Zero Dark Thirty

As one of my favorite Beastie Boys songs goes; "It Takes Time to Build." That is how I felt about Zero Dark Thirty. The movie itself is solid but it takes time to get there. Jessica Chastain plays Maya, a CIA operative who is on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. She is a resilient as hell and considering it's a true story, I am thankful we have someone like her in real life who got this done. I doubt the real "Maya" is this hot though. That Jessica Chastain..what a beauty.

Spoiler alert: Team 6 gets him!

1-10: 7

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Argo

Yep - Definitely a good one.
Kudos to Affleck for the way he crafted this film.
Argo and The Town, both Affleck directed films are completely different in theme but draw similarities.
He does a great job of building the tension. Are they going to get away? You will have to see


Side note: My one follower Katie (thank you) also pointed out that Affleck uses different color in the movie to identify different locations. Examples a brighter tone in the states to a more washed out look in Iran. Very observant.

1-10: solid 8

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Wreck-It Ralph

I enjoy animation movies. They very rarely disappoint and I like the idea games and toys able to take on a life of their own "after hours" when the grown ups go to bed. So when I saw Wreck-It Ralph as the movie on plane home from Dallas I was pumped.

Wreck-it Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the bad guy from "Fix it Felix Jr", a thirty-year-old arcade game similar to the old Donkey Kong and Mario arcade game. Ralph is sick of being a villain and enters the game "Hero's Duty" in an attempt to win a medal and gain some respect. An encounter with Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) from kid-friendly cart game "Sugar Rush" (Kind of like Mario Kart) helps him find respect and redemption.

I was a total Ninteno/Saga geek growing up. I got a chuckle at the cameos by some characters of the past including Sonic and Dr. Robotnik, Ken, Ryu, Bison, Zangrief and Bowser. They were intertwined into the script perfectly. Small things like un locking the vault "memory" safe using the code up,up,down,down,left,right, left right from the old Contra game had me grinning in my middle seat on the airplane. 

It's really a well done movie and I was actually really impressed with Sarah Silvermans voice. I had to look up who played the voice of the 8 year old girl in the film. Low and behold..it was her. 

If you liked Toy Story and played any video games circa 1990 you will love Wreck-It Ralph.

Oh Yea and Jane Lynch plays Sergeant Calhoun in the film..kinda hot in a animated sort of way.

1-10: 8

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Chasing Mavericks

 I recently took a trip from New York to Dallas Texas. I looked in the American Way magazine behind my seat before take off and was pleasantly surprised to see Chasing Mavericks as my chosen film for the flight.

Chasing Mavericks is actually based on a true story of Jay Moriarty. When we enter the film Jay is growing up in Santa Cruz and learning to surf with the locals. He soon discovers Mavericks waves, which are freak gigantic waves that only occur in perfect storm conditions. These waves are a bit of legend and when he discovers they exist, he also finds a surfer (Gerald Butler ) who can ride them at the same time. He pleads for Frosty (Butler) to train him to ride Mavericks. When he agrees, a special journey and bond is formed between the two.

The movie really covers the cliches of a kid growing up in California  The bully kid in school. The hot older crush he cant have. The dead beat single mom (Elisabeth Shue) who turns it around. I felt myself rolling my eyes at how well everything worked out for this kid. It was entertaining though and the surf scenes are absolutely beautiful. I am not sure if any CGI was used to film this movie, but it looked real. If was real, what beautiful footage. Some of the surfing scenes in the movie are really amazingly shot. I would love to see a Maverick some day. 

I would compare it to a modern day version of Airborne (1993). It's a light feel good story with a cheesy twist.

Side note: If you haven't seen these surfing movies, you should: Chasing Giants, Point Break. 

1-10: 6 (better than Flight for me!) 

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Flight

Hello my fellow one or two readers out there (maybe just my Mom). I have been traveling like crazy for work but don't you worry, I have been still getting my fill of movies. 

