Silver Linings Handbook

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Silver Linings Playbook

December 2, 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:  Theatre or DVD

The gist:  Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) moves back in with his parents after spending time in a mental institution.  He is determined to reunite with his wife by staying positive and showing that he has rebuilding his life.  Along this journey he meets a woman named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who has mental issues of her own.   What follows is an interesting relationship between the two.  Pat’s father , Pat Sr. desperately want him to focus on himself and their family obsession (Philadelphia Eagles football). 

My take:

I loved this movie.  One of the reasons is because everyone in this movie was an INTERESTING character and it poked fun at the fact that all of us are a little bit crazy.   In order to make a subject matter as real as this work, there has to be an element of comedy relief.  There were many laugh out loud moments mostly provided by Cooper and his strange conversations with Lawrence, DeNiro and Tucker. 

In my opinion the acting was very solid, both Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence gave good performances and brought a lot of depth to their characters.  Chris Tucker plays Danny, another institutioned patient and friend of Pat’s and he is absolutely hilarious.  The shining star of the movie was Robert DeNiro in his role as Pat Sr.  He gave a very real and heart felt performance of a father who doesn’t know how to bond or even talk to his troubled son.  You can’t decide whether you love his character or hate it until you realize he is just doing the best he can.

This movie put a real smile to my face and it also warmed my heart.  It is a must see for this Oscar season.  I am not sure about the actors nominations except that DeNiro should definitely be considered but I wouldn’t put it past TWC to pull off another win this year for best movie.  We’ll have to see how the cards fall.

Lincoln

Lincoln

November 23, 2012

4 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My Suggestion:  DVD

The gist:  This is the story of President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.  He is caught between trying to negotiate a peace agreement to end the war and trying to pass a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery.  He is torn between the two as he knows it is an impossibility to have both. 

My take:

I want to start off talking about my favorite part of this film and that was the acting.  I am guessing there will be at least 3 Oscar nominations for Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field who were all incredible.  Daniel Day-Lewis portrays Abraham Lincoln as a shrewd leader full of charisma.  I enjoyed his performance a lot but not as much as I enjoyed Tommy Lee Jones portrayal of Thaddeus Stevens.  I found myself smiling every time Jones’ character was on screen.  He embodies grumpy old man and it really works.  Sally Field was inspired as Mary Lincoln and her performance brought a real truthfulness to the movie.  There were several other notable performances including:  David Strathairn as William Seward and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Robert Lincoln and Gulliver McGrath as Tad Lincoln.  All gave great performances.

I enjoyed the character building in the first half of the film, we really got to know all the main players and their loyalties.  I was enjoying the performances so much but then something happened about an hour and a half into the film, it started to drag on and on.  Okay we get it, Lincoln is witty and full of personality and stories.  He is a genuinely good person with a true passion for the country.  We didn’t need 150 minutes to figure that out.  I love Stephen Spielberg, but what is it with the 2 ½ hour movies??  The movie centers around the civil war, but we didn’t see any war.  In my opinion a little action may have saved this film.  If you are someone who enjoys action movies, this film may not be for you.  If you like long, drawn out period pieces…..go for it!  In my opinion the acting was superb but the film was lacking something important.   

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

The Twilight Saga:  Breaking Dawn Part 2

November 18, 2012

2.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My Suggestion:  DVD

The gist:  Bella begins exploring her new world as a mother to Renesmee and as a vampire.  She enjoys her new family and new powers, but when it becomes threatened by the Volturi she must take action to save her daughter.  The Cullen’s began rallying their vampire allies to convince the Volturi that Renesmee is part human and part vampire and therefore not a threat to their power.  Jacob, who imprints on Renesmee, also rallies the wolves to fight to protect her.

My take:

I will start off by saying I am a HUGE Twilight fan; I have read all the books and seen all the movies.  Some of the books I liked more than others and that is also the case with the movies.  This movie was alright.  I really enjoyed the first half hour of this film and the last half hour but the rest was a jumbled mess.  The beginning when Bella is learning about being a vampire and bonding with her daughter was great.  The ending scenes with the battle with the Volturi is great too, l love the twist they added.  At the very end of the film they played a recap of the past films and Bella and Edward’s love story which was also wonderful.  The sucky part was the middle (which unfortunately takes up most of the movie).  Once the Cullen’s discover the threat posed by the Volturi they began rallying their vampire friends together to stand with them.  There is a mish mosh of vampires who come from all different countries.  The problem is we don’t get to know or care about any of them deeply and after a while it becomes a parade of new vampires that gets boring.  I realize this was all building up to the final battle but it was uninteresting.  There also wasn’t much in the movie about the wolves and I found that I missed Jacob’s presence throughout the film.

