BEST LIVE ACTION SHORTS 2013
Asad is the story of a young Somali boy trying to survive in his war-torn homeland. A bit of humor and the movie is made impressively made entirely with Somali refugees.
Bukashi Boys is the story of two boys growing up in Afghanistan and there interest in the national sport of Bukashi. It is a violent sport and I didn't like part of the ending of this movie but interesting to see a different view of Afghanistan than we are used to seeing.
Curfew is the story of a troubled uncle who has to babysit his niece whom he hasn't seen since she was a baby and she doesn't know who he is. It is an enjoyable movie on family dynamics and how children can help to heal families with their innocence.
Death of a Shadow is the interesting story about a man who dies and has to take pictures of shadows after a death and once he takes 10,000 pictures he has the ability to be alive again. The pictures have and artistic beauty to them and the premise is original with a nice twist at the end.
Henry is the story of a concert pianist whose life is thrown into turmoil when the love of his life mysteriously disappears. You feel, suspense, humor and drama in this is complete written story amazingly done in only 21 minutes.
All five of these nominations receive thumbs up but the edge for me will have to go to Henry for reaching through my eyes and grasping hold of my heart.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
BEST ANIMATED SHORTS 2013
Adam and Dog is the story of Adam and a Dog then Eve comes along and changes Adam and the dog's relationship. It is cute but a bit too long even though it is only a short film.
Fresh Guacamole is the 2 min film about making guacamole. The effects are cool with taking one thing and turning it into another through visual effects.
Head Over Heels is the very creative and heart-warming story of a couple that live head over heels; you just have to watch it to really understand!
The Longest Daycare is the Simpsons short film about Maggie's day in daycare. It is cute with a good twist at the end but watching a Simpsons's episode is better.
Paperman is the heart-warming black and white story of a couple who fall in love at first sight with the help of flying paper airplanes.
These are all cute animated shorts with both thumbs up but I would have to give the nod to head over heels as the most completely developed story (in 11 minutes mind you) but would not be disappointed if Paperman wins instead.
Adam and Dog is the story of Adam and a Dog then Eve comes along and changes Adam and the dog's relationship. It is cute but a bit too long even though it is only a short film.
Fresh Guacamole is the 2 min film about making guacamole. The effects are cool with taking one thing and turning it into another through visual effects.
Head Over Heels is the very creative and heart-warming story of a couple that live head over heels; you just have to watch it to really understand!
The Longest Daycare is the Simpsons short film about Maggie's day in daycare. It is cute with a good twist at the end but watching a Simpsons's episode is better.
Paperman is the heart-warming black and white story of a couple who fall in love at first sight with the help of flying paper airplanes.
These are all cute animated shorts with both thumbs up but I would have to give the nod to head over heels as the most completely developed story (in 11 minutes mind you) but would not be disappointed if Paperman wins instead.
TED
The Mayans may have been wrong that the world was going to end last year but when a movie like Ted gets nominated for a prestigious Academy award, you start second-guessing everything you thought you knew about the world.
Written, directed and voicing the teddy bear "Ted" is Seth Macfarlane who is the host of this years Oscar broadcast. He is the creator of Family Guy, American Dad and the Cleveland Show.
Even though the title character is a cute teddy bear, this is DEFINITELY not for children. This is a fun but potty-humor filled movie with reference to the 80's icon Flash Gordon. The thunder buddy song is cute too.
I give this 1 and a half thumbs up laughing all the way.
The Mayans may have been wrong that the world was going to end last year but when a movie like Ted gets nominated for a prestigious Academy award, you start second-guessing everything you thought you knew about the world.
Written, directed and voicing the teddy bear "Ted" is Seth Macfarlane who is the host of this years Oscar broadcast. He is the creator of Family Guy, American Dad and the Cleveland Show.
Even though the title character is a cute teddy bear, this is DEFINITELY not for children. This is a fun but potty-humor filled movie with reference to the 80's icon Flash Gordon. The thunder buddy song is cute too.
