Movie #693 ........................."Silver Linings Playbook"

Movie #693 "Silver Linings Playbook" --- I see this to be nominated for esp the script in the Oscar race because it is quite different and 'out there" --- it walks that line of showing mental illness in a funny light at times while then showing scenes that are painfully sad.........For a long time, I felt the film was going along, introducing its quirky characters but not going anywhere, much like the characters in the film itself --- however, when they have a goal, the characters and the film take off. The high point and end worked well for me, and things came together nicely , but it's a rocky road along the way ---- but isn't that life anyway, and esp. when you are depressed, or bi polar, etc. I applaud any film that suggests there are other ways (besides drugs) to deal with mental illness, and this would be one of them (Lars and the real girl is another one) A very different, frenetic tone to this film and not for everybody, but I welcomed its differences. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.... Silver Linings Playbook2012R After a four-year stay in a psychiatric institution, former teacher Pat Peoples has no choice but to move back in with his mother. While he's trying in vain to reunite with his wife, Pat meets another woman fated to change his life. Cast:Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham Genre:Romantic Comedies, Comedy

Movie #692 ........................."She's Out of My League"

Movie #692 "She's Out of My League" --- title pretty much says it all: outstandingly good looking girl hangs out with a gawky skinny insecure airport security guy, but the two characters have a lot to them, and that's what is interesting in the film --- this so proves that there's so much beyond looks in a relationship --- and the meeting with her folks was so awkward and so funny that I think I'll never forget it --- the guy Jay Baruchel is very talented and I'm anxious to see more from him. this is likable and just okay of a film for a romantic comedy. 3 stars out of 5 stars She's Out of My League2010R104 minutes When he starts dating drop-dead gorgeous Molly, insecure airport security agent Kirk can't believe it. As his friends and family share their doubts about the relationship lasting, Kirk does everything he can to avoid losing Molly forever. Cast:Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Geoff Stults, Lindsay Sloane, Andrew Daly, Jasika Nicole Genre:Romantic Comedies, Late Night Comedies, Comedy

Movie #691 ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Room for One More"

Movie #691 "Room for One More" stars real life married couple Cary Grant and Betsy Drake -- kind of an unbelievable married couple that adopts older kids to give them homes --- wish there were more like them, but it shows the definite struggles to help the kids fit in --- they are successful with all of them, but then this is an old film. Room for One More (1952) I rate this 3.8 out of 5 stars Anne and "Poppy" Rose are the average American family, with three quirky kids. Anne has a good heart and gives lost cats and dogs a home - and one day also the orphan Jane, a problem child who already tried to kill herself once. At first Poppy is worried and wants to get rid of her, but with love and patience they finally manage to integrate her into the family. Just then Anne invites another orphan, the aggressive handicapped Jimmy-John, to their summer vacation.

Movie #690 ........................."Road to Christmas"

Movie #690 "Road to Christmas" is a made for t.v. movie that I thought might be a step above the others, since married-in-real-life couple Jennifer Grey and Clark Gregg are Claire and Tom in the film coming together in one of those journey flicks --- it's predictable and unbelievable in parts, and the script is cringeworthy in a few spots. Don't need to see this one at all! The Road to Christmas (2006) - I gave it 2 out of 5 stars High-powered fashion photographer Claire Jameson finds herself stranded in middle America on the way to her dream Christmas-time wedding in Aspen. Unable to get another flight or rent a car, Claire is reduced to begging for a ride. When the rugged former artist turned teacher, Tom Pullman and his 13-year old daughter Hilly kindly offer to take her, none of them realize that their journey is just beginning, and it will leave all of them in a very different place than where they began

Movie #689 .........................Broadway Melody of 1936

Movie #689 "Broadway Melody of 1936" -- I woke up to this film this a.m., and it was just plain silly. I have always loved Eleanor Powell and feel she is the best female tap dancer of all time, and that the Broadway melody of 1938 with Fred Astaire and her has the best co-ed tap dance in film --- "Begin the Beguine" with Powell and Astaire (toward the end of the picture, if you want to check it out - it is unbelievably amazing!) Anyway, when I saw it was her day on TCM, I thought I'd check this one out --- esp. when I saw Jack Benny playing a journalist who kept getting punched because of the articles he was writing about Broadway! Hah! Made me laugh to think Frank Rich or Ben Brantley would get a punch in the face over their reviews nowadays! This one had a silly premise, but some good tap dancing and silliness provided by Benny. Not the best one, but lots of fun. Broadway Melody of 1936 ---- I rated it 3 stars A plucky young singer and dancer (Eleanor Powell) tries her best to convince her onetime childhood sweetheart (Robert Taylor), who's grown up to become a successful promoter, that she has enough talent for the Broadway stage. But he's so busy making eyes at the wealthy widow he's dating (June Knight) that he barely has time for his former flame. Buddy Ebsen and Jack Benny co-star in this classic Hollywood musical. Cast:Jack Benny, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, Una Merkel, Frances Langford, Sid Silvers, Buddy Ebsen, June Knight, Vilma Ebsen Genre:Classic Movie Musicals, Romance Classics, Musicals, Classics

