Review - Movie Catch-up - December/January

So over the holidays there were a lot of new movies released, (as there are every year), but Bob & I didn't get out to any of them until after Christmas, and we're still playing catch-up.  But the last few weekends we did make it to a few:

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) * * * * *
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace, and (briefly) Rachel McAdams.
Directed by Guy Ritchie.

From IMDB: "Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his longtime trusted associate, Doctor Watson (Jude Law), take on their arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), with the help of Holmes's older brother Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry) and a gypsy named Sim (Noomi Rapace)."

I absolutely loved the first Sherlock Holmes movie and I think that the pairing and chemistry of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law is absolutely magical.  So I was quite looking forward to this sequel,  and while it does have a few problems, overall it did not disappoint!

Dr. Watson visits Sherlock hours before his wedding and discovers that Sherlock is embroiled in another mystery.  Someone has been busily blowing up buildings and assassinating people all over the continent, and war is looming on the horizon as governments blame each other for the growing terror.  So of course Sherlock drags his best (and only?) friend directly into the middle of the fray, chasing across Europe in search of clues to prove his theory that Moriarty is behind it all, leading to an ultimate showdown between the rivals, and completely ruining Watson's honeymoon.

At first the reasons for the search and all the travel are a bit fuzzy and some might find the movie difficult to follow, but what the film might lack in clear motives it definitely makes up for with many fun explosions and witty banter between the crazed Sherlock and the oh-so-pretty Watson.  I've noticed some people have complained about the gratuitous use of slow-motion in the film, but I have to say that the chase scene in the forest, which you have, no doubt, seen a small portion of in the trailer, is absolutely stunning in its' gorgeous beauty.

Yes, I just called a gunfight and people running through the forest gorgeous and beautiful.  That's how I roll.

Overall, and in spite of the few problems with the story, I think I liked this movie even better than the first one, which I did not expect.  RDJ shines as Sherlock, and Jude Law makes an excellent sidekick as Watson.  Five stars from me, and Bob said it was pretty good.  That's high praise from him!

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) * * * *
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and Simon Pegg

From IMDB: "In the 4th installment of the Mission Impossible series, Ethan Hunt and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks, who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt by the team to stop him at the Kremlin ends in a disaster, with an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF being implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to invoke Ghost Protocol, under which the IMF is disavowed, and will be offered no help or backup in any form. Undaunted, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks to Dubai, and from there to Mumbai, but several spectacular action sequences later, they might still be too late to stop a disaster."

Another action thriller, with lots of explosions and edge-of-your-seat moments, MI4 delivers almost non-stop excitement, some clever dialogue, and loads of fun.  I have a special love for the Mission: Impossible franchise in general, so for me this was a sure thing.  There were some fun cameos and some brief emotional moments.  Jeremy Renner was cute as ever and did a great job as the agent-turned-analyst-turned-agent, although his angst-y moments didn't quite have as much emotional impact as they should have, and I'm not sure if that was the writing or his acting.  Nonetheless this movie gets four stars from me for pure fun!  (Bob intensely dislikes Tom Cruise, so we won't ask him what he thought this time).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) * * * * *
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Christopher Plummer
Directed by David Fincher

From IMDB: "This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined."

This movie was amazing.  There's been a lot of controversy about the film, from casting choices to the decision to "Americanize" the Swedish movie (which I have not seen, but will someday) in the first place.  I think David Fincher did a really great job with the material - there's a general creepy and menacing feeling throughout the movie, even in the parts that aren't the least bit creepy or menacing, but you feel that potential there, simmering just below the surface, exactly as I felt it while reading the novel.  I think Daniel Craig was a great choice for the role of Mikel, and while I've never seen Rooney Mara in anything that I know of I think she did an amazing job of portraying Lisbeth.  Overall it's a great movie, a great mystery, and while I didn't like the way they fiddled with the ending, it didn't harm the overall story.  My one nitpick with the film was that it was difficult to keep track of the various Vanger family members, but that really doesn't matter much in the overall scheme of things.

One thing I'd like to say about the controversy surrounding the issue of the violence in the film: There is some.  More than what would be in your average RomCom, but far less than you would see in a Chuck Norris/Bruce Willis/Jason Statham action movie  The difference is that it's directed towards women, instead of  towards men. It's awful and uncomfortable to view, as it should be.  However, is was handled with incredible delicacy and sensitivity, I my opinion.  It isn't gratuitous, they don't show more than they need to, and it is definitely not glorified in any way.

That aside, I think it's a fantastic movie, and it definitely gets five stars from me.  Bob even enjoyed it, though he did have trouble following the first half of the movie, as he hasn't read the book.

