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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