I went through an entry drought and its been 3 months since my last post. Its not that I haven't done anything or haven't seen any movies. Its just that I never took the time to post. October through the end of the year was very busy for me, professionally and personally, and the holidays were obviously a factor.

But I'm back and happy to post again. So lets start off 2008 with a catch-up on my movies of 2007 and mine and Amie's final rankings.

• We Own The Night
  Entertaining factor: 2.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 2.5 / 5
  Overall: 2.5 / 5
  Comments: Save your time by skipping this crime drama and watch American Gangster instead. This one didn't live up to my expectations

• Dan in Real Life
  Entertaining factor: 4.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 4 / 5
  Overall: 4 / 5
  Comments: How can I explain how good this movie is? It really hits the heart in a funny and dramatic way. But do American families really spend their holidays like this one does?

• American Gangster
  Entertaining factor: 4 / 5
  Plot factor: 4 / 5
  Overall: 4 / 5
  Comments: This is what people should expect crime dramas to be.

• Beowulf
  Entertaining factor: 4 / 5
  Plot factor: 4 / 5
  Overall: 4 / 5
  Comments: We saw this in digital 3-D and I was impressed with the CGI. I also like the story so I thoroughly enjoyed the movie...I think more than others.

• Enchanted
  Entertaining factor: 4 / 5
  Plot factor: 3.5 / 5
  Overall: 3.5 / 5
  Comments: Really fun movie and I thought Amy Adams made the movie work.

• Atonement
  Entertaining factor: 4.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 4.5 / 5
  Overall: 4.5 / 5
  Comments: Everything was superb in this movie - the writing, directing, acting, and the music. It deserves all the accolades its been getting. And I have to add that Keira Knightley was amazing in all aspects.




Jason's final 2007 rankings

Amie's final 2007 rankings

Pan's Labyrinth The Bourne Ultimatum 3:10 to Yuma Atonement added Across the Universe 300 Live Free or Die Hard Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Dan in Real Life added American Gangster added Stardust Blood Diamond Beowulf added Fracture Breach Music and Lyrics Super Size Me The Queen Babel Superbad Shooter Hot Fuzz Enchanted added The Brave One Ocean's Thirteen Pirates of the Caribbean Spider-Man 3 Next Knocked Up Rush Hour 3 Disturbia Ratatouille Shrek the Third Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surver I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry Good Luck Chuck The Nanny Diaries High School Musical Night at the Museum We Own the Night added Transformers The Simpsons Movie Flightplan Dreamgirls Blades of Glory Ghost Rider High School Musical 2 Kickin' It Old Skool Stealth Because I Said So Curse of the Golden Flower Premonition

Across the Universe adjusted up Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Atonement added Stardust Dan In Real Life added Music and Lyrics 300 Blood Diamond Pirates of the Caribbean Rush Hour 3 Enchanted added American Gangster added Superbad Pan's Labyrinth 3:10 to Yuma The Brave One Live Free or Die Hard Ocean's Thirteen Breach Shrek the Third Super Size Me Disturbia Spider-Man 3 Ratatouille Knocked Up Fantastic Four and the Rise of the Silver Surfer Transformers (because of Shia LeBouf) Shooter Hot Fuzz We Own The Night added I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry Fracture Next Beowulf added The Queen Blades of Glory Good Luck Chuck Babel High School Musical The Nanny Diaries Night at the Museum High School Musical 2 Flight Plan Ghost Rider Dreamgirls Stealth Because I Said So adjusted down Premonition Curse of the Golden Flower

I went the whole month of September without a post, which means I need to catch up on 2 months worth of movies. There's 10 to add, so I'll try to make my comments short. Here we go:

• The Simpsons Movie
  Entertaining factor: 3 / 5
  Plot factor: 2.5 / 5
  Overall: 2.5 / 5
  Comments: It stayed true to the characters, so what else can one expect from the movie? It was a really long episode that had its funny moments. Amie chose not to watch it, so its not on her list below.