So there we go!  have you seen any of these movies yet?  What did you think?  As always you are encouraged to leave your comments below!

Also, I totally can't wait to see One for the Money!!  Coming soon!!

Review - Movie Catch-up - In Time

In Time * * * *
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Matt Bomer

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding this movie over the last few months, and a lot of critics and reviews didn't particularly care for the movie.  I went into the theater already expecting to like In Time, but the movie was actually better and more enjoyable than I expected.

I'm sure most of you know the basic plot of the movie by now - Sometime in the future, each person ages normally until the exact moment they turn 25, and at that moment the the body's aging genes turn off and the clock embedded in their arm begins to count down, giving them exactly one year to live.

But time isn't just time - it also doubles as currency.  A cup of coffee costs four minutes, a bus ride 2 hours.  People work to earn more time to extend their lives and pay for food and lodging, most barely getting by from day to day, while not too far away the elite enjoy the benefits of hundreds of years of extra time - time to live, and time to spend on the luxuries of life.

Through a series of odd events one young man is given 100 years, and he uses that through gambling to earn even more, in the process getting noticed by the Timekeepers, who police the flow of time through the economy, and learns the secret to how the rich get richer while the poor get poorer.

Overall it's a great movie, full of both funny and sad moments.  Someone spent a lot of time thinking about how the time-as-currency dynamic would affect society in general, and it showed in the fashion of both the rich and poor sectors, and even the way people moved through their day.  The people in the poor sectors run everywhere they go, eating and moving and living as fast as they can, to cram as much into the time they have left.  The ultra-rich on the other hand, eat and move slowly, never run, and never engage in any activity that might cause harm to themselves.

There's also plenty of action in the movie, and while some of the scenes were loads of fun, there were plenty of horrifying moments as well.  The pacing of the film felt a little slow in some places, and there were a few plot holes, but I really didn't mind.  I give In Time four stars in spite of the problems, because there were also many things that it did really well.

Have you seen In Time yet?  What did you think?  Share your thoughts below - I'd love to hear them!

Review - Movie catch-up - August & September

Conan the Barbarian * * * *
Starring: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman and Rose McGowan

The story begins, of course, with the young Conan and the destruction of his entire way of life when his village is savagely attacked and his father murdered.  The narrative then jumps to the adult Conan, who years later discovers the identity of the men responsible for the massacre, and he sets out on a mission of revenge.

The story is mostly predictable, but that doesn't detract from the movie.  The sets and CGI work were quite good, giving Conan's world a sense of reality and history that most fantasy movies just don't have.  Jason Momoa was perfect for the part, and both Bob and I quite enjoyed this movie.

The Debt * * * * *
Starring: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington and Tom Wilkinson

I really don't know how to describe this movie in a way that makes sense, so here's the plot summary from IMDB:
"The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stefan (Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington) tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished - or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations."

This movie was amazing!!  There are indeed "startling action and surprising revelations," which several times had me nearly leaping out of my seat!  This is not, however, a comfortable movie.  There were several scenes which were psychologically  uncomfortable to watch due to the references to Vogel's crimes, (nothing depicted, just talked about), but that were important to the story.  Also the female agent gets beaten on fairly severely in both timelines, which was uncomfortable for me to watch personally, but was really relevant to the plot as well. 

The ending was amazing, but left us thinking about the value of lies vs. total honesty, which was one of the major themes in the film.  Helen Mirren was, naturally, bloody brilliant, as always.  So overall the movie gets 5 stars from me, with the warning that there will be moments where you might be uncomfortable and scenes that will make you think.

Abduction * * *
Starring: Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Maria Bello and Sigourney Weaver

A thriller (more like thriller lite) about a teenager (Lautner) who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website, and realizing that his parents aren't really his parents.  Completely predictable, a bit slow in some places, but overall not bad for Lautner's first post-Twilight film.  Fun and even humorous in spots, easy and light with no real thought required.  Sigourney Weaver and Maria Bello still manage to shine in their supporting roles, as they always do.  It would have been better with the romantic aspect, which felt forced and awkward, but I suppose the teenagers will enjoy the movie anyway.

Oh wait.  I enjoyed it too.  Hmmm - what does that say about me?

Moving on!! Movies I'm still looking forward to include:

In Time - (This looks A-Frickin'-Mazing!  Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Matt Bomer, Alex Pettyfer, Cillian Murphy, & Johnny Galecki)

The Three Musketeers (Milla Jovovich & Orlando Bloom)

Anonymous (Political thriller theorizing that Shakespeare didn't exist. Vanessa Redgrave & David Thewlis).

Immortals (Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto - Looks awesome!)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. Hooray - The boys are back!!)

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (I am such a sucker for this theme song!)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Daniel Craig and, oh who cares? It's Daniel Craig! Hopefully this will rock!)

