Well Hello Again! ...and Merry Christmas

While my husband plays some GTA (don't get me started) something possessed me to update my blog. So here we are! Since July, I've gotten married - it was a great day, and I'm not sure if the novelty of calling someone "my husband" will ever wear off. I have been supply teaching and love it loads. If it wasn't for the uncertainty of if and where I'll be working the next day, I think I could happily supply for years and years - though I will probably have to either way. So those are about the highlights - family is good, work is good, life is good.

Here are my thoughts on some of the movies I have watched over the last 5 months:

Ted
A lot of tree smoking, but funny. For some reason I am a big fan of Giovanni Ribisi, but I think his character was unnecessary, that whole plot line was more weird than funny.

The Campaign
Not a whole lot of laugh out loud moments, but Zach Galifinakis is pretty adorable.

Red Lights
I really liked the premise of this movie - a pair of professionals debunking mediums. I am a huge Cillian Murphy fan, as well as Robert DeNiro, so overall I liked this movie. The ending was kind of silly, but it did help tie everything together.

Rock of Ages
I was really looking forward to this movie - it had everything going for it: an interesting cast, great music, singing and dancing... but it just kind of made me uncomfortable. It was a lot more adult than I thought it would be, and while the blonde chick was a good enough singer and actress, she just wasn't doing it for me.

The Amazing Spiderman
I expected this movie to be a totally different side to what we already know about Spiderman, but it's really just another version of the storyline found in the first Toby McGuire one but with a different girl and different bad guy (spoiler alert, Uncle Ben dies). I'm not mad at that, the movie was really well done, I haven't made a decision on how I feel about Andrew Garfield, but I think I can warm up to him.

The Dictator
I cannot stress enough how incredibly offensive this movie was, especially if you are any of the nationalities or religions that it targets. I, however, am a white Christian, so while I occasionally felt guilty for laughing, I laughed all the same.

Dark Shadows
This movie had a really fun story and that Tim Burton feel that is so quirky. It was well-cast, and having a main character with the same name as mine is always a bonus. But for all that this movie has going for it, I cannot get past those weirdo fingers on Johnny Depp, just way too distracting.

Hope Springs
I loved Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones together as an old married couple that have lost that loving feeling. Well-played.

MIB 3
I was a big fan of the first two MIB movies, the third one didn't disappoint. And shit that Pitbull song is catchy.

The Avengers
I really liked Captain America, so I was looking forward to seeing what happened to him in The Avengers. All the superheroes were great. I haven't seen the new Hulk or Thor, but liked them both in this one, and RDJ is just the best in everything. My only criticism is that the bad guy wasn't really that bad.

Friends With Kids
With much of the same cast as Bridesmaids, you kind of have some expectations going in. This movie could have been more than it was, the main girl was kind of a flake, and you know where this movie is going from the beginning. I did really like the relationship between Maya Rudolf and Chris O'Dowd, but the other two couples are a little shallow. Not a bad movie overall though.

The Lorax
This movie had such a great message, and even though it was written decades ago, it couldn't be more timely. Great animation and colour, great story, I'm on the fence about some of the voice choices, but I was really pleased with this movie.

A Joyful Noise
I love me some gospel music, so this movie had promise. The Queen Latifa character was kind of strange, but Dolly Parton was adorable. There was nothing earth-shattering about this one, but it was watchable.

Pitch Perfect
Easily one of my favourite movies this year. The mash-ups were just amazing and the casting was great. Fun, fun, fun.

Twilight Part 2
I was satisfied with how this series ended, a good follow-up to a pretty dull part one.

Christmas offering:
The Mistle-Tones
I think this was some abc family original movie. I like Christmas songs, I like a cappella groups, I like family movies, I liked this movie. The love-interest was really good-looking, but Tori Spelling has distracting lips.

July Movies

...So it's getting to the point that maybe my time with this blog has come to an end. I don't really have the time or desire to do it justice, but still feel the need to update. So, we'll just roll with it. No pressure from myself to write something amazing and thorough.

Magic Mike
I don`t think anyone is going to see this movie for the amazing plot. The abs were fabulous, and the dancing made me giggle. I could have done without Alex Pettyfer, he`s kind of a punk, and would have liked more Joe Manganiello.

