2010 ~ The Larsen Film Review

Inception (2010)

Director Christopher Nolan is probably just as famous for Memento as he is for his Batman films. In between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises we get a treat with a film that returns to the style of Memento. A film that can be watched several times before fully grasping...

One of the last two films on the AFI Laughs left to watch. One of the films I reserved until the end to watch with my wife. Given the number of films I watch there are many I watch on my own, but since this was an old Cary Grant film we had never heard of we expected it to be...

I saw this over Christmas with my family, a film I expected to find average at best. I remember it getting bad reviews and was hesitant to even watch it in the first place. I'm very happy I gave this one a shot. Tom Cruise may have a strange personal life, but I don't know...

By far the most interesting documentary I've seen this year. I don't necessarily think that I'm saying that in a good way. After seeing it I bother understand why it is not on the short list for the documentary and why it is so popular. First off, I knew very little about Joan...

#85 on the AFI 100 Laughs, this is one of the last three films I have left on this list. A very old talkie making fun of the upper class, or at least that is what I took from it. This one was very hard to follow the comedy, the jokes referenced a way of talking and subject matter...

One of the 15 documentaries to make the short list of the Oscar nominations. In direct competition with the higher profile Waiting for 'Superman' this is probably one of the underdogs in the race. Starring Cory Booker who is the current mayor of Newark, NJ and starring in the...

One of many adaptations of the Dickens novel, and a necessary watch after subjecting myself to the awful Disney 3D animated version. Originally titled "Scrooge" in the UK, and on the imdb list way back in 2001, I've been saving this one for 6 months to watch in season. It was...

A cheap Hollywood remake of the 1999 film with the same title and same directors: Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang. Chun has been compared to John Woo by some, and to me this was an attempt to bring another Hong Kong action director to the US market. Sadly he cast Nicolas Cage...

Only the 2nd film of the year I have given a 10/10 and for many good reasons. Since I expect this post to be heavily reviewed I'll do my best to justify why I really liked this film and am not just jumping on the bandwagon of what everyone says is the best this year. First...

A strange, slow, interesting, but simple film about a man trying to piece together his past life. Nominated for a Golden Globe for best foreign film, keep in mind that unlike the Oscar Foreign LANGUAGE category, the Globes is a Foreign production category. Meaning that this...

With Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon, this film rounds out a very strong group of Golden Globe nominations in the animated division. Although I gave How to Train... a 9/10 I'm not sure which one I liked better now. The story is about a villain [Gru played by Steve...

Not to be confused with Casino Jack starring Kevin Spacey and nominated for a Golden Globe this month. This is actually a documentary from the same year the proceeds the release of the Bio Dramody. With the announcement of the Globe nominations I knew I would want to see the...

The first pairing of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and her follow-up film to The Philadelphia Story. This is the film that spawned a relationship off screen between the two and lead to another 8 films between the two. Winner of an Oscar for writing and nominated for Best...

Another round of Oscar Short films. All but Kavi are available on youtube so you are welcome to check them out yourself very easily. The New Tenants won the Oscar, I can't say it would have been my choice, but I think it was a decent choice. Film: Kavi Director: Gregg Helvey Runtime:...

This horror film was reserved for after horror month when I couldn't get my project list for the month done. Because of its inclusion on the AFI 100 Thrills I knew I would watch it shortly anyways. Nominated for five Oscars and winner of best costume design in a black and white...

Directed by and starring Goldie Hawn winner of an Oscar for Best Actress, nominated for two more as well as a Gold Globe nomination. This inclusion on the AFI 100 Laughs was a no-brainer. The film is about a girl who has never fended for herself. Married twice and from a wealthy...

A very artistic film that should be watched on a big screen to really be enjoyed. Starring Richard Gere in one of his earliest film roles, he is just 29 in this movie and I've never seen him as anything but old in films before. Alongside Brooke Adams (better known from the tv...

A film that has been on-and-off the imdb top 250 for many years, yet somehow always misses the Jan. 1st inclusion in my static annual listing. It is poised to be on at the end of this month for the 2011 edition and is also on several other lists I'm working on. Directed by Kar...

Down to just five comedies to finish the AFI 100 Laughs I've finally gotten around to watching these again. This one really stars Tom Ewell a business man in New York City that just said good-bye to his wife and son. The premise of the movie is that since the time of the Indians...

By far the worst film I have seen this year. This retelling of the Charles Dickens classic story completely panders to the usage of 3D, while failing to provide any substance. The classic story which has the three ghosts: Past, Present, and Future are meant to show Mr. Scrooge...

Part two of the Jean de Florette biopic. I have to tell you now that if you don't want the ending of the first film spoiled you better not read this review yet. It is hard to talk about a sequel without divulging the outcome of the first film. This film actually isn't on any...

