Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Frankenweenie 2012


     Young Victor Frankenstien loves his dog Sparky, he stars as an actor in Victor's homemade monster movies.  A car hits Sparky and Victor tries to use science to bring him back.  There is a new science teacher at the school and he demonstrated to the students how a dead frog could move by electrical stimulation to the muscles.  Sparky is “supposed” to stay in the attic because he looks a little different but of course that doesn’t happen.  There is a science fair and some of the other students get involved in “raising” things from the dead.
     This is funny, different and enjoyable.  Sparky was brought back to life by pure love.  Filmed in 3-D black and white stop motion animation and based on a short film from nearly 30 years ago by Tim Burton.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

87 min, Animated directed by Tim Burton with the voices of Charlie Tahan, Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Atticus Shaffer, James Liao.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 7.0 out of 10, 87% critic 72% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.  

Monday, April 29, 2013

Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part Two 2012


     Based on the best-selling series of books by Stephenie Meyers, the final episode in the epic love story between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.  Bella is learning to use her vampire abilities and their daughter Renesmme is rapidly growing.  Another vampire coming to visit the family sees Renesmme and believes she is an immortal which is forbidden by the Volturri.  It’s a violation to turn a child and the penalty is death for both the child and the person who turned them.  They believe an immortal child is too dangerous because of immaturity.  The Cullen’s try to convince others who will stand with them that Renesmme is not a threat.
     Followers and fans of this series will love, haters of the series will hate.  Those on the fence will find this film not too bad.  Strikes a middle ground between sappy and unbearable.  If only “real people” could ever look this good “all” the time.   One question, why do people who can run really fast and can fly drive a car?  3* (This movie is OK)

115 min, Fantasy directed by Bill Condon with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greewne, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 5.6 out of 10, 48% critic 76% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
Special Note:  I thought it was nice they had the names and pictures of all the actors in 
the complete series. 


Sunday, April 28, 2013

Django Unchained 2012


     Dr. King Schultz is a former German born dentist turned bounty hunter.  He becomes partners with Django, a former slave.   Schultz is searching for brothers with a price on their heads and Django claims he can identify them.  Schultz learns Django has a wife he wants to track, she was sold at a slave market in Mississippi.  They agree to track men for the winter and go to search for his wife in the spring.  Django has a lot to learn, the salve market is no place for a former slave.
    There is a lot of comedy (how can this be for a slave movie) and a lot of over-the-top violence.  Like yin and yang.  Most of the people in the south have never seen a former slave ride a horse.  Life, liberty and the pursuit of vengeance is their motto.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

166 min, Adventure directed by Quentin Tarantino with Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Dennis Christopher, M.C. Gainey, Tom Savini.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 8.6 out of 10, 89% critic 94% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.  
Special Note:  Be prepared!!  A couple of times I had to shut my eyes and put my fingers in my ears!!  The unexpected is to be expected.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012


      Adapted from the best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky.  Charlie is 15 years old and he is dreading going back to high school of 1991.  He’s a shy outsider and he wonders if he will ever have any friends or will he be a lunch loner all year.  He meets Patrick and his stepsister Sam, Patrick is definitely not an outsider and neither is Sam.  Charlie wants to be a writer and his favorite teacher is his literature teacher.  Everything starts to go well until he begins dating Sam’s friend Mary Elizabeth.
     There is a veiled secret throughout this film that you don’t find out about until almost the end.  There are some hints along the way but they seem just thrown out there in passing so you cannot connect the dots.  This is a drawback plus it is definitely geared for a high school audience.  My next question is how did everyone get so polished?  3* (This movie is OK)

103 min, Drama directed by Steve Chbosky with Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Logan Lerman, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Johnny Simmons, Nina Dobrev.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 8.1 out of 10, 85% critic 90% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.  
Special Note:  A good bit of advice included in this film is that we “accept the love we think we deserve.”

