Fascinating movie, though I definitely feel like it could have been better. Now I really want to read the book. In some parts it was kind of hard to follow, and in others I was more than just a little lost. I'm hoping this was just because it was based on a book that was just a little too complicated to adequately translate into a movie.
The idea of the movie seems to be that throughout time there are certain lives that repeat in order to play a different role in the fate of the world at different points in time. These lives run in both identical and different ways each time, and it seems as if there are also people who can manipulate time to try to alter events in the past and future. It truly seems to be a complicated web of events that do not make complete sense until closer to the end of the movie. And even then, I'm obviously still unsure as to how it all exactly worked. I think this is one that they probably should have just ignore pieces of the book to make it a better movie, or should have tried for a mini-series instead of a movie. Like I said, it was fascinating, though it really could have been much better.
Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving (who will forever be known to me as that evil guy in The Matrix), Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant are just a few of the impressive cast selected for the roles in this movie. Some of them have recurring lives in every timeline addressed while others are more sparingly involved. They each did a great job of portraying the similarities and differences choices can make on future timelines. For example, because Tom Cruise chooses the low road in a couple of his lives, he plays more lowly people in some of his future lives.
In the end, I give this a 6.5 out of 10. It kept my attention, but left me wanting something so much better.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Now You See Me
Pretty interesting movie. It's fun, suspenseful, not overly predictable, and keeps your attention by holding back the motives until the very end. You really have to pay attention the whole way through to be able to piece everything together in the end, which is really great for my add brain!
I don't really want to say too much about this one because I don't want to accidentally give anything away. This is one of those movies that trying to figure it out before they tell you is more than half of the fun. The story starts by bringing four top-notch magicians together because they each have their own specialties that combine to make a great show. It then skips a year to their first big show, which ends up being a bank heist, and follows the rest through an FBI investigation that tries to figure out how they are operating and tries to stop any more robberies. Each event is tied together and each one has a specific purpose all of its own. The motives behind each show are what really keep things interesting.
Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, David Franco (James Franco's cute little brother), Mark Ruffalo, Michael Cain, Michael Kelly, and Common are the biggest names in the cast, and they are all pretty excellent. They do a great job of making you cheer, tense with anticipation, and maybe even weep at every appropriate moment.
In the end, I give this an 8 out of 10. It was fun the first go round, and I reserve the right to bump the rating if it is just as much fun the second go round.
I don't really want to say too much about this one because I don't want to accidentally give anything away. This is one of those movies that trying to figure it out before they tell you is more than half of the fun. The story starts by bringing four top-notch magicians together because they each have their own specialties that combine to make a great show. It then skips a year to their first big show, which ends up being a bank heist, and follows the rest through an FBI investigation that tries to figure out how they are operating and tries to stop any more robberies. Each event is tied together and each one has a specific purpose all of its own. The motives behind each show are what really keep things interesting.
Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, David Franco (James Franco's cute little brother), Mark Ruffalo, Michael Cain, Michael Kelly, and Common are the biggest names in the cast, and they are all pretty excellent. They do a great job of making you cheer, tense with anticipation, and maybe even weep at every appropriate moment.
In the end, I give this an 8 out of 10. It was fun the first go round, and I reserve the right to bump the rating if it is just as much fun the second go round.
Warm Bodies
So, I kind of liked this movie....! I was really disgusted the first time I saw the preview, and then slowly grew interested the more I saw. I, like most intelligent people these days, am kind of tired of all of the zombie movies. I mean really, how many times are we going to see the same story about rotting, dead bodies that are reanimated by disease, fungi/bacteria/etc., or just because? There is a still-running TV show around the whole premise, there seems to be at least one zombie movie released every year, and there are even news stories about people acting zombie-like! I mean really, enough. But, that being said, I like The Walking Dead, I loved Sean of the Dead, and I like this movie. So, maybe I am not as fed up with the zombie craze as I want to be; I keep watching them, so they will keep producing them.
