Month in Review [August 2015]

September 9, 2015September 9, 20159 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) Gladiator* [2000] – 8/10

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Month In Review [February 2015]

March 3, 201520 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) Draft Day [2014] – 6/10

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Month In Review [January 2015]

February 2, 2015March 18, 201528 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) Thelma & Louise [1991] – 8/10

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Month In Review [October 2014]

November 6, 2014January 20, 201522 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) Insidious: Chapter 2 [2013] – 5/10

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Month In Review [May 2014]

June 3, 20146 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) A Prophet [2009] – 8/10

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Month In Review [April 2014]

May 2, 201420 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) Out of Sight [1998] – 9/10

2) Road House [1989] – 8/10

3) The Heat [2013] – 6/10

4) The Hangover Part III – 2/10

5) The Trip [2010] – 7/10

6) This Is Martin Bonner [2013] – 7/10

7) Welcome to Pine Hill [2012] – 5/10

8) The Iceman [2013] – 7/10

9) Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa [2013] – 7/10

10) Death Wish 3 [1985] – 3/10

11) Noah [2014] – 6/10

12) Cheap Thrills [2014] – 8/10

13) Incendies [2010] – 9/10

14) 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [2007] – 9/10

15) Taxi Driver [1976]* – 9/10

* denotes rewatch

Video Games Completed:
1) Prototype [Xbox 360] – 7/10

2) Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance [Xbox 360] – 6/10

3) Remember Me [PS3] – 7/10

TV Shows Finished:
1) Mad Men [Season 6] – 8/10

Books Read:
1) Black Dahlia by James Ellroy – 8/10

Best of the Month: This is a really tough call. Excluding rewatches, my favorite film of the month was a tossup between Incendies and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Both of these films blew me away in completely different ways, and they are going to be hard to top in this year’s project.

Worst of the Month: The Hangover Part III is not just the worst movie I watched last month, it’s the worst movie I have seen all year. I don’t think I laughed even once, and this is coming from someone who didn’t think the first sequel was all that bad. I don’t know why I wasted my time with that drivel. At least Death Wish 3, another bad film, was a complete blast to watch. Glad that one finally made it to Netflix.

How about you? What was the best film you watched last month?

Month in Review [March 2014]

April 1, 2014January 6, 20152 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) Captain Phillips [2013] – 8/10

2) Catch Me If You Can [2002] – 7/10

3) From Up On Poppy Hill [2012] – 7/10

4) Blue Jasmine [2013] – 7/10

5) About Schmidt [2002] – 8/10

6) The Insider [1999] – 8/10

7) The Wind Rises [2013] – 7/10

8) The Grand Budapest Hotel [2014] – 8/10

9) Falling Down [1993] – 9/10

10) Harper [1966] – 7/10

11) American Hustle [2013] – 8/10

12) The Counselor [2013] – 5/10

13) Major League [1989] – 7/10

14) Inside Llewyn Davis [2013] – 8/10

15) Frozen [2013] – 7/10

16) White Reindeer [2013] – 7/10

Video Games Completed:
1) SteamWorld Dig [PS Vita] – 9/10

2) Persona 4 Golden [PS Vita] – 9/10

TV Shows Finished:
1) Eastbound and Down [Season 3] – 7/10

2) Dexter [Season 8] – 4/10

3) Eastbound and Down [Season 4] – 7/10

4) 30 Rock [Season 7] – 7/10

5) True Detective [Season 1] – 9/10

6) House of Cards [Season 2] – 7.5/10

7) Girls [Season 3] – 6/10

Books Read:
1) Fables Vol. 1-3 – 9/10

Best of the Month: For movies, I was most surprised with Falling Down, which is one of the better films I have seen all year. I’m usually not much of a Michael Douglas fan, but he *killed it* in that movie. Highly recommended. For video games, I finally finished Persona 4 Golden after starting it over a year ago. It was a blast all the way until the end, and it’s one of the better games on the Vita. SteamWorld Dig was also a nice surprise (see my review). In the TV world, True Detective more than lived up to the hype. Can’t wait for season 2.