Friday, April 26, 2013

Why Stop Now 2012


     Eli Smith deals with his drug addicted mother and his younger sister.  He has a piano recital and is hoping to be selected for the one available slot for a two-year music program.  His mother always manages to mess everything up!  Eli’s future will be determined by his performance at the recital and his mother is going into rehab this same day.  She finds out that she must have drugs in her system to be admitted and she hasn’t been using for several days because she is going to rehab.  Eli has to go with her to see her dealer since she owes him money and can’t show her face.  Everything does get messed up including Eli getting his hand injured.
     I’m not sure this is really a comedy, there is language in every other sentence and nearly the entire film is just trying to get the drugs.  Drug dealers, drug sellers and users are not very funny?  2 1/2** (This movie is so-so)

88 min, Comedy directed by Ron Nyswaner, Phil Doring with Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo, Tracy Morgan, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Sarah Ramos.

Note:  Blockbuster 2 ½*, imdb 5.2 out of 10, 25% critic 27% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

A Simple Life 2011


     Ah Tao has worked as a housekeeper for the same family for 60 years.  She was sent to work for them by her mother, she has been a nanny and maid nearly all her adult life.  She has cared for Roger since his birth and he considers her to be a member of the family rather than an employee.  Roger is a successful movie producer with a very busy job and he appreciates the care she takes of the house and the wonderful meals she makes for him.  Ah Tao suffers a stroke and she is not longer up to the demands of her job.  He agrees to help her move to a nursing home but he would rather she live at his home with someone else taking over her duties.
    Slow paced, gentle, quiet, emotional, never sentimental but focuses on the details of living and doing what is right in your life.  A little difficult to stay focused due to the subtitles, sometimes they can’t be read because of the background color.  The ending is unexpected.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)
118 min, Drama directed by Ann Hui with Andy Lau, Deanie Yip, Sammo Hung, Tsui Hark, Paul Chun, Pik Kee Hui, So-ying Hui, Raymond Chow .
Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.6 out of 10, 92% critic 86% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.  

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Flight 2012


     Whip Whittaker is an alcoholic, he drinks the night and the morning before flying plus the three days before and he uses cocaine to get himself together.  Once he’s in the cockpit, he uses oxygen to clear his head and try to sober up.  His co-pilot is very worried before they take off plus there is a very bad rainstorm.  They encounter a lot of turbulence on their take off and accent.  Once they are fully in the air, their problems are not over and the plane experiences major mechanical failure.  Whip turns the plane into a flip to keep from losing more altitude, reorients the plane and they make a belly down landing in a field.  The mandated investigation into the incident will be a battle for Whip and his lawyer plus he tries to force himself to stay off alcohol.
     I am really glad I was not on this plane!!  You think you can have confidence in the pilot but this shows you never really know what is going on in the cockpit.  Whip has allowed alcohol to rule his life, will he be able to subdue this beast or will it get the better of him?  There are a lot of errors in this film, 22 items are listed on imdb.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

138 min, Drama directed by Robert Zemeckis with Nadine Velazquez, Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Tamara Tunie, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 7.3 out of 10, 79% critic 76% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Good Doctor 2011

     Martin Blake is a British medical student who comes to the US to begin a residency program at a hospital in Southern California.  On the outside he is handsome and charming but inside he’s insecure and not sure he’s doing a good enough job in this setting.  He doesn’t do very well with his first patients and feels he’s on shaky ground with the supervising doctor.   Diane is a teenager with a kidney infection, she likes Dr. Blake and her parents are very grateful for his care.  They even invite him to their house for dinner to show their appreciation.  The other doctors are impressed with how well this case is going for him.  He doesn’t want her to get well too soon and he begins adjusting her medication so she will need longer treatment.
     Great, just what everyone needs, sick in the hospital and the doctor doesn’t want you to get well “too quickly?”  Creepy, the doctor is always sneaking around the hospital and he hates when the nurse catches any of his mistakes or can’t read his writing.  Shouldn’t he be above all of this and shouldn’t he have some ethics?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

91 min, Mystery/Suspense directed by Lance Daly with Orlando Bloom, Riley Keough, Michael Pena, Rob Morrow, Taraji P. Henson, J.K. Simmons, Troy Garity, Molly Price.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 5.4 out of 10, 64% critic 37% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Smashed 2012


