Movie #468 .......................Pirates of the Caribbean 4

Movie #468 "Pirates of the Caribbean - 4" was one of my favorites of this franchise, in my opinion. Yes, I missed Knightly, the one watchable female in this franchise, but Penelope Cruz was a wonderful addition. Mr. Director Marshall once again shows he knows how to handle Jack and it's all him in this one --- the story, for once, is easy to follow (gets a bit long in the middle, but it's okay) , the bad guys are good, the humor is more than the others (because they let Depp do more) and it's a fun ride through the film --- I didn't even mind the big fight scenes --- at least they weren't the focus most of the time. I recommend this 4th one --- it's better than most of the others!




4 stars
Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides
(2011) PG-13
Cunningly clumsy Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) meets his match when mysterious beauty Angelica (Penélope Cruz) forces the pirate to join her in search of the Fountain of Youth in the fourth installment of the humorous and action-packed "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. Sparrow tries to determine whether Angelica is friend or foe while the riotous adventure sets him aboard a vessel belonging to the fearsome pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane).
Genre: Adventures, Super Swashbucklers, Action Comedies
This movie is: Goofy, Exciting, Imaginative
Availability: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #467 ........................."Midnight in Paris"

Movie #467 "Midnight in Paris" I absolutely loved, loved, loved this movie. Yes, I am a great Woody Allen fan and I've seen most everything he has done ---- "Annie Hall" and "Purple Rose of Cairo" are two of my all-time favorite movies --- movies I actually would sit down and watch again and again, and I would show them to people who came over and wanted to watch quality films. In my film class, I would show "Purple Rose" usually for my final movie when I got the chance because it says everything I feel about movies and what they can do to lift the spirit and the mind of the watcher. This does the same about arts/literature. Woody Allen weaves his magic again and takes a writer played by Owen Wilson who is engaged to beautiful (and one of my favorite actresses) Rachel McAdams to Paris for a trip --- he instantly falls in love with the place and wants to live there; she wants to live in Malibu when they tie the knot. But he yearns for the Paris of the past, not really the present. One night at midnight, Wilson is sitting by the side of a Parisian street and a car from the 1920s comes by and picks him up ----- and the rest is too delicious to explain --- you have to experience it instead, but sufficeth it to say that you meet all the greats: Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda, Cole Porter, Dali, Toulouse Latrec, and more as the story unfolds. It's quite a witty script and one of the best Allen has done in years ------ranks right up there with his best, and that's pretty great! Proves he hasn't lost his stuff! And that means there could be more Woody Allen greats in the future years to come? Hope so! Go see this one------it's a for sure quality film!




Average rating: 3.957
I gave this movie 5 stars
Midnight in Paris
(2011) PG-13
In this bittersweet dramatic comedy, legendary director Woody Allen focuses his lens on a young engaged couple whose experiences traveling together in Paris make them begin to question the kind of life they want to live as a couple.
Genre: Romantic Comedies, Indie Comedies
This movie is: Romantic, Witty
Availability: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #466 ........................."Thor"

Movie #466 "Thor" was not near as bad as I thought it would be ---- with a competetent director at the helm (Kenneth Branagh) I was pleasantly surprised ---- it had a nice sense of humor, good acting, and nice juxtapositioning of time on earth and time in AsGard (home of Thor). I still didn't care much about what was happening, but that's me --- don't care for comic book good guys vs. bad guys thing --- however, the bad guy was a tad more complex than I expected him to be, and so was the good guy, so that made watching the film more pleasant as well. Don't really know why it was 3D, though. Didn't need to be because it makes all the characters look separate from the environments. Other than that, it is recommendable. Fun time at the movie theatre, and I wouldn't mind seeing the next one (and oh yes, there will be a next one --- they had a preview of it if you stay through the credits)







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Thor
(2011) PG-13
Kenneth Branagh directs this Marvel Comics-inspired action flick about the thunder god Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful warrior whose father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) -- the king of Asgard -- forces him to live among humans on Earth and learn humility. Once there, he finds a friend (Natalie Portman), along with unexpected enemies sent from his world. Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgård and Rene Russo co-star.
Genre: Comic Books and Superheroes, Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy
This movie is: Exciting, Imaginative
Availability: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #465 ........................."Source Code"

Movie #465 "Source Code" --- still busy watching tons of Naperville film festival entries (and judging), but we did manage to sneak in this first-rate sci fi/action/love story. And Jake G. has never been better! I liked the tight script, and it always kept me guessing. The overall idea that no one was sure how the source code would work helped everyone to keep guessing ---- I guess people would fault the ending a little (for being too pat) but I thought it was satisfactory --- it could have been a tad clearer, but it was good and wouldn't miss all the excitement in this film just because the end could be a tad clearer. I liked it and recommend it --- even to all you nonscifi people --- it isn't heavily in that at all!





4 stars
Source Code
(2011) PG-13
Jake Gyllenhaal portrays a soldier recruited for a time-bending government investigation that places him in another man's mind and body, reliving the same traumatic event repeatedly in an effort to identify the perpetrators of a terrorist bombing. Vera Farmiga plays a communications specialist who provides the vital link to the soldier's primary reality as he searches for critical clues within a recurring nightmare.
Genre: Sci-Fi Thrillers, Suspense
This movie is: Exciting, Mind-bending, Suspenseful
Availability: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #464 ........................."Win Win"

Movie #464 "Win Win" -- I loved the humor in this, the realistic dialogue, the teenager with the crisp one word answers, the grandpa Leo with the kind eyes, the wife Amy Ryan, who is hands down one of the best actresses we have around today, all that Bobby Carnivale and Jeffrey Tambor add to the film as Giamatti's friends, all that goes into a wrestling match (which I never could understand whenever I watched the sport), the intelligent script ---- quirky it is, but I like that, as well. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is that the focus derailed a bit toward the end. And there were some holes in the action that he took originally with the guardianship of the elderly man ---- otherwise, nicely done ---- a Win Win as far as film for me! I highly recommend it!




