End it all off with "Despicable Me" (2010)

A time not so long ago (January of 2011), I told myself that if I was to see any movie in 3D, it would be "Despicable Me". Sadly that isn't the case, I didn't get the chance to see it with the extra dimension. 3D televisions are too expensive and they aren't showing it at any theatres around me. Nonetheless, I still couldn't go the year without seeing this one. Hopefully I can still enjoy it without the extra visual enhancements.

Never Enough Paul Newman: The Sting (1973)

Today I almost went to the theater, but it all kinda fell apart and I took the opportunity to watch a movie with my friend that I've been wanting to see before the year was out. That would be 7 time Oscar winner The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. This pair was also teamed up in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and once I found out they were in another movie together, I knew I'd have to see it. The fact that it's set in the 1930s, with a gangsters and gamblers sort of theme, that just made it sound all the more intriguing. Hit the jump and see what I thought of what will likely be my final Paul Newman film of the year.

"Chasing Amy" (1997)

Merry Christmas everyone! A while back Jim forced me to watch "An Evening With Kevin Smith", after watching this I was motivated to catch up on some of his other movies. So when Netflix Canada recently got "Chasing Amy" I needed to check this out. I did like the Clerks series which I saw earlier this year, and I was hoping it to be more like that. But this is a Kevin Smith movie and I haven't found one I hated so far.

Have a Merry Christmas with Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Today, being Christmas Eve, seemed like the perfect day to remedy my error a few days ago. I had mistakenly watched the remake of the 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street, when I had meant to watch the original. I don't think I'm the only one who might make that mistake though. Even talking to a friend the other day that I was going to watch this film, he assumed I meant the 1994 remake, and advised me against it. When I clarified that I'd be watching the original, he gave me permission to go ahead, haha. So did this Christmas classic set the perfect tone for the big day tomorrow? Hit the jump to find out!

One Last Nick Cage Movie: Matchstick Men (2003)

For the longest time I had a particular Nicolas Cage movie in the back of my head, and it was this mystery movie that I originally thought would be Adaptation, but that turned out to be a different film. Finally I found out that the movie I had been thinking of all this time was Matchstick Men. I always remembered seeing a trailer of Cage having all these nervous ticks and twitches, and trying to be a con artist at the same time. I finally found it, and so I decided to watch that instead of a dusty old drama, because dammit, I can do whatever I want, and I've wanted to see this movie for a loooong time. Hit the jump to find my thoughts on this long anticipated movie of mine.

Force Fed Films: "Gremlins" (1984)

To say "Gremlins" is a Christmas movie is like saying "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie. Although the two have nothing to do with the holiday itself, both movies take place during the holiday. I would like to say that Jim was shocked that I hadn't seen "Gremlins", but over the year he has probably grown accustomed to me not seeing some of these big name movies. So as the big 25th draws nearer and nearer, it would be only be fitting that I start watching Christmas movies. So lets start this right with my thoughts on "Gremlins".

How to Steal a Million (1966)

I found How to Steal a Million one day while looking up great comedy pairings. I was actually looking up Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, but among the comedy pairs was Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. That was months ago, but today was finally the day that this film called out to me louder than the others (also because a lot of the other movies I have to watch are 4+ hours long!). I'd only ever seen Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, so I was eager to see her in another film. Likewise, I haven't seen O'Toole in many rolls besides Lawrence of Arabia, so that was also a draw. Hit the jump to find out if this is possibly something you might also want to seek out.

Force Fed Films: Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Puneet decided that to get me in the festive spirit, he would make me watch Christmas with the Kranks. I'm not entirely sure why I've never ended up seeing this at some point. I'm sure it's aired on TV somewhere every year, and Tim Allen certainly has a lot of Christmas movies under his belt. It has a cast of some great actors, so even though it looks like a pretty mediocre movie, I'm still kinda surprised I just haven't stumbled across it at some point. Will this movie get you in the Christmas spirit? I'll give my thoughts after the jump.

Spending Time In Bruges (2008)

I still have a number of old classic movies I should get to, but when you have friends coming over, you have to go for something a little more modern. I had several choices prepared when they showed up, and the choice was made to watch In Bruges. They've told me plenty of times that I should see it, so it makes sense that would be the one they didn't mind seeing. I knew nothing about this movie though, so if you're the same as me, hit the jump to find out what the big deal is. If you already know about In Bruges, then you'll get to see me give all the reasons why I thought it was so great right after the jump!

Land of the Lost (2009)

I was going to watch another important, classical, old movie today, but I was so out of it and about to fall asleep that I knew I'd never make it through one. I needed something fun, goofy, and not at all serious. It just so happens that for almost the full year of this blog I've had Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost sitting here for just such an occasion. I fully expected to hate this movie, but I didn't have anything else that would fit the bill, and I still needed to watch a movie. My hands were tied. I was honestly expecting 10,000 BC level of terrible, but then again, I'm not one of the many haters of Will Ferrell. He's made plenty of movies that I've liked. Could it be possible this movie wouldn't be as bad as I thought? Hit the jump to find out!

Childhood Revisited: The Muppets (2011)

Let me just start this by saying that I loved the Muppets! When I was a kid, I used to watch The Muppet Show every night it was on, which I think was every night! Even though I used to watch them so much, I never ended up seeing any of the Muppet's movies. In fact, I haven't seen a production by the Muppets (aside from little internet viral videos) in ages! All of these things meant I was all at once excited to see The Muppets and also terrified. What if the movie didn't live up to my childhood memories? What if it was just plain bad? I'm sure a lot of people are thinking and feeling the same way. Well, I risked my fond memories and went to the theater, alone no less, because none of my friends could be bothered to go. My thoughts on the Muppets' return after the jump!

