Movie #748 ........................."Rust & Bone"

Movie #748 "Rust & Bone" --- I adored Marion Cotillard, and this is a new character here --- I love it even when she's just watching the love interest in this film, non actor Matthias Schoenaerts who plays Ali, a father trying to raise his boy and find his way in the world. This film is truly gritty and tense and tough to watch in many places. Surprising not in the big whale scene that you probably have heard about, in relationship to this movie. There are some pretty bloody fighting scenes here and the high point is a tough scene to watch, too, but to me it's all worthwhile because the film is well photographed and acted, and the story is quite engrossing. I recommend this, but not to the faint at heart! Rust and Bone 2012 R 122 minutes I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. An extraordinary story of survival and salvation from the acclaimed, award-winning director of A Prophet. Starring Academy Award Winner Marion Cotillard as Stéphanie, who navigates a gritty relationship with Ali, a street fighter, in a world where love and courage appear in many forms. Cast:Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Armand Verdure, Céline Sallette, Corinne Masiero, Bouli Lanners, Jean-Michel Correia, Mourad Frarema Genre:Foreign, Romantic Dramas, Foreign Romance, Drama

Movie #747 ........................."The Paperboy"

Movie #747 "The Paperboy" is a don't bother film. I thought with the director of "Precious" and the very competent cast, including Nicole Kidman and John Cusack, that it might have a few good moments, and maybe it does, because I got through about halfway and turned it off. Disgusting, trashy, not much merit. I Do like the stretching of character and the guts it takes to take on these characters and make them real, and I guess Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey and John Cusack and Macy Gray did that, but to no avail. It's all in the story and how it is told. This film looks thrown together and the narrative is garbled. Like I said, don't bother with this one, even though I must have seen an ad for it in every corner of Paris when we were there. Hope no one saw it over there! The Paperboy 2012 R 107 minutes I'd give it 1 star out of 5 and that's being kind.......... Convinced by a death row inmate's female pen pal that the convict is innocent, a reporter and his brother investigate and discover a case marred by deceit, seduction and betrayal. Meanwhile, one brother falls for the convict's mysterious confidant. Cast:Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo, Scott Glenn, Ned Bellamy, Nealla Gordon, Macy Gray Genre:Crime Dramas, Mystery, Suspense, Thrillers

Movie #746 ........................."End of Watch"

Movie #746 "End of Watch" is the type of movie you appreciate the acting in, and you think the story is relevant, but you don't want to ever see again. I felt the same way when I saw "amor" a few months ago. If this is what the police go through every day in South Central Los Angeles, we could never pay them enough! ohmygosh! Every minute is a ticking time bomb. The In- your- face- camera work is hard to get used to, and the language so raw, I almost turned it off for just that reason. The F-word got in the way so many times, that it was hard to follow the main words in each sentence. I went to menu and put the subtitles on, so I could seek out the main words, pushing away all the f-words that are used to decorate the sentences. There are some images here that I don't think I'll ever forget, and the acting is soooo raw, but I can't recommend this. It's kind of a: see it if you want to see a raw film about what cops do in south central l.a., but it isn't pretty at all. And don't look for a happy ending. but man, are Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena good! End of Watch 2012 R 109 minutes I would give it 3.8 stars Officers Taylor and Zavala patrol the streets of South Central Los Angeles, an area of the city ruled by gangs and riddled with drug violence. Their perilous beat is captured on security footage and with the HD cameras of cops, criminals and victims. Cast:Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera, Natalie Martinez, Cody Horn, David Harbour, Shondrella Avery, Gene Hong, Kristy Wu, Maurice Compte Genre:Crime Thrillers, Action Thrillers, Suspense, Thrillers

Movie #745 ........................."Looper"

Movie #745 "Looper" is a very stylistic, science fiction film that recreates a whole new setting in the first part of it, and then presents a somewhat confusing at times adventure to the end of it. The film is overly violent (seeing a child shot should not be in ANY film) and abrupt in the narrative jumps, but the ending was a good one, and most of what's here is quite original. I liked the acting, but there are some parts in it that I wondered why they were even there --- for example, Piper Perabo seems very underused, and at one point he chases after 3 kids, and there didn't seem to be any reasoning why the number was three --- unless the number is a religious symbol. I kept thinking I must have been missing something because the film was tough to follow at time, but the environment is well created and enjoyable to watch. Theme is strong, too, so I would recommend it to those with strong stomachs. Looper 2012 R 118 minutes I rate it 3.8 stars out of 5 In the year 2042, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a Looper, a hired assassin for the mob who kills people sent from the future. But what will he do when the mob decides to "close the loop," sending back Joe's future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination? Cast:Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels, Pierce Gagnon, Qing Xu, Tracie Thoms Genre:Sci-Fi Thrillers, Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi Dramas, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Movie #744 ........................."The Words"

