The Films I Saw in 2010

I may have been largely absent for the last two months here, but the End of Year Spectacular waits for no man to get his groove back. What you'll see below is a listing of every film that I saw in the theater in 2010, including a handful of 2009 releases and one movie I haven't even seen yet (but will before the year is over). Reviews were written for, oh, about half of them (I've slacked all year long on that regard) and I've noted which weren't reviewed.

I've also added up or down arrow images to a handful of films. As I'm sure many of you do or did, when I looked back on the films I saw and the ratings I gave, some of them didn't sit well with me. In other words, just because a film earned an "It's in the hole!" rating some months back, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll place in my Top 5 or 10. Additionally, I've marked off those films I saw in 2010 that were officially from 2009 and therefore ineligible for top prizes either at the Academy or here. Damn the nether-world of list-making!

To view a review of any of these film, use the handy dropdown menus in the sidebar - you can search either by rating or by alphabet.

So enjoy this appetizer to the true End of Year Spectacular, which ought to be up either later this week or early next.


YOU'RE THE BEST...AROUND
Inception (not yet reviewed)
The Social Network


IT'S IN THE HOLE
127 Hours (not yet reviewed)
Animal Kingdom (not yet reviewed)
City Island
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Hot Tub Time Machine
Please Give
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Town (not yet reviewed)
Toy Story 3
Winter's Bone (not yet reviewed)


DARN TOOTIN
The 2010 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts Program
The 2010 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts Program
The American (not yet reviewed)
Casino Jack and the United States of Money
Catfish
Cyrus (not yet reviewed)
Get Him to the Greek
The Ghost Writer (not yet reviewed)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (not yet reviewed)
Hereafter (no grade given in original review)
Hey Hey, It's Esther Blueberger
How to Train Your Dragon
Kick-Ass
Let Me In (not yet reviewed)
Micmacs (not yet reviewed)
Restrepo (not yet reviewed)
Shutter Island


DECENT FELLOW
The Blind Side (2009)
Clash of the Titans
Conviction (no grade given in original review)
Devil
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (not yet reviewed)
The Girl Who Played with Fire (not yet reviewed)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (not yet reviewed)
Iron Man 2
The Joneses
MacGruber
Machete (not yet reviewed)
The Other Guys (not yet reviewed)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Repo Men
Saint John of Las Vegas
Salt
TRON: Legacy (not yet reviewed)
The Young Victoria (2009)


WHATEVER
The Book of Eli
Buried (not yet reviewed)
Daybreakers
A Film Unfinished (not yet reviewed)
Splice
The Switch
The White Ribbon (2009)


PUNCH ME
Dinner for Schmucks (not yet reviewed)
Due Date (no grade given in original review)
The Losers


MAD AS HELL
(none - success again!)

OTHER
Black Swan (seeing it Friday!)

Totals:
55 2010 releases, 3 2009 releases = 58
You're the best...around: 2
It's in the hole: 11
Darn tootin: 16
Decent fellow: 18
Whatever: 8
Punch me: 2
Mad as hell: 0

And then...

LAMBcast #50: LAMBcast Top 10 Highlights

50 episodes?!?! To quote Jason, "Yeeeee hawwww!!" Speaking of Mr. Soto, he was joined by Nick, James, and host Dylan as they counted down the Top 10 LAMBcast Highlights thus far into the show's existence. Did we miss your favorite(s)? Tell us!

Also on tap:

* Listener Feedback
* LAMB of the Week
* Trailer Talk: Cars 2
* Last LAMB Standing

Music by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com).

For the LAMB of the Week, we take a look at LAMB #599, Cinema Sights:


If you'd like your site to be a future LAMB of the Week, hit me up via email and I'll add you to the queue.

Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too. Either here in the comments section or to blogcabins@yahoo.com or to our Facebook page. Also, we're on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it's a bad one.

Thanks for listening!

And then...

Survivor: Nicaragua Episode 15 (Finale and Reunion) Random Thoughts

* First of all - yay, Fabio won! Though I never bought his "my strategy was to not piss people off" schpiel and don't endorse that type of game play, he was far and away the most likable of the remaining contestants coming into the finale. Holly wasn't necessarily unlikable, but she couldn't come close to his vibe. And I'm with the fellow players who thought Chase something of an idiot. On the other hand...