Movie #688 ........................."Big Fish"

Movie #688 "Big Fish" --I just decided to revisit this movie recently since we got tickets to the pre-broadway musical in Chicago in May based on this film, and I'm glad I did. The last time I saw it, I remember there was a room full of people and they proceeded to all fall asleep --- when that happens, I feel like I picked a bad movie, and that reaction has a definite bearing on my enjoyment while I'm watching it, so I remember getting to the end, but the film seemed disjointed to me and not enjoyable. However, many people I know and care about have felt differently about this film, so I wanted to try again to watch it. Glad I did because this time I really enjoyed it --- The strong theme of; a life is rich when embellished with stories really comes through and now I can't wait to see this on stage. The film still comes across disjointed in a few spots, but the optimism, congeniality of it remains. What a wonderful film about family and its importance to who we are. I recommend it -- it is a fantasy, but it is so congenial that most everyone would find something likable about it. Big Fish 2003 PG-13,125 minutes In this disarming fantasy told largely through flashbacks, young reporter William Bloom attempts to learn more about his dying father by finding the truth behind a lifetime of his fanciful tall tales and legends of epic proportions. Cast:Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Alison Lohman, Robert Guillaume, Marion Cotillard, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito, David Denman Genre:Fantasy, Tearjerkers, Dramas Based on Contemporary Literature, Drama

Movie #687 ........................."Lincoln"

Movie #687 "Lincoln" --- let me say the first thing that came out of my mouth after viewing this film --- Wow! I feel like I had a wonderful opportunity to spend a few weeks with a true hero in American History --- someone who speaks so wisely but who also is so folksy with his story telling ---- I felt like the film showed how much he was like everyman, but then how much he was like no man that America would probably ever know --- majestic is the word, the way the sun comes through the window and shines on him as he makes one important decision after another --- how he faces divisiveness much like the problems that exist in our Congress right now --- that makes this film so topical. And the two hours and 29 minutes? Go by very quickly for me, but maybe not for everyone. This is a film of words --- this isn't one car chase after another --- this film tests the listener to pay attention to the words and the importance of them --- the high point is words --- the exposition sets the tone when one young soldier recites a lot of the opening of the Gettysburg address, only to be finished by a black man --- such reverence for the words. How I loved that. How I loved to see this man tell one story after another all the while trying to deal with the grief of his dead boy, having to move on because his wife, his little son, his party, & his country depend on him! And when the end hit me, I felt it internally, even with the knowledge of what was going to happen and even with the huge scope of this film --- Spielberg did it right, and a special tip of the hat goes to yet another acting feat for Daniel Day Lewis who WILL win this year for best actor. Can't imagine anything much better than this portrayal, which will linger for years and years and years. I gave it 5 stars out of 5 Lincoln2012PG-13 Director Steven Spielberg takes on the towering legacy of Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his stewardship of the Union during the Civil War years. The biographical saga also reveals the conflicts within Lincoln's cabinet regarding the war and abolition. Cast:Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley, John Hawkes, Jared Harris, Joseph Cross, Tim Blake Nelson, David Oyelowo, Bruce McGill Genre:Drama

Movie #686 ........................."The Sessions"

Movie #686 "The Sessions" has one of the clunkiest scripts I've ever seen in a modern day movie --- yikes, it's cringe worthy at times. I was prepared to give it a 2 all the way through, and then Helen Hunt had the first good moment, right towards the end and the film very nicely finished out. You can tell, I think, where the writer deviated from the true story to the film ---- where he tried to add conflict, because the conflict added between husband and Helen Hunt and between Helen Hunt and Mark O'Brien (the inspiring guy in the iron lung) seemed sit- commish and not believable. The story itself I had surprisingly seen before, in a short action film that was nominated for an academy award a couple of years ago --- the new thing here was the addition of a sex surrogate and what she does --- and it is delineated in painstakingly slow, minute detail ---- I was more interested in the characterization of his and his attendees and the surrogate and her family, and I thought the film would never go there --- as it was, there were far less minutes spent on those moments than the sex ones. The film is 85 minutes, but I looked at my watch 2 times through it --- the sex surrogate announces that she can only see him in 6 sessions and I found myself counting down the sessions. I can't recommend the film, really. I've heard it touted for academy award nominations --- I will be surprised if it is. Helen Hunt has a good moment, and John Hawkes is competent, but he's forced to say so many dumb or filler lines that it's tough to get close to him --- I wouldn't bother on this one, but I must say Helen Hunt looks very well preserved, esp. with a special filter and from head on. I gave it 3 stars out of 5 The Sessions2012R After spending years in an iron lung, a man decides he wants to explore his sexuality for the first time, and hires a surrogate to aid the goal. Through their intensifying relationship, this indie drama illustrates the many forms love can take. Cast:John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, Moon Bloodgood, Annika Marks, William H. Macy, W. Earl Brown, Blake Lindsley, Adam Arkin, Robin Weigert, Jarrod Bailey Genre:Romantic Comedies, Social Issue Dramas, Romantic Dramas, Drama

