The Devil Is a Woman (1935)

IMDb plot summary: Film told in flashbacks of an older man's obsession for a woman who can belong to no-one but can frustrate everyone.
Directed by Josef von Sternberg. Starring Marlene Dietrich, Lionel Atwill, and Edward Everett Horton.

If I never have to see Marlene Dietrich roll her eyes and sigh dramatically to manipulate someone into doing what she wants, I shall be quite content. I hate everyone in this movie, from the obnoxiously coy and manipulative Dietrich to the men who apparently decided they owned her and could do whatever they wanted with her. I'm sure I was supposed to side with one and support their attempts to undercut the other's ruining their life, but I just hated everyone all round. It's a melodramatic mess of a story with unlikable characters and a long winding plot that doesn't really go anywhere. Not a fan. 1 star.

Flickchart: #1739 out of 1961, below Dumbo and above Band of Outsiders.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)

IMDb plot summary: Leslie Howard plays Sir Percy Blakeney, an 18th century English aristocrat who leads a double life. He appears to be merely the effete aristocrat, but in reality is part of an underground effort to free French nobles from Robespierre's Reign of Terror.
Directed by Harold Young. Starring Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, and Raymond Massey.

Ever since I read the book, I have been strangely drawn to the Scarlet Pimpernel story. Whether it's the love story (oh gosh, that story just HOOKS me with the unrequited love angle and that delicious "he's loved me all the time" reveal) or the adventurous, almost swashbuckling actions of the Pimpernel, I find myself truly enjoy every incarnation of it. Leslie Howard here is perfect at playing both the Pimpernel and Sir Percy, jumping easily back and forth between being a competent, resourceful leader and a ridiculous prettyboy. I also really like Merle Oberon as Marguerite in this version - she is clearly conflicted and sad, but she makes smart, strong choices that flesh her out as a real person, far from the swooning dainty woman I expected her to be. In short, this is an excellent movie adaptation, and well worth the watch. 4 stars.

Flickchart: #478 out of 1960, below New York Stories and above You Can't Take It With You.

Man Hunt (1941)

IMDb plot summary: British hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by German agents and aided by a young woman.
Directed by Fritz Lang. Starring Walt Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, and George Sanders.

While the premise of this movie is fascinating and the final 20 minutes or so are really captivating, the entire middle section with the romance was thoroughly uninteresting to me. I found the girl alternately bland and irritating, and I got impatient with their relationship. I admire the theme and overall arc of the movie, but the actual execution of it was not my favorite. 2.5 stars.

Flickchart: #1180 out of 1959, below Hustle & Flow and above Lincoln.

Oblivion (2013)

IMDb plot summary: A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski. Starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko and Andrea Riseborough.

While this movie looks gorgeous, with some truly incredible visuals, there's not a lot of substance here. It's a lot of tired sci-fi tropes combined in a way that doesn't really hold up once you start thinking through the plot. In addition, it's a very *dark* movie, emotionally, and I found it fairly depressing, without any of the things that makes a depressing movie actually worth the watch. Disappointing. Now I want to wipe it from my mind by watching Vanilla Sky, a much better (and even more visually stunning) psychological sci-fi starring Tom Cruise. 2.5 stars.

Flickchart: #1233 out of 1958, below The Devil Wears Prada and above Marie Antoinette.

Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

IMDb plot summary: A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Directed by Joss Whedon. Starring Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, and Fran Kranz.

FINALLY. Oh, it had been such a long time since I'd seen a new movie I really liked, and this one hit the spot. The cast here is just perfect. Seeing all these Joss Whedon people felt like seeing old friends, but they also did a spectacular job tackling the language and the motivation. I especially want to mention Fran Kranz, who made Claudio much more likable than in any other version I've seen; Amy Acker, whose speech demanding revenge was chilling and incredible; Nathan Fillion and Tom Lenk, who only had a couple of lines but made me laugh with almost every single one; and, of course, Alexis Denisof, who captured the pompousness and self-absorbedness of Benedick in a way that made his character both likable and laughable.

The movie looks great, sounds great (loved the music!), and made me laugh. Well worth the watch. I can only hope Whedon doesn't get too busy going all blockbuster on us and is willing to tackle more Shakespeare in the future. 4.5 stars.

Flickchart: #276 out of 1957, below Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and above Beginners.

Admission (2013)

IMDb plot summary: A Princeton admissions officer who is up for a major promotion takes a professional risk after she meets a college-bound alternative school kid who just might be the son she gave up years ago in a secret adoption.
Directed by Paul Weitz. Starring Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, and Nat Wolff.

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are two actors who I just always find likable. No matter what movie they're in, I root for their characters and hope their lives end well and want them to win. So why did I want so badly to punch them in the face during this movie?

The movie starts off with two fairly unlikable characters to begin with, has them make worse and worse choices, doesn't for one second show them actually acknowledging the badness of those choices, has a brief throwaway line indicating ONE of them MIGHT be changing their ways for a second, and calls that good. There's no character growth, and character growth was desperately needed here. The premise is a fun one - we don't see a lot of stories told from inside the university admissions office - but the characters were thoroughly unlikable from beginning to end. 1 star.

Flickchart: #1677 out of 1956, below Thoroughly Modern Millie and above Thr3e.

3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom (2012)

IMDb plot summary: Frank Bartlett has been tortured, embarrassed, and humiliated by his brother Bruce -- usually on film -- his entire life. Now that Bruce is finally off drugs and has turned his life around, things should be different. They are not.
Directed by Jordan Roberts. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Chris O'Dowd, and Lizzy Caplan.

First of all, it is crazy weird to see Chris O'Dowd doing an American accent. Secondly, this movie doesn't quite work. It's got an interesting plot, but it all smacks a bit too heavily of "ooh, look at us being quirky" indie drama-ism. None of the characters really have any depth to them, and the resolution is very unsatisfactory. A nice concept, but falls apart because of overly cutesy execution. 2.5 stars.

Flickchart: #916, below The Fourth Kind and above Casino.