Now, to my credit (:-)), this is not your typical zombie-flick. I mean really, they come back to life!! It is a fun romantic comedy about how powerful love can truly be. It is narrated, in part, by a twenty-something looking zombie who experiences something revolutionary when he sees the girlfriend of a guy he just murdered and started eating. In this rendition, the zombies eat brains for sustenance and to get the memories of the people they are munching on. It's an explanation that I haven't heard yet, and one that makes the grossness of zombies more tolerable (which it should because you have to like these zombies to like the movie). He falls more in love with this girl the more memories he gets from the brains, and becomes more human the more time he spends with her. His love brings him fully back to humanity, and has similar affect on most of the other zombies to end up saving the world! It really is the most uplifting zombie movie. The world is saved by love; not the military, not a war, not destroying every dead thing and starting over, but love. It's kind of refreshing, even if it is insanely cliche.
The acting is good, and John Malkovich is John Malkovich (crazy, funny, all-around awesome). The Kristen Stewart look-a-like, Teresa Palmer, really is at such a disadvantage in everything she does. She is pretty good, but I have to fight to get beyond the Kristen Stewart looks to watch her. But, in this she did it. I completely forgot about K-Stew and could really enjoy Teresa Palmer seeing through the scariness and falling for a half-dead zombie!
In the end, I give this an 8 out of 10. My enjoyment might have been increased by my low expectations going it, but it really was fun and enjoyable to watch.
Now, to my credit (:-)), this is not your typical zombie-flick. I mean really, they come back to life!! It is a fun romantic comedy about how powerful love can truly be. It is narrated, in part, by a twenty-something looking zombie who experiences something revolutionary when he sees the girlfriend of a guy he just murdered and started eating. In this rendition, the zombies eat brains for sustenance and to get the memories of the people they are munching on. It's an explanation that I haven't heard yet, and one that makes the grossness of zombies more tolerable (which it should because you have to like these zombies to like the movie). He falls more in love with this girl the more memories he gets from the brains, and becomes more human the more time he spends with her. His love brings him fully back to humanity, and has similar affect on most of the other zombies to end up saving the world! It really is the most uplifting zombie movie. The world is saved by love; not the military, not a war, not destroying every dead thing and starting over, but love. It's kind of refreshing, even if it is insanely cliche.
The acting is good, and John Malkovich is John Malkovich (crazy, funny, all-around awesome). The Kristen Stewart look-a-like, Teresa Palmer, really is at such a disadvantage in everything she does. She is pretty good, but I have to fight to get beyond the Kristen Stewart looks to watch her. But, in this she did it. I completely forgot about K-Stew and could really enjoy Teresa Palmer seeing through the scariness and falling for a half-dead zombie!
In the end, I give this an 8 out of 10. My enjoyment might have been increased by my low expectations going it, but it really was fun and enjoyable to watch.
Oz: The Great and Powerful
This movie was a prequel to the Wizard of Oz. We get to learn how the wizard got to Oz, why they accepted him, and a little bit more about Oz. It is a fun story, there just isn't a lot of feeling to it. You don't particularly feel for any of the characters, except the witches (believe it or not), but that might just be because they were played by Rachel Weiss and Mila Kunis.
The story starts with James Franco being a tool and using magic to get some ass. He's pretty good at tricking women into falling for him and being his assistant while he is in town. Then he gets caught up in a tornado, and dumped in Oz. He meets the witches, his charm fails, miserably, and he suffers self-defeat, and then he saves the day! It's pretty cookie cutter, except that Mila Kunis and Rachel Weiss added some spice, and evil. They really did kind of steal the show.
I've never really been a fan of Michelle Williams, so it all kind of went down hill for me when she stepped onto the scene. She was very meh, and even adopted a more meh voice as the good witch to go with it. Though, to her credit, the voice and the half closed eyes did temper the passion and evilness of the evil witches.
