Bateman), but the film relies too heavily on random geek references and takes a turn for the sincere that really doesn't fit with the wacky comedy tone. It's fun, but not the kind of fun you'd expect from such a great comedic duo.  4/5

 

Win Win: Imagine if someone remade that Blind Sidemovie, but made it good. The cast here really shines, with the likes of Paul Giamatti, Bobby Cannavale, Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young & Melanie Lynskey proving just how down to earth & funny they can be. Newcomer Alex Shaffer manages to hold his own against these heavy hitters as well, proving to be a potential talent to watch thanks to his very subdued performance. Writer/director Thomas McCarthy shows once again just how effective he is at taking delicate real life situations & make them entertaining for folks to watch. 4.5/5

 

Sucker Punch: I never really hated Zack Snyder... until now. This bullshit attempt at female empowerment and an artsy twist rang so false for me. It's just filled with overly convoluted attempts at having layers, from the multiple dream levels to the nonsensical "item search" that results in such an annoying end reveal. Many of these actors feel so misplaced, particularly Oscar Issacs (who proved himself in a much better film from this year Drive) and Scott Glenn (who just seemed confused). Some of the action scenes were fine and I commend certain actresses like Jena Malone for doing the best they could with Snyder's awful script, but this was such an awful piece. Hope Man of Steelisn't screwed now. 1/5

 

April

"Shut up, Crime!"

 

Insidious: I wasn't too interested in this one at first, as I haven't been a fan of the works from the writer-director team of Leigh Whannell and James Wan. However, they've really managed to put together a pretty fun horror film. The way Wan & Whannell pace out the film's scares builds so much tension, the astrol projection concept is developed in an engaging way and the characters actually act in a logical and human way. It occasionally goes a bit too far in the comedic territory (whether it be the intentionally funny assistants that fall flat or the unintentionally silly Darth Maul ghost), but it works well enough at being a minimalist horror film that manages to give the haunted house subgenre a fresh coat of paint. 3.5/5

 

Source Code: This one nearly had me. Aside from a pretty bad performance from Jeffrey Wright, this worked as a great science fiction film with some good performances, an engaging sci-fi concept and a very emotional ending... until it decided to keep going. The last three minutes of this film were so unnecessary and really just felt like a cheap sci-fi way of having a happy ending. I'm still excited for what Ducan Jones has to offer next, as this was still quite good and his 2009 film Moonwas tremendous. 4/5

 

Super: Man, I LOVED this movie. After his sadly under seen Slithercaught my attention, I became so excited to see this for the insane hilarity. Little did I know that it would actually end up having something profound to say. Oh sure, there's still a hell of a lot of blood, guts and general insanity that you would anticipate from a dude who started his career with Troma Entertainment, but Gunn also managed explore certain themes about redemption, loneliness and even religion through his warped sensibilities that somehow worked for me. The cast he picked is also so stellar, particularly the spectacular Rainn Wilson, the hilarious Kevin Bacon and the very out of type turn from Ellen Page. It may be covered to gore, but there's something of substance underneath that karo syrup. 5/5

 

Hanna: What to you get when a drama director does action? Something like this! Director Joe Wright did a fantastic job with his usual extreme long shots here, making each huge fight sequence have this fluid pacing to it that felt refreshing. The cast is also damn good job, particularly the surprisingly action spry Saoirse Ronan and the calculated & subtly motherly Tilda Swinton as the woman after her. The story does have some pacing problems near the first third, but the story does have constant twists & turns that make it engaging through out while really connect you with the characters. Big kudos also to the band The Chemical Brothers for what is possibly my favorite score of the entire year. It does have a few pacing issues near the beginning, but Hanna still manages to be a breath of fresh air in terms of action films. 4.5/5

 

Your Highness: Wow. It's amazing how well done the look of this whole thing is and how disproportionate the quality of the overall film is. Apparently, there was no script written for this, which doesn't surprise me at all as this is such a meandering story that really has huge lags. Danny McBride really proves that he can't carry a film, James Franco feels wasted and Natalie Portman seems like the only person who gave a damn. 2/5

 

The Conspirator: This was another surprise for me. A 19th century courtroom drama about the Lincoln assassination that doesn't emphasis that much on the assassination itself? BORING! Yet, director Robert Redford actually managed to make this dry subject pretty engaging, mostly thanks to a good cast (with the exception of the woefully miscast Alexis Bladel, Johnny Simms & Justin Long) and some damn engaging courtroom scenes. Also, MUTTON CHOPS FTW! 4/5

 

