By my count, since I began this deployment process with my training in Louisiana near the beginning of last May, I have watched 76 movies. Naturally, due to my affinity for rating things, I’ve kept a list of all 76 of these movies, because why not. And now that I’ve already done that, why not post them? For science!
Date | Movie | Stars | Comments |
Ft Polk | Oblivion | «««1/2 | Greatly exceeded my average expectations |
Ft Polk | The Great Gatsby | ««« | Visually stunning, great music. The story itself though, is filled with an unlikeable lot. |
Ft Polk | Iron Man 3 | ««« | Another solid one. Pretty much what you’d expect. Witty humor, good action. |
Ft Polk | Star Trek: Into Darkness | «««1/2 | Another great addition to the catalog. Well done. |
Ft Polk | The Intouchables | «««1/2 | French indie movie’s acting/script overcome cliché plot idea |
Ft Polk | In Bruges | «««« | Incredibly compelling movie. Great scripts, actors, humor, and setting. |
Ft Polk | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | ««1/2 | Liked it better than I remembered from when I was a kid |
Ft Polk | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | «««« | Far and away the best of the original movies |
Ft Polk | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | ««« | Very solid. Probably the 4th best of the originals. |
Ft Polk | Stark Trek V: The Final Frontier | «1/2 | Clearly the worst of all the originals. Hard to watch at times. |
Ft Polk | Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country | ««« | A good redemption after V. The third best of the originals. |
Ft Polk | The Purge | Zero | No exaggerating: one of the worst movies I’ve ever suffered through. Just stupid. |
Ft Polk | Man of Steel | «« | Disappointing. There was a good movie somewhere in there, but it dragged and dragged. |
Ft Polk | Django Unchained | «««1/2 | Another great Tarantino movie with memorable scenes, though not perfect. |
Ft Polk | The Master | «1/2 | Uncomfortable and full of unlikeable characters. Surprisingly unwatchable for all the hype. |
Ft Polk | World War Z | ««« | Solid, but nothing more. Well put together, good Brad Pitt, good visuals. |
Pre-Deploy | Despicable Me 2 | «« | Pretty disappointing. Laughs were much more occasional than the first. |
Pre-Deploy | Pitch Perfect | ««« | Talk about surprising. Simultaneously makes fun of movie musicals while being one. |
24 July 2013 | Skyfall | «««1/2 | Much better than Quantum of Solace, but still no Casino Royale |
25 July 2013 | The Big Year | ««« | Perfectly innocent PG fun, with enough heart/laughs to overcome cheesiness |
26 July 2013 | Layer Cake | ««1/2 | Well done crime movie, but lacked any characters worth caring about |
27 July 2013 | Seeking a Friend for the End of the World | «««1/2 | Surprisingly touching. Good if you want a slower, indie drama/dark comedy |
27 July 2013 | Cold Weather | ««1/2 | Strange. Starts insufferably slow, but mystery picks up in the middle. |
28 July 2013 | The Damned United | ««« | Very interesting biopic despite not knowing who Brian Clough was |
2 Aug 2013 | Total Recall | «1/2 | Fell asleep twice. Has all the makings of a good movie, but not much there. |
2 Aug 2013 | Beasts of the Southern Wild | ««« | Well-executed, well-made, but only for if you are looking for something artsy. |
16 Aug 2013 | Sightseers | « | Confess I didn’t, or couldn’t, finish. Almost likeable at moments, but beyond bizarre. |
25 Aug 2013 | Life of Pi | «««1/2 | Really enjoyed this movie. Colorful, transfixing, and captivating storytelling. |
1 Sep 2013 | Gangster Squad | ««1/2 | It isn’t earth-shattering, but it’s exactly what it’s trying to be, which is fun. |
2 Sep 2013 | Mud | «««« | A perfect drama, paced well and filled with Arkansas character. |
5 Sep 2013 | Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | ««1/2 | Despite my love for Wes Anderson, still don’t really love this one years later. |
6 Sep 2013 | Drinking Buddies | ««« | Missing something most the movie, but redeemed by the end by doing it right. |
8 Sep 2013 | Monster’s University | ««« | Good fun. No Pixar classic, but definitely plenty of smiles and a few laughs. |
9 Sep 2013 | Amour | ««« | As painfully slow as it is heart wrenching. Hard to watch, but undeniably good. |
12 Sep 2013 | The Place Beyond the Pines | «««1/2 | Better first half with Gosling, but movie keeps the drama rolling so you can’t stop. |
13 Sep 2013 | Miller’s Crossing | «««1/2 | Very good. After watching Gangster Squad, this is how you do this kind of movie. |
15 Sep 2013 | The Paperboy | ««1/2 | Kept my attention, but front half better than second and missing something special |
16 Sep 2013 | Cowboys & Aliens | «1/2 | A relatively pointless film that could have been good, or at least fun, if done different |
17 Sep 2013 | The World’s End | «««« | Just fantastic. Hilarious and surprising. A comedy with heart and completely original. |
19 Sep 2013 | Lee Daniels’ The Butler | ««1/2 | Good performance from Whitaker, but the movie on the whole is underwhelming |
25 Sep 2013 | This Is The End | «« | Certainly entertaining, but not worth recommending if you can see The World’s End |
27 Sep 2013 | Anna Karenina | ««« | Exceeded expectations. Well made and interesting despite wholly unlikeable lead. |
4 Oct 2013 | Schindler’s List | «««« | Why did this take me 28 years? What an amazing, impactful film. |
11 Oct 2013 | Vertigo | «««« | Excellent and suspenseful. The conclusion is impossible to look away from. |