Despite the lack of feeling, I really did like this story. I always like getting to know the background of any story. It never really made sense to me that someone could just accidentally hot-air balloon into a place and be put on a pedastal the way the Wizard was in the Wizard of Oz. This story really makes it all come together. It explains why the Wizard didn't/couldn't leave Oz, how he got to be in such a position in the first place, and a little bit more about the witches, why they are evil, and why one is green while the other is not. :)
In the end, I give this a 6.5 out of 10. It was fun to watch through bleh to feel.
The story starts with James Franco being a tool and using magic to get some ass. He's pretty good at tricking women into falling for him and being his assistant while he is in town. Then he gets caught up in a tornado, and dumped in Oz. He meets the witches, his charm fails, miserably, and he suffers self-defeat, and then he saves the day! It's pretty cookie cutter, except that Mila Kunis and Rachel Weiss added some spice, and evil. They really did kind of steal the show.
I've never really been a fan of Michelle Williams, so it all kind of went down hill for me when she stepped onto the scene. She was very meh, and even adopted a more meh voice as the good witch to go with it. Though, to her credit, the voice and the half closed eyes did temper the passion and evilness of the evil witches.
Despite the lack of feeling, I really did like this story. I always like getting to know the background of any story. It never really made sense to me that someone could just accidentally hot-air balloon into a place and be put on a pedastal the way the Wizard was in the Wizard of Oz. This story really makes it all come together. It explains why the Wizard didn't/couldn't leave Oz, how he got to be in such a position in the first place, and a little bit more about the witches, why they are evil, and why one is green while the other is not. :)
In the end, I give this a 6.5 out of 10. It was fun to watch through bleh to feel.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
42
I LOVED this movie! It was great, and moving, and made you laugh and cry all at the same time. If you like baseball, this is a movie for you. If you love baseball, it is even better. If you like stories about true heroes, you will love this movie. If you have a soul, you will love this movie. That is all.
Everybody knows the big stories about racism and overcoming racism in the United States, and I'm sure a lot of people, particularly baseball fans, know at least part of the story of Jackie Robinson becoming the first black professional player with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Even so, this movie is powerful. It does a really good job of showing just how amazing Jackie Robinson truly was. He was incredibly intelligent, incredibly talented, and had an amazing sense of self-worth and self-restraint. Here, you see him refuse to break down in the face of repeated, relentless, and mindless racism that not only put him further in the spotlight, but also helped to break down that senseless racism across the country.
The movie progresses from seeing Jackie Robinson in the black baseball league, to the Dodgers' manager's decision to hire a black player, to the manager's decision to pick Jackie Robinson, to his progression in the league, to his starting place in history. Through all of this you see how day-by-day, person-by-person, Jackie Robinson (and the manager) changed the world. It really was amazing.
Chadwick Boseman was absolutely fantastic as Jackie Robinson. He developed the character over the two hour film, he made you feel Jackie Robinson's pain and joy, he made you laugh, and cry, and cheer, and boo all at the appropriate moments. Harrison Ford was also amazing. He was perfectly unyielding and supportive as the manager who knew exactly what he was doing when he specifically picked Jackie Robinson to be the first black player in major league baseball. Christopher Meloni (from Law and Order: SVU) was also pretty fantastic (I am really happy that his leaving SVU has lead to an increasing number of appearances elsewhere!). And, of course, the rest of the cast was also great.
As you probably have noticed, I could go on and on and on about this movie, but I will resist the urge. In the end, I give this a 10 out of 10!
Everybody knows the big stories about racism and overcoming racism in the United States, and I'm sure a lot of people, particularly baseball fans, know at least part of the story of Jackie Robinson becoming the first black professional player with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Even so, this movie is powerful. It does a really good job of showing just how amazing Jackie Robinson truly was. He was incredibly intelligent, incredibly talented, and had an amazing sense of self-worth and self-restraint. Here, you see him refuse to break down in the face of repeated, relentless, and mindless racism that not only put him further in the spotlight, but also helped to break down that senseless racism across the country.
