Movies 2006 to 2009

We (my husband and I) see a lot of movies. For many years now it’s been my personal quest to see all the movies that are nominated for an Oscar prior to the award ceremony so that I can make my own picks for the ‘best’ and see how they match up.

* denotes that the movie was nominated for an Oscar.

Here are my movie reviews for all the movies I’ve recently seen:

• 3:10 to Yuma*: EXCELLENT! (2/08)
• A Good Year: I read this book when it was first released and loved it. This movie was very, very good. I loved it! My husband loved it too! (3/07)
• Akeelah and the Bee: VERY VERY VERY GOOD! (3/07)
• Apocalypto: One of the best movies I’ve ever watched!!! (12/07)
• American Gangster*: Why wasn’t Russell Crowe nominated for this film? It was very good, long, but good — even thought I was getting very antsy and cleaned my living room for the last 30 minutes. (2/23/08)
• Angels & Demons: Loved it. The book was great, the movie did it justice. (5/23/09)
• A Prairie Home Companion*: Confusing. All I can say is that this movie was confusing. Very, very confusing. (2/07) 
• The Assassination of Jesse James …..*: Way too long and drawn out. (2/08)
• Atonement*: Very good. (2/23/08)
• Babel*: Great movie! It took me a while to get into this movie, it’s not your typical story, but by the time the mexican nanny had to leave the children alone in the desert to look for help I just wanted to leave the movies, go home, and crawl into bed with my daughter and hug her tight. This was an excellent movie, very deserving of it’s Oscar nomination. I saw this movie at The Oriental on the east side of Milwaukee. If you have the chance to see a movie here, take it. It’s a beautiful theater. (12/06)
• Bedtime Stories: LOVED IT!! (1/09)
• Bee Movie: Entertaining, I’d recommending waiting for DVD. (11/07)
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua: Totally cute. If you loved Homeward Bound you’ll love it! (10/08)
• The Black Dahlia: The what? Huh??? Skip it — or if you do watch it, explain what in the heck happened. (2/07)
• Blood Diamond*: The only reason I saw this movie was because Maitland from TV Guide’s podcast said it was excellent, and it was nominated for a Golden Globe. I loved this movie! The story sucked me in from the beginning. I may never buy another diamond again though. (12/06)
• Bolt*: Cute movie. (08)
• Bottle Shock: Loved it! And I don’t think you need to enjoy wine to love it too. (2/09)
• The Bourne Ultimatum*: LOVED IT! I haven’t read this book, but I read the first two Bourne books. The books were fantastic, in case you were wondering. (8/07)
• Breach: Long and boring. (6/07)
• Bridal Wars: It was okay, I’m glad I didn’t see it in the theater. (6/09)
• Bridge to Terabithia: I expected another Narnia, but this movie was nothing like Narnia. My husband and I both disliked it A LOT. (2/07)
• The Brothers Bloom: Cute. (10/09)
• Burn After Reading: Loved it! (10/08)
• Cake: Oh dear God. This movie BLOWS! Terrible. (9/07)
• Casino Royale: LOVED IT! (4/07)
• Catch and Release: I was pleasantly surprised to really like this movie. (7/07)
• Changeling*: So sad. (2/09)
• Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs: Very enjoyable family movie. (2009)
• Confessions of a Shopaholic: LOVED IT! (7/09)
• Coraline: I saw it in 3D and it was better than I thought it would be. (2/09)
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*: Excellent! I cried a lot. (2/09)
• The Dark Knight*: Loved it! (08)
• Death at a Funeral: Laugh out loud funny! We loved it! Only the Brits could make a comedy out of a funeral. (11/08)
• The Departed*: We saw this movie in Door County when it was first released. LOVED IT! I can’t tell you whose performance I enjoyed most, Matt Damon, Mark Walhberg, Leo DiCaprio, or Alec Baldwin. Even Jack was at the top of his game. (10/06)
• The Devil Wears Prada*: We saw this movie in July on our first day off in our new house after a weekend of moving. We both loved it and thought that Meryl Streep was going to be nominated for an award for her performance. I read the book when it first came out and even though the movie strayed from it, I enjoyed it just the same. (7/06)
• Dexter (Showtime series): Technically a tv show, but where else can I tell you how much I loved this series! (12/07)
• Disney’s A Christmas Carol: Pretty good, saw it in 3D and it really worked. (12/09)
• Doubt*: I saw it out of obligation, but I really liked it. Meryl Streep is AMAZING! (2/09)
• Dreamgirls*: I couldn’t finish it. (5/07)
• The Duchess*: Very good.  (1/09)
• Duplicity: I’m still a tiny bit confused. It was good and the opening scene was great. (3/09)
• Elizabeth: The Golden Ages*: Wow, Cate makes an impressive queen. See it! (2/08)
• Enchanted*: AWESOME!!! (1/08)