Review - Movie catch-up - August

Only two movies to talk about this time - and with the up-coming vacation drawing near (1.5 weeks!!) it's possible Bob and I won't make it to any more movies this month.  But the two movies we have seen were:

Cowboys and Aliens * * * *

With both Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford starring in this movie, I was determined to see it no matter what!  A mash-up of sci-fi and western, horses and spaceships, it was sure to please.  And in my opinion, it did!

Did it have plot holes in it large enough to drive a Mac Truck through?  Why yes, yes it did!

Was the Aliens motivation weird and nonsensical?   Kinda!!

Did all the little villagers accept and understand the whole concept of Aliens without even batting an eye?  Totally Darn-Tootin' right!

Do I care about ANY of that?  NO, no I really do not!!  Because it was a fun, hilarious western movie with sci-fi elements and starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford!  Ergo, it was awesome!

Bob said the best thing about it was that the theater was dark and full of air-conditioning.


Rise of the Planet of the Apes * * * * *

This "re-boot" of the Planet of the Apes series is quite possibly the best thing to happen to the franchise since Charlton Heston first uttered those famous words, "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" 

This movie comes almost exactly 10 years after the Tim Burton / Mark Wahlberg version which was released in late July of 2001.  And for reasons that I've never completely understood, the Tim Burton remake seems to be almost universally reviled and hated.  I don't know why - I've always loved it.  Whatever.

But Rise of the Planet of the Apes blows that one completely out of the water.  James Franco, as I'm sure you know unless you've been living under a rock, plays a scientist trying to cure Alzheimer's, a cause close to his heart as his father (played by John Lithgow) has been stricken with the disease.  During ape trials, one female ape, (nicknamed Bright Eyes in one of the many nods and references to the original series), gives birth, and when the program shuts down and the apes are all slated to be destroyed, Franco sneaks the baby home and raises it as part of the family, soon discovering that Caesar (played by Andy Serkis using motion capture) has inherited his mother's vast intelligence.

The story is emotional and endearing, and as a viewer you quickly grow quite attached to Caesar, and strongly empathize with the young ape who is intelligent enough to realize that he's somewhere between a pet and a person, but not quite fitting into either world.

Before we went to see the movie, during one of the previews on TV, Bob asked me why I thought the apes were so angry, referring to the scenes on the Golden Gate Bridge, and I told him I wasn't sure; but in the movie, it all flows very seamlessly together. And ultimately that is why I love this movie.  Everything makes sense.  Everything flows together, people's reactions are appropriate to the way humans interact with each other and with animals.  There's no big stretch to understanding why the apes on the bridge are angry and attacking helicopters and policemen.  There's a reason, it makes sense, and it's totally understandable and BELIEVABLE!

It's also a little bit terrifying, in the very subtle and quiet way the film uses to show the beginning of the demise of the humans (Stay through the first half of the credits at least...you'll know when it's safe to leave), because you can actually imagine that happening.

Overall, this now takes the top spot as my #1 favorite movie of 2011.  It's emotional, funny, thought-provoking, and just a plain-old all-around amazingly-awesome movie which you should totally go see right now.

I already want to go see it again.

 ------------------------------------------------------------

OK - That's it for this edition!  The upcoming movies that I'm still looking forward to are:

Conan the Barbarian - (Jason Momoa!)
Fright Night (Colin Farrell, David Tennant!)
Abduction - (Taylor Lautner - Don't say it, I know.  I know!)
In Time - (This looks A-Frickin'-Mazing!  Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Matt Bomer, Alex Pettyfer, Cillian Murphy, & Johnny Galecki)

The Three Musketeers (Milla Jovovich & Orlando Bloom)

Contagion (Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet)

Anonymous (Political thriller theorizing that Shakespeare didn't exist. Vanessa Redgrave & David Thewlis).

Immortals (Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto - Looks awesome!)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. Hooray - The boys are back!!)

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (I am such a sucker for this theme song!)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Daniel Craig and, oh who cares? It's Daniel Craig! Hopefully this will rock!)

Another Earth (I've heard such good things!)

Wow - That's a crazy long list!  What about you?  What have you seen recently, and what are you looking forward to?

Review - Movie catch-up - June & July

June & July have been busy months here in the Northwest.  It's summer of course, by the calendar at least, although it's been a rather cool summer so far.  And summer, as we all know, even if it is cold and rainy, means two things:  lots of outdoor activities, and lots of great summer blockbusters!!

Since it's been too cool and drizzly most weekends to do much outside (I'm exaggerating of course! A little.), Bob and I have managed to see our fair share of movies.

