2010 / 2011 Ratings Summary – my year in films, according to OGR…

Whaddya know we’ve just churned through another year, so in keeping with the short lived tradition of summarizing the movies reviewed over the last 12 months please find the second annual Ratings Summary of the 2010/2011 year.

I think last year’s summary explained how things work pretty well so I have taken the liberty of cutting and pasting a lot of stuff. Lazy? You bet.

This past year I hated/endured/watched/enjoyed/loved 300 movies over 365 days, that’s over 5 movies per week, in fact about half a movie more per week than last year – which could have something to do with the fact that my Xbox died for many months during the year… oh and let’s pretend I was working harder… or something.

Now continuing last year’s formula of about 95 minutes per flick let’s go through the raw numbers.

300 X ~95 = 28,500 minutes = ~475 hours…
= 20 full days watching movies.

So again let’s look at the quality versus trash ratio to ascertain how many of those 20 days were worth the expansion in my waistline. As always I consider:

  • Anything less than a 6 / 10 is wasted time.
  • A 6 / 10 or 6.5 / 10 needs at least one redeeming feature to justify the time, but such a score will rarely warrant rewatching the film.
  • A score of 7 / 10 + will generally make the film worthwhile and often worth watching again down the track, or buying the DVD depending on the actual score.

This was 2010/2011…

Wasted time

I watched 60 shitty films in 12 months, at 95 minutes per I totally blew 4 days sitting on my big blue couch!

I watched 4 films that I felt were worse than anything I watched last year (mainly because of my B Movie Haiku experiment), Zombie Women of Satan takes the cake as the least creative and least entertaining of the bunch, though Bloodwood Cannibals was only inches behind in overall crapulence.

Lake Placid 3 took direct to DVD sequels to new depths, but 1995’s Tank Girl was undoubtedly the worst film with an actual budget that I watched during the year.

Of the truly big budget films, Skyline was simply lamentable and Dinner for Schmucks proved that having two can’t miss comedians by no means guarantees a ‘can’t miss’ film.

To be blunt I can’t imagine sitting through almost every film in this segment, though I think I might’ve been a touch hard on Easy A, and Showdown in Little Tokyo is atrocious fun.

As per last year though I will not retract my “Don’t Bother Watching” recommendations on those 60.

Killing time

Now for the films that were largely forgettable but managed to amuse momentarily or to provide a couple of scenes worth waiting for. These are the films you don’t talk about to your friends and won’t look up again, but you could have done worse.

In this case 2010/2011 saw me trawl through 77 such titles, or 5 full days watching what is admittedly mediocrity, kinda like being a Fremantle Dockers supporter I guess.

Revisiting the list anew I can only see things in broad categories; films with nudity or Salma-skin (After the Sunset, After.Life, Into the Blue, The American – trust me…) or mindless action (The Mechanic, Faster).

One day I might give Paul another chance, if I first brainwash myself into ignoring the fact that the leads from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are somehow responsible for this middle of the road mess… I expect that from Rogen, but c’mon Simon and Nick!

A quick look back: I am still to rewatch any of the films I nominated last year as those that I might give another chance to. These were Inglourious Basterds, Ninja Assassin, Year One, Frontier(s) and From Hell.

Time well spent

Like last year I watched exactly 159 ‘worthwhile’ films over the year, that’s 10 ½ full days of enjoying quality cinema.

I generally own shill out for the DVD for films I can see myself rewatching and enjoying – makes sense doesn’t it? – but essentially this means that I don’t have many ‘pure dramas’ in my DVD drawers. Films that I readily acknowledge as being Great such as Winter’s Bone, The Constant Gardener, even Gone Baby, Gone don’t get a Guernsey, thankfully most of them are readily available at DVD stores at short notice if the urge ever arises…

But trashy action and comedy never goes out of style in my house so I am on the hunt for blu-ray versions of Let the Right One In, Machete, Piranha 3, Scott Pilgrim Vs the World and the old classic Big Trouble in Little China.

Later in the year might see Rango and Unstoppable hit my DVD collection.

Time very well spent

I managed to check out 41 GREAT flicks this year – just under 3 days spent very wisely.