Scream 4: I was never the biggest fan of the Scream franchise. The first two are fun, but feel dated by today standards where self referencial has become a cliche in of itself in horror movies and I thought this 4th entry would fall into the bullshit insanity of the third film. However, to my surprise, it didn't. Mind you, it was INSANE, but in a way I kind of enjoyed. The film does have some annoying characters and references that I wasn't the hugest fan of, but when it comes to the reveal and ending of the film, I was kind of enthralled by how over the top Wes Craven was willing to go. Not a great film, but still enjoyable it a guilty pleasure kind of way. 3/5

 

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night: A horror comedy that isn't scary or funny. AT ALL! Brandon Routh sleepwalks his way through this, Sam Hutntington seems to think that "funny" means "yelling", the production looks terrible, the script is written like a bad film noir radio drama and the whole thing just screams of "straight to DVD quality." If you want a fun horror comedy about the supernatural, watch that Supernaturalshow; their CW budget looks better than this! 0.5/5

 

May

"You can fool me, but you cannot fool Ernest Hemingway!"

 

Thor: This thing deserves point for managing to not be a huge failure of silly proportions. This could have been a He-Man and the Masters of the Universetype situation all over again, but pure blooded Shakespearean Kenneth Branagh knew when to take things seriously and when to inject some character humor that didn't feel out of place. There's a nice cast assembled here, with Chris Hemsworth as the titular abrasive God and Tom Hiddelston as his identity torn brother being major highlights that are well supported by the familiar faces of Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba and Clark Gregg. The action scenes implement fantastical elements quite well, the development of Asgard is well done and the effects bring blend seamlessly with the realistic elements, all of which results in a well made and totally entertaining summer blockbuster. 4.5/5

 

The People vs. George Lucas: A pretty funny and truthful documentary about fandom. That's about it; made me laugh, discovered some new territory in terms of fan comments on Star Wars and featured some funny little sketches/animations. 4/5

 

Everything Must Go: Hate Will Ferrell and his man child humor? Then I'd suggest you give his more serious roles a chance, such as Stranger Than Fiction and this film. Ferrell's turn here as a very flawed man dealing with the collapse of his life felt more genuine than anything Ferrell has done since the previously mentioned 2006 film as he feels like a real human person with issues that plays off his supporting cast quite. It's a smaller film, but one of the better turns of a comedic actor to a serious role. 4/5

 

The Beaver: Mel Gibson is a bigoted asshole... but he's still a pretty good actor. I was really taken in with his performance as a completely broken man who ends up using a puppet as his only way of talking to the outside world. Gibson really felt like a man who has severe depression to the point where you feel for the guy as well as the family having to deal with it. The supporting cast is good and the direction from Gibson's co star Jodie Foster is impressively slick, but the story sort of breaks down during the last act and this annoying subplot with Anton Yelchin (playing Gibson's son) and Jennifer Lawrence slows the pace down dead. Still worth it for The Road Warrior Muppet Show, though. 3.5/5

 

Hobo With A Shotgun: Don't have to say much about this one. Do you like the idea of the guy who played the replicant from Blade Runner cleaning up a seedy town with his shotgun? Well, add some robotic assassins, a pedophiliac Santa and some dark gory humor that would make Troma's Lloyd Kaufman proud and you've got one of the most entertaining independent films of the year! 4/5

 

Passion Play: UGH! Just... how in the hell did this get made? And with these people involved?! Most of you probably haven't even heard about this very limited release starring Mickey Rourke (who put a big dent in his comeback with this one), Megan Fox (who's fifteen minutes are officially up after this one) and Bill Murray (who now has NO right to be so picky about the third Ghostbusters movie), but I saw it. Dear god I actually saw it. I'll just say this; have you ever felt like shitty blue screen, random karate dojo players, freak shows, jazz music, angel wings and a sex scene between winged Megan Fox and Mickey Rourke should all be featured in one movie? If so, this is so your movie. If not, then you'll probably share my sentiments and call this the worst film of 2011! 0.5/5

 

Bridesmaids: I wasn't amongst the throngs of people who loved this. It has some amazing laughs from the supporting players (particularly Melissa McCarthy), but the film really suffers with its main character played by Kristen Wiig. Wiig is starts out as such a relatable character, but turns into a whiny bitch after this party half way through the film that made me really hate her. There were also some elaborate comedic set pieces that didn't make me laugh so much as disgusted, but the film is still quite funny overall. 3/5

 

Hesher: It's like Mary Poppins... only with a shirtless hobo metalhead instead of Julie Andrews... and pipe bombs instead of a flying umbrella. This is another great example of how diverse actors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Rainn Wilson really are, making their potentially awful characters seem strangely likable and they're well supported by the likes of Natalie Portman and Piper Laurie. I've always been a fan of films that take an old concept from a warped point of view and this film basically does the same with the already mentioned Poppins. This mysterious metalhead comes into a boy's life, mooches off his family and teaches him how to get over loss. It's oddly touching and charmed me quite a lot. 4.5/5