* Woot! Sash got zero votes. Though it's hypocritical of me since I think he actually did play one of the better strategic games, he was a totally hate-able (hatable? hateable?) buffoon and arrogant jackass. On the other hand...

* Speaking of jackasses, Shannon proved what a complete one that he is. A goat is a goat is a chicken is a duck. Or whatever. Loved Jeff's treatment to his answer.

* The "you're so boring you're not worth talking to" award sadly went to Yve, Tyrone, Jill, and "Purple" Kelly?

* Why why why why why did they continue to refer to her as Purple Kelly days after the only other Kelly got voted off? Ugh...pissed me off all season, in case you couldn't tell.

* How is it that the guy from St. Louis is the "surfer dude?" Never really thought of that until they reminded us of Fabio's hometown.

* I must say, I'm a bit shocked that Jane was the overwhelming winner of the Fan Vote for $100k. I could have sworn that was Fabio's in the bag. However, much as I liked the surfer dude, I'm actually glad he didn't win that, as I don't think the winner should be eligible for that award - spread the love around.

* How in the hell is Dan a millionaire? His ethnicity, looks, clothing and pinkie ring tell me that he must be in the mob. HAS TO BE. There were five people left including him, and he asks Fabio "How many votes do we need?" Easily the biggest WTF moment of the show.

* Redemption Island. It ain't a bad idea, but I really don't see how it's the "game-changer!" that Jeff would have us believe it is. It's a neat wrinkle, but really only one person will be coming back (and at what point?), and it's someone that got voted off earlier in the show. Why would they be any more loved upon their return? I guess it's a better idea than Exile Isle, though.

* Until next season...

Survivor news at Survivor.com
Survivor homepage at CBS.com

And then...

Survivor: Nicaragua Episode 14 Live Blog

It's a Festivus miracle! Just in time for the second-to-last episode of the season, I bring you the first live blogging of the season. I have no idea if this is really episode 14 - that's just what a 10-second Google search told me. Don't count on another one of these for the three-hour finale, though...

7:01: So, are the producers just telling us right away that Chase is going home tonight or are they just trying to throw us off the "Fabio's days are numbered" scent? I say the latter. There's no reason Fabio shouldn't be going tonight, much as it pains me to say so.

7:03: Alright - we got the obligatory "I'm in control of this game" statement out of the good and early. That's always nice.

7:04: "We got a cell phone!," says Chase immediately upon the return from commercial break. Um, shouldn't you be saying "We got a SPRINT cell phone?"

7:05: "Something as simple as a Sprint cell phone." There we go.

7:07: Have we ever had a contestant that had no family to speak of at all? Who would be in their video? I know we've had friends come to the island, but I imagine family was still represented in the [INSERT SPONSOR HERE] Family Message segment.

7:08: Not just a Sprint, but a Sprint EVO. Thanks for the clarification, Jeff.

7:09: Are those Subway sandwiches on that plate? If so, why the hell not?

7:10: I know I say this (just about) every season, but really? Do these people get drugged into being so goddamn emotional? Ton Hanks wasn't that emotional after seeing Helen Hunt for the first time again in Cast Away, for chrissakes!

7:12: "Fletch, here's your daughter, presented by Sprint!"

"Woooooo!!! This makes me so EVOtional!"

7:14: Oooh...Holly's husband Charlie gave quite the look of determination there.

7:15: Speaking of Chuck, I think he's this guy's brother --->>>

7:18: Charlie's gonna kill Chase when he returns to America...

7:18: But no! Chase gets one more pick, and it's Holly and her hubby!

7:19: Note to Fabio - if you love your Mom so much, why don't you live in the same state as her. Don't blame Chase for your issues at being a bad son.

7:23: God, I would never want to win a Reward Challenge after the tribal merge - these people turn into whining ninnies if you don't pick THEM to go with you. You only get so many selections...everyone can't go. Deal with it.