Jeff Who Lives At Home
I know it sounds patronizing, but this was a cute, little movie. Nothing earth-shattering, but interesting and quirky and a little heart-warming and feel-good.

Wanderlust
Well I knew it was about a hippie commune, but I didn`t expect a penis so early on. Anyways, Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston were really good, and Alan Alda was adorable. A good reflection on the way we live and what`s important.

A Thousand Words
Just stupid.  

Movie Round-Up

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

It's not so much the plot that sticks out in this movie, I couldn't really tell you any plot specifics. For me, Sherlock Holmes number 2 is more about the feel. It creates this atmosphere that is witty and slick and entertaining that keeps a hold of me. RDJ and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson are perfect. I could take or leave the guy who played Moriarty and the gypsy chick, and I wish there was more Rachel McAdams, but on the positive side, I really liked the addition of Stephen Fry as Sherlock's brother and tha we get to know Watson's wife a little better (Kelly Reilly). I'm not really sure what Moriarty's problem was, and the idea of him was more intimidating than him in real life, but overall, this movie was quirky, adventurous, fun.   

21 Jump Street

Was this movie revolutionary or creative or inspiring? No. But it was hilarious. I haven't laughed that much during a movie in a long time. And my guy, who doesn't generally like watching movies, loved it too.

Mirror Mirror

This is the more family-friendly of this year's Snow White offerings. I found Lily Collins to be lovely, Nathan Lane to be his usual quirky self, and Armie Hammer to be the perfect Prince Charming (that voice!). Unlike the KStew one, the dwarves in this movie were real little people which made them seem more legit and loveable. Where I find issue is with Julia Roberts and her Queen role. I hate to say this, but she just isn't beautiful enough or wicked enough. She never feels like a real threat to Snow White. And the magic stuff had me confused, what were her powers? What the hell was that world behind the mirror? Did they give royalties to Robax for using their weird marionettes? Not a bad movie, it was fun and cute and charming, but there was just something off with that Queen.

Wrath of the Titans

My love of Greek mythology going into this movie was probably the only thing that kept me watching. It was just weird - all the gods were just really un-god-like, we have Zeus and Ares walking through some weird cave thing, and this is where gods live? It's like they spent their entire special effects budget on Kronos and that cool labyrinth but had nothing left for that scene early on when Zeus is captured, or later when Zeus and Hades cheesily muster up all their power. And is it a rule that gods have to have long hair and wear Moses-robes? Plus, these gods are tiny! Human-sized to be exact and it all just goes back to the gods not being very god-like at all. I was embarrassed for Liam Neeson, and especially Ralph Fiennes for being a part of this silliness. I think what it really boils down to is that this movie was not concerned with story or character, but action. And while, yes, the labyrinth was super-cool, this movie was just lacking substance. And call me stupid, but who are the Titans in this movie? I know Kronos is one, but that is only one... and this movie is called Wrath of the Titans (plural). What the heck?

Snow White and the Huntsman

So, can Kristen Stewart hold her own at the box office? The answer is no, but luckily for this movie, Charlize Theron can. Snow White and the Huntsman is the darker, live-action take on the classic. To be honest, I wasn't really fussy on the Disney version, I can't pin-point why, maybe it was too scary for me. Anyways, this new one was really cool, mostly because Charlize was so amazing as the Queen and the CGI was breathtaking. Theron was beautiful and terrifying and mesmerizing. I would have liked a little more insight into her character, though. When we first meet her, she says something to the effect of once being traded in by a king for a younger model, which explains her preoccupation with youth, but we don't get the whole story. And then we later see her mother giving her the magical powers in a flashback, but it's kind of fuzzy about how legit three drops of blood are for giving people powers. Moral of the story: don't questions the gaps and you'll be fine; Charlize Theron is literally and figuratively spellbinding.