• Fast and Furious: I saw the first 3 movies of the franchise this summer for the first time ever. Loved #1, #2 was pretty good, #3 was TERRIBLE. #4 was good. (7/09)
• Feast: Are you kidding me? This is where McSteamy got his start? (5/07)
• Fireproof: It was okay. After I saw it I heard the whole story behind the movie which impressed me. (4/09)
• Flags of Our Fathers*: No comment. I saw it. I crossed it off my list. I should have seen something else. Sorry Clint. (2/07)
• For Your Consideration: I gave it a good try but after 25 minutes shut it off and returned it to Netflix. Sorry. (3/07)
• Fracture: Due to my uber-busy weekend, this movie took me 24 hours to watch, in five segments. I LOVED IT! Ryan Gosling was fab.u.lous in it! (9/07)
• Frost/Nixon*: Okay, so I fell asleep, but what I did see I really liked. It was the last movie I saw in the all day movie marathon, it was 10:45 p.m. and I couldn’t keep my eyes open for most of the second half. (2/09)
• Frozen River*: Worth renting. (2/09)
• Garden State: Pretty good. (3/07)
• Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: AWFUL. (10/09)
• Ghost Town: Okay. I thought it would be funnier. (10/08)
• The Golden Compass*: It was okay. I’d probably like it more if I had read the book(s). (1/08)
• Gone Baby Gone*: EXCELLENT! (2/08)
• The Good Sheperd*: It was really long, but it needed to be in order to tell the story. Very good! (12/06)
• Gran Torino: EXCELLENT! (1/09)
• The Guardian: Pretty good actually. (2/07)
• Guess Who: Funny and worth renting. Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher were a great match up. (2/07)
• Half Nelson*: It took awhile to understand the point of this movie, but once I made it there I could appreciate it. (2/07)
• The Hangover: Probably the funniest movie EVER. (6/09)
• Hannah Montanta: The Movie: Pretty good actually. (11/09)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Very good. Extremely long, and with all the other Harry Potter movies, I totally fell asleep during it — which doesn’t mean that it was boring, it was just that it’s not very action packed if you’ve read all the books. (7/09)
• High School Muscial 3: Entertaining. (11/08)
• The Holiday: I would have watched it again if I had the time. Very good! (5/07)
• Hotel For Dogs: Pretty cute kids movie. (6/09)
• Hot Rod: Hilarious! (12/07)
• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry: Put it very low on your Netflix Queue. Trust me. (1/08)
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur: I think this is the last Ice Age movie I’ll ever be forced to watch. At least I hope it is. (6/09)
• In Bruges*: There is nothing comedic about this dark movie, it was okay. (1/09)
• In The Valley of Elah*: Pretty good. Watch it if you liked A Few Good Men, very similar. (2/20/08)
• I Love You, Man: It was okay. (8/09)
• The International: Not a thriller, more of a drama, it was okay. (2/09)
• Invincible: Very good. (5/07)
• Iron Man*: I’m a girl, I totally fell asleep. (08)
• The International: Not a thriller, more of a drama. It w
• It’s a Boy Girl Thing: Pretty good. (9/09)
• Juno*: LOVED IT!!!! (2/23/08)
• Kickin’ It Old Skool: Not bad, not terrific, EXCELLENT MUSIC! (9/07)
• The Kingdom: Good action-packed film. Don’t sit in the front row though. (10/07)
• Kung-Fu Panda*: Enjoyable family flick.  (6/08)
• The Last King of Scotland*: Wow. Very long, very historical, and very bloody. (5/07)
• The Last Kiss: This movie isn’t exactly what I had anticipated it would be, but you know what? It was pretty good. What a dumb-ass Zach Braff’s character was, but I loved the scene where he was sitting on the front porch for days waiting for his girlfriend to talk to him and her dad drove by in the middle of the night and gave him a smile and a nod. (1/07)
• Leatherheads: I wanted to like it. (12/09)
• Little Miss Sunshine*: I loved it! (12/06)
• Live Free or Die Hard: I absolutely LOVED this movie! Go see it! Right now! What are you waiting for? (7/07)
• Lost In Austen: might possibly be one of my favorite movies/mini series of all time. I loved it! A must see for Pride & Prejudice fans. (5/09)
• Lucky Number Slevin: CONFUSING. (5/07)
• The Maiden Heist: totally fell asleep (12/09)
• Mamma Mia!: I loved it! (6/08)
• Marie Antoinette*: Very good film. I really enjoyed it. (2/07)
• The Martian Child: Very sweet. (2/08)
• Match Point: Very good. (8/09)
• Meet the Robinsons: Loved it! (3/07)
• The Men Who Stare at Goats: Uh, probably wouldn’t recommend it. (11/09)
• Michael Clayton*: VERY VERY GOOD! (1/08)
• A Mighty Heart*: I gave it a good try, but couldn’t finish it. (1/08)
• Milk*: Very good. I cried. (2/09)
• Momento: I’ve never been more confused in my life. (10/07)