Movie #685 ........................."sky fall"

Movie #685 "Skyfall" -- I doubt if there will be a better action-thriller this year, this movie is that good! Many times I found myself covering my eyes, bending down so I wouldn't be hit, grabbing on to Dave's leg, anything to get through the intense scenes this film throws you in ----- and esp. one long sequence at the high point that gets one action scene thrown on top of another, etc. The opening scene in Bond films are legendary by now and this one is a killer --- and adds an extra dimension with someone chasing Bond chasing the bad guy --- all very thrilling, and also a wonderful set up that literally morphs into the beautiful title sequence with Adele's dulcit tones in the background. Wow! You'll probably disagree, but I don't see that Daniel Craig adds that much to the franchise (personally I preferred Connery and Brosnan), but he certainly plays a more human hero, if that is what you want. He makes funny faces when he's in trouble, and he isn't that good looking --- he's interesting, I'll give him that, but the story and bad guy and cinematography/editing and stunts are so good, that's really what propels the movie. Oh, and might I mention Dame Judi Dench? It's really HER movie and I loved that about it. But, boy does it detour from the traditional Bond, mostly in the lack of exotic sets (a main seqence is in the London tube!), the beautiful but expendable women (they are very useful in this one --- and strong --- I particularly liked that) and the wasted action scenes --- most of these are long, but strive for variety and always propel the plot. There's even more character study (introduction of new Q, deeper study of M, an old former friend of Bond, and the bad guy). One complaint --- dialogue tends to lag a lot -- do all of the women and men he talks to have to talk slowly and so cutely? Otherwise, well done. Bravo. Can't wait for the next 50 years!!! I gsve it 4.7 out of 5 Skyfall2012PG-13 When a serious menace threatens MI6, James Bond is on the case -- putting aside his own life and personal issues to hunt and obliterate the perpetrators. Meanwhile, secrets arise from M's past that strain Bond's loyalty to his longtime boss. Cast:Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Judi Dench, Ben Whishaw, Helen McCrory, Ola Rapace, Tonia Sotiropoulou, Rory Kinnear Genre:Action & Adventure

Movie #684 ........................."flight"

Movie #684 "Flight" --- right off the bat this is not a movie for everyone --- it is a movie about an alcoholic, "warts and all" -- so in that way, I would compare it to the thousands of other films that have tried to show you just how miserable an alcoholic's life is (not to mention the ill effect on loved ones) This movie, in my opinion, rates right up there with the best --- not in the scariness of what can happen to your mind by drinking so much like in the equally good "Lost Weekend" or how you can bring people down with you like "days of wine and roses." It is the reality of how negatively pervasive alcohol can be in the life of a once likable person, a person with dignity and skill. I guess I would liken it to Meg Ryan's tackle with the subject in "When a Man Loves a Woman" --- both are able to show how such a likable person can change soooo much when he/she wallows in the problem. So getting back to why this film isn't for everyone, it is slow because it follows very closely an alcoholic's plunge into deeper waters, it is uncomfortable, it is not a fun time (very little humor), and this film has a 20 minute plane scene that anyone (like me) who doesn't like flying anyway might not want to see --- aside from this scene, this movie didn't need to be directed by the great Zameckis because it's all Denzel after that --- and I can see a nomination for him round about mid January next year. Very intense performance, and alcoholics are popular winners of oscars (sometimes, wrongly, as in the very ugly "Leaving las Vegas") but this year can that character beat an Abe Lincoln? we'll see! I give it 4 out of 5 stars Flight2012R After his amazing safe landing of a damaged passenger plane, an airline pilot is praised for the feat, but has private questions about what happened. Further, the government's inquiry into the causes soon puts the new hero's reputation at risk. Cast:Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, Brian Geraghty, Bruce Greenwood, Kelly Reilly, Tamara Tunie, Garcelle Beauvais, James Badge Dale, Rhoda Griffis, Kwesi Boakye, Michael Beasley, Adam Tomei Genre:Drama