Kristen Stewart plays Snow White. I would just like to put it out there that she is never called by her name, she's referred to as the king's daughter etc. etc. but I'm pretty sure I never heard anyone call her "Snow White". I could be wrong, if anyone reads this and then watches the movie, I could use some back up. Anyways, I thought it was strange, also, the Huntsman doesn't have a name at all, which was less of an issue for me, but still, something seems amiss. So Kristen Stewart as Snow White... I hate to say this, but she just isn't good-looking enough. Her skin isn't nearly white enough, her lips not red enough. There was the odd moment or two when I could see it, and she was almost believable, but then she did her pouty face, and she was Bella all over again. I could tell she was trying really hard not to bite her lip, and I appreciated the effort, but it wasn't enough. The friend I watched it with said "I kept waiting for Edward to jump out", and I'm not saying that people can't rise above a franchise, I think Daniel Radcliffe will do great things outside of Harry Potter, but for KStew, this just wasn't it for her. She is the same sad, awkward self. She tried to inspire the masses at the end to fight, and it was just weak. Also, the brother's haircut was distracting.

As a whole though, this movie works really well. The dwarfs are all I hoped they would be, the dark forest was awesome, the fairy-land was beautiful, and there was this over-arching feeling of whimsy and magic. They romance storyline is kind of down-played at the end, which was kind of a disappointment, but also nice to see the strong female remain as such, and not melt under the charms and handsomeness of the love-interest.

There is some back info missing, and KStew wouldn't have been my first choice, but definitely an enjoyable movie.

Sunday Reminisce: Jesus Christ Superstar

I love me some musicals, and it's been awhile since I've watched Jesus Christ Superstar. If for some reason, you have not experienced the amazingness that is Carl Anderson as Judas watch this clip and recognize.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I'm not going to include a plot summary, they seem to be the most difficult part of these reviews, and it's easy enough to go find a synopsis on the internet, and I feel bad just copying and pasting...

Anyways, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was a really interesting movie, it was smart and patient and strange and dark. It was also a little bit more adult than I expected, and am used to. There were boobies and sex and a jarring rape scene. Nothing wrong with some adult content, but I thought it was worth mentioning that it's no PG-13 movie.

Rooney Mara's Lisbeth is complex and puzzling, and we get a lot of insight into her character by the end of the movie. The same can't be said for Daniel Craig's Mikael. He comes off as one-dimensional, and his character doesn't show any growth, but he's definitely easy to look at and is a good actor.

It's a long movie, and while the first half was ok, things didn't heat up until about an hour and a half in when Lisbeth and Mikael start working together. And the last 20 minutes was good information to include, but it just seemed kind of trite after the emotional revelations of the previous hour. The final scene, though, is what will keep me excited for the next movie. The crime solving was fun and interesting, but what happens between Lisbeth and Mikael proved to be just as important to the story, if not more so.

The Descendants

George Clooney is the father of two daughters, while his wife is in a coma, he learns that she was planning to leave him for another man. During this time, he also has to decide who he wants to sell a large piece of his family's untouched Hawaiian land to.

This was one of this year's films that I was looking forward to watching; everything I had heard about it was positive. And I will now reveal that, drum roll please, in my opinion, the positive accolades were warranted. This was just a good story, with lots of feeling. Clooney's Matt King has some big emotions to deal with and some big decisions to make, and we ultimately care about him and think it all through with him, and that's the rub with this whole movie - you become invested in this guy and can tell what he's thinking about. Having the movie set in Hawaii gives it an extra dimension, a different atmosphere; even people who live in paradise have to deal with big issues.

The ending is quiet and perfect.

Titanic 3D

It's about the same as you remember it, only in more dimensions. The 3D effect made some weird shots in the foreground blurry, but as a whole, Titanic benefited from the extra dimension. Movies that are released these days knowing that they will be shown in 3D like to (literally) shove it in your face, but since Titanic was released without that being an original intention, it just lets the movie be the movie, but more clearer and way cooler. This movie makes me bawl every time.

The Hunger Games

A month ago you could have told me The Hunger Games was about a hot dog eating contest and I would have believed you (while being confused about all the birds on the covers). But after watching some of the trailers for the movie, and getting some information about the plot, I figured I would give into the hype.