     Charlie and Kate Hannah are a fun-loving couple but their heavy drinking is starting to become a problem for Kate.  She is an elementary school teacher caught up in a swirl of lies to cover her alcoholism.  She decides getting sober will be the only way to counter her downward spiral.  One problem is Charlie is hesitant to join her and he doesn’t think he has an issue with drinking.  Kate is able to set the bottle aside, attend AA meetings and obtain a sponsor but she faces a fight for her marriage and her job.
     This movie is good, Kate is really out of control and she can keep on drinking more and more or try to change her life.  She can’t change the people around her, only what she is doing which is a real struggle.  You really feel for her trying to conquer her addiction and hope she can recover.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

81 min, Drama directed by James Ponsoldt with Aaron Paul, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Octavia L. Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Mary Kay Place, Kyle Gallner.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 6.7 out of 10, 84% critic 70% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

How to Survive Plague 2012


     Activist groups ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) are formed to demonstrate and convince the government and the pharmaceutical industry to speed up human trials on experimental drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.  The hospitals are refusing to treat these patients and the drugs are taking too long in the pipeline with people dying every day.  A retired doctor starts working with the groups to educate them on medical information.  This is really helpful to the groups, they begin buying drugs from other counters through their TAG organization and distributing them.
     It is an injustice in the health care system to not treat people who are suffering but turn them away.  These patients can’t wait between 7-10 years for drugs to be approved that are over the counter in other countries.  This is a real history lesson and valuable for looking back on this time.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

109 min, Doc directed by David France with Bill Bahlman, David Barr, Gregg Bordowitz, Matthew Ebert, Jim Eigo, Susan Ellenberg, Mark Harrington.

Note:  Blockbuster 4 ½*, imdb 7.3 out of 10, 100% critic 81% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

A Royal Affair 2012

     This is a true 18th century historical drama detailing the love triangle between Queen Caroline Matilde of Great Britain and the royal physician, Johann Struensee of Germany.  Caroline is married to mad Danish King Christian VII.  Because of Struensee’s influence on the King, he is able to begin reforms throughout Denmark.  Conservative enemies use the relationship between Johann and the Queen to their advantage to regain their power.
     Very beautiful scenery, a lot of soap opera drama but you do feel for Caroline, Johann and Christian after they become pawns because of the schemes of Christian’s stepmother, Juliane Marie of Brunswich-Wolfenbuttel.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

137 min, Drama directed by Nicolaj Arcel with Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander, Mikkel Boe Folsgaard, Trine Dyrholm, David Dencik, Cyron Melville.

Blockbuster 2 ½*, imdb 7.5 out of 10, 89% critic 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Hello I Must Be Going 2012


     Amy was happily married but her husband was not and he asked her for a divorce.  She moves back in with her parents in Connecticut and doesn’t leave the house for three months.  She doesn’t know what to do with her life and she has no self-esteem left.  She spends her days in the same t-shirt watching silent black and white movies.  Her mother lets her know that they will soon be having a dinner party at the house to entertain important clients for her dad’s business.  Amy cannot attend this party in her t-shirt of the last three months.
     Only Melanie Lynskey and Christopher Abbott make any sense in this film.  How are they supposed to arrive at adulthood (whatever that means) with their parents all in a mess?  Of course, the parents want the best for their adult children but they don’t really even know what to do with their own lives or know who their children are?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

95 min, Drama directed by Todd Louiso with Melanie Lynskey, Christopher Abbott, Blythe Danner, John Rubinstein, Sara Chase, Daniel Eric Gold, Tori Feinstein.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 5.9 out of 10, 73% critic 59% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Top of the Lake 2013


Product Details     Tui is twelve-years old, she lives with her father, a local drug lord and three stepbrothers in a heavily secured gated compound.  Detective Robin Griffin is called in to talk with Tui when it is discovered she is five months pregnant.  She refuses to name the father and disappears soon after talking with Robin.  Robin used to live in this town, her father has passed away but still has a cabin here.  Her mother has cancer and feels neglected by Robin.  The local police don’t seem to be taking the complicated case seriously enough.  
     Very well acted and filmed in the wild and gorgeous country of New Zealand.  The speech of some of the characters is a little difficult to understand with their local accents.  This is a very gripping drama that has you on the edge of your seat wondering how this will conclude.  It's only problem is that is could have been more condensed.   4* (I really liked this movie)