movie #683 .........................silent films/lumiere bros 7 keaton

movie #683 Lumiere brothers shorts: billboard poster and the card game ---- we saw these shorts at a silent film festival at san felippo's in barring ton, il. It was cool to see the actual Lumiere bros doing some of the tricks, and it was esp great seeing them with actual gorgeous organ music playing in the background --- we also got to see some buster keaton films ,one i really liked was "cops" -- everything i had read about this master of silent film came flooding back to me --- his common man persona -- his emphasis on physicality, the charm he uses to get you on his side --- it was fun to finally see it all. a very enjoyable evening. buster keaton 's cops i gave them 3 out of 5 stars Lumiere Brothers' First Films1896NR One of France's leading directors, Bertrand Tavernier, presents 85 of the Lumière brothers' 50-second silent "actualities," made between 1895 and 1897, and remastered from the original 35mm source material. Presented for the first time in an authorized video presentation and scored with piano by Stuart Oderman, these films provide a rare journey through the birth of the motion picture as a bona fide art form. Genre:Miscellaneous Documentaries, Documentary

movie #682 ........................""State of the Union"

movie #682 "State of the Union" is a capra film i actually don't like ---it is way too preachy --- and yes hepburn and tracy deliver the speechesm but they weren't enough to make the film lots of fun to watch --- lansbury is the only one worthy of a second look here --- everyone else is a yawn---- watch the muchbetter nr. smith goes to washington ---- that is so much better and basically the same theme. i gave it 2.7 out of 5 stars, State of the Union1948NR123 minutes At the urging of power-hungry newspaper executive Kay Thorndyke (Angela Lansbury), industrialist Grant Matthews (Spencer Tracy) is persuaded to campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. To boost his public persona, Matthews reunites with his estranged wife (Katharine Hepburn). She quickly uncovers the corruption that's infected her once moral husband. Frank Capra directs this compelling adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Cast:Katharine Hepburn, Howard Smith, Lewis Stone, Charles Lane, Spencer Tracy, Adolphe Menjou, Angela Lansbury, Van Johnson, Charles Dingle, Maidel Turner, Raymond Walburn, Margaret Hamilton, Art Baker, Pierre Watkin, Florence Auer Genre:Classic Dramas, Romance Classics, Classics

Movie #681 ........................."Kick Ass"

Movie #681 "Kick Ass" is a movie i had long heard about and meant to see some day--- cheesy but cute i had heard, and yesterday it just happened to be on tv and with the broken arm, i had sone time to spend watching -- this was lots of fun --- i enjoyed the comic book storyline, the tongue in cheek humor, the main characters (even nicolas cage is watchable here) --- the costumes are even funny. i truly appreciated making fun of the comics here, and it seemed a smart film for that reason and the witty, realistic dialogue of the kids. i lightly recommend it for a fluff comedy watch. i gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars Kick-Ass2010R117 minutes Inspired by comic books, high school student Dave Lizewski transforms himself into a masked crime fighter and becomes an Internet sensation. Soon, Dave's antics inspire a wave of would-be heroes to don costumes and live out their superhero dreams. Cast:Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, Clark Duke, Lyndsy Fonseca, Evan Peters, Garrett M. Brown, Deborah Twiss, Sophie Wu, Elizabeth McGovern, Omari Hardwick, Xander Berkeley, Michael Rispoli

movie #680 ........................."Argo"

movie #680 "Argo" is a well crafted film, in editing and use of sound to build suspense, in casting esp the members of the american embassy that were in hiding in the canadian colsulate, in taking you back to this great story --- how our government sat on this wonderful story for so long is a wonder; thoroughly enjoyable to watch a story whose ending we know come to that end in front of us , but this time filling in the details, It makes the story so much more enriching -- i just wish we knew the cast members more, went into depth more with each of the characters including the very bland ben affleck ---- otherwise, really well done -- obe amazing story. Argo2012R --- 4 out of 5 stars In 1979, when Iranian militants seize the American embassy, six Americans slip into the Canadian embassy for protection, prompting the CIA to concoct an elaborate plot to rescue them by pretending that they are filmmakers rather than diplomats. Cast:Ben Affleck, Taylor Schilling, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Clea DuVall, Victor Garber, Alan Arkin, Titus Welliver, Adrienne Barbeau, Tate Donovan, Rory Cochrane, Chris Messina, Richard Kind, Kerry Bishé, Scoot McNairy Genre:Political Thrillers, Political Dramas, Dramas Based on Real Life, Thrillers