Now Playing: "The Muppets" (2011)

I initially thought it was safe to assume that most people knew about "The Muppets" and their television shows and movies. And I made an ass of myself because a friend I took to the movies had no idea about the Muppets at all! Weird kid he is. But then again, I haven’t seen a lot of the Muppets either; I was more of a Sesame Street and Arthur kind of kid growing up. The last Muppets movie I saw was “Muppets from Space” when I was early teens and that never really lived up. Thankfully a new movie was coming out and seeing the enormous cameo guest list, it was an automatic must see from me. Now how much did I love this movie, find out after the jump!

Force Fed (turkey) Films: "Beetlejuice" (1988)

Happy Turkeyday to our readers to the south, a month too late if you ask me but I don’t make the holidays, I just drink through them. “Beetlejuice” is one of those movies that I haven’t seen that I probably should have. It does have a cult following and has a special place in the hearts of the people who adore this movie. I was actually slightly surprised to see a star studded cast, and even more delighted to see my celebrity crush Catherin O’Hara. Beautiful, funny, red headed and Canadian, four things I love in a women, and I guess my turkey. Nevertheless, let’s not drool too soon over the food and get on with the show.

Force Fed Films: (500) Days of Summer (2009)

How do you talk about a movie that ends up affecting you in a very personal way without getting personal about it? That's the problem I'm having with (500) Days of Summer. I'm not sure what suddenly made Puneet think of this movie when coming up with something for me to watch this week, but I certainly remember all the buzz surrounding it. That was back before Inception made me not hate Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I'd also have to say I had a very wrong impression about this movie. I thought it was going to be all highschool sappy falling in love. Actually it's a very grown up look at relationships. A few of my thoughts after the jump.

Final Showdown: "Army of Darkness" (1992)

So I finally got a chance to see "Army of Darkness" to finish off off the "Evil Dead" series. If you couldn't tell by now, I'm a huge lover of the series. It's like the movies were made just for me, I really never had any serious complaints. Many of our readers have told me that AoD was their favourite of the series. I couldn't possibly think of any way the movie can get better. But I do know how much I liked to be proved wrong, hint it's not a lot. After the jump we travel back in time with Ash as he saves the world, yet again.

Tom & Meg, Yet Again: Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

There was one more rom-com I had heard of many times and had never seen. Sleepless in Seattle is yet another Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie where the who fall hopelessly in love. Well, kind of. I'll get to that in the body. As a recap for those who haven't read my previous Tom & Meg reviews, I thought Joe versus the Volcano was nice, but I really liked You've Got Mail. Meg Ryan was also in When Harry Met Sally, but that wasn't with Tom, but it was another rom-com I liked her in, and it's very similar in tone to this kind of thing. So have I become tired of Meg falling for Tom and Tom falling for Meg? Or does this rightfully hold its title as a great rom-com?

The Return of Nic Cage! The Wicker Man (2006)

At the beginning of the year, I had been making it a point to watch a lot of the Nicolas Cage movies, both good and bad. I'm not sure why, but I just like him, even when he's at his worst. Especially when he's at his worst! The crazier the better I say! Today I took a step back into that realm by watching The Wicker Man. This is a remake to a 1973 film of the same name, but I've never seen that one. Similar to Vampire's Kiss, I had seen a fair number of clips of Cage going crazy in this film. I was most curious what the context was of punching a woman while in a bear suit? I'd heard people say this movie was bad, but I was looking for a "so bad it's good" film. So did I find it? You'll find out on the other side of the jump!

Now Playing: Puss in Boots 3D (2011)

I was really tired today, and really wasn't in the mood to watch a movie at all. Then an awesome girl gave me a great idea. If the movie is really fun, it would combat my lack of interest, and hopefully wash the sour taste left in my mouth after seeing Immortals. I didn't have any "fun" movies at home, but I knew of one that was in the theaters still, and that was of course Puss in Boots 3D. I only saw the first 2 Shrek movies, and that was really enough, but I always thought Puss in Boots was an awesome character. Now it was time to see if he could support a movie entirely on his own! Find out after the jump!

He Became a Better Man, by Being a Woman: Tootsie (1982)

I've always seen shots of Tootsie and always thought to myself, "I bet that's a weird movie." But it seemed like something fun and lighthearted for me to watch, which is exactly what I needed today. As weird as it seems, Dustin Hoffman stars in this movie as an actor who can't get any work, so he dresses up as a woman. Think Mrs. Doubtfire, but set in the 80s, and without the kids. I was curious, and a little worried, how an 80s film would portray a cross-dresser, and how negative it might be towards gay and lesbian people. Hoping for the best, I pressed play. If you're curious on what I found, just click that little link below!

Joe versus the Volcano (1990)

I've had my eye on Joe versus the Volcano for quite some time. I've put it in various polls out of curiosity of it's public perception, but despite my own interest, it never ended up winning. So today I said "Enough!" and put it on for myself as my first movie stepping out from under my dark cloud of horror films, and into the sunshine again. I wanted a fun and funny movie, and I figured this would be just what I needed. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were also both in You've Got Mail together, which I really liked. After realizing they were paired up again in this, a quick search revealed they're also in Sleepless in Seattle, so expect that somewhere down the line too. But this is actually their first pairing, so it must have been special. Hit the jump to see if that's what I found.