The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

ATTENTION:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!! 

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

March 16 2013

My opinion:

2.5  out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

2  out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my personal entertainment

My suggestion:   DVD

The gist:   Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton are superstar magicians headlining for Bally’s in Las Vegas.  They are hugely successful until a rival magician named Steve Gray begins performing his innovative act drawing away fans.  In a last desperate hope to revive their stale careers, Wonderstone and Marvelton concoct a scheme to show that they can still entertain.  The life-long friends soon lose everything including their friendship and must try to put it back together.

My Take:

This movie was like watching one long SNL skit.  It was entertaining for a while, but the problem is that it went from moderately funny, to annoying about half way through.  Steve Carrell played Burt Wonderstone and he was fine.  Steve Buscemi played Anton Marvelton and he was fine.  The best character of the film was by far Steve Gray played by Jim Carrey.  His character seemed to be loosely based on Criss Angel (think Mindfreak) and his act was called Brain Rape.  He was great, but even he couldn’t salvage this film.  The other notable performance was given by Alan Arkin who plays Rance Holloway, an elderly magician who inspired Wonderstone to become a magician.  As usually he was interesting to watch and brings an unspoken humor to his character. 

The whole thing is totally predictable and there were not enough funny moments to keep me interested in what was going to happen.  I really didn’t care if the two became friends again or revived their act.   All I really cared about was what Jim Carrey’s character was going to perform to outdo himself in his final performance and even that was a bit stale.

I can see how some viewers might enjoy this film especially if they like comedies and are Steve Carrell fans.  I think the idea for this film could have been really great, it just couldn’t break through the stupid barrier to get to the hilariousness I was wanting!  It was funny….in parts….but not enough for an entire film.  

Gangster Squad

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Gangster Squad

January 20, 2013

3.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  Theatre or DVD

The Gist:  This film is set in Los Angeles in 1949.  Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) puts together a secret crew of police officers working outside the law to bring down mob boss Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) who is sick with power and set on taking over all of the city’s criminal activities.  The lines between legal and illegal are blurred, as things get dirty and the squad cuts into Mickey’s profits in a major way.    

My take:

Talk about an incredible cast!  Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling (one of my personal favorites) and Emma Stone.  Doesn’t get much more Hollywood then that!  With a powerhouse cast like that I think the expectations for this movie were high!  A little too high!  I must admit I was a bit shocked by all the BAD reviews on this film AND for all the praise of Sean Penn’s performance. 

The downfall of this film was two-fold, first and surprisingly, was Sean Penn’s performance as mob boss Mickey Cohen.  On paper and in the trailers he seems perfect for the role, but for some reason it just didn’t work for me.  The only thing I could put my finger on was that I think he over acted the role.  His painfully slow and slurred speech, along with his overly surly attitude just played off as fake.  Secondly, was the fact that there was really nothing different about this film than any other gangster film out there.  If you are looking for something entertaining this will work, if you are looking for something new and exciting this doesn’t quite fit the bill.  That is why I feel the reviews have been so negative.  

For my part, I liked it.  Sure it had a bit of a been there done that feel, but there is plenty of action and a few overly gruesome kill scenes which kept it entertaining.  Once the action picked up it was easy to get into the film.  I loved the depth to most of the characters and I felt I got to know and care about what happened to each one of them.  If you like action films with a gangster-type feel then I predict you will enjoy this movie as much as I did.

And the Globe goes to......

And the Globe Goes to……..

With the People’s Choice awards tomorrow and the Golden Globes on Sunday I figured I better get some of my pick’s out there.  I am only going to pick my fav’s on a few of the most important categories.  As I looked through the list I felt it was important to note that I have not seen The Life of PI or Zero Dark Thirty yet.  (both are on my list so hopefully I can see them before the Oscar’s)

In the list below, the first will be my prediction of who/what I think will probably win and then the second will be my choice of who/what I want to win.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

My Prediction – Lincoln

My Choice – Argo

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

My Prediction – Les Miserables

My Choice -  Moonrise Kingdom

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE COMEDY OR MUSICAL

My Prediction – Hugh Jackman

My Choice – Hugh Jackman

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

My Prediction – Daniel Day Lewis

My Choice – Daniel Day Lewis

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

My Prediction – Jessica Chastain

My Choice – Helen Mirren

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE  COMEDY OR MUSICAL

My Prediction – Jennifer Lawrence

My Choice – Judi Dench

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

My Prediction – Anne Hathaway

My Choice – Anne Hathaway

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

My Prediction – Tommy Lee Jones

My Choice – I would LOVE to see any of these amazing actors win.  This was the toughest category for me as I truly thought that each of these actors outperformed their leads.  As I looked back at my blog entries for the films in almost every case I enjoyed these actors’ performances tremendously!  There was someone left off this list in my opinion and that was Javier Bardem for his supporting role in Skyfall. 