I give this 1 and a half thumbs up laughing all the way.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORTS 2013
Inocente tells the story of an illegal immigrant named Inocente who is striving to succeed at her love of painting while overcoming homelessness. This was an amazingly talented girl who has now become a legal U.S. Citizen and sold all of her paintings at her first art show (except for one she kept for herself).
Kings Point tells the story of a retirement community in Florida and the laughter and outspokenness of the elderly generation. With the aging Baby Boomer generation, we need to be more aware of the treasure we have in our elders and this was one small step in accomplishing that.
Mondays at Racine is the story of a salon in Long Island, New York owned by sisters Rachel and Cynthia, (combing their names to create the name Racine) who devote one Monday every month to allow cancer patients to come in and get hair cuts and other salon options for free in memory of their late Mother who passed on from Breast cancer herself. Society needs more good stories like this one--so support your local Gilda's club!
Open Heart is the story of eight Rwandan children with rheumatic heart disease who travel to Sudan for heart surgery. The surgery opens their hearts and opens the viewers eyes to see the advances we have made in America to defeat a treatable childhood disease and the need to send penicillin to Rwanda to help fight it worldwide.
Redemption is the story of a booming business on the streets of New York called canning. Aluminum cans and glass bottles are worth 5 cents each and unemployed people are cleaning the streets of New York of the cans and bottles to earn some money. It makes the viewer realize the bad economy but the determination of the American spirit to raise money legally and creatively.
These five all show real-life accounts of people overcoming adversity in a brief 39-40 minutes. These five movies are all equally as good and deserving of their nomination but I have to give my thumbs up for Mondays at Racine in honor of my friends and family some who have lost and some who have fought and are winning their own battles against cancer!
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN
This much darker version of the tale of Snow White (as compared to Mirror Mirror reviewed previously in this blog) is worth seeing for the talented Charlize Theron. Kristen Stewart as snow white does nothing to improve my impression of her acting ability ranking in the same league as Keanu Reeves. I think Rupert Sanders as the director agrees with me because in a film about Snow White, he seems to focus more on the queen and the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth from Hunger Games fame).
I enjoyed the effects of this movie but prefer the lighthearted farce of Mirror Mirror so only give this 1 thumb slightly less than straight up.
This much darker version of the tale of Snow White (as compared to Mirror Mirror reviewed previously in this blog) is worth seeing for the talented Charlize Theron. Kristen Stewart as snow white does nothing to improve my impression of her acting ability ranking in the same league as Keanu Reeves. I think Rupert Sanders as the director agrees with me because in a film about Snow White, he seems to focus more on the queen and the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth from Hunger Games fame).
I enjoyed the effects of this movie but prefer the lighthearted farce of Mirror Mirror so only give this 1 thumb slightly less than straight up.
MIRROR MIRROR
This version of the tale of Snow White stars Julia Roberts as the evil queen. This is more of a farce then anything and I quite enjoyed it. The costumes were vibrant and it seemed that Julia had a wonderful time in her role. Nathan Lane was his usual fun self as the Brighton the bad guy with a heart. The effects were pretty cool but as I've said the true enjoyment comes from the whimsical attitude of the director showing a humorous side of Julia's evil queen.
I give this 1 thumb up with a smile on my face most of this enjoyable movie.
This version of the tale of Snow White stars Julia Roberts as the evil queen. This is more of a farce then anything and I quite enjoyed it. The costumes were vibrant and it seemed that Julia had a wonderful time in her role. Nathan Lane was his usual fun self as the Brighton the bad guy with a heart. The effects were pretty cool but as I've said the true enjoyment comes from the whimsical attitude of the director showing a humorous side of Julia's evil queen.
I give this 1 thumb up with a smile on my face most of this enjoyable movie.
SKYFALL
This is the 23rd James Bond movie and the 3rd with Daniel Craig as 007 himself. I haven't watched a Bond movie since the 15th movie (the Living Daylights) so I'm not a huge fan. I grew up in the Roger Moore years and while enjoyable, they seemed to be more so for the male sex. I enjoyed the Bond music the most through the years along with looking at each Bond looking strikingly handsome in his tuxedo and so didn't really have to watch the movies. When the masterful, Dame Judi Dench joined the Bond films as M with the 17th movie (Goldeneye), you would think I would have started watching it more but I guess it took an Oscar nomination to push me to finally get back to watching the Bond movies.
