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.

Just For Fun

(Which really this whole blog is just for fun since no one reads it, but it allows me to exercise my inner movie nerd.)  But, so, anyway, the yearly wrap up of 2014 begins...

M.V.P.
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin, Lucy; Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Chef.
Runner Up - Tom Hardy in Locke and The Drop.

BEST ENSEMBLE
Birdman
Runner Up - The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST LIMITED ROLE
Allison Pill in Snowpiercer
Runner Up - Matt Damon in Interstellar

BEST MOVIE POSTER
Nightcrawler
Runner Up - Whiplash

BEST TRAILER
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Runner Up - Gone Girl

BEST KISS
Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Runner Up: Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike's "sugar kiss" in Gone Girl

BEST CHEMISTRY
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Runner Up - Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street

BEST DANCE SEQUENCE
Zac Efron and Seth Rogen Dance Off in Neighbors
Runner Up - Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum dance along side the car in 22 Jump Street

BEST MUSICAL SEQUENCE
The finale of Whiplash
Runner Up - Lip sync scene from The Skeleton Twins

BEST SONG
Lost Stars from Begin Again
Runner Up - Everything is Awesome from The Lego Movie

BEST SCORE
Birdman
Runner Up - Under the Skin

BEST ACTION SEQUENCE
Quicksilver in slow-mo in X-Men: Days of Future Past
Runner Up - Out running a wave in Interstellar

BEST CAR CHASE
Police car chase at the end of Nightcrawler
Runner Up - Nick Fury car chase in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

BEST FIGHT SCENE
Torch / tunnel scene in Snowpiercer
Runner Up - Elevator scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

BEST IMAGE
Parachuting with red streaks in Godzilla
Runner Up - Glimpse of a fight on an ice planet from above in Interstellar

BEST SINGLE SCENE
The final ten minutes of Whiplash
Runner Up - Releasing the horses in Foxcatcher

BEST OPENING SHOT
The practicing drummer at the end of a long hallway in Whiplash

BEST ENDING
Final ten minutes of Whiplash
Runner Up - The gut punch ending of The Drop

BEST CLOSING CREDITS
Sequel mania in 22 Jump Street

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman
Runner Up - Under the Skin

BEST COSTUMES
The Grand Budapest Hotel

BREAK THROUGH PERFORMANCE
Nat Wolff in The Fault in Our Stars and Palo Alto
Runner Up - Mackenzie Foy in Interstellar

BEST COMEBACK
Michael Keaton in Birdman
Runner Up - Don Johnson in Cold in July

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel
Runner Up - Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street

BEST VILLAIN
Sebastian Stan in Captain America : The Winter Soldier
Runner Up - Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl

BEST HERO
Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow
Runner Up - Scarlett Johansson in Lucy

BEST BAD ASS
Frank Grillo in The Purge: Anarchy
Runner Up - Chris Evans in Snowpiercer

BEST ABS
Zac Efron in Neighbors

BEST SEXPOT
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A BAD MOVIE
James McAvoy in Filth

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MEDIOCRE MOVIE
Adam Driver in This is Where I Leave You

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman
Runner Up - The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Gone Girl

BEST QUOTE
"I feel like grabbing you by your ears right now and screaming in your face, 'I'm not fucking interested'." - Nightcrawler
Runner Up - "There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job'." - Whiplash

Mini Reviews / Pre-Vacation Catch Up

Next weekend, I will be on vacation... at the beach... drinking my way through Ocean City. For now, here are some quick reviews in order to play catch up.

Begin Again
Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Adam Levine, Catherine Keener, Hailee Steinfeld
Plot: After her boyfriend becomes a rock star and dumps her, Greta decides to make an album with a down on his luck indie record exec and use the city of New York as her inspiration.
Thoughts: The director of this movie also directed Once, a movie that is so singular, so like catching lightning in a bottle, that he probably should have just stopped while he was ahead. He can never make another movie like Once. So, Begin Again lacks all that natural charm and sweetness and rawness. It feels a bit forced - bigger budget, bigger stars - but it's also just a really likable movie. It's sweet filled with easy, natural performances and great music (especially Lost Stars which I promptly downloaded and listened to on repeat).
Grade: B

Rob the Mob
Stars: Michael Pitt, Nina Arianda
Plot: An ex-con couple decide their low pay jobs as telemarketers are beneath them, so they decide to rob the clubs where mobsters hang out. Based on a true story.
Thoughts: I feel like the idea behind this movie is something really great. It's a true story, and an interesting one, but the movie lacks any sort of dynamic. Honestly, this movie is almost unwatchable, and I love, love, love, LOVE Michael Pitt. But these characters just feel so forced, and annoying.
Grade: D

3 Days to Kill
Stars: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld
Plot: A dying hitman takes one last job trying to close a case that went haywire.
Thoughts: What a disaster! I watched this for Costner, and honestly, my grade might not even count because I couldn't even get all the way through this. It was just so boring, and bizarre (Amber Heard's character is literally the most ridiculous thing I've seen in film this year).
Grade: F