Worst of the Month: The Counselor was incredibly disappointing. It had a few memorable scenes, but it could have been so much more considering the talent involved. For TV, I watched a lot of mediocre shows, but the final season of Dexter was easily the worst. It pretty much soured me on the entire series thanks to its laughably awful ending. That series should have ended after 4-5 seasons, not eight.

What was the best piece of media you indulged in last month? How about the worst?

Month in Review [February 2014]

March 4, 2014January 6, 201522 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) First Blood [1982] – 7/10

2) Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky [1991] – 8/10

3) Miami Connection [1987]* – 8/10

4) On the Road [2012] – 6/10

5) No Country for Old Men [2007]* – 10/10

6) Good Night, and Good Luck. [2005] – 8/10

7) Say Anything… [1989] – 8/10

8) Drug War [2013] – 8/10

9) Fast Times at Ridgemont High [1982] – 8/10

10) The King of Comedy [1982] – 9/10

11) Election [2005] – 7/10

* denotes rewatch

Video Games Completed:
1) DmC: Devil May Cry [PS3] – 8/10

2) F.E.A.R. 3 [Xbox 360] – 6/10

3) Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken [PS Vita] – 5/10

TV Shows Finished:
1) The Sopranos [Season 6A] – 10/10

2) The Sopranos [Season 6B] – 10/10

3) Dexter [Season 7] – 5/10

4) Eastbound and Down [Season 2] – 7/10

Books Read:
1) “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac McCarthy – 10/10

Best of the Month: Ignoring rewatches, the best film I watched was easily The King of Comedy. My take on that one will be up later this week. I was also quite impressed with Johnnie To’s Drug War, which would likely make my top 10 of 2013 if I revised my list. For games, DmC was a nice surprise: a hack ‘n slash adventure with a deep combat system. And, of course, the final season-and-a-half of The Sopranos was incredible. The ending was absolutely perfect.

Worst of the Month: On the Road was a mediocre adaptation of one of my favorite novels. Rocketbird was a painfully mediocre side-scroller that I only finished due to its short length. The worst offender last month, however, was clearly Dexter. I’m only finishing the series for the sake of completionism, but I am regretting that decision every second. Amazingly, as bad as season 7 was, the finale is even worse. What a shame.

Month in Review [January 2014]

February 4, 2014January 6, 201532 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) Sightseers [2012] – 7/10

2) Disconnect [2012]– 8/10

3) Don Jon [2013] – 7/10

4) The Last Stand [2013] – 7/10

5) Oblivion [2013] – 6/10

6) Resolution [2013] – 6/10

7) Her [2013] – 8/10

8) Dallas Buyers Club [2013] – 8/10

9) We’re the Millers [2013] – 6/10

10) The Wolf of Wall Street [2013] – 9/10

11) Upstream Color [2013] – mindfuck/10

12) Ain’t Them Bodies Saints [2013] – 7/10

13) Short Term 12 [2013] – 7/10

14) The Act of Killing [2013] – 8/10

15) Fruitvale Station [2013] – 8/10

16) The Spectacular Now [2013] – 7/10

17) Prisoners [2013] – 8/10

Video Games Completed:
1) Assassin’s Creed II [Xbox 360] – 8/10

2) Gone Home [PC] – 9/10

3) Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons [Xbox 360] – 8/10

4) Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate [PS Vita] – 6/10

5) Outlast [PC] – 8/10

6) Resistance: Burning Skies [PS Vita] – 5/10

TV Shows Finished:
1) The Sopranos [Season 5] – 10/10

2) 30 Rock [Season 6] – 8/10

Books Finished:
1) “Life Itself” by Roger Ebert – 9/10

Best of the Month: For movies, The Wolf of Wall Street was every bit as crazy as I hoped. It came in at #4 in my top 10 films of 2013 list. I spent a fair amount of January catching up on last year’s films via Redbox and Netflix, of which Disconnect, The Act of Killing, Fruitvale Station and Prisoners impressed me the most. For video games, I absolutely loved Gone Home. It’s a short playthrough — about the length of a movie — but it provided an unforgettable experience.