I had been avoiding Flight to be honest with you. I knew it was about a Pilot (Denzel Washington) for a commercial airliner who has a drinking problem  He miraculously lands a plane after experiencing mechanical issues mid air. He pulls a move that only Maverick from Top Gun could replicate and saves most of the lives on the plane. But then the Airline finds out he was drunk and bust his balls to no end and probably sends him to jail.

Yep..that's what happened. 

John Goodman plays a great role as Washington's drug dealer, Harley May and really adds some comic relief to a total downer of a movie. Denzel does a great job as always with this role. I can't help but get angry watching these types of movies where the lead role is a drunk. Maybe because I'm a drinker and it gives a glimpse into the extreme side of the abyss, But I mean get get a hold of yourself Denzel. The whole Liquor cabinet!?

Don't watch this one hung over.

1-10: 5

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Here Comes the Boom

Well that big snow storm Nemo swept through Fairfield County last night and I made it back from Omaha Nebraska just barely after lay overs in four different cities. My travels included a viewing of Jaws, Kill Bill 1 and Forest Gump. When I returned I felt like getting into something on the lighter side. I decided to take in the comedy Here Comes the Boom staring Kevin James.

Many times I look right to the director to get a feel for what is coming. Frank Coraci has previously brought us Wedding Singer and Waterboy. More recently though Zookeeper. Best case scenario you get a movie that lands somewhere in between the hard hits of Waterboy and the humor of The Wedding Singer. Well that is exactly what you get from Here Comes the Boom. 

Kevin James is Scott Voss, a biology teacher for a high school in deteriorating shape financially. Budget cutbacks proposed by one of the board members shows reverting back to salaries of the previous year, financial conservation, and the elimination of the school's music program. Voss, who seems to be often lackadaisical and unmotivated during school hours, is reminded of the music director, Marty (Henry Winkler), an aging man who confides in him when he realizes that his wife is pregnant. He decides to take a stand for Marty and raise the $48,000 needed to save the music program by taking up mixed martial arts, when he discovers from a friend that just losing a professional match grants you $10,000, where winning grants you a whopping $50,000. Can he save the day? You will have to watch to find out.

1-10: 5

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End of Watch

End of Watch, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, follows the lives of two south Los Angeles polices offices. After making some routine arrests that seem to be tied to the Mexican cartel, they become targets of an assignation by the cartel.

The movie was written and directed by David Ayer the writer of Training Day. The script is well written; Ayer takes you into the life of these offices and the community they patrol with such realism you can feel emotion of every scene. There is not a particular plot for this movie, Ayers is just showing you the daily lives of a Los Angeles police. Ayer chooses to shoot the film in that hand held , shaky  amateur style you see in movies like Clover Field (I have no idea how that popped into my head). I am not a big fan of that style though. Although it can be effective, sometimes it makes me sick.

After I finished watching the movie, I wasn't THAT impressed by it. Then I spoke to my brother Ryan who loved it. After discussing it for awhile with him, my opion has swayed a bit. That is why I can't wait a week to write thiese reviews!

If you liked Training day or S.W.A.T, you will like this.

1-10: 6

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Killer Joe

This movie was a good find. Killer Joe stars Matthew McConaughey as Killer Joe Cooper and he does a great job. I rented the "Unrated" version of the film and I never really know how much of a difference this makes then the normal version. This movie is raw and very graphic though, so maybe they left some graphic scenes in it that got cut for theaters.

Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch, The girl next door) is a trailer living Texas boy, who gets himself in deep trouble with a local Pool Shark guy for money. He discovers his Mother has a life insurance policy and coaxes his Sister (Juno Temple), Father (Thomas Haden Church) and Step Mother (Gina Gershon) to hire a hit man to kill her off.  This would allow Chris to pay off his debt and the remaining family members would split monies evenly. They turned to Killer Joe Cooper to get the job done.

This movie is raw and I liked it. McConaughey deserves some credit for this role. I mean he kills it. He should have been nominated for best actor for this film. Juno Temple and Emile Hirsch also deliver solid performances  The movie is out for rental and I recommend it. However there is sex, raw violence and it just feels dirty. So If you are used to a movie that stars Jennifer Lopez, you might not like this one.