The Monument's Men
Stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean DuJardin, Bob Balaban
Plot: The true story of a group of art historians who were tasked with finding art the Nazi's stole and reclaiming it.
Thoughts: Look at that cast!! How could you possibly go wrong with a cast like that? My thoughts exactly, which is how I got into this mess in the first place. First of all, this story is too interesting to be resigned to a movie like this. This is terrible story telling, and just plain lazy film making. Any sort of line that is supposed to be funny just doesn't land well (and if Bill Murray can't make something funny, then you've got a huge problem). This movie is just one big disaster.
Grade: D+

The Lego Movie
Stars (the voices of): Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Charlie Day
Plot: An every day Lego gets mistaken for the "Special", the savior of the Lego world after their President decides he is going to destroy everything.
Thoughts: Listen, I'm surprised as you are, but this movie is AWESOME. I absolutely loved it totally and completely. I am definitely not one for animated films (with the rare exception like Wall-E and Up), but The Lego Movie is a pop-culture laden movie that everyone can enjoy. It's funny and cute and just plain good!
Grade: B+

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Adrian Brody, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe
Plot: A hotel concierge becomes involved in an art heist and a jail break after a long standing guest (and lover) dies.
Thoughts: I love Wes Anderson movies. They are so absolutely singular. He is one of the very few directors that, if you watch even 30 seconds of one of his movies, you automatically know it's his. This movie is brimming with everything I love about Anderson movies - crazy characters, cool set designs, bright colors. Still, this isn't his best work. It's a bit jumbled and maybe feels like it's trying too hard. Still, I'll take an "okay" Wes Anderson movie any day.
Grade: B

Lucy
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman
Plot: An American party girl in Taiwan can suddenly access increasing amounts of her brain when a bag of drugs bursts inside her stomach.
Thoughts: I wanted this movie to be so much more than it was. I wanted less scenes of apes and dinosaurs and more scenes of Scarlett kicking ass. Scarlett is fantastic here, and I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever about her. However, this movie just plays off as such a huge mess. I mean, sure, it's cool, I guess. But it had the opportunity to be so much cooler. It's a wasted opportunity, in my opinion.
Grade: D+

Under the Skin
Stars: Scarlett Johansson
Plot: A mysterious woman lures men to their doom in Scotland (where you can't understand a word anyone says... actual conversation I had with my boyfriend while watching this movie: Me: "This movie needs subtitles." Him: "It's in English!")
Thoughts: I seriously have done very little other than think about this movie for the last two days. It's that intense and mysterious and thought-provoking. Upon thinking about it non-stop, I have realized that I think I liked it more than I initially thought. I have come to the conclusion that it's this really great feminist tale about how even a superior being becomes weak when stuck in a female body. The movie was filmed so beautifully (so many amazing shots), and it's so been on my mind, that I almost want to watch it again. But, then I remember how I felt while watching it, which was mostly infuriated and even angry. This is the first movie I have ever watched where I literally don't know what grade to give it. It has an equal chance of ending up on my Best of and Worst of lists at the end of the year.
Grade: ????

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

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

My belief when it comes to comic book movies is that all superheroes are only as good as the villain they fight against. It's why The Dark Knight will remain to be the best superhero movie for the foreseeable future. It's not just about Batman (who is my favorite superhero, hands down), it's about Heath Ledger's incomparable Joker, a villain so gleefully terrifying, so ruled by absolute chaos, that you actually wonder if Batman will make it out of this ordeal alive (and the events of The Dark Knight change his life in massive ways, as seen in The Dark Knight Rises). That being said, I know we are supposed to cheer for Captain America because he is the good guy, but how the hell can you when The Winter Soldier is so f-ing cool???

While I'll always admittedly be a DC Comics girl, the thing I love about the Marvel Universe that has been created on screen is that everything is interconnected. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury has popped up in every Marvel film. This is Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow's third film - after Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. They reference Tony Stark and Bruce Banner and the "events in New York" a.k.a. The Avengers. I love that aspect of these films. What I haven't loved about the Marvel films up until now has been the way all of them have managed to feel absolutely jumbled when it comes to the big action set pieces, like you have no idea what's happening except that someone is fighting someone. Well, Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed The Winter Soldier, come from the James Cameron school of directing action sequences, in so much as you can understand what's happening. Sure, the big action pieces are still so over the top and outlandish (but isn't every action movie like that to a certain extent??), but at least you can tell what's happening and that's a major foot forward for this film. Also, The Winter Soldier is far and away the best of the Marvel movies. By miles! The summer blockbuster season usually doesn't start until May, so I wondered why they decided to open Captain America in April, but I guess when you've got a product that you know is good, you want to get it out there as soon as possible. Now all the other superhero movies to come this summer (Spider-man 2, The new sequel/prequel/whatever X-Men movie), have to live up to Captain America, and not the other way around.