11 Oct 2013 | The Way, Way Back | «««1/2 | Duncan/Owen relationship makes this character movie with flawed people work well |
12 Oct 2013 | The Internship | «« | Formulaic and generally forgettable, but it’s still a little bit fun. |
17 Oct 2013 | Elysium | ««1/2 | Held back by lack of development of the characters’ motivations and their world |
20 Oct 2013 | Pacific Rim | ««« | The story itself isn’t amazing, but I’ve never seen a movie presented quite like it. |
23 Oct 2013 | Kick-Ass 2 | ««« | Cartoonish and mega-violent, but still undeniably fun |
28 Oct 2013 | Dead Poet’s Society | «««1/2 | A rare movie where I disagree with Ebert. It feels more sincere than schmaltzy. |
1 Nov 2013 | Kings of Summer | «««1/2 | Coming of age story with real heartache. Really enjoyed Moriarty and Arias’ roles. |
2 Nov 2013 | The Bling Ring | «« | interesting take on celeb worship, but that doesn’t make it a captivating or enjoyable watch |
3 Nov 2013 | The To Do List | «« | Some pretty funny moments, but overall doesn’t rise above any other mediocre comedies |
6 Nov 2013 | Oz the Great Powerful | ««« | A fun adventure with classic Disney whimsy, but suffered from being far too long. |
8 Nov 2013 | Disconnect | ««1/2 | Triple intersecting storylines, but only one is compelling and developed well enough. |
12 Nov 2013 | The Bourne Legacy | «« | Disappointed by the good start that devolves into a senseless chase scene for the 2nd half |
1 Dec 2013 | Clear History | «« | Certainly watchable/nice backdrop, but I didn’t find this brand of humor particularly funny |
5 Dec 2013 | Snitch | ««« | Unoriginal story, but nice visuals/location and pace. Surprised that I actually enjoyed it. |
4 Jan 2014 | Don Jon | ««1/2 | Crisply paced and edited, but the whole second half lacked of humor and felt contrived. |
7 Jan 2014 | Lone Survivor | ««« | Mostly action, but foreknowledge of the story helps fill in the gaps. Without it though? |
15 Jan 2014 | Wolf of Wall Street | ««« | Highly entertaining, but protagonist is so awful you spend movie hoping for his demise. |
17 Jan 2014 | Captain Phillips | ««« | Just kept picking up steam until the riveting final third. Great Hanks performance. |
17 Jan 2014 | August: Osage County | ««1/2 | Well-acted dysfunction. Very real setting/characters, but a pretty bleak display. |
18 Jan 2014 | Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 | «« | Its charm is overwhelmed by how disappointing it is compared to the amazing first one |
19 Jan 2014 | Inside Llewyn Davis | ««1/2 | Kept my attention & I loved the music, but it was basically Crazy Heart without the uplift |
20 Jan 2014 | Saving Mr. Banks | «««1/2 | After some dark movies, this was the perfect bit of charm and heart that I needed |
22 Jan 2014 | The Spectacular Now | «««1/2 | More and more convinced Shailene Woodley is a star. Very convincingly real movie. |
24 Jan 2014 | American Hustle | «««1/2 | Highly entertaining con story with great performances by Bale/Adams, comedy by Lawrence |
25 Jan 2014 | Rush | «««« | Brilliant. The acting, cinematography, drama…everything. How is this not nominated? |
26 Jan 2014 | 12 Years a Slave | «««1/2 | Profoundly impactful and disturbing. About as raw as it gets. Shoo in for Best Actor. |
26 Jan 2014 | Ender’s Game | ««« | I found it enjoyable, though the great buildup led to a rushed and confusing finale |
27 Jan 2014 | Charlie Wilson’s War | «««1/2 | Really interesting watch on my way out of Afghanistan. Compelling story. |
28 Jan 2014 | Out of the Furnace | ««« | Great individual performances. Very tough, great setting/music. Took a while to get going. |
29 Jan 2014 | About Time | ««« | A touch sappy, but witty and heartfelt enough to overcome. Hit a little close to home too. |
30 Jan 2014 | Gravity | «««« | The definition of riveting and suspenseful. Visually, one of the best I’ve seen. |
My Best of 2013 (In progress)
- Mud
- Rush
- The Way, Way Back
- Gravity
- American Hustle
- Place Beyond the Pines
- 12 Years a Slave
- Kings of Summer
- The Spectacular Now
- Saving Mr. Banks
Ranking the Oscar Best Picture Nominees I’ve Seen So Far (Still need to see Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena, Nebraska, and Her)
- Gravity
- American Hustle
- 12 Years a Slave
- Captain Phillips
- Wolf of Wall Street
Best Comedy – The World’s End
Underrated Films/Surprises
- Oblivion
- Anna Karenina
- About Time
- The World’s End
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Disappointments (movies I thought I would like but fell short, so not necessarily “bad movies”)
- The Master
- Lee Daniels’ The Butler
- Elysium
- Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
- The Bourne Legacy
My Favorite Individual Performances of 2013 (Again, Still need to see Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena, Nebraska, and Her…and from the trailers it wouldn’t surprise me if I add a few after seeing those)
- Matthew McConaughey in “Mud”
- Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”
- Ryan Gosling in “Place Beyond the Pines”
- Shailene Woodley in “The Spectacular Now”
- Christian Bale in “American Hustle”
- Sam Rockwell in “The Way, Way Back”
- Sandra Bullock in “Gravity”
- Chris Hemsworth in “Rush”
- Moises Arias in “Kings of Summer”
- Paul Giammati in “Saving Mr. Banks”
Worst Movies
- The Purge
- Total Recall
- Cowboys & Aliens
I know it's practically blasphemy, but I think I like this list almost as much as your top songs list. :) Thanks for sharing.
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