Well, I did it. I completed Movie May. I watched a movie every day in the month of May. I will admit sometimes I got too tired to finish a movie on the day I started it, but I would always end up finishing it the next morning. I always started watching a new movie each day, and in the month of May I fully watched 31 films from start to finish.
The combined runtimes of every film I watched is 3,306 minutes, or 55 hours and 6 minutes. I spent two and 1/3 days in the month of May, just watching movies. I watched 11 films that I rented (7 from Safeway, 4 from Redbox), 11 films on Netflix, six that I had already owned, and 3 in theaters. The average rating I gave these films was a 6.67.
I also found myself watching a few films I hadn't put on my list to begin with. I only watched 24 of the 41 films on my list, meaning there were 7 I watched that I hadn't planned on, those with asterisks after the title. So here are the films with a rating out of 10, plus a short review.
Red = Netflix
Black = Own
Blue = Rent
Green = Theater
May 1: Star Trek Into Darkness - 8/10
Great sequel to the JJ Abrams reboot. Benedict Cumberbatch, albeit not the smartest casting, was brilliant nonetheless. Exciting action and good chemistry between the actors.
May 2: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - 9/10
Brilliant special effects, and this is definitely better than the first in the Spider-Man reboot series. They didn't hold back in *SPOILER ALERT* killing off Gwen Stacy, opening the door for MJ in the next film. Solid effort and a very good superhero film all-around.
May 3: The Dictator - 6/10
Culturally and racially offensive, but very funny at times. Some of the jokes have already gotten old, but if you're looking for a film to turn your brain off to, this isn't a bad choice. Sacha Baron-Cohen is a chameleon, able to play a character of almost any race.
May 4: Kick-Ass 2 - 7/10
Violent and exciting, but predictable and cringe-worthy at times. Jim Carrey was great, of course, but his role was cut too short. Chloe Grace Moretz shined as well, often taking the spotlight away from Aaron Taylor-Johnson. But this film suffers from believability (or lack thereof) and in technical aspects.
May 5: Pacific Rim - 6/10
Neat concept, not so great execution. Special effects were indeed top-notch, but acting was only so-so and the characters were given little depth. I'd say this film might've been better under a different production studio and with a different cast.
May 6: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters - 7/10
Yet another sequel and yet another decent one. It never shines, but I can't find too many flaws with it, either. Fans of the book series will not look at this film too favorably, but I thought as a standalone film, it was enjoyable throughout. Predictable in spots, though.
May 7: Seattle Superstorm: 3/10
Where to begin? I'd say my biggest flaw is why a family of four ends up with the responsibility of having to save the entire world. Where were the police, armed forces, military and political leaders? The special effects were bad, I cared very little for the characters, and they really did not capture Seattle well. The acting was actually somewhat decent at times, but their dialogue and poor setting choices made it boring quite often.
May 8: Frozen: 8/10
Another Disney hit. It was a solid animated film, but I didn't get excited or wowed by it in any way. The singing for the musical numbers was really good. I don't know if it's better than Tangled, but it's close. I'd definitely watch it again.
May 9: The Benchwarmers*: 5/10
Cheesy, lame, and somewhat boring. I liked all the Star Wars references, but I didn't like the message the movie sent. With the main character (played by Robb Schneider) being a former bully, it made it really hard to root for him or his team. I thought I'd enjoy a baseball movie more.
May 10: What to Expect When You're Expecting: 6/10
I don't think this film captured the process of a pregnancy very well. It was more about the relationships between each of the characters. However, it did keep me interested throughout because of the cast, who all did fairly decent jobs.
May 11: Oblivion: 6/10
For an action film it sure was boring. I thought the film had a nice set-up and narrative by Tom Cruise, but then it just went downhill from there. I'd much rather have seen a film about the scavs trying to take over and destroying the moon, instead of what I actually saw. Morgan Freeman was underused. Decent effects and acting.
May 12: The Arroyo: 5/10
This film wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was very slow at first, but it picked up over halfway through and wasn't half bad. You could tell it was a low-budget film, but they did the best with what they had.
May 13: That Awkward Moment: 6/10
I don't think it's the best idea for guys to write romantic comedies. Was this even a comedy? I didn't laugh much. Efron, Teller, and Jordan were all great in their roles, but they didn't have the best material. They'd be great as a threesome of guys on a sitcom, but in this film, meh.
May 14: Dirty Dancing*: 6/10
I will say I liked it, but nothing about it stood out. I liked a lot of the oldies songs and the dances, but I didn't really like the plot or acting much. I just can't say I enjoyed it that much. I also didn't buy in to Johnny and Baby's romance too much, either.
May 15: The Lorax: 7/10
Gotta say I liked this more than I thought I would. It sends a good message, saying that greedy companies will do anything for profit, even destroying the planet. Loved some of the castings, such as Betty White as Grammy and Danny Devito as the Lorax and Ed Helms as the Once-ler.