• The Bourne Ultimatum
  Entertaining factor: 4.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 4 / 5
  Overall: 4.5 / 5
  Comments: The first movie blew me away and this one did too. I'm still surprised that its Matt Damon. Best action movie of the summer...too bad Amie skipped this one too.

• Rush Hour 3
  Entertaining factor: 3.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 3 / 5
  Overall: 3.5 / 5
  Comments: Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are hilarious together and I really like the Rush Hour movies. The first two are better but this is still worth seeing if you like the others.

• Stardust
  Entertaining factor: 4 / 5
  Plot factor: 4.5 / 5
  Overall: 4 / 5
  Comments: A really captivating fantasy movie based on a graphic novel.

• Superbad
  Entertaining factor: 4 / 5
  Plot factor: 3.5 / 5
  Overall: 4 / 5
  Comments: Super funny. Its a high school comedy and a total guy movie.

• High School Musical 2
  Entertaining factor: 3 / 5
  Plot factor: 2.5 / 5
  Overall: 2.5 / 5
  Comments: Cheesier than the first one. But we had to see it, or at least I thought we did.

• The Nanny Diaries
  Entertaining factor: 3 / 5
  Plot factor: 3 / 5
  Overall: 3 / 5
  Comments: Nothing special and it didn't suck. So it was average.

• 3:10 To Yuma
  Entertaining factor: 4.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 4.5 / 5
  Overall: 4.5 / 5
  Comments: I heard a critic say this is the best Western since Tombstone. It is. And Maximus and Batman are really good in it.

• The Brave One
  Entertaining factor: 3.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 4 / 5
  Overall: 3.5 / 5
  Comments: Really gripping movie. I don't know what else to say but Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard are really good in this movie.

• Good Luck Chuck
  Entertaining factor: 3 / 5
  Plot factor: 3 / 5
  Overall: 3 / 5
  Comments: This comedy wasn't that great but Jessica Alba saves it for me. I had high hopes for this movie, especially since I got to meet her at Comic-Con.

• Across the Universe
  Entertaining factor: 4.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 4.5 / 5
  Overall: 4.5 / 5
  Comments: I love this musical set to Beatles songs. The lyrics and the story really complement each other to make this movie work.




Jason's rankings

Amie's rankings

Pan's Labyrinth The Bourne Ultimatum added 3:10 to Yuma added Across the Universe added 300 Live Free or Die Hard Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix IMAX Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Stardust added Blood Diamond Fracture Breach Music and Lyrics Super Size Me The Queen Babel Superbad added Shooter Hot Fuzz The Brave One added Ocean's Thirteen Pirates of the Caribbean Spider-Man 3 Next Knocked Up Rush Hour 3 added Disturbia Ratatouille Shrek the Third Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surver I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry Good Luck Chuck added The Nanny Diaries High School Musical Night at the Museum Transformers The Simpsons Movie added Flightplan Dreamgirls Blades of Glory Ghost Rider High School Musical 2 added Kickin' It Old Skool Stealth Because I Said So Curse of the Golden Flower Premonition

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix IMAX Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Across the Universe added Music and Lyrics Stardust added 300 Blood Diamond Pirates of the Caribbeanadjusted down Rush Hour 3 added Superbad added Pan's Labyrinth 3:10 to Yuma added The Brave One added Live Free or Die Hard Ocean's Thirteen Breach Shrek the Third Super Size Me Disturbia Spider-Man 3 Ratatouille Knocked Up Fantastic Four and the Rise of the Silver Surfer Transformers (because of Shia LeBouf) Shooter Hot Fuzz I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry Fracture Next The Queen Blades of Glory Good Luck Chuck added Babel High School Musical The Nanny Diaries added Night at the Museum added High School Musical 2 added Flight Plan Ghost Rider Dreamgirls Because I Said So Stealth Premonition Curse of the Golden Flower

I feel like I should join everyone today and post a Niagara 2 entry. But instead I will update my movie list with seven movies: Fantastic Four, Live Free or Die Hard, Ratatouille, Transformers, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Chuck and Larry. And I'm adding Flightplan which we DVR'd at home.