The movie progresses from seeing Jackie Robinson in the black baseball league, to the Dodgers' manager's decision to hire a black player, to the manager's decision to pick Jackie Robinson, to his progression in the league, to his starting place in history. Through all of this you see how day-by-day, person-by-person, Jackie Robinson (and the manager) changed the world. It really was amazing.
Chadwick Boseman was absolutely fantastic as Jackie Robinson. He developed the character over the two hour film, he made you feel Jackie Robinson's pain and joy, he made you laugh, and cry, and cheer, and boo all at the appropriate moments. Harrison Ford was also amazing. He was perfectly unyielding and supportive as the manager who knew exactly what he was doing when he specifically picked Jackie Robinson to be the first black player in major league baseball. Christopher Meloni (from Law and Order: SVU) was also pretty fantastic (I am really happy that his leaving SVU has lead to an increasing number of appearances elsewhere!). And, of course, the rest of the cast was also great.
As you probably have noticed, I could go on and on and on about this movie, but I will resist the urge. In the end, I give this a 10 out of 10!
Olympus Has Fallen
I liked this movie. Once again, it's a moderately predictable, cheesy action film. North Koreans actually physically and violently take over the White House. You cannot go into this (or I guess rent this at this point) with high expectations of brilliance or class. It is action-packed, suspenseful, and fun.
Gerard Butler is beautiful, Aaron Eckhart is beautiful, Dylan McDermont is pretty, and Gerard Butler kicks some major North Korean butt, could you want more? O right, a plot might be good, but have no fear, this even has a plot (there aren't enough sexy men to make it come close to another Magic Mike)! It starts off kind of sad to set the background for Gerard Butler to be out of the White House and thus make him able to sneak in and save the day. Then we move almost directly into the action. There is apparently an entire army of secret service men in the White House, and they ALL die at the hands of the North Koreans. They planned this so well (without the NSA's or Patriot Act's illegal listening in to everything picking up on it) that they had planes, helicopters, and a full-scale invasion with bazookas (at least that's what I think they are, they blow things up) and everything!
Yes, it is ridiculous, but it is still fun to sit and enjoy the ride. There are some ups and downs, like the search for the President's son, trying to figure out the motive, waiting for Gerard Butler to save the day, etc. And there is even a touch of reality, Gerard Butler ALMOST dies! :)
There really isn't much more to say, for an action movie, I give this a 7 out of 10. If you don't like action, you might want to skip this one.
Gerard Butler is beautiful, Aaron Eckhart is beautiful, Dylan McDermont is pretty, and Gerard Butler kicks some major North Korean butt, could you want more? O right, a plot might be good, but have no fear, this even has a plot (there aren't enough sexy men to make it come close to another Magic Mike)! It starts off kind of sad to set the background for Gerard Butler to be out of the White House and thus make him able to sneak in and save the day. Then we move almost directly into the action. There is apparently an entire army of secret service men in the White House, and they ALL die at the hands of the North Koreans. They planned this so well (without the NSA's or Patriot Act's illegal listening in to everything picking up on it) that they had planes, helicopters, and a full-scale invasion with bazookas (at least that's what I think they are, they blow things up) and everything!
Yes, it is ridiculous, but it is still fun to sit and enjoy the ride. There are some ups and downs, like the search for the President's son, trying to figure out the motive, waiting for Gerard Butler to save the day, etc. And there is even a touch of reality, Gerard Butler ALMOST dies! :)
There really isn't much more to say, for an action movie, I give this a 7 out of 10. If you don't like action, you might want to skip this one.
World War Z
So, I'm not going to lie, I was not particularly interested in seeing this movie. I was not impressed with the previews, and I am starting to get a little annoyed with all the zombie apocalypse things. Dead, rotting beings that are falling apart and tear people to pieces by eating them are really not my cup of tea (though that obviously does not prevent me from watching them - Shaun of the Dead is the BEST!). That being said, Brad Pitt pulled me in, and I kind of liked it.
