The Ides of March

Ryan with his Heartfelt Stare

Actors:  George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomeii, Jeffrey Wright
Rating:  6 out of 10, it's nice to see that Gosling actually can speak (an inside joke with my daughter) and he is very credible in the lead role as an up and coming political operative in the middle of a presidential campaign.  This was another Netflix rental that I won't buy because it just misses.  The plot is actually pretty good and all the actors are top notch.  The story starts out well as we see the young idealistic Gosling being played by the more experienced, and world weary operatives - Giamatti and Hoffman.  As we get the end we see his character go totally overboard and completely sacrifice his values.  I know this is what Clooney, as director, was aiming for but he doesn't have to beat us across the head and shoulders with it.  We get it, politics is a dirty business.  It's almost like Clooney doesn't respect us as an audience to "get it".  Trust us George, most of us are a hell of a lot smarter than you, stick to acting, you're really good at that.  I loved the ending where we once again have the "long stare" method acting of Gosling as the movie fades out - unintentional comedy at its best.
MVP:  Giamatti is perfect at getting us to respect him even if he plays as a creep, which he does here as Tom Duffy, Gosling's nemesis

Contagion

Actors:  Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Elliott Gould, Marion Cotilliard, Lawrence Fishburne, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Sanaa Latham, Jennifer Ehle
Rating:  6 out of 10, a truly amazing cast which proves there can be too much of a good thing.  I was really looking forward to seeing this when I first saw the previews, a Soderberg movie with a powerhouse cast but for some reason missed it.  I finally saw it this weekend as a Netflix rental and was severely under-impressed.  This movie is just all over the place.  I know what he was aiming for but his editor let him down here.  Just as the audience is forming attachment to a story line and the characters we’re whisked off to some other part of the story.  The story itself doesn’t make a lot of sense as on the one hand it shows society completely breaking down and at the same time continuing to function.  I guess the worst part of the movie was the pessimistic tone, believing so little in the human spirit when confronted with such a devastating disease.  I know we’d do better.  I do know I’m going to wash my hands more after seeing this movie, my wife will be happier about that.  I am definitely not adding this to my library.
MVP:  Ehle, a very interesting actress, shines in a small part as Dr Ally Hextall, the film’s savior

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Actors:  Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Stellan Skarsgaard, Robin Wright, Christopher Plummer
Rating:  9 out of 10, I absolutely loved this movie and I went into it with a chip on my shoulder.  I should have known Fincher would be up to the challenge.  My daughter encouraged me to read the three books featuring Lisbeth Salander and I completely loved them.  She then encouraged me to watch the three Swedish films made of the books and I loved those as well.  I’m not usually a fan of sub-titled films but I found myself totally engrossed in seeing these great books faithfully brought to the screen.  When I heard there would be an American version made, I immediately asked, why, because it had been done so well – so, serious chip on my shoulder.  This movie totally overcame my doubts and Rooney Mara was an absolute force, capturing the intricate character of Salander perfectly.  The carefully contained rage and hidden genius of her character is a daunting task for any actress but, again, she nails it.  The film makers also do a superb job of capturing the Swedish weather which was like an additional character in the books.  Craig was very good as Blomquist and showed some uncharacteristic vulnerability that you don’t expect from Bond.  That was one of the real charms of this movie as you had tiny little Mara out-“macho”ing James Bonds and repeatedly saving his butt.  My favorite scene was when she saves him from the unmasked killer and then, before heading off in pursuit of the killer, innocently asks Blomquist, “Can I kill him?”  I think Mara’s Salander will go down as one of the great female characters in movie history, as she already is in literary history.  The bittersweet ending is perfect as we see Salander finally letting someone in close only to be disappointed.  I can hardly wait for the sequels and they better get Fincher back to do them.
MVP:  Mara as the ferocious but lovable Salander

One Day

Actors:  Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson
Rating:  6 out of 10, a Netflix rental that I signed up for because I’ve always thought Hathaway closely resembles my daughter so I watch everything she does.  I liked the concept of movies capturing a day in the life of two people and checking in every year or so.  This was done so well in the movie Same Time, Next Year with Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn.  Here it’s only a fair effort mainly because it’s hard to care about the male lead.  Sturgess is just not that likable and has almost no screen presence.  Hathaway totally dominates him in every scene they’re in together, which is really the whole movie.  Everybody else in the movie seems to believe in Sturgess’ character but they offer no proof as to why – leads to a huge hole in the plot.  Both Hathaway and Clarkson offer very believable English accents.  There was one very nice scene near the end when the characters from two different time periods pass each other on the same hill.  Not even a near miss here, I won’t buy this one because it doesn’t bear a second viewing.
MVP:  Hathaway as Emma, the nerdy college student who blossoms into a n acclaimed writer

