Best Actress 2018

05. Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place - Blunt has been doing solid and impressive work for decades, but never has she been as good as she is here. A Quiet Place has minimal dialogue, but Blunt manages to create a fully formed character anyway. That scene where she is trying to quietly give birth in a bathtub while monsters attack her house is one of the best of the year, and her performance there is unforgettable.

04. Lady Gaga in A Star is Born - It's impressive enough that someone who is such a confident global superstar make an audience believe that she is an unsure nobody with stage fright. That's the big picture gist of what Gaga has to do in this movie. But then it's all the little things too, that makes her performance truly shine. It's the lights out chemistry with Bradley Cooper. It's the subtle looks and sighs. I'm fully convinced that a few of her best moments are things she messed up on a little bit, but went with anyway. That instinct helps her deliver one of the most exciting performances of the year.

03. Blake Lively in A Simple Favor - There is a lot I can't really say about this movie because the plot gets progressively more bonkers as it goes on, and I truly don't want to give anything away (although the film loses it's footing and can't land the ending, it's still a pretty fun ride and worth a watch, for sure). But one thing I can say is this: Blake Lively is an f-ing delight in this movie. I've been reminded lately that she's kind of good in everything she does, although for some reason, I don't ever think that. But she's a treat here. Give her more work like this, please!

02. Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade - It takes a lot to completely and utterly carry a movie. There are very few actors that can do it (Tom Hanks, Leo DiCaprio, maybe that's it). But in Eighth Grade, a teenage girl with little acting experience carries the movie with ease. Fisher is a revelation. She's awkward and unsure. She's snotty and rude to her father. She's trying desperately to fit in at school. She makes you laugh and then rips your heart out. Forget Lady Gaga - it's here that a star is born.

01. Toni Collette in Hereditary - This movie, this performance! I have not been able to stop thinking about either for six months. Collette is a wrecking ball, coming through this movie like a house on fire. It's a ballsy, take no prisoners kind of performance. It's the kind of role that I think would scare off a lot of actresses, but Collette commits 110% and ends up giving one of the most gut-wrenching performances of the year.

October 2015

The Martian
Stars - Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels
Plot - An astronaut left on Mars by his crew who thought he was dead, must learn to survive until they can come save him.
Thoughts - The Martian is a big ole' crowd pleaser of a movie. It's funny, it's smart, it's engaging, it's got a great cast full of great performances. But it is also sort of forgettable, and it has a pretty anti-climactic ending. Still worth seeing though.
Grade - B

Sicario
Stars - Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin
Plot - A woman is brought in on a top secret mission involving drug smuggling between Mexico and the US.
Thoughts - I'm guessing not many people saw this, which sucks, because we need more smart movies for adults. However, this also could have been a slightly better movie, and perhaps more people would have seen it. Benicio Del Toro kills it in this movie which is pretty solid despite a lackluster ending.
Grade - B

The Walk
Stars - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Plot - Based on the true story of a French tight rope walker who decides to walk between the twin towers in NYC.
Thoughts - It's a shame this movie is so boring, because the actual tight rope walk scene is so fantastic, it will make you fall in love with the magic of movies all over again.
Grade - C

Unfriended
Plot - A group of friends are terrorized one by one via social media on the anniversary of their friends death.
Thoughts - I actually sort of didn't hate this? Sure, it's gimmicky (filmed entirely on Web cams and via Skype). Sure, it's sort of a cliche scare fest. But the hell if it isn't a fast paced, fun little creative experiment, that maybe doesn't always succeed, but will at least keep you interested.
Grade - C+

Steve Jobs
Stars - Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels
Plot - Steve Jobs goes head to head with various co-workers, employees and friends while building a legacy.
Thoughts - I guess there are people who don't like screen writer Aaron Sorkin's fast paced, non stop style. Those people might not like this super talky, character driven movie. But I love Sorkin, and there haven't been very many movies as good as or better than this all year. Also, I haven't seen DiCaprio in The Revenant yet, but Fassbender is going to be tough to beat for that Oscar.
Grade - A-