GREAT films that weren’t from my collection in 10-11 included only The Constant Gardener, Winter’s Bone and Gone Baby, Gone, all quality films but as alluded to above a little dark to be watching over and over.

The BEST films of the year by rating were easy to pick, 10-11 saw 4 perfect 10s for the first time in OGR history; they were The Blues Brothers, Drunken Master 2, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Tremors.

Every one a classic, every one demands viewing.

I won’t bother with how many films watched last year were from my personal collection, the short answer is ‘lots’.

____________________________________________________
Over the last year I noticed I have gotten decidedly more severe with my ratings on mediocre films, I think it is due to the Rotten Tomatoes method of granting an effective ‘pass mark’ to anything rated 6 or more. Now to me a 6 is merely a movie with little worth, hardly to be recommended or even worthwhile, but if I labeled something a 6 RT would see it as worth recommending…

This lead me to be more harsh on some films just so there could be no ambiguity. I still think a 6 shouldn’t be respected, but to illustrate my point I at times docked a further 0.5 or even a full point to make sure the reader couldn’t be confused into thinking that a dull flick might in fact be OK.

_______________________________________________________

Greater than 0/10 less than 6/10 –

“Dear Film-maker, whatever you were trying to achieve, you fucked up.”

0.5
Zombie Women of Satan

1.0

Bloodwood Cannibals

1.5
Lake Placid 3
Tank Girl

2.0
Bikini Girls on Ice
Dark Star

2.5
Eraserhead
Single White Female 2

3

Dolomite
Jackie Chan: Kung Fu Master
Pootie Tang

Skyline
Spookies

3.5
Nude Nuns with Big Guns

4.0

Alone in the Dark

The Bunker
The Class of Nuke ‘Em High
Dinocroc Vs Supergator
Hatchet 2
Resident Evil: Afterlife
S.W.A.T.
Sucker Punch

4.5

Asylum (AKA The Level)

Cabin Boy
Dinner for Schmucks
Hisss
Robocop 3
Robogeisha
Warlock 2: The Armageddon
Zapped… Again

5.0

Burke & Hare
Coffy
Damned By Dawn
Death Proof
Death Race 2000
Devil
Drive Angry
Due Date

Jonah Hex
Mega-Python Vs Gatoroid
Powder Blue
The Reaping
Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse

The Rite

Roadhouse 2
Season of the Witch
Sharktopus
Tetsuo: Iron Man
Vanishing on 7th Street
Warlock 3: The End of Innocence
Wild Target

5.5
Anacondas 2: Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Autopsy
Black Swan
Easy A

Eden Lake
Enter the Void
Foxy Brown

From Paris with Love
Gothika
Half Baked
The Haunting in Connecticut
MacGruber
The Machine Girl
Megamind
Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides
The Prophecy 4: Forsaken
The Prophecy 5: Uprising

The Reaping
Showdown in Little Tokyo

6.0/10 – “OK, so you made a movie, do you want a medal?”

After.Life
After the Sunset
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
A Man Apart
Battle: Los Angeles

Centurion

Chaw
The Children
Demolition Man
The Devil’s Chair
Enter the Void
The Green Hornet
Hall Pass
Hardware
How High?
I’m Gonna Git You Sucka
Insidious
Into the Blue
Kyonyu Dragon AKA Big Tits Zombie
Mallrats
The Mechanic

Miracle Mile
Missing in Action
My Father is a Hero
Paranormal Activity 2
Paul
Pin
Robin Hood
Slaughterhouse-5
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Splice
Suck
Super
Twilight
Twin Peaks: Fire-Walk with me
Waist Deep
Willard
Withnail & I

6.5/10 – “Not that crash hot but with one memorable or cool scene. EG: ‘At least it had boobies’.”

