Movie Night 8/19/2011

The Help August 19^th, 2011

This movie is filled with AMAZING performances. There will be some serious Oscar buzz surrounded at least two of the actors in this film.

I have heard mixed reviews of Emma Stone's character Skeeter. With the material I thought she did a good job showing what it must have been like for a privileged girl in the early 1960's to begin to see what had been going on around her all her life. And since she seems to have her head screwed on straight, unlike a person with the initials LL, I think we will be seeing a lot more from her in the future.

Viola Davis gives one of the most heartfelt performances I think I've ever seen. The full range of human emotion shows through her acting throughout the movie. She will garner Oscar buzz and deserves a nomination and a statue of her own.

Octavia Spencer gives another amazing performance. She can convey many things with her eyebrows alone. This is one of the other performances that should garner some buzz.

Bryce Dallas Howard got the part of the petty shrew and gives this character so many different facets that I was blown away. After things like the Village I didn't know she had this kind of range in her.

Sissy Spacek plays the addled, doddering mother of Bryce's character and has some of the best lines in the whole film, along with being some comedic relief.

Jessica Chastain brings her own southern Marilyn Monroe and does it with a lot of heart. I've never seen her in anything before but remember her name. She'll be back.

The writing is superb. The pacing is wonderfully done, if you listen to the audience the distinctive sound of laughter through tears can be heard as a light moment often follows a dark moment.

I would not be surprised to see The Help along with Sarah's Key nominated a whole bunch of times.

This is a movie that makes you wonder how you would have reacted if you had lived in that time and that place. I found myself wondering what it must have been like to have had no rights and then I realized that although I may have a lot of rights I don't have all of them that the majority of Americans have. It is my hope that someday we will all have the same legal rights and protections and that out society will advance to a place where it matters not what color your skin is, what God you believe in and whom you love.

Super Loser Double Feature Episode 1 8/5/2011

Rise of the Planet of the Apes  August 5^th, 2011

I went into the theater expecting this to be a pretty good movie, but knowing that it was equally as possible to be completely and utterly let down.  The effects were amazing. I will give them that.

James Franco did pretty good, his performance was flat in some places but at least his eyes were open and only occasionally red.

They laid out a decent backstory to the original movies of the 1970's.

Nice to see the kid who played Malfoy playing an American redneck version of the Harry Potter character.

A lot of the moments that the film's makers were going for heart felt come off as forced.

And how are there that many apes in San Francisco? Really? If it had all gone down at a zoo. Maybe but they definitely went overboard on the sheer number of wild animals gaining sentience.

Andy Serkis brings a certain Gollum-esque hatred of humanity, he seemed to create the only fully formed character and he did it without speaking through most of the film.

From my perspective it was well done but could have been even better. Although I have heard from some fans of the originals that they thought it was perfect.

Super Loser Double Feature Episode 2 8/5/2011

Sarah's Key

Have you ever seen a movie that affects you in such a way that you leave the theater and you can't trust your voice? For me most of the time after I see a movie alone I like to go out and socialize or at least have a conversation with another human being, but after this movie I drove home in silence and just let it sink in. I have always been interested in the history of World War Two, but I know little of what occurred in occupied France. I stumbled upon this and could not have been more pleased to have seen it.

I could not give this movie a higher recommendation. This is Oscar material.

Kristen Scott Thomas is wonderful, her performance needs to be recognized in a big way. I have seen her here and there but never really taken notice of her. Going in I couldn't picture her face. She was incredible, her character's demons play out in different parts of the film leaving the viewer with an entire character, the writing played a big part in that but she brought the whole woman to life. I am now a big fan.

Melusine Mayance, the child Sarah, is perfection onscreen. For a kid to handle the subject matter with a touch far older than her years is awe inspiring. Hopefully we will see her again on both sides of the Atlantic.

Charlotte Poutrel, the adult Sarah, charms the viewer through her character's pain. There is a scene set in the 50's where she reminded me of both Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.

I could list everyone in the cast but as I do not own a thesaurus I would quickly run out of superlatives. There were no weak performances.

Everyone in this movie did an amazing job.

The majority of this movie is in French with subtitles. They are not entirely necessary as so much of the power of this film is in the silences, the looks that cross character's faces as they transport us to that moment in time.

The subject matter is heavy, very heavy, but well worth it. The shame of a country shows on the faces of the cast. There is no whitewash painted on the collaboration of France.

The acting in this movie pulls you in and doesn't let you go until well after you have left the theater.

Sarah's Key shows how a movie should be done, everything from the writing to the directing to the acting and everything in between attained a level of perfection in my eyes rarely witnessed before.

This most likely won't be playing at the local multiplex but it is well worth looking for. Go and see this movie.

Movie Night 8/1/2011

Captain America 3D – August 1^st, 2011

This movie was well worth seeing in 3D, despite the $4.00 upcharge. It was right up there with Avatar in the quality of the 3D effects. Also noticed that it did not seem as dark as some of the other 3D offerings of late.

The storyline did need some further tweaking but I understand the rush to get this out in anticipation of next year's Avengers.

The look of Chris Evans as a scrawny little nobody were amazing.  The effect was near perfect.

Stanley Tucci does a great German accent. And comes across as brilliant and kind with just a touch of madness in the corner of his eyes.