I remember a few people from my section in teacher's college reading the books when they first came out a couple years ago, and thinking it didn't sound like it would be for me. I never got into the Harry Potter or Twilight series (though I have seen the movies) and figured it would be another thing like those. Plus, I hate being held hostage by books; that "one more chapter" feeling that turns into all night. I'll be honest, I haven't read a novel in probably a year. The last one was The Book of Negroes. It was good enough to finish, but not captivating enough that I couldn't put it down to sleep. Which brings us back to The Hunger Games...

I bought the boxed set on Amazon for about $30 including shipping and tax, which I thought was a good deal. It came in on the Tuesday, I finished the first one on the Wednesday, and the last two by the Sunday. (The movie came out that Friday, but I didn't see it until this past Wednesday.) Needless to say I was held hostage by these books. I really liked the themes and philosophical insights, there were some very likable characters, and it was, what I think could be, a warning for the future. I would have preferred the books to be a little older, as I am a little older (than the target audience) some more depth and detail would have satiated my interest in this future society. And the love thing confused me. I know it's not a romance, but either be a romance, or don't be a romance! What's with all these random kisses!?

Anyways, off to the movies I went with a pair of friends. Being that I had only just finished the books I had a hard time separating it from the movie. I know I was filling in the gaps and details from the book that were left out in the movie, making it seem like the movie made more sense than it did. If I hadn't read the books, I would have still enjoyed the movie, but there is a definite benefit to being able to make the connections that the movie doesn't make implicit.

I really appreciated the direction the director took for the movie, it didn't seem too polished, the cinematography was rough and wobbly at times which contributed to an almost reality tv feel at times. For example, when she is in the tree, the background is out of focus and the camera angle is like if we were looking up at her from the ground. Little things like that just give it a more authentic feel.

Additionally, the movie is extremely well-cast. Jennifer Lawrence is perfect as Katniss. There are definitely sparks of Peeta's charisma in Josh Hutcherson, but I would have liked to have seen more. I'm not sure if Liam Helmsworth is good-looking enough to be Gale, I'll have to wait for the subsequent movies before I decide on him. Elizabeth Banks was a great Effie, but I am also undecided on Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. I would have preferred him more surly. I really liked the idea of Lenny Kravtiz as Cinna, but I didn't think the movie did him justice by developing his relationship with Katniss enough. I'm a huge Donald Sutherland fan, and I think he will be the perfect President Snow in the next two movies. Stanley Tucci can do no wrong, and as Caesar, he delivers.

I liked the idea of including the Gamemakers more for the movie, those scenes helped to give the audience more information that would have been difficult to transpose from the first person narrator of the books, to a movie. With that being said, like most books to movies, there were definitely lots of details that were left out. I'm trying to think of examples to make this post more legit, but I can't, I should take notes whilst watching movies. The details that did make the cut (aka the entire plot of the movie) were pretty true to the story. There was definitely some differences (here's a link to a post analyzing some of the major differences) between the book and movie, but none I was really outraged about. I was not tempted to yell out in the theatre "but in the book ...!".

I want to wrap this up, but I should say something about violence first...

There has been a lot of talk about the age appropriateness of The Hunger Games. I read an article in the Toronto Star last week about what age kids should be reading this at. The general feel was that depending on the reader, grade 7 was probably a safe bet. Don't get me wrong, the books are definitely violent, and I would say the first one is probably the least so, but there is definitely a difference between reading about something and seeing it in front of you. I think the movie was successful in the amount of violence and brutality it chose to show. I am not ruling out that I am pretty desensitized to this sort of stuff, like most of us are, and I am not a tween or teen, and don't think like one, or internalize content like one. So I'm not going to say let all your twelve-year-olds go see this, but based on the book, I found the use of violence in the movie to be appropriate.

Overall, the movie wasn't as epic as I hoped it would be. Reading the book definitely helps the movie make more sense, but it does an adequate job, and I think fans of the book will be satisfied. I would need to see it again, though, to better form my thoughts on it.

 This movie made me shed exactly two tears.

Hugo

What a beautiful movie. The one thing I had heard about this movie that stuck out to me was: "a great artist has been given command of the tools and resources he needs to make a movie about — movies". Ebert is talking about Scorsese. And it kind of hit me, that filmmakers, no mater how renowned, don't get to make all the movies they want to, for purposes of budget or content, not all movies are going to be financially, of course, and are never made. I am glad this movie was given the budget it needed to be spectacular. Here we have Martin Scorsese, the man behind a whole lot of Robert Deniro and Leonardo DiCaprio movies, is making a movie about an orphan and a shop-keeper. 