300 min, Drama directed by Jane Campion with Elisabeth Moss, David Wenham, Peter Mullan, Holly Hunter, Thomas M. Wright, Jacqueline Joe, Gavin Rutherford, Sarah Valentine, Luke Buchanan, Jay Ryan.

Note:  Imdb 7.5 out of 10, 95% critic 73% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Salvation Boulevard 2010


      Based on a book with the same title by Larry Beinhart.  Charismatic evangelical preacher Reverend Dan oversees a mega church.  He receives an invitation to meet with his nemesis, Dr. Paul Blaylock, an atheist author.  Dan takes Carl, a former follower of the Grateful Dead, with him to the meeting.  There is an accident and Dan accidently shoots a loaded antique gun at Dr. Blaylock.  The bullet lodges in Dr. Blaylock's head. 
     This has a lot of not going for it, not funny, not any surprises, not much else but a waste of acting talent and one cheap shot after another.   2* (I didn’t like this movie)

96 min, Comedy, directed George Ratliff with Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei, Ciaran Hinds, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jim Gaffigan.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 5.2 out of 10, 21% critic 26% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Seven Psychopaths 2012

     Marty is behind on writing a movie screenplay and he's being gently reminded by his agent to get going!!  Marty likes to do a lot of drinking which hampers his writing.  Hans makes a living by kidnapping dogs and returning them for a reward.  His wife Myra is in the hospital with breast cancer, she wants Hans to get a REAL job instead of stealing for a living.  Billy is a real psychopath and also a dog kidnapper with Hans. His friends Hans and Marty don’t realize this until later.  Charlie is another psychopath with a little Shih Tzu dog kidnapped by Hans.  Bonnie’s dog sitter is nearly killed over the loss of Bonnie.  What will happen to Marty, Billy and Hans when Charlie discovers what really happened to Bonnie?
     This film has a good cast but this is acting-by-the numbers so their skills are not utilized.  It’s a weak screenplay about writing another weak screenplay.  It falls back on gratuitous violence to fill the gaps between the story lines.  How can this be called a comedy, I didn’t see anything funny?  2* (I didn’t like this movie)

110 min, Comedy directed by Martin McDonagh with Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Abbie Cornish, Michael Stuhlbarg, Helena Mattsson, Michael Pitt, Linda Bright Clay.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 7.3 out of 10, 82% critic 73% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Wit 2001:

     Adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Margaret Edson.  Vivian Bearing is a college professor who teaches a tough course in English poetry.  She learns she has Stage IV ovarian cancer and her doctor recommends a very potent chemotherapy treatment at high doses.  When she becomes a patient, she learns she is just a body without feelings or emotions.
     This is a tough movie, Vivian loses her hair quickly and the treatment takes a heavy toll physically and emotionally.  It’s difficult to watch such intense suffering but terrific acting.  4* (I really liked this movie)

99min, Drama directed by Mike Nichols with Emma Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Atkins, Audra McDonald, Harold Pinter, Jonathan M. Woodward.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 8.0 out of 10, 80% critic 88% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
Special Note:  I waited a long time before watching this film, 12 years.  I thought the subject would make difficult viewing but this is very worth watching.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

5 Broken Cameras 2011


     Emad Burnat bought a video camera to have a film record of his fourth son.  Instead he begins using it both to film his son and to record the struggle between his Palestinian people and the Israeli settlers.  Each time his camera is damaged in protests, he gets it repaired or replaces it with another camera.  Over five years, he films his son and the peaceful protests over a separation barrier and the taking of land from their village.  It’s a struggle to preserve their land and their way of life.
     Burnat is Palestinian farmer who has teamed up with an Israeli director to make this film about the West Bank village of Bil’in.  The settlements by the Israeli’s are illegal because they are on Palestinian land plus they are breaking laws passed by the Israeli courts.  Tear gas and bullets from the Israeli soldiers are the every day normal.  Nominated for an Oscar in the best feature documentary category.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie.

