This Means War

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

This Means War

February 18 2012

Now that Valentine’s Day is over, it’s time for a little rom-com! I adore Reese Witherspoon and love her movies so I was looking forward to seeing this one. It got some unfavorable reviews, but I like to make up my own mind about a movie so I decided to give it a shot! I don’t always agree with the reviewers…..I know big shock!

My opinion:

3.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My suggestion: Would be a good rental or a great date night movie in the theatre

The gist: Two best friends and CIA agents, FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy) unintentionally start dating the same woman, Lauren (Reese Witherspoon). Once they discover this they wage an all-out war against one another to win Lauren’s love. What follows is a full scale operation to sabotage the others chances with Lauren.

I really liked this movie. Sure it was a little cheesy and the plot line was beyond simple but that is what was so enjoyable about the film. If I could have one complaint it would be this…..please don’t show us 90% of the comical scenes in the previews!! Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are great together. They start out as best friends almost like brothers and end up as rivals and full on enemies as they try to get Lauren to choose one over the other. Just when you think they have gone too far, the other steps in to up the ante.

Reese Witherspoon started out as adorable and cutesy (like most of her roles) and then quickly turned into a fast talking, sexy, no nonsense kinda woman. I have to admit, I really loved her in this role. She is one hot babe! Her trash talking, best friend, Trish (Chelsea Handler) added some truly laugh out loud moments and the movie wouldn’t have been the same without her!

Another thing I really liked about this movie is that Lauren does finally end up choosing one of the guys over the other (I won’t spoil it by saying who) but it wasn’t who I thought she would pick.

I didn’t realize until the end of the movie that it was directed by McG. I absolutely adored The OC so enough said there!

Overall, I think most people would like this movie. It does what many other movies out today fail at and that is simply to entertain the audience. If you like Reese Witherspoon and the guys you will be happy and thoroughly entertained!

Safe House

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

Safe House

February 11 2012

I was ready for a good action flick after taking 2 weeks off from movies! It was not intentional, I just didn’t have a chance to get to the theatre.

My opinion:

3.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My suggestion: Go to the theatre, won’t be the same at home

The gist: A young CIA rookie played by Ryan Reynolds runs a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. There is very little activity in this safe house until one night a rogue CIA agent, played by Denzel Washington is brought in. The safe house is attacked and Ryan Reynolds character is forced to follow protocol and get Denzel Washington’s character to a safe location. What follows is a constant chase plotline and questions about who attacked the safe house and why.

There are very few actors that can convey a look of sheer intimidation as well as Denzel Washington. He is definitely the smartest person in the room and you know it within the first 2 minutes of him being brought into the safe house. All I can say is…..this is the type of role I love for him!! Ryan Reynolds is good, not the greatest actor in the world, but beautiful to look at and he is great in this role as a newbie agent trying to follow protocol at every turn. There was an underlying intelligence to his character that makes for some very pithy dialogue between him and Washington’s character.

This movie has some very predictable plot lines (you can basically guess who the real bad guy is going to be at the beginning of the movie). There were some great action scenes, a lot of gunfire and car chases, along with some very realistic fight scenes. Another very predictable story line is that Denzel Washington basically blurs the lines between good guy/bad guy. This movie is VERY entertaining and enjoyable. It was well worth going to the theatre to see.

Margin Call

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

Margin Call

January 29 2012

It is a rare treat that I get to see two movies in one weekend. This movie I watched on DVD with my hubby.

My opinion:

2.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My suggestion: Watch on DVD

The gist: Margin Call is a movie about an investment bank that is downsizing. One of the people fired was working on a risk assessment of the firm’s current financial situation . He hands his work off to his young college who spends all night crunching numbers only to find out that the firm is headed for serious financial disaster. Late in to the night, the upper management team is called in and then finally the board of directors. What follows is a plan to get the company out of this disaster using whatever means necessary. Long into the night, the board of directors decides to save the companies skin, no matter what ethical boundaries they cross.

I had incredibly high hopes for this movie for a few reasons: 1) because of the amazing cast and 2) because of my interest in the subject matter (I love movies about the stock market and financial crisis). I thought one of the problems with this movie was that the story line kept going and going and going and seemed to be missing cohesiveness to it. There were so many characters in the movie to keep track of, but I didn’t feel like I really got to know any of them. And because the depth of the characters was so poor, I just didn’t really care what happened to them.