This was a good story with well-developed characters and exciting action. Daniel Craig makes a good James Bond and Judi Dench is her usual awesome self as M. Javier Bardem continues his mastery at playing a villain as Silva and Ralph Fiennes completes another good acting job as Gareth Mallory.
I give this 1 and a half thumbs up but the ending--SPOILER ALERT--disappointed me because I enjoy watching Judi Dench so much but I understand it was necessary for the story.
This is the 23rd James Bond movie and the 3rd with Daniel Craig as 007 himself. I haven't watched a Bond movie since the 15th movie (the Living Daylights) so I'm not a huge fan. I grew up in the Roger Moore years and while enjoyable, they seemed to be more so for the male sex. I enjoyed the Bond music the most through the years along with looking at each Bond looking strikingly handsome in his tuxedo and so didn't really have to watch the movies. When the masterful, Dame Judi Dench joined the Bond films as M with the 17th movie (Goldeneye), you would think I would have started watching it more but I guess it took an Oscar nomination to push me to finally get back to watching the Bond movies.
This was a good story with well-developed characters and exciting action. Daniel Craig makes a good James Bond and Judi Dench is her usual awesome self as M. Javier Bardem continues his mastery at playing a villain as Silva and Ralph Fiennes completes another good acting job as Gareth Mallory.
I give this 1 and a half thumbs up but the ending--SPOILER ALERT--disappointed me because I enjoy watching Judi Dench so much but I understand it was necessary for the story.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
The story of Bilbo Baggins before the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy, this follows Bilbo on his journey with thirteen dwarfs and Gandalf, the grey wizard to the lonely mountain to battle the Smaug the dragon and reclaim the lost dwarf kingdom.
This is the first in a series of three Hobbit movies and so doesn't have a final ending just a continuation until the next movie. I have not read any of the Hobbit books but I saw all three LOTR movies and this was better so far than the LOTR. Perhaps it is because I am now familiar with the other characters, but this was a visually appealing movie. The story was developed well with the characters and script that I didn't mind the non-final ending.
I give this 1 and a half thumbs up in anticipation for 2013 and 2014 that the series will continue and end as good as it started with this movie.
The story of Bilbo Baggins before the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy, this follows Bilbo on his journey with thirteen dwarfs and Gandalf, the grey wizard to the lonely mountain to battle the Smaug the dragon and reclaim the lost dwarf kingdom.
This is the first in a series of three Hobbit movies and so doesn't have a final ending just a continuation until the next movie. I have not read any of the Hobbit books but I saw all three LOTR movies and this was better so far than the LOTR. Perhaps it is because I am now familiar with the other characters, but this was a visually appealing movie. The story was developed well with the characters and script that I didn't mind the non-final ending.
I give this 1 and a half thumbs up in anticipation for 2013 and 2014 that the series will continue and end as good as it started with this movie.
ANNA KARENINA
Typical Oscar nomination for costume design, this film set in 19th century Russian high society details Anna Karenina's affair with Count Vrosky. Starring Keira Knightely and Jude Law, this movie has a theatrical format which is highly-confusing and distracting from the story. The acting comes off as trying too hard to get an Oscar nomination and the characters are not as developed as they should be which translates into suggesting other movies to watch instead if you want a dose of old-fashioned costume like either the 1935 or 1948 versions of this same movie.
I give this half a thumb sideways for the nice costumes but that is about it.
Typical Oscar nomination for costume design, this film set in 19th century Russian high society details Anna Karenina's affair with Count Vrosky. Starring Keira Knightely and Jude Law, this movie has a theatrical format which is highly-confusing and distracting from the story. The acting comes off as trying too hard to get an Oscar nomination and the characters are not as developed as they should be which translates into suggesting other movies to watch instead if you want a dose of old-fashioned costume like either the 1935 or 1948 versions of this same movie.
I give this half a thumb sideways for the nice costumes but that is about it.
