Actors: Clint Eastwood. Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake,
John Goodman, Matthew Lillard
Rating:
7 out of 10, Any movie with this kind of cast is going to be watchable and
this certainly is. Eastwood plays a
grizzled old-school baseball scout who’s eyesight is fading along with his
career; threatened by tech savvy new comers.
While there are some grumpy old men shots at new technology throughout,
but this is more about the relationship between Eastwood and his daughter, played
by Adams.
She is such a chameleon and can authentically play any part she’s
given. Once again Timberlake is totally
believable and impressive as an actor; here as the love interest for Adams. You even have Eastwood’s real life son playing a
small part. My only problem was the
complete predictability of the final fifteen minutes when all the loose ends
are neatly tied together. I was sitting
next to my wife and correctly called out the next scene six times in a
row. While that kind of obviousness
could doom a movie, it doesn’t here because we’re seeing actors at the top of
their game.
MVP: Timberlake as the likable Red Sox (raah)
scout Johnny
Actors:
Peter O’Toole, Barbara Hershey, Steve Railsback, Alex Rocco
Rating:
8 out of 10, I was looking for this movie for years and it appeared kind
of all of a sudden on Amazon. I
remembered it as kind of a weird flick but it did have my teenage crush Barbara
Hershey. This is a truly interesting movie
as the border between fantasy and reality constantly shifts and you’re never
absolutely sure which is which. Peter O’Toole
is tone perfect as the maniacally controlling director pulling the strings of
all the players. Railsback brings his
normal barely controlled ferocity as a fugitive sucked into the midst of O’Toole’s
action movie as a fill in stuntman. He’s
never sure if O’Toole is trying to save or kill him. This movie is definitely a product of the
seventies with a heavy dose of paranoia and the director does a fantastic job
of keeping you guessing until the final minute.
A very interesting movie with O’Toole just mesmerizingly devious and so
much fun to watch.
MVP: O’Toole as the devilish director Eli Cross
Actors: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard
Armitage, Ken Stott, Andy Serkis
Rating:
9 out of 10, I was psyched to see this because the Lord of the Rings is
my favorite movie of all time and I figured The Hobbit would be cut from the
same cloth. I really liked the movie but it did not have the same magic as LOTR.
I think it may come back to the fact that The Hobbit was a children’s tale and
when you compare that with an epic fight for the world’s survival against an
ultimate evil – it’s just hard to compete. At times, the dwarves, stark fighters in the LOTR,
were a little too clownish. Freeman does a great job as Bilbo Baggins.
Richard Armitage, playing the dwarf king, was impressive although very hard to
like until the end. I left the movie
having enjoyed the two plus hours, once again dazzled by Jackson’s story
telling ability, and the special effects but a little let down. I guess that’s
how movies become your personal favorites – they’re hard to compete with. I was
hoping to re-capture the thrill I felt when I first saw LOTR and that just
didn’t happen. That kind of thrill has to sneak up on you and I was too
anticipatory, still a really good movie
MVP: Freeman as Bilbo, shows some real depth
Actors:
Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adul Hussain, Tabu, Rafe Spall
Rating:
9 out of 10, I wasn’t sure about this film going in but boy was I
wrong. This was a truly fantastic voyage
as we share the desperate survival of an Indian boy shipwrecked in a lifeboat
with a full sized Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. I liked the definitely foreign flavor of the
story telling which was still effective and the sly humor injected throughout
made the pain the boy was going through tolerable. There are too many sit up and be shocked
moments to chronicle. This was a really
great movie experience with stunning special effects. This is the perfect type of film for Ang Lee
where his artistic bent can be fully expressed.
There are some scenes that just inspire awe for their clarity and
spectacular vision. This film has so
many levels, especially the ending five minutes where we all have to make the
same decision as the writer and the Japanese insurance investigators.