May 16: The Cabin in the Woods: 6/10
So many questions went through my mind during this. Who should I root for? Why are those young adults being put through that? But I realized once I stopped asking myself questions, it actually got kind of good. I liked the massacre at the end with all the monsters.
May 17: Shutter Island: 9/10
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese work so well together. And not many people talk about Shutter Island being one of Leo's best roles, but it is. Leo was phenomenal, as was the rest of the supporting cast. The twist even had me fooled. But it's one of those movies that (since you know the twist) isn't as fun the next time you watch it.
May 18: Don Jon*: 7/10
Joseph Gordon-Levitt pulled off the hat trick, starring, writing, and directing this flick, and I think he did a fairly decent job in all three aspects. He certainly conveys male sexuality pretty well. But I feel like this may have been just a reason for him to make out with Scarlett Johansson. Or Julianne Moore. If he's into that. It's a merely passable film that really didn't wow me in any way.
May 19: Godzilla: 9/10
This is about as much as you can ask for from a Godzilla movie. They got it right in having Godzilla battle other monsters. The visuals: top notch. I just wish Bryan Cranston *Spoiler Alert* hadn't been killed off so early. He's such a terrific actor and I feel they kind of wasted his talents, but boy was he good in the opening acts. This will be one of my favorite films of the year, no matter what else comes out.
May 20: Flight: 7/10
I liked this film, but I feel it's a bit misleading. You would think this film would be about a particular flight, and it was, but only 25 minutes of it was the flight. The film goes over 2 hours, and only a fifth of it, if that, gets devoted to the flight. The rest is about how Whip (Denzel Washington) deals with alcoholism in the wake of the plane crash. I actually did like the ending, how he came clean, which is something I wasn't expecting.
May 21: Ghostbusters: 7/10
Basically what I expected. I'll admit to seeing bits and pieces of it throughout my life, but never had I sat down and watched the whole thing. It had a decent enough plot, and it kept me interested. The special effects do not really hold up too well, but the classic Ghostbusters theme and the 80s stars of Murray, Aykroyd, and Weaver made this compelling enough.
May 22: Wreck-It Ralph*: 8/10
I'm pretty mad at myself for not having watched this sooner. The idea of having a video game bad guy trying to be good in itself is worth a few brownie points. The voice casting was very good, especially with Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix. I grew a little weary of this flick in some of the Ralph and Vanellope moments, which I didn't find too compelling, but it had a decent plot and good finish.
May 23: Inside Llewyn Davis*: 8/10
All I can really say about this is yet another well-made film by the Coen brothers. Oscar Isaac was really fun to watch, and he made me care about his character. I felt sad when he got rejected and happy when something good happened for him. To be honest, I only decided to watch this because two of the actors cast in the upcoming Star Wars sequel (Isaac and Adam Driver) were in this. Adam's role was small, but entertaining. It got a bit slow at times, and in the end it leaves a little to be desired, but it's a quality film with few flaws.
May 24: Spring Breakers: 5/10
I don't really see the point of this movie. To show the dark side of spring break in Florida? It just didn't keep me hooked in any way, except for the very beautiful actresses in it. Also, James Franco showed how great of an actor he is, playing the very interesting character of "Alien". This movie wasn't poorly made, but it just fell flat for me.
May 25: The Human Centipede (First Sequence): 4/10
This movie actually wasn't as bad as I thought, or how I rated it. I rated it so low because of the stupidity of one of the girls, Lindsay. She easily could have saved herself and gone for help, but she chose to try to save her friend, and it cost them both. This film is grotesque but it kept me on the edge of my seat and even had me laughing a few times. But the logic of the characters and their decisions was just way too much of a put-off for me.
May 26: Warm Bodies: 7/10
One of the least believable films I've seen this month (which kind of says a lot), but I still enjoyed it. Corpses coming back to life... just not physically possible. But if you look past that, the acting was decent, and I really cared for "R" and Julie. I can see some people hating this film for its lack of believability, but that's not what the film is about. It's about a girl and a zombie managing to connect with one another.
May 27: Spaceballs*: 6/10
I've never before seen a movie that promoted itself this much. But then again, it's a parody film, so it can't be taken too seriously. For its time, the special effects weren't that bad, but the acting was lacking at times. I was expecting a bit more, but it did keep me interested for most of it. John Candy as Barf the "Mawg" (Half man, half dog) was probably my favorite character.
May 28: Delivery Man: 7/10
I feel the best rating for this picture is a 6.5, but since I'm sticking to a whole number scale, I rounded up to 7 because I enjoyed more than other 6's like That Awkward Moment and Spaceballs. Vince Vaughn will never wow in the acting department, and he was just all right in this. I liked the concept, but my questions is why would only 100-some kids out of 533 want to know who their father is? I'd expect a few to not want to know, but over two-thirds? Chris Pratt was probably the best thing about this film.