WRECK-IT RALPH
It is probably pretty weird to want to see a movie because of a minor character but when you grew up in the 80's going to the arcade and playing Q*bert, this is a must see movie.
At the risk of sounding really old, young people don't understand the value of arcades, which are hard to find now-a-days. Besides the obvious fun at plugging a game with tokens/quarters, it was a way to hang out with friends and create new ones over similar interests (Q*Bert, Pac-Man, Asteroids, Galaga or Punch Out to name a few).
Wreck-it Ralph takes this experience to a new level by making us wonder what really happens inside the game when the arcade closes and the characters are left to themselves. This story is very entertaining. John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch are hilarious in their voice over roles.
I give this two thumbs up for creativity and transporting me back to my teenage years of arcades but mostly for pure unbridled enjoyment.
It is probably pretty weird to want to see a movie because of a minor character but when you grew up in the 80's going to the arcade and playing Q*bert, this is a must see movie.
At the risk of sounding really old, young people don't understand the value of arcades, which are hard to find now-a-days. Besides the obvious fun at plugging a game with tokens/quarters, it was a way to hang out with friends and create new ones over similar interests (Q*Bert, Pac-Man, Asteroids, Galaga or Punch Out to name a few).
Wreck-it Ralph takes this experience to a new level by making us wonder what really happens inside the game when the arcade closes and the characters are left to themselves. This story is very entertaining. John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch are hilarious in their voice over roles.
I give this two thumbs up for creativity and transporting me back to my teenage years of arcades but mostly for pure unbridled enjoyment.
THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS
With the talent doing the voices: Hugh Grant, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek and Brendan Gleeson, along with the fact that this is nominated for Best Animated film at the Oscars, you would expect great things. This makes me wonder if the Lorax was really terrible that it lost out on a nomination to Pirates.
Pirates has an interesting story about a pirate captain (named pirate captain-how creative?!!?) vying to win the pirate of the year award from his rivals: Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz while avoiding trouble with Queen Victoria who hates pirates. It feels like there were too many subplots and especially characters to develop any one of them fully and therefore the film suffered.
I give this a half a thumb sideways for receiving an Oscar nomination which is truly an honor but makes me question judgement of the members of the academy.
With the talent doing the voices: Hugh Grant, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek and Brendan Gleeson, along with the fact that this is nominated for Best Animated film at the Oscars, you would expect great things. This makes me wonder if the Lorax was really terrible that it lost out on a nomination to Pirates.
Pirates has an interesting story about a pirate captain (named pirate captain-how creative?!!?) vying to win the pirate of the year award from his rivals: Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz while avoiding trouble with Queen Victoria who hates pirates. It feels like there were too many subplots and especially characters to develop any one of them fully and therefore the film suffered.
I give this a half a thumb sideways for receiving an Oscar nomination which is truly an honor but makes me question judgement of the members of the academy.
PARANORMAN
You can definitely tell that director Chris Butler was influenced by Tim Burton and by watching this movie. This is the tale of misunderstood Norman who takes on ghosts, zombies and adults to fight a centuries old curse and save his town.
This was a cute movie that has neat effects and a good story with good voice-over actors (notably Kodi Smit-Mcphee, Tucker Albrizzi and Anna Kendrick).
I give this a 1 thumb up to show the direction Chris Butler's career is probably headed.
You can definitely tell that director Chris Butler was influenced by Tim Burton and by watching this movie. This is the tale of misunderstood Norman who takes on ghosts, zombies and adults to fight a centuries old curse and save his town.
This was a cute movie that has neat effects and a good story with good voice-over actors (notably Kodi Smit-Mcphee, Tucker Albrizzi and Anna Kendrick).
I give this a 1 thumb up to show the direction Chris Butler's career is probably headed.
BRAVE
An animated tale from Disney/Pixar about Princess Merida who vows to make her own way in life and much use her archery skills and bravery skills to undo a terrible curse. Beautiful animation inter-weaved with a story full of adventure, drama and humor and the bond between a daughter and her parents. The only very minor drawback is that it took a bit to get used to the heavy Scottish accent.
