Comedy, Dry
4 stars
Very good Woody Allen flick about restless couples looking for greener grass. Naomi Watts and Josh Brolin star as the central couple, unhappy with how their lives are going. Brolin becomes attracted to Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) and Watts develops a crush on Antonio Banderas. Meanwhile, Watts’s parents have recently divorced and her Dad, Anthony Hopkins, enjoys his midlife crisis while her Mom, Gemma Jones, hilariously becomes dependant on a fortune teller (and drives everyone crazy!). Jones is a treat as she plays a slightly toned down version of her other beloved character: Bridget Jones’s Mom. Not everything is resolved at the end; it is left to your imagination. Great soundtrack of old romantic tunes. Good movie.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tamara Drewe
British, Dry Comedy
4 stars
Really good. In the beautiful English countryside, a group of stuffy writers gather for a retreat whilst a young beauty breezes into town, inspiring gossip, jealousy and a scandal or two. Mix in a couple of meddling teenage girls and a popular rock star and you have a fun mix of quirky characters. There is a rather gruesome tragedy, along with another fatality that broke my heart, and a bit more profanity than you’d expect from a quaint British film, but otherwise, this is a chipper little tale that I really liked. Stars Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia) as the perky beauty, Dominic Cooper (Mama Mia) as the rock star, Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans) as the local hunk and Roger Allam (The Queen, and V for Vendetta) as a pompous writer with a roving eye. Good movie.
4 stars
Really good. In the beautiful English countryside, a group of stuffy writers gather for a retreat whilst a young beauty breezes into town, inspiring gossip, jealousy and a scandal or two. Mix in a couple of meddling teenage girls and a popular rock star and you have a fun mix of quirky characters. There is a rather gruesome tragedy, along with another fatality that broke my heart, and a bit more profanity than you’d expect from a quaint British film, but otherwise, this is a chipper little tale that I really liked. Stars Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia) as the perky beauty, Dominic Cooper (Mama Mia) as the rock star, Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans) as the local hunk and Roger Allam (The Queen, and V for Vendetta) as a pompous writer with a roving eye. Good movie.
Life As We Know It
Chick Flick, Comedy
3 stars
Cute movie - that’s saying a lot for Katherine Heigl who has limited acting range, but this is one of her better performances. She and Josh Duhamel share mutual best friends despite despising each other. The mutual best friends die tragically, and request that their friends raise their child in their will. You know what happens. It’s predictable (I had planned on skipping this film, but the one I preferred was sold out when I got there!) but not terrible. I got a few laughs out it – mostly concerning The Wiggles. Wait for cable.
3 stars
Cute movie - that’s saying a lot for Katherine Heigl who has limited acting range, but this is one of her better performances. She and Josh Duhamel share mutual best friends despite despising each other. The mutual best friends die tragically, and request that their friends raise their child in their will. You know what happens. It’s predictable (I had planned on skipping this film, but the one I preferred was sold out when I got there!) but not terrible. I got a few laughs out it – mostly concerning The Wiggles. Wait for cable.
Conviction
Drama, True Story
4 stars
Interesting account of a sister who spends roughly 16 years from finishing high school to passing the bar in order to begin fighting for her brother’s innocence. Hilary Swank stars with Sam Rockwell as her incarcerated brother and Minnie Driver as a good friend. What I found most interesting were the obstacles Swank endured once she finally passed the bar, from attempting to acquire the evidence to fighting the new DA. Good movie.
4 stars
Interesting account of a sister who spends roughly 16 years from finishing high school to passing the bar in order to begin fighting for her brother’s innocence. Hilary Swank stars with Sam Rockwell as her incarcerated brother and Minnie Driver as a good friend. What I found most interesting were the obstacles Swank endured once she finally passed the bar, from attempting to acquire the evidence to fighting the new DA. Good movie.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Hereafter
Indie, Drama
4.5 stars
Somber and introspective film the alternates between three seemingly unrelated stories. Matt Damon stars as a reluctant psychic who can connect with people’s loved ones who have recently passed. Cecil de France stars as a French woman caught in the Phuket tsunami (her portions are subtitled). And a pair of twin boys (with the saddest eyes!) in London are caring for their drug addled mother. Clint Eastwood directs as well as produces along with Steven Spielberg. This is an art house film that takes it’s time moving along, but for those who enjoy the pace it’s worth the ride. Excellent film.
