The Theory of Everything (2014)

IMDb plot summary: The relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife.
Directed by James Marsh. Starring Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, David Thewlis, and Charlie Cox.

This is a charming little film with a really excellent performance from Eddie Redmayne. It's a good thing it's focused more on the relationship than the science, because when it does tackle the science, it doesn't do it particularly well. But the story of their relationship is really beautifully handled, and while it isn't a particularly groundbreaking story, it's done well.

3.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Theory of Everything > Galaxy Quest
The Theory of Everything < Argo
The Theory of Everything > Munich
The Theory of Everything > Summer Wars
The Theory of Everything < The Ladykillers (2004)
The Theory of Everything > Evil Dead II
The Theory of Everything > M
The Theory of Everything < Anne of Green Gables
The Theory of Everything < Throne of Blood
The Theory of Everything > Marnie
The Theory of Everything > White Heat
Final spot: #667 out of 2323.

Boyhood (2014)

IMDb plot summary: The life of a young man, Mason, from age 5 to age 18.
Directed by Richard Linklater. Starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Lorelei Linklater.

First of all, this is most definitely an incredible film achievement. Filming the same actors over 12 years was a fascinating and bold decision, and it totally works here to show the passing of time. Fortunately, though, the film doesn't entirely depend on its gimmick to hold it up, because that would be lazy. The gimmick strengthens the story instead of being the other way around.

This story is a subtle, likable exploration of growth, change, and figuring out the point of life. Each episode expands on this point a little more. It's hard to really pinpoint what exactly works about this movie except that it treats it much like we experience actual life -- there's no clearly-defined sense of "This is what this is all about," just a series of quiet moments that all add up to something bigger.

This movie definitely works for me. It didn't blow me away, but I feel like that would almost be too grandiose a response to this movie. It's quiet and gradual, and I feel like my response will be as well. This film is not done with me yet.

4 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Boyhood > Galaxy Quest
Boyhood > American Outlaws
Boyhood < Jean de Florette
Boyhood < Iron Man
Boyhood < The Sessions
Boyhood > Key Largo
Boyhood > Cats and Dogs
Boyhood > Leap of Faith
Boyhood < Waking Ned Devine
Boyhood > Bicentennial Man
Final spot: #513 out of 2322.

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

IMDb plot summary: When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.
Directed by Dan O'Bannon. Starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, and Thom Mathews.

(Spoilers.)

While this is a moderately interesting little horror movie, it doesn't really work for me as a comedy. The jokes are often so subtle, I wouldn't have guessed this was a comedy if I hadn't known that going in. It would just feel like a clumsy drama. But what really is the nail in the coffin is how really tragic the zombies are. I felt genuinely bad for them once it's revealed that they're not just mindlessly reanimated -- they're all in agonizing pain from dying and they eat brains because for some reason that relieves the pain. Toss in our main characters dealing with this as they are turned into zombies and an extremely bleak (and really not at all absurd) ending, and this thing takes a seriously dark turn. It's such a weird tone, and the laughs are so few and far between, that it's difficult for me to call it a comedy at all. So... I think it kind of fails at its mission to be funny, but I liked the movie if I ignored its claimed genre.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Return of the Living Dead > The Fortune Cookie
The Return of the Living Dead < American Outlaws
The Return of the Living Dead < Munich
The Return of the Living Dead < Shall We Dance? (2004)
The Return of the Living Dead > Chasing Amy
The Return of the Living Dead > The Wrestler
The Return of the Living Dead < Is It College Yet?
The Return of the Living Dead > The Illusionist
The Return of the Living Dead > Ran
The Return of the Living Dead > Bonnie and Clyde
The Return of the Living Dead < Wonder Boys
Final spot: #1035 out of 2321.

Near Dark (1987)

IMDb plot summary: A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is turned by a beautiful drifter.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Starring Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, and Bill Paxton.

This started off really interesting. A western vampire romance is definitely an interesting way of going about telling the story, especially before vampire romances were around every corner. However, it never really achieved what I was hoping. The plot in acts two and three feels aimless after such an interesting set up, without a clear sense of where the story is headed -- even after it was over. Not nearly as good as I thought it was going to be.

2 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Near Dark < Galaxy Quest
Near Dark > Whisper of the Heart
Near Dark > Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
Near Dark > Neverwas
Near Dark < Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Near Dark < The Princess Diaries
Near Dark > The Apostle
Near Dark < Tin Man
Near Dark > Zero Dark Thirty
Near Dark < The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
Near Dark < Django Unchained
Final spot: #1281 out of 2320.