As far as plot goes, the film opens with Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow going on a super secret mission to help a hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D. boat on orders from Nick Fury. Something about the mission seems shady to the Captain and when he gets back to Washington D.C., it doesn't take long for all hell to break loose. Usually, in Marvel movies in particular, the actual plot is so labyrinthine that I have trouble following the events (and I have no idea how young kids who show up to see their favorite superhero have any idea what's going on at any time), but another reason The Winter Soldier is so great is because the plot may be complicated, but it's also able to be followed. It takes us about forty minutes or so before we encounter The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan, and I can honestly write an entire article about my increasing levels of attraction to him while playing this role, but I digress), and that's when things get really, really, really good. It seems Black Widow has heard of him - he's sort of an urban legend - an assassin so ruthless, so menacing, so unstoppable. Needless to say, he's a worthy villain for Captain America, mostly because he's just as strong, if not stronger than our hero, and there are often times when you're not sure the Captain will make it out alive. This makes for a good superhero movie - you need to have the good guy feel genuinely threatened!

The action scenes in this movie are impeccable - it's got everything! You want a bad ass multi-car chase? You've got it! You want a man with a bionic arm marching down the streets of D.C.? It's yours! You want a man jumping from a building into a helicopter? That's yours too! The action is thrilling and intense - most especially the best action sequence which is a fight scene in an elevator. I swear I stopped breathing for a good three minutes during that amazing to watch scene. Another thing this movie has? A sense of humor (something severely lacking from last summer's Man of Steel)! It's not that I want to be rolling on the ground laughing during comic book movies, but these movies tend to be on the dark side, so you need moments to lighten things up. And there's plenty of those.

I'm not the biggest fan of Chris Evans as an actor, but I think he does a great job as Captain America. He's got a sort of breezy charm and confidence which really works for the role. Scarlett Johansson continues to be a total bad ass as Black Widow (I'd also like to announce that I think we are currently witnessing the prime of Scar Jo's career, and it's sort of been a pleasure to watch her these past two years or so). Anthony Mackie is a new edition to the group as Falcon, and he's absolutely wonderful. He's got great chemistry with Evans and he's so cool and calm that it's easy to cheer for him. Robert Redford is another new edition to the cast as an upper level S.H.I.E.L.D. guy and he brings his movie star charisma to every scene. But let's face it - this movie belongs to the Winter Soldier. Sebastian Stan may not get a whole lot of dialogue, but he manages to steal the entire movie. He's mysterious, cool, and somehow, sort of sexy (just me???). Sure, the movie is too long (aren't most movies??), but that seems like a minor complaint.

I don't typically like to give out grades this high so early in the year, but I just can't help myself. The Winter Soldier is a totally fun, entertaining movie, most definitely recommended.

Grade: A-

(P.S. In case you don't follow me on Twitter, and you should (@wonderfulscar), then you missed my official hotness ranking of The Winter Soldier cast: Sebastian Stan > Anthony Mackie > Redford > Frank Grillo > ScarJo > Sam Jackson > Chris Evans)

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!

Best Supporting Actress 2013

Every year, I make lists of who I think is the Best Lead Actor and Actress and Supporting Actor and Actress, as well as Best Films. This year, I almost skipped Best Supporting Actress. While my Best Supporting Actor list is overflowing, I was pretty unimpressed with my choices for Supporting Actress. A lot of the actresses getting Oscar buzz have failed to really shine to me. Sure, Oprah was fine in The Butler, but best supporting actress? No. We all know how I feel about Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle by now (and it ain't good, ya'll). And I remember really liking Melonie Diaz in Fruitvale Station and Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine, but for the life of me, I have no idea why now. So, this is not the best list I have ever come up with in this category. But it's the best I could do in a pretty disappointing year for supporting women.

05. Scarlett Johansson in Don Jon - I have yet to see her voice only work in Her (this weekend!!) which everyone is praising, but if she is as good as she was in Don Jon, then this has been a very good year for Johansson. I've always liked Scarlett, although I never thought she quite lived up to the potential she showed in early films like Ghost World and Lost in Translation. The closest she's come to being great is when she briefly became Woody Allen's muse. But, I was thoroughly impressed with her work as a sexy, bratty Jersey Girl in Don Jon (one of the only things I was impressed with regarding that movie!). Scarlett manages to be sexy and hilarious, using her killer curves and nailing the Jersey Girl vibe without letting her character become a rip off of Snooki. This is the perfect role for her. It allows her to be a sex symbol AND a character actress, all at once.

04. Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street - It's been a good year for pretty blonde girls playing sexy, loud Jersey girls. In Robbie's case, it's a Queens girl, but, like Scarlett, she manages to be sexy while also bringing depth to the only female character that is really distinguishable in a movie about men. She doesn't quite get to Lorraine Bracco from Goodfellas territory, but she also doesn't let this character become a Real Housewife of New Jersey, which it easily could have become. She's got one scene, especially, where she truly let's fly, and it's pretty great. This is truly a star making role for Robbie. Also, bonus points for nailing the accent. Margot Robbie is an Aussie. I never would have guessed.

03. Sarah Paulson in 12 Years a Slave - Paulson isn't getting nearly as much attention as her co-stars, but her performance is every bit as good. As the wife to a mercurial slave plantation owner, Paulson is a quiet, strained, manipulative, tense woman. She keeps her emotions in check, unless its regarding Patsey, the slave who seems to be the apple of her husband's eye. That's when Paulson really lets her anger flare up and it's great to watch a woman who is so controlled hold all of that in check until it slowly boils over. Paulson should be getting much more attention for her sly, subtle performance.

02. Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave - Nyong'o plays Patsey, a slave who should be honored to be in the position she's in. As far as slaves go, Patsey is the absolute favorite of her slave owner. In fact, he may actually be in love with her. But while Patsey puts on a brave face, she secretly begs Solomon to end her life. This may be Nyong'o's first professional role, but she's bound to have a long career ahead of her. Her performance is stunning, beautiful and utterly heart breaking.

01. Emma Watson in The Bling Ring - I know what you are probably thinking, that this is a ridiculous choice for Best Supporting Actress of the year. But I stand by my decision, and here's why. Emma Watson absolutely nails it. In a year of so many supporting female performances that didn't impress, or were completely forgettable, Watson's portrayal of a vapid, ditzy, spoiled rich brat is still so vivid in my mind. I never saw any Harry Potter movies. The only experience I had with Watson's acting was The Perks of Being a Wallflower and everyone stole that movie from her. I wasn't fully convinced Watson had any talent, but she absolutely does and she proves it in The Bling Ring. There used to be a reality show on E a few years ago that starred the girl Watson portrays in this movie. I'm not too proud to admit I watched it religiously (what? I love train wreck TV). Watson absolutely becomes this woman, nailing her vocal inflections and pronunciations, her vacant ditzy ways. It's a simply great performance, and one that has definitely stuck with me.

Don Jon / Rush

Earlier this year, I saw a movie called The Internship, which was a pretty ridiculous comedy starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. It wasn't a good movie but it was funny and charming and I gave it a B-. Now I'm not trying to say The Internship was a better movie than Don Jon or Rush, but their grades are about to equal or less than B-. Why? Did it have to do with the fact that I saw The Internship in the middle of a pretty disappointing summer where the stakes weren't as high? Or is it just because I've been looking forward to Don Jon and Rush and found them both sort of disappointing? Whereas, I had no expectations of The Internship other than for it to make me laugh, which it did? Who knows. Maybe I'm just getting meaner as the year goes on.

Don Jon is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut. He also wrote it and stars in it as Jon, a New Jersey bartender who sleeps with a different hot girl every week but would prefer watching hardcore porn to all the sex he is having. Then he meets a hard 10 named Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), who turns his world upside down. She's pretty much the perfect woman to him, although he still would rather watch porn, which, of course, causes major problems with their relationship. Don Jon is deftly directed by Gordon-Levitt, who is confident in his characters and story telling and does a really great job directing this movie. It didn't bother me that the movie was super raunchy (although it did bother the 80 year old woman who, I guess, came to see Robin and Black Widow in a love story and walked out after 15 minutes). The performances here are all top notch, with best in show going to Johansson and her hysterically spot on New Jersey accent and mannerisms and Tony Danza, who all but steals the movie away from every one else. The great thing about the movie is how it steers clear of cliches every step of the way. I didn't see the ending coming a mile away, which is a nice change of pace, but it also felt very organic and realistic. Still, Don Jon seems sort of self-absorbed. The repetition of scenes (we see the same thing over and over again) gets exhausting, and there isn't a single likable character in the entire movie. The worst thing I can say about this movie is that despite its 90s minute running time, it feels twice that long. Bad pacing will kill a movie every time. This isn't a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. Parts of it are actually pretty funny and the performances are all around great. Maybe I was expecting too much, but I was certainly a tad disappointed with the final product.

Where Don Jon tries to be sexy and almost entirely fails, feeling sleazy instead, Rush is very sexy. I never thought I would use the words Ron Howard and sexy in the same paragraph, but there it is. Rush is the true story of Formula 1 race car drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) and their 1976 rivalry. Hunt is a gorgeous, carefree, charismatic Brit who loves to drink and womanize and drive cars really fast. Lauda is the straight-laced Austrian who attacks racing from an intellectual space and knows there's a 20% chance he might die on any given race day. He's willing to except that but not a percentage more. Like Don Jon, the performances in this movie are pretty spectacular, especially Bruhl, who is a revelation. Howard directs this movie with a dizzying excitement, with a sort of energy that makes you think he is falling in love with movies all over again. The final act of this movie is edge of your seat excitement; you couldn't take your eyes from the screen if you wanted to. That's the good news. The bad news is the first two-thirds of the film are largely dull and forgettable. Race after race. So much exposition that it's exhausting. Sure, there is all the sexiness dispersed here and there (thanks to Hemsworth and Natalie Dormer and Olivia Wilde), but mostly the first two-thirds is just boring. So, Howard has managed to make a really great ending to a movie, but not much more. It's a shame and, again, a disappointment.

