#136. Hunted

The HuntedWhile it does not reach the highs of his earlier films like The Exorcist, The French Connection, and To Live and Die in LA, William Friedkin does produce an interesting take on the cat-and-mouse genre that I have always found highly watch able. Benicio Del Toro is having a lot of fun, and Tommy Lee Jones continues to add to his man-hunting-man resume of films (The Fugitive, US Marshals, In The Valley of Elah, The Missing, No Country for Old Men...). The knife choreography is pretty spectacular, and the 21st Century Rambo premise is solid. Let me know what you all think if this film, I feel like it has been basically forgotten.

#135. Star Trek

Star TrekIts Star Trek, either you like it or you don't. I like it! I think it is original and exciting, compeltely surpassing expectations without treading on old storylines. I dig the new Tiberious, in fact I really like everyone in the cast. Cannot wait to hear any and all info on the sequel, have no doubt it will be just as awesome as this was!

#134. You're Gonna Miss Me

I can remember almost nothing about this film. I guess that means I didn't really like it, huh?

#133. Revolutionary Road

A cinematic kick in the balls, this film completely left me broken and bruised for weeks. Sam Mendes once again succeeds at defining the dysfunction in American suburbia, creating an even more heart wrenching drama than his American Beauty. Leonardo Di Caprio is pretty good, and Kate Winslet does a lot of the heavy lifting, but Michael Shannon totally steals every scene he is in. Emotionally devastating with an intensity rarely seen in mainstream cinema, Revolutionary Road is good film that I will never watch again.

#132. Signs

Signs posterShowed this to my younger brother and sisters. I don't think they liked it as much as I do. Still my favorite M. Night flick and will completely defend it as an underrated horror gem. You like?

#131. The Human Centipede

The Human CentipedeBetter than what you heard, way better than what you expect. The Human Centipede is so much fun I am fighting my urge to dive head first into an ocean of hyperbole. A simple premise escalated by an ingenious twist and the balls to not wink at the audience, director Tom Six does the unthinkable by surgically constructing a handful of bloody tendons and clever ideas into one of my favorite films of 2010. While the two female leads leave something to be desired (like talent), the head of the centipede played by Akihiro Kitamura takes the lead (uh thank you) and thankfully saves what could have been a debilitating acting handicap. Of course all praise must be given to the mad scientist himself Dieter Laser, who effortlessly steals the entire film, gracefully weaving horror nonsense into reasonable make-believe. I fear hipster backlash has already turned this cult loner into a mainstream poser, but I urge any and all to give it a try with an open mind. If you have seen The Human Centipede let me know what you thought. Is my hyperbole warranted or am I just a sucker for anything horror?

The Human CentipedeThe Human Centipede

#130. A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

Another flick that get lambasted by everyone I talk to for being an uninspired cash-in on the Dickens' classic. This was one of my favorite films of 2009, in my opinion completely surpassing Avatar in terms of pure entertainment value. Jim Carrey is having fun playing the greedy baddy Scrooge, and the film stays close to the source material, embracing the surreal and frightening situations first described in the book. I love this movie, let me know if you think I am way off base or not.