I give this a 1 thumb up in amazement in the continuation of the wonderful Disney/Pixar success.
An animated tale from Disney/Pixar about Princess Merida who vows to make her own way in life and much use her archery skills and bravery skills to undo a terrible curse. Beautiful animation inter-weaved with a story full of adventure, drama and humor and the bond between a daughter and her parents. The only very minor drawback is that it took a bit to get used to the heavy Scottish accent.
I give this a 1 thumb up in amazement in the continuation of the wonderful Disney/Pixar success.
FRANKENWEENIE
Another Tim Burton creation, based on a previous short film. This is the story of Victor who performs a science experiment to bring his dog Sparky back to life. A heart-warming tale of the love between a boy and his dog with typical school-age peer friction.
It took me a couple movies to get used to Tim Burton's style but this movie was quite enjoyable and the animation was pretty neat. The story and characters were creatively named, voiced and developed.
I give this one thumb up pointing up toward the steady climb of my enjoyment of Tim's movies.
Another Tim Burton creation, based on a previous short film. This is the story of Victor who performs a science experiment to bring his dog Sparky back to life. A heart-warming tale of the love between a boy and his dog with typical school-age peer friction.
It took me a couple movies to get used to Tim Burton's style but this movie was quite enjoyable and the animation was pretty neat. The story and characters were creatively named, voiced and developed.
I give this one thumb up pointing up toward the steady climb of my enjoyment of Tim's movies.
AMOUR
An Austrian/German movie made in France with French leading actors and subtitled in English and nominated for Best Picture, Director, Foreign film, original screenplay and lead actress. Michael Haneke wrote and directed this movie which in my mind is the essence of what is an Oscar film.
Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) are retired octogenarian music teachers with a daughter living abroad. The film explores the love they share while they attend the concert of a former student, dealing with a home break-in and then Anne having an stroke. The movie explores their love and relationship with each other in a heart-warming way. I cannot imagine dealing with a loved one in a medical situation like this by being either the patient nor caregiver as they are both equally taxing.
The movie is interestingly done with no music in the background during the opening nor closing credits. The camera work in the home is done so that it makes me want to visit the home and live there at least for a weekend writing retreat. Ooh, weekend writing retreat in Paris, where do I sign up...but I digress!
The acting by Emmanuelle and Jean-Louis was equally as impressive. You felt like they were really an old married couple in love dealing with a grown daughter and a wife who had a stroke.
The ending was a shock in how it ended which I will NOT spoil here but tied in with the beginning then provided a nice last scene with one of the characters. Another character had an ambiguous ending left for the viewer to decide. I liked this aspect and left you with wanting more from the movie but not in a missing way.
I doubt that Emmanuelle will beat out Anne Hathaway for Best lead actress but I hope she has a wonderful 86th birthday on the actual night of the Academy awards anyway.
I give this two thumbs up pointing to my Grandma in heaven who didn't have a stroke but was a patient and gave me another sense of thanks for all of her caregivers including my own Mother briefly.
An Austrian/German movie made in France with French leading actors and subtitled in English and nominated for Best Picture, Director, Foreign film, original screenplay and lead actress. Michael Haneke wrote and directed this movie which in my mind is the essence of what is an Oscar film.
Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) are retired octogenarian music teachers with a daughter living abroad. The film explores the love they share while they attend the concert of a former student, dealing with a home break-in and then Anne having an stroke. The movie explores their love and relationship with each other in a heart-warming way. I cannot imagine dealing with a loved one in a medical situation like this by being either the patient nor caregiver as they are both equally taxing.
The movie is interestingly done with no music in the background during the opening nor closing credits. The camera work in the home is done so that it makes me want to visit the home and live there at least for a weekend writing retreat. Ooh, weekend writing retreat in Paris, where do I sign up...but I digress!
The acting by Emmanuelle and Jean-Louis was equally as impressive. You felt like they were really an old married couple in love dealing with a grown daughter and a wife who had a stroke.