Bridge of Spies
Stars - Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance
Plot - A lawyer helps broker a trade of Spies during the Cold War.
Thoughts - I realize how lucky I am to live in a world where Steven Spielberg is still making movies. However, I've always had a fundamental problem with Spielberg movies, and that is how uneven they feel.  Just when you are about to fall asleep from boredom,  he throws in some amazing scene of a plane being shot down, or people trying to climb over the Berlin Wall. Plus, Hanks is probably our most reliable movie star actor, and Mark Rylance steals the whole movie. Feels even longer than its 2 hour and 20 minute run time, but still worth watching.
Grade - B

Best Actress 2014

05. Elisabeth Moss in The One I Love - For embracing the duality of her role with the utmost of ease. For playing a real woman full of mood swings and emotion who is smart and complicated and not always likeable. For that wicked / sweet smile at the end.

04. Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow - For playing a bad ass heroine with depth and complexity.  For being the only woman (ever??) to steal a movie away from superstar Tom Cruise.  For the "Let's reboot" scene.

03. Scarlett Johansson in Under The Skin - For being sexy and stunning and utterly controlled. For exuding a total lack of emotion that somehow still makes her sympathetic. For the restaurant scene.

02. Reese Witherspoon in Wild - For giving a fearless, gritty, de-glammed performance flawlessly. For playing a haunted woman filled with regret and loss struggling to find her true self. For the scene where she meets the little boy on the trail.

01. Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl - For playing three roles in one; the perfect wife in flashbacks,  the enigmatic missing woman and the brilliant possibly sociopathic true self. For being a ballsy, fearless,  dark, twisted revelation. For the cool girl speech.

Halfway Point of 2014

At the mid-point of 2014, I must say that, overall, I am pretty disappointed with the movies released this year. I have only seen a few things that I thought were good, and nothing that has really wowed me. Usually around this time of year, I release a Best of the Year so far sort of list, the actors and movies that deserve recognition, but probably won't make it to my end of the year list. So, here it is, but keep in mind that this year is sort of below par, at least so far.

Best Actor
01. James McAvoy in X-Men: Days of Future Past
02. Jason Bateman in Bad Words
03. Kevin Costner in Draft Day
04. Oscar Isaac in In Secret
05. Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow

Best Actress
01. Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow
02. Rose Byrne in Neighbors
03. Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars
04. Elizabeth Olsen in In Secret
05. Shailene Woodley in Divergent

Best Supporting Actor
01. Bryan Cranston in Godzilla
02. Nat Wolff in The Fault in Our Stars
03. Dane DeHaan in The Amazing Spider-man 2
04. Michael Fassbender in X-Men: Days of Future Past
05. Jai Courtney in Divergent

Best Supporting Actress
01. Jessica Lange in In Secret
02. Scarlett Johansson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
03. Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-man 2

Best Film
01. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
02. Edge of Tomorrow
03. Godzilla
04. Bad Words
05. 22 Jump Street

Edge of Tomorrow

One of the biggest complaints people have when it comes to movies is that they lack originality. I've been guilty of complaining about this. There are too many sequels and remakes and reboots. So, what happens when we finally get an utterly original, wholly entertaining film? No one goes to see it and it bombs at the box office. Thus, sort of proving to Hollywood big wigs that they are right - what everyone in the world wants is a fourth Transformer movie and not anything daring or original or different. We've only got ourselves to blame.