90 min, Doc directed by Guy Davidi, Emad Burnat with Soraya, Mohammed, Yasin, Taky-Adin, Gibreel, Intisar, Eyad, Riyad, Khaled and Jafar Burnat, Bassem, Adeeb and Ashraf Abu-Rahma.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 7.6, 95% critic 86% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Zero Dark Thirty 2012


     After the attacks by Al Qaeda on 9/11, the CIA began the interrogation of suspected agents across the globe.  Maya spends a decade of her life tracking down Osama bin Laden.  Many false leads and dead ends cause numerous delays and suicide bombings continue across the Middle East and Europe.  It seems the trail has gone cold after the reported death of a close contact with bin Laden.  A file is discovered that shows vital new information.  Maya keeps pursuing the leads and demands teams be sent in to track phone calls believed to have been made by a bin Laden messenger.
     I really liked this movie!!  It’s taunt, tense and seems incredibly accurate in it’s year-by-year detailing of the search for a terror mastermind.  Computers were used to track bin Laden and he was using computers to attack us at the same time.  A lot of mistakes over the years but none were made in the final mission of elimination.  The only drawback is that someone else stepped up to take bin Laden’s place.  4 ½* (I really liked this movie)

155 min, Drama directed by Kathryn Bigelow with Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle, Harold Perrineau, Jeremy Strong, Reda Kateb. 

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 7.5 out of 10, 93% critic 81% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
Special Note:  This film has won 19 awards but only one Oscar for Sound Editing, a tie with Skyfall.  Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Carl Levin along with Republican John McCain applied pressure due to complaints over the showing of water boarding.  OK, this method of information extraction was used, approved and we know about it but we are not supposed to see this happen?  Would this be a head in the sand approach?







Friday, April 12, 2013

Rust and Bone 2012


    Alain leaves Belgium for his sister’s house in Antibes.  He becomes the sole guardian of his five-year-old son, Sam.  He finds a job as a bouncer in a nearby nightclub and things start to look up for Ali and Sam.  There is stability, a place to live and money coming in for both of them.  He breaks up a fight in the club and meets Stephanie, she works at Marineland as a trainer with the orca show.
     Stephanie and Alain seem like they would not be able to blend together as a couple but unusual circumstances changes the odds.  Alain steps up to the plate and gives Stephanie what she needs to continue living.  Alain's circumstances change and he begins to need Stephanie too.  4*( I really liked this movie)
 
122 min, Drama directed by Jacques Audiard with Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Armand Verdure, Celine Sallette, Corinne Masiero, Bouli Lanners, Jean-Michel Correla.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.5 out of 10, 82% critic 80% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Jumpin’ Jack Flash 1986


     Terry Doolittle is a computer operator for a large New York City bank.  She receives a post from a British agent asking for help to get out of Russia.  He asks her to take a coded message to the British Embassy.  He is using the false name of Jack Flash from the song by the Rolling Stones.  She goes to the embassy but no one there seems to understand what she is talking about.  Soon she finds other agencies and their agents are after her.
     This is funny, the wardrobe that Whoopi wears is probably the funniest part and she has very bright shoes!  She gets in one situation that reminded me of Lucile Ball working in the chocolate factory with the candy going by on the conveyer belt.  I was surprised by the very low reviews, maybe it’s because I have not seen very many of Whoppi’s movies?  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

105 min, Comedy directed by Penny Marshall with Whoppi Goldberg, Stephen Collins, Johathan Pryce, James Belushi, John Wood, Carol Kane, Annie Potts, Sara Botsford, Tony Hendra.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 5.4 out of 10, 28% critic 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Stolen Seas 2012


     An investigation into Somali pirates, the focus is on November 8, 2008 when the CEC Future was boarded.  This is a Danish merchant ship sailing between Somalia and Yemen.  The 13-man crew was held hostage for 2 months as negotiations were made over how much money would be paid for their release.  The price began at 7 million dollars, a cost of $538,461.538 for each man.  A study of what drives a group of people to feel justified in this type of extortion.
     The subject is current and compelling but I think you must be involved with ships at sea to find this interesting.  There are subtitles for some of the dialog and a solution is not suggested to solve this situation?  3* (This movie is so-so)

92 min, Doc directed by Thymaya Payne, written by Mark Monroe.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, 7.3 out of 10, 100% critic 80% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.  