Movie #744 "The Words" is a very different film because it is a story within a story within a story. Thank god all the characters look different enough from each other so anyone could pretty well follow it ---- maybe. If you have seen this film, and you wouldn't mind talking to me about it, I would like to talk about it with someone because it doesn't really have a definite complete ending, to my mind. And I wonder what others think........anyway, Dennis Quaid (the weak link, I think, in a pretty good cast) is a writer who is reading from his novel of an audience with Olivia Wilde and others (she isn't that good either, but then she has very little screen time and absolutely no chemistry with Quaid). The story he is reading concerns a writer who finds a manuscript and publishes it as his own. That story line includes Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper. But they share screen time with the characters in the manuscript played by Ben Barnes and Nora Arnezeder --- these people are introduced as writer Jeremy Irons, the owner of the manuscript, retells the story he wrote about to the Bradley Cooper. I gave it a little better than 3.5 because I was really intrigued with the story, and I'm a sucker for writers and the writing process (come by that naturally), but I felt at times it was a tad gimmicky and the ending was not satisfying to me. Put that with a very bad acting job from Quaid and it's under a 4. I was esp. interested in Cooper's interest in Hemingway ---- he spots "The Sun Also Rises" in a bookcase and it has significance for him, and that was ironic to me because I have been reading "The Paris Wife" about Hadley, Hemingway's first wife and her relationship with the nubile writer, and it reminded me of this story --- Hem's wife took all of Hem's manuscripts on the train once and when she left for something to eat and came back on the train, they were gone ---- I was thinking that anyone who research Hemingway might have come across that story, and voila --- it becomes an idea in this film. Cool! The Words 2012 PG-13 96 minutes I gave it 3.7 stars out of 5 After finding a brilliant unpublished book in an old briefcase, wannabe writer Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper) decides to claim it's his work - but his choice sets events in motion that have him facing an ethical quandary he could never have expected. Also Starring Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Zoe Saldana. Cast:Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, Ben Barnes, J.K. Simmons, John Hannah, Nora Arnezeder, Michael McKean, Zeljko Ivanek, Ron Rifkin, Liz Stauber, Gianpaolo Venuta Genre:Romantic Dramas, Drama

Movie #743 ........................"Celeste & Jesse Forever"

Movie #743 "Celeste & Jesse Forever" was a new kind of romantic comedy -- it bucks the conventions of the genre. It starts at the end of a relationship, without showing anything of that marriage --- we start with two best friends since childhood, who happened to marry, and now are dissolving the marriage, but NOT the relationship. They continue to try to be best friends. In concept, this sounds doable, but what happens when they each start dating someone new? Well, that's what the film is about. It was nominated for spirit awards, so it is supposed to be one of the top 10 indies made last year, and it was good. There were some funny moments, like their car antics with vegetables to show they "get each other." They are each other's biggest supporters, and what happens when you lose that person in the bad marriage? Don't expect anything heavy here --- you don't have heavy hitter actors, but they are winsome and fun to watch and you root for them and care about them throughout the film, and things that happen are believable, so that makes for a good romantic comedy to me. Celeste and Jesse Forever 2012 R92 minutes 3.5 stars out of 5 High school sweethearts Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) married young, and though they're still close friends, they've decided to divorce. Back on the singles scene, the two struggle to keep their friendship alive despite their physical separation. Cast:Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Chris Messina, Ari Graynor, Eric Christian Olsen, Will McCormack, Rebecca Dayan, Rich Sommer, Matthew Del Negro, Rafi Gavron, Elijah Wood Genre:Romantic Comedies, Romantic Dramas, Indie Romance, Comedy