Cold Blood (2012)

IMDb plot summary: Following Craig's release from prison, ex business partner Mike, and his girlfriend Julia, throw him a welcome home freedom party at his new farmhouse, where he is reunited with his old flame Anna. As the night falls, things dramatically take a turn for the worse as underlying resentment and tension explodes. Craig and Anna are suddenly faced with a nightmare situation whereby they must make a life changing decision.
Directed by Mumtaz Yildrimlar. Starring James Tweedy, Judson Vaughan, Alina-Jane Lovell, and Lily Brown.

While sometimes working as a video captioner is cool, other times it means you have to watch a movie multiple times where someone yells, "You cut up [my girlfriend]'s body like she was a piece of meat! How do you think that makes me feel?"

This movie is quite bad. Sloppy dialogue, a derivative plot executed badly, a weird score, and awkward acting make this a pretty unpleasant experience to watch once, let alone three or four times.

This movie is not on Flickchart yet, but I'm adding it to the database and will updated this review once it's available for ranking.

1 star.

The Last Five Years (2014)

IMDb plot summary: Based on the musical, a struggling actress and her novelist lover each illustrate the struggle and deconstruction of their love affair.
Directed by Richard LaGravenese. Starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.

Well, I have been waiting for this for quite some time, and I'm delighted to say that it met all my expectations.

Did I love everything in the movie? No. But neither would most theatrical productions of this show -- or any show. What the movie does right is deliver solidly acted and sung performances from its leads. The music is intact, with very little changed and nothing cut entirely (the show's short enough as is, cutting anything would be ridiculous).

I've written a long piece over at Flickchart about how the movie does in comparison to the original stage show and how the shift to film changes the story's structure. You can check out my full thoughts on it there, but the TL;DR version is something like "it's less focused but showcases interactions better, so I don't think it's bad, just different."

Overall, really solid. There are a few songs that got to me in a way that they never had before (specifically "The Schmuel Song," "A Part of That," and "If I Didn't Believe In You"). I'm glad this finally exists and that I finally got to see it.

5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Last Five Years > My Best Friend's Wedding
The Last Five Years > Children of Men
The Last Five Years > Another Woman
The Last Five Years > Jerry Maguire
The Last Five Years > Billy Elliot
The Last Five Years < American Beauty
The Last Five Years > Lost in Translation
The Last Five Years > Rent
The Last Five Years < 12 Angry Men
The Last Five Years > Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Final spot: #42 out of 2319.

Magic in the Moonlight (2014)

IMDb plot summary: A romantic comedy about an Englishman brought in to help unmask a possible swindle. Personal and professional complications ensue.
Directed by Woody Allen. Starring Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Simon McBurney and Eileen Atkins.

This is definitely not a very *good* movie. But like most of Woody Allen's less impressive comedies, I still find it likable and charming. Anyone other than Colin Firth could not have pulled off this main character -- it would have more like the unpleasantly acerbic Whatever Works. But Firth has a warmth and a dignity about him that makes him likable even when he's playing awful characters. The guy has played Mr. Darcy twice, after all, and here he delivers a proposal that's every bit as horribly narcissistic and condescending as Darcy's famous proclamation of love.

The other actors make up an interesting cast. Eileen Atkins is excellent as the wise-and-a-little-sneaky Aunt Vanessa, and Hamish Linklater is sweet as the enamored Brice, but Emma Stone is utterly forgettable as the girl at the center of the story. Firth clearly carries the show here, and she serves as more of an afterthought.

It's awkward and abrupt, and I suspect many people will find the lead too unlikable to want him to win, but I found it pleasant enough for one viewing.

2.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Magic in the Moonlight < The Fortune Cookie
Magic in the Moonlight > The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)
Magic in the Moonlight > The Hidden Fortress
Magic in the Moonlight > The Paperboy
Magic in the Moonlight > Wedding Crashers
Magic in the Moonlight > Wild Hogs
Magic in the Moonlight < Stepmom
Magic in the Moonlight < My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Magic in the Moonlight > A Dangerous Method
Magic in the Moonlight > So I Married an Axe Murderer
Magic in the Moonlight > The Hurt Locker
Final spot: #1187 out of 2318.