May 29: What's Eating Gilbert Grape: 8/10
The movie that jump-started Leonardo DiCaprio's film career. He got nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Arnie Grape, the mentally handicapped brother of Gilbert Grape. He should have won. Anyway, this was a well-made picture with very few flaws, other than really anything interesting happening. Sure, the mom dies, but I was expecting more. But the acting in this film was very good, especially from Leo and Johnny Depp.
May 30: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: 7/10
This film taught me a lot about being courageous and chasing after what we want, but I didn't feel like it was that well-made. I certainly liked it, but nothing stood out for me. Acting was only ok, visuals were decent but not spectacular (Although I loved the Icelandic landscape). The best part was definitely Stiller skateboarding down that one Icelandic road.
May 31: A Million Ways to Die in the West: 7/10
I certainly got a few laughs out of this. Most would agree this wasn't as big of a hit as Ted was, but McFarlane and company all did a really good job. It was unnecessarily vulgar at times, but they sometimes used the vulgarity to great effect, such as after Foy poo's himself, and Albert can only say "Holy S***!" This is a film I definitely wouldn't mind seeing again someday. The best parts may have been the cameos, which included Ryan Reynolds, Jamie Foxx, and Bill Maher.
And now that you've heard my reviews for my Movie May Movies, it's now time for me to hand out awards from the films I watched. First, we'll start with the good awards, including those that are handed out at every Academy Award ceremony.
Best Picture:
Shutter Island
Frozen
Godzilla
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Inside Llewyn Davis
I rated the pictures harshly, handing out no tens, only 3 9's, and only a handful of 8's. I wasn't overly impressed really with any of them. However, my award for best picture goes to...
SHUTTER ISLAND
It's well-deserved. Scorsese and Leo work so well together, I'm sure they could make a decent film about Leo reading the phone book. It's the film that I thought was the best.
Best Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio - Shutter Island
Denzel Washington - Flight
James Franco - Spring Breakers
Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis
Johnny Depp - What's Eating Gilbert Grape
A lot of strong candidates. Denzel was actually nominated for his role in Flight for an Academy Award. So he is the front-runner. I even included Franco from a not so great picture, but he did such a great job in it. However, the award for Best Actor goes to...
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis!
This man single-handedly CARRIED this film. You could almost say that about Denzel in Flight, but I felt Isaac's musical performances helped him as well. He certainly will be a great addition to the Star Wars cast.
Best Actress:
Jennifer Grey - Dirty Dancing
Kelly Reilly - Flight
Scarlett Johansson - Don Jon
Chloe Grace Moretz - Kick Ass 2
I really didn't see any films with a strong female lead and I regret that. So this is a tough vote that I don't think any is particularly deserving of, but the award for best actress goes to...
Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing!
I thought Jennifer's performance in Dirty Dancing was very commendable. Dirty Dancing just so happened to be one of the few (if only) chick-flicks I saw. And her performance is one of the reasons Dirty Dancing has become a cult classic.
Best Supporting Actor:
Jim Carrey - Kick Ass 2
Bryan Cranston - Godzilla
John Goodman - Inside Llewyn Davis
John Goodman - Flight
Leonardo DiCaprio - What's Eating Gilbert Grape
What's this, John Goodman nominated twice? That's right. His roles were small but extremely memorable in both pictures. Carrey and Cranston's roles were cut way too short, but of course, were very memorable as well. But the award for best supporting actor goes to...
Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape!
It just so happens that Leo's performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape earned him his very first Oscar nomination. His portrayal of the mentally handicapped "Arnie", was very moving. Leo still may not have won an Oscar yet, but he earns my Oscar.
Best Supporting Actress:
Carrie Mulligan - Inside Llewyn Davis
Sally Field - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Kristen Wiig - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Cobie Smulders - Delivery Man
Again, not too many strong candidates, but these four performances were all pretty good in their own way. The award for best supporting actress goes to...
Carrie Mulligan in Inside Llewyn Davis!
Carrie was top-notch in her performance. This wasn't even close. Her role should have been larger, but that's why she was in the supporting actress category.
Best Song:
Let it Go - Frozen
Please Mr. Kennedy - Inside Llewyn Davis
How Bad Can I Be - The Lorax
In Summer - Frozen
What a great selection of songs. Let it Go is the popular choice. Please Mr. Kennedy was an unexpected surprise: a song performed by a former N'Sync member and two future Star Wars actors. How Bad Can I Be was the highlight of the Lorax, performed extremely well by Ed Helms. And In Summer was another hit from Frozen. But what was the best? The award for best song goes to...
Let it Go - Frozen!
How could I not pick this? It won the Oscar for best song so it had to win here too.
Best Special Effects:
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Godzilla
Pacific Rim
Star Trek into Darkness
Some strong candidates here. Two of these films I saw in theaters, so that does affect the result a bit. The award for best special effects goes to...
The Amazing Spider-Man 2!
I couldn't pick against Spidey. Not only did I see it in theaters but I saw it in 3D. The effects when Electro was using his powers, just breathtaking.
