grogan social scene

Last night I went to my first ever Oscar party. I think it was also the first time I ever watched the Oscars. I’m pretty pleased with my ballot.

Thanks for the ice cream cone, Ms. Wolf.
I wanted to write a 2009 movie recap at the end of the year, but didn’t get around to it. Here’s a quick one.

Girlfriend Experience- Definitely interesting stylistically, done by Soderbergh. Actually had some poignant scenes, especially one with a personal trainer and his clients on a private jet talking about the financial crash. In actuality, I think it is a better artifact of American society circa 2009 then ‘Up In The Air.’

Wendy and Lucy- Yeah, the cinematography was beautiful; shot in Oregon I believe, but that’s about it. I feel bad and should probably give money back to the person I made see it with me.

Up – First cartoon I saw in the theater since Aladdin. Cute, but also has some fairly dark undertones for a kids flick.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil – Really touching, somewhat sad documentary about two life long best friends not giving up the dream.

The Hangover – Hilarious. Two thumbs up. I had to see it by myself because there were no takers, but the people sitting next to me in the theater eating burritos seemed nice enough.

Public Enemies –Depp, Bale, and Mann. Had a lot of potential, but after the disappointing ‘Miami Vice’ remake, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Good enough for a Hollywood summer blockbuster.

The Hurt Locker- I thought it was great, and probably the best movie I saw of the year. Strips away all the politics of war and really examines the emotional and psychological realities faced by the men and women who protect our country.

Moon – Awesome sci-fi/psychological thriller. Got to the theater late and missed the first 10 or so minutes though, but worth it.

Bruno – Meh.

Orphan- Double Meh. No, more like double crap.

A Serious Man – Great flick, Cohen brothers once again nail it. I liked it more than ‘Burn After Reading.’ Did not know until recently it was loosely based around the story of Job.

District 9 – Really cool movie about aliens in South Africa. Stylistically shot in the way they do ‘The Office’ where its like a documentary, but not. Dragged on a little at the end, but I thought it was very clever.

The Informant! – Thumbs up. Matt Damon is great. The movie was crafted very well, and not having any knowledge about it before seeing it made the twists and turns more enjoyable.

Inglorious Basterds – Was highly excited and did not disappoint. It was also the first movie I saw on its opening day. I think the last time I did that I was seeing ‘Face/Off.’

Funny People – Was kinda late to the game on this one. Had heard mixed reviews but I enjoyed it, and thought the cameos were really funny. Also had some pretty dark overtones, and the humor was definitely slanted toward the male psyche. Side note- this movie spawned the emergence of Raaaaaaaandy..

It Might Get Loud – Documentary on the meaning of the electric guitar and told through three generations of musicians: Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. I never really liked Jack White for some reason, and this movie made me appreciate him in a whole new light.

The Invention of Lying – Well done by Ricky Gervais. Much darker undertones then I thought, kinda sad at points. I actually didn’t leave that movie feeling better.

Where the Wild Things Are – Really good, surprised it was not nominated for cinematography or something. All the ‘cameos’ (voices of the characters0 gave it a nice flavor. Had dark undertones as well.

The Men Who Stare At Goats- Had high hopes, maybe too high. Definitely a little disappointing and falls apart at the end. But Clooney, Daniels, McGregor and Spacey hold it together for long enough.

Sherlock Holmes- Same feelings as ‘Public Enemies’ movie, only more entertaining from start to finish. I had low hopes and seeing as it was 2hrs15, it wasn’t painful and was interesting enough to keep me engaged the whole time.

Up In The Air- I liked it, don’t want to use the ‘O’ word, but I have some criticism. I think it is criticism that is highly subjective based on my beliefs, though.

Wow. I saw too many movies. I guess I had to make up for seeing 3 in 2008 and none so far in 2010.