December 2015 Pt. 1

Jurassic World
Stars - Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
Plot - Jurassic Park is open, thriving and successful... until they create a new dinosaur to bolster attendance, which is never a good idea.
Thoughts - I am not going to sit here and pretend that Jurassic World is any kind of deep, meaningful, thought provoking film, but, my gosh if it isn't fun! The special effects are insane, the performances are fun and solid, and the ending is intense.
Grade - B

Inside Out
Stars - the voices of Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Phyllis Smith
Plot - The inner workings of the mind of an 11 year old girl (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust) are thrown out of whack when her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco.
Thoughts - Intended for children, this Pixar film has a lot to offer adults as well. This is a thoughtful, funny, heartbreaking and heart warming movie about growing up and learning that joy and sadness really go hand in hand.
Grade - B +

Amy
Plot - A documentary about the short, tumultuous life of the late Amy Winehouse.
Thoughts - This is a staggering and powerful look at Amy's life and profound talent. The doc follows her from bright faced young talent to the depths of her drug fueled downfall. This is sometimes hard to watch, but it's endlessly fascinating. Amy had the opportunity to be the voice of her generation, but her demons got the best of her.
Grade - B +

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Stars - Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson
Plot - It's basically a rehashed plot of episode 4...
Thoughts - ...but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This Star Wars movie is everything you could possibly want. Sure, the plot feels stale, but the cast and effects are fresh. This is a fun, nostalgic, funny, heart warming epic that is worth the wait and more than lives up to the hype. Also, bonus points for a bad ass female lead who can take care of herself and doesn't need a man to save her!
Grade - A-

The Big Short
Stars - Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt
Plot - A look at the mortgage crisis of 2008 and the way it altered our economy.
Thoughts - This might be the smartest, funniest, weirdest movie of the year. It is the only movie in the history of the movies which includes both a quote from Mark Twain and an interlude where Selena Gomez explains advanced economics to the audience. The performances are spectacular, from the stars to the supporting players. And this is a fast paced, frenetic good time.
Grade - A-

The Danish Girl
Stars - Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander
Plot - The story of the first Transgender artist, and the wife that stood by his side.
Thoughts -  I actually really enjoyed this love story initially. The performances are powerful and the cinematography is gorgeous. My biggest problem is that it felt detached and cold and illicited no real feelings. Then I did a little research and discovered the REAL story, which is far more interesting than the watered down version presented in this film.
Grade - B-

So far in 2015...

I have been slacking big time when it comes to blogging, and, honestly, I'm not really feeling it lately. Still, I am going to at least try to post at the end of the month so I can at least keep up to date in case the urge to return to blogging hits me. Here is a brief review of what I've seen this year so far.

Ex Machina
Stars: Domhnall Gleeson,  Oscar Isaac (a.k.a. current mega crushes!)
Plot: A genius invites an employee to his isolated estate to run the Turing test on an AI that he's created.
Thoughts: This is the sexy, creepy, smart Sci-fi movie you didn't know you needed in your life. Brilliantly acted and beautifully bizarre, this is a must see and one of the best things I've seen in a while.
Grade: A-

While We're Young
Stars: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried
Plot: A couple feeling ostracized from their friends because they don't have kids begin hanging out with a pair of 25 year olds.
Thoughts: I love director Noah Baumbach's movies but this disappointed me big time. It felt like a bad Woody Allen and was more pretentious and condescending than funny or enjoyable.
Grade: D+

It Follows
Stars: Miaka Monroe
Plot: A girl is followed by a demon (??) after being passed a sexuality transmitted curse.
Thoughts: *Sigh* Remind me to stop getting caught up in the fuss when Twitter decides something is the best horror movie in decades. It wasn't true of The Babadook (although that is better than this) and it's not true of It Follows. It's got great music, great atmosphere and a killer opening sequence, but a lot of it is cliche and full of plot holes and even sometimes laughably bad.
Grade: C+

Song One
Stars: Anne Hathaway
Plot: After her brother is hit by a car and put into a coma, a woman visits his favorite NYC spots and falls for his favorite musician.
Thoughts: Hathaway,  who usually annoys me, is pretty great, and parts of it are really cute, but it's mostly forgettable. Netflix Begin Again instead.
Grade: C