7:26: Blah blah blah family reward blah blah eating blah blah boats. Sorry, I was reading emails through all that. Whatever. Get to the good stuff.

7:30: And now...the return of the reviled Chase. Presented by EVO.

7:30: Fabio: "I'm a little bit jealous. You got four awesome rewards in a row." Whah-whah-whah. Maybe if you just won a challenge every now and then you wouldn't be such a whiny bitch right now.

7:32:"Some of the items in your bag will feel right but won't match." That's just messed up right there.

7:33: Dan is the last one. Who'da thunk it?

7:35: And just like that, Fabio pulls out a Challenge win...and he couldn't possibly need it more. Thankfully, this will make for an interesting end to this show. Dan might seem the logical pick since he and Fabio are in the minority, but is there a better person to take to the final Council than Dan? I think not. We all know Sash is in control, so he ain't going. Chase also has a hidden idol, so he shouldn't be going any where (when else is he gonna play it?). That leaves Jane and Holly. We all know they don't want to take Jane to the final Council, so my money's on her to go home.

7:38: An EVO commercial...how entirely un-coincidental.

7:40: What if Dan quits?

7:42: "Without us saying anything, what do you think?" In other words, "Holly, reveal your position before we reveal ours." Of course, Holly is dumb enough to fall for it.

7:44: LOL! I don't care about anything else Jane has done, that (pixelated) move by Jane right there (flipping Sash off) was fucking brilliant. On the other hand, I see what they did as being pretty damn honorable. They could have lied to her and just said "Yeah, we're voting off Dan," but instead they told her that they knew she would beat them and that they were afraid of her. I don't expect her to like those word, but they're probably better than the alternative of being backstabbed. People gotta go home eventually, right?

7:46: Seriously...stop calling that chick Purple Kelly.

7:49: Thank you, Jeff - the voice of reason. This is gonna be one hell of an interesting vote.

7:50: The look on Holly's face is priceless right now. She went from being secure to being pretty well fucked right now, being the only one of the three without an idol. So are we getting a tie or what?

7:52: The sad news in all this (that Mrs. Fletch just pointed out) is that Jeff essentially had to tell Jane, Dan, and Fabio what to do in this situation. Hello!?!?!

7:53: WTF just happened? I can't wait to see which of the Dan/Fabio combo is the bigger idiot - why didn't they all vote for Holly? And if neither did, well I'm just speechless.

7:57: (..........)

Survivor news at Survivor.com
Survivor homepage at CBS.com

And then...

LAMBcast #49: Whatcha Been Watchin' Lately?

Six pack! Host Dylan was joined by...deep breath...the Mad Hatter, Nick, Kai, and two noobs to the show, Steve and Stevee (don't worry, keeping track of them was easier than you'd think) as they discussed what they'd all been watchin' lately.

Also on tap:

* Listener Feedback
* LAMB of the Week
* Trailer Talk: Source Code
* Last LAMB Standing

For the LAMB of the Week, we take a look at LAMB #180, Phil on Film:


If you'd like your site to be a future LAMB of the Week, hit me up via email and I'll add you to the queue.

Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too. Either here in the comments section or to blogcabins@yahoo.com or to our Facebook page. Also, we're on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it's a bad one.

Thanks for listening!

And then...

Poll results; new poll

Just how long was that last poll up for - three months? I'm pretty sure I timed it for the release of that Katherine Heigl-Josh Duhamel vomit-fest about them raising somebody's baby, but who can be sure? Anyway, Heigl didn't win, but considering that she's the only one of the contenders that hasn't had massive amounts of plastic surgery (that we know of), her strong 2nd place showing still speaks volumes about what people think of her.

No, instead it was the Chairman of the Board himself that ran away with the contest, taking 57% of the votes and rubbing them all over his freaky-looking face. Just for maximum impact, I've decided to risk you violently clicking away from this page by including a picture of the handsome, funny devil. Ain't he purty?


New poll is reflecting on the 4th b-day of BC by asking you what you'd like to see more of 'round these parts aka what do you miss most from the repetoire you'd grown accustomed to here?

And then...