The ending was a shock in how it ended which I will NOT spoil here but tied in with the beginning then provided a nice last scene with one of the characters. Another character had an ambiguous ending left for the viewer to decide. I liked this aspect and left you with wanting more from the movie but not in a missing way.
I doubt that Emmanuelle will beat out Anne Hathaway for Best lead actress but I hope she has a wonderful 86th birthday on the actual night of the Academy awards anyway.
I give this two thumbs up pointing to my Grandma in heaven who didn't have a stroke but was a patient and gave me another sense of thanks for all of her caregivers including my own Mother briefly.
ARGO
A dramatization of the real life plot to rescue 6 American diplomatic personnel from Iran in 1980. The integration of the CIA and Hollywood made for an interesting mix. Alan Arkin and John Goodman were hilarious and provided us with a memorable quote "If I'm going to make a fake movie, it's going to be a fake hit." Ben Affleck directs himself as the star who leads the group to get himself into and the rest out of Iran.
This has a bit of history, suspense, humor and drama and comes together to create an enjoyable film.
I give this a one thumb up for Ben to continue his directing success even though the Academy thinks that the film directed itself due to the fact that Ben did not receive a Best Directing nomination but the film received a Best picture nomination.
A dramatization of the real life plot to rescue 6 American diplomatic personnel from Iran in 1980. The integration of the CIA and Hollywood made for an interesting mix. Alan Arkin and John Goodman were hilarious and provided us with a memorable quote "If I'm going to make a fake movie, it's going to be a fake hit." Ben Affleck directs himself as the star who leads the group to get himself into and the rest out of Iran.
This has a bit of history, suspense, humor and drama and comes together to create an enjoyable film.
I give this a one thumb up for Ben to continue his directing success even though the Academy thinks that the film directed itself due to the fact that Ben did not receive a Best Directing nomination but the film received a Best picture nomination.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
I have not read the novel by Matthew Quick but I think if I had, the movie would have been excellent instead of just good. Jennifer Lawrence, who astounded me in Winter's Bone continues her wonderful acting in this movie. She stands toe-to-toe with legendary Robert DeNiro in one scene and more than holds her own. I believe Bradley Cooper was prematurely nominated as Best Actor. He was obviously better in this than his Hangover movies but he did not take over any scene with his presence as Jennifer, Robert and Jacki Weaver.
A former teacher (Bradley Cooper) gets out of a mental institution and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife and life back with his parents (Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver) as stipulation for the early release. Besides the dealings with his parents and ex wife, he meets a woman (Jennifer Lawrence) with issues of her own. I could TOTALLY relate to the superstitions of a football fan (Robert DeNiro) and the story was intriguing, comical and dramatic just like life.
I give this one thumb up with the other thumb anxiously awaiting its arise after I read the book.
I have not read the novel by Matthew Quick but I think if I had, the movie would have been excellent instead of just good. Jennifer Lawrence, who astounded me in Winter's Bone continues her wonderful acting in this movie. She stands toe-to-toe with legendary Robert DeNiro in one scene and more than holds her own. I believe Bradley Cooper was prematurely nominated as Best Actor. He was obviously better in this than his Hangover movies but he did not take over any scene with his presence as Jennifer, Robert and Jacki Weaver.
A former teacher (Bradley Cooper) gets out of a mental institution and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife and life back with his parents (Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver) as stipulation for the early release. Besides the dealings with his parents and ex wife, he meets a woman (Jennifer Lawrence) with issues of her own. I could TOTALLY relate to the superstitions of a football fan (Robert DeNiro) and the story was intriguing, comical and dramatic just like life.
I give this one thumb up with the other thumb anxiously awaiting its arise after I read the book.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
DJANGO UNCHAINED
Quentin Tarantino is arguably one of the best directors in the movie business. Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds and others have cemented him as a fan favorite with a cult following.
His latest film tells the story of a freed slave, Django (Jamie Foxx) who works with a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to rescue his wife from a plantation owner. The N-word, Mandingo fighting and of course slavery are horrific aspects of American history but they are a part of our history and we need to know our history in order not to repeat it.