X-Men: First Class * * * *

Loved it!  Loads of fun, with all the mutant-y explosion-y goodness anyone could ask for.  Somehow I managed to make it into the movie theater without any clue that the movie starred none other than my favorite Footloose dancer, Kevin Bacon, so that was a nice surprise, and I thought he made a fair villain.  The story was good and tied nicely into the history books with the Cuban Missile Crisis, and also set up the back stories for some of the main characters in the later films.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Bob said he didn't hate it.  That's high praise from him...

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon * * * *

Again, I liked it.  It wore on a bit long towards the end, but I thought it was fun that, for once, the city being destroyed wasn't New York or LA.  Patrick Dempsey was a riot, Shia LaBeouf was his usual self, if a tad more whiny.  The new girl did OK, and I liked her better than the old girl.  I never did figure out why his parents were in this film, as their presence made no sense, but it was a fun cameo.  Everyone keeps saying how it was sooooo much better than the second movie, blah blah blah, but I have to be honest and say that I've liked all three.  I didn't think the second movie was that bad, or confusing, and have never understood why people have so many issues with it.  Maybe I'm just not enough of a movie snob.  Whatever.  I liked T1, and I liked T2, and now I like T3.  It was awesome, and the moon scenes were killer kool.

Bob thought it was ok.

Green Lantern * * * *

I wanted to see Green Lantern because the previews were funny and I have a little crush on Ryan Reynolds.  I also adore Blake Lively.  I was not familiar with the Green Lantern story at all and the movie did a good job of filling in the history so that I didn't feel confused or lost.  Was it the best movie ever?  No.  But it did have lots of Ryan Reynolds, which made me feel generous with the stars.  It was fun, and a little predictable, but still, fun.  Green Lantern ties into the Avengers conglomeration with the SHIELD agent showing up at the end again, and I'm really digging how they are subtly tying all these super heroes together for the big Avengers movie coming out next year.

Bob said, "Meh."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 * * * * *

You've read the hype, you've seen the clips, and studied the movie posters.  You know this movie is amazing.  I don't need to say it, but I will.  This movie is the most awesome thing I've ever seen, ever, and it's made of awesome, dipped in awesome, cooked in awesome, rolled in you've-gotta-be-kidding-me, and served with a side of OhMyGodThat'sSoAwesome!!!

The story felt complete, even though there were details missing, and characters that we didn't see as much of as we might have wanted, but everything worked.  It was perfectly balanced and paced.  Beyond that I will only say two things:
1. The true story of Severus Snape may quite possibly be the greatest and most tragic unrequited love story ever written, and I sobbed my heart out during that portion of the film.
2. Nevile Longbottom was so Frakkin' HOT when he killed Nagini, I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW HOT THAT WAS.

If you haven't seen HP7.2 yet then I don't even know what you are doing here, you should go see it now.

Oh, and Bob loved it too.

Captain America: The First Avenger * * * * *

So with Captain America we swing back to the Avenger prequels.  This one was much better than Green Lantern, in part because it was more serious, and not as cheesy.  The 3D was amazingly well done without being obnoxious, and the story was just GOOD.  Chris Evans did a great job, and was gorgeous as usual.  The story takes place during World War II, so it's set earlier in time than the other Avengers, but by the end of the film we've caught back up to the present, and once again Samuel L Jackson shows up with his sexy eye-patch to do his SHIELD thing.  Good film, good FX, and a much better storyline than Thor and Green Lantern, which do little more than set up who their characters are, where Captain America really tells a complete story all by itself.

Bob thought it was ok.

So that, as they say, is that!  The upcoming films that I'm looking forward to are:
Cowboys and Aliens (hope to see that this weekend!)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (OMG!  I can't wait!!)
Conan the Barbarian
Fright Night (I love me some David Tennant!)
Abduction
In Time

Have you seen any of these movies this summer?  What did you think, and what films are you looking forward to seeing?  Let me know in the comments!

Movie Art - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Recently a string of absolutely amazing movie posters have been released, all very simple with just the artwork (which IMHO is serious art) and the phrase "It All Ends 7.15."  Nothing else is needed really, everyone knows what the movie is and the artwork is so iconic as to need no description.

Since the movie opens at midnight tonight I thought I'd share some of my favorite posters - they're all amazingly fabulous, but these are my favorites!

I already showed this one several weeks ago, but I still love it.  It rocks and it rocks HARD!


















Here we see Hogwarts, our beloved castle, in flames above the lake.  The reflection in the water is incredible!

In this banner, we see our heroes escaping on the dragon - poor thing, it must be desperate to get back into the sky again!

This one is my favorite of them all, I think!  Little Neville is all grown up and ready to do battle!!  As the under-rated hero of the saga I think he's always been a little overlooked, until this final book, and here he has finally come into his own.  So look out, or he'll own you, too!