There were, however, some very memorable performances specifically by Kevin Spacy and Stanley Tucci. Both amazing actors and perfect in their roles. These were two of the characters that were built up in the movie which was definitely one of the highlights.

At the end of the day (to use a banking term) the story line fell flat and I was disappointed because there were so many other interesting directions they could have taken the film but they didn’t!! Too bad!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

January 28 2012

This movie was nominated for 2 Oscars including best picture so I was very excited to see it. I try to see as many of the nominated movies before awards season.

My opinion:

4.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My suggestion: try to get to the theatre

The gist: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a movie about a young boy, Oskar, and his relationship with his father. His father dies suddenly during the 9/11 attacks and Oskar is left in a very confusing and heart wrenching state of grief over his death. Oskar accidentally finds a key in a blue vase in his father’s closet exactly one year after his passing and decides it is a clue left intentionally by his father. Oskar embarks on a detailed search to find the lock the key belongs to and in turn he hopes to feel closer to his father by completing his final treasure hunt. In the meantime, his Mom is trying to cope with her own grief, while being there for her son. There is a strange older man living across the street with Oskar’s Grandmother who becomes Oskar’s confidant. Although, Oskar doesn’t find exactly what he is looking for at the end of his journey, he realizes how incredible the journey was and reconnects with his mother.

I absolutely LOVED this movie. It was the perfect mix of tears mixed with humor. The young boy who played Oskar, Thomas Horn is wonderful in the role. From the beginning you can see that Oskar is not your typical child (it appears that he has some form of autism) and that his Dad is really the only one who can communicate with Oskar on a level that he can understand. When Oskar’s father is killed during the 9/11 attacks it is one of the most heart wrenching moments in the film. What makes it even more so is that Oskar takes on the burden of keeping a secret from everyone about the day his father was killed.

Oskar is also close with his Grandmother who lives in the building across the street and he notices that there is a strange older man living there. As the story unfolds, Oskar meets this man, played flawlessly by Max von Sydow. He is a mute who writes out all his thoughts and responses on paper. Oskar begins to confide in this older man and they become unlikely allies and friends.

This movie will touch your heart and soul and make you grateful for your family. I went home immediately and hugged my husband after this movie. If you don’t have time to see this in the theatre, it is a definite must for a DVD movie night.

Haywire

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

Haywire

January 21 2012

Another perfect day for an action flick!

My opinion:

3.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My suggestion: Wait for the DVD

The gist: This movie is about an assassin for hire, Mallory, who gets double crossed by…..well…….basically everyone. She is an ex-marine with fearsome combat skills. She is contracted along with 3 other team members to rescue a hostage. The person she works for soon contracts her again and things start to unravel as the hostage she helped to rescue ends up dead and she has been framed for murder. She kicks some major butt and gets her revenge on those who betrayed her.

I wanted to love this film as I have been waiting for a good woman kicking butt movie since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I did really enjoy it, but I just didn’t LOVE it. First off, I will say that the star, Gina Carano, was absolutely amazing. She is beautiful in some scenes (reminded me a little of Rachel Bilson) and is also plain in some scenes which helped turn her into a TOTAL bad ass!

Cheers to Steven Soderberg for going outside the box and making a different type of movie then he normally does. This is no Ocean’s Eleven! The fight scenes were all shot in a very raw setting without music or fillers. As a viewer you could tell you were seeing some real ass kicking action! I also loved the super-hero-ish type music playing while she is being chased by the bad guys.

It was great to have Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor and Antonio Banderas in this flick. I really enjoy all of them as actors and they were spot on in their roles. I also enjoyed Channing Tatum….YUMMMMMM! Bill Paxton had a small role as Mallory’s father and he very good as well.

The reason for my lower opinion on the film is because it is a little short and it takes a while to get going and the character building falls flat. If you are going to have all those amazing actors in a film, I would like to get to know at least a few of them before the movie ends. On a positive note, throughout the movie you can’t seem to peel your eyes away from Mallory!

Contraband

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!! DON’T READ THIS IF YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO THE THEATRE TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!

Contraband

January 14 2012

Today was COLD and rainy so it was the perfect time to take in an action flick and drool over Mark Wahlberg. The previews before the movie started were awesome. There was a new trailer that I had never seen for The Hunger Games and a great Haywire trailer too…..can’t wait to see both of those.

