4 stars
Exciting thriller starring Halle Berry as a 911 operator who receives a call from kidnap victim Abigail Breslin while the kidnapping is in progress. The assailant is quite brutal and twisted. Very good, I loved the ending.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The Call
Suspense Thriller
4 stars
Exciting thriller starring Halle Berry as a 911 operator who receives a call from kidnap victim Abigail Breslin while the kidnapping is in progress. The assailant is quite brutal and twisted. Very good, I loved the ending.
4 stars
Exciting thriller starring Halle Berry as a 911 operator who receives a call from kidnap victim Abigail Breslin while the kidnapping is in progress. The assailant is quite brutal and twisted. Very good, I loved the ending.
Admission
Comedy
3 stars
Cute, better than I expected. Tina Fey stars as a Princeton admissions officer who is invited by Paul Rudd to visit his alternative high school to meet a promising student who may be Fey's biological son. There is some of the usual dorky humor associated with Fey, but the story turns out to have some heart. I loved Lily Tomlin as Fey's Mom. Cute film.
3 stars
Cute, better than I expected. Tina Fey stars as a Princeton admissions officer who is invited by Paul Rudd to visit his alternative high school to meet a promising student who may be Fey's biological son. There is some of the usual dorky humor associated with Fey, but the story turns out to have some heart. I loved Lily Tomlin as Fey's Mom. Cute film.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Comedy, Dumb
2 stars
Really dumb, and not that funny. Dave Carell stars as the title character, who along with Steve Buscemi, perform in Las Vegas still using the same old tired magic show. Along comes Jim Carrey as a street performer, who is not a magician, but instead puts his body through sick endurance tests that are just plain gross. As you've guessed, Carrey becomes the more popular act. Carell and Carrey try too hard to be funny, and nobody in the theater was laughing. Wait for cable.
2 stars
Really dumb, and not that funny. Dave Carell stars as the title character, who along with Steve Buscemi, perform in Las Vegas still using the same old tired magic show. Along comes Jim Carrey as a street performer, who is not a magician, but instead puts his body through sick endurance tests that are just plain gross. As you've guessed, Carrey becomes the more popular act. Carell and Carrey try too hard to be funny, and nobody in the theater was laughing. Wait for cable.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Oz, The Great and Powerful
Fantasy
3.5 stars
Visually stunning but slow. James Franco stars as the title character, in this prequel to The Wizard of Oz; even though the original film was a dream, so maybe this prequel should have ended with a spinning top? Anyway, I loved the little china doll, the monkey was cute, and the three actresses playing the witches were gorgeous and talented (Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz). But the story plodded along, and even the youngsters in the audience were getting restless. The color palette was gorgeous, and the CGI effects were cool, especially when the witches were fighting each other. I won't say which actress becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, but I was disappointed in her transformation which was first a phony CGI shadow - couldn't they have used a real shadow?? - but then her face was simply unrecognizable, like an overly botoxed "Housewife". Why couldn't they just add on a pointy nose and chin like they did in the original with Margaret Hamilton? I honestly couldn't tell if she was wearing facial prosthetics, or if her face was a CGI effect as well? James Franco was a bit annoying too. Overall, it was a cute film, but fell short of its potential.
3.5 stars
Visually stunning but slow. James Franco stars as the title character, in this prequel to The Wizard of Oz; even though the original film was a dream, so maybe this prequel should have ended with a spinning top? Anyway, I loved the little china doll, the monkey was cute, and the three actresses playing the witches were gorgeous and talented (Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz). But the story plodded along, and even the youngsters in the audience were getting restless. The color palette was gorgeous, and the CGI effects were cool, especially when the witches were fighting each other. I won't say which actress becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, but I was disappointed in her transformation which was first a phony CGI shadow - couldn't they have used a real shadow?? - but then her face was simply unrecognizable, like an overly botoxed "Housewife". Why couldn't they just add on a pointy nose and chin like they did in the original with Margaret Hamilton? I honestly couldn't tell if she was wearing facial prosthetics, or if her face was a CGI effect as well? James Franco was a bit annoying too. Overall, it was a cute film, but fell short of its potential.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Jack the Giant Slayer
Fantasy, Action
4.5 stars
Loved it! Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies) stars as the title character, who climbs the beanstalk to save a beautiful princess, played by Eleanor Tomlinson. Ewan McGregor co-stars as the noble prince, Ian McShane as the king, and the always fun Stanley Tucci as an opportunist. The big, disgusting giants were great; my favorite was the chef. Fun CGI effects. I didn't see the 3D version, but Jim and I think it would probably be worthwhile. Jim loved it too. Fun movie, maybe a little too violent for youngsters.
