The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Christmas is obviously the best time for movies to come out, and I'm a little behind, so I'm lumping them all together.
First up, Black Swan. Here's a surprise: it was a really freaking good movie. I will go ahead and reiterate what everyone else in the world has said, and say it was an amazing film. Natalie Portman went insanely deep into that role, and I'm amazed that she has followed up this performance with the light and airy piece with Ashton Kutcher. The dancing was phenomenal, especially since she did a lot of it herself. Also, being the sport nerd I am, the film made me think more in depth about super involved parents and their obsession with their kids success. It was great to see Mila Kunis in a serious role, and she does the bad girl part exceedingly well.
Next up, The King's Speech.
Holy guacamole. Colin Firth was a badass. It was a great story with great acting, telling a generally unknown facet of the royal family. It also portrayed, for an American, the different side of what the Royal family is and how they live that is so different than the way we do. The attention to detail with the set, script, and general aura was fabulous. highly recommend it!
True Grit
I've never seen the original, so I can't compare it to that, but it was very good. I felt that it was rather slow, but I also think that was the goal of the Cohen brothers. Jeff Bridges was mad legit, also very entertaining even though it doesn't seem like much of a stretch for him to be a drunk old codger.

NARNIA!!

A little late...but the Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader was absolutely wonderful!! I'm not surprised, but the 3D job was excellent, and the transition of the current characters to the new humans in Narnia was fabulous. As usual, Edmund was a sex pot, even if he was only 17. The story was fabulously told and continues the series seamlessly. I can't wait for the next one, except I'm quite sad that Peter and Edmund will no longer be gracing the screen with their dastardly good looks. For sure a DVD purchase, no worries there.

The *yawn* Tourist

The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie was a new release this week, and it was a complete snooze. The plotline was grossly exaggerated and the plot twist at the end was pretty blatant if you ask me. Johhny Depp as a bumbling American Math teacher was completely unbelievable, and insulting to my memory of him as the hottie pirate. Angelina was looking quite hott, and had some fabulous clothes no doubt. The scenery was fun, but it lacked the excitement of an action movie and the storyline of a drama. Basically it was lame, and dragged on forever and ever. Good try guys, but no thumbs here.

Tangled Up

Well, looks like the "kid in me" vibe was strong this week. Tangled 3D was up right after Megaming 3D, and it did not dissappoint. First interesting point, it was Disney's 50th animated feature, which had me all excited to begin with. The story was the story of Repunzel, and after the fact I realized I'm not sure that I ever heard the Repunzel story as a child.
The story was creative and different, and I really enjoyed a new Disney Princess. In keeping with the Disney theme of never having a strong/positive mother character, another evil mother was born. I won't even begin to explain my conspiracy theory that Disney dislikes mothers (but think about it....name a Disney princess with an awesome mom....didn't think so!) The only part about the movie that seriously concerned me was the way in which they told the story, kids of this generation, in general, suck at watching movies. They want all the answers and info at the get-go, no sense of adventure. The beginning of the movie definitely addressed that in order to explain to the little chitlin what was about to happen.
Regardless it was a cute movie, with some catchy songs!!!

What's up next?

Some movies I'm looking forward to this holiday season:

Tangled 3D
Fighter (featuring that fox Markie Mark Wahlberg)
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Black Swan
Rabbit Hole (nicole kidman as a tortured mother? never...)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (looks terrifying)
The Tourist
TRON Legacy
True Grit
Blue Valentine (I'm sorry...Blake Lively AND Ryan Gosling. too much hotness)

More to come, let's hope I can get through these!!
Happy Viewing!

MegaMind!!

Sometimes, I need to just sit back, relax and enjoy a kids movie.
Megamind 3D was my pick this week, and it was a good choice!! The movie was very cute, told the classic story of good vs evil, evil wins, then doesn't want to be evil anymore because of feelings. The star of the show by far was Megamind's minion, named "Minion" but was a precious fish? Oh animators, the things you come up with.

The animation was by far the coolest thing-the people looked insanely real at some points I sort of lost my head. Definitely a keeper once we all have 3D tvs and such.

Whe World According to Who?