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Ali G Indahouse
The American
American Psycho
Bad Santa
Bronson
Cashback
Choke
Con Air
Cronos
Death Race 2

Eastern Condors
Enemy Mine
Exit through the Gift Shop
Faster
Four Brothers
Get Low
Infestation
The Karate Kid 2010
Lock Up
Madeo (Mother)
The Next Three Days
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
The Other Guys

Over the Top
Pineapple Express
The Prophecy 3: The Ascent

Public Enemies
P2
Red Hill
Repo Men
Robocop
Robocop 2
Salt
Shrek 4Ever After
Stag Night
Suck
Summer School

30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night: Dark Days
Tron: Legacy
Tucker & Dale Vs Evil
Universal Soldier: Regeneration
Unknown

Warlock
Zack & Miri Make a Porno

7.0/10 – “Worth watching, let’s see what you do next.”

Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls
Altered States
American Movie

Black Sheep
Brooklyn’s Finest
Candyman
Colors
Death Race
Despicable Me
Doc Hollywood
Escape from New York
The Expendables
Four Brothers
Fright Night
Get him to the Greek
The Ghost Writer
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Gladiator
The Hitcher
The Horde
The Host
Hot Tub Time Machine
Hudson Hawk
Hunger
Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
Last Man Standing
Lethal Weapon 4
Limitless
Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
Matchstick Men
Midnight Run

The Mist
Nuns on the Run
Predators
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Red
Scrooged
Shaolin
The Social Network
Source Code
The Square
Stripes
Taking Care of Business
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Thor
The Town

Trading Places
Valhalla Rising
Vengeance
The Warrior’s Way

7.5/10 – “It was OK, definitely worth a look.”

Back to the Future 3
Black Sheep
The Blob
Brick
The Chaser
The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Face/Off
The Fighter
Fist of Fury
The Girl who Played with Fire
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Go
The Golden Child
The Goonies
Harold & Kumar go to White Castle
High Fidelity
The Horseman
The Incredible Hulk
The Ladies Man
The Last Exorcism

L.A. Story
Lethal Weapon 3
Little Big Soldier
Let Me In
Little Shop of Horrors
Machete
Man on Fire
Piranha 3D
The Punisher
Red
Restraint
Sherlock Holmes
She’s Out of my League

The Simpsons Movie
Thank You for Smoking
The Town
The Troll Hunter
Unstoppable
Wayne’s World

8.0/10 “This is better.”

An American Werewolf in London
Angel Heart
Animal Kingdom
The Big Lebowski
Big Trouble in Little China
Bottle Rocket
Brick
Dogma
Enter the Dragon
Event Horizon
The First Power
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Hurricane Streets
In Bruges
Inception
Kill Bill Volume 1
Kill Bill Volume 2
The Matrix
Mega Piranha
Monster House
Rango
Rec: 2

Scott Pilgrim vs the World
See no Evil, Hear no Evil
Shaft
Shotgun Stories
Snatch
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
Taken
Team America: World Police
Total Recall
Triangle
Tropic Thunder
True Grit
Undercover Brother
Wayne’s World 2

8.5/10 – “Now this is what I’m talking about.”

Back to the Future
Back to the Future 2
Big
Brother
The Constant Gardener
Hard Boiled
Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
The Last Boy Scout
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Let the Right One In
Near Dark
Predator
Slither
Sympathy for Mr Vengeance
The Terminator
Toy Story 3
Winter’s Bone

9.0/10 – “It’ll be hard for you to top this one.”

Batman Begins
Black Rain
The Crow
The Descent
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
The Fifth Element
Fist of Legend
Gone Baby Gone
Groundhog Day
Kiss of the Dragon
The Ref
The Ring
Se7en
The Sixth Sense

9.5/10 “Absolutely lurrrrrve your work Sir (or Madam).”

Aliens
Coming to America
The Dark Knight
The Descent
Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness
Oldboy
True Lies

10/10 “Undeniable awesomeness. Perfection.”

The Blues Brothers
Drunken Master 2
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Tremors

And there we have another year in OGR. Until 12 months time…

OGR

About OGR

While I try to throw a joke or two into proceedings when I can all of the opinions presented in my reviews are genuine. I don't expect that all will agree with my thoughts at all times nor would it be any fun if you did, so don't be shy in telling me where you think I went wrong... and hopefully if you think I got it right for once. Don't be shy, half the fun is in the conversation after the movie.
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