4.5 stars
Somber and introspective film the alternates between three seemingly unrelated stories. Matt Damon stars as a reluctant psychic who can connect with people’s loved ones who have recently passed. Cecil de France stars as a French woman caught in the Phuket tsunami (her portions are subtitled). And a pair of twin boys (with the saddest eyes!) in London are caring for their drug addled mother. Clint Eastwood directs as well as produces along with Steven Spielberg. This is an art house film that takes it’s time moving along, but for those who enjoy the pace it’s worth the ride. Excellent film.
Waiting for Superman
Documentary
5 stars
Excellent but disturbing documentary that analyses the failures in the U.S.’ s education system, including the endless bureaucracy and the nearly impossible system of firing bad teachers. The film follows several children from around the country who are hoping for the chance of a good education by entering lotteries to get into better schools, namely charter schools. I have to tell you I cried big tears when the child I was rooting for the most didn’t get selected. These are all kids who have all the odds stacked against them (including a girl from an upper middle class neighborhood) but really want to learn and earn a better way of life in the future. Excellent film on a frustrating topic.
5 stars
Excellent but disturbing documentary that analyses the failures in the U.S.’ s education system, including the endless bureaucracy and the nearly impossible system of firing bad teachers. The film follows several children from around the country who are hoping for the chance of a good education by entering lotteries to get into better schools, namely charter schools. I have to tell you I cried big tears when the child I was rooting for the most didn’t get selected. These are all kids who have all the odds stacked against them (including a girl from an upper middle class neighborhood) but really want to learn and earn a better way of life in the future. Excellent film on a frustrating topic.
Red (Retired, Extremely Dangerous)
Action, Comedy
3.5 stars
Loved it! A light hearted comedy with lots of action, shootings and explosions, and who doesn’t love Bruce Willis? Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Morgan Freeman star as retired CIA agents who are targeted to be killed. Obviously, they try to find out why and have to kill tons of agents along the way. Mary Louis Parker also co-stars as the object of Willis’s affections and her scenes are especially funny. The story does seem to steal a bit from Knight and Day, but I loved that movie too so I didn’t mind so much. Lots of violence, but still a fun movie.
3.5 stars
Loved it! A light hearted comedy with lots of action, shootings and explosions, and who doesn’t love Bruce Willis? Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Morgan Freeman star as retired CIA agents who are targeted to be killed. Obviously, they try to find out why and have to kill tons of agents along the way. Mary Louis Parker also co-stars as the object of Willis’s affections and her scenes are especially funny. The story does seem to steal a bit from Knight and Day, but I loved that movie too so I didn’t mind so much. Lots of violence, but still a fun movie.
Nowhere Boy
Indie, True Story
3.5 stars
Slow moving but interesting story of John Lennon’s teen years before the inception of The Quarrymen and The Beatles. Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) stars as Lennon with Kristen Scott Thomas as the stern aunt who raised him. This is not a story about the music, it’s about Lennon trying to learn the truth about who his parents are. The acting was decent, but I’d have appreciated it more if the actors playing John, Paul and George even remotely resembled the real men. The actor playing Paul, especially, is short and kinda ugly! Anyway, this film is really only for huge Lennon fans.
3.5 stars
Slow moving but interesting story of John Lennon’s teen years before the inception of The Quarrymen and The Beatles. Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) stars as Lennon with Kristen Scott Thomas as the stern aunt who raised him. This is not a story about the music, it’s about Lennon trying to learn the truth about who his parents are. The acting was decent, but I’d have appreciated it more if the actors playing John, Paul and George even remotely resembled the real men. The actor playing Paul, especially, is short and kinda ugly! Anyway, this film is really only for huge Lennon fans.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Secretariat
Drama, True Story
3.5 stars
Nice Disney film about the Triple Crown winning horse, his owner, played by Diane Lane, and trainer, played by John Malkovich. Malkovich was a hoot as was Margo Martindale (I always loved her) as Lanes’s assistant. Being a Disney film, it has a certain dose of syrup added, but it’s not unbearable. One thing that cannot be denied is that the horse is absolutely gorgeous and there are many beautiful scenes showing him off. Good movie.
