Syrup (2013)

IMDb plot summary: A slacker hatches a million-dollar idea. But, in order to see it through, he has to learn to trust his attractive corporate counterpart. Based on Max Barry's novel.
Directed by Aram Rappaport. Starring Amber Heard, Shiloh Fernandez, and Kellan Lutz.

Oh, man. This movie wants SO badly to be important and meaningful, but in the end it just... doesn't all come together. The lead characters are pretty boring stereotypes, the storytelling structure is all over the place (it keeps feeling like the movie is over when it's not even close), and the movie's message is very heavy-handed. It does make me want to read the book, though, because there's so much potential in the story's premise, and it makes me wonder if it was just sloppy execution or if the original book was like this as well. I really wanted to like this movie, but there are just too many flaws for me to buy overall.

2 stars.

Flickchart: #1329 out of 2241, below Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and above Les Miserables (1935).

American Outlaws (2001)

IMDb plot summary: When a Midwest town learns that a corrupt railroad baron has captured the deeds to their homesteads without their knowledge, a group of young ranchers join forces to take back what is rightfully theirs.
Directed by Les Mayfield. Starring Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, Ali Larter, and Gabriel Macht.

Let me make this very clear: This is NOT an objectively good movie. The story is cheesy and sensationalized and the cinematography is often very weird. And yet... somehow I really enjoyed it. This was a huge surprise to me, as it's a genre I don't get into very easily. I think I have to attribute most of it to Colin Farrell's charisma, as he creates a likable and oddly sweet gang leader. Timothy Dalton is fun as well, enjoyably campy as the quasivillain of the piece. I wouldn't rewatch it again any time soon, but it was a surprisingly fun watch the first time around.

4 stars.

Flickchart: #557 out of 2240, below The Artist and above Children of Men.

Neverwas (2005)

IMDb plot summary: A well-educated psychiatrist leaves an academic career to work at an institution where his father, a novelist, lived before writing a renowned children's book. Acclimating to his position, he encounters a schizophrenic who helps him to discover the book's secrets and his place in the story.
Directed by Joshua Michael Stern. Starring Aaron Eckhart, Ian McKellen, Brittany Murphy, and Nick Nolte.

(Mild spoilers.)

I'm torn on this one. It's very much the kind of movie that lives on Netflix Instant, an indie-style flick that is ambitious about meaning something big and important, but I'm not sure it ever gets there. The line between fantasy and reality is... awkward here, never quite letting us in on the answer but not drawing enough meaning from it that the ambiguity is OK. I really liked the beginning of it, but as it went on, it kind of just fell apart and never really came back together. That being said, though, others may get into it more than I did, and Ian McKellen really is very good in this, particularly in the climactic scene. He was what kept me watching most of the time.

2.5 stars.

Flickchart: #1237 out of 2239, below Runaway Bride and above The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

The Last Unicorn (1982)

IMDb plot summary: A brave unicorn and a magician fight an evil king who is obsessed with attempting to capture the world's unicorns.
Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. Starring Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, and Tammy Grimes.

This was... not at all what I expected. I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. It's a very simple story, but there's a beautifully melancholy undercurrent which I would never have expected in a children's fantasy. It's full of regret, bittersweet goodbyes, and a sense of complete isolation. I have no idea if I would have liked this as a kid, but as an adult, I found myself really gravitating to the darker themes of the story. The ending was tremendously satisfying, neither too depressing nor unrealistically saccharine. It's not perfect, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise.

3.5 stars.

Flickchart: #871 out of 2238, below John Dies at the End and above Choke.

Coriolanus (2014)

IMDb plot summary: When an old adversary threatens Rome, the city calls once more on her hero and defender: Coriolanus. But famine threatens the city, the citizens hunger swells to an appetite for change, and on returning from the field Coriolanus must confront the march of realpolitik and the voice of an angry people.
Directed by Josie Rourke. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Mark Gatiss, Hadley Fraser, and Deborah Findlay.

