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.
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