Edge of Tomorrow is that unique blockbuster that isn't a recycled plot you've seen a million times. Sure, you've seen it once or twice. In Groundhog Day, most famously. Or maybe you've read about it in a book like last year's spectacular Life After Life. But, this isn't the same old material regurgitated for the millionth time. Edge of Tomorrow stars the last of the great action superstars, Tom Cruise, as a cowardly bureaucratic Army guy who has never seen combat, or even trained for combat. He's a talker and a manipulator, not a soldier. But, he ends up on the front lines anyway and a "surprise" attack on the aliens lifeforms they are fighting turns horribly wrong. They've been waiting for the attack and Cruise's Cage is dead within five minutes. But, then he wakes up on the front lines again, ready to relive the day over and over and over until he can get it right, and kill the enemy leader. Eventually he teams up with Emily Blunt's super (read: BAD-ASS) soldier, Rita, and together the two relive the day dozens of times, maybe even more, changing little things every time, until they get it right.

I know, I know. This may sound repetitive and boring, but director Doug Liman does an amazing job of really getting the point across - Live, Die, Repeat, with humor and intelligence without making it seem like you are watching the same thing happen over and over. This movie is creatively done on all counts - writing, editing, directing, acting. This movie is clever and smart and absolutely satisfying on every level.

Tom Cruise is maybe the last of the great action stars. He's been one of the most famous people on the planet for decades now, and while I'm not necessarily a fan of him personally, I don't think you can argue with him as an actor. He's the rare kind of actor; the kind who is magnetic and charming enough to be a larger than life superstar, but still has the acting chops to pull off intimate character moments too. The only other person I can think of off the top of my head who has that same duality is probably Will Smith. And, sure, superstars make missteps, too (see: last year's Oblivion, which wasn't terrible, but was disappointing). But this film and role from Cruise is on point. He's electric to watch, and it's also fun to see him play someone who is so cowardly at the beginning. We aren't used to seeing our Tom Cruise making excuses for reasons not to go to war. He's usually kicking ass and taking names. But, really, the true star of this movie is Emily Blunt. This may be the only alien sci-fi epic feminist movie in existence. Blunt is spectacular as the kick ass super soldier. She is tough and tender and just all around bad ass. She is an absolute delight to watch, especially all the "Let's just reboot" scenes which are dark and funny. She should probably be the biggest star in the world right now, and I hope she becomes a huge household name. Action movies are usually no place for women. We are stuck either playing some sexy, leather clad villain, or the damsel in distress. But Blunt is just as tough, if not tougher, than the men in this movie. This is the sort of female character we need more of in films.

All in all, Edge of Tomorrow is a damn entertaining movie. Sure, it could have had a bit more character development, a little more back story on the war (we're pretty much thrown right into the story). But, then I guess, we'd all be complaining that it's too long. It's a shame this movie did so poorly at the box office, but here's hoping it finds a cult life when it comes out on DVD. This is the sort of creative, fun, entertaining action movie we should all be celebrating. We need more summer blockbusters like Edge of Tomorrow.

Grade: B+

DVD Mini Reviews

Starting Monday, I will be revealing my Top Ten Best and Worst of 2012 lists. For now, here are the last of the DVD's I've watched for movies released this year.

Safety Not Guaranteed
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, Mark Duplass
Plot: A group of journalists investigate a newspaper ad looking for a time travel partner.
Thoughts: Some parts of this comedy are really cute and Plaza is a great indie leading lady. However, for every sweet, funny moment, there are just as many cliches.
Grade: C

Bernie
Starring: Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Shirley McClaine
Plot: A seemingly sweet funeral director may have a very surprising dark side.
Thoughts: Every one seemed to love this movie as it's made it's way onto Top Ten lists and received award nominations. I found it to be impressive only because they managed to get Jack Black to not act like an idiot for an hour and forty minutes. McConaughey is having some kind of year, though.
Grade: C-

Sound of My Voice
Starring: Brit Marling
Plot: Two investigative journalists infiltrate a cult where the members worship a woman who claims to be from the future.
Thoughts: I absolutely loved this movie and find Marling to be stunning. It's almost impossible to take your eyes off of her. A star is born.
Grade: B

