Hurray for Hollywood

I ended up seeing 27 movies in theaters in 2010, down slightly from the 30-plus movies I've managed in each of the past few years. Still, 27 isn't bad; it shows that I still make somewhat of an effort to get out and have fun. Most of the movies I saw with my wife, a couple with a friend, and a couple I went to myself.

In the event you're curious, here are the movies I went to see in 2010, accompanied by the dates I saw them, and ratings on how much I liked them. One asterisk/star means I hated the movie in question; two means it was okay but nothing special; three means the movie was pretty good and worth the trip; and four stars/asterisks means I recommend the film without reservation.

Actually, I don't think I saw any one or two star movies this past year. That could mean that either 1) the movies are getting better, 2) I'm getting better at picking the handful of good movies always out there at any given time, or 3) I'm easier to please these days. Maybe it's a combination of all three.

Anyway, here's the list:

1. The Lovely Bones (January 23) ***

2. The Wolfman (February 12) *** ½

3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (February 15) *** ½

4. Shutter Island (February 20) ****

5. An Education (March 6) *** ½

6. The Ghost Writer (April 10) ****

7. Kick-Ass (April 17) *** ½

8. Iron Man 2 (May 8) *** ½

9. Sex and the City 2 (May 31) ***

10. The A-Team (June 12) ***

11. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (June 19) ****

12. Eclipse (July 2) ***

13. The Girl Who Played With Fire (July 9) *** ½

14. Inception (July 16) ****

15. Salt (August 7) *** ½

16. Toy Story 3 (August 20) ****

17. Eat Pray Love (August 21) ***

18. Piranha 3D (August 22) ***

19. Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky (August 27) ***

20. The American (September 3) *** ½

21. The Social Network (October 15) ****

22. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (November 7) *** ½

23. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (November 11) *** ½

24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One (November 21) ****

25. Burlesque (December 10) ***

26. Tron: Legacy (December 18) *** ½

27. Black Swan (December 29) *** ½

What do you think of the list? If I can give myself credit for anything, it's having an open, wide-ranging taste in movies. As long as something looks semi-interesting, I don't care if it's a summer blockbuster, a trashy exploitation movie, or an esoteric art-house film. I'm potentially open to seeing anything.

How about you? Did you go out to the movies much last year? If so, what kinds of films motivate you to get off the couch and buy a ticket?