I'm this many years old

Today marks Blog Cabins' 4th birthday. I'm hoping that it turns out to be a significant marker in the history of the site, and that its timing is a harbinger of good things to come. My wife's birthday was yesterday and she and I will be parents for the first time any second now (if only all these days could fall on the same day! Perhaps the baby will come tomorrow and I'll have three days of celebration in a row in the future.). Also, I'd like to think that, after a couple months of lowered activity (putting it gently) here that I've turned the corner as of late and gotten back on the blogging train, and what better day to cement that status than the fourth anniversary of my first post.

As most do in posts like these, I'd like to once again thank all of you that come here, thank those that come here regularly even more, and thank those that comment even more. I hope you enjoy whatever it is that I come up with next (and I hope I enjoy it, too!).

Now, for some perspective that has little contextual meaning here, a partial list of Fourth Films in a Series...obviously, number four is where the quality really kicks in:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Batman & Robin
Land of the Dead
Live Free or Die Hard
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
Thunderball
Bride of Chucky
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Rocky IV
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Next Karate Kid
Return of the Pink Panther
Terminator: Salvation
Lethal Weapon 4
Alien Resurrection
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (I say this counts)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

And then...

The State of the Cabins (12/8/10)

Things to Click On
* It's a week old, but Jess's Burlesque review was tremendous. And to be honest, it was really just about the only way I was going to read a review of the film, so double kudos! (Insight Into Entertainment)

* Plus Trailers is no more. Check out LAMB buddy (and sometime LAMBcaster) Tom Clift out at his new digs, the creatively-titled Movie Reviews by Tom Clift.

* This is even older than Jess's post, but I really enjoyed Rachel's analysis of her three favorite films (and not just because they're the same as mine). (Rachel's Reel Reviews)

* James finally saw The Room. Of course he loved it. It's downright un-American (or Martian, or wherever Wiseau is from) not to. (Cinema Sights)

Movies watched for the first time (non-theatrically) since last week time:
* Footloose
First of all, probably the biggest shocker of this 80s "classic" had to be this. I wasn't even aware that Nice Guy Eddie was in the dance fest, but after coming to know the guy mostly from his roles in two Tarantino-scripted flicks, it was downright shocking to see him a) in tremendous shape, b) playing a gymnast that learns to dance and c) playing a hick version of Spicoli, and I mean a spot-on Utah-born-and-bred doppelganger of Mr. Hand's best friend. It was bizarre, to say the least.

Bacon's solo, "Don't dance angry" five-minute parade of homosexuality at the abandoned warehouse, complete with gymnastics thrown in for good measure? Priceless. A gold mine of unintentional comedy. The icing on the cake was the gymnast's bar (half of an uneven parallel bars? I don't know what the proper terms is...) that just happened to be there waiting for him.

Overall, (as I discuss on episode #49 of the LAMBcast, soon to be posted) I was in shock at just how blatant the gay rights message (propaganda) was in this film. That sounds like a negative, but it's not - I'm all for the message that was doled out by Bacon and his infectious dancing feet, I'm just flabbergasted that this movie played so well to America at the time - and that I was unaware after 25+ years that that's what the film was in fact about. I thought it was just about dancing fools, like the predecessor of those Step Up movies or something. So, pat yourself on the back for your unknowing tolerance, America - you sure stuck it to them rural, intolerant folk. Though the book-burning scene got a bit over-handed. Subtlety isn't exactly a bad thing, right?

And yet, with all that said, and as horribly cheesy as the flick can be at times, I kinda liked it. It's well-acted and, despite the preachiness, delivers a good message and doesn't deliver the Super Happy Ending you might expect from it. Or maybe I was just suckered in by all of the 80s nostalgia. After all, as bad as "Let's Hear It for the Boys" may be, "Footloose" is even better. Kenny Loggins deserves a Career Achievement Award for the stamp he put on an entire decade, just via three films.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."
	Reality: "Darn tootin."

LAMBScore:

Music I'm currently obsessed with:
* Right now, the only music I'm terribly obsessed with is that which either isn't out yet or I just haven't gotten around to purchase yet. Chief among them: the latest from Kings of Leon (hoping it's a return to their harder side), Royksopp, Kanye West, The Go Team! and DeVotchKa. Bring on Christmas!

