One sentence reviews

This is 40
Not nearly as funny as knocked up, lots of swearing, Melissa McCarthy steals the show for the few minutes she's in it.

Les Miserable
Definitely over-the-top dramatic, but musicals should be! A little embarrassed for Russell Crow, but the rest of the cast was great, and it's been awhile since I've seen a musical where every single word was sung!

Zero Dark Forty
The first half kind of drags on, but the second half is super-tense even though you know how it ends.

Looper
Don't question the time travel logic, and this is a really great story!

The Dark Knight Rises
Definitely dark, but a great ending to Nolan's take on the bat man, loved the ending.

Seven Psychopaths
This was a surprise for me, what a fantastic dark comedy!

Here Comes the Boom
Silly and not so believable and a weird food-fight scene, but Henry Winkler is adorable. 

Flight
Drags a bit, but it was definitely a more weighty movie than I thought it would be, it seems like a good examination into alcoholism.

Moonrise Kingdom

 

I saw this movie on a top 100 of 2012 list, and when I read that Edward Norton was in it, I figured I would give it a go. Moonrise Kingdom is about two 12 year-olds that escape for an adventure, and the adults that try to find them. It is so much more than that tough. This movie is whimsical and quirky and wonderful, there is an innocence and honesty that is just really genuine even though the plot is a little out there.

The credit font was really cool and the score was perfect. In addition to Edward Norton, there are parts for Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman. The two tweens that play the leads balance on the edge of childhood, but never quite jump into adolescence. Her seeming a little older than 12, and him a little younger (as is often the case of boys and girls at that age). This movie just seems to capture perfectly that time in our lives when we aren't quite children anymore, but still are and how the whole world is a possibility.

 

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.