Seeking a Friend For the End of the World
Starring: Steve Carrell, Keira Knightley
Plot: Two strangers who have zero chemistry take a road trip to find the man's long lost love before the world ends.
Thoughts: Like I said, Carrell and Knightley have zero chemistry. Still, parts of this are really cute. But the ending ultimately ruined it for me. If it had ended a few moments earlier, I would have given this a much better grade.
Grade: D

The Deep Blue Sea
Starring: Rachel Weisz
Plot: A woman struggles with suicide and depression after leaving her rich husband for another man.
Thoughts: I tried to watch this once before, months ago, and I couldn't make it past twenty minutes. Still, it does get better. Some of it is visually stunning and Weisz is perfection. Still, kinda boring.
Grade: C

Damsels in Distress
Starring: Greta Gerwig
Plot: A group of college students try to prevent suicide and also dance.
Thoughts: Seriously, painful and unwatchable.
Grade: F

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy
Plot: A group of older people move to India to live at a once thriving hotel.
Thoughts: This movie is quite charming and sweet. Of course, Maggie Smith is the queen bitch of the world. Love her. (That's a compliment)
Grade: B-

Your Sister's Sister
Starring: Emily Blunt, RoseMarie Dewitt, Mark Duplass
Plot: A down on his luck guy manages to become involved in a love triangle with his best friend and her lesbian sister while spending a weekend at a secluded cabin.
Thoughts: A really winning, cute movie with a very likeable cast.
Grade: B

Arbitrage
Starring: Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Nate Parker, Tim Roth, Brit Marling
Plot: A super rich man becomes involved in a hit and run case while dealing with a failing business / fraud.
Thoughts: A really taut, exceptional thriller / drama. Performances by Gere and Parker are electrifying and worth the rental alone.
Grade: B

Pitch Perfect
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin
Plot: A freshman in college becomes involved in an accapella singing group.
Thoughts: When this movie is at it's best, it's campy, wonderful fun, reminiscent of Bring It On. When it's at its worst, it's cheesy and silly. Still, the fun wins out in the end.
Grade: B

Looper

The very first thing I said to my boyfriend as we left the theater after seeing Looper was, "If you didn't like that movie, we are breaking up right now." Luckily, he agreed with me and thought it was the best movie we had seen this year.

Quite a few years ago, I happened upon a little indie movie called Brick. When I was growing up, I wasn't like normal kids and while they watched animated Disney movies, I watched movies like Chinatown and The Maltese Falcon. So Brick, which married film noir with high school, seemed like it was almost tailor made for me. Plus, it starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an actor who I loved since his days on 3rd Rock from the Sun. It also co-starred an actor named Noah Segan who I had never seen before but who I gravitated to immediately. Plus, it was written by this first time writer / director named Rian Johnson. I immediately thought "No one writes dialogue better than this guy" (and I still feel that way all these years later). Brick and these three guys quickly became personal favorites. A few years later these three teamed up again for The Brothers Bloom which was just as good with characters so vivid and dialogue so fresh. Needless to say, I was excited for Looper. I had high expectations, for sure. I knew it would be good, but I wasn't completely prepared for how great it would be.

Looper takes place in 2044 in Kansas. Time travel hasn't been invented yet, but 30 years in the future it will have been. It will immediately be outlawed but, since it will be impossible to hide a body in the future, some very mean men will use it as a way to transport their targets back to "present day" where special assassins (loopers) will kill the targets, dispose of the body, collect their fee, get high using eye drops, party with hookers and so on. When a mysterious and super deadly figure called The Rainmaker takes over in the future, he begins to do something called "closing the loop." This means that the loopers future self will be sent back to be disposed of. In the case that this happens, you kill your future self, end your looper contract and go on your merry way, where you can live your life for the next 30 years waiting for the day your fate comes a-calling. But, unforunately for Joe (Gordon-Levitt), his future self is portrayed by Bruce Willis, so when he hesitates for just a moment, Older Joe, since he is Bruce Willis, proceeds to be a complete bad ass. He knocks Younger Joe unconscious, steals his truck and takes off into the city. Younger Joe wakes up knowing he's got to find his older self and kill him before his boss (Jeff Daniels) sends his thugs (led by Noah Segan) to find him. The cat and mouse game eventually leads to a farm owned by Emily Blunt's Sara. She lives there with her son, Cid (Pierce Gagnon), and they take in Younger Joe.