Don Jon - C+
Rush - B-

The Avengers

Some of the reasons I wasn't a huge fan of The Avengers has absolutely nothing to do with the movie itself. The theater in which I saw the film had terrible sound. I guess they were expecting the action scenes to be so loud that the volume was so low during the dialogue that I missed a lot of it. For the first hour or so, I only understood about every fifth word, missing important plot points and funny dialogue. Not to mention, I was lucky enough to be sitting next to two pre-teen girls who clearly didn't spend their money on the movie, because if they did spend twenty-two dollars to see The Avengers in 3D, they would not have gossiped and gabbed for two and a half hours straight. I mean, I guess I understood the basic plot which was that Loki stole that giant glowing blue thing and threatened to demolish the world and the Avengers had to stop him and his alien army. If there were any finer points to the plot, they were all but lost on me thanks to the universe working against me. I'm the kind of person who likes to get lost completely in a movie so that I can fully enjoy it. Due to all the theater distractions, that just never happened with The Avengers, and that's a shame, because I was stoked about seeing the movie.

Then there are the reasons I didn't love The Avengers that were in the control of the movie. First off, it was at least twenty minutes too long. They definitely could have trimmed that final epic battle scene (although it was bad ass... it just could have been a little shorter). Plus, the first hour or so was pretty much catching up with your favorite super hero. And while it was fun to see what Iron Man and Captain America and The Hulk have been up to in the years since we've seen them on screen, that sequence could have been streamlined a little bit so that it played quicker. Then there's the relationship between Thor and Loki. I know it was touched upon in the film Thor, but I think more attention should have been paid to the interesting dynamic between a heroic man when your brother is trying to decimate Earth. That's an interesting concept and was broached only in a small throwaway scene completely with a funny one liner I barely heard.

This isn't to say there weren't good things about The Avengers. There were. I mean, it was FUN! Watching Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye beat the crap out of aliens during that last big battle scene was FUN! Yes, it was so much fun that the word deserves to be in all caps. The action sequences are thrilling, exciting and well done. Kudos to director Joss Whedon for not getting too bogged down because sometimes in action movies, the sequences can end up looking like a jumbled mess but that's definitely not the case here.

The acting is absolutely top notch but that's sort of to be expected from a super hero movie that boasts the most Oscar nominees featured in a film from that genre. Playing billionaire genius Tony Stark / Iron Man must be second nature to Robert Downey Jr. by now and he continues to be exciting in the role. Tony Stark, with his dry wit and sarcastic humor, is the perfect character for Downey and he nails the character every time. Chris Evans as the loyal leader Captain America is great as well, nailing the earnest, good natured vibe of the character. Mark Ruffalo is fantastic as Bruce Banner / the Hulk and you get the feeling that if he'd been playing the character previously than the last two incarnations of the character wouldn't have been so unsuccessful. He's fantastic and endearing as the character and ridiculously likeable. Chris Hemsworth is sort of a waste as Thor. With such a missed opportunity for a great storyline for his character, he pretty much just goes through the motions as a big, powerful demigod. Scarlett Johansson is totally bad ass as the Black Widow, a deadly assassin / spy. I genuinely hope that rumored spin off happens because her character is mysterious enough that I'd love to learn some back story. Jeremy Renner, who, in my personal opinion, is the best actor in The Avengers is totally and completely wasted. He barely gets any screen time at all until the big climax and then he just gets to shot arrows at things while looking in another direction. He's cool, I guess, but completely wasted.

But, of course, any super hero movie is only as good as its villain. That's why The Dark Knight is (and probably always will be) the greatest super hero movie of all time. And the villain in the Avengers is superb. Played by Tom Hiddleston, Loki is a damn good bad guy, always one step ahead, always smarter than he appears. Even in captivity, you know he has the upper hand and he plays it so cool and collected, you can't help but believe he has the power to destroy the Earth.

Overall, The Avengers definitely was a great ride and lots of fun, I just wish I could have enjoyed it more, and that's not all necessarily the movies fault.

Grade: C+

Vicky Cristina Barcelona + mini reviews

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Directed and written by Woody Allen
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Patricia Clarkson
Plot: Two American friends, the neurotic, engaged, grad student Vicky (Hall) and the free spirited artist Cristina (Johansson) travel to Barcelona to spend their summer. While there, the friends both become involved with a charming painter (Bardem) who has a very volatile ex-wife (Cruz).
Review: It's kind of funny. Woody Allen spent the majority of his career making brilliant, classic movies about loving - and falling in love in - New York City. Annie Hall is one of the most romantic break-up movies ever made. Manhattan is a gorgeous love letter to the city. So, it's funny then that Allen has found his creative resurgance by going overseas. First he made his come back picture with Match Point in London. Then he did his solid slapstick comedy Scoop in London. Then he made the strong Cassandra's Dream in London. Now he's in Spain and Vicky Cristina Barcelona is everything a Woody Allen movie should be - it's smart, it's funny and it's poignant. Woody Allen has a lot to say about love. He asks a lot of questions and knows that there are no answers. While Cristina deals with her entangled relationship with a painter AND his wife, she tries to define love - but Allen knows there is no way to define it. Instead, his new film tells a simple tale about two girls and the romantic entanglements they encounter in a foreign country. And Barcelona looks beautiful! The cinematography is gorgeous (witness the amusement park and the bike riding scenes). It's also nice to see how Allen has grown as a film maker. Years ago, he would have stock piled as many jokes in the film, no matter how silly. Here, there is a particular moment where a character is set to tell a joke he warns is bad... and Allen cuts out of the scene. He's more interested in character development know and not just getting a cheap laugh. He doesn't need cheap laughs. His writing is as crisp and witty as it was thirty years ago.
Best Thing About It: Well, Woody's sharp writing, for one. [Witness the scene when Cruz' Maria Elena admits to going through Cristina's luggage because she does trust her. She explains, "I didn't know if you wanted to harm me. After all, I've had thoughts about killing you."] Also, Cruz is a force to be reckoned with. The film is great from start to finish but when Cruz comes on screen, the movie really ignites. She's violent and aggressive and romantic and tragic and volatile and exhausting and straight up hilarious. I've never seen her this way before. She's very impressive here and heading for a second Oscar nomination. (For the record, Hall was surprisingly strong as well.)
Worst Thing About It: The narration takes a while to get used to but it's not bad per se. Other than that, Woody needs to move on to a new muse. Johansson just doesn't have the acting chops that his previous muses did (Farrow, Keaton, Weist).
Summary in Ten Words or Less: Woody is as funny and intelligent as ever!
Grade: A-