Whew, that is some nice work. This is not only a Shakespeare play I'm unfamiliar with, but it's also primarily about war, which could have made it very difficult for me to understand or be interested in, but thanks to the actors and director, this is not only easy to follow but incredibly relatable, and the resulting story is fascinating and powerful. Tom Hiddleston, who I was never crazy about as Loki, is really excellent in the title role, fleshing out a lot of aspects of a character that could have been played very flatly. The play's two villains are also done excellently, creating interesting and even likable bad guys. Overall, a really nicely-done show, and I'm glad they filmed it so I could see this great cast.

4 stars.

This movie has not yet been added to Flickchart. I've submitted it and will update the review when I can rank it.

They Came Together (2014)

IMDb plot summary: When Joel and Molly meet, it's hate at first sight: his big Corporate Candy Company threatens to shut down her quirky indie shop. Plus, Joel is hung up on his sexy ex. But amazingly, they fall in love, until they break up about two thirds of the way through.
Directed by David Wain. Starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Cobie Smulders, and Christopher Meloni.

Yikes, this movie has bad reviews, but, hey, *I* thought it was funny. I didn't know much about it when I watched it, but I giggled a lot. (I was watching it on my phone in bed and I worried I was going to wake Jacob up with how much I giggled at the line, "Oh no! I look like a chimney sweep!") Granted, there are a few jokes that REALLY, REALLY, REALLY don't work -- but only a few. The rest are either solidly funny or at least mildly entertaining. Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd are perfect for this, capturing just the right feel of all the typical rom com leads, and the many cameos work well. Granted, I'm probably the exact right audience for this, as someone who has seen a LOT of rom coms and dislikes almost all of them, so I recognized all the tropes and was delighted at the snarking of them. Where the movie works best *is* in its trope subversion. There are also some fun goofy slapstick moments, but the purely silly ones are better than the sleazy/gross ones. Overall, I enjoyed this.

3.5 stars.

Flickchart: #566 out of 2237, below Lethal Weapon and above Cannibal!: The Musical.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)

IMDb plot summary: Molly Mahoney is the awkward and insecure manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, the strangest, most fantastic, most wonderful toy store in the world. But when Mr. Magorium, the 243 year-old eccentric who owns the store, bequeaths the store to her, a dark and ominous change begins to take over the once remarkable Emporium.
Directed by Zach Helm. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, and Zach Mills.

(Some mild spoilers ahead.)

I'm... not sure about this one. To help me sort out my thoughts, I've decided to organize this review into a positive/negative format.

On the positive side, the characters are really interesting and likable. There's a delightful sense of whimsy and charming sense of humor scattered throughout, including lots of little amusing lines that just have perfect delivery. I giggled quite a few times. I was particularly drawn to the characters of Eric and Henry, as they seemed the most... well, the most like real people. We'll get to that in a second.

On the negative side, there are quite a few moments where it is just TOO quirky and whimsical for its own good. I got tired of Mr. Magorium himself long before the movie does, and though Natalie Portman's character is clearly meant to be the central character, her character arc is scattered and gets mired in awkward sentimentality at the end in a way that made me roll my eyes rather than say, "Aw." I also have little patience for the "you just have to believe in yourself" trope, and it's delivered in a VERY heavy-handed manner here. (Also, thanks to that awful "Miracles" song, I couldn't help but snicker when Portman's character tells the little boy that the magnetic toy is magic. Magnets, how do they work?)

This is just a couple tweaks away from being a *really* good movie, but those few tweaks really do drag down the movie for me overall, as well as mostly breaking the climactic ending scene. I like the fantasy elements a lot, and two of the four main characters were wonderful, but I wish the movie had felt like it was trying a little less hard to MAKE it whimsical.

3 stars.

Flickchart: #851 out of 2236, below The Miracle Worker and above Rachel Getting Married.