Indie, Drama
4 stars
Good movie. A giant meteor is barreling toward Earth and us earth dwellers only have 3 weeks left. Steve Carell and his daffy neighbor Keira Knightly take a road trip together; Carell hopes to see his high school sweetheart one more time, while Knightly hopes for a flight back to England and her family. Along the way, they meet an interesting cast of folks all dealing with the end in different ways. Martin Sheen co-stars. Aside from Knightly’s unfortunate taste in somber music, this is a nice sentimental film. I liked it.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Safety Not Guaranteed
Indie, Drama
4 stars
Slow, but I really liked it. A journalist for a small magazine enlists two interns to investigate a provocative personal ad someone wrote looking for a companion to time travel with. Each of the oddball characters has their own personal issues which they confront while working on the story. Aubrey Plaza (TV’s Parks and Recreation) and Karan Soni play the interns, Jake Johnson (TV’s New Girl) plays the flawed journalist, and Mark Duplass (TV’s The League) plays the time traveler. Very well done, and I loved the ending.
4 stars
Slow, but I really liked it. A journalist for a small magazine enlists two interns to investigate a provocative personal ad someone wrote looking for a companion to time travel with. Each of the oddball characters has their own personal issues which they confront while working on the story. Aubrey Plaza (TV’s Parks and Recreation) and Karan Soni play the interns, Jake Johnson (TV’s New Girl) plays the flawed journalist, and Mark Duplass (TV’s The League) plays the time traveler. Very well done, and I loved the ending.
DVD recommendations
Run Lola Run
Suspense
Lola (Franka Potente of Bourne Identity) has 20 minutes to help her boyfriend who owes his boss 100,000 Marks. It is stylish, and full of suspense as Lola keeps running to a pulsating electronica beat that I just couldn’t sit still to. Ok, I kind of rocked out like dork... Anyway, if you don’t mind that it turns sort of into a suspenseful Groundhog Day, this is one fun flick to watch. This film is German with subtitles, and also has an option to watch with English voice-overs. We watched the former. Jim groaned at the mention of subtitles, but once the film started he couldn’t keep his eyes off the screen. We both thought it was great.
2000 Best Foreign Film winner of Independent Spirit Awards and nominee for BAFTA in the same category.
1 hour 20 minutes
Black and White oldies that are a little dark:
Suddenly Last Summer
Katherine Hepburn wants to have Elizabeth Taylor lobotomized after a trip Taylor took with Hepburn’s son ended in tragedy. Montgomery Clift co-stars as the doctor trying to determine if Taylor is a candidate for a lobotomy. This Tennessee Williams tale keeps you engaged until all your burning questions are answered.
A Place in the Sun
Montgomery Clift falls for the out-of-his-league socialite Elizabeth Taylor, but must first contend with his angry, jealous girlfriend, Shelley Winters. What to do??
Suspense
Lola (Franka Potente of Bourne Identity) has 20 minutes to help her boyfriend who owes his boss 100,000 Marks. It is stylish, and full of suspense as Lola keeps running to a pulsating electronica beat that I just couldn’t sit still to. Ok, I kind of rocked out like dork... Anyway, if you don’t mind that it turns sort of into a suspenseful Groundhog Day, this is one fun flick to watch. This film is German with subtitles, and also has an option to watch with English voice-overs. We watched the former. Jim groaned at the mention of subtitles, but once the film started he couldn’t keep his eyes off the screen. We both thought it was great.
2000 Best Foreign Film winner of Independent Spirit Awards and nominee for BAFTA in the same category.
1 hour 20 minutes
Black and White oldies that are a little dark:
Suddenly Last Summer
Katherine Hepburn wants to have Elizabeth Taylor lobotomized after a trip Taylor took with Hepburn’s son ended in tragedy. Montgomery Clift co-stars as the doctor trying to determine if Taylor is a candidate for a lobotomy. This Tennessee Williams tale keeps you engaged until all your burning questions are answered.
