Movie #11 - Red Dawn (1984)

One of my favorites from my childhood.  Even with dated material, it holds up very well.  Awesome cast.

4/5

Movie #10 - Wargames (1983)

I think I'm going to stop with the mini reviews, as I'm not much of a writer.  I will say, however, that this film would have been a lot better if they hadn't made it seem as if Oregon, Washington and Colorado were all within about 10 miles of each other.

2.5/5

Movie #9 - Swingers (1996)

I probably would have rated this film higher, 3 1/2 or even 4 stars, if Vince Vaughn would have said the word Baby about 10 fewer times.  It took me about 3/4 of the film to understand that there actually was a plot, but it came through beautifully at the end.  Favreau's character shows real depth.  Ron Livingston, a fellow Iowan, does very well in a completely unnecessary role.

3/5

Movie #8 - Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2011)

I loved this film.  I don't think I've seen dialogue taken out of context done any better than here.  I've been a fan of Alan Tudyk since "A Knight's Tale," and he is very good here, but Tyler Labine's Dale really steals the show.  This is a well-written, well executed, funny reminder that movies don't have to use the same recycled format to be good.  Oh, and Katrina Bowden is HOT!

4/5

Movie #7 - Date Night (2010)

Pretty decent comedy.  Completely unbelievable action and characters, but funny moments.  Good supporting cast really carries it, especially Mark Whalberg.  I think I'm gonna edit this from 3/5 on Letterboxd down to 2.  The more I think about it, the less I like it.

2/5

Movie #6 - Get Him to the Greek (2010)

I watched this movie Sunday night with a group of about 6 people at a friend's house. It was great for that purpose.  It's a pretty good comedy based on Jason Segel's Aldus Snow character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but would have been much better with more input on the writing side from him.  It does have a few moments of genuine sentimentality, but mostly it's just a gross-out raunchy late-night-with-friends-laughing-along piece.

3/5

Movie #5 - Shutter Island (2010)

I wasn't sure if I should include this film in my tally, since I didn't - no, I couldn't watch the whole thing.  I decided to add it based on the fact that I did watch more than half of it, very reluctantly.  I can't believe this is a Scorsese film.  If I wouldn't have known who the director was, I would have guessed Terrence Malik.  The altered reality visual style is very reminiscent of The New World, which I loathe.  If there is anything good to say about this film, it has to be that DiCaprio does a decent job with a mediocre script.  Every line from the supporting cast, including the usually excellent Ben Kingsley, seem telegraphed and phony.  There were times during special effects scenes, especially the storm, that I thought I was watching a Sy-Fy network "movie."  Easily the worst of my short year so far.

1.5/5