Movie | The Master | Pass-ish

This movie is like a cloud...rather meaningless and empty. I was left thinking, "What was the point?" Ridiculously self-indulgent.

Movie | Trigun Badlands | Pass

You'll like it if you're a preteen boy.

Movie | Blindness | PAss

Beautifully done, disturbing (no surprise), slow.

Movie | The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Remake) | PASS

Fincher is very hit or miss for me. There's no doubt in my mind that he's a spectacular director. But sometimes he's a bit much for me. This remake (why he'd choose to do that is beyond me too, unless it was to fund other projects) crossed that line a couple of times, for which I'll admit to fast forwarding through. Nevertheless, if you can hang in there through that stuff (and it's truly "torture porn", in my opinion) then you're left with a fantastically great (cold) murder mystery.

And even though it wasn't on the marvelous soundtrack, any flick featuring (albeit in the background) "All That I Wanted" by Belfegore is going to be an instant hit with me for sure.

Movie | See No Evil | Pass

Movie | Django Unchained | PAss

Okay, I saw this again and I've changed my mind. I love this movie. Tarantino is still mimicking more than inventing (here, it's a mix of the many Django films with Roots), but this is a great flick. No doubt about it.

But make no mistake. Tarantino still plays the same, worn out, grotesque cards and at its' core, this is the same movie he's made many times.

Movie | Byzantium | PASs

You have to be in the right mood to really appreciate this film, I think. It was more about creating a feeling and letting great actors really go for it than action or posing by pretty boys and girls. By the same guy that did The Crying Game and Interview With A Vampire, I was. Not particularly scary, it had an excellent cast that was delightful to watch and an ambiance that kept reminding me of the Let The Right One In/Let Me In twins. Plenty violent, but not terribly gory (if literal rivers of blood are not that gory to you).

Movie | Saving Mr. Banks | Fail*

*I didn't actually watch this movie. It was shown on a plane I was on and it looked so boring and the actors looked so bored doing it that I skipped it entirely. Maybe it was good, I'll never know.

Book | Blood Rites | Fail

Jim Butcher is a good author, but this series has jumped the shark.

Book | Zombie Spaceship Wasteland | PASS

It's a completely douche move to knock any author's efforts by giving it a lower rating for there not being more. That's what future volumes are for. Oswalt is a genius.