My Year in Movies: Drama & Comedy

This year out of the forty six movie I watched twelve that would be classified as drama, comedy, romance and one musical.  I enjoyed many of the dramas but was not impressed with the comedies.  It seemed like unless the comedies had an action factor to keep it going, it fell flat.  I am hoping that this upcoming year will be much better, as I enjoy a good comedy.  I just wish that movies would stop relying on lewd or awkward behavior for a nervous giggle, and go back to clever situations with wit and a heartfelt laugh.  Some of the best laughs I had in movies this year, were stuck within the drama's or action movies.

Comedy:
American Reunion- I remember thinking, when American Pie came out that it was over the top, but with the saturation of lewd and awkward humor out there, it now seems quite tame.  It was nostalgic to take a look back at the main characters of American Pie, and I enjoyed remembering referencing the original when it originally came out.

Dark Shadows- This seemed like a complete character and just another time for Johnny Depp to be kooky.  He does much better when he is not limited by the family fair of this movie (it could be considered family).  It did not live up to any of the expectations I had for it.

Pitch Perfect- This was my comedy of the year.  I love it and have watched it multiple times since its release on Blu-ray.  It is complete musical fluff but the entire experience is hilarious. Rebel Wilson was fantastic and I look forward to seeing her in more roles, hopefully where she is restrained as I feel like that is when she is her best. 

Rock Of Ages- This was enjoyable to watch but is not everyone's cup of tee.  It hits on the Hollywood stereotypes of the ridiculous rock star caricature. Tom Cruise was the best part of this movie.

Think Like A Man- This was a take it or leave it rom-com.  It was fluff but with nothing really stand out about it.  Nothing particularly horrible, but I do not have a desire to see it again. 

Drama:
Good Deeds- Tyler Perry continues to make movies that star him as the front and center, Good Deeds is no exception.  Although it was way better the his action Alex Cross, it still was nothing special.  I just do not buy into Tyler Perry as the all around, likable, male lead that he is trying to tell me that he is.

Les Miserables- Was worth a watch, just for the cultural significance, but I feel it was over exaggerated at better than it really wast. The film making was jumpy and the scene scopes were claustrophobic.

Lincoln- Daniel Day Lewis was fantastic as Abraham Lincoln, but this movie was about 30 minutes too long.  They could have cut out moments and it would have been better.  I was bored when Lincoln was not being featured.

Magic Mike- It was nice to see men objectified as beefcakes but the storyline was really week. I found myself just wanting more stripper scenes as it was the only draw of this movie.

Silver Linings Playbook- I loved this movie and the play between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.  They play it on the realistic side of crazy and I found myself rooting for the two of them.  The drama of the year.

Romance:
The Lucky One- This was the Nicolas Sparks movie adaptation of the year and I really liked it.  The interaction between Zac Effron and Taylor Schilling was good and this movie allowed Zac Effron to go from being the teeny idol to an attractive young man.  This was the romance of the year in my opinion.

The Vow- This movie was a fine romance but did not tug on my heart strings.  The chemistry between Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams was lackluster and did not leave any lingering impression with me. This means that it was not horrible but there was nothing special about it.