Now, for some Non-Oscar Awards that I'd like to hand out, which includes best kiss, death scene, and best couple.
Best Death Scene:
Emma Stone - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Jim Carrey - Kick-Ass 2
Chris Hemsworth - Cabin in the Woods
Liam Neeson - A Million Ways to Die in the West
Very mixed bag here. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy dying was very unexpected, at least for me. Jim Carrey's was off-screen, so it loses points there. Hemsworth's was just comical. And Neeson, well Liam Neeson always dies in a legendary way. The award for best death scene goes to...
Chris Hemsworth - Cabin in the Woods!
I couldn't pick against it. I laughed so hard when he drove his dirt bike straight into the invisible barrier and plummeted to his death. His female friend's reaction only made it that much funnier. He thought he could get away!
Best Kiss:
Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Kick-Ass 2
Anna (Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) - Frozen
Teresa Palmer and Nicolas Hoult - Warm Bodies
Johnny Depp and Mary Steenburgen - What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Again, another mixed bag. Chloe's and Aaron's kiss in Kick-Ass 2 was memorable, but weird, as the actors were 23 and 16 when the film came out. Anna and Kristoff's kiss was animated. Teresa's and Nicolas's was kinda gross, seeing as he was JUST a zombie and hadn't had any recent oral hygiene. And then Depp's and Steenburgen's was also with an age difference, with her being 10 years his senior. But the award for best kiss goes to...
Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kick-Ass 2!
This kiss was years in the making. If you have a female and male leads in an action flick, they're bound to have some romantic chemistry, right?
Best Couple:
Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy - Spider-Man 2
Johnny Castle and Baby Houseman - Dirty Dancing
R and Julie - Warm Bodies
Albert and Anna - A Million Ways to Die in the West
All strong couples that evolved over the course of the film. All but Peter and Gwen's didn't start UNTIL partway into their films. The award for best couple goes to...
R and Julie - Warm Bodies!
The way their relationship evolved made this film. They went from "Don't kill me!" to "Kiss me!" in a manner of an hour and a half, and they did it well. The fact that a zombie could come back to life is a little hard to believe, but their relationship was the highlight of the film.
Best Fight/Action Scene:
Spider-Man vs. Electro and Harry Osborn - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Kick-Ass vs. The Motherf***er - Kick-Ass 2
Godzilla vs. the MUTO's - Godzilla
Dark Helmet vs. Lone Starr - Spaceballs
Another mixed bag of candidates. I certainly enjoyed all of these scenes, but one in particular stood out to me. And that is...
Spider-Man vs. Electro and Harry Osborn - The Amazing Spider-Man 2!
The visuals, top notch, and it certainly had me invested. Their fights even resulted in a main character's death, which totally took me by surprise.
Well, with all the good films you see, you're bound to see some bad ones. For the final four awards, I will be picking my worst or least favorite from each category in these Razzie style awards.
Worst Picture:
Seattle Superstorm
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
Spring Breakers
The Arroyo
The Benchwarmers
Not one of these films had me invested in it. Not one made be care about any character. The award for worst picture goes to...
Seattle Superstorm
It's lucky it got a 3/10 from me, because it may have deserved a 2 or 1. Acting, visuals, plot, all bad.
Worst Actor:
Esai Morales - Seattle Superstorm
Tom Cruise - Oblivion
Rob Schneider - The Benchwarmers
Rick Moranis - Spaceballs/Ghostbusters
Rick Moranis gets nominated twice and I couldn't decide which role because both were cringe-worthy. He's always so awkward and stiff as an actor, which is probably why he stopped acting. The only real good role he had was "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and it's sequels. However, the award for worst acting goes to...
Esai Morales - Seattle Superstorm
I wouldn't say his acting was AWFUL, because I've seen worse, but of this bunch, it was the worst. I tried really hard to care for his character, but I couldn't. I wanted his character "Tom" to die.
Worst Actress:
Anna Faris - The Dictator
Ona Grauer - Seattle Superstorm
Ashlynn Yennie - The Human Centipede
Ashley C. Williams - The Human Centipede
In this, we have only one real notable actress in Anna Faris, whose role was a bit over-the-top in The Dictator. We also have a pair of actresses from the Human Centipede. The award for worst actress goes to...
Ashlynn Yennie - The Human Centipede
The reason her role stood out as the worst performance over her co-stars is that Ashlynn made her character out to be extremely whiny, stupid, and just so hard to watch. Sure, he co-star character is the one that made the biggest blunder, but Ashlynn's performance was just awful.
Worst Special Effects:
Seattle Superstorm
Ghostbusters
Kick-Ass 2
Spaceballs
I'm not even going to delay this one. Award goes to...
Seattle Superstorm
Sure, the other three had some cheesy special effects at times, but Seattle Superstorm's special effects were just downright laughable. The Space Needle after it fell, not realistically sized. Not even the weather they had in the film looked real. Just awful.