So here's the movies I saw in the month of July and what I think of them:

• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
  Entertaining factor: 3.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 3 / 5
  Overall: 3 / 5
  Comments: This one falls in the middle. Its easy to put my favorites on top and the ones I didn't like in the bottom. Then the rest just fall in the middle and it becomes difficult to rank. I liked the Silver Surfer and thought this movie was moderately entertaining.

• Live Free or Die Hard
  Entertaining factor: 4.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 3.5 / 5
  Overall: 4 / 5
  Comments: I love the Die Hard series and thought this movie was really fun and entertaining. It was so over the top, but I really liked it. Justin Long did well as the sidekick and Bruce Willis still kicks butt. Best movie of the summer.

• Transformers
  Entertaining factor: 3 / 5
  Plot factor: 2 / 5
  Overall: 2.5 / 5
  Comments: I think I've gotten tired of director Michael Bay's melodramatic style. I really enjoyed Bad Boys and The Rock but then I wasn't a big fan of Armageddon or Pearl Harbor. And I thought he ruined the cool concept of The Island. Transformers had some cool scenes, and Megan Fox lives up to her last name. But I didn't like the liberties that Bay took with the Transformers story for the movie. The more I talk about this movie with my friends, the less I like it.

• Ratatouille
  Entertaining factor: 3.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 3.5 / 5
  Overall: 3.5 / 5
  Comments: Pixar is really good at finding a story's emotion that locks the audience in and makes them feel for animated characters. And this time they did it with an animated rat not named Mickey. The concept of a rat that can cook makes an interesting plotline and I enjoyed this movie.

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  Entertaining factor: 4.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 4 / 5
  Overall: 4 / 5
  Comments: The Harry Potter books are so good and this translation of the 5th book into a movie was really well done. Of course certain plot lines had to be removed, but this movie stayed true to the book and told a really good story. I really enjoyed this movie, even though I already knew what major things were going to happen. We also saw this movie in IMAX. It was a totally different movie for me, but that was because it was after I read the 7th book and now know the fate of all the characters and how the saga ends. It was a little more emotional for me. And then the 3-D sequence at the end of the movie was really cool. Second best movie of the summer.

• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
  Entertaining factor: 3.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 3 / 5
  Overall: 3 / 5
  Comments: I'm always surprised by how emotional Adam Sandler's movies are. They're funny but they also have good character development that adds depth and makes them better movies. With that said, its one of the better comedies out there right now, but its not one of Adam's best. For instance, I like 50 First Dates more.

• Flightplan
  Entertaining factor: 2.5 / 5
  Plot factor: 3 / 5
  Overall: 2.5 / 5
  Comments: Is Jodie Foster delusional or is her daughter really missing in the middle of a flight? This was a so-so mystery/thriller.

I can tell my scale is shifting as the year goes on...

Jason's rankings

Amie's rankings

Pan's Labyrinth 300 Live Free or Die Hard added Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix IMAXadded Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix added Blood Diamond Fracture Breach Music and Lyrics Super Size Me The Queen Babel Shooter Hot Fuzz Ocean's Thirteen Pirates of the Caribbean Spider-Man 3 Next Knocked Up Disturbia Ratatouille added Shrek the Third Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surver added I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry added High School Musical Night at the Museum Transformers added Flightplan added Dreamgirls Blades of Glory Ghost Rider Kickin' It Old Skool Stealth Because I Said So Curse of the Golden Flower Premonition

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix IMAX added Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix added Pirates of the Caribbean Music and Lyrics 300adjusted up Blood Diamond adjusted down Pan's Labyrinth Live Free or Die Hard added Ocean's Thirteen Breach Shrek the Third Super Size Me Disturbia adjusted up Spider-Man 3 adjusted down Ratatouille added Knocked Up Fantastic Four and the Rise of the Silver Surfer added Transformers (because of Shia LeBouf) added Shooter Hot Fuzz adjusted up I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry added Fracture Next The Queen Blades of Glory Babel High School Musical Night at the Museum Flight Plan added Ghost Rider Dreamgirls Because I Said So Stealth Premonition Curse of the Golden Flower