Even the villains are in on the action!  There are at least a dozen more out on the 'web, just do a quick search and you'll find plenty (there's lots more villains, along with all the good guys!)  I'd love to see which ones are YOUR favorites!


So while I won't be seeing the movie this weekend (This weekend will be a tad busy, so I think I'll wait until next week), to all of you who will I hope you have a great time, and I look forward to hearing your comments and reviews of what you thought of the final episode in the Harry Potter saga!

Happy Viewing!!

Review - Movie catch-up! (2)

In the last 4 weeks, Bob and I have seen three movies.  Or as he likes to call it, I dragged him to see a bunch of movies he didn't want to see in the first place!

Thor * * * *
This was a darn good movie.  I'm not a fan of comic books in general, so I know nothing about how Thor fits into the Avengers or whatever, 'cause I've just never been exposed.  So coming in from the outside, this movie was done very well in my opinion.  The beginning narrative takes a few minutes to explain the Asgardians(?) and their war with the Frost Giants on Earth which eventually, over time, faded into human myth.  The scenes that take place in Asgard were amazing and stunningly beautiful.  The story is rather fast paced, and a lot happens, and sometimes it's not always clear why at first, but before the end of the movie everything ties together. 

It was fun to see the SHIELD tie-in (from Iron Man), Natalie Portman was great, and while Chris Hemsworth (Thor himself) wasn't shirtless nearly often enough, I thought he did a great job in the part.  I also thought the Rainbow Bridge, Frost weapons, and other "magical" elements of the story were rather cleverly concealed as highly advanced science, while still leaving an element of "magic" to the story, thus making you feel that people of Asgard are people, and not necessarily "gods."  Tons of fun! 

Priest * * * *
I somehow managed to get Bob into the theater without him remembering that this was a vampire movie until it was too late!  Muahahaha - score for me!  Fortunately, Priest is not your typical vampire story - it's kind of a post-apocalyptic vampire western, if that makes any sense.  The vampires are a product of evolution, and they are most definitely NOT human, cultured, seductive, or sparkly.  They ARE mutated, slimy, gross, disgusting, and creepy!   Humanity has been fighting against the vampire hives for a very long time, and while they finally won the war, they nearly ruined the earth in the process.  The few remaining vampires have been contained in heavily fortified "reservations" and most humans huddle in massive cities controlled and protected by "the church."  The priests of the church are the ones who finally won the war for humanity, but integrating back into society after being a warrior hasn't been easy for them. 

There's lots of parallels to be seen, and some not-so-subtle commentary on some current and past American events, but once the story takes off it takes off fast, in a grab-you-by-the-jugular-and-don't-let-go sort of way.  It's loads of fun, some scares and thrills, great action and fight scenes (I love Maggie Q!!!) all racing faster than a massive speeding train full of hungry blood-suckers!! 

My only problem with the movie was the ending.  Specifically that it didn't.  End, that is. Turns out the whole movie is a setup for the NEXT movie, but if they don't ever make that sequel, then we won't have anything anywhere near a satisfying ending.  All we know is that the survivors agree to meet at a rendezvous point, and then the credits roll.  However, it's still a good movie and it's still totally worth seeing!! 
I loved it - and even Bob admitted that it was pretty good, which was a pleasant surprise for him!

 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides * * * * *
You've seen the previews, the trailers, the commercials.  So you know that this one is about the search for the Fountain of Youth.  There's been a lot of talk around the 'net about how the franchise has fallen into a rut, character are doing things that don't make sense, blah blah yada blah.  Bottom line?  If you like Johnny Depp, pirates in general, previous Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or sword fighting - then you will probably like On Stranger Tides.  Yes, there is some stuff that doesn't always make sense.  Yes, there are some loose ends.  Yes, Captain Jack Sparrow is still the same.  Yes, some really improbably stuff happens.

But ultimately none of that matters. Why? Because it is a Pirates Movie - 'nuff said!!!

One thing that I really liked was the scene where Jack was taken to see King George; Jack wanders around touching & sniffing everything, seemingly randomly.  But watch the scene closely, and you'll see that Captain Jack has a method to his madness - he's not just wandering around the room in a drunken haze.  He's carefully and cleverly plotting his escape!!  This scene added a layer of subtle cleverness to the character that I knew had to be in there somewhere, but that hadn't really been showcased in this way before. 
Penelope Cruz shines as Angelica, Blackbeard's daughter (or is she?), and the ending scene with her and Jack brought us back to a very familiar place.  I sense that we haven't seen the last of Angelica...

I personally loved the movie, as it was everything I expected and wanted from a fourquel - it was fun, it was sword fighting, it was pirates!  ARRRRRGH!!!