Mini Reviews

Bangkok Dangerous - Brainless and pointless. Nicolas Cage needs to stop making movies. It doesn't get an F because of the Asian actor who was actually quite interesting. Grade: D

Son of Ranbow - Great little British movie about a boy who can't watch TV or movies and his sudden desire to make his own version of Rambo. It's funny and charming although a little uneven. Grade: B

How to Rob a Bank - Stars Nick Stahl who I adore beyond words. It's an interesting concept but I'm not sure it's executed well enough. I mean, sure it's flashy but it's more style than substance. I know it's trying to make a point (the government is nickle and diming us into the poor house) but it's not really a point that needs to be made. Believe me, we're aware. Grade: C+

An American Crime - Great acting from Catherine Keener and Ellen Page. Keener plays a suburban mom struggling to make ends meet who locks Page's character up in a basement and tortures her (or approves while her kids and the neighbors torture her) for a few months. Based on a true story. It was interesting enough - it just could have been... edgier. Plus, not sure if I loved the ending. Or the fact that it took the majority of the movie to get to where it was going. Grade: C-

The Other Boleyn Girl, Southland Tales, Drillbit Taylor

The Other Boleyn Girl - Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are probably two of the most talented young working actresses. Sure, they are hit or miss. Scarlett was fantastic in Lost in Translation, but for every Woody Allen movie there's something like The Island that balances it out. Natalie gave her absolute best performance in Closer but for every Goya's Ghost there is a Star Wars prequel to discuss. Still, they both have potential. In The Other Boleyn Girl, they play roles you think maybe should have been reversed. In real life, anyway, it seems Natalie is the meeker of the two while Scarlett is a little more extroverted. In the film, Scarlett plays soft-spoken, kind-hearted Mary Boleyn and Natalie plays manipulative Anne Boleyn. One performance works completely, the other not so much. Scarlett is all over the place in her portrayal. One moment she's great but the next her accent seems fake, her expressions are painful, etc. Meanwhile, Natalie is just great. She starts out the film as a flirtatious young troublemaker. At one point, her character is sent to exile in France. When she returns, she's a total bad ass. That's when the film really comes to life, as well. The beginning of the film is boring and long but the second half is much more enjoyable. Kristin Scott Thomas also dazzles as a sort of feminist before her time, playing the mother of the children. Eric Bana plays the mecurial Henry the VIII, although I'd rather Jonathan Rhys Myers anyday. Jim Sturgess rounds out a pretty solid cast as the brother of Anne and Mary (and try not to cry for his pretty, little head). The film is very soap opera-ish but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The editing and directing decisions aren't exactly good enough. The ending sort of assumes that everyone watching the movie is a moron (probably because most of them are). Still, the movie is not entirely bad. In fact, it's mostly interesting and entertaining. I just wish it would have gotten an R-rating so it could have been a little racier. What's the point of all the bed hopping if it's PG-13?
Grade: C+


Southland Tales - When the movie ended, my friend asked, "Did you like it?" I wasn't sure what to say at the time. Southland Tales, from Richard Kelley, the director of Donnie Darko, is by far the strangest movie I have ever seen that wasn't directed by David Lynch. However, the more I think about it (and it does stick with you whether you like it or not), the more I think I absolutely loved it (think is the operative word). What is Southland Tales about, you ask? Well, I kind of have no idea. The easiest way to explain is to say it's about the end of the world. At one point in the film, about half way through, there is a sort of musical intermission where Justin Timberlake lip synchs to a song by The Killers. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays a porn star who wants to be a pop star who sings a song called "Teen Horniness is Not a Crime." There is a scene of two SUV's having sex. Seann William Scott plays twins - one's a racist cop, the other has no memory (I think). The Rock plays an action star named Boxer who is married to the daughter of a Republican senator (Mandy Moore) but sleeping with Sarah Michelle Gellar's Kristy Now (who's tag line is, "If you want to f**k me, f**k me now."). At one point, the Rock also says the following line, "I'm a pimp. And pimps don't commit suicide." Like I said, it's a strange, strange movie. Still, it was over two hours long and it didn't feel like it. It kept my interest and it was, at the very least, unique. After much thought, I think it was actually one of my favorite movies of last year. So, at first, I had no idea what grade to give it. Now I think I've made my decision and most people won't agree with it but I don't care. This is definitely not a movie for everyone.
Grade: A