I finally finished uploading my Comic-Con pictures and they're available to view in my Shutterfly account and I also added descriptions. Here's a few examples of the pictures:

And here's links to my entries for each of the four days:

• Comic-Con Thursday (entry)
• Comic-Con Friday (entry)
• Comic-Con Saturday (entry)
• Comic-Con Sunday (entry)

And here's some things that stood out for me in this year's Con:
Best moment - Meeting Jessica Alba and getting her autograph.
Best panel - Heroes. Practically everyone from Season 1 was there and they were fun.
Biggest surprise - Get Smart panel. Most of the cast was there unexpectedly.
Biggest disappointment - Fox Studios backed out of their panel timeslot.
Most anticipated movie - Iron Man
Favorite swag - The posters and T-shirts from the Paramount panel.
Most creative costume - The gal who made a dress out of the Smallville giveaway bag. Its in my photos.
Oddest costume - Freebie table guy. He pasted a bunch of free stuff on himself. He looked more like a big trash heap.
Oddest sight - Seeing Willy Wonka pose in a picture with Stormtroopers.

Sunday was the last day of the Con. Bittersweet. It was a long four days, but it was fun and now we have to wait another year for the next one.

There were a few panels to see in Ballroom 20 to start the day. Nicolas Cage had his own panel with his son to promote a new comic book that they've created. Nicolas kept pushing that his goal is to make it into a movie one day. Then there were panels for a few more upcoming movies that look semi-interesting. I was hoping to see Alyssa Milano at the Pathology panel but she was a no-show. The panels were done by 2pm which gave us 3 hours to walk the exhibition floor and close out the Con for the year.

I have my film pictures developed and am working on posting them on my Shutterfly account. When they're ready, I'll post a Comic-Con 2007 summary entry.

So here's the Programming Schedule descriptions for the panels I attended on Sunday:

Nicolas and Weston Cage Talk Comics— Academy Award winning actor Nicolas Cage is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but he's also one of us: a big-time comics fan. Nic and his son Weston Cage have created their own comic, Voodoo Child, published by Virgin Comics. Father and son will talk about their mutual love of comics and what it's like to collaborate on this brand new book!

Right at Your Door and Dragon Wars— Two great new films are showcased in this panel, coming soon to a theatre near you!
In Right at Your Door, multiple dirty bombs are detonated, spreading deadly toxic ash across Los Angeles. Brad (Rory Cochrane) and his wife, Lexi (Mary McCormack) struggle to survive. When "help" finally does arrive, it appears to be anything but. Appearing in person: writer/director Chris Gorak, producers Jonah Smith and Palmer West (A Scanner Darkly, Waking Life, Requiem for a Dream), and stars Rory Cochrane (Dazed & Confused, CSI: Miami) and Mary McCormack (The West Wing, Howard Stern's Private Parts). In theaters August 24 from Roadside Attractions.
Next up it's Dragon Wars (aka D-War)! Dragon-like creatures from an ancient legend appear in Los Angeles and terrorize the city in search of a mysterious girl. A TV reporter investigating the incidents uncovers a piece of debris that directly links him to his destiny as an ancient warrior who was reborn to protect this unknown girl from the evil dragons and save the city from total destruction. Based on a Korean legend and directed by Korean superstar Hyung-rae Shim. Appearing in person: Jason Behr (Roswell, The Grudge), Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster (Jackie Brown, Mulholland Drive), and Craig Robinson (The Office). In theaters September 21 from Freestyle Releasing.

From the creators of Crank, join Pathology writer/producers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor as they moderate a killer panel that includes film director Marc Schoelermann and participating cast members Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Michael Weston, Alyssa Milano, and Lauren Lee Smith (scheduled to attend). Neveldine and Taylor will introduce first-look footage from the film exclusively for Comic-Con participants. Panel attendees have a chance to win a meet-n-greet with the Pathology panelists and an iPhone immediately following. Pathology is in theaters in November.