4.5 stars
Loved it! Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies) stars as the title character, who climbs the beanstalk to save a beautiful princess, played by Eleanor Tomlinson. Ewan McGregor co-stars as the noble prince, Ian McShane as the king, and the always fun Stanley Tucci as an opportunist. The big, disgusting giants were great; my favorite was the chef. Fun CGI effects. I didn't see the 3D version, but Jim and I think it would probably be worthwhile. Jim loved it too. Fun movie, maybe a little too violent for youngsters.
A Good Day to Die Hard
Action, Comedy
3.5 stars
Jim liked it. Bruce Willis goes to Russia when he learns his son (Jai Courtney; Jack Reacher) is on trial for attempted murder, which leads to a much bigger conspiracy story. Honestly, I thought the first action sequence was dumb and unnecessary. I know action movies are all about mindless explosions, chases and shoot'em-ups, but Bruce jumping into a truck and endangering how many innocent lives because he wasn't finished talking to his son just seemed really dumb to me, even though I get the humor of it. I just didn't like it as much as previous Die Hard films, and thought Courtney was the wrong choice for Willis's son. I would have preferred an actor with the same "everyman" sense of humor as Willis. Anyway, Jim loved it.
3.5 stars
Jim liked it. Bruce Willis goes to Russia when he learns his son (Jai Courtney; Jack Reacher) is on trial for attempted murder, which leads to a much bigger conspiracy story. Honestly, I thought the first action sequence was dumb and unnecessary. I know action movies are all about mindless explosions, chases and shoot'em-ups, but Bruce jumping into a truck and endangering how many innocent lives because he wasn't finished talking to his son just seemed really dumb to me, even though I get the humor of it. I just didn't like it as much as previous Die Hard films, and thought Courtney was the wrong choice for Willis's son. I would have preferred an actor with the same "everyman" sense of humor as Willis. Anyway, Jim loved it.
Zero Dark Thirty
True Story, Action
4.5 stars
Excellent, gritty film with lots of hard to watch torture scenes. The ever talented Jessica Chastain stars as the woman who dedicated 12 years of her life to tracking down Osama Bin Laden. Jason Clark plays the CIA agent/chief torturer of terrorists. You know the story, and while torture scenes are controversial, it sure seemed plausible to me that the torture was necessary. Though I'm sure the woman Chastain's character is based on must maintain some anonymity as a CIA agent, it would have been helpful to have known just a little more about her, to understand her better. Otherwise, very well done.
4.5 stars
Excellent, gritty film with lots of hard to watch torture scenes. The ever talented Jessica Chastain stars as the woman who dedicated 12 years of her life to tracking down Osama Bin Laden. Jason Clark plays the CIA agent/chief torturer of terrorists. You know the story, and while torture scenes are controversial, it sure seemed plausible to me that the torture was necessary. Though I'm sure the woman Chastain's character is based on must maintain some anonymity as a CIA agent, it would have been helpful to have known just a little more about her, to understand her better. Otherwise, very well done.
Beautiful Creatures
Sci-Fi, Teen Romance
3 stars
Decent flick about a powerful teenage witch (Alice Englert) who falls for a human (Alden Ehrenreich) to the dismay of her family. Her family members include Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons and Emmy Rossum. Viola Davis also co-stars as someone with secrets of her own. This film is more geared toward Twilight fans, only with better actors. However, the story wasn't quite as layered as the Twilight series. Ehrenreich seems an odd choice for the romantic lead, but his charm wins you over. Only for fans of this genre.
3 stars
Decent flick about a powerful teenage witch (Alice Englert) who falls for a human (Alden Ehrenreich) to the dismay of her family. Her family members include Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons and Emmy Rossum. Viola Davis also co-stars as someone with secrets of her own. This film is more geared toward Twilight fans, only with better actors. However, the story wasn't quite as layered as the Twilight series. Ehrenreich seems an odd choice for the romantic lead, but his charm wins you over. Only for fans of this genre.
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