Out on dvd this week I watched the film version of the TV series that made Mr.T famous, and no you won't here "I pity the fool." I unfortunately think I unknowingly watched the extended cut as well. Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Biel this action film was...

Just announced as a Golden Globe nominee in a dieing category of Best Comedy/Musical (who still watches Musicals?... enough for being recognized as a category...). RED stands for Retired-Extremely-Dangerous. Bruce Willis plays a retired CIA agent that has a peculiar budding...

Nominated for a Golden Globe in 1988, this duology directed by Claude Berri remains his crowning achievement.From the title I expected this film to be a romance about a girl named Jean, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was far from the case. The film includes star...

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg star in an over-the-top comedy about police action films. The film is full of stars with cameos from Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Derek Jeter, and with minor roles from Eva Mendes, Rob Riggle, Damon Wayans Jr., and Michael...

Sarah Polley stars in a film about a tragedy in a small town involving a school bus wreck on a snowy morning. Polley plays the only survivor that has to deal with the parents attempting to put together a lawsuit against the town. Ian Holm plays the lawyer, hired by Polley's...

The American Film Institute spent a decade creating Top 100 lists from American Cinema, the 100 Thrills, Passions, Laughs, Cheers, All-Time, Villains, etc. But they also started something new at the turn of the Century. They started releasing a top 10 American Films of the Year...

The nominees from the 2009 Oscars (all released in 2008) for live action were a little more trouble for me to get a hold of this time around. The 2007 and 2008 Shorts were all released as a collection by Magnolia films. Starting in 2009, and again this year, they started releasing...

Shrek "4"ever after, the 4th movie in the series that won't go away. Hey, at least they are keeping Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz busy so there are working less on crap like Norbit, The Love Guru, and Charlie's Angels. This one was a rebound for me from the 3rd...

Films like this remind me that I am not a student of film. I never studied it and I could care less about how fluid the film was or the social commentary, or whatever metric that doesn't add up to an enjoyable and interesting storyline. The fact is, this movie was dull. The...

Wow am I lost. Does anyone remember details from a movie they saw a decade ago? I started writing this blog to remind myself of all the movies I watch. I don't see how anyone will understand what is going on in this movie without the first six films even a little fresh in their...

In 1994 Ken Burns released a 19 hour documentary about the entire history of baseball. I watched the entire thing this past summer, reviewed HERE. To my surprise he released a "10th inning" continuation to the series, originally airing on PBS the last week of September. The...

With the announcement of the Oscar Documentary Short list, a list of the 15 finalists to get one of five Oscar nominations, I have started to look into watching these films. This one, considered by a few to be a front runner at the award this year, is one of the few already...

Sometimes simple drama, character studies can be the most interesting films of the year. Ebert seemed to think so when he saw this one at a festival, liked it so much, and featured it in his own festival later that year in Chicago. Another one that I happened across at the library,...

I've noticed myself hating on Pixar for no reason lately. I think people are tired of seeing them win everything. Personally I get annoyed because my favorites (like Ratatouille) get less recognition than the ones I didn't like (Up or Cars). Before watching this one I watched...

I'm not sure how to describe why I didn't like this movie. I didn't hate it, and the cast was likable for the most part. I just thought that rather than have plot holes they just decided to tell us nothing. We don't know why they are on a mystery planet. We don't know why they...

Nominated for the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and one of Eberts favorite films of 2008, I happened across this film at the library and since it was fairly short I gave it a shot. Let me start by saying that there are some opinions expressed in this documentary...

This film makes Brokeback Mountain look like a G rated film. It opens with a sex scene that made me walk out of the room. I waited for it to end to come back in, then had to decide if I should even bother watching the rest of the film. The Asian couple are then looking for a...

Oops, I didn't know what I was getting into on this one. I'm sure I would have avoided it if I would have known that Megan Fox was in it. Sadly Josh Brolin and John Malkovich were not enough to make this film good. With an estimated $47 million budget and only grossing $11...

This is the emotional war movie I expected The Messenger to be. A film that breaks your heart then drags you through a families misery. It is a difficult film to watch but some great acting from a young cast. Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire are husband and wife. Just before...

An Italian epic film about a village in Sicily. An autobiographical film following three generations of the Tornatore family. Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and focusing mainly on his fathers generation, this film was very long and hard to stay interested in. Nominated for...

This winner of 4 Oscars in 1984 was the final film for me to finish several imdb lists (2004 and 2005 top 250 to be exact).Best picture nominee in the 1984 Oscars that lost out to an emotional film featuring a retired astronaut, Terms of Endearment. This film was nominated...

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