Well, there you have it. I hoped you could sit through this MASSIVE post. I think I might do this again someday, maybe next year in May of 2015.
The combined runtimes of every film I watched is 3,306 minutes, or 55 hours and 6 minutes. I spent two and 1/3 days in the month of May, just watching movies. I watched 11 films that I rented (7 from Safeway, 4 from Redbox), 11 films on Netflix, six that I had already owned, and 3 in theaters. The average rating I gave these films was a 6.67.
I also found myself watching a few films I hadn't put on my list to begin with. I only watched 24 of the 41 films on my list, meaning there were 7 I watched that I hadn't planned on, those with asterisks after the title. So here are the films with a rating out of 10, plus a short review.
Red = Netflix
Black = Own
Blue = Rent
Green = Theater
May 1: Star Trek Into Darkness - 8/10
Great sequel to the JJ Abrams reboot. Benedict Cumberbatch, albeit not the smartest casting, was brilliant nonetheless. Exciting action and good chemistry between the actors.
May 2: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - 9/10
Brilliant special effects, and this is definitely better than the first in the Spider-Man reboot series. They didn't hold back in *SPOILER ALERT* killing off Gwen Stacy, opening the door for MJ in the next film. Solid effort and a very good superhero film all-around.
May 3: The Dictator - 6/10
Culturally and racially offensive, but very funny at times. Some of the jokes have already gotten old, but if you're looking for a film to turn your brain off to, this isn't a bad choice. Sacha Baron-Cohen is a chameleon, able to play a character of almost any race.
May 4: Kick-Ass 2 - 7/10
Violent and exciting, but predictable and cringe-worthy at times. Jim Carrey was great, of course, but his role was cut too short. Chloe Grace Moretz shined as well, often taking the spotlight away from Aaron Taylor-Johnson. But this film suffers from believability (or lack thereof) and in technical aspects.
May 5: Pacific Rim - 6/10
Neat concept, not so great execution. Special effects were indeed top-notch, but acting was only so-so and the characters were given little depth. I'd say this film might've been better under a different production studio and with a different cast.
May 6: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters - 7/10
Yet another sequel and yet another decent one. It never shines, but I can't find too many flaws with it, either. Fans of the book series will not look at this film too favorably, but I thought as a standalone film, it was enjoyable throughout. Predictable in spots, though.
May 7: Seattle Superstorm: 3/10
Where to begin? I'd say my biggest flaw is why a family of four ends up with the responsibility of having to save the entire world. Where were the police, armed forces, military and political leaders? The special effects were bad, I cared very little for the characters, and they really did not capture Seattle well. The acting was actually somewhat decent at times, but their dialogue and poor setting choices made it boring quite often.
May 8: Frozen: 8/10
Another Disney hit. It was a solid animated film, but I didn't get excited or wowed by it in any way. The singing for the musical numbers was really good. I don't know if it's better than Tangled, but it's close. I'd definitely watch it again.
May 9: The Benchwarmers*: 5/10
Cheesy, lame, and somewhat boring. I liked all the Star Wars references, but I didn't like the message the movie sent. With the main character (played by Robb Schneider) being a former bully, it made it really hard to root for him or his team. I thought I'd enjoy a baseball movie more.
May 10: What to Expect When You're Expecting: 6/10
I don't think this film captured the process of a pregnancy very well. It was more about the relationships between each of the characters. However, it did keep me interested throughout because of the cast, who all did fairly decent jobs.
May 11: Oblivion: 6/10
For an action film it sure was boring. I thought the film had a nice set-up and narrative by Tom Cruise, but then it just went downhill from there. I'd much rather have seen a film about the scavs trying to take over and destroying the moon, instead of what I actually saw. Morgan Freeman was underused. Decent effects and acting.
May 12: The Arroyo: 5/10
This film wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was very slow at first, but it picked up over halfway through and wasn't half bad. You could tell it was a low-budget film, but they did the best with what they had.
May 13: That Awkward Moment: 6/10
I don't think it's the best idea for guys to write romantic comedies. Was this even a comedy? I didn't laugh much. Efron, Teller, and Jordan were all great in their roles, but they didn't have the best material. They'd be great as a threesome of guys on a sitcom, but in this film, meh.
May 14: Dirty Dancing*: 6/10
I will say I liked it, but nothing about it stood out. I liked a lot of the oldies songs and the dances, but I didn't really like the plot or acting much. I just can't say I enjoyed it that much. I also didn't buy in to Johnny and Baby's romance too much, either.
May 15: The Lorax: 7/10
Gotta say I liked this more than I thought I would. It sends a good message, saying that greedy companies will do anything for profit, even destroying the planet. Loved some of the castings, such as Betty White as Grammy and Danny Devito as the Lorax and Ed Helms as the Once-ler.
May 16: The Cabin in the Woods: 6/10
So many questions went through my mind during this. Who should I root for? Why are those young adults being put through that? But I realized once I stopped asking myself questions, it actually got kind of good. I liked the massacre at the end with all the monsters.