I gave it 4 stars
Win Win
(2010) R
Paul Giamatti stars as bush-league lawyer Mike Flaherty, who agrees to become an aging client's legal guardian as a way to pay the bills. But his visions of an easy stipend begin to fade when the man's teenage grandson suddenly appears on the scene. Just when the attorney thinks he's found a way to make this new development work for him, the boy's mother shows up and puts Flaherty's dreams of a big score in jeopardy.
Genre: Sports Comedies
This movie is: Quirky
Availability: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #463 ........................."Water for Elephants"

Movie #463 "Water for Elephants" - saw this with the movie club and we all liked it --- in different degrees. After having read the book and really enjoyed it, I found it to be a bit lesser in entertainment in comparison to the book. I really do think there is a key scene or two missing from he movie that would show what kind of place the older Jacob lived in before he ran away to the circus for the second time (toward the end of his life). See, I thought the older man's journey was far more interesting to me than the younger one ---- the younger Jacob's love story was typical (throw in a very talented animal who is nicer than Reese's hubby) . That animal made Jacob's story more pleasurable to me, but it still wasn't the focal point that I enjoyed --- it was the old man, and so the ending is very important to me, and it was so much more powerful in the book than in the movie. Otherwise, well done. Surprisingly, I accept the Vampire guy as young Jacob, and Christopher Walz as the hubby was well done, too. I had trouble with Reese Witherspoon ---- it's hard not to see her as sweet Elle (Legally Blonde) or spunky June Carter (Walk the Line) --- I thought Marlena was more firey, had more depth. But after awhile, she wins us over as she usually does in her films. Hal Holbrook was wonderful in the small mments he had ---- academy award nomination for supporting actor maybe?





4.3 stars
Water for Elephants
(2011) PG-13
In this captivating Depression-era melodrama, impetuous veterinary student Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) joins a celebrated circus as an animal caretaker but faces a wrenching dilemma when he's transfixed by angelic married performer Marlena (Reese Witherspoon). An affinity for elephants brings together the young pair, but the warmth between them sends Marlena's cruel husband, animal trainer August (Christoph Waltz), into a frightening fury.
Genre: Romantic Dramas, Dramas Based on Bestsellers, 20th Century Period Pieces
This movie is: Emotional, Suspenseful, Sentimental, Romantic
Availability: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #462 ........................."Ellen DeGeneres: Here & Now"

Movie #462 "Ellen DeGeneres: Here & Now" was quite enjoyable --- it was only one hour, but it started with procrastination and went smoothly to several topics and ended on procrastination ---- very witty, just like what we would expect from Ellen. I watched this, laughing quite a bit, but I can't remember laughing so hard that milk came out of my nose --- so I didn't give it quite a 5. I highly recommend it, though. She is always fun to to watch!




4.4 stars
Ellen Degeneres: Here and Now
(2003) NR
Consummate comedian Ellen DeGeneres shares her slightly askew view of the world in this HBO stand-up special that showcases her sometimes-ditzy but oh-so-true observations as she performs live at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in 2003. In what ought to be a patented rambling fashion and with perfect delivery, Ellen touches on everything from TV commercials, yoga, hip-hop music lyrics and more.
Genre: Stand-Up
This movie is: Witty
Availability: DVD

Movie #461 ............................"Crossing Over"

Movie #461 "Crossing Over" was a "Crash" and "Babel" wannabe, but didn't quite get to the poignancy that they both did, but it was very good. It DOES handle several stories woven together on the topic of immigration. Each of the people played their parts very well, while dealing with a woman who gets taken in becaus she doesn't have a green card, but her child was left at a neighbor's and she won't see him again; a teenager gets up in front of her history class and says that she can understand that the pilots who ran their planes into the world trade cneter were just looking for their voices (as a result, our government deports her immediately); an actress from Australia doesn't have a green card and she offers to sleep with a guy who can get her a permit to stay in the U.S. because she just got a great t.v. role; a little girl's only friend is her defense lawyer; an immigration officer (Harrison Ford) no longer can do his job without becoming emotionally pulled in to the families he finds he is tortuing by catching the illegals; another teenager a few days before his naturalization ceremony is dragged into a gang's violence against a storeowner; the sister of one of the immigration cops (Ford's partner0 is killed and the police dept. tries to find who the murderer is. A very engrossing film and I found it very intriguing an discussion worthy on a topic we should be talking about and thinking about how to handle it.




4 stars
Crossing Over
(2009) R
Boasting an all-star cast that includes Harrison Ford, director Wayne Kramer's thoughtful drama weaves several stories together to create an emotionally charged examination of immigration in Los Angeles. Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta co-star in the powerful ensemble film, which provides a harrowing look at border crossing, document fraud, asylum seekers, naturalization, counterterrorism and the clash of cultures in America.
Genre: Political Dramas, Social Issue Dramas, Latino Dramas
This movie is: Emotional
Availability: DVD and Blu-ray