The Descendants

Actors:  George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Robert Forster, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer
Rating:  8 out of 10, I was mildly surprised by this, especially watching it last night for the second time.  I initially thought this was a Clooney vanity piece but it is so much more.  I was expecting another attempt at deadpan acting by Clooney that made The American so bad but he really surprised me.  I noted this especially last night when you realize how much depth he achieves as the lead character Matt King.  He's dealing with a comatose, dying wife who he learns was unfaithful in her last months.  He's also in the middle of a huge land deal which will determine the future of a large piece of pristine Hawaii well as some idiotic cousins.  Clooney's voice over narration is also very good and lends some needed support in explaining the back story, especially concerning the land.  The best part about this movie is the way it appreciates Hawaii and it's sense of loss.  I lived in Hawaii for two years and there is a real sense of paradise lost as more and more of the land is developed and the spirit of aloha is diluted.  Hawaii is a magical place to live but that very magic has attracted so many people that it will serve to eventually destroy that very same magic.  There were so many little things about life in Hawaii that this movie got right that I enjoyed it simply for that as well as some spot on acting.  The two young actors, Woodley and Krause, were good, especially Krause who captured the laid back Hawaiian with multiple layers.  I think we'll be hearing a lot more from both of them. I also liked that the director didn't go for cheap sentimentality but offered some multifaceted characters.  Forster seems like a complete A-hole as the father in law but late in the movie you see him leaning over his daughter's death bed and you can feel the pain he's going through.  This movie isn't in my normal wheelhouse of action and adventure but I truly enjoyed the return visit to Hawaii and seeing some great acting.
MVP:  Clooney really can act and it takes a couple of viewing to fully appreciate his great work as Matt King

Immortals

Actors:  Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt, Freida Pinto, Stephen Dorff

Rating:  8 out of 10, a really good action movie that doesn’t let up after a little bit of a slow start.  The story is engrossing and the action is extremely well done.  Mickey Rourke once a again plays a multi-layered villain with relish.  Pinto is once again beautiful but can also act as the oracle who chooses love over her mystical powers.  Cavill looks great in the lead role as Theseus but he doesn’t keep up with the acting chops going on all around him.  Dorff is a very interesting actor and is memorable here in a very small role.  I like the way the movie does the Theseus legend from a slightly different viewpoint and although there are some huge holes left in the plot I really enjoyed this epic ride.  The director does a great job of some very interesting camera angles - well worth a watch.
MVP:  Pinto is luminous as the failed oracle

The Artist

Actors:  Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, Penelope Anne Miller, James Cromwell
Rating;  7 out of 10, I think this movie fell victim to inflated expectations.  I went in expecting something really special and it’s not.  It’s a very nice little story, well acted but really nothing that special.  Not special enough to glean all the acclaim that has been showered upon it recently. I think history will eventually show that this was a cute little, niche movie that won awards because of it’s connection with the Weinsteins and their PR machine.  Dujardin and Bejo are both very good but again this is really a silent movie that doesn’t have to be.  I know that’s the gimmick used to shower us with nostalgia for a by gone era but it was more frustrating than nostalgic.  I can’t hate any movie with a hero dog.  It was strange to see the opening credits with current actors but presented in a typical 1930’s black and white presentation.  The hero ends up being more contemptible than heroic but is saved by Dujardin’s electric charisma.  In the end – a big disappointment.
MVP:  Dujardin as the silent, well meaning George Valentin (aka Valentino)

Hugo

Actors:  Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Ray Winstone

Rating:  9 out of 10, I wrote in my other blog about how this movie snuck up on me when I first saw it.  I was totally surprised by the fact that this was a Martin Scorsese movie.  Seeing it again I was once again captured by the magic – especially the two young actors Butterfield and Moretz.  This is really their movie and it was impressive to see the range of emotions bother were capable of.  I think the most impressive thing about this movie is Cohen, under control for the first time in cinema.  I think that may be Scorsese’s greatest triumph – getting an actually nuanced performance out of this legendary goon.  He really can act when he wants to get away from just being controversial for the sake of being controversial.  He plays the predatory rail station policeman in befuddled pursuit of Hugo who’s hiding out in the station while rebuilding a mechanical man who holds the key to an unknown message.  More than anything else this is a tribute to the love of cinema – so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – it’s right in my wheelhouse.  There’s a lot of whimsy in the film but the underlying message of finding worth in everybody is redeeming.  I really enjoyed this movie and I dare anybody who watches this to be immune to its charm.

MVP:  Butterfield in the title role of Hugo, the abandoned orphan who triumphs

Phase 2 Complete!

Well, I'm now finished with all the movies that I currently own.  I never thought I would get here and I know my wife will appreciate, when she gets back, that I won't feel the need to watch a movie every night. When I have a goal like this I get kind of driven.  Going forward I will continue to review movies that I buy but I might also start reviewing movies that i see in the theaters, especially if there is no chance I will ever buy it when it comes out on DVD.  I've really enjoyed doing this, even if no one reads the blog - its been good for me.  Phase 3 coming soon.