Karen's Movie Blog - A personal space where I keep track of the movies I watched with my personal rates and comments.

 
 I have seen 568 movies so far (since January 1, 2010)

1 - DO NOT WANT!
God awful, makes you want to gouge your eyeballs out with a spork, and either headbutt the TV or try to hit the cinema screen with projectile vomit. Everything about this movie is bad to such a degree that it doesn't even become good in its badness. You really wish you had done something more worthwhile during the movie's running time, like trimming your nose hairs. If someone would give you this movie, you would microwave, burn, blend or eat it, to avoid the risk that other human beings could be exposed to it.
2 - AWFUL
Still awful, but has at least one thing that is done well, like one decent scare in an otherwise pathetic horror movie, one good laugh in an otherwise decidedly unfunny comedy, one clever plot element, etc. You would never ever want to watch this again except maybe for that single good part.
3 - BAD
Bad, but you agree that watching this film was an OK pastime on a lazy weekend evening because there was nothing else on TV and you were too lazy to dig up anything better. Or, you felt the need to expose yourself to something crappy to recalibrate your appreciation for movies, and without being a totally shameful waste of time it reminded you how bad a film can be. You could have better spent your time, though. You will definitely avoid watching it again, even on the next lazy weekend evening.
4 - NICE TRY
Still bad, but is ‘almost there’. Either it has some good parts that are ruined by bad parts, or it stays at a constant level of “it had promise but the good part never came”. You still would never want to watch it again.
5 - ACCEPTABLE
The threshold for ‘OK’. It's not good, not bad, just acceptable. This is the kind of movie that only just makes you feel you didn't waste 90+ minutes and/or the price of a cinema ticket. You would only want to watch it again under the conditions of 3, but you would never ever consider doing more effort than pushing a button on your TV remote to watch it again. This movie is either an equal mix of good and bad parts, or is just so forgettable that each time someone mentions the title, you need to read the plot and look at screenshots to remember what it was about.
6 - NOT BAD
It has some aspects that lift it above mediocrity and make it quite enjoyable to watch, but it either never becomes really good, or if it does, it still has some bad parts that drag it down. You would only watch it again spontaneously if it were a long time ago since you saw it and you re-watched all your movies scoring 7+ too recently. You would only recommend this to someone if they're really into the genre, but you would still warn them that it's not that good.
7 - GOOD
This movie is really worth watching and you would watch it again spontaneously, but not too often. It's just not that good that you would say to your friends that they would really miss out on something if they didn't watch it. It's very enjoyable despite some noticeably uninteresting parts, sub-part acting, plot holes or other negative points that you'll always remember when thinking about this film.
8 - VERY GOOD
This is the kind of movie that you could watch again several times, even though it is clearly not perfect. There are still some minuses about this film, but the rest is good enough to almost forget those. You would recommend it to friends unless you know it's not their cup of tea.
9 - EXCELLENT
It's almost perfect. You could watch this movie again almost an unlimited number of times. It still has something significant you don't like, therefore you don't give it an outright 10. You would recommend this movie to your friends even if you know they don't like the genre, maybe it could change their mind.
10 - PERFECT

You could watch this movie until eternity without ever getting bored by it. With each viewing you discover something new or see something in a different light, and/or the key scenes still thrill you even though you know them by heart. This movie has nothing in it that is less than good. If there's anything that is not perfect, it is greatly compensated for by something else that is stunningly brilliant or gripping. You would recommend this movie to everyone, even total strangers.
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Favorite actors
Tom Hanks, Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Morgan Freeman, Will Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Jack Lemmon, Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Al Pacino
Favorite actresses
Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Anne Hathaway, Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Renee Zellweger, Maggie Smith, Kate Winslet, Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Aniston, Jodie Foster, Jennifer Connelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Marilyn Monroe
Favorite directors
Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, Martin Scorsese, Nancy Meyers, Chris Columbus, James Cameron, Darren Aronofsky, Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, David Fincher

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Posted by Karen on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 In : Movies 
December 14, 2011

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World / Хозяин Морей: На Краю Земли (2003)

Action / Adventure / Drama

During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
 
 Director: Peter Weir
Stars: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany and Billy Boyd

 Won 2 Oscars.

 My Rating: 8/10
 IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

Continue reading...
 

Fright Night (2011)

Posted by Karen on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 In : Movies 
December 7, 2011

Fright Night / Ночь Страха (2011)

Comedy / Horror

A teenager suspects that his new neighbor is a vampire.
 
 Director: Craig Gillespie
Stars: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant


 My Rating: 7/10
 IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

Continue reading...
 

Into the Wild (2007)

Posted by Karen on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 In : Movies 
December 6, 2011

Into the Wild / В Диких Условиях (2007)

Adventure / Biography / Drama

After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
 
 Director: Sean Penn
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, ...

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Beginners (2010)

Posted by Karen on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 In : Movies 
December 4, 2011

Beginners / Начинающие (2010)

Comedy / Drama / Romance

A young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover.
 
 Director: Mike Mills
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Mélanie Laurent

 Won Oscar (Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Christopher Plummer)

 My Rating: 5/10
 IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

Continue reading...
 

In Time (2011)

Posted by Karen on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 In : Movies 
December 3, 2011

In Time / Время (2011)

Action / Sci-Fi / Thriller

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.
 
 Director: Andrew Niccol
Stars: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian...

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My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Posted by Karen on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 In : Movies 
November 25, 2011

My Big Fat Greek Wedding / Моя Большая Греческая Свадьба (2002)

Comedy / Romance

A young Greek woman falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.
 
 Director: Joel Zwick
Stars: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett and Michael Constantine

 Nominated for Oscar.

 My Rating: 8/10
 IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

Continue reading...
 

Role Models (2008)

Posted by Karen on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 In : Movies 
November 25, 2011

Role Models / Взрослая Неожиданность (2008)

Comedy / Romance

Wild behavior forces a pair of energy drink reps to enroll in a Big Brother program.
 
 Director: David Wain
Stars: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott and Elizabeth Banks


 My Rating: 7/10
 IMDb Rating: 7.0/10

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Thank You For Smoking (2005)

Posted by Karen on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 In : Movies 
November 23, 2011

Thank You For Smoking / Здесь Курят (2005)

Comedy / Drama

Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son.
 
 Director: Jason Reitman
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Cameron Bright and Maria Bello


 My Rating: 6/10
 IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

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A League Of Their Own (1992)

Posted by Karen on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 In : Movies 
November 21, 2011

A League Of Their Own / Их Собственная Лига (1992)

Comedy / Drama / Sport

Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amidst their own growing rivalry.
 
 Director: Penny Marshall
Stars: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Jon Lovitz and Lori Petty


 My Rating: 9/10
 IMDb Rating: 7.0/10

Continue reading...
 

Moneyball (2011)

Posted by Karen on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 In : Movies 
November 19, 2011

Moneyball / Человек, Который Изменил Всё (2011)

Biography / Drama / Sport

Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
 
 Director: Bennett Miller
Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright and Jonah Hill

 Nominated for 6 Oscars.

 My Rating: 6/10
 IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

Continue reading...
 
 

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