Popcorn & Velvet Seats

The Hunger Games

World War Z

Dark Shadows

This is what I’m excited about in the upcoming year. What do you fine people think?

The Dark Knight Rises

The Avengers

The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey

Prometheus

Riddick

The Bourne Legacy

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The Amazing Spiderman

Rom-Com:

Crazy Stupid Love - This is what romantic-comedies are made of folks, glad to see Emma Stone moving up as a leading lady.

No Strings Attached - It’s cute.

Foreign

Attack of the Block - It’s great dude flick, especially if you like films like HOT FUZZ and SHAUN OF THE DEAD. 

I would do a Worst Movies of 2011, but they weren’t worth my time when I was watching them and they aren’t worth my time now.

Epic:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - A well done saga.

Immortals - Just a cool film that requires the bare minimum  of brain cells… in a good way though.

Sentimental: 

The Help - Makes you cry and laugh.

Adventure: 

The Adventures of TinTin- It’s a fun adventure to go on, so go.

Hugo - Beautifully done cinema with an excellent story.

Super 8 - Another great adventure that’s fun to go on, it’s shot well and has the classic feel of E.T.

Indie:

Pariah - It’s the truth.

Ides of March - I loved Ryan Gosling in this film.

J. Edgar - Leonardo DiCaprio is an underrated actor, I want to see his films go some where during award season in the future. 

The Devil’s Double - Dominic Cooper is amazing in this film, I would love to see him in more leading men roles.

The Lincoln Lawyer - Aaalright-Aaalright! I hope that Matthew McConaughey continues to do good work like this, and return to the days of A Time to Kill and and NEVER go back to the days of Ghosts of the Girlfriends Past.

These aren’t order, but they did kick @ss in 2011. I didn’t see every single movie that came out in theaters last year, so if you’re all upset because “FILL IN THE BLANK” didn’t make the list chillax and just add your 2 cents in. 

Comedy:

Bridesmaids - Maya Rudolph took a sh*t in the middle of the street, what else is there to say?

Horrible Bosses - It’s just funny, plus it’s the first movie Jennifer Aniston has been that’s done well in the box office in forever.

Action:

X-Men: First Class - Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy have great chemistry. 

Captain America: The First Avenger - The ridiculously sexy Chris Evans and Dominic Cooper is in it ‘nuff said.

Mission Imposible: Ghost Protocol - A great action flick. End of story.

Synopsis: After failing to fit in with her family and in lesbian black culture, Alike, finds herself at a crossroads between herself and her family.

Thoughts: Pariah was a sincere film, that touched on taboos within the African- American/black community about homosexuality. The film told a good story with an excellent script and a talented cast that provides moments that will have you laughing and crying.

Reasoning:  One of the most touching and real moments is Alike’s (Adepero Aduye) closing poem that can be heard as narration during the trailer. Other notable aspects about this film is the amazing soundtrack, and the amazing supporting cast. I think my favorite supporting performance is by Pernell Walker as Laura, Alike’s bestfriends, who’s struggling with making ends meet as a disowned young lesbian. Laura has a fairly understated role -compared to Adeperor Oduye’s role as Alike- that’s neatly tucked into the film, but if you’re paying attention you will notice just how wonderful her performance truly is.

Conclusion: Buy The Ticket

salesonfilm:

It was a most excellent adventure film in the old style. Very entertaining—and short. Get in, have a good time, get out. Job well done.

Great Point. 

Synopsis:

IMF is closed after a mission goes wrong in Russia that it’s blamed for. As a result, Ethan Hunt and his new team, have no choice but to clear IMF’s name and to save the world from nuclear warfare. 

Thoughts:

This is what great action movies are made of people! Ghost Protocol has a good looking cast and killer stunts with an actual plot line.

Reasoning:  

Tommy boy looks handsome in this film, and Paula Patton looks absolutely stunning.

It’s a huge pay off knowing that Tom Cuise performed all of his own stunts in the film.

The plot has a great spy espionage vibe going, with random pay phones self destructing ‘n’ all. Plus, Jeremy Renner’s character had nice layers to go along with the mission-gone-terribly-wrong plot line (I can’t say too much about that without giving stuff away though).

Conclusion: Buy The Ticket

Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, Watson, join forces to bring down Holmes’ arch nemesis Professor Moriarty. 

Thoughts: Great mystery action flick.

Reasoning: This sequel is actually better than the 1st film, because it builds on top of the 1st film and adds a few different elements without having a bunch of extra unnecessary stuff. I really hope Michael Bay takes a page out of Guy Ritchie’s book. Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. still have a great bromance going, which complements Guy Ritchie’s focused vision for the film.

Conclusion: Buy The Ticket (Although, see the 1st movie 1st if you can help it)

Synopsis: A young famous reporter in London, TinTin, finds himself on a mystery treasure hunt with his dog Snowie as a sidekick, and a confused and drunk Captain Haddcock.

Thoughts: This was a great film to see with the family, if you’re just a kid at heart (me) or if you’ve loved the best red head in the universe since you were in grade school (me again).

Reasoning: The dog was cute. The red headed kid was cute. Even the drunken captain was cute. All the characters are loveable. The only thing I didn’t love is when TinTin was lost at sea with Captain Haddcock, they were just lost at sea little too long for my taste. Left me wondering when the storyline was going to pick back up, which is never a good thing in a movie. 

Conclusion: Buy the ticket.

Synopsis:  A young man from a wealthy family attempts to pave his own way in the world by joining the movie industry, on a Sir Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe film, and falls in love with Marilyn Monroe during the filming of the movie.

Thoughts: This was a nice independent film that was really well cast. 

Reasoning: Michelle Williams‘ performance is captivating as Marilyn Monroe, and Eddie Redmayne did a wonderful job as this young love struck man following Miss Monroe around doing his best knight ‘n’ shining armor routine. Dominic Cooper delivered a wonderful supporting performance as Miss Monroe’s handler. Then again, I would watch this man watch paint dry. Yup, I love him like that. Oh and Judi Dench was nice as well. 

Conclusion: Buy The Ticket