Movies that I'm looking forward to this summer (June & July) include:
X-Men: First Class
Super 8
The Green Lantern
Mr. Popper's Penguins (I love Penguins!!!)
Bad Teacher (might wait for the DVD)
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Captain America: The First Avenger
Cowboys & Aliens - (OMG!!!  Looks. So. Awesome).

Have you seen Thor, On Stranger Tides, or Priest?  I'd love to hear what you thought of them if you did!!  Also - what movies are you looking forward to seeing in the next few weeks?  As always, my Little Addicts, let me know in the comments!!

Review - Movie catch-up!

Lately Bob and I have been going to movies - lots of movies - but I haven't had time to do full on reviews of any of them.  So instead, I thought I would group them together into some mini-reviews instead.  Sound all right?  Ok, let's go!

Red Riding Hood * * * * *
Amazing!  Stunning!  Gorgeous!  Beautiful!  Fantastic!!
I can't say enough good things about this movie.  It's stunningly beautiful, and a good story on top of that.  Amanda Seyfreid has been accused of under-acting, and I can't necessarily disagree, but I think she was perfect for the part.  The ending was a surprise, which was nice, although all the clues are there if one pays attention.  Overall I say this is a fabulous twist on the traditional tale, and it was well done.  Also, make sure you watch until the end of the credits for a special surprise!!

Scream 4 * * * *
Loads of fun!  I'm a huge fan of the series, although I'm not really a fan of horror movies in general.  The Scream series straddles the line between gory and suspense, and Scream 4 did not disappoint.  This one addresses the issue of the movie "reboot" or "reset" and the true horror is when you find out who the villain is and learn their motivation!  Neve Campbell rocks it out as usual, even with a mostly younger generation taking the front of the stage.  I loved it!

The Conspirator * * * *
This Robert Redford film is about a young lawyer in 1864 who is asked to defend one of the alleged members of the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln.  It's a very interesting movie, a good story, and it was fun to see a courtroom drama set in the past.  I find it odd that I haven't seen ANY promos, trailers, or commercials for this movie, and wouldn't have even known about it if someone online hadn't mentioned it in passing.  It's a good movie, but not necessarily a happy movie, and leaves you thinking when it's done.  Good stuff.

Water for Elephants * * * * *
I haven't read the book, (although I was already planning to read it when we went to see the movie, and now I'm even more excited about reading it!), so I can't speak to whether or not the movie stayed true to the book.  I've heard that it mostly does, but I can't speak to that myself.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, loved the story, loved the elephant, loved everything about it.  Pattinson and Witherspoon were great in their roles, and it was REALLY nice to see Pattinson do a movie where I didn't want to drive a stake through his heart. (Yes - I admit, I'm Team Jacob.  Get over it).  It's a beautiful story that will make you laugh and cry and want to run away to join the circus, and have your very own elephant for a pet.  Definite must see!

Hanna * * *
I totally loved this movie right up until the ending.  The movie is strange, funny, weird, twisted, and sad, and as the story unfolds, you totally end up rooting for the young Hanna, who is both strange and awesome.  And the ending is mostly perfect, but I think I kinda wanted more from it.  There's a definite feeling of "Wait!  What happens next?!?" but all in all it was pretty good.  Twisted, but good.

Rio * * * * *
Rio is the story of a parrot who gets kidnapped and lost in Rio, and his adventures in trying to get back to his human.  Along the way he makes new friends, and learns about what it means to live.  It's amazing, beautiful, funny, sad,  funny some more, and sweet.  The music was great!  Kids will love it!  Adults will love it!  Go see it now!!

Source Code * * * * *
Awesome!  Made of awesome!  Dipped in Awesome and cooked in Awesome!  AND - it's not the movie that you think it is based on the previews!!  Aha - sneaky!  But it's totally great and while it has its sad moments, it was a very, very good film.

Your Highness * *
Funny if you like the dumb humor type of films.  Interesting that it was a fantasy setting, but there were way too many sex and fart jokes for my taste, and I would've had to have been REALLY drunk to enjoy it.  The one good thing was hearing Natalie Portman say "...like a burning in my beaver" with a straight face.  But yes, it is THAT kind of movie.  Enter at your own risk.

Movies that I'm looking forward to in May are:
Thor
POTC: On Stranger Tides
Priest
Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom!

Wait - what are you still doing here?  I thought I told you to hurry up and go see "Rio" right now!?!
Well, as long as you are here, leave a comment and let me know if you've seen any of the above movies and what you thought about them!
And also, I'm curious - what movies you are looking forward to seeing this month? What previews are looking particularly good to you?

--Update: Reposted 05.16.11 to clear up some issues raised by Blogger's Issues last week!  Happy Monday!