But there is so much more to it than that. Asa Butterfield is Hugo, an orphan living in a Paris train station. When he's not keeping the clocks running on time, he is trying to fix an automaton, a robot of sorts, that he and his dad found and started restoring. Hugo then meets Georges, and his foster-daughter Isabelle, and we learn a lot about the history of movies from there. It also stars Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloe Grace Moretz.

The historian and movie-lover in me loved the clips of movies from the early 1900's; I was blown away when they said every frame of a scene was painted by hand so it could be in colour. And the film itself is a wonder for the eyes, filmed in 3-D, I watched it in two dimensions, but was taken aback but how whimsical the setting was, I thought for a moment that it was animated a la Robert Zemeckis.

My one complaint would be of Asa. He does a wonderful job of bringing the character of Hugo to us, but there is something I just found not very likable about him. Maybe it was the startling blue of his eyes contrasting with the black of his hair that just made him seem mischievous. I can't explain it entirely, but like E.B. in Hop, I was disappointed that I didn't really care about the main character. I did care deeply about Georges, played by Ben Kingsley, and he is the player in this movie that really makes it complex and a movie that parents as well as their children will enjoy.

Hugo is smart, historical, beautiful, and captivating.

Drive

After watching this movie I wasn't sure what I thought about it. I liked the atmosphere; the late 80's, early 90's music and font type, I liked how quiet the first half was, but the second half went in a totally different direction. Drive is the story of a professional race care driver (Ryan Gosling) who is quiet and mysterious and develops a relationship with his neighbour and her son. When the neighbour's husband gets out of prison, The Driver gets involved in a deadly plot to help out his new friends.

This movie is slow and strange and curious. There was a lot more violence than I thought there would be, and I feel like it kind of takes away from what was slowly being built up in the first half. If I'm being honest here, I watched this movie a good month ago, and just now realized I didn't finished this review. But from what I remember it was a good movie, good performances, probably not every one's cup of tea, and the second half was wildly different from the first. But definitely interesting.

Tower Heist

After finding out that their pension fund has been embezzled, the former staff of The Tower apartments hatch a plan to rob the guy that robbed them. Starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Beoderick, Tea Leoni, and Gabourey Sidibe.

Beside proving that Ben Stiller gets better looking with age, and Matthew Broderick gets worse, this movie was pretty middle of the road. It was watchable and had some funny moments, but it wasn't memorable. Eddie Murphy played the typical black criminal without enough screen time, Casey Affleck was adorable (as always) but he has a comedic timing we see in Ocean's 11, but not in this one. Tea Leoni enters the picture as necessary, but could have had more depth. Alan Alda was a great villain, so sly. It was nice to see Precious in something else. Broderick was awful. The plot was unbelievable but it's not supposed to be, it's just supposed to be fun. The movie was light and watchable.

American Horror Story: Season 1

I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last review, it's not without a good reason though, my employment situation has improved greatly in the last month. It does require me to wake up at an ungodly hour, which means I'm going to bed earlier, and have less time to commit to movie-watching. Fear not! In the mean time I did get hooked on a tv series. As the title hints, that show was the first season of American Horror Story. I have been trying to find a show to fill the gap between True Blood and Dexter for my guy and I to watch, Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire failed to pique his interest, and I really thought AHS would be The One. Well, he never got into it, but I did.

It's basically the story of a family living in a haunted house, and stars Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Jessica Lange, and Russel Edgington.

The pilot episode was really good: scary, strange, mysterious, sexy. The title theme is legitimately hard to watch it's so creepy. However, the show gets a little campy as it progresses. I would have to watch the pilot again to determine if the pilot really was that much better than the rest of the series, or if it was just new and fresh and then I became desensitized with the story. I also had some issues with the finale, it felt pieced together and cheesy. Either way I'm hooked on this series and look forward to season 2.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

I'll save you time and maybe even money by telling you to just skip this one, and wait for part two. Nothing happens in the movie! You wait for the action or even some plot, and it just never arrives! So Bella and Edward get married, she gets pregnant (yes, it is possible apparently) and then she has the baby. That's. About. It. They drag it out by saying that maybe the baby is evil and maybe it will kill Bella, but sorry to ruin it for you, it ends up being good like Bella, not bad like Edward. Whatever. I will admit that the last shot was cool (though predictable) and made me excited for the next one.