The acting was as it always is, although I thought that Kristen Stewart did a great job as the confident, beautiful, vampire Bella.  Robert Pattinson was great and gorgeous!  The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable as far as acting is concerned.

I am not sure the general public will like this film as much as I did and like I said, I thought it was just alright.  I would watch the last half hour again if given the chance, but wouldn’t want to sit through the rest of the film to get to the good stuff.

Skyfall

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Skyfall

November 17, 2012

4.5 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:  Theatre

The gist:  Bond is back and this time his mission comes close to costing him the ultimate price, his life.  When his associate takes a shot at their enemy and hits Bond instead he is believed dead.  When M16 and M herself are attacked Bond feels obliged to return to the job to help save the agency and M’s life.  Through his search to find the attacker he meets the villain, Silva, an ex-agent with a personal vendetta against M.  Things become personal and Bond goes on a one man mission to save M’s life before it is too late.

My take:

I absolutely loved this film; it was one of the best Bond movies I have ever seen.  It was on the same level as Casino Royale with the fast paced story line and it also played homage to the older Bond flicks.  My favorite part of the movie was the villain, Silva, he was truly evil!  The acting was wonderful and Daniel Craig outdid himself as the tough, no nonsense 007.  Javier Bardem who plays Silva is incredible.  He is scary and a MONSTER.  There is no one better to play a mad man then him.  I enjoyed the new Q who is played by the young Ben Whishaw and Ralph Fiennes has a great role and I have a feeling we will be seeing more of him in the future Bond films.  The new Bond girls were great, but the true female star of the show was of course Judi Dench.  She brings a hardness to her character that few others could deliver.

There were many tongue in cheek references to vintage Bond films which I enjoyed thoroughly.  (think shaken not stirred, Bond…..James Bond and Astin Martin’s) The car he drives in the last part of the movie is amazing as is Skyfall (don’t want to give too much away so I won’t say exactly what that is.) 

My only complaint about the film is that it was just TOO LONG!!  I love a great action flick but why do so many of them have to be 2 ½ hours long.  There were several scenes that could have been cut to bring the film to the 2 hour mark.  It is a must see for Bond fans and action junkies alike.

Flight

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Flight

November 4, 2012

My Opinion:

4.5 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:   When an airplane flight begins to go terribly wrong, but is miraculously landed by pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) he is quickly regarded as a hero.  The investigation into the crash unveils alcohol in Washington’s blood and he goes from a hero to potentially being accused of manslaughter.   With the hearing looming Washington goes on a downward spiral as he tries to maintain his innocence and weaves a web of lies to protect himself.

My take:

This movie was very different from what I was expecting.  I am not saying that in a bad way, it was just not what I had imagined.  From the previews I envisioned Denzel Washington as a heroic pilot who had made an error in judgment, which lead to his accusations surrounding the plane crash.  BOY was I wrong!  This movie is about addiction and the lies one weaves to cover it up.  As the movie progresses you feel sorry for Washington’s character and also angry.

I have to mention that the plane crash scene was one of the most scary I have ever seen.  I found myself gripping the chair rails next to me and dreading the flight I have to take this coming Friday.  There were a few moments that I had to look away and I was grateful to have a friend there with me.

The cast is wonderful.  Denzel Washington is on the top of his game and comes across with just enough magnetism that you can’t help but kind of like the guy.  He also has a heavy dose of self-loathing which adds to his characters depth.  He is one of the best actors of this generation and it was amazing to see him shine in this role.  John Goodman plays Washington’s best friend, Harling and he adds the perfect amount of hippie, druggie, and humorous moments to keep his character very interesting.  Kelly Reilly who plays the character Nicole gives the performance of a life time.  She is raw and edgy and has us wanting to give her a BIG hug and tell her everything is going to be okay. 

I think that audiences on the whole will definitely love this movie.  The reason I rated it a 4 for myself is that I found the whole thing to be a little too depressing and that wasn’t what I wanted from the movie.  I still highly recommend this movie and wouldn’t be surprised if Washington is up for an Oscar for his amazing performance.   

Argo

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Argo

October 28, 2012

My Opinion:

4.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My Suggestion:  A must for the theatre

The gist:  After the US Embassy in Iran is raided, 6 American diplomats manage to escape to the Canadian Ambassador’s residence.  CIA Agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is tasked with extracting the hostages and returning them safely to US soil.  He devises an intricate plan to pose as an Associate Producer for a fake movie and gives the 6 Americans false identities as his Canadian film crew.  This movie is based on a true story.