"The World According to Garp" (let me preface this by saying it was a mom recommendation, and if you know her, she is strange) from 1982 features a young Robin Williams in a seriously strange role. The film chronicles the life of T.S. Garp and his wacky feminist mother. Completely riddled with symbolism and parallels, it was interesting to see Williams as a young babe.
The movie left you guessing the entire time, made me say "what theeeee?" on several occasions and generally left me a little concerned for humanity.
Don't put it on the top of your list, but definitely a good throwback if you are just killing time. And Robin Williams was a little fox back in the day.

2.5 hours of 127 hours

sorry for being a slacker. after "due date" I had several failed attempts at classic movies. I won't even validate those by mentioning the titles. Next up, "127 Hours"

Holy. Sweet. Baby. Jesus was this movie good. James Franco should definitely be up for awards in the next few months. Based on a true story, and directed by Danny Boyle (the Slumdog Millionaire genius) it was a raw and almost uncomfortable at times connection with an actor. You are literally watching a person at the worst possible time in their life, and it made me ask myself "am I strong enough to do that"? I think the answer is honestly no, the entire situation he went through was mind boggling and put me on edge. The cinematography left a little to be desired, but by the end I understood how it related to the entire story. It was also good to see Amber Tamblyn do something that wasn't cheesy as hell.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE. One thumb way, way up.

Due Date!!!

Warning: This is another Galifianakis obsessed post. Consider yourself warned.

Due Date was awesome. I was definitely concerned about the amount of the movie I saw in previews, and that those were the only funny parts. Thankfully though, this wasn't the case. Although those parts in the preview were some of the best laughs, I felt as though going through the movie and getting the story made it even funnier. Robert Downey Jr did a great job, (as did precious Zachary) but also the exchange between the two was awesome. Definitely not as many quotables as "The Hangover" but still something worth seeing.

CONVICTION

"Conviction" is Sam Rockwell and Hilary Swank's newest film, and let me tell you, it is so worth your $8.25. I hadn't heard anything about this film before tonight, and I'm still in post movie-awe mode. This based on a true story film made me cry, count it, THREE times (which is unheard of) and left me questioning our justice system and country as a whole. The most gripping part of this story, for me, was the fact that it was
a. true, and
b. happening everywhere across this "land of the free".
The continual plight of the uneducated and poor people of America is always represented in movies, but something about this story being true really got to me. Hllary Swank is by far one of the most talented actresses of our time, and I literally can't wait to see each of her films as they premiere. And, one to watch, is little Bailee Madison (young hilary in this movie) who also brought me to tears in the Tobey Maguire/Natalie Portman flick "Brothers". This little girl is getting to emotions that no eleven year old should be able to (happy birthday btw, october 15th!). I can't wait to see more from her, and from this entire cast. GREAT MOVIE, go see it, or put it on your Netflix queue.

Norman Bates.

Norman Bates symbolizes everything that is terrifying about the dating scene and meeting dudes in general. Do I think that was the message Hitchcock was hoping for? Probably not, but whatever. In a throwback nature, this week I watched "Psycho". Black and white style added to the creepiness of this movie, and I definitely enjoyed it.
Along the lines of a psychological thriller of the less complicated sort, the plot line was original. (thankfully no one has tried to redo this one-that would be an epic fail) This was my first Hitchcock movie, and I definitely was satisfied. I think for my next venture into the classics, I will attempt his movie "The Birds". That will probably scare the shit out of me...can't wait. I definitely tried to spot Alfred in the movie, I've heard that he always made a cameo, but I guessed I missed him.
I also really enjoyed the cars and culture of this one. I know it was on point at the time, but it was refreshing and interesting to see that setting for real and not recreated by modern hollywood.

In nomine Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti

That's right ladies and gents-Boondock Saints. I know that I have committed a cardinal sin by waiting this long to see this movie, but I have righted my wrongs. And thank the Lord I did. Boondock Saints was absolutely amazing, right up my alley in my favorite genre of movies-Irish people kicking ass. I can't go too much into the plotline without giving a lot away, but this movie is so phenomenally epic, it makes sense why boys everywhere love it. And I promised my friend andrew, and I will recommend to you as well, do not...i repeat DO NOT see the sequel. It will ruin everything for you.
These two Irish brothers become a vigilante force, riding the world of evil-doers. The story definitely brings up some moral questions, and makes you wonder if this could happen in the real world/this day and time. A lot of ass-kicking takes place, in that super raw not cinematic style, which is always the best. I give this one both thumbs way up. Do it.
While we are on the topic of Irish guys kicking ass, another amazing movie of note is "Greenstreet Hooligans". Starring Elijah Wood, circa his hobbit era, its as far away from LOTR as he could get. This one focuses on the hooliganism surrounding football clubs in Europe, and has some pretty epic fight scenes. Definitely worth the two hours to sit down and watch a film. Oh, there ya go, I said it....film, not movie.