I don't think Jasper had a single line in the whole movie, he just sat there with that stupid grin on his face the whole time.

The Ides of March

The Ides of March looks into a political campaign, a Democratic primary, where Steven (Ryan Gosling) looks to secure his candidate's win (George Clooney) while carrying on a relationship with Molly (Evan Rachael Wood). It's more complicated than that, and also stars Paul Giamatti, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Marissa Tomeii.

Politics isn't really my thing. I find it difficult to follow, and it just doesn't really interest me. I struggled to turn this movie back on to watch the second half while the new Twilight movie was calling for me to watch it instead. A persevered, and finished this one. And it wasn't bad, if you can make it through all the political stuff, this movie poses some really interesting questions about morality. We should know something isn't quite right with Steven's ideals when he still wants Morris (Clooney) to win, even after he knows something immoral about him. Maybe it was never about Morris winning.

Friends with Benefits

Starring Mila Kunis and Jusin Timberlake, it's about friends with benefits, and if you don't know how this one ends, you don't watch enough movies. Surprise! They fall in love. I know this sounds eerily familiar to a movie I watched back in April called No Strings Attached, and believe me, I had to take a minute and make sure I had the titles right. No Strings attached was the one with Aston Kutcher and Natalie Portman, this one has Mila and Justin.

Maybe it's just one of the serendipities of the world two movies with similar plots come out in the same year, perhaps it is just "bound to happen". It happened a few years back when two movies came out about Turman Capote in the same year. One was called Infamous, and starred Sandra Bullock and Toby Jones, the other, Capote, was much more successful and starred Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I've wondered this more than once: did anyone know they were making a similar movie? Would they have waited if they did? Would all the actors still want the role, knowing they would be endlessly compared?

And I know that anyone who knows movies knows the extra added weirdness of this all is that the two female leads in each sex-buddies movies just starred in a big movie together (Back Swan) Coincidence?!?! I have no idea.

Anyways, like the Capote battle, I do believe there is a clear winner between Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached. And that would be the former. Justin and Mila have great chemistry, the dialogue is fast and clever, and they try to acknowledge rom com cliches. Woody Harrelson's character as the gay coworker is pretty one-note, but it's a funny one. Things start to get a little confusing when their relationship does after Justin takes Mila to LA. The big emotional issues come out of nowhere, even though they have been talking about them all throughout the movie, but we never really understand until them. Sort of...? Also, I get that Mila and Justin both have amazing bodies, but it seemed a little gratuitous at times. Does she always get dressed while answering the phone?

All in all, a fun movie, and Justin and Mila are a great combo.

Real Steel

Real Steel takes place in the not-so-distant future, where people don't box anymore, robots do, and I guess the sport is pretty popular. I'm going to be lazy and tell you the IMDB says: A struggling promoter feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father. This synopsis is not very accurate, but close enough. Starring Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, and Dakota Goyo as the kid, Max.

Hugh Jackman starts off as a pretty awful guy, and it's hard to believe that he can be so mean and uncaring to his own son. At least he looks good doing it, and there's a kind of silly part at the end where he tries to tell his kid that he loves him. Other than that, it's cheesy family fun, and the robot fighting is pretty cool.

One part that seemed important, but is never really developed is the humanness of the robots. At one point we are lead to believe that Atom (the robot) could maybe be able to think autonomously, but it never really goes anywhere. So instead of being a movie about how robots and humans treat one another, in say, like AI, it's about a father/son relationship. Nothing wrong with that I guess, it's just more of a family/action film than a sci-fi.