Then of course there is the pivotal scene where the scrawny asthmatic becomes taller and much buffer. There were audible sighs from much of the audience as our hero was unveiled in all his new glory.

I also wondered why his khakis did not split a la The Hulk. Something tells me the quality of various offerings from the Gap that I have owned played into that or maybe 1940's khaki was infused with an early version of Spandex.

The movie quickly veers into camp, much of it understandable as they need to set the stage for the characters in their next movie. Makes me wonder why they couldn't give us a 30 minute getting to know the characters reel before the film and then start somewhere better. To devote whole movies educating the non-comic books reading among us seems a little unfair.

Hugo Weaving shows up as the villain and his voice alone makes the part.

I won't give the ending away but it kind of pissed me off.

Movie Night 7/29/2011

Cowboys and Aliens July 29^th, 2011

Aliens, amnesia and Harrison Ford? Did this even sound good on paper?

I was glad this was in 2D as if I had paid the extra $4.00 I would have been angry instead of just disappointed.

Daniel Craig, my favorite British export since Judi Dench, just looked angry through most of the movie. I imagine that if I had alien induced amnesia I would be a little happier defending people I may or may not have just met.

Harrison Ford goes from crotchety landbaron Scrooge to civic minded defender so quickly that I wonder what was slipped into his coffee that morning.

Olivia Wilde is breathtaking to look at but here she is working with a half formed character.

Now to the aliens; these creatures looked like something drawn onto the film, choppy effects did not help. And I wonder why film makers think speed will help the viewer not see the poor quality of some of the effects. It looks just as bad only faster, which in this instance made it worse.

The supporting cast is large and many are well known names and faces. They do their jobs, like the leading cast but the source material doesn't look like it gave them a lot to work with.

If I had a rating scale using Jason heads, scored from 1 Jason to 5 Jasons, this would get half a Jason. 

Movie Night 7/22/2011

Friends with Benefits July 22^nd, 2011

First I must say what a complete joy it is to go and see a date movie by myself. Makes one realize they need to get out a tiny, little bit more.

One of my main reasons for going to see this was my undying love for Patricia Clarkson. Describe her in a three words you ask, classy, brassy and always good for a laugh. Yes, I know the last was a phrase but I'm doing the typing.

Mila Kunis is funny and sexy. The complete opposite of her Family Guy character, Meg. And since I didn't see Black Swan I can only imagine how good she was in that. And for the straight guys and gay girls out there she is in a bra and panties for a lot of this movie. I will say that she's got a great face, one that can express a kaleidoscope of emotion. And she has great timing.

Justin Timberlake has come a long way since being in the mouse ears. He did appears to be suffering from allergies while filming, his eyes were red in a lot of the movie. Red eyes, allergies, do you get the hint? He did show some depth. And for the gay guys and straight girls he is in his boxers a lot.

Casting mistake, Jenna Elfman as his sister. I took me quite a while to get that she wasn't playing his mother, even after it had been spelled out that she was his sister I still sat there asking myself what fresh hell this was.

And again we get to see apartments that these people couldn't possibly be able to afford. Mila Kunis' seemed almost realistic, it was just to big even if she is living in an outer, and I mean way out, borough. Timberlake's crib, do the kids today still call them that?, looked like it is part of the Cipriani complex downtown. I don't really see a magazine, yes, one that is printed on actual paper, springing for that every month.

Woody Harrelson plays the non-stereotypical gay sports editor. I had expected it to be a little one dimensional and over the top but I know guys like that.

On a pseudo-serious note, the movie has good bones and some decent acting. It hits all the right notes without banging on the keys. Leaving the theater I was still smiling, thinking maybe happily ever after can happen and even though I felt like a complete ass for falling for it, it's nice to know my heart can still beat every once in a while. 

Movie Night 7/16/2011

Horrible Bosses July 16^th, 2011

I didn't want to see this movie but my friends, Lisa and George, talked me into it and I am glad they did.

Why didn't I want to see this? I hate Colin Farrell, despise Kevin Spacey and loathe Jennifer Aniston. The good thing is that they all play characters that make it okay to hate them.

Kevin Spacey plays a horrible boss and his role in this movie may have undermined his assistant's chance to publish a Devil Wears Prada type memoir.

Colin Farrell, with the help of prosthetics, shows us what he looks like on the inside.

Jennifer Aniston's eyes sparkle as she gets to play the BAD girl boss. (BAD does really need to be capitalized as she plays to her demented Playboy Bunny side.) I am not sure if her face was Botoxed or prosthetics, I'm hoping for her sake that it was all prosthetics, the plastic Barbie Doll face is not a good look. On anyone.

I have been a fan of Charlie Day since the first episode of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' and he is his bumbling, yet likeable self in this movie.

The trio of Jason Sudekis, Jason Bateman and Charlie Day was casting genius. They work well together and get easy laughs and not all of them were wasted on the heavy promotion this film got leading up to it's release.

The hidden gem for me was Gregory, played by Brian George, the voice of the knock-off OnStar rep. This guy's been around forever and if you listen close you'll realize who he is.

And rounding up the main cast is Jamie Foxx, another person not on the top of my list, playing the type of hit man that I would probably end up with if I ever felt that I needed outside help.