Honestly, the plot sounds more confusing than it is. And this is thanks to Johnson's stellar writing. Time travel movies can usually veer into confusing "what is happening" territory but that never happens with Looper. It's mind boggling and keeps you thinking but it's never difficult or impossible to understand or follow. The greatest thing about Looper is that you think it's about one thing - this showdown between your current and future self - but that's only really the first 30 minutes or so. Then Emily Blunt shows up. It quickly becomes something else entirely and I'll say it, something so much better than I expected. But the best writing and directing in the world can't help you if you don't have the right cast. And Johnson has the perfect cast.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an actor I am so familiar with. I loved him when he was starring in little-seen indies (Manic, Mysterious Skin) and I loved him when he was stealing very big movies from actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises). But here, in Looper, he's nearly unrecognizable thanks to make up that makes him look more like Bruce Willis. His performance is intense and searing and it's made all the more real because he completely becomes someone else. Speaking of Willis, he's great too. When I first saw the trailer, I thought the make up effects were going to be distracting. I didn't think Gordon-Levitt looked anything like Willis, but I was wrong. When they are together on screen, you can see it. Although, I will argue that it's not even necessary. The two actors have such a great chemistry that it doesn't even matter whether or not they look alike. Willis manages to be a tough bad ass (like in the scene where he SHOOTS EVERYTHING!!!!!) and imbibes that with tenderness. Even when his character is doing despicable things, you still feel for him. Emily Blunt all but steals the movie for me. Her emotional and subtle performance brings a whole lot of heart to this movie. I know Looper may not be the kind of movie the Oscars love (although they did nominate Inception and this is just as good, if not better), but I'm holding out hope for a Best Supporting Actress nominee for her, as well as a Best Original Screenplay nomination for Johnson. Daniels does a stellar job with a small role as he manages to be both funny and ferocious. Paul Dano is, I think, the only actor under 30 who can hold his own on the screen with the likes of Daniel Day Lewis and Robert DeNiro so, of course, he manages to bring a whole lot to a very small part. Pierce Gagnon was 5 years old when they made this movie but somehow manages to deliver a performance so devastating that it's hard to believe he hasn't been in the business for 30 years. Then there is Noah Segan. I've followed his career closely and I'm so impressed with his Kid Blue, a villain but also, maybe not. I found his character fascinating and of all the great characters in this movie, I wanted to know more about him. I didn't see him as such a bad guy. Just someone who is so eager to please, that he'll do just about anything for someone to tell him he's doing a good job (and we can all relate to that!). This movie will surely put him on the map and I'm not entirely prepared to share him with the world. It's that weird moment when your favorite thing is about to become really popular. I mean, you want to hold it close and keep it to yourself, but at the same time, it's your favorite thing for a reason so, really, it should be everyone's favorite thing. So, you're welcome world. You can share Noah Segan with me.

I hope this review made some sort of sense and it wasn't just be babbling for however many paragraphs. I have been thinking and talking about this movie non stop for two days and so it's hard to sort through all of my thoughts. This movie gives you so much to think about it. Johnson is officially three for three in my book and I'm so excited to see what he does next. Looper is the sort of movie that will inspire a generation. In fact, in twenty years or so, the next generation of filmmakers will be asked about their influences. I think they will cite the complete works of David Fincher, last year's Drive and Looper. And that thought gives me a lot of faith in the future of the film world.

Grade: A

Mini Reviews (Catching Up!)