50/50

Adam finds out that he has a rare form of cancer, and even though he is only in his late twenties he only has a 50% chance of surviving the cancer. Starring Joseph Gordon Levitt, Seth Rogan, Anna Kendrick, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

This is one of the best movies I've seen a while, I can't remember the last time a movie made me laugh so hard, but also cry like a baby. This movie is such a realistic look about a young man dealing with cancer and the gamut of emotions that follow and how his illness affects his friends and family.

I don't want to ruin the ending, but there were certainly some things you should see coming from a mile a way. Adam's relationship with Katherine shouldn't come as a surprise, and the ending is a little too typical, but it ends the way it does because that's how we want it to.

JGL is adorable, I couldn't stand his long hair when he was Tommy from Third Rock from the Sun (good show, oh how I love John Lithgow). But I am really happy that he is getting some good roles these days. Seth Rogan was really funny in this movie, he's back to Knocked Up form when we first saw him on the big screen and laughed and laughed. Bryce is a beautiful woman, she could have done more with her character, but it works. And Anna Kendrick we first saw in Twilight, but she is becoming much more than the franchise. She was nominated for an Oscar for her Up in the Air performance, and she was sweet and funny and vulnerable in 50/50. She has this Kristen Wiig sort of delivery that is short and awkward and fast and lovable.

A really good movie.

2011 Wrap-up

So, looking over all the movies I've reviewed this year, none really stood out and made me think "That movie was super amazing!". With the being said, there were a few movies that I reviewed earlier in the year that I thought were good enough to mention, and possibly warrant a rewatch (I realize some may have been originally released in 2010, but I watched them in 2011, darnnit!):

127 Hours
Never Let Me Go
13

And the three movies that I've watched recently that I enjoyed were:

Crazy, Stupid,  Love
X-Men: First Class
Contagion

And probably the movie I enjoyed the most this year:

Despicable Me

Also note that the most awesome movies usually come out at the end of the year (something to do with being fresh in the mind's of Oscar voters) and I have not seen them yet. So, the movies I am looking most forward to watching eventually in the new year are:

The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Melancholia

Playing Catch-Up

Once again, the movies have been piling up, and I will be doing a half-assed review of the past few movies I've watched.

Straw Dogs
Starring Alexander Skarsgaard, Kate Bosworth, and James Marsden. A Hollywood couple move back to her small southern town for some quiet while he writes his next screenplay. I guess this movie has to do with what it takes for a passive person to become violent and stand up for them self. It is kind of slow, and uncomfortable at times, but I think it's supposed to be, you should be asking yourself "What would I do?" "Would I speak up?". The ending is incredibly violent, but the movie as a whole was an interesting examination into our behaviour. As a person who tries to avoid conflict, I like to think I would have been pissed off way earlier than Marsden was. James Woods was awful, but wonderful.

Contagion
Starring Matt Damon and Kate Winslet. A highly contagious disease spreads throughout the world while scientists try to figure out where it originated and how to cure it. This movie was captivating, it was subtle and quiet, but strong and powerful. But above all, it seemed realistic, the explanation at the end was simple, but alarming, and what I appreciated the most was that it wasn't sensationalized. A good movie.

Date Night
Starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. A married couple looking to get out of a rut, find themselves wanted after taking another couple's reservation. Was the plot ridiculous? Absolutely. But this movie was also really funny, there were enough laugh out loud moments to leave me satisfied and Carell and Fey play their characters as straight as possible. Some hilarious characters played by Mark Whalberg, James Franco, Ray Liotta, and Mila Kunis, and outtakes during the credits were unexpected gems.

Moneyball
Starring Brad Pitt and Jonak Hill. Based on a true story, after losing some key players, Billy Beane (Pitt) rebuilds the Oakland Athletics with the help of Peter Brand (Hill) on a shoestring budget using strictly cost-benefit analysis and not intuition. I didn't like this movie as much as I thought/hoped I would. I definitely appreciated all the dialogue and the business side of baseball that you don't see in a conventional sports movie. It wasn't about a team winning by teamwork, it was about math and science. The actual players are generally insignificant, and Pitt's character was well-developed, which was nice, but it was still too much about baseball for me. My guy loved it, he got what was happening, could remember back to 2002 and appreciate all the back story the movie gave, but for me, it was a little boring. No doubt a good movie, but just didn't live up to all the buzz for me.