A Place in the Sun
Montgomery Clift falls for the out-of-his-league socialite Elizabeth Taylor, but must first contend with his angry, jealous girlfriend, Shelley Winters. What to do??
Friday, June 15, 2012
Rock of Ages
Musical, Comedy
3.5 stars
Corny but cute. Small town girl Julianne Hough moves to LA to pursue her dreams, while Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand try to keep their nightclub afloat by depending on an unreliable rock star (Tom Cruise) to make an appearance. It feels kinda like Glee taking on the 80’s, but I got a kick out of those church lady clothes (I swear they raided my 1980’s office clothes closet) and now I really miss my old denim jacket. Baldwin and Brand are hilarious – in fact Brand is a pretty good rock singer too. Julianne Hough’s helium-filled voice made me cringe a bit, and Catherine Zeta-Jones made up for her overacting by belting out some rock classics quite well. Newcomer Diego Boneta (90210, Pretty Little Liars) plays Hough’s love interest, and Mary J. Blige was a welcome relief from some of the cheesier songs. Paul Giamatti co-stars as Cruise’s sleazy manager. A fun movie I bet Suri Cruise will never be allowed to watch given her dad’s sleazy/sexy role. Fun.
3.5 stars
Corny but cute. Small town girl Julianne Hough moves to LA to pursue her dreams, while Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand try to keep their nightclub afloat by depending on an unreliable rock star (Tom Cruise) to make an appearance. It feels kinda like Glee taking on the 80’s, but I got a kick out of those church lady clothes (I swear they raided my 1980’s office clothes closet) and now I really miss my old denim jacket. Baldwin and Brand are hilarious – in fact Brand is a pretty good rock singer too. Julianne Hough’s helium-filled voice made me cringe a bit, and Catherine Zeta-Jones made up for her overacting by belting out some rock classics quite well. Newcomer Diego Boneta (90210, Pretty Little Liars) plays Hough’s love interest, and Mary J. Blige was a welcome relief from some of the cheesier songs. Paul Giamatti co-stars as Cruise’s sleazy manager. A fun movie I bet Suri Cruise will never be allowed to watch given her dad’s sleazy/sexy role. Fun.
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Animation, Comedy
3 stars
Kids will love it; me, not so much. The assorted animal gang is back, this time traveling across Europe with a circus and with a crazed animal control officer hot on their heels. I liked them better in the wild. Oh, and like I haven’t heard Katy Perry’s “Firework” 20 gazillion times already! They only played “I Like to Move it, Move it” partially during the end of the movie. Jeesh! I only went to see this film because I needed a laugh. Folks at Dreamworks: please no more of these movies, unless they go straight to cable.
3 stars
Kids will love it; me, not so much. The assorted animal gang is back, this time traveling across Europe with a circus and with a crazed animal control officer hot on their heels. I liked them better in the wild. Oh, and like I haven’t heard Katy Perry’s “Firework” 20 gazillion times already! They only played “I Like to Move it, Move it” partially during the end of the movie. Jeesh! I only went to see this film because I needed a laugh. Folks at Dreamworks: please no more of these movies, unless they go straight to cable.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Prometheus
Sci-Fi
3.5 stars
Kinda pointless. A group of scientists (including Noomi Repace, the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Sherlock Holmes 2 ) explore a planet similar to earth where they believe the inhabitants were the creators of humans. There are some cool special effects, and the spaceships and slimy creatures are all pretty cool, and that’s what earned my 3.5 stars. But the story leaves a lot of strings hanging. Even from the beginning, you can see the kindly android (Michael Fassbender) who is not supposed to have feelings or a hidden agenda clearly does, but no one seems to notice. Charlize Theron is in charge of the company financing the trip, but why she went on the journey she clearly wasn’t interested in other than to exert her power and behave like a [rhymes with “witch”] is completely unclear. Since our current day NASA puts astronauts under psychological testing, why would our future expeditions allow a troublemaker with a really bad attitude (Sean Harris)? Well that one I know: because Hollywood thought it would be fun to add more tension. Jim and I were left with too many questions in end. Wait for cable.