May 17: Shutter Island: 9/10
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese work so well together. And not many people talk about Shutter Island being one of Leo's best roles, but it is. Leo was phenomenal, as was the rest of the supporting cast. The twist even had me fooled. But it's one of those movies that (since you know the twist) isn't as fun the next time you watch it.
May 18: Don Jon*: 7/10
Joseph Gordon-Levitt pulled off the hat trick, starring, writing, and directing this flick, and I think he did a fairly decent job in all three aspects. He certainly conveys male sexuality pretty well. But I feel like this may have been just a reason for him to make out with Scarlett Johansson. Or Julianne Moore. If he's into that. It's a merely passable film that really didn't wow me in any way.
May 19: Godzilla: 9/10
This is about as much as you can ask for from a Godzilla movie. They got it right in having Godzilla battle other monsters. The visuals: top notch. I just wish Bryan Cranston *Spoiler Alert* hadn't been killed off so early. He's such a terrific actor and I feel they kind of wasted his talents, but boy was he good in the opening acts. This will be one of my favorite films of the year, no matter what else comes out.
May 20: Flight: 7/10
I liked this film, but I feel it's a bit misleading. You would think this film would be about a particular flight, and it was, but only 25 minutes of it was the flight. The film goes over 2 hours, and only a fifth of it, if that, gets devoted to the flight. The rest is about how Whip (Denzel Washington) deals with alcoholism in the wake of the plane crash. I actually did like the ending, how he came clean, which is something I wasn't expecting.
May 21: Ghostbusters: 7/10
Basically what I expected. I'll admit to seeing bits and pieces of it throughout my life, but never had I sat down and watched the whole thing. It had a decent enough plot, and it kept me interested. The special effects do not really hold up too well, but the classic Ghostbusters theme and the 80s stars of Murray, Aykroyd, and Weaver made this compelling enough.
May 22: Wreck-It Ralph*: 8/10
I'm pretty mad at myself for not having watched this sooner. The idea of having a video game bad guy trying to be good in itself is worth a few brownie points. The voice casting was very good, especially with Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix. I grew a little weary of this flick in some of the Ralph and Vanellope moments, which I didn't find too compelling, but it had a decent plot and good finish.
May 23: Inside Llewyn Davis*: 8/10
All I can really say about this is yet another well-made film by the Coen brothers. Oscar Isaac was really fun to watch, and he made me care about his character. I felt sad when he got rejected and happy when something good happened for him. To be honest, I only decided to watch this because two of the actors cast in the upcoming Star Wars sequel (Isaac and Adam Driver) were in this. Adam's role was small, but entertaining. It got a bit slow at times, and in the end it leaves a little to be desired, but it's a quality film with few flaws.
May 24: Spring Breakers: 5/10
I don't really see the point of this movie. To show the dark side of spring break in Florida? It just didn't keep me hooked in any way, except for the very beautiful actresses in it. Also, James Franco showed how great of an actor he is, playing the very interesting character of "Alien". This movie wasn't poorly made, but it just fell flat for me.
May 25: The Human Centipede (First Sequence): 4/10
This movie actually wasn't as bad as I thought, or how I rated it. I rated it so low because of the stupidity of one of the girls, Lindsay. She easily could have saved herself and gone for help, but she chose to try to save her friend, and it cost them both. This film is grotesque but it kept me on the edge of my seat and even had me laughing a few times. But the logic of the characters and their decisions was just way too much of a put-off for me.
May 26: Warm Bodies: 7/10
One of the least believable films I've seen this month (which kind of says a lot), but I still enjoyed it. Corpses coming back to life... just not physically possible. But if you look past that, the acting was decent, and I really cared for "R" and Julie. I can see some people hating this film for its lack of believability, but that's not what the film is about. It's about a girl and a zombie managing to connect with one another.
May 27: Spaceballs*: 6/10
I've never before seen a movie that promoted itself this much. But then again, it's a parody film, so it can't be taken too seriously. For its time, the special effects weren't that bad, but the acting was lacking at times. I was expecting a bit more, but it did keep me interested for most of it. John Candy as Barf the "Mawg" (Half man, half dog) was probably my favorite character.
May 28: Delivery Man: 7/10
I feel the best rating for this picture is a 6.5, but since I'm sticking to a whole number scale, I rounded up to 7 because I enjoyed more than other 6's like That Awkward Moment and Spaceballs. Vince Vaughn will never wow in the acting department, and he was just all right in this. I liked the concept, but my questions is why would only 100-some kids out of 533 want to know who their father is? I'd expect a few to not want to know, but over two-thirds? Chris Pratt was probably the best thing about this film.
May 29: What's Eating Gilbert Grape: 8/10
The movie that jump-started Leonardo DiCaprio's film career. He got nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Arnie Grape, the mentally handicapped brother of Gilbert Grape. He should have won. Anyway, this was a well-made picture with very few flaws, other than really anything interesting happening. Sure, the mom dies, but I was expecting more. But the acting in this film was very good, especially from Leo and Johnny Depp.