The Adjustment Bureau - Maybe it's because I was watching it on a loud bus, or maybe the movie really was just stupid (the plot involves secret passageways and magical fedoras - not even kidding), but this movie did not live up to my expectations. I was excited to see this movie - where Matt Damon's senator meets the girl of his dreams (Emily Blunt) but mysterious men (led by the extraordinarily handsome John Slattery) try to keep them apart - but I guess there was a reason it was delayed for so long. The performances were all fine (except Anthony Mackie, who I loved so much in The Hurt Locker, but who was so, so very wooden here). It's just the script was mediocre at best and the plot was just plain silly. Grade: D+

Just Go With It - In the film world, we are led to believe that Adam Sandler could not only land a chick as hot as Brooklyn Decker, but also land a chick as hot as Jennifer Aniston as well. I call bullshit. Sandler plays a plastic surgeon who was once left at the alter and now uses his useless wedding ring to create sob stories and pick up sympathetic women. In other words, he's a total jerk and highly unlikeable and there is no reason in hell why anyone would want him to end up happy in this movie. The characters are all people we don't care about. There's no character development. It's not funny. The writing is bad at best. Then there is the painful "cameo" by Nicole Kidman. I mean, remember the early 2000's when she was the best actress working??? This movie will quickly make you forget all about that. The only saving grace is Jennifer Aniston who is charming and and tries to make the best of a bad situation. Grade: D+

Horrible Bosses - The sexy Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudekis all hate their bosses. And when they are a sexually harassing maneater (Jennifer Aniston), a coke head douche bag (Colin Farrell) and a plain, old jerk (Kevin Spacey), how can you blame them? So, on the advice of a man named Motherfucker Jones (Jamie Foxx), they plan to kill each others bosses so they can live happily ever after in their stuffy office jobs with their nice cars and pretty girlfriends. Suffice it to say, hi jinks ensue! Horrible Bosses isn't terrible by any means. In fact, some parts of it are pretty damn funny. Plus, the trio of bosses, all playing so far against type, are delightful to watch. I wish I could say the same for the entire movie. For as funny as parts of it are, there are as many parts that are painfully boring. It's a little too long and a little too predictable. Plus, I'm growing tired of this whole Hangover effect in comedy. You know, the bromance where none of the characters are all that likable but you are supposed to cheer for them while they do stupid shit anyway. It's getting old. Grade: C+

Beastly - If you are interested in seeing a bunch of pseudo pretty people acting very, very badly, then Beastly just might be for you! A modern telling of Beauty and the Beast, Beastly follows Kyle (Alex Pettyfer), a a pretty boy who is a super jerk but may have some redeeming qualities hidden deep down somewhere. After pissing off a witch (Mary Kate Olsen), she does some magic and makes him as ugly on the outside as he is in the inside. He has a year to break the curse... he just needs to find someone who loves him for who he is. Enter Vanessa Hudgens as a sweet girl with daddy issues. Seriously though, this movie is extremely predictable, horribly written and starring a trio of young stars who simply can not act. The only small ray of light is Neil Patrick Harris who tries to make the most of a blind tutor. His failure isn't his fault at all. (Although he is in the upcoming Smurfs movie and should probably rethink his approach to picking projects or it might effect his Awesomeness.) Grade: D-

Unknown - Okay, so Liam Neeson is a total bad ass and can make even a bad movie totally watchable. I think we are all in agreement about that. In Unknown, he stars as Dr. Martin Harris who arrives in Berlin with his wife (January Jones) to attend a conference. He forgets a bag at the airport and gets in a cab driven by Diane Kruger to retrieve it. Instead, they get into a terrible accident and he loses some of his memories. When he arrives back at the hotel, his wife has no idea who the hell he is and introduces him to her husband... Dr. Martin Harris (Aiden Quinn). I have nothing bad to say about most of the script. The plot is great and there is a wonderful twist ending. Neeson's performance is fantastic. Jones is wooden, as usual. Overall, however, the movie is just a little boring. It could have been 30 minutes shorter, no problem. The sum of the parts is just mediocre. Grade: C