Money Never Sleeps?

Because it can't. Wall Street:Money Never Sleeps, leaves something to be desired. This will be short and sweet, since this movie is on its way out as it is. Shia Labeouf, bless his heart, did a good job in this one-and boy does he look dapper in some of those suits! Carey Mulligan did a stand up job, as usual-but let's have a reality check for a minute. No one in the real world looks that cute with a boy haircut. No One. So don't try it folks. You will just end up looking like a Dutch milk boy who is going to the market to fetch a chicken and some eggs for your sickly Grandmother.
Michael Douglas, your next script should steer clear of those intense facial close-up shots, you are aging....and not very well. The story line was pretty solid, and the acting fairly good, but the script was unfathomably cheesy. It completely distracted from the story, and the "special effects" were pointless and distracting as well. It is somewhat concerning to think that this is in fact how our economy works, and how we are essentially one mistake away from complete disaster. I love plot lines with a good twist, and although the story got very close, it never took the complete plunge. I would wait for DVD on this one folks.

It really was only "kind of" a funny story.

Which isn't a bad thing! You may not know me that well, but here's the deal-I'm obsessed with Zach Galifianakis. I want to have his little hairy babies. Now that its all awkward and weird, I will tell you about his new movie, "It's kind of a a funny story".

I didn't know what to expect going into this movie (except that I would see precious Galifianakis do his thang) and I was extremely pleasantly surprised. It was a sweet, kind of strange story, which struck way deeper into my thoughts and feelings than I ever expected. Thoughts on teen suicide, the increasing amount of stress earlier in life, and all-in-all how we all cope were all things that the movie left me thinking about, and seriously evaluating. There were funny bits, no super quotable lines, unlike Zach's previous work. (yes, we are on a first name basis) but the movie was still great all the same. The characters were varied across time and age, and each one was allowed to develop in a way that let you feel like you sort of knew them. Andddd, not a spoiler alert, but there was an awesome scene involving an 80s rendition, glitter, and faux wigs. That right there is a reason to go.
Anyone who has been, currently is, or ever will be the ages of 13-25 should see this movie. and, on the off chance that there is a parent reading this (doubtful) definitely go see it with your kids. this movie allows for a super easy segwey into tough topics for everyone to talk about, regardless of how cool you are.

Caught by "Catfish"

I know, I know...how cliche, I'm going to review Catfish and be super vague about it at the same time. I went into the movie totally expecting people to die and horror to ensue. So as to not spoil the ending, I won't say whether or not it met my expectations.
However, the three man crew of Nev, Rel, and Henry invited me into their studio office in NYC and I immediately felt like I was part of their friends. The complete openness in which the film was shot, in addition to the grainy and honest feeling, had me completely enthralled and guessing what would happen next.
I agree with a friend who said, the most shocking part of the movie was Nev's lower back tatoo...who saw that coming? But this movie went far beyond what I expected. It scared the shit out of me in a professional, "identity theft" kinda way and at the same time, I had to admire Angela's umm....creative passion? Regardless, the movie definitely creeped me out, made me think twice about this whole social media gig, and reminded me that even if the people are on the internet, still don't talk to strangers. That's only okay on approved websites like match.com or craigslist.

Consider this the Trailer

Well, here goes. I've always said that I would start a movie blog...and after last night's cinematic experience, I decided it was the time. (I also found a penny heads up on the ground, but let's not get superstitious). I've always been a lover of all things, and I truly believe there is a difference between movies and films-but let's not get ahead of ourselves, that is for another time. In an attempt to either
a) have my life made into a movie or
b) have my life be like a movie
I thought, what better way than to write an epic blog (it worked for Julie/Julia, no worries, I promise I won't involve my cooking though). I am starting from scratch, so any movie I have seen that I want to review-I must watch again. I will attempt to cover new releases, old school movies, stuff you've never heard of, and maybe a little TV movies too, if I don't get distracted. To answer your question: yes, I do watch these movies by myself. I go to the theater by myself-if you see me, say hello.
Two Lonely Thumbs Up, here goes.