Drillbit Taylor - I can't think of any reason why Owen Wilson would want to make this movie. But I am glad that he did because without his natural charm and likeability, this movie would have been just crap. I mean, it has it's moments. Unfortunately, there aren't many of them. The three kids have a sort of natural chemistry that is nice and there are, maybe, two scenes which are actually laugh out loud funny. Other than that it's amusing at best and boring at worst. I think the Judd Apatow machine may finally be falling apart. Although, this is minor Apatow - watered down, rated PG-13, no Jonah Hill. It's pre-Superbad, but not nearly as funny. There's really not much to say about the movie. It's nothing special and not very funny. Skip it!
Grade: D+

Halloween, The Nanny Diaries, Summer Movie Wrap-Up, September Preview

Halloween - As far as I'm concerned, there are four perfect horror movies. I use the word 'horror' to mean both slashers and psychological horror films. Anyway, those four movies are (in no particular order): The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Rosemary's Baby, The Shining and, of course, Halloween. When I heard they were remaking Halloween, I was aprehensive at best. I mean, remake HALLOWEEN?!?! But then I heard that Rob Zombie was doing it. If I trust anyone to make a horror movie these days, it's Rob Zombie. After all, his films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil Rejects are quite simply the best horror movies since the Scream trilogy. But, still, remake HALLOWEEN!?!?! I don't even think I was this upset about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Anyway, I thought I would be terribly disappointed or terribly impressed. And I was right. First of all, let us discuss my number one pet peeve with modern horror movies (remakes and 'original' ideas (keep in mind I'm using the word original very, very loosely)). The villain does not have to be a 6'10", 300 pound NFL linebacker / pro-wrestler / Amazon warrior to be scary. The thing that makes Michael Myers and Leatherface and even Freddy and Jason scary is the fact that they are just plain crazy evil. It's not that they are super fast and super big and super scary. Now, what was so great about the original Halloween? Well, we are introduced to a little kid who, for no apparent reason, stabs his sister to death. We are given the impression that he's a normal kid from a normal family in a middle class suburban neighborhood. There is no motive, no warning, nothing. The kid just snaps. Nothing motivates this kid to kill. Michael Myers is pure evil. And it's terrifying. The kid never talks again. He spends fifteen years in a little cell, staring at walls, giving no sign of remorse or anger or hatred. He just sits and the only thing left inside him is the evil. (When he escapes, he goes after the only remaining member of his family. Why? We have no fricking idea. And it's terrifying.) While at the psychiatric ward, Michael meets Dr. Loomis, a man who spends his entire life trying to understand Michael. After years and years and years, he comes to the simple conclusion that there is nothing inside Michael but evil. This absolutley shatters his world. His ambition to help people and understand them and find humanity is destroyed. He becomes obssesed with Michael (and doesn't try to cash in by writing a fucking book). Anyway, few movies have captured the feelings of evil, fear, doubt, hopelessness and isolation so well. I don't think Rob Zombie understands any of this. People say: "Keep in mind, this isn't John Carpenter, it's Rob Zombie." I know. Believe me, I know. And I like Rob Zombie a lot (he's no John Carpenter, but who is really?). I knew the movie would be vulgar and violent and filled with sex and loud music and lots of blood and gore and everything else you associate with Rob Zombie. I was prepared for it. I just wasn't prepared to leave the theatre feeling so simply disappointed. Let's take one of the classic horror movies ever and just make a simple little story about an angst ridden kid from a white-trash family who has a stripper for a mother, an abusive and alcoholic stepfather and is bullied at school. Am I surprised that this kid would kill his sister (whole family, whatever)? Not at all. And it doesn't scare me in the least. Then there's the Loomis character. This is what I was most worried about. Who would play Dr. Loomis? No one can come close to the late, great Donald Pleasance. I love Malcolm McDowell and I think he does his best with what he has to work with here. The performance itself is very well done and he's trying to do his best to make Pleasance proud. It's not entirely his fault that his character was turned into a money hungry doctor who authors a book and uses the story of Michael as a cash-cow. Loomis never would have had sympathy for Michael. Their relationship was one of hatred and hopelessness. What I should have worried about more was the casting of Laurie Strode. If Jamie Lee Curtis ever meets Taylor Scout-Compton in a dark alley, I'm pretty sure she'll kick her scrawny little ass. Jamie Lee is the one and only scream queen. Scout-Compton's sorry excuse for acting involves squealing the entire time and turning Laurie into some immature, horny teenager. Laurie was innocent and sweet and you wanted her to make it out alive. I wish Michael would have killed this annoying version of Laurie. It's hard to believe a movie that involves so many cool people (McDowell, Bill Moseley, Danny Trejo, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, Halloween 4 and 5 alum Danielle Harris) could be so disappointing. There are a few interesting things about the movie (little eleven year old Michael murders a nurse with a fork). I also liked the idea that Michael was the main character and not Laurie. Still, by giving us a lame backstory and a 7 foot superhuman monster, this remake takes away all the frights, all the mystery, all the suspense. There's really nothing terrifying about this movie at all.
Grade: D

