Actors: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon
Stone, Adam Brody, Juno
Temple, James Franco
Rating:
7 out of 10, A Netflix rental I hadn’t heard much
about it but the cast looked amazing and it took on the story of one of the cultural
icons of the 1970s (a real comment on that era). Lovelace tells the story of the actress who
achieved her fifteen minutes as a porn actress.
It’s more about her victimization by an abusive husband and the courage
she eventually found to escape him. I
may be one of the few people from that era who never saw this flick (just a
little too young at the time) (honest) but it was fascinating to see this back story. The movie is almost like a documentary in
form. It was a little strange to see
Sharon Stone as a cold, unrecognizable mother and the young dude form the O.C.
as Harry Reems not to mention James Franco as Hugh Hefner. Seyfried is just a litle too good looking for this role but does well.
MVP: Seyfried
in a layered performance as the title character
Actors: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine,
Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike, and Eddie Marsan
Rating:
8 out of 10, the latest Simon Pegg/Nick Frost was very British. Pegg plays the low life this time as he
gathers childhood friends, including the young Bilbo Baggins, for a memorable pub
crawl back in their hometown which has been inconveniently taken over by
robotic aliens led by a retired James Bond. This leads to a hilarious chase
towards an apocalyptic finish line. There are so many one line zingers that I
know I’m going to see this again just to catch the ones I know I missed. It also has some interesting things to say
about the vanity of lost youth and the importance of friendship, but always
very irreverently. A very funny movie and very British.
MVP: Frost
overtakes Pegg as the stolid yet dangerous Andy
Actors: Denzell Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton,
Edward James Olmos, Bill Paxton, James Marsden
Rating: 8 out of 10, Mark Wahlberg and Denzel
Washington; on the surface that sounds like a mismatch but Wahlberg is evolving
into a very good actor and more than held his own with Denzel. They play two undercover agents trying to
survive after being double-crossed by everybody from a Mexican drug cartel to girlfriends,
the US
military and the CIA. This was a very
good, very funny movie as the two actors chewed up the scenery although it does feature some historically bad headgear - just really bad hats. It’s a great example of a fairly mundane plot
that’s elevated by the actors involved and included some very well staged
action scenes. In what has become his go
to movie role – Marsden’s girl is cheating on him again and Ms Patton shows a completely
new side (s) (worth the price of admission right there). Not a deep effort by
any means but a lot of fun, especially the give and take between the two leads.
MVP: Wahlberg as Stig, the hyperactive but dead
shot foil
Actors: Jennifer Anniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma
Roberts, Will Poulter, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Ed Helms
Rating: 8 out of 10, Jennifer Anniston in her
underwear– I was all in. It turned out to be a very low brow, very unapologetic
comedy that had my wife and I laughing out loud almost continually. I’m sure the
critics will lambast the crude level of comedy but this was honestly very funny
stuff. I did mention Anniston in her underwear, right? She’s
really carving out a niche as a middle aged hottie and whatever she’s paying
her personal trainer is money well spent. Jason Sudekis A movie
about a drug dealer, a stripper, a street person, and a dork posing as a model
family while smuggling several tons of weed out of Mexico doesn’t seem like fertile
comedy ground. It was.
MVP: Miss Anniston, in flagrante as Sarah/Rose
Actors: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane
Lane, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni, Kevin Costner
Rating: 9 out of 10, It’s a
much darker take on the Superman legend. My wife was really taken with the new
actor playing the lead. She was emoting vigorously anytime he appeared on
screen without his shirt on – I guess I‘ll have to start working out more. I
know the film hasn’t been reviewed very well but I liked it. There was a little
too much of fights between people who couldn’t hurt each other but the action
was relentless and spirited. The acting
chops of the cast goes deep into the supporting actors. I liked the take Shannon made with General
Zod and Adams was her typical awesome.
MVP: Adams as a
much more believable and likable Lois
Lane
Actors: Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike,
Minnie Driver, Scott Speedman, Dustin Hoffman
Rating: 7 out of 10, A
fairly entertaining film chronicling the life of a Canadian television producer
who fights well above his weight in the love department. His story is told almost exclusively through flashbacks
which can be tricky but handled well here.
He’s introduced as a complete creep but we learn about his journey
through three marriages how he got to that point and we’re eventually allowed
to see there was more, well concealed depth.
This is one of those movies you’ll be tempted to give up on, but if you
hang in, you’ll be rewarded.
MVP: Hoffman as Barney’s artless yet loyal cop
father
Actors: Jaime Fox, Channing Tatum, Maggie Gyllenhaal,
Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Joey King, James Woods
Rating: 7 out of 10, The
latest destruction of the White House with Channing Tatum once again establishing
his action star credentials. He even
found ways to have his shirt ripped off a couple times (for the ladies). There were some absolutely gaping holes in
the plot but we’re talking popcorn fare here.
I had some serious problems with the ludicrous military scenarios which were
obviously thought up in Hollywood
and not Ft Bragg. I ended up liking the
flick because there are a lot of funny side comments while things are blowing
up left and right. Any movie with Maggie Gyllenhaal and a mini-gun in the oval office is worth a watch.
MVP: Tatum as the Cale the shirtless savior