I'm excited about...

I am very excited about the possibility of this becoming a reality - "Dragonriders of Pern" movie news.
This has been, despite its' many problems, one of my favorite series over the years. If there is a fantasy equivalent to the "cozy mystery" then this series is it - a "cozy fantasy."  The writing isn't always the best, and there's a lot of attitudes from the 1960's & 70's that might seem strange now, but the idea of the stories, the culture, the world-building and most of all, the dragons are simply amazing!  I may need to start on a re-read sometime next year to get prepared if it looks like the deal may go through. There's tons of things that can derail a project like this before it even gets started, but I'm excited that it's at least a  possibility! 


Tomorrow, (just in case you've been living under a rock and missed all the previews), is the release date for Scream 4!  OMG!!  I can't wait!!  I generally do not enjoy horror movies, but the Scream franchise is something all-together different, and I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE IT OH MY GOD YOU GUYS I CAN'T STAND IT!!!!  Also, my boyfriend refuses to see this or any other Scream movie, so I need to find a Faux Beau who will go see it with me.  Any takers?


Also, Game of Thrones premieres on HBO on Sunday, April 17th.  That's only FOUR DAYS from now!!  If you don't have HBO, or a friend with HBO who is willing to let you park on their couch, you should seriously consider finding one or the other, because you do NOT want to miss this series.  Every time I see a trailer for the show and hear the phrase "Winter is coming," a chill of excitement blasts it's way down my spine and makes me want to jump up and down for joy!!  (I do not advise doing this in the middle of the supermarket.  People WILL stare, and possibly point).

So tell me - What are YOU excited about today?

Movie Review - Rango, and Beastly

Rango (2011)
PG, 107 Minutes, Animation | Action | Adventure
Director: Gore Verbinski
Stars: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher and Timothy Olyphant
Viewed on 03.11.2011, Rating: * *

The combination of Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp should have resulted in the magical and wonderful creation of an enchanting movie that would be much beloved by all forever and ever amen.  I mean, come on, it's Verbinski & Depp, and we've seen this combination be a winner multiple times now.  Unfortunately, this time around we get Rango, which on the surface seemed like it should be good, but just ended up flat and boring and bad.  So bad.  But not quite bad enough that it becomes good again - just bad.  I'm not even sure that kids would get the jokes or enjoy this story.  Bob hated it, whereas I was merely disappointed, although I must admit I did laugh most of the way through, but not because the jokes were funny, but because they were sooooooooo baaaaaaad!


Beastly (2011)
PG13, 86 Minutes, Drama | Fantasy | Romance
Director: Daniel Barnz
Stars: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Mary-Kate Olsen, Peter Krause, Neil Patrick Harris, Lisa Gay Hamilton
Viewed on 03.12.2011, Rating: * * * *

Beastly, on the other hand, I thought was quite good.  Alex Pettyfer plays Kyle, a teenage New York Socialite brat who treats everyone who isn't rich and beautiful like crap.  He's a jerk, a bully, and ass all rolled up into one, but we do see glimpses of someone with a good heart underneath, but he's been taught by his selfish jerk of a father to be an even bigger selfish jerk.  Of course Lindy, played by Vanessa Hudgens, has a crush on him, even though he barely acknowledges her existence.  

Along comes Kendra, played amazingly well by Mary-Kate Olsen, an extremely well-dressed witch, who happens to be his favorite target to torment, and soon she has enough and places a curse on him that turns him as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside, a tattooed and pierced freak, complete with some truly horrible scars.  (The previews and poster - like the one above - actually made the tattoos and scars kind of sexy, but I was quite glad to see that in the actual movie they were pretty awful - open flesh wounds are rarely sexy and I was glad they didn't try to make them so).  One of the tattoos is alive, a flowering rose tree, and the curse specifies that he must find someone to see beyond the exterior and say they love him before one year has passed and the flowers in the tattoo bloom again.  His loving, kind, and caring father (not), played by Peter Krause, immediately ships his son off to a crappy house in Brooklyn where no one will see him, and refuses to ever visit or spend time with his son, instead sending a maid, Zola, to care for him and a blind tutor, Will, (played flawlessly by Neil Patrick Harris) so he doesn't fall behind in school.

After sulking and pouting for months he finally realizes he's beginning to care for Lindy, but is sure that she could never love him (and of course she doesn't recognize him as her crush from school).  As the year end approaches he begs Kendra to give him more time, and when she refuses, he begs her to help the people he cares about (giving Will his sight back and the Zola her family), but she replies that she can't unless he succeeds in getting Lindy to say the magic words.

So I won't ruin the ending, although it's totally predictable, and you know that it will be, but you don't care because the journey is just fun.  I will say that the jerk father seems to get what's coming to him at the end of the movie, which was a very pleasant surprise!  