The Nanny Diaries - This movie is forgettable at best since I saw it two days ago and can barely remember what it's about. Still, it's cute at times (who knew I would like this movie slightly better than Halloween, seriously). Anyway, it stars the too-gorgeous-for-this-movie Scarlett Johansson as a recent college graduate who doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. Does she want to follow her dream and study anthropology or does she want to give into the beast and work in the corporate world? Well, she decides to put everything on hold and become a nanny for rich New York City upper East Side Family. Dad (Paul Giamatti) is a workaholic with a likelihood for pre-marital flings. Mom (Laura Linney) is too busy for her son Grayer. Not busy with work, busy with shopping and spas and planning benefits for kids who are not her own. I've heard the book is witty and provacative. I haven't read it but if that's true, then the movie is a watered down version. There's a sort of whimsical quality to the film (the flying red umbrella... seriously?) that just didn't work at all. If the film was a little more cutting and dark then it would have been a whole lot better. Meanwhile, Scarlet's Annie is in love with the Harvard Hottie (Chris Evans) upstairs but she can't date him because her employers don't approve of dating and she thinks he'd be slumming by dating her (seriously, Scarlett? Fuck you). Anyway, Annie really wants to quit the job but finds herself actually caring about the little brat so she sticks it out for a time for him. Blah, blah, blah. Boring? Yes. The movie was cute... but, from what I've heard about the book, I'm pretty sure that's not what they were going for. The movie can most accurately be described as a wasted opportunity. There's so much talent here. What went wrong? It's more Lifetime movie of the week than anything. And I'm sure I'll completely forget about it in a few weeks.
Grade: D+

Summer Movie Wrap Up (from Memorial Day to Labor Day, from best to worst...)
Bug - A
Superbad - A-
Sicko - B+
Live Free or Die Hard - B+
Hot Rod - B+
Hairspray - B
Evening - B
Stardust - B
Broken English - B-
No Reservations - B-
Hostel: Part II - B-
1408 - C+
Knocked Up - C+
Becoming Jane - C-
The Nanny Diaries - D+
A Mighty Heart - D+
Ocean's 13 - D+
Spiderman 3 - D+
Halloween - D
Transformers - D
Mr. Brooks - D
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - D-
Evan Almighty - D-
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - F
Captivity - F

September Movie Preview
September 7 - I'm pretty excited to see 3:10 to Yuma. I know it's a Western and I hate Westerns but Ben Foster, Christian Bale and Peter Fonda can't do wrong, right? Well, that's debateable, I guess but it's getting solid reviews and so I'm pretty excited. I am not, however, excited for Shoot 'Em Up. Are Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti serious? It looks like the worst kind of action movie. Then there's The Brothers Solomon. You all know that I wish Will Arnett was my boyfriend. I'll see it and I don't really care if it's stupid. Finally there is The Hunting Party. It stars Richard Gere and Terrence Howard and it reminds me of this dream I had one time (except my dream wasn't really about a television crew in a war torn area).

September 14 - I am shaking in anticipation for Across the Universe. Sure it doesn't go wide until the 21st but this could be the best movie of the year. Or a huge mess. We'll see. Then there's In the Valley of Elah. Who suggested that Paul Haggis name his movie that? It sounds awful but is pretty Oscar baity. As the follow up to Crash, there will be a lot of eyes on this movie about trying to find out what really happened to a soldier who disappeared from Iraq. It stars Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron. Jodie Foster also tries to prove that she's not really a serious actress and is a kick-ass action star instead with the revenge flick The Brave One. Could be interesting, actually.

September 21 - My movie star boyfriend Sean Penn takes a detour into director town with a star studded cast (William Hurt and Catherine Keener... it was like this dream I had). The trailer looks great. With a stellar cast, how could it possibly disappoint? Then there's the Oscar hopeful Good Luck Chuck. Dane Cook and Jessica Alba are definitely on my short list. Resident Evil: Extinction may only be the third but it feels like the 30th. Sydney White stars Amanda Bynes so all the little girls will show up, for sure. The Jane Austen Book Club stars Hugh Dancy, so I'll show up, for sure. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford may be the coolest title for a movie ever and I may go just to see Casey Affleck kill Brad Pitt (it's like this dream I had...).

September 28 - The trailer for Feast of Love has been before pretty much every movie I've seen in the last two months. It looks... cute. That blonde haired boy may be my temporary movie star boyfriend (at least until James McAvoy makes his triumphant return to the screen in Atonement in December). The Kingdom stars a bunch of actors who annoy me but everyone else loves. I might pass. Lust, Caution opens in limited release. It is directed by Ang Lee and got an NC-17 rating. I won't pass.

September 29 - The Darjeeling Limited opens in New York City only. That means it won't come to Pennsylvania until, like, November. Dammit!