Blog Archives
The Best Movies of 2009
The Best Movies of 2009
Below is my list of the best movies that I have seen that were released in 2009 (even if some were made in 2008). I have included trailers for each movie. Click on any of the highlighted titles for my full review of that film. I highly recommend all of these movies. I will continue to add to this list if I see any more movies from 2009 that are worthy of this list.
Public Enemies (2009)
The Hangover (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
The Box (2009)
The Road (2009)
Movies that were good, but did not quite make the list are:
State of Play (2009)
Push (2009)
Extract (2009)
Taken (2008)
Brothers (2009)
The Messenger (2009)
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Up (2009)
The Proposal (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2009)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
Surrogates (2009)
Couple’s Retreat (2009)
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
The Best Movies of 2011
The Best Movies of 2011
Below is my list of the best movies that I have seen that were released in 2011 (even if some were made in 2010). I have included trailers for each movie. I would love to eventually write a review of each of these films and talk about why I enjoyed them so much. But for now, just know that I highly recommend all of these movies. I will continue to add to this list if I see any more movies from 2011 that are worthy of this list.
The Town (2011)
Limitless (2011)
Hugo (2011)
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Moneyball (2011)
Source Code (2011)
The Beaver (2011)
50/50 (2011)
In Time (2011)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
30 Minutes or Less (2011)
Change-Up (2011)
Take Me Home Tonight (2011)
Movies that were good, but did not quite make the list are:
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Unknown (2011)
The Ides of March (2011)
The Best Movies of 2012
The Best Movies of 2012
Below is my list of the best movies that I have seen that were released in 2012 (even if some were made in 2011). I have included trailers for each movie. Click on the highlighted titles for my full reviews of each of those films. The movies that are not highlighted, I have not reviewed yet, but I still highly recommend them. I will continue to add to this list if I see any more movies from 2012 that are worthy of this list.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Contraband (2012)
The Grey (2011)
21 Jump Street (2012)
Dark Shadows (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Lawless (2012)
Looper (2012)
Argo (2012)
Movies that were good, but did not quite make the list are:
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Total Recall (2012)
The Expendables 2 (2012)
Heights Theater Columbia Heights, MN
Heights Theater Columbia Heights, MN

The other night I ventured out to see an old classic inside of an older classic. The beautifully maintained one-screen Heights Theater in Columbia Heights, MN was playing the film, The Window (1949) as part of a recent RKO “Film Noir” film festival that is still going on this month.

The Heights Theater is a nostalgic escape. It is 92 years old! It was built in 1926. Originally, it was used for local stage plays and vaudeville acts, besides a simple movie house.

I was last at this theater a handful of years ago for a Thanksgiving showing of Bringing Up Baby (1938). Before that, I attended part of a weekend movie marathon there when I was a teenager.

That movie marathon became part of “The Guinness Book of World Records.” People had the unique opportunity to stay overnight all weekend in the theater (they brought blankets, pillows, toothbrush, etc.). If they stayed the whole weekend and attended every movie that played each day, then they got their names into “The Guinness Book of World Records” (supposedly, but I never fully looked into that).

If my memory serves me correctly, I went to that movie marathon back then during two of the three days of that weekend. I was there specifically to see Laurel & Hardy, and I think even The Three Stooges on the big screen. I also stayed for a couple of feature films, but I cannot remember the titles.

Each time that I have been to the Heights Theater, it looks better than the time before. The owner of the theater is Tom Letness. He also owns the Dairy Queen next door. Both businesses were featured during said movie marathon. Letness has ensured painstaking restorations which have brought this little Historic Theater back to its former glory.

This little piece of history will transport you back to a simpler time. There is a certain elegance and sentiment that wafts throughout the lobby. It is a subtle hint of what to expect when you are actually in the theater, itself.

The theater is an antique and it has been maintained in the same way that you would treat an antique, with care and precision. There are so many details that bring you back to the atmosphere of old, like the vintage twinkling chandeliers on the ceilings overhead, the flickering marquee above the sidewalk outside, the organ player playing with care before the showing of each film, the gorgeous art posters adorning the walls, the old-fashioned red curtains opening and closing across the small screen before and after the show, and the real butter on the reasonably priced popcorn. These are among many other things that I have left out for you to see for yourself.

The preservation of this Historic Theater is impressive. It’s a movie lover’s paradise. It is definitely worth the visit, if you’ve never been before.

There is an upcoming Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival that I will likely attend. The classics often make a very fitting return to this classic theater.

The Best Movies of 2015
The Best Movies of 2015
Below is my list of the best movies that I have seen that were released in 2015 (even if some were made in 2014). I have included trailers for each movie. I would love to eventually write a review of each of these films and talk about why I enjoyed them so much. But for now, just know that I highly recommend all of these movies. I will continue to add to this list if I see any more movies from 2015 that are worthy of this list. 2015 was a particularly good year for movies.
The Revenant (2015)
Black Mass (2015)
Southpaw (2015)
No Escape (2015)
The Martian (2015)
Run All Night (2015)
Ted 2 (2015)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)
The Gift (2015)
Room (2015)
Spectre (2015)
Creed (2015)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Bridge of Spies (2015)
Good Kill (2015)
The Best Movies of 2016
The Best Movies of 2016
Below is my list of the best movies that I have seen that were released in 2016 (even if some were made in 2015). I have included trailers for each movie. I would love to eventually write a review of each of these films and talk about why I enjoyed them so much. But for now, just know that all of these movies were awesome in their own way. I will continue to add to this list if I see any more movies from 2016 that are worthy of this list.
The Accountant (2016)
The Nice Guys (2016)
Deadpool (2016)
Hacksaw Ridge (2006)
The Free State of Jones (2016)
Bleed for This (2016)
13 Hours (2016)
Passengers (2016)
Triple 9 (2016)
Demolition (2015)
Hardcore Henry (2015)
Arrival (2016)
Deepwater Horizon (2016)
Sully (2016)
Mr. Right (2015)
MoviePass is it worth it?
MoviePass is it worth it?
If I had known about MoviePass a few years ago, I would have seen many more films in the theater. Also, I would have saved a lot of money. MoviePass takes the stress out of going to the theater. No more worrying about if a film is going to be worth forking over your hard earned money, just to be disappointed.
MoviePass is absolutely worth it. Especially if you purchase it through Costco for $30 less per year than what MoviePass usually charges. $89.99 and you can see one movie in the theater per day for a year (Regular price $120 per year). If you see at least 9 movies in a year, it pays for itself.
Take my word for it. If you see more than 9 movies in a year, you are wasting your money by not having a MoviePass. I’m not trying to sell or advertise for them. I just love mine that much!
