After watching the Academy Award nominated Baz Luhrmann movie, The Great Gatsby, I was talking to a friend who asked if I've ever seen this movie. I had not but I liked his version of Gatsby and Moulin Rouge before that so I thought I would give this movie a try.
As a fan of the television show, Dancing with the Stars, I love to watch ballroom dancing. The passion for the music and dancing and for entertaining. This was all also present in Strictly Ballroom. Basically a bunch of unknowns acting in the movie but getting the story originated and co-written by Baz Luhrmann beautifully across to the viewer. It was a romantic love story, heartfelt drama and moving soundtrack/choreography all in one.
I give this a one and a half thumb dancing in pure enjoyment.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Despicable Me 2
Steve Carell is back as Gru. I didn't rave over the first movie but then this movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated feature and Best Song. I am not sorry that I saw this movie. Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig are funny as love interest and if you want to see live action love interest, watch Anchorman 2. Although predictable in parts of the plot, this was enjoyable but let's be honest, the reason to watch this is for the adorable minions.
They speak gibberish but are still cute and for basically this reason alone, I give this a one thumb up pointing to the minion with one centered eye.
They speak gibberish but are still cute and for basically this reason alone, I give this a one thumb up pointing to the minion with one centered eye.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Blue Jasmine
Out of the many movies that Woody Allen has written and directed, I only liked a handful that I would watch again. Midnight In Paris, Bullets Over Broadway, The Purple Rose of Cairo and even Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask are those movies.
Blue Jasmine is not one of those movies.
Cate Blanchett (Jasmine) is a wonderful actress who is totally believable at portraying a mentally ill woman. Sally Hawkins (Ginger, Jasmine's sister) is a good actress but was better in Happy Go Lucky and undeserving of a supporting actress nomination. I wish Woody Allen had made the sisters more connected and Sally more caring about her sisters mental illness. Alec Baldwin was typecast as a swindling womanizer. Peter Sarsgaard is a good actor but the role was sort of a dunce. Andrew Dice Clay was surprisingly good as Ginger's ex-husband Augie.
I hated the ending and felt like there was too many gaps in the character arcs.
I give this a half thumb up for Cate Blanchett carrying the film more than anyone else including Woody Allen.
Blue Jasmine is not one of those movies.
Cate Blanchett (Jasmine) is a wonderful actress who is totally believable at portraying a mentally ill woman. Sally Hawkins (Ginger, Jasmine's sister) is a good actress but was better in Happy Go Lucky and undeserving of a supporting actress nomination. I wish Woody Allen had made the sisters more connected and Sally more caring about her sisters mental illness. Alec Baldwin was typecast as a swindling womanizer. Peter Sarsgaard is a good actor but the role was sort of a dunce. Andrew Dice Clay was surprisingly good as Ginger's ex-husband Augie.
I hated the ending and felt like there was too many gaps in the character arcs.
I give this a half thumb up for Cate Blanchett carrying the film more than anyone else including Woody Allen.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Heading into this movie, I heard negative comments at the sex, profanity and drug use in this movie. Although there was a ton of F-bombs and huge amount of drug use, I didn't feel like it was gratuitous. The sex scenes weren't even that bad to me. The only thing that rubbed me offensive to watch was when they were using the word R-word and depicting cerebral palsy as the stage after drooling in quaalude use.
This movie is based on the book Jordan Belfort wrote about his own life. He aspired to be rich and powerful like Gordon Gekko's character from the 1987 movie Wall Street.
The appeal of being rich, I understand. The appeal of being so powerful that you lose your moral compass, I do not understand.
Leo Dicaprio deserves his Lead Actor Oscar nomination. It felt like the role was Gatsby on drugs and not much of a stretch from what he seems to be like off screen.
Jonah Hill was fantastic as a supporting actor in MoneyBall but I didn't see anything to convince me that he was worthy of another nomination this time.
Marty Scorsese is more respected for his directing ability from this reviewer after seeing this movie but if he wins Best Director, there is a good chance it will Best Picture which I would prefer not to happen (with 6 out of 9 nominees watched, 12 Years A Slave is my favorite).
It was a joy to see Rob Reiner back in front of the camera, playing Jordan's father.
I give this a surprising one and a half thumbs up for directing and Lead acting but hope that it does not give anyone the ambition to follow in Jordan's footsteps.
This movie is based on the book Jordan Belfort wrote about his own life. He aspired to be rich and powerful like Gordon Gekko's character from the 1987 movie Wall Street.
The appeal of being rich, I understand. The appeal of being so powerful that you lose your moral compass, I do not understand.
Leo Dicaprio deserves his Lead Actor Oscar nomination. It felt like the role was Gatsby on drugs and not much of a stretch from what he seems to be like off screen.
Jonah Hill was fantastic as a supporting actor in MoneyBall but I didn't see anything to convince me that he was worthy of another nomination this time.
Marty Scorsese is more respected for his directing ability from this reviewer after seeing this movie but if he wins Best Director, there is a good chance it will Best Picture which I would prefer not to happen (with 6 out of 9 nominees watched, 12 Years A Slave is my favorite).
It was a joy to see Rob Reiner back in front of the camera, playing Jordan's father.
I give this a surprising one and a half thumbs up for directing and Lead acting but hope that it does not give anyone the ambition to follow in Jordan's footsteps.
Lone Survivor
This movie has been touted as the best war movie since Saving Private Ryan. In my opinion, Saving Private Ryan was a war movie for the first fifteen minutes or so but then it is more drama at Tom Hanks character finding and bring back Matt Damon's Private Ryan than actual fighting in a war.
If you like war movies, Lone Survivor is a real war movie. It shows the camaraderie of the soldiers who are not just working their jobs as fighters for our country but men who connect as brothers although unrelated.
This shows the toughness yet heart that it takes to be a soldier and make decisions in extreme situations. This movie is based on the true life story of the Navy Seals mission of June 2005 entitled Operation Red Wings which as the title surmises only led to one survivor. The rest of the valiant crew gave definition to the term "The ultimate sacrifice".
The director met with the families of all the servicemen who lost their life and one of the father's read his sons death notice in tears about how his son was shot eleven times and the father said to the director "that's who my son was, that's how hard he fought, make sure you get that right."
I believe he did get it right and I would encourage all of you to either see this one large thumb up movie (including the ending credits where the real soldiers are memorialized) or at the very least send a thought or prayer of thanks to all the men and women who have fought, are fighting and will fight to defend the rights of our country.
If you like war movies, Lone Survivor is a real war movie. It shows the camaraderie of the soldiers who are not just working their jobs as fighters for our country but men who connect as brothers although unrelated.
This shows the toughness yet heart that it takes to be a soldier and make decisions in extreme situations. This movie is based on the true life story of the Navy Seals mission of June 2005 entitled Operation Red Wings which as the title surmises only led to one survivor. The rest of the valiant crew gave definition to the term "The ultimate sacrifice".
The director met with the families of all the servicemen who lost their life and one of the father's read his sons death notice in tears about how his son was shot eleven times and the father said to the director "that's who my son was, that's how hard he fought, make sure you get that right."
I believe he did get it right and I would encourage all of you to either see this one large thumb up movie (including the ending credits where the real soldiers are memorialized) or at the very least send a thought or prayer of thanks to all the men and women who have fought, are fighting and will fight to defend the rights of our country.
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