My take:

I usually start out discussing the cast, but in this case I have to start with the movie itself.  I was so excited when I read about this movie and put it on my MUST SEE list.  I was even more excited as the positive reviews began flowing in.  This movie is so intense and my heart was pounding the entire second half of the film.  Most Americans already know the story, or part of the story and we know that the operation is a success and the American’s escape Iran alive.  I thought that would partially ruin the film for me, because I already knew the ending, but it just made the process of the extraction all that more interesting.  The pace of the movie gets going and it builds to the final moments at the airport, which to me was one of the best, most intense scenes I have ever seen in a movie. 

The acting was superb.  Ben Affleck plays a rough around the edges, CIA agent who is completely dedicated to his mission.  He will do anything it takes to get these people out alive.  Ben is sporting a beard and mustache and longer hair to fit in with the era of the film.  He still looks quite good to me!  I was impressed with his very real and honest portrayal of the character and I could almost feel his anguish as things began to unravel on his mission.  To me there were two other stand outs in the film and that way John Goodman and Alan Arkin.  Both played Hollywood type’s trying to help Tony Mendez succeed in his plan to make a fake movie.   They both had some great one liners and they made the movie very enjoyable and gave some laughable moments.  Bryan Cranston was great too.  (just like he is in all his roles)

I highly recommend this movie and think it should be seen in the theatre.  My only complaint about the film (and this is minor) is that there were some elements that were not needed.  The audience was already captivated and anticipating the planes take off enough, we didn’t need the chase down the runway with the military militia.  Like I said, a very minor thing, but just a little too far over the edge.

Alex Cross

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Alex Cross

October 21, 2012

My Opinion:

3 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My Suggestion:  dvd

The gist:  Alex Cross, a detective (played by Tyler Perry) is trying to track down a psychopathic killer on a meticulous killing spree in Detroit.  The killer, called the Butcher (played by Matthew Fox) brings torture and pain to a new level for his victims.  When the chase becomes personal, Alex Cross is pushed to his limits to bring the Butcher to justice.

My take:

I am a huge James Patterson fan and have read, and loved every Alex Cross novel.  When I saw the previews for the movie I was so excited because I loved the two prior film adaptations (Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider).  My excitement quickly faded when I saw that Tyler Perry had been cast in the role of Alex Cross.  I just couldn’t picture it.  Morgan Freeman is an amazing actor and even he didn’t live up to my expectations for Alex Cross in the previous movies.  (guess I might have had my sights set too high)!  I went into it with an open mind and I am so glad that I did.

First, I want to discuss the cast.  Tyler Perry was actually quite good as Alex Cross.  He brought a sensitivity and edge to the character that was unexpected.  He managed to make Alex Cross a bad-ass and highly intelligent detective which was great for the movie.  Matthew Fox was absolutely incredible as the psychopath the Butcher of Sligo.  He was beyond believable as a sadistic and brutal killing machine.  I say machine because there were moments in the film that he didn’t seem at all human.  He was also lean, chiseled and tattooed up! He completely stole the show from Perry.  Edward Burns plays Alex’s life-long friend and partner Tommy.  He was fine in the role and very likable.

The film started off at a fast pace, then slowed down for about a half hour, then picked back up and didn’t back off until the end.  As with all the books, the end is never what you think and this movie doesn’t disappoint in that respect.  There were a few parts that were a bit too graphic for my taste but I can see why those parts were there to give the film a raw and brutal feeling.  One of my favorite parts was that Alex Cross actually makes a horrible mistake that costs his team dearly.  This is very reminiscent of the books where he is portrayed as a witty detective who is still human.

The reason that I didn’t give this movie 5 buckets of popcorn is two-fold.  First off, if you aren’t a huge Alex Cross and James Patterson fan most of the movie comes off as your typical cop chases bad guy flick.  There are some gasp-worthy moments but most are due to the brutality of the killer.  The second reason is strictly personal.  Because I am such a fan of the books I wanted things to be a little more like the books.  I understand that changes need to be made to adapt the novel to a movie but some things are golden and should not be messed with such as: 1)  I wish the location would have been in DC instead of Detroit (although there is a nice reference to Alex joining the FBI and moving to DC so that made me happy).  2)  I really missed John Sampson (Cross’ partner in the books)  3)  I wish he would have been driving his old, beat up Porsche.

This is an action paced and enjoyable movie, but with all the other great movies out right now I personally think it would be a great rental.