Jamie Foxx after starting out "rocking our world" in In Living Color and singing to us in Ray has again impressed us at playing the freed title role of Django. Christoph Waltz is wonderful as Dr. King Schultz, a tough German but seems to me to be a bit typecast in this role. Leonardo Dicaprio is good at playing the plantation owner Calvin Candie but doesn't blow anyone away with said performance. Samuel L Jackson, however does blow us away as Stephen, the right-hand man of Calvin who is just as bullying as his white counterparts at over-powering the slaves. In fact, I believe he should have been nominated for the Academy Awards supporting actor category instead of Christoph Waltz. Don Johnson was comical as Big Daddy and I must give props to Wisconsin's own, Tom Wopat as a Marshall Gill Tatum.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie and would be very pleased if it took home the Best Original Screenplay Oscar (my future category-in my dreams). I give this a two thumbs up without chains so that we all learn to realize that freedom is not free and history should never be repeated.
FLIGHT
Denzel Washington becomes a better actor with every role he takes. He plays Whip Whitaker, a pilot who stabilizes a plane after a tremendous multi-thousand feet drop in mid air. Instead of over a hundred people dying, only six occur. The movie depicts the action and suspense of the plane crash well but mainly is dealing with the realization that Whip was under the influence of alcohol and drugs in the process. It is an interesting exploration of people's views of an addict and hero when they end up being the same person. Pilots are like offensive lineman in the NFL where they protect all the paying customers (high-priced quarterbacks) and never get recognized until a tragedy/crash (penalty) occurs.
Bruce Greenwood continues his wonderful supporting actor tradition as the first person to support Whip after the crash. John Goodman has found his niche in excelling at small roles that take over a movie and wouldn't be that same movie without him.
The actors abilities and action/suspense outweighed the screenwriting and character development but I was sucked into the movie from beginning to end.
I give this a one thumb up pointing toward the sky where pilots are sober and safely transporting us to our destinations.
Denzel Washington becomes a better actor with every role he takes. He plays Whip Whitaker, a pilot who stabilizes a plane after a tremendous multi-thousand feet drop in mid air. Instead of over a hundred people dying, only six occur. The movie depicts the action and suspense of the plane crash well but mainly is dealing with the realization that Whip was under the influence of alcohol and drugs in the process. It is an interesting exploration of people's views of an addict and hero when they end up being the same person. Pilots are like offensive lineman in the NFL where they protect all the paying customers (high-priced quarterbacks) and never get recognized until a tragedy/crash (penalty) occurs.
Bruce Greenwood continues his wonderful supporting actor tradition as the first person to support Whip after the crash. John Goodman has found his niche in excelling at small roles that take over a movie and wouldn't be that same movie without him.
The actors abilities and action/suspense outweighed the screenwriting and character development but I was sucked into the movie from beginning to end.
I give this a one thumb up pointing toward the sky where pilots are sober and safely transporting us to our destinations.
MOONRISE KINGDOM
Another contribution to the film world by the incomparable, Wes Anderson. Typical for Wes, this features lighthearted moments with extremely quirky characters. It is a story about two young lovers who flee their New England town and cause a search party to find them. If you don't appreciate Wes' films (Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore and the Fantastic Mr Fox among others), don't even bother with this one. If however, you appreciate the appearance of aforementioned quirky characters, wonderful writing and pure enjoyment of being enveloped into a fictional world, by all means enjoy yourself.
Between Edward Norton, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, I'm not sure who was funnier. Bruce Willis and Bill Murray were OK too. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as Sam and Suzy, the young lovers were good but overshadowed by their adult counterparts.
I enjoyed myself but am unsure that I would want to watch it over and over so I give this a one thumb pointing to the moon which guides us every night.
Another contribution to the film world by the incomparable, Wes Anderson. Typical for Wes, this features lighthearted moments with extremely quirky characters. It is a story about two young lovers who flee their New England town and cause a search party to find them. If you don't appreciate Wes' films (Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore and the Fantastic Mr Fox among others), don't even bother with this one. If however, you appreciate the appearance of aforementioned quirky characters, wonderful writing and pure enjoyment of being enveloped into a fictional world, by all means enjoy yourself.