• Monsters vs. Aliens: Really good, you have to see it even if you don’t have kids! (4/09)
• Mr. Bean’s Holiday: FANTASTIC! I loved it! (9/07)
• Mr. Brooks: Odd. (2/08)
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Recently saw this movie again to pass the time on the treadmill. Fantastic! (8/07)
• Mystic River*: Excellent! (11/07)
• The Namesake: Excellent! (12/07)
• Nancy Drew: I never read one single Nancy Drew book, but I enjoyed the movie just the same. (6/07)
• The Nanny Diaries: Pretty good, I like it, but I liked the book more. (12/07)
• New In Town: Funny and cute. (7/09)
• New Moon: Pretty good, but the book was better. (11/09)
• Night at the Museum: This movie rocked! Zoe loved it, I loved it, my  husband loved it. It was fun, adventurous, and an all around good movie. (12/06)
• Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian: It was pretty good, highly entertaining. (5/09)
• No Country For Old Men*: Very good, you should see it, Josh Brolin should have been nominated!!!!! (2/23/08)
• Oceans 13: Not nearly as good as the Oceans 11, but quite honestly, these movies are entirely about heists and fun, and I don’t mind that. (6/07)
• Paul Blart: Mall Cop: HILARIOUS! I dare you not to enjoy this movie! (12/08)
• Premonition: Very good. (12/07)
• The Proposal: LOVED IT! (6/09)
• The Prestige: Amazing movie! I loved it! (2/07)
• The Pursuit of Happyness*: I didn’t think I’d like this movie but it was VERY VERY GOOD! (11/07)
• The Queen*: Very good and worthy of all the awards it has won recently. (1/07)
• Race to Witch Mountain: Loved it! (1/09)
• Ratatouille*: Loved it! (6/07)
• The Reader*: Very good. (2/09)
• Rocky Balboa: Very good. (5/07)
• Secondhand Lions: I ignored this movie for a long time and finally saw it. EXCELLENT! (2/09)
• Seventeen Again: Loved it! (4/09)
• Shooter: It could have been better. (6/07)
• Slumdog Millionaire*: One of the best movies I’ve ever seen!  (1/09)
• The Sololist: It really didn’t live up to the hype. (8/09)
• The Spiderwick Chronicles: Zoe summed it up “That was good, no it was pretty good, I mean it was really good!” (11/08)
• State of Play: Pretty good. (9/09)
• Star Trek: Okay, James T. Kirk was a hottie, and I loved Scotty. I’m not usually into Star Trek, but the movie was good. (5/23/09)
• Surfer, Dude: Skip it. I saw this movie so you don’t have to. (1/09)
• Superbad: Started out Supergood, ended Superstupid. (12/07)
• Taken: I really enjoyed it. Fast paced. (1/09)
• The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3: A very good, fast paced, movie. Excellent. (6/09)
• Tales of Despereaux: It was cute, I fell asleep, but the rest of the family enjoyed. (1/09)
• Terminator Salvation: Wow! It was really good! (6/09)
• There Will Be Blood*: Long epic movie, worth the nomination, but I couldn’t wait for it to end because it was so depressing. (2/23/08)
• Traitor: Confusing. (2/09)
• Tropic Thunder*: Hilarious. Robert Downey Jr. was fab! (08)
• The Tudors (Showtime series): Again, not a movie but season 1 was excellent! (1/08)
• Twilight: I loved it! And now I’m going to spend the rest of my weekend reading the book series. (6/09)
• Under the Tuscan Sun: Loved it! (5/07)
• United 93*: This movie was a surprise for me. I didn’t think I’d be able to watch it all the way through since 9/11 is fresh in my memory. I still remember that day vividly, watching it unfold on the little tv in the conference room at work. This movie did not have any stars, nor did any of the characters have names, and when those on the flight called home you could hear them speak to their loved ones, but you really couldn’t make out what was being said. All of that I was thankful for. Give it a try, if not now, perhaps someday. (2/07)
• Up: Loved it! (7/09)
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona*: Loved it! (2/09)
• The Visitor*: Interesting. (1/09)
• Volver*: Great movie. I can’t remember the last time I read sub-titles, but this movie was well worth it. It was a great story, and I figured out the mystery in my head about 3/4 of the way through the film. Go see it. (1/07)
• WALL-E*: I enjoyed it, related to the housekeeping robot the most.  (08)
• Wanted*: Pretty good. My husband wants to know if there is an Oscar for Hottest Actress? (1/09)
• Weeds (Showtime series): Technically a tv show, but where else can I tell you how much I loved this series! We watched all three seasons within a few weeks. (12/07)
• Whatever Works: Skip it. (11/09)
• What Happens In Vegas: I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. (10/08)
• Where The Wild Things Are: Most awful excuse for a movie ever. (2009)
• Year of the Dog: Way too long for it’s own good, sometimes it was rather pointless. I was disappointed. (11/07)
• Zombieland: One of the best movies of 2009! (10/09)