Black Sea
Stars: Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
Plot: A group of out of work submarine workers get hired to go in search of a missing Nazi sub filled with gold.
Thoughts: This movie got dumped in January for some reason, and barely anyone has heard of it, but it's totally worth checking out. It's a pretty solid thriller and a generally good way to spend 2 hours.
Grade: B

Mini Reviews

I do this thing where I like to watch as many movies released in a certain year as possible. For instance, right now, I pretty much only want to watch movies released in 2014, no matter how good or bad they might be (incidentally, I'm so over just about any movie I actually wanted to see in 2013 but didn't get a chance to watch). A lot of the year's earlier films are currently being released on DVD, so I've been catching up with things via Netflix and Redbox. My whole thing is - I like to have as much of a complete list of movies for my Best and Worst list by the end of the year. Sometimes, you can even find little gems hidden in there. And sometimes you are stuck watching a really crappy movie, but, hey!, at least Sam Rockwell is in it. That being said, here are some of the movies I've been catching up on lately.

Veronica Mars
Stars: Kirsten Bell, Jason Dohring
Plot: Once sassy high school private eye Veronica is now on the verge of becoming a high-powered NYC lawyer, when her bad boy (read: sexy) ex-boyfriend is accused of murdering his pop star girlfriend. She flies home for one last case, and, of course!, a ten year high school reunion.
Thoughts: This was less a cinematic experience and more like binge watching a few episodes of Veronica Mars. That's not a bad thing! I was obsessed with Veronica Mars when it was on TV and I used to watch the Soapnet marathons any chance I could. Who doesn't love a sassy, smart ass private eye with a rich, baby boy soulmate?? So, it was truly great to see all the old characters that were so familiar and whom I actually missed! Plus, they had some great new additions for the movie like Gabby Hoffman and Martin Starr! So, this wasn't a bust per se, but it also felt more like a made for TV movie than anything else.
Grade: B

In Secret
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Jessica Lange
Plot: A young unhappily married woman in Victorian Paris begins a steamy relationship with a mysterious stranger with killer sideburns.
Thoughts: Yawn! For a movie that is about explicit sex, lies, deceit, manipulation and murder, In Secret is pretty damn boring. I mean, the saving grace, of course, are the performances, which are stellar, especially goddess of the world Jessica Lange. In short, come for Lange, stick around for Oscar Isaac's sexy sideburns (I could literally think of nothing else for days after watching this movie!).
Grade: C

Vampire Academy
Stars: Zoey Deutch, Sarah Hyland
Plot: Something about good vampires and bad vampires and protectors of vampires and an academy. I guess I'm too old to understand.
Thoughts: Listen. Sometimes I just have to give my inner 14 year old what she wants. Do you really think I want to be addicted to Pretty Little Liars? Do you really think I want to browse the YA shelves every time I hit up a book store? The answer is no. But, sometimes I just can't help myself. My inner 14 year old thought this movie would be a whole lot of snarky, campy fun. Kind of like Pitch Perfect, but with less singing and more vampires. But that didn't happen. The only reason this movie doesn't get a worse grade is because of Deutch who is ADORABLE and HILARIOUS and SASSY and WONDERFUL. With the right material, she could become a huge star.
Grade: D+

Earth to Echo
Plot: Three boyhood pals spend the last night before one of them moves away tracking a mysterious map, finding an adorable alien, and escaping nefarious construction workers.
Thoughts: My boyfriend says we don't watch enough "nice movies." I understand his complaint. I like my movies dark and twisted and violent. So, when there is a nice movie that he wants to see, I go with him. Earth to Echo is a nice movie. The problem? It's utterly forgettable. Like, I saw it less than a week ago and already forget a lot of the plot. What I do remember about it is that it's cute and sweet and highly likable, especially if you have kids in the 8 to 14 range. I wish it would have been more memorable though. I make lists of all the movies I see in a given year and that's a good thing in this case because come December, I might forget about this all together.
Grade: C+

Better Living Through Chemistry
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde
Plot: A small town pharmacist begins an affair with a pill popping married rich woman and his life somehow manages to get better and fall apart at the same time.
Thoughts: Like I said above, at least Sam Rockwell is in it! This movie is pretty much just a giant mess of unlikable characters who do stupid things. None of what anyone does makes any sense and the end is just so absurd that it seems more likely to me that Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man would come flying through the sky and land in my backyard than any of this movie actually happening. It doesn't get an F because of the 30 second sequence of Rockwell dancing, which is glorious.
Grade: D-

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

Top Ten Films 2013

10. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - A lonely day dreamer finally escapes his dull life and enters on the adventure of a lifetime while trying to find a missing photograph negative. That's Walter Mitty in a nutshell and the film is a great experience filled with laughs, action and the most beautiful scenery. It's visual overload with volcanoes erupting and boats at sea. Walter Mitty is a sweet movie for the daydreamer in all of us.