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Lincolon 2012


     This film is about the final months of the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln in 1865.  He served as President from his election on 11/6/1860 until his death 4/15/1869, the civil war was from 4/11/1861 until 4/8/1865.  The Civil War is ongoing during this time but winding down and the 13th amendment to the constitution concerning slavery is coming up for voting.  Lincoln fears that if the war ends before the voting, the amendment will not pass into law.  He is torn because the sooner peace arrives, the less lives will be lost in this terrible war.  End slavery or end the war?
     Excellent performances by Day-Lewis, Field and Jones but you may need to be a history buff to love this movie?  The costumes and stage designs are wonderful.  The drawbacks of this film are the narrowness of scope, too much arguing between the politicians, wordy and uninvolving scenes in the script which are sometimes tedious, overlong length and the ending is already known.   The amendment was passed in January 1865, sent to the states for ratification and approved on 12/6/1865.

150 min, Drama directed by Steven Spielberg with Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jared Harris, David Strathairn, Jeremy Strong, Jackie Earle Haley.  3* (This movie is OK)

Note:  Blockbuster 4*,  imdb 7.6 out of 10, 89% critic 84% audience on Rotten Tomatoes. 
Special Note:  Maybe my expectations were set too high because of the reviews and awards? 

Monday, April 8, 2013

Skyfall 2012, 2nd Review:


     This is my second viewing and review of this film.  It was just as good or even better to see this again.  Three things I noticed in the difference between seeing this in the theater and then on DVD.  In the theater, I saw the hands of Berenice Marlohe as Severine shake holding her cigarette when she talked about fear and Silva.  When Silva is held by MI6, he talked about his capture and torture as an agent, I saw more of his facial disfigurement this viewing.  Maybe because I was expecting this revelation?  Also, in the ending scene with Judy Dench, you can see all her wrinkles and everything about her face since it’s such a large screen in the theater viewing.  Bravery on her part to have this all revealed but the British don’t seem to be as hung up as Americans on wrinkles and pores? 4 1/2* (I loved this movie)

143 min, Action directed by Sam Mendes with Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judy Dench, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Albert Finney,  Ben Whishaw.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.8 out of 10, 92% critic 88% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
Special Note:  The ratings have decreased over time, Blockbuster was 4 ½*, imdb 8.1 out of 10, 92% critic 89% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Deadfall 2012


     Addison and Liza are sibling casino robbers in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.  They make a dash for the Canadian border until they hit a deer on the road.  The rollover crash on the icy road totals the car and kills their getaway driver.  A policeman comes across the scene and phones for help but Addison kills him.  The pair set off into the snow covered woods, Addison tells Liza they need to separate and meet up again at the border.  Jay who is on his way to his parent’s home after his release from prison picks up Liza along the road.  She phones Addison and gives him the address so he can meet her there since the home is on the Canadian border.
     OK, you are wearing very light clothes and you are out in the snow, no problem, you won’t freeze to death or anything?  You’ll be all toasty and warm!!  Another good idea is to kill everyone crossing your path!!  Was this screenplay written using a dartboard?  Let’s choose this ridiculous scene and then add this other scene that is more ridiculous!!  2 1/2* (This movie is so-so)
 
95 min, Crime directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky with Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Charlie Hunnam, Patrick Kerton, Kwasi Sonqui, Kris Kristofferson, Sissy Spacek, Treat Williams, John Robinson, Job Daniel, Jacelyne Zucco.

Note:  Blockbuster 2 ½*, imdb 6.3 out of 10, 33% critic 36% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.