3.5 stars
Kinda pointless. A group of scientists (including Noomi Repace, the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Sherlock Holmes 2 ) explore a planet similar to earth where they believe the inhabitants were the creators of humans. There are some cool special effects, and the spaceships and slimy creatures are all pretty cool, and that’s what earned my 3.5 stars. But the story leaves a lot of strings hanging. Even from the beginning, you can see the kindly android (Michael Fassbender) who is not supposed to have feelings or a hidden agenda clearly does, but no one seems to notice. Charlize Theron is in charge of the company financing the trip, but why she went on the journey she clearly wasn’t interested in other than to exert her power and behave like a [rhymes with “witch”] is completely unclear. Since our current day NASA puts astronauts under psychological testing, why would our future expeditions allow a troublemaker with a really bad attitude (Sean Harris)? Well that one I know: because Hollywood thought it would be fun to add more tension. Jim and I were left with too many questions in end. Wait for cable.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Moonrise Kingdom
Indie, Dry Comedy
4.5 stars
Cute, quirky coming-of-age film. Bruce Willis stars as a local sheriff searching for two missing 12 years olds who have run off together. Ed Norton plays the local Khaki Scout leader, and Bill Murray and Frances McDormand play the missing girl’s parents. Other notable stars with smaller roles include Tilda Swinton, Harvey Kietel and Jason Schwartzman. But the real stars are the oddball runaways: Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. It wasn’t as funny as I’d hoped, but the quirky charm won me over. Good movie.
4.5 stars
Cute, quirky coming-of-age film. Bruce Willis stars as a local sheriff searching for two missing 12 years olds who have run off together. Ed Norton plays the local Khaki Scout leader, and Bill Murray and Frances McDormand play the missing girl’s parents. Other notable stars with smaller roles include Tilda Swinton, Harvey Kietel and Jason Schwartzman. But the real stars are the oddball runaways: Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. It wasn’t as funny as I’d hoped, but the quirky charm won me over. Good movie.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Snow White and the Huntsman
Fantasy, Action
4.5 stars
Very good and very dark portrayal of the classic Snow White story. This is too dark for youngsters, and is in fact good enough for guys to enjoy since there are lots of battle scenes and fight scenes. This film feels more like the Excalibur movie rather than your standard fairytale. It is indeed a strange world where Kristen Stewart is deemed fairer than Charlize Theron, but maybe that’s just me. Chris Hemsworth co-stars as the Huntsman. Very good.
4.5 stars
Very good and very dark portrayal of the classic Snow White story. This is too dark for youngsters, and is in fact good enough for guys to enjoy since there are lots of battle scenes and fight scenes. This film feels more like the Excalibur movie rather than your standard fairytale. It is indeed a strange world where Kristen Stewart is deemed fairer than Charlize Theron, but maybe that’s just me. Chris Hemsworth co-stars as the Huntsman. Very good.
Bernie
Indie, True Story
4 stars
Slow, but I loved it. Filmed documentary-style via interviews with residents of small-town Carthage, Texas, Jack Black stars as the nicest guy in town who befriends the meanest old lady in town (Shirley MacLaine). Matthew McConaughey co-stars. I won’t tell you what happens, but this is a dark comedy of sorts with the story being told with wry humor by the colorful residents of Carthage. After a quick search I could not confirm if some of them were actual residents rather than actors, but I’m guessing some of them were. Loved it.
4 stars
Slow, but I loved it. Filmed documentary-style via interviews with residents of small-town Carthage, Texas, Jack Black stars as the nicest guy in town who befriends the meanest old lady in town (Shirley MacLaine). Matthew McConaughey co-stars. I won’t tell you what happens, but this is a dark comedy of sorts with the story being told with wry humor by the colorful residents of Carthage. After a quick search I could not confirm if some of them were actual residents rather than actors, but I’m guessing some of them were. Loved it.
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