MVP: Sharma
was truly remarkable as the lead character Pi
Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson,
Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Luca, Conner Cruise, Will Yun Lee, Jeffery Dean Morgan
Rating:
7 out of 10, The original Red Dawn is still one of my favorite movies of
all time so I was excited when I heard this was coming out. My daughter
provided me with a litany of reasons not to see it because apparently its
release has been delayed for years. While I love my daughter dearly, action
flicks are not exactly in her wheel house, and come on – Red Dawn!. There was
no way I was not going to see this movie. It turned out alright, at least for ¾ of the
movie. The only bad things about the movie were the ending, the music, and Josh
Peck. I don’t remember seeing him in anything else but apparently he went to
the same acting school as Ryan Gosling which must emphasize blank stares into
the camera. If he is related in anyway to Gregory Peck then Atticus must be
turning over in his grave. The music was one of the great things about the
original- peaking with the Wolverine anthem which made the screaming of the
name, “Wolverine” so memorable after a victory. Poor Josh Hutcherson was
entrusted with this iconic moment and the lack of music killed it. That’s the
bad stuff; the rest of the movie is a pretty good update on the old classic. Chris Hemsworth is a bona fide star and
dominates the movie as Jed Eckert. The females were also ably played led by
Adrian Palicki. The best part of the entire movie is when Jeffrey Dean Morgan
appears on screen. He was perfectly cast as the real soldier coming to aid the
kids in their battle. The action scenes were well staged if a little hard to
follow at times. All the original character names are preserved but they are
taken in a new direction for the most part which was kind of cool. Definitely
not a great movie but acceptable and reaffirming my caution in my daughter’s
action movie credentials. (I’m going to pay for that!)
MVP: Hemsworth as Jed Eckert, real physical
presence as well as acting ability
Actors:
Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell, Lee Pace, Kim Uylenbroek, Ronald France,
Andrew Roussouw, Michael Huff, Grant Swanby, Emil Hostina, Robin Smith, Jeetu
Verma, Leo Bill, Marcus Wesley
Rating:
6 out of 10, I wouldn’t watch a movie like this without the encouragement
of my daughter. It was by the same director
as The Cell and like that horrible Jennifer Lopez vehicle this one had truly
stunning visuals. The cinematography and
offbeat sets were unimaginably beautiful.
However, like the earlier film this movie has a scatterbrained plot and
a semi-unlikable cast. The story
revolved around a 1920s hospital where a Hollywood stuntman is spiraling down
into depression while getting to know a precocious six year old fellow patient. He tells her a story (the stunning visuals)
that mirrors his and her lives. The
biggest problem was that this young actress was just not up to the part and was
almost unintelligible for most of the movie.
You realize how good some of the other child actors are when you see one
struggling this bad. Lee Pace is a very
likable actor placed in a very unlikable part as the self-absorbed suicidal
story teller. You keep waiting for the movie
to take off but it never does – but boy is it beautiful.
MVP: Hostina
as the Blue Bandit – very memorable
Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal,
Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox
Rating: 8 out of 10, A
very, very smart movie. I never saw this
movie until this past weekend which surprised me given the cast and Fincher as
the director. This is the story of the infamous
San Francisco serial killer of the late 1960s and early 1970s. I knew they never caught the guy but this
look at the manhunt was fascinating. The
entire cast delivers and there is a realistic edge that allows the viewer to
see these people warts and all. The story
is obviously based on the book written by Jake G’s character and he predictably
comes off the best. The real star of
this movie though is Ruffalo who is pitch perfect as the harried and dedicated
police inspector who gets it right but can’t get anyone to believe him.
MVP: Ruffalo as Inspector
David Toschi the San Francisco detective
who’s frustration seemed to leap off the screen
Actors:
Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda , Tarô Yamamoto , Takeshi Kitano, Chiaki
Kuriyama
Rating:
5 out of 10, – I never would have thought to watch something like this
but I completely enjoyed the camp fun and unintentional comedy of what was a
pretty good flick. It involved a class
of high schoolers who are sent to an isolated island and forced to kill each
other until only one remains. There was
a high Hunger Games relativity at play. This
seems like the fantasy of a Japanese older generation, symbolized by the
bloodthirsty teacher, confronted with a disrespectful younger generation. While the plot sometimes careens and starts
creeping up on a caricature type flick it always returns to its roots which are
the two students you are rooting for. This
was enjoyable because the quality is high and even if the premise is a little
out there – it was incredibly well done.
MVP: Fujiwara
as Shuya Nanahara has real screen presence, even at a young age