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: Meh. That's really it. With the other movies, I had some sort of strong reaction, whether it was love for Curse of the Black Pearl, hatred for Dead Man's Chest or surprise over the fun of At World's End (yeah, I liked it, sue me). This one didn't really move me either way. Sure, certain actors did a fine job (Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush & Penelope Cruz) and there are cool sequences involving mermaids and Blackbeard's ship, but the story felt so meandering and the decision to have yet another stupid love story made this a pretty forgettable watch. 2.5/5

 

Midnight In Paris: Woody Allen's back, baby! I've been an Allen fan for a few years now and ever since Vicky Christina Barcelona he's been on a slow build up to achieving that same level of greatness he had with 2005's Match Point. With this film, he surpassed it! The way he explore the nostalgia people have for earlier times and how it clouds their judgement of the present spoke to me in the best way possible. Plus, I just loved how he brought in all of these great literary figures from the 1920s and played them to fantastic comedic effect, particularly Corey Still as Ernest Hemmingway and Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali. I was also quite impressed with Owen Wilson, who managed to play the part of the Allen stand in so well and recaptured that spark he had as leads in Wes Anderson's films. He, along with Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Still, Brody & several others all make up a pretty damn fantastic cast here as well. Basically, it's witty, it's charming and it's got some great shots of McAdams' ass. Who wouldn't like it? 5/5

 

The Hangover Part II: So yeah, we all know this was a big retread of the first one story wise. I will say that the best aspect of the movie was where it deviated from the original; the humor here got REALLY dark, going for some of the most depraved situations that Thailand has to offer and the grimy cinematography really fit that. The cast is mostly fun, with Ed Helms (as I mentioned) still being the best part of both entries in this franchise, unlike the annoying as all fuck Zach Galifanakis (though he's not nearly as infuriating in Todd Phillip's last piece of shit Due Date). His whole character really shows just how unbelievable these characters are, as his presence was much more believable in the first film. Basically, it works much better as a string of dark & bizarre comedic set pieces than as a collective whole. 3/5

 

Kung Fu Panda 2: Probably my favorite animated film of the year. While the first Kung Fu Panda film is still the superior, I have to give these guys credit for making a worthy sequel here. The kung fu action scenes are spellbinding, the voice actors perform well (particularly Gary Oldman, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong & Michelle Yeoh), the comedy is still strong & character driven and the emotional threads throughout are genuinely touching, particularly between Po and his father. It has problems, but this (along with the another film from later in this year) continues to show how much Dreamworks Animation has improved over the years. 4/5

 

The Tree of Life: I went into this one pretty cold. This was my first Terrence Malick film, so I had no pretensions either way about him. On the whole, I liked the film. Whenever it focused on specific childhood events from the main character's perspective, the film was really at it's height; the cinematography felt so vividly real, the boyhood antics felt like they were plucked out of my memories and the actors had such a great chemistry, particularly Brad Pitt and the main boy. However, whenever the film gets way too heavily symbolic, it falls pretty flat. All that shit with the creation of the universe, dinosaurs and Sean Penn on the beach just felt too highfalutin for its own good. 3/5

 

June

"I am going to count to three and I'm going to move the coin." 

 

Beginners: A hipster film in its purest undiluted form. That's not necessarily a bad thing for me; I like a lot of things many consider hipster. On the whole, this wasn't one of them. I liked some elements such as the performances from Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer, with Plummer really being the highlight of the whole film. His coming out late in life and slow deterioration from cancer felt genuinely touching. The rest of this film just felt so... forced. The attempts to cover social issues, the stylistic flourishes and the whole dog thing all felt like failed attempts to make a pretty mundane and boring story seem "artsy." I can see why others liked it, but it just isn't for me. 2/5

 

X-Men: First Class: X-Men has been vindicated! I was so enraptured with this prequel/reboot to what had become a dower franchise thanks to the last two entries, particularly with the way it brought back the Xavier-Magneto bromance in full force. Most of that is thanks to the fantastic chemistry between actors James McAvoy & Michael Fassbender, who manage to match the immense talents of Patrick Stewart & Ian McKellan respectively. Director Matthew Vaughn also covered the film in a classy 1960s James Bond style that fit so well with the origins of the Gifted School for Youngsters and made all of the action scene memorable. If you lost faith in the Marvel team of Mutants, this will surely win you back over. 4.5/5

 