3.5 stars
Nice Disney film about the Triple Crown winning horse, his owner, played by Diane Lane, and trainer, played by John Malkovich. Malkovich was a hoot as was Margo Martindale (I always loved her) as Lanes’s assistant. Being a Disney film, it has a certain dose of syrup added, but it’s not unbearable. One thing that cannot be denied is that the horse is absolutely gorgeous and there are many beautiful scenes showing him off. Good movie.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Indie, Dry Comedy
4 stars
Good movie. Keir Gilchrist stars as a depressed teen who checks himself into a hospital’s mental ward. Zach Galifianakis (Hangover) plays a fellow patient as does Emma Roberts as a love interest. The fellow patients all impact each other’s lives and leave a positive imprint. Good acting. Both comical and poignant, this is a good film. I really liked it.
4 stars
Good movie. Keir Gilchrist stars as a depressed teen who checks himself into a hospital’s mental ward. Zach Galifianakis (Hangover) plays a fellow patient as does Emma Roberts as a love interest. The fellow patients all impact each other’s lives and leave a positive imprint. Good acting. Both comical and poignant, this is a good film. I really liked it.
My Soul to Take
Horror
2.5 stars
Passable horror flick where seven 16 year olds were all born on the same night a serial killer died. The town folklore believes that one of the seven kids received the killer’s soul at birth. The movie didn’t live up to the expectations promised by the previews. The beginning of the movie was really dumb with the killer constantly rising after he seemed to die. There was no real suspense as the kids start getting killed off one by one. Disappointing.
Never Let Me Go
Indie, Drama
4.5 stars
So Sad! A macabre, futuristic concept that takes place in the latter 20th century of rural England. Carey Mulligan (Wall Street 2, An Education) stars in this film about children being brought up in an orphanage-like setting, though they are not there to be adopted. These children are clones being raised as organ donors (more like “spare parts”). Keira Knightly and Andrew Garfield (Social Network) co-star as fellow donors who all live a sort of half-life as they wait to be called upon and grapple with their situation. Very sensitively portrayed, though one wonders how the donors remain so naïve once they become young adults and are allowed limited access to the outside world. Good movie; tissues are required.
4.5 stars
So Sad! A macabre, futuristic concept that takes place in the latter 20th century of rural England. Carey Mulligan (Wall Street 2, An Education) stars in this film about children being brought up in an orphanage-like setting, though they are not there to be adopted. These children are clones being raised as organ donors (more like “spare parts”). Keira Knightly and Andrew Garfield (Social Network) co-star as fellow donors who all live a sort of half-life as they wait to be called upon and grapple with their situation. Very sensitively portrayed, though one wonders how the donors remain so naïve once they become young adults and are allowed limited access to the outside world. Good movie; tissues are required.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The Social Network
Drama, Legal
4 stars
Interesting movie but I find it hard to believe anyone seeking popularity would be such a resounding jerk. Jesse Eisenberg stars as the brains-behind-Facebook-guy, Mark Zuckerberg, as he is being sued by two different parties for (1) stealing the idea and (2) screwing his business partner out of loads of money. It was well done and interesting, but I’d like to see the real Zuckerberg’s point of view as well (he contests this film). It’s interesting seeing the flow of ideas leading to the inception of Facebook as well as an interesting legal drama.
4 stars
Interesting movie but I find it hard to believe anyone seeking popularity would be such a resounding jerk. Jesse Eisenberg stars as the brains-behind-Facebook-guy, Mark Zuckerberg, as he is being sued by two different parties for (1) stealing the idea and (2) screwing his business partner out of loads of money. It was well done and interesting, but I’d like to see the real Zuckerberg’s point of view as well (he contests this film). It’s interesting seeing the flow of ideas leading to the inception of Facebook as well as an interesting legal drama.