I completely enjoyed this movie, in spite of, or perhaps because of its' predictability.  Mary-Kate Olsen did a surprisingly good job as the witch (although why someone with her magical abilities and wardrobe was in high school I have no idea), and Alex and Vanessa seem to have good chemistry.  Their acting wasn't the best ever, but they're young and will get better in time, I imagine.  

So while I can't recommend Rango, I do strongly recommend Beastly for the fun factor.

Have you seen either of these movies?  Do you agree or disagree with my ratings?  What's your opinion?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Halloween! - "Not So Scary" Movies

Someone asked me today, after reading yesterday's post about "Scary" movies, if I had any favorite Halloween movies or TV shows that weren't necessarily scary, but that were infused with the Spirit of Halloween.

(Ha!  Spirit - get it?  Muahaha!)

Anyway, the answer is - of course I do!!  These aren't in any specific order but I can honestly say I love to watch:

Hocus Pocus (1993) is fabulous - Why?  Because it's chock full o' Bette Midler, that's why!  If you haven't seen it (where've you been hiding?) it's about these three witches in Salem, MA who were sentenced to die 300 years ago, and have arrived in the present day to find that Halloween is drastically different from what it used to be!

Of course Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  It is a must see every year, no matter what.

Obviously, no Halloween list would be complete without the Roseanne Halloween Episodes!  Those were the best!!  Roseanne wasn't the only TV show to do Halloween episodes though - I didn't realize there were so many!!

Also (and these are probably my favorite) several of the Harry Potter movies show Halloween celebrations at Hogwarts, but even the movies that don't deal directly with the holiday are still fun to watch if you need some help getting into the Spirit of the Holiday!  (See!  I did it again - Spirit!  Muahaha!)

What is your favorite non-scary Halloween Movie or TV show?

Halloween! - Scary Movies

Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of traditional "horror" movies.  I love suspense and terror, but I seem to be one of few people in the world who don't equate "horror" with "blood & guts & disgusting grossness."

This does not in any way indicate that I don't love to be scared witless - because I definitely do like scary movies - just not gross ones!  And since Halloween weekend is fast approaching, I thought that I would put together a list of some of my favorite "scary" movies.

1. Scream (1996) - Offhand, I don't think that there is anything that I don't love about this movie.  True, it has it's share of blood and guts, but what I mainly love about Scream is (a) the characters, their stories, and how they evolve during the course of the movie, and (b) I loved the way it sort of "re-invented" the scary movie, by turning the genre on its' head and poking fun of the more traditional blood-guts-screaming-girl-with-big-boobs and in the process made an intelligent yet frightening movie.  And the most horrific part was the killer's motivations!  Neve Campbell's character was strong when she needed to be and kicked ass at just the right time!  Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000) were also highly enjoyable, each building upon the events and back stories of the first, but ultimately were not quite as good.  And even with the gore, it isn't truly Halloween unless I watch Scream.

2. Resident Evil (2002) - Resident Evil is another movie that defies my gore-free-zone!  Resident Evil is sick, disgusting, blood everywhere, gore & guts nastiness and I frakkin' LOVE IT!  It scares the crap out of me every time I watch it, but I love the characters, and when those characters are played by Milla Jovovich, Eric Mabius, and Michelle Rodriguez, I simply cannot pass it by if I stumble upon it while flipping through channels.  This movie mainly scares me because I sort of believe that this type of scenario could very easily happen - not the zombie part, but the "evil corporation accidentally causing loads of deaths and covering it up by killing everyone" part.  Again, the sequels aren't quite as scary, and seem to get progressively grosser and more gory, but I love them and can't "not" watch.

3. & 4. Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) - I still remember when my older sister taped Alien from the television, and I watched it the next day - only the suspense was so bad that I only watched about 10 minutes at a time and then I would have to pause the tape and go do something else for a little while!!  What a wuss!  Now that I'm grown up I can watch the whole thing in one sitting, but the suspense is still deliciously terrifying!!  Oddly enough the sequel broke the suck rule and was as good - if not better than - the first one, but after that the series sort of went downhill, for me at least.

5. 28 Days Later (2002) - This one also got a little gross at times, but what made this movie so scary for me was the humans.  Yeah, it was suspenseful, and terrifying, and there were zombies everywhere, but what was so eerie was the scenery of empty city streets and houses, the shocking silence of a world where so few are left alive, and the horrific things that the survivors find themselves capable of doing to each other.  Some of the survivors were as monstrous as the zombies, who at least have no choice in the matter.

So there you have it!  My top 5 scary movies - do you agree?  What scary movies are on your list?  Leave a comment and tell me what you think!