Submarine: Hey, British director guy, Wes Anderson called; he wants his quirky style back! Now, I still enjoyed this film, mostly for the side characters and some of the visual flourishes it partakes in... even if it's a rip-off of Anderson at points. However, I grew to really hate the main character as the film moved along. He's just this arrogant little douche of a kid who thinks he knows so much. Sure, the film treats this as comedy but he's just not that interesting of a character and ends up infuriating the me more engaging me. British indie films... they're kind of a crap shoot, but this one is decent.  3.5/5

 

Super 8: I really loved this as I left the theater. I was so enthralled with the main kid characters that I didn't really notice the film's biggest fault until later; the third act. JJ Abrams did such a fantastic job at capturing all of the Spielberg-isms with the how real those kids felt, some of the more amazing action sequences and the way he used Michael Giacchino's score, but he apparently tried to shove too many Spielberg-like elements into the ending, which feels like an uneven blend of E.T., Jurassic Park and Close Encounters. It sounds like I'm dogging on this, but I'm not trying to. It's a fun nostalgic throwback that I'd pretty much recommend to anyone. 4/5

 

Green Lantern: Hey, Warner Brothers; you're starting to ware out your welcome for the Nolan Batman choice in terms of superhero movies! This was such a wasted opportunity; all this interesting stuff on Oa (from the special effects to Mark Strong's performance) are tossed aside in favor of this asshole character (played by a sleepwalking Ryan Reynolds) that gets this amazing gift and chooses to waste it on making shitty CGI suits and race cars on Earth. Why waste your time on Earth, where actors like Tim Robbins & Angela Basset are wasted in favor of the bland Blake Lively and giant shit clouds are trying to eat everything?! I haven't seen an aggressive bore like this since a 90s superhero movie like Batman Forever or The Shadow. 2/5

 

Troll Hunter: Found footage is starting to get stale, isn't it? Ever since Cloverfield, these films have been popping up more and more, being pretty hit or miss. This film from Norway managed to be the first one since Cloverfield to get across just how simultaneously awe inspiring and terrifying it is to see something so huge from a person's POV. Plus, the main actor Otto Jespersen is damn good, the effects are impressive and the film develops the mythology of the trolls in an engaging fashion. The film has issues with it's ending and some annoying documentary filmmaker characters, but it's an impressively done foreign film none the less. 4/5

 

Cars 2: I'm just stunned by the incompetence here. I wasn't that big a fan of the first Cars movie, but it at least had some of that genuine heart Pixar is known for. It's sequel has none, trading the heart with unfunny cultural references, a phoned in message about friendship/excepting yourself and this stupid mistaken identity plot that's purely fooled by that sitcom style misreading of what people say. Worst of all, the entire movie hinges on the likability of a character voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. LARRY THE CABLE GUY, PEOPLE! Aside from some of the score and the beautiful look of the film, this is a huge blemish on a studio's otherwise great track record. 1/5

 

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop: A funny and introspective look into Conan's nationwide tour of America last summer. Sometimes that introspection works against Conan, revealing how much of a whiney bitch he can be on occasion. Still it's interesting to see how Conan & crew put the whole tour together and it's especially worth watching if (like me) you didn't get a chance to see one of Conan's performances. 3.5/5

 

Buck: The best documentary of the year... and I don't like documentaries that much... or horses! Yet, I was fully engaged with the story of horse trainer Buck Brannaman. Most of this came from Buck's personality and way of life. The way he approached horse training as an extension of one's own personality spoke volumes about how he dealt with his abuse as well as how other people dealt with their own issues. That ideal relates to not only horse owners, but to anyone who owns pets and shows the kind of kinship a human can have with an animal. That's profundity on a level that anyone can relate to. 4.5/5

 

Bad Teacher: Another one of those uneven comedies. I will say that when this thing is hitting, it hits dead on. Most of that comes from the quirky side players like Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, John Michael Higgins, Phyllis Smith, Matt Besser & Thomas Lennon. That being said, the story itself is pretty unbridled, the Lucy Punch character is totally unfunny and the attempts to make Cameron Diaz look like a "tough love" teacher really fell flat. So, it doesn't work as a movie but does work as pretty funny string of small sketches. 2.5/5

 

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Alright, hear me out on this one. Now, I wasn't a fan of the other two movies; the first one was a big stupid blockbuster that looked decent, but was forgettable. The second one  is a total piece of shit. With the third one, I was surprised that it didn't totally suck. Sure, Shia LeBeouf was ungodly annoying, the plot was way too convoluted and this single handedly killed the remaining respect I had for Ken Jeong. Yet, I was decently entertained by a few of the actors (Frances McDormand and Alan Tudyk in particular), the Transformers robots weren't nearly as annoying and the last hour of the movie had some pretty damn amazing action set pieces. So, it's the best of the three... but only by an inch. 2.5/5

 

Well, that's the first half of the year. Still got a ways to go. Look for Part 2 within the next week!