09. Captain Phillips - If you like your movies intense, than Captain Phillips is for you. The true story of a cargo ship boarded by Somali pirates, Captain Phillips is the most intense film of the year. Tom Hanks is charming and heroic. Newcomer Barkhad Abdi makes his presence felt as the empathetic villain. But it's the hand held camera work and gut-wrenching emotion that makes this one of the year's best. And once you see Tom Hanks last ten minutes on film, you'll wonder why he was snubbed by Oscar this year. It may be the best ten minutes in all of movies this year.

08. Disconnect - Interwoven stories tell the tale of how we are all so dependent on technology for connection, and really, how lonely and disconnected we all feel on a day to day basis. Disconnect is a little, indie movie that I happened upon that ended up being so much better than I ever could have imagined. It's got a great ensemble featuring the likes of Jason Bateman, Paula Patton and Alexander Skarsgaard. But, mostly it's the story that you can relate to se easily. If you have ever been lonely, or bullied, or made mistakes, or wanted to escape your life... than there is something in this movie for you.

07. The Spectacular Now - This past year has been a remarkable year for coming of age stories and The Spectacular Now is the best of the bunch. It's the story of the most popular guy in school (Miles Teller) who falls for a smart and sad outcast (Shailene Woodley). And while that may sound cliche, this movie manages to avoid feeling like something you've seen a million times before. Perhaps it's the chemistry of the stars, or the fact that everything just feels real. This is a great movie about two teenagers on the cusp of becoming adults, with great performances, especially by a scene stealing Kyle Chandler.

06. Inside Llewyn Davis - The Coen Brothers have always loved unlikable men, and the folk musician at the center of Inside Llewyn Davis is no different. He's, more or less, a self-destructive asshole who angers and upsets just about everyone he comes in contact with. The fact that we can root for Llewyn at all says a lot about the amazing performance of Oscar Issac. Inside Llewyn Davis is yet ANOTHER Coen Brothers masterpiece, and this time, it's got a great, sing-along soundtrack as well.

05. 12 Years a Slave - I still believe that 12 Years a Slave has its flaws, but it's so close to being a masterpiece that it barely even matters. Not only is it an Important Movie (with capital letters!), but also it is a beautiful one. Never has something so ugly looked so pretty. The cinematography, the acting, the directing, the script: it's all wonderful. My only hesitation with it initially was thinking it was a little too pretentious. But that's nearly an afterthought now. Years from now, when people talk about the year 2013 in film, they will be talking about 12 Years a Slave.

04. The Place Beyond the Pines - Another flawed epic of a movie, The Place Beyond the Pines follows the lives of two men whose lives intersect and then, years later, their sons whose lives intersect as well. The Place Beyond the Pines is a refreshing sort of movie that is absolutely mesmerizing from start to finish. It's also unpredictable, and while the female characters seem like a sort of afterthought, the movie itself is a breath of fresh air in this day and age of remakes and sequels and unoriginality.

03. The Wolf of Wall Street - The most brazen, ballsy, out of control movie of the year is also won of the best. Martin Scorsese is still making movies like he's in his twenties with something to prove and star Leonardo DiCaprio has never been so free, completely letting go of his inhibitions to give one of the best performances of the year. The Wolf of Wall Street is an absolute masterpiece of greed and debauchery. The men at the center of the film are awful people, but that doesn't make watching them any less enjoyable.

02. Frances Ha - I don't know exactly what it is about this little black and white movie that struck me so much. Perhaps it's just how much I seem to relate to Frances (Greta Gerwig). Frances is a lonely girl living in New York City with big dreams, and although she has ambition, nothing ever quite works out for her. It's the story of struggling through life when all your friends seem to have their shit together but you can barely get out of bed some days. But mostly it's the story of a girl who is just trying to get her life straightened out. Frances says it's okay to have no idea what you're doing on a daily basis, and I thank her for it.