Movie #742 ........................."The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Movie #742 "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is based on a book I read, but don't remember much of it at all, except that I didn't really ilke it that much. Well, the movie I did like, so I guess this is one of those rare circumstances where the movie is a bit better than the book.....for me. The kids are all competent: Logan Lerman, the main guy, has the toughest character to get across because he has to be a little nerdy, a little confused and socially maladjusted, and yet universal so we follow his plight. He does a great job of all the traits, along with Emma Watson -- it isn't difficult to imagine he would fall in love with her and her energy. Ezra Miller plays the oddball, and my first reaction to him was - whoa! This guy is really stealing the movie, and then I looked up what his previous acting stints were, and to no surprise he played the disturbed Kevin in the film "We need to talk about Kevin." Mae Whitman has grown up before our eyes in movies and it's always fun to watch her (she's also from the t.v. show "Parenthood" where she also does a slam bang job) The story is very indie in its approach, so don't expect gobs and gobs of action --- it's a slice of life, but an important time to most of the students in the film who are seniors ---- all except the lead, who is experiencing his freshmen year amongst all of these older oddball kids who become his friends. A nice emotional story, with a surprise serious issue as its undertone. Made for a good watch. I'm not sure who would like it, though, because there's just enough sexual angst to make it not suitable for the 14-15 year olds who would probably get a lot out of it, since that's the age of the freshman lead --- I guess I'd recommend it mostly for the high schoolers, and mature freshmen. And any adults who don't mind watching about young adults in their rites of passage. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012 PG-13 103 minutes - I gave 4 stars out of 5. In this engaging coming-of-age tale based on the best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, a shy freshman struggling with depression deals with his best friend's suicide and his first love -- and finds help from two seniors who take an interest in him. Cast:Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Johnny Simmons, Nina Dobrev, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Paul Rudd, Melanie Lynskey, Joan Cusack Genre:Teen Dramas, Dramas Based on Contemporary Literature, 20th Century Period Pieces, Drama

Movie #741 ........................."Homeland" Season 1, Disc 1

Movie #741 "Homeland" Season 1, Disc 1 included the pilot and the first two episodes which Heather and I got to watch when she was visiting us here in Arizona this past weekend --- it was a show we always wanted to watch, and we really enjoyed it --- if that kind of a show you actually "enjoy" --- I think you absorb it more --- it was very informational, intense, well acted, smart show, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the shows we have missed. 5 stars out of 5 stars Homeland 2011 NR - Disc 1 When Sgt. Nicholas Brody, an American prisoner of war, returns home after eight years of captivity, frantic CIA agent Carrie Anderson suspects the Marine of having been turned into an Al Qaeda terrorist in this espionage drama from Showtime. Cast:Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Michael H. Cole, Vickie Eng, Laura Fraser, Jackson Pace, David Harewood Genre:TV War & Politics, TV Dramas, Television

Movie #740 ........................."Oz: the Great & Powerful"

Movie #740 "Oz, the great and powerful" is not all that great or all that powerful, or even all that entertaining.Franco is .....well, how can I put this.....um....can I say awful? in it! and I like James Franco, sometimes. He recites his lines, esp. in the opening ---- the women work hard at getting their characters across from the get go (and the first actress he tries to charm), but he just delivers one bad line after another. The effects are cheesy --- I remember turning to Dave and saying, "now that effect was even better back in 1939" -- BUT, I have to comment on the little 5 year old girl next to me who squealed and squirmed and hid her head sitting next to us. First, she was too young to see this --- the bad guys get way up into your face and they are very scary. But it is appropriate and probably would be liked by the middle 7 and up group, I'm thinking. The dresses are pretty, some effects do work, and it goes with the original story kind of nicely. Let's just say all the ends are tied up by the end, and we are back to where we started ---- a reminder of just how great and powerful the original Wizard of Oz movie was back in 1939. Oz The Great and Powerful 2013 PG 2.5 stars out of 5 In this prequel to The Wizard of Oz, circus magician Oscar Diggs is magically transported to the Land of Oz, where he deals with three witches and uses his illusionist skills and resourcefulness to become the wizard the residents have been expecting. Cast:James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, Tony Cox, Abigail Spencer, Martin Klebba, Bruce Campbell Genre:Family Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Family Adventures, Book Characters, Children & Family

Movie #739 ........................."Pitch Perfect"

Movie #739 "Pitch Perfect" hit almost perfect pitch with me, scoring a 4 stars out of 5. What a fun movie that hardly ever forces the humor (although the throwing up scenes were a bit annoying and over the top for me)! Lots of talented people in the cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson and Ben Platt. I'm assuming they were all singing for themselves --- I didn't see anything that said differently in the credits, but who knows these days. If you like music, and don't mind girl choruses, this might be a film for you. It moves rapidly along, and has some great lines. I recommend an "aca good time" if you rent/see this one! (cute tame love story, too) Pitch Perfect 2012 PG-13 112 minutes This music-steeped comedy draws on the world of a cappella groups to tell the story of an intense competition between three ensembles. Anna Kendrick stars in this airy look at an age-old art form that's steadily gaining modern popularity. Cast:Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Ben Platt, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Kelley Jakle Genre:Contemporary Movie Musicals, Teen Comedies, Pop, Comedy