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURES

My Prediction – Steven Spielberg

My Choice – Ben Affleck

It is going to be a great awards season.  I can hardly wait!  I am not sure what will happen but it is fun to guess J

Django Unchained

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Django Unchained

January 2, 2013

3.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4.5 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  Theater

The Gist:  Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed this western film about revenge, vengeance and the lengths a person will go to get it.  When a bounty hunter frees a slave to assist him in capturing a gang of brothers wanted for reward they form a partnership of sorts.  Once the task is complete, the bounty hunter makes a deal with the slave to help him free his enslaved wife from the hands of a plantation owner. 

My take:

Wow…wow…wow!  I loved this movie.  The acting and story were both captivating and fascinating.  I am a huge Quentin Tarantino film lover and it definitely met my expectations and then some.  I will start off by talking a little about the movie itself and then get into the actors performances. 

This is a Tarantino film so going into it you need to expect to hear language (the n-word was used to the point of oblivion), see graphic detailed squirting blood kill scenes (brains, blood, bowels, nothing is off limits to this guy) and some very gut wrenching, cringe worthy moments.  If you are a Tarantino fan you will get it, if not, than prepare to be shocked.  The film was long, a bit too long in my opinion.  I had heard that they were considering making the movie a 2 part film which it easily could have been, but I believe they made the right decision to keep it all intact as one.   It is still too long which didn’t bother me that much, but it could be overkill for some.  There were several scenes that could have been eliminated without taking away from the film itself.  Such as, the KKK scene with Jonah Hill.  I didn’t mind it, but thought it was a waste of the movies time.  On a positive note, I was captivated by the story of a slave trying to free his beloved wife and his sheer bravery to do whatever it took to free her.  This movie has everything, a love story, an evil villain, a hero to cheer for, a loveable and smart sidekick, a disgusting but amusing band of bad guys and good guys all with interesting personalities and characteristics.  Sometimes it is hard to tell the good guys from the bad.  Very few writers can tell a story like Tarantino.  He can take a simple concept and expand it by adding his vision and details and it comes out as a work of genius.  This is one of his best films since Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2.  It is no Pulp Fiction, but it’s not far behind. 

The acting was spectacular.  Jamie Foxx who plays Django, the freed slave doesn’t miss a mark.  You are instantly in his corner and routing for him.  He is the most humble, bad-ass ever!  You could feel his pain and need to rescue his wife and seek revenge on those who had wronged him.  Christoph Waltz plays Dr. King Shultz, an ex-dentist turned bounty hunter who frees Django and partners up with him.  He is such an amazing actor and he adds a smart, wit to the film that is extremely enjoyable.  Samuel L. Jackson (love seeing him in another Tarantino film BTW) was great.  So good!  He plays the head house slave to Calvin Candie.  His character is quickly loved and hated up until the end.  No one is better at delivering powerful lines them him.  Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of the best performances of his career.  He plays an evil plantation owner who deals in slave fighting.  I loved seeing him in this bad guy role.  He was easy to hate after the first few scenes and he never let up.  He portrayed enough arrogance in him to fill his entire plantation in Mississippi.  Bravo to the cast for an excellent job.  It will be interesting to see what Oscar thinks of this film and cast.  

This is 40

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

This is 40

December 2012

3 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  DVD

The Gist:  Mike and Debbie are a married couple with 2 girls, careers and a beautiful home but their lives are about to go into major shock as they prepare to turn 40.  All sorts of chaos ensues leading to some drastic, ill-conceived changes to their lives. 

My take:

I liked this movie, because let’s face it….I am pretty much their target audience.  (I am 38 with a husband and 2 children)  There were countless moments in the movie when I said to myself, oh yeah, that seems about right.  The characters were all so interesting and crazy.  One important question to ask yourself before seeing this film is…….Do you like the f-bomb?  If you do, then this movie is definitely for you!! 

All joking aside, I enjoyed the movie and although I wasn’t laughing out loud the entire time, the conversations and relationships were interesting to watch unravel.  There was a ton of dialogue between the main characters Debbie and Mike, most of which is very enjoyable.  There are some cringe worthy moments and some very tacky scenes, but for the most part is works as a mid-life crisis adult comedy.

Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann have great chemistry together and they seem to understand how to engage the audience with their outlandish comments towards each other.  Megan Fox plays an employee at Debbie’s store and she is in her typical young, hot, SEXY role.  Pretty perfect for her.  Jason Segal plays a cheesy and sleazy personal trainer which is perfect for him as well.   The cast is great and really works for this type of film.

Overall I laughed, I cringed, I shook my head, and I empathized so it was enjoyable to me.  I am not sure the older crowd, or younger crowd would appreciate the story line.  This is 40 is perfect for us soon to be forty somethings. 

Jack Reacher

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Jack Reacher

December 2012

3 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

3 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  DVD

The Gist:  This film is an adaptation from the novel “One Shot” by Lee Child.  After 5 random people are shot the police arrest an ex-military sniper who claims his innocence and asks them to call in “Jack Reacher”.   Jack Reacher is an ex-army policeman who sees a report on the news about the shooting and makes his way to investigate the case for himself.  He teams up with the defense attorney to find out the details of the shooting and prove the accused guilt or innocence. 

My take:

I have not read any of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, but I am told that in the books Jack Reacher is 6’5” tall with blonde hair.  The casting director for the film must have known this and decided to look for the exact opposite when he/she cast Cruise.  If I had been an avid fan of the books I think this would have bothered me.  I am not sure what age Reacher portrays in the books, but Tom Cruise is a DAMN fine looking 50 year old so they can slide on that one. 

I was so excited for this movie, and had such GREAT hopes after watching the previews.  Maybe I built it up in my mind to be another Mission Impossible/Bourne type movie and it didn’t follow through in those respects.  I wanted to really know who Jack Reacher is and this film didn’t clear things up for me at all.  If anything it just confused me.  One of the tag lines for the movies is “the law has limits, he does not”.  I wanted that kind of grit and hard core element to the movie that just wasn’t there.  Reacher’s character was definitely a tough guy, and highly intelligent, along with being good looking, but let’s face it, every action movie hero has those things in today’s films.  He was very Ethan Hunt to me, which is a good thing and a bad thing.  See, I was just confused.  Cruise’s acting was good, he plays this type of character well (he should after playing it for so many years in the Mission Impossible franchise).  I wanted more and didn’t get it.

There are some things I did like about the movie.  The entire first ½ hour of the film is non-stop and thrilling to watch.  It kept me guessing which I really enjoyed.  I also liked how the story played out and the conclusion of the film.  Adding Robert Duvall as a shooting range owner and part vigilante was brilliant.  He was my favorite character in the movie.  I loved the scene where the police decide they need to find Jack Reacher and he walks up and introduces himself to them.  One of the great moments in the film for sure.

It can be difficult to adapt a novel of a beloved character into a film.  In books you have 300 plus pages to explain in depth the different characters and plot points.  I think they were reaching (no pun intended) with this film and it lacked that extra push to get the audience to truly love Jack Reacher.  If you like a good action flick that will keep you guessing but not get you too involved with the characters then this film is for you!

Hitchcock

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Hitchcock

December 2012

4 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4.5 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  DVD or Theatre

The Gist:  This is the story of Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma as they go through the process of making the movie Psycho in 1959.  Alfred is determined to get the movie made and produced despite the negative opinions from friends and fellow Hollywood veterans.  Through the course of making the movie Alfred becomes obsessed with everything involved with Psycho.  As Alma drifts away from the film, Alfred becomes overly agitated with her.

My take:

I really liked this movie a lot.  I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had read mixed reviews from the critics (some good, but mostly mediocre or bad).   I have not seen the movie Psycho, although I am familiar with the infamous shower scene.  I was worried that this might ruin the movie for me, but instead it made me want to go and rent Psycho.  There were a few slow parts throughout the film, but the charisma of the actors made up for those lulls.

With regards to the actors, I thought that Anthony Hopkins was incredible.  He was captivating as he always is in his roles and I couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do next.  I will be hoping to see his name on the list of best actor nominees.  Helen Mirren was wonderful as Alma Reville.  She is spunky and beautiful and plays her role as the woman behind the GREAT man very well.  Toni Collette plays the role of Peggy Robertson, Hitchcock’s assistant and she is great.  She brought a great energy to the movie I loved.  I thought Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel and the rest of the cast were very good too, but their roles were just not big enough to compete with Hopkins or Mirren’s characters. 

Overall, this film was very enjoyable.  I loved the history of the making of the movie Psycho and also an interesting view point into the twisted mind of Alfred Hitchcock.  The film was a bit slow in spots which I found to be one of the major downfalls.  The momentum of the film seems to stop and start several times which can be a bit tiresome.