Jumper + more

Jumper - Jumper suffers from what many movies suffer from - great idea, poor execution. I actually really loved the idea - a man could teleport anywhere in the world but has to deal with evil guys hunting for him because only God should have the power to be everywhere and anywhere. The film has great pacing and energy. The special effects are pretty solid (there is a particular fight scene between Hayden Christensen and Jamie Bell near the end which is just simply great). Jamie Bell's performance as the nervy Griffin is the clear stand out. His performance adds a frantic energy to every scene he is in. He's smart and funny and engaging. Unfortunately, he's not in the film nearly enough. Most of the good things I can say end there. The film suffers from one big thing: Hayden Christensen. He surely has the looks to be a matinee idol. He's a great looking kid and he's not a terrible actor (see: Shattered Glass). Unfortunately, he is more often than not wooden and ineffective. I could use those words to describe his performance here as well. There's very little development in the story as well. This could have been a really great superhero or anti-hero story but the writers hardly seemed to notice just how self involved the hero really is. It was almost enough to make the audience root for the villain, Samuel L. Jackson - except he was almost cartoonish, what with the blonde hair and ridiculous dialogue. And I love Samuel L. Jackson! Then there's Rachel Bilson. Summer, Summer, Summer. I loved you oh so much on The O.C. However, I fear she showed the extent of her abilities on that show. The fast talking cutsie thing worked very well on that hipster show but you can't always do the same thing. In film, you have to be able to branch out and do different things. I just don't think Bilson has it in her. Then there is the rumor floating around that Bilson and Christensen are romantically linked in real life. I don't care if it's true or not. If it is true, however, I really hope they have a lot more chemistry in real life because they have none on screen. Unfortunately, this movie is mostly mediocre. A great plot and Jamie Bell can only get you so far. Action sequences aside, the movie becomes quite boring. Jumper is somtimes fun and sometimes interesting. I actually hope they make a sequel and perhaps they can do a better job the second time around because it really is an interesting idea.
Grade: C-

Sex and Breakfast - This is a small little movie that is intimate and mostly interesting. It focuses on two young couples having trouble in their relationships. James (Macaulay Culkin) and Heather (my girl Alexis Dziena) are in love but Heather is unable to acheive orgasm with James. Ellis (Kuno Becker) and Renee (Eliza Dushku) want to marry but they feel like they've become boring. Both couples are looking to spice up their sex lives and see a counselor who suggests group sex. The thing about this movie is it's not as shocking as you would think. When you hear the concept, you think, 'Oh, it's going to be all about sex with tons of nudity and whatever.' But, not so much. It's actually pretty character driven and focuses more on the relationships of the couple than their eventual intimate interactions. The writing is a little hit or miss for me and I don't know if the movie completely works. It actually would have worked a lot better as a short film, I think. Still, the performances are all solid and well done. It's not a great movie, but it's decent.
Grade: C+

Wind Chill - The beginning of this movie isn't half bad. It's sort of ominous, it gives you a great atmosphere and a good character and story build up. I mean, sure the characters are unlikeable, but that doesn't really matter to me much. Emily Blunt is good at being a bitch when she wants to be. Her character sort of has an arc which is unusual for ghost stories. Ashton Holmes is only slightly creepy. There's not much to work with set wise because it's basically too kids stuck in a pile of snow for a long time. The writing is pretty weak. It makes too many uncomfortable shifts from 'romantic' to 'horror.' It just doesn't work in horror movies. The only way romance should ever play a part in a horror movie is if the couple is already established at the beginning of the movie. People usually don't fall in love during terrifying situations. There's absolutely nothing scary about this movie whatsoever. The biggest waste of all is that it just throws away all the atmosphere it built up so well in the beginning. In the end, I just wanted someone to kill the lead characters because they were just so stupid I could barely stand it. Please, skip this movie at all costs.
Grade: D