May 30: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: 7/10
This film taught me a lot about being courageous and chasing after what we want, but I didn't feel like it was that well-made. I certainly liked it, but nothing stood out for me. Acting was only ok, visuals were decent but not spectacular (Although I loved the Icelandic landscape). The best part was definitely Stiller skateboarding down that one Icelandic road.
May 31: A Million Ways to Die in the West: 7/10
I certainly got a few laughs out of this. Most would agree this wasn't as big of a hit as Ted was, but McFarlane and company all did a really good job. It was unnecessarily vulgar at times, but they sometimes used the vulgarity to great effect, such as after Foy poo's himself, and Albert can only say "Holy S***!" This is a film I definitely wouldn't mind seeing again someday. The best parts may have been the cameos, which included Ryan Reynolds, Jamie Foxx, and Bill Maher.
And now that you've heard my reviews for my Movie May Movies, it's now time for me to hand out awards from the films I watched. First, we'll start with the good awards, including those that are handed out at every Academy Award ceremony.
Best Picture:
Shutter Island
Frozen
Godzilla
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Inside Llewyn Davis
I rated the pictures harshly, handing out no tens, only 3 9's, and only a handful of 8's. I wasn't overly impressed really with any of them. However, my award for best picture goes to...
SHUTTER ISLAND
It's well-deserved. Scorsese and Leo work so well together, I'm sure they could make a decent film about Leo reading the phone book. It's the film that I thought was the best.
Best Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio - Shutter Island
Denzel Washington - Flight
James Franco - Spring Breakers
Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis
Johnny Depp - What's Eating Gilbert Grape
A lot of strong candidates. Denzel was actually nominated for his role in Flight for an Academy Award. So he is the front-runner. I even included Franco from a not so great picture, but he did such a great job in it. However, the award for Best Actor goes to...
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis!
This man single-handedly CARRIED this film. You could almost say that about Denzel in Flight, but I felt Isaac's musical performances helped him as well. He certainly will be a great addition to the Star Wars cast.
Best Actress:
Jennifer Grey - Dirty Dancing
Kelly Reilly - Flight
Scarlett Johansson - Don Jon
Chloe Grace Moretz - Kick Ass 2
I really didn't see any films with a strong female lead and I regret that. So this is a tough vote that I don't think any is particularly deserving of, but the award for best actress goes to...
Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing!
I thought Jennifer's performance in Dirty Dancing was very commendable. Dirty Dancing just so happened to be one of the few (if only) chick-flicks I saw. And her performance is one of the reasons Dirty Dancing has become a cult classic.
Best Supporting Actor:
Jim Carrey - Kick Ass 2
Bryan Cranston - Godzilla
John Goodman - Inside Llewyn Davis
John Goodman - Flight
Leonardo DiCaprio - What's Eating Gilbert Grape
What's this, John Goodman nominated twice? That's right. His roles were small but extremely memorable in both pictures. Carrey and Cranston's roles were cut way too short, but of course, were very memorable as well. But the award for best supporting actor goes to...
Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape!
It just so happens that Leo's performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape earned him his very first Oscar nomination. His portrayal of the mentally handicapped "Arnie", was very moving. Leo still may not have won an Oscar yet, but he earns my Oscar.
Best Supporting Actress:
Carrie Mulligan - Inside Llewyn Davis
Sally Field - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Kristen Wiig - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Cobie Smulders - Delivery Man
Again, not too many strong candidates, but these four performances were all pretty good in their own way. The award for best supporting actress goes to...
Carrie Mulligan in Inside Llewyn Davis!
Carrie was top-notch in her performance. This wasn't even close. Her role should have been larger, but that's why she was in the supporting actress category.
Best Song:
Let it Go - Frozen
Please Mr. Kennedy - Inside Llewyn Davis
How Bad Can I Be - The Lorax
In Summer - Frozen
What a great selection of songs. Let it Go is the popular choice. Please Mr. Kennedy was an unexpected surprise: a song performed by a former N'Sync member and two future Star Wars actors. How Bad Can I Be was the highlight of the Lorax, performed extremely well by Ed Helms. And In Summer was another hit from Frozen. But what was the best? The award for best song goes to...
Let it Go - Frozen!
How could I not pick this? It won the Oscar for best song so it had to win here too.
Best Special Effects:
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Godzilla
Pacific Rim
Star Trek into Darkness
Some strong candidates here. Two of these films I saw in theaters, so that does affect the result a bit. The award for best special effects goes to...
The Amazing Spider-Man 2!
I couldn't pick against Spidey. Not only did I see it in theaters but I saw it in 3D. The effects when Electro was using his powers, just breathtaking.
Now, for some Non-Oscar Awards that I'd like to hand out, which includes best kiss, death scene, and best couple.