This movie was rated PG-13, so there wasn't any blood and gore. And I mean it, there was none. Every time there should have been blood they cut away or simply edited out. That made it better on the one hand (I didn't have to advert my eyes every time the zombies came one), but it also made it kind on ridiculous on the other. Someone lost a limb, and I didn't even know it had happened until a few minutes later. Don't get me wrong, I do not need to see the blood spurting out of the wrist, but I don't feel like they really needed to edit THAT much. It's a zombie apocalypse movie for goodness sake, it is not something you should take your pre-teens to, it does not need to be made PG-13 for them.
I love Brad Pitt, always have, always will. Not only is he a super sexy beast (regardless of his age, seriously, it's just impressive), but he can also act pretty well. He plays a retired soldier for the UN who gets scammed into traveling the world to find the origin (cure) of the zombie "disease". He's just supposed to be a hired gun, but ends up being able to help save the world (of course). He seems to be pretty comfortable and composed in all of the high-intensity situations that allow for him to be in complete charge and control in every different situation and group he encounters.
Besides Brad Pitt, there is s some pretty good acting all around. Again, the entire premise is that there is a zombie apocalypse, so of course it is predictable and action-packed, just like most every other zombie movie (it's amazing how there is only one that suggests that love can save us all! See Warm Bodies). That means that this is generally nothing new, nothing different, and you have your generally typical characters in true force. There is a sort of "twist" that does make this different from other zombie flicks, but they each do have to have their own special thing, right? (Shaun of the Dead is funny, The Walking Dead is more like a soap opera with the zombies as a background, Warm Bodies is all about love, Resident Evil has creepy zombie monster things, 28 days is all about the survival, you get the picture).
So, without really giving too much of the plot away (it is fun to be kept in suspense every now and then :)), I'll end by saying that I liked this, on the whole, and I give this movie a solid 6.5 out of 10.
This movie was rated PG-13, so there wasn't any blood and gore. And I mean it, there was none. Every time there should have been blood they cut away or simply edited out. That made it better on the one hand (I didn't have to advert my eyes every time the zombies came one), but it also made it kind on ridiculous on the other. Someone lost a limb, and I didn't even know it had happened until a few minutes later. Don't get me wrong, I do not need to see the blood spurting out of the wrist, but I don't feel like they really needed to edit THAT much. It's a zombie apocalypse movie for goodness sake, it is not something you should take your pre-teens to, it does not need to be made PG-13 for them.
I love Brad Pitt, always have, always will. Not only is he a super sexy beast (regardless of his age, seriously, it's just impressive), but he can also act pretty well. He plays a retired soldier for the UN who gets scammed into traveling the world to find the origin (cure) of the zombie "disease". He's just supposed to be a hired gun, but ends up being able to help save the world (of course). He seems to be pretty comfortable and composed in all of the high-intensity situations that allow for him to be in complete charge and control in every different situation and group he encounters.
Besides Brad Pitt, there is s some pretty good acting all around. Again, the entire premise is that there is a zombie apocalypse, so of course it is predictable and action-packed, just like most every other zombie movie (it's amazing how there is only one that suggests that love can save us all! See Warm Bodies). That means that this is generally nothing new, nothing different, and you have your generally typical characters in true force. There is a sort of "twist" that does make this different from other zombie flicks, but they each do have to have their own special thing, right? (Shaun of the Dead is funny, The Walking Dead is more like a soap opera with the zombies as a background, Warm Bodies is all about love, Resident Evil has creepy zombie monster things, 28 days is all about the survival, you get the picture).
So, without really giving too much of the plot away (it is fun to be kept in suspense every now and then :)), I'll end by saying that I liked this, on the whole, and I give this movie a solid 6.5 out of 10.
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