01. Her - The newest love story from Spike Jonze follows the story of a lonely writer desperate to make a connection (just like so many films I loved this year). He ends up falling in love with the new operating system for his computer. Her is just about everything a movie should be: smart, funny, intimate, quirky, original, sweet, and sad. This is the sort of lovely, wonderful movie that will have you crying one moment and laughing the next. Anchored by the joyful performance of Joaquin Phoenix and featuring the best screenplay of the year, Her is an absolute little gem of a movie.

Mini Reviews: The Rest of 2013

I'm planning on working on finalizing my Top Ten list for Wednesday, so, for now, here are the last of the 2013 movies that I've watched on DVD and in theaters.

Plush
Stars: Emily Browning, Xavier Samuel
Plot: A rock star trying to get over the death of her brother / songwriting partner gets involved with a groupie turned band mate who may or may not be crazy.
Thoughts: Listen, I'm all in on Xavier Samuel, so I will follow him wherever he goes. Unfortunately, this movie is not exactly a good place to go. Forget the fact that it's entirely unbelievable that Browning is a rock star. At least the music is pretty cool. But this mostly plays off as a lame B movie you might find on Showtime at 3 am.
Grade: D+

Adore
Stars: Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frencheville
Plot: Two lifelong best friends begin affairs with the others grown son.
Thoughts: This could have been a very provocative, sexy, boundary pushing film. Instead, mostly because of really crappy dialogue, this movie is sort of lame. It definitely has the cast and the potential to be something sexy, but it mostly fails at that. Still, it's not a terrible movie.
Grade: C

The Kings of Summer
Stars: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally
Plot: A group of teenage friends get sick of their crazy parents and decide to run away and build a house in the middle of the woods, where they live for a summer, until girls get in the way of friendship.
Thoughts: This year has been full of really great, really original, really well done coming of age stories and The Kings of Summer is another one. It's whip smart, funny as hell and really sweet. It loses its footing a bit in the final act, but it's mostly a really worthwhile little film.
Grade: B

The Canyons
Stars: Lindsay Lohan, James Deen
Plot: A social climbing It girl is still in love with her loser / actor ex-boyfriend even though her new boyfriend is super rich, charming, controlling and a possibly a sociopath.
Thoughts: Look, I'm not about to convince anyone that this is a GOOD movie. It's not by any means of the imagination. But sometimes it's one of those movies that is so bad it's good. You know the kind... those movies that are absolutely train wrecks and you know they are terrible and, yet, you can't take your eyes off them. That's almost this movie.
Grade: D+

Inside Llewyn Davis
Stars: Oscar Issac, Carey Mulligan
Plot: A self-destructive musician wanders aimlessly around New York City, upsetting friends, crashing on people's couches, befriending cats and playing folk music.
Thoughts: Besides an ill-advised road trip sequence featuring a terribly annoying John Goodman (I never thought I'd use those words to describe Goodman, one of my absolute favorite people in the world), Llewyn Davis is pretty flawless. Llewyn is a pretty despicable guy, but because of Issac's crazy great performance, you can't help for the guy to change his asshole ways. Spoiler alert: He never does. Having just been snubbed by the Oscars, Inside Llewyn Davis is bound to reach cult status, which is exactly how it should be. Also, Adam Driver totally kills it during a singing performance with Issac and Justin Timberlake. It's worth seeing for that segment alone.
Grade: B+

Her
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Scarlett Johansson
Plot: In the very near future, when the new item in men's fashion is awful high waist pants, a lonely writer falls in love with his new computer operating system.
Thoughts: I know Her sounds absolutely ridiculous on paper, but it's damn near flawless on screen. My only problem with it is that it's just a tad too long. Other than that, it's absolutely everything a movie should be: smart, quirky, original, funny, sweet, intimate, and sad. Her is a wonderful film, and not to be missed.
Grade: A

Ain't Them Bodies Saints
Stars: Rooney Mara, Ben Foster, Casey Affleck
Plot: A young woman struggles to take care of her daughter after her boyfriend goes to jail for a crime she committed. Upon his release, he realizes she has befriended a cop from their past.
Thoughts: First off - the score to this movie is wonderful. Otherwise, it's a beautifully shot, wonderfully acted film, although it does have major pacing problems. But, honestly, I think Rooney Mara is the most beautiful girl in the entire world, so looking at her for 100 minutes isn't all that bad. Plus, I have a crush on Casey Affleck's voice.
Grade: B-

Wednesday = my Top Ten List of 2013!