Best Death Scene:
Emma Stone - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Jim Carrey - Kick-Ass 2
Chris Hemsworth - Cabin in the Woods
Liam Neeson - A Million Ways to Die in the West
Very mixed bag here. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy dying was very unexpected, at least for me. Jim Carrey's was off-screen, so it loses points there. Hemsworth's was just comical. And Neeson, well Liam Neeson always dies in a legendary way. The award for best death scene goes to...
Chris Hemsworth - Cabin in the Woods!
I couldn't pick against it. I laughed so hard when he drove his dirt bike straight into the invisible barrier and plummeted to his death. His female friend's reaction only made it that much funnier. He thought he could get away!
Best Kiss:
Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Kick-Ass 2
Anna (Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) - Frozen
Teresa Palmer and Nicolas Hoult - Warm Bodies
Johnny Depp and Mary Steenburgen - What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Again, another mixed bag. Chloe's and Aaron's kiss in Kick-Ass 2 was memorable, but weird, as the actors were 23 and 16 when the film came out. Anna and Kristoff's kiss was animated. Teresa's and Nicolas's was kinda gross, seeing as he was JUST a zombie and hadn't had any recent oral hygiene. And then Depp's and Steenburgen's was also with an age difference, with her being 10 years his senior. But the award for best kiss goes to...
Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kick-Ass 2!
This kiss was years in the making. If you have a female and male leads in an action flick, they're bound to have some romantic chemistry, right?
Best Couple:
Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy - Spider-Man 2
Johnny Castle and Baby Houseman - Dirty Dancing
R and Julie - Warm Bodies
Albert and Anna - A Million Ways to Die in the West
All strong couples that evolved over the course of the film. All but Peter and Gwen's didn't start UNTIL partway into their films. The award for best couple goes to...
R and Julie - Warm Bodies!
The way their relationship evolved made this film. They went from "Don't kill me!" to "Kiss me!" in a manner of an hour and a half, and they did it well. The fact that a zombie could come back to life is a little hard to believe, but their relationship was the highlight of the film.
Best Fight/Action Scene:
Spider-Man vs. Electro and Harry Osborn - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Kick-Ass vs. The Motherf***er - Kick-Ass 2
Godzilla vs. the MUTO's - Godzilla
Dark Helmet vs. Lone Starr - Spaceballs
Another mixed bag of candidates. I certainly enjoyed all of these scenes, but one in particular stood out to me. And that is...
Spider-Man vs. Electro and Harry Osborn - The Amazing Spider-Man 2!
The visuals, top notch, and it certainly had me invested. Their fights even resulted in a main character's death, which totally took me by surprise.
Well, with all the good films you see, you're bound to see some bad ones. For the final four awards, I will be picking my worst or least favorite from each category in these Razzie style awards.
Worst Picture:
Seattle Superstorm
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
Spring Breakers
The Arroyo
The Benchwarmers
Not one of these films had me invested in it. Not one made be care about any character. The award for worst picture goes to...
Seattle Superstorm
It's lucky it got a 3/10 from me, because it may have deserved a 2 or 1. Acting, visuals, plot, all bad.
Worst Actor:
Esai Morales - Seattle Superstorm
Tom Cruise - Oblivion
Rob Schneider - The Benchwarmers
Rick Moranis - Spaceballs/Ghostbusters
Rick Moranis gets nominated twice and I couldn't decide which role because both were cringe-worthy. He's always so awkward and stiff as an actor, which is probably why he stopped acting. The only real good role he had was "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and it's sequels. However, the award for worst acting goes to...
Esai Morales - Seattle Superstorm
I wouldn't say his acting was AWFUL, because I've seen worse, but of this bunch, it was the worst. I tried really hard to care for his character, but I couldn't. I wanted his character "Tom" to die.
Worst Actress:
Anna Faris - The Dictator
Ona Grauer - Seattle Superstorm
Ashlynn Yennie - The Human Centipede
Ashley C. Williams - The Human Centipede
In this, we have only one real notable actress in Anna Faris, whose role was a bit over-the-top in The Dictator. We also have a pair of actresses from the Human Centipede. The award for worst actress goes to...
Ashlynn Yennie - The Human Centipede
The reason her role stood out as the worst performance over her co-stars is that Ashlynn made her character out to be extremely whiny, stupid, and just so hard to watch. Sure, he co-star character is the one that made the biggest blunder, but Ashlynn's performance was just awful.
Worst Special Effects:
Seattle Superstorm
Ghostbusters
Kick-Ass 2
Spaceballs
I'm not even going to delay this one. Award goes to...
Seattle Superstorm
Sure, the other three had some cheesy special effects at times, but Seattle Superstorm's special effects were just downright laughable. The Space Needle after it fell, not realistically sized. Not even the weather they had in the film looked real. Just awful.
Well, there you have it. I hoped you could sit through this MASSIVE post. I think I might do this again someday, maybe next year in May of 2015.
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