Pajiba

That's really not much of a list.

*giggle*

Have movies really been that bad lately, or are you just getting really lazy with your lists? "There's one, two...ah, screw it, I'm going out for a beer."

Did you hit "send" too early, or has 2009 really been that bad on the movies front? State of Play? Sunshine Cleaning?

Four months, two movies ... at that rate we're not even going to be able to have a top 10 list at the end of the year.-Stipe42

Don't fret Stipe, this isn't unusual. Remember 2008? From Pajiba's ten best list:

What was sort of nice and unusual in 2008 is that not all of the best films came out during the last two months of the year — our top ten list includes three movies that came out in the Summer and even two that were Spring releases. We’ll say this much — ranking numbers 3 - 10 was a difficult task, as they each fit similarly into the “really good” category, but I honestly don’t think there was any question as to what the number one film would be.-DR

I'm seeing Crank II and Final Destination 4 making the years top 10 list, but this is just depressing. I know that as a critic, it hurts to admit that a self consciously stupid movie like Crank was one of the only good things from this years first 4 months. So that's why it didn't make the list, but this is still fucking depressing.

Where the hell is Bride Wars?!

Come on, Dustin - how can you ignore that masterpiece?! Here's my own "Seriously Random List" of why that movie kicks 31 Flavors of awesome ass:

1. Gary Winick directed it. If you didn't like 13 Going on 30, you're a communist...

2. Candice Motherfucking Bergen. She was Murphy Brown, for chrissake!

3. A study of uncompromising passive/aggressive hostility between best friends.

4. One of the truest films I've seen regarding the whirlwind of getting married.

5. The tanning scene with Hathaway was a goddam riot.

6. Yes, it's a comedy, but there were some truly heartwarming scenes involved.

7. The end scene - count me in for the sequel!

8. The soft-focus pivotal scene in the dildo emporium when Emma (Hathaway) greases her arm up to the shoulder and has her way with Liv (Hudson), who's dressed in full Nazi regalia while Deb (Kristen Johnston) and Stacy (Casey Wilson) frantically scissor each other in a profanity-laden tirade? Brilliant...

9. The relationships are some of the most believable I've seen in a while.

10. Three words: Sountrack. By. Krokus. KROKUS!

Skitz - you forgot about the fabulous gowns. Reason enough to watch the movie.

Just two. And I missed 'em both. Now that's just extra pitiful.

"sugar" is pretty great.

it opened at festivals last year, but is currently enjoying its first release in theatres.

I've been listening to QUEEN full blast for the past 2 hours. Just thought I'd let you all know how awesome my day is going.

And the best movie I've watched thus far this year was on DVD, and it wasn't The (fucking) Wrestler (um, am I missing something?).

It was fucking Amelie. That movie easily beats the 1st quarter of 2009 and most of 2008. And now I'm just rambling.

Oh, Coraline was beautiful. I saw it with my guy, and loved it as much as when I saw Nightmare Before Christmas for the first time. So many lovely lovely details!!

In the weeks following, my beau sculpted the button key from Coraline for me...from a solid chunk of steel. He then baked black paint on so that it looks powder coated and perfect. *swoon*
The movie is pretty much covered in win for me :)

Okay, I think the key phrase in the title of the article is "without reservation." Which, for me, would even remove Adventureland from the list. It was pretty good, but if I recommended it to someone, I would certainly qualify it to dampen expectations. So Sunshine Cleaning was pretty okay, but it was hardly stellar. Some asshole around here gave a good review to Sugar, but it drags a bit in the middle.

Dustin didn't really like I Love You Man; neither did I.

I would add Medicine for Melancholy and The Class. Also, I know I'm the only person in America, but I would add The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.

State of Play has some faults, but is imply good, so I can see why it's not on the w/o reservation list. But is Sunshine Cleaning that ho-hum?

Just picked up Frost/Nixon this evening - I'm looking forward to it.

Watchmen? Are you serious? This is w/o reservation, and I certainly have a few.

whoa, that sounded too snarkful. didn't mean to be a gigantic asshole, just a little iffity (iffily uppity).

sorry bout that, idiosynchronic.

Sorry, but I can think of no reason not to love I Love You, Man. It's one of the most honest, adorable, heart-warming dude films in years. And unlike the other Apatow-related films (which I love, but have gotten a bit formulaic), the script (and it wasn't entirely improvised, for once) was amazing. Paul Rudd and Jason Segel made the perfect buddy pairing, they used Andy Samberg in just the right dose considering his character. It was hilarious from beginning to end and worked because the characters were all well realized; I believed everything they did.

Honestly, if you don't like I Love You, Man, I don't understand how you find Adventureland that great. I liked it, but it was slow, and the main characters were basically Nick and Norah in the '80s. Plus, as funny as they were (and normally they are much funnier), they completely wasted the use of Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. In no way was that film as funny or as entertaining as I Love You, Man.

And you know what? Dakota Fanning's voice acting practically ruined Coraline. She was phoning it in from word one and never sounded believable in any way.

10. Three words: Sountrack. By. Krokus. KROKUS!
Posted by: Skitz at April 29, 2009 3:33 PM
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"Long Stick Goes Boom"?

Where do I sign?

the main characters were basically Nick and Norah in the '80s

All right, ChristianH -- IF that's your name -- you'd better be referring to the Michael Cera/Kat BigBoobies vehicle, and not The Thin Man.

No Watchmen which is expected from a Rowles list, but no Seth Rogen which is unexpected from a Rowles list.

I loved Adventureland, saw it twice and am having a hard time not spending another 8 bucks to see it again. Coraline was odd, cool animation, but the basic story was kind of obvious and boring to me, an adult, and way too scary for intended target of 7 or 8 year oldes. Seeing it in 3D was the only really interesting part so I'm not going to want a DVD. I agree that Fanning's voice acting was kind of stiff. It didn't ruin the movie for me but I think she's overrated.

It would have been funnier as a list of one.

Okay, I have to get this off my chest... I LOATHED Adventureland. Apparently I am the only one, but I found it an almost unwatchable exercise in intellectual masturbation. Yet another movie in which the characters spend the entire time bitching about their lives in a self-consciously quirky matter to disguise how plodding and pedestrian the plot is. Every obstacle in that movie was self-created to provide an excuse for the inevitable romantic reconciliation... it reminded me of one of those horrible sitcoms where the main character interprets a message on the answering machine fto believe their partner is having an affair, never actually talks to the other person about it, then discovers OH MY GOD it was just the doctor at the end of the episode.

And the main character had all the charisma of a limpet.

Adventureland ... hmmm ... from r's description, sounds like I'll be using the fast-forward and skip buttons a lot during that one. Then there's "Coraline," which I've wanted to see anyway. So (twiddles thumbs) ... what do I do with rest of the afternoon? (Whistles theme from "Flintstones") Any more titles? That's it, huh. Okay. See you after summer. Maybe we'll have three titles by then. (Just giving you a hard time ... well, seriously, dude, that's it? Seriously? Nothing else?

Although it has been a slow start to 2009, there are some movies that should be on this list over these two. Frost/Nixon was great! State of Play was very interesting, although didn't quite live up to my own expectations. As for those who take issue with the year as a whole, which has only just begun in cinema terms, there are some great prospects for the years still. The Informant, Shutter Island, and The Lovely Bones all appear, currently, to be stellar. Time will tell....