Worst of the Month: I hesitate to call it the *worst*, but Upstream Color completely baffled me. I may have to give it another go someday, especially after reading Alex Withrow’s great interview with the actor, Andrew Sensenig. Nothing I watched last month was inherently bad, but Oblivion and We’re the Millers were run-of-the-mill sci-fi and comedy films, respectively. For video games, Resistance: Burning Skies was an uninspired FPS that I only completed due to its very short length. When compared to Killzone: Mercenary, its weaknesses are especially glaring.

How about you? What was your favorite film/game from last month?

Month in Review [July 2013]

August 2, 2013January 6, 201517 Comments

In order of viewing:
1) The Missing Person [2009] – 8/10

2) Gosford Park [2001] – 8/10

3) Ali: Fear Eats the Soul [1974] – 9/10

4) Swimming Pool [2003] – 8/10

5) Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom [1975] – 3/10

6) Session 9 [2001] – 6/10

7) The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry [1945] – 8/10

8) Hot Rod [2007] – 7/10

9) The Red Balloon [1956] – 7/10

10) Eight Men Out [1988] – 8/10

11) The Dictator [2012] – 6/10

12) Naked [1993] – 8/10

13) His Girl Friday [1940] – 9/10

14) The Way, Way Back [2013] – 8/10

15) Rust and Bone [2012] – 9/10

16) World War Z [2013] – 6/10

17) Birdemic: Shock and Terror [2008] – 1/10

18) Crystal Fairy [2013] – 7/10

19) Only God Forgives [2013] – 6/10

20) Short Cuts [1993] – 8/10

21) Midnight Cowboy [1969] – 8/10

22) As Good As It Gets [1997] – 6/10

Video Games Completed:
1) The Walking Dead: 400 Days [Xbox 360, 2013] – 8/10

2) Splatterhouse [Xbox 360, 2010] – 8/10

3) Infamous [PS3, 2009] – 9/10

4) Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery: Episode 1 [PS Vita, 2013] – 4/10

5) Machinarium [PS Vita, 2013] – 7/10

6) Stealth Inc. [PS Vita, 2013] – 8/10

7) Dragon’s Crown [PS Vita/PS3, 2013] – 9/10

TV Shows Finished:
1) House of Cards [Season 1, 2013] – 9/10

2) Orange Is the New Black [Season 1, 2013] – 9/10

Books Read:
1) “Short Cuts” by Robert Carver – 8/10

Best of the Month: For movies, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul was a huge surprise, and it has me eager to see more of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s work. Rust and Bone and His Girl Friday were both excellent as well. For video games, the soon-to-be-released Dragon’s Crown has quickly become one of my favorites this year — a perfectly updated beat ’em up brawler. I also really enjoyed Infamous and its epic superhero origin story. And, of course, both Netflix TV shows were quite good.

Worst of the Month: Birdemic is easily one of the worst movies I have ever seen, and it’s one of the select few I would not hesitate to give a 1/10 to. I’m not sure if the film was meant as a joke or to be taken seriously, but it is a total disaster. Worst of all, it’s not even “so bad it’s good” like The Room or Troll 2 — it’s just plain bad.

What’s your favorite from the list above? What was your movie/game of the month?

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Month in Review [August 2015]

Month In Review [February 2015]

Month In Review [January 2015]

Month In Review [October 2014]

Month In Review [May 2014]

Month In Review [April 2014]

Month in Review [March 2014]

Month in Review [February 2014]

Month in Review [January 2014]

Month in Review [July 2013]