Improvements: I really don't like Thomas Haden Church. He was like the bar tender on Wings all those years. Like the tall dopey guy. I just can't see him in another role. I would have liked someone else in the role of Father.

1-10: 8

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Sleepless Night (Nuit blanche)

This week I am traveling for business. When I am on the plane I don't mind watching foreign films.  This gave a me a chance to check out the French action flick Sleepless night. The movie came out in 2011 but I had heard from a few people that it was a solid flick.

Vincent is a police lieutenant who also does some side work as a drug mule. A drop-off goes bad and the coke gets stuck with Vincent. The next day his son is kidnapped by the Kingpin Jose Marciano who also happens to own a massive nightclub. Going to retrieve his son, a pair of cops are also on his tail to stir things up, followed by the criminals who are on the receiving end of the cocaine trade-off gone wrong.

The film mostly takes place in the enormous nightclub and is a clever concept, well done in my opinion  The action is intense and reminds me of scenes out of Jason Statham (Transporter, Snatch) movie. The plot also takes several turns and by the end, it leaves you guessing who is really the good guy here.

It is in subtitles and unless that stuff really doesn't bother you, skip it.

Improvements: I mean several people were killed in the club. Gun shots all over the place. The kitchen gets destroyed on two occasions and no one ever leaves the club. Everybody just keeps dancing as machine guns are blasting everywhere. I am thinking in real life, that may cause a panic.


1-10: 6

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Life Of Pi

My hunt continued this week to complete the 2013 best picture nominations. Life of Pi has been out in theaters for a long time and I found the time to catch a 7:15 showing in Bridgeport mid-week. All I had heard about the movie was how beautiful the film was shot by director Ang Lee ( Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon / Brokeback Mountain). I am not much of a reader and I know this was a popular book, but I would been experiencing this tale for the first time time on the big screen.

Pi Patel is a French- Indian boy whose family is moving their zoo animals from India to Canada when a storm sinks their freighter. The only survivors are Pi, a hyena, a zebra, and a tiger named Richard Parker, who find themselves in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. Though the plot sounds quite basic, the movie itself has many layers. The surviving animals stranded on the boat with Pi are not hokey or "Disney" looking by any means. They are not pales and are not singing songs with each other during the quest for survival.  It's a true survival story at sea..with an angry Tiger.

 Ang Lee does an amazing job bringing this story to life on the big screen. His use of color and ability to make the animals look so real are pretty sweet. Ang Lee or Life of Pi should win something for this. I mean some scenes in this movie are absolutely beautiful. Like a piece of art. It also has a deep spiritual vibe to it. I feel like I need to get more in touch with my inner Zen. I think I need to go to Bali.


Improvements: I did feel like some of the transitions were a little slow and by the end it did feel long.

1-10: 9

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Taken 2

Taken 2 was released on DVD this week. I was a fan of the first film. I thought it was fast paced and a good solid action film. When I heard Taken 2 was being made, I was really fearful they really didn't have anywhere to go with a new plot. I was right.

Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is a retired CIA operative who is divorced from Lenore (Famke Janssen, X-Men) and has one daughter Kim (Maggie Grace, Lost) who he so daringly rescued from an Albanian sex slave trader in the first film. The entire cast is back in this sequel and this time they decided to "clear their heads" and head  Istanbul for a vacation. The Father of one of the men he killed in the first film is able to pull some political strings and locates Neeson and his family while in Europe.

First off, it's always good when a sequel is able to bring back the whole cast. I hate when they just substitute a new person into the sequel without explanation (like what they did with Vivian on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, for those that are my age). Other than that the movie disappoints. Everything works out so seamlessly for him and he is able to kill hundreds of people without even breaking a sweat or really getting in that much life threatening danger. I know Bryan Mills is good...but come on! Many parts of the movie left me rolling my eyes and saying yea right.

Improvements: I mean did he live in Istanbul half his life? How in the world does he know the in and outs of every street, alley and building in that city?