Let Me In
Indie, Horror
4 stars
Dark and creepy. Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) stars as lonely boy who is brutally bullied by his classmates. While brooding alone in the playground, he meets a strange girl who appears to be abused, Chloe Moretz ((500) Days of Summer), and who has just moved to town with the always talented Richard Jenkins (The Visitor). Chloe is a child vampire and while the murder scenes are gruesome, this not a body-falling-into-the-camera-every-ten-minutes sort of horror movie. This is an art house film that moves along deliberately with a slow burn effect, much the way The American with George Clooney was filmed. I liked it, especially since it’s portrayed from the young boy’s perspective, but it’s only for folks who are accustomed to art house style films.
4 stars
Dark and creepy. Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) stars as lonely boy who is brutally bullied by his classmates. While brooding alone in the playground, he meets a strange girl who appears to be abused, Chloe Moretz ((500) Days of Summer), and who has just moved to town with the always talented Richard Jenkins (The Visitor). Chloe is a child vampire and while the murder scenes are gruesome, this not a body-falling-into-the-camera-every-ten-minutes sort of horror movie. This is an art house film that moves along deliberately with a slow burn effect, much the way The American with George Clooney was filmed. I liked it, especially since it’s portrayed from the young boy’s perspective, but it’s only for folks who are accustomed to art house style films.
You Again
Comedy
2.5 stars
Really dumb and I didn’t laugh once. Kristen Bell stars as a once bullied, but now successful business woman who learns her brother is about to marry her high school nemesis, Odette Yustman. Her Mom, Jamie Lee Curtis, then learns that Yustman’s favorite aunt is also her own former nemesis, Sigourney Weaver. Betty White also co-stars. Very dumb and predictable.
2.5 stars
Really dumb and I didn’t laugh once. Kristen Bell stars as a once bullied, but now successful business woman who learns her brother is about to marry her high school nemesis, Odette Yustman. Her Mom, Jamie Lee Curtis, then learns that Yustman’s favorite aunt is also her own former nemesis, Sigourney Weaver. Betty White also co-stars. Very dumb and predictable.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Drama
4 stars
Fast paced drama starring Shia LaBeouf as a young stock broker in love with the daughter of the infamous Michael Douglas of the original Wall Street film. LaBeouf can’t resist the urge to meet Douglas and of course gets caught up illegal schemes against their mutual enemy Josh Brolin. Very fast paced – same as the first movie – with folks spouting off company stock info so fast it could make your head spin. Still, a good drama that spends quite a bit of time on Douglas’s damaged relationship with his daughter, Carey Mulligan, as well as planning revenge on Brolin (who is perfectly cast here). Good movie.
4 stars
Fast paced drama starring Shia LaBeouf as a young stock broker in love with the daughter of the infamous Michael Douglas of the original Wall Street film. LaBeouf can’t resist the urge to meet Douglas and of course gets caught up illegal schemes against their mutual enemy Josh Brolin. Very fast paced – same as the first movie – with folks spouting off company stock info so fast it could make your head spin. Still, a good drama that spends quite a bit of time on Douglas’s damaged relationship with his daughter, Carey Mulligan, as well as planning revenge on Brolin (who is perfectly cast here). Good movie.
Devil
Horror
3 stars
Not bad. M. Night Shyamalan actually didn’t do a bad job on this film about five people stuck in an elevator where someone gets killed every time the lights blink off. The fun is in guessing which character is the devil, while the folks all turn on one another in the confined space. It’s not the best thing playing, but I liked it.
3 stars
Not bad. M. Night Shyamalan actually didn’t do a bad job on this film about five people stuck in an elevator where someone gets killed every time the lights blink off. The fun is in guessing which character is the devil, while the folks all turn on one another in the confined space. It’s not the best thing playing, but I liked it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