Between Edward Norton, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, I'm not sure who was funnier. Bruce Willis and Bill Murray were OK too. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as Sam and Suzy, the young lovers were good but overshadowed by their adult counterparts.
I enjoyed myself but am unsure that I would want to watch it over and over so I give this a one thumb pointing to the moon which guides us every night.
THE IMPOSSIBLE
The tag line is "Nothing is more powerful than the human spirit." That also summarizes this story of a couple and their three sons who while on vacation in Thailand, get swept away by a horrific Tsunami. This is based on the real life account of a real family.
Naomi Watts is nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of the matriarch, Maria. She is a good actress who really took over her role. Ewan McGregor is a good actor (and nice on the eyes too) but I liked him better in Moulin Rouge and have heard good things about Salmon Fishing in the Yeman. The real stand out is the young actor, Tom Holland, who plays the oldest son, Lucas. He was amazing as the young son who feels unappreciated by his parents for all his help raising his younger brothers, shows toughness to those brothers and then vulnerability during the storm returning once again to being strong and mature for his young age.
Some of the extras on the film were actual survivors from the Tsunami which is hard for me to comprehend living through that event in real time and then fictionally while filming a movie. This truly does show that there is nothing more powerful than the human spirit and when you walk out of the theater, you will feel wet, exhausted and grateful for being alive and safe.
I give this two thumbs up pointing to my belief in a higher power that allows me to still be here enjoying wonderful movies like this and the love of my family and friends.
The tag line is "Nothing is more powerful than the human spirit." That also summarizes this story of a couple and their three sons who while on vacation in Thailand, get swept away by a horrific Tsunami. This is based on the real life account of a real family.
Naomi Watts is nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of the matriarch, Maria. She is a good actress who really took over her role. Ewan McGregor is a good actor (and nice on the eyes too) but I liked him better in Moulin Rouge and have heard good things about Salmon Fishing in the Yeman. The real stand out is the young actor, Tom Holland, who plays the oldest son, Lucas. He was amazing as the young son who feels unappreciated by his parents for all his help raising his younger brothers, shows toughness to those brothers and then vulnerability during the storm returning once again to being strong and mature for his young age.
Some of the extras on the film were actual survivors from the Tsunami which is hard for me to comprehend living through that event in real time and then fictionally while filming a movie. This truly does show that there is nothing more powerful than the human spirit and when you walk out of the theater, you will feel wet, exhausted and grateful for being alive and safe.
I give this two thumbs up pointing to my belief in a higher power that allows me to still be here enjoying wonderful movies like this and the love of my family and friends.
LIFE OF PI
I have not read the book...YET. When I see a movie that is based on a book, I hope that I've already read it but if not, I hope that the movie intrigues me enough to make me want to read it. This has succeeded immensely and I hope to some day read the book of the same name by Yann Martel.
A young man survives a disaster at sea and then is sent on a journey of adventure. While on this journey, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor, Richard Parker, who is a fearsome Bengal tiger. Through adventure, soul-searching, grief and a tad bit of humor, we come out at the end of the movie with an uplifting view and sense of accomplishment. I have heard from people who have read the book that this is thankfully true to the book including the ending.
The movie was good on its own without any actors standing above and beyond the movie. The movie made the actors instead of the actors improving the movie. I would give this two thumbs up hanging onto my raft of life.
I have not read the book...YET. When I see a movie that is based on a book, I hope that I've already read it but if not, I hope that the movie intrigues me enough to make me want to read it. This has succeeded immensely and I hope to some day read the book of the same name by Yann Martel.
A young man survives a disaster at sea and then is sent on a journey of adventure. While on this journey, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor, Richard Parker, who is a fearsome Bengal tiger. Through adventure, soul-searching, grief and a tad bit of humor, we come out at the end of the movie with an uplifting view and sense of accomplishment. I have heard from people who have read the book that this is thankfully true to the book including the ending.
The movie was good on its own without any actors standing above and beyond the movie. The movie made the actors instead of the actors improving the movie. I would give this two thumbs up hanging onto my raft of life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