Book I'm currently reading:
* The second in the Camel Club series by David Baldacci, The Collectors. As with the first in the series, it's an entertaining page-turner a la Dan Brown's Robert Langdon novels - Washington, D.C.-set (for the most part) with a heavy emphasis on spies and cons and such. There's a decent Ocean's-y heist in this one that makes it much lighter than the terrorist plot of the first, which is welcome. The character development could stand to be better, though, as this series seems to be the Oliver Stone (that's a character, not the director) Show even though there are several other members of the Camel Club. Granted, he's always been the most interesting one, but perhaps that's because the spotlight has always been on him. Anyway, I've borrowed books three and four as well and will likely get to them eventually, though I'll definitely be taking a break and delving into something else after this one.

And then...

Fletch's Favored Five: Wordless Lebowski Gags

You could say that it's easy to come up with a list of quotes from The Big Lebowski, given that there are so many to choose from. You could also say that it's damn near impossible to narrow such a list of quotes to your favorite five or ten, given that there are so many to choose from. I have wisely skipped over that task altogether, instead coming up with my favorite sight gags and other non-verbal jokes from the Coen brothers' epic stoner comedy.


5. Ranked the lowest because it really has little to do with the film outside of being a great example of awesome set design; the Coens had nothing to do with this image and, aside from the bowling aspect, it has nothing to do with the events of the film. But, c'mon, that's just a funny shot.


4. Works so great because, the first time you saw the flick, this was a sick-yet-funny image. But then, some 30 minutes into the film, you were given the background of one Jesus Quintana...and it immediately got a whole lot sicker. Ewww.


3. "Are you employed, sir?!?"



2. I love Jackie Treehorn's pervy drawing not so much for the content of it (which is admittedly funny), but for the fact that the audience gets to situate themselves in the exact frame of mind as The Dude upon first seeing it. Total bewilderment. Treehorn's look of intensity as he's creating it ain't half-bad, either.


1. You can't altogether see it from this image, but this is from one of the opening shots of the film, as we settle in on The Dude at his favorite grocery store - Ralph's - purchasing a half-gallon of milk (for the Caucasians, of course!). And that's all he buys. Naturally, he writes a check...for 69 cents. (Also notable is the fact that the date on the check is 9/11, but that's not particularly funny, just kind of a "huh" moment after the fact.)

And then...

Stained Glass Cinema Sunday (#116)

BEGINNER



















EXPERT

















Standings:
J.D. - 36
TheGreatWhiteDope - 27.5
Dreamrot (smacdonn), simoncolumb - 7
Nick, Wendymoon - 6
Clive Dangerously, Justin, JLG - 5
Steel11Kane (Kano), BD79, Rachel - 4
Jason/Daniel, David Bishop, Jason Soto, Andy, TheAnswerMVP2001 - 3
TJMAC510 - 2.5
Evan Derrick, Alex, Stevee Taylor - 2
TonyD, Luke Harrington, Adam Ross, Anders, Dave, Big Mike Mendez, Nic Cage, CaptainRon19, Anh Khoi Do, Tom - 1

Here are the altered/actual posters from last time:

And then...

LAMBcast #48: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part I

Editor's note: Yeah, I know - these LAMBcasts are pretty much all that I've been posting here lately. Seriously, I've not forgotten about the place and do plan on returning to form sometime here in the near future. Please be patient and wait for me! Thanks, Fletch

Nick, James, Rachel and host Dylan play the roles of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Dobby as they delve into the world of Harry Potter for the penultimate time. Expect large quantities of over-analysis and comparisons between the book(s) and the movie(s).

Also on tap:

* Listener Feedback
* LAMB of the Week
* Trailer Talk: Red Riding Hood
* Last LAMB Standing

For the LAMB of the Week, we take a look at LAMB #374, Bill's Movie Emporium:


If you'd like your site to be a future LAMB of the Week, hit me up via email and I'll add you to the queue.

Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too. Either here in the comments section or to blogcabins@yahoo.com or to our Facebook page. Also, we're on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it's a bad one.

Thanks for listening!

And then...