My opinion:

3.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My suggestion: Go to the theatre it won’t be the same on DVD

The gist: This movie is about an ex-smuggler, Chris Farraday, played by Mark Wahlberg. Chris has gone legit and is self-employed installing home security systems. Although he has been out of the smuggling game for a while he gets sucked back in when a deal his brother in law is involved in goes very wrong. After this his brother in law’s life is in danger unless he can pay back the fearsome Tim Briggs (played by Giovanni Ribisi). Chris strikes a deal with Briggs to smuggle in some funny money and fully pay him back to get his brother in law’s name cleared. He sets sail on a ship to Panama where he uses his influence to procure a crew and uses his knowledge of the game to get out of some life threatening situations. Meanwhile, back home his wife and kids lives are threatened by Briggs and she seeks shelter with Chris’ best friend who is also an ex-smuggler. This movie is full of fast paced fighting, a double cross, a wife in danger and everything that makes a great action flick!

I really enjoyed this movie. There was so much to love, the gorgeous Mark Wahlberg for one and the always creepy Giovanni Ribisi for another. These two were perfect in their roles. No one plays a better bad boy turned good then Mark Wahlberg. He has really kept in shape in his middle age! Giovanni Ribisi has certainly found his calling as a threatening bully of a criminal. He is just ruthless enough to make us believe he is a little bat shit crazy. I also cannot overlook Ben Foster. He is also one of those actors that can send chills down your spine as kind of a creepy character. (see him in Alpha Dog and you will see what I mean!) He plays Chris Farraday’s best friend and ex-smuggling buddy. It is clear from the beginning that they are as close as brothers. His transformation from good guy to not so good guy is totally predictable, but he made the conflicting emotions just believable enough which saved the whole plot line. While we are on the subject of the cast, Kate Beckinsale played Chris’ wife and she was just okay. I think she is beautiful and I don’t prefer her in roles where she has to be somewhat gritty. I like the Pearl Harbor Kate better!

I love a good action flick and this one certainly delivered. There was a HUGE car chase/shoot out in Panama along with a crashing boat. Although the plot is pretty predictable it still had enough interesting elements to make it enjoyable and set it apart from every other action movie out there right now. The end of the movie is great, just the right amount of revenge and good luck to make you smile!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!! DON’T READ THIS IF YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO THE THEATRE TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

January 7 2012

My first movie of the New Year!

My opinion:

3.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

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

My suggestion: Wait for the DVD

The gist: This movie takes place in the early 1970’s during the cold war. Control, the alias for the head of the British Intelligence, resigns following an operation to expose a mole in his agency that goes very wrong. The agent he assigned to the mission is shot and taken as prisoner in Budapest. Smiley, a top agent (Gary Oldman) is also forced into retirement but he begins to investigate the story of a possible mole in the agency. As he digs deeper using information he obtains covertly he finds the missing agent that was shot in Budapest and begins to unravel a plot involving 4 of the top men in the agency. One of them is the mole and Smiley sets up a brilliant trap to catch the mole in the act. In the end, Smiley is reappointed as head of the agency, and the mole gets what he deserves.

The best part of this movie is the casting. All the characters are perfectly cast and Gary Oldman absolutely steals the show. His performance is incredible!! I love the way this movie was filmed, you really felt like you are being transported back to the 1970’s. The haircuts and clothing are RAD!! The name of the movie, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, also plays into the plot very well.

The first 45 minutes of the movie is VERY slow and intense. It gets much more interesting once you start finding out more details surrounding the mole and the agent that was taken prisoner in Budapest. I see tons of movies and consider myself very skilled at reading plot lines and finding the hidden details in a film, but this one was a bit of a head scratcher for me. There were so many characters to keep track of and after a time they all begin to blend together. I also lost track of the good guys and the bad guys and even now I am sure I got them all right. The meticulous information surrounding the search for the mole is somewhat exhausting.

What pissed me off about this movie is you literally sit through over an hour and a half of vital plot information and the introduction of character after character only to lead you to an underwhelming conclusion. The mole ends up being exactly who you thought it was going to be and there is no side plot. That is it. You find the mole the mystery is solved. There is one problem with this, however, we as movie goers today expect a little more than an ending that we guessed half way through the film. I am all fine and good with guessing an ending of a film, as long as I didn’t have to endure over an hour of material leading up to the conclusion. I wish there would have been more of a surprise at the ending and that is why I suggested the wait for DVD on this. If you like Gary Oldman, then I would definitely go to the theatre……if you are one of his fans; his performance alone is worth the price of admission.