1-10: 4

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Les Miserables

So I made a deal with my girlfriend; if we go see Djanjo Unchained, I would take her to see Les Miserable a few weeks later. That day came last night. Do you remember when you were in middle school and your history teacher calls out sick. You get a substitute teacher in class that says we are going to watch a movie about the French Revolution? It was like that, except you had to pay for it and imagine the weather outside the class room being 85 degrees and it's the last day of school.. I mean I wanted to kill myself. The movie is 157 minutes long. I must have looked at my watch 40 times.

Look Jean Valjean (Jackman) is one hell of a guy, ok. I mean he gets butt slammed for 15 years in prison for stealing some bread and then escapes under the watchful eye of Russell Crowe. He takes a life of shit and turns it into good. He's a Saint, I get it. But I guess i'm not in touch with my inner being or perhaps not mature enough to handle such a "masterpiece". I would have rather sat through Scary Movie 16. 

Hugh Jackman does a great job and is up for best picture. Give it to him and lets move on. 

Ann Hathaway does not. Plain and simple. (please see photo below. Picture 157 minutes of this..)

Improvements: Russell Crowe sucks.

Les Miserable = Shane Cassidy

1-10: 3

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Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best picture nominations came out on Thursday. I made a pact five years ago to see all the nominees before the big night which airs on Feb. 24th. So I better get busy. Beasts of the Southern Wild got the nod.

I had passed by Beasts of the Southern Wild a few times on the OnDemand menu a few times over the last couple weeks. The title of the film and the fact that it stars a nine year old girl lead me to believe it was a kids movie. It is not.

Hushpuppy ( 9 year old Quvenzhane Wallis) is a six-year-old living in an isolated bayou community. When her father Wink becomes ill, she sets off for the outside world in an attempt to help him. The journey to save her father is delayed by a "busted" universe that reverses weather patterns and brings about long-extinct animals. Hushpuppy is in a race against the clock to try and save her father and her community, the Bath Tub. Can she get it done?

The movie was pretty long but Quvenzhane Wallis, who is up for best actress, does a fantastic job. The film is on her back completely and she carries the load in shining fashion. to be honest I am still digesting the film. I am torn on how I feel about the movie. It certainly shows the devastation wrought by Katrina in the  Louisiana delta in a brilliant way. It has the signature Academy artistic flare to it for sure as well. I am just not sure how I felt about the plot as a whole. But it is well filmed.

Improvements:

1-10: 7

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The Three Stooges

The Farrelly Brothers who brought us Dumb and Dumber, Something about Mary and Shallow Hal take a stab at the classic comedy trio of The Three Stooges. I waited for this to debut on HBO before checking it out. I had it save on my DVR for a week and decided to watch it around 10:00pm on Wednesday night. It was the perfect slot and time to watch it.

Moe, Larry and Curly are left on the steps of an Orphanage as babies and remain un-adopted and grow into men amongst a group of Nuns. Well sort of men. After years of finical woes the orphanage has used up it's last dime and is being forced to closed unless they can muster up close to a million dollars to pay off the debt. To get the money to save the orphanage, the Stooges are offered a job to kill Mac (Craig Bierko) pretend husband of Lydia (Sophia Vergara), who is said to have a fatal disease and wants to go out on his own terms. Of course, it is Teddy (Kirby Heybourne) who will be the real victim/husband of Lydia who is married to Teddy and who wants Teddy's money. If you have followed this so far you just know all will go wrong. 

Hey, it's a comedy and the jokes keep flying from start to finish  It had that Dumb and Dumber feel to it and I couldn't help but laugh out loud a few times throughout the movie. Larry David plays one of the head Nuns the stooges seem to always terrify with their stupidity. He is absolutely fantastic. Every time David was onscreen, I couldn't help but cracking up. If you have HBO, throw it on and let me know what you think. I for one thought it felt like a breathe of fresh air. 

Improvements: I thought they miscast Larry (Sean Hayes, Will & Grace). He didn't do it for me.

1-10: 8

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House at the End of the Street

This movie got shredded with bad reviews on Rotten Tomatoes so I was prepared for a bad movie. The movie is listed as Horror but I believe it is more of of a Suspense/Thriller and was surprisingly decent.

Jennifer Lawrence and her Mother, Elisabeth Shue, move from the city of Chicago out to the suburbs.  Shue is a single Mom who hasn't always been around for the young Lawrence. She uproots the two into the Illinois suburbs in hopes to reclaim a bond with her Daughter and live a normal life. They get a great deal renting a huge house next to the last house on the street. The Mother and Father had been murdered by their Daughter Carrie Anne years earlier in the last house on the street. Carrie Ann disappeared after the murders and was believed to have drown in a lake while fleeing into the woods that fateful night. The house was told to by vacant by the Landlord but  we discover it's actually occupied by the lone son of the family who was away at boarding school when the horrific murders took place. When Jennifer Lawrence doesn't have any luck blending in with the "cool" kids in town she slowly finds the son is actually a decent guy and befriends him. But the question remains, is Carrie Ann actually dead? Something seems off.

I see a lot of movies and usually I can unravel these plots within twenty minutes of watching the film. This movie had some nice twists and turns. I even got a good scare at least once in the movie. The plot seems like your run of the mill Horror setup but it actually has some good twists and turns. Considering how badly the movie got slammed by critics,  I was pleasantly surprised by The House at the End of the Street. It's a good date night rental.

1-10: 5

Improvements: The supporting character development was poor. Why is the "cool" kid such a douche? Why does the mushy cop feel for the son of the murdered family so much?

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Django Unchained

Christmas day brought me lots of joy. So nice to be with loved ones and much to be thankful for. As the day came to a close and I laid down to rest that night, I had a hard time sleeping. I felt myself tossing and turning. What could it be that I'm missing? And then it hit me.. Djanjo Unchained! I raced to the theater the next day more quickly than a kid running downstairs to see if Santa came. Santa came this year alright. In the form Quentin Tarantino's seventh film, Djanjo Unchained.

This spaghetti-western movie stars Jamie Foxx as Django, a black slave who is confronted by a Dentist turned Bounty Hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) in order to help him locate some outlaws who are next on Dr. Shultz' Bounty hit list. Dr. Shultz takes a liking to Django's bravado and eventually they team up as Bounty partners. Django's ultimate desire is to reunite with his slave wife Broomhilda ( Kerry Washington) who was sold to the Candieland plantation in Mississippi. Candieland is owned by the condescending Calvin Candie (Dicaprio), who thrives on watching slaves fight to the death in a Mandingo sport. Dr. Shultz makes a king move in helping Django reunite with his wife; his plan is to go to Candieland and for him and Django to pretend to be Mandingo aficionados in order to scheme a method to buy off Broomhilda from Calvin Candie. 

I always appreciate Tarantino's use of music in film. He does not disappoint in his newest installment. The way he can let a track play while setting up the plot without dialogue is a gift very few directors know how to do tastefully . Tarantino is a true master at this

Save $20.00 bucks, go to the theater  buy a popcorn and go see this one. It's great for the big screen and you will enjoy.

Improvements: Nothing I can think of. In fact, Rick Ross has a song on the song track for the movie, Black Coffins. Grab it from ITunes..good tune. 

1-10: 10

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Bait 3-D

Ok, ok get a hold of this one..These teens are working as life guards off the shark infested coast of Australia.  A tragic accident occurs on the beach and we flash forward a year or so to the future. The life guard is a mess, down on his luck and working at a local grocery store. Wouldn't you know it, a freak tsunami hits the shore without warning, leaving the life guard, his reunited ex-girlfriend and a group of people, stuck inside a water filled store. The group is unable to escape. Throw a couple of 12- foot Great White sharks freshly washed into the store from the tsunami and you have the movie Bait 3-D!

It is difficult when you see a movie meant for 3-D on normal television. All of these scenes meant for the glasses come off looking so cheesy. Even if the 3-D scenes were removed from the film it wouldn't have saved this one. Poor acting and poor problem solving had me wondering what I was doing with myself. I still love my horror movies though and this one had enough to get my laughing at least.

Improvements: No naked girl or shower scene..come on, this is supposed to be a horror movie!

1-10: 4

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