Saturday, December 08, 2012

Immigration Tango (2010); Safety Not Guaranteed (2012); No Eres Tú, Soy Yo (2010); The Heart Specialist (2006); Groundhog Day (1993); Hope Springs (2012); Ted (2012); La Flor de Mi Secreto (1995); Carne Trémula (1997); Peepli (Live) (2010); Kaboom (2010); Paranorman (2012); Pardes (1997); Holy Motors (2012); Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012);

Immigration Tango (2010)


Writers:
Martin L. Kelley (screenplay), Martin L. Kelley (story), and 4 more credits »

Stars:
Elika Portnoy, McCaleb Burnett and Carlos Leon | See full cast and crew

This film was pretty contrived. There were loopholes. I wasn't convinced by the characters. I liked the idea, but some of the characters were too stiff to believe in the actions they took. Fun idea though.

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 Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Director: Colin Trevorrow


Stars:
Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass and Jake Johnson | See full cast and crew

I enjoyed this film. I like all of the actors and it was an interesting premise that kept you guessing until the end. My main reason for seeing this movie was Jake Johnson because I love the show New Girl. This was a fun movie.

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No Eres Tú, Soy Yo (2010)


Stars:
Eugenio Derbez, Martina García and Alejandra Barros | See full cast and crew

This was a fun movie to watch. I liked the characters and the situations. While searching for a trailer, I discovered there is a 2004 Argentinian film of the same premise... "No Sos Vos, Soy Yo"

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The Heart Specialist (2006)

Director:
Dennis Cooper

Writer:
Dennis Cooper

Stars:
Wood Harris, Zoe Saldana and Brian White | See full cast and crew

This was a very nice film. It was well-written, well-cast and a pleasure to watch. It was a very inspiring piece of work that rises above the generic 'black movies' that are doled out. This movie is an intelligent film with heart for any (adult) audience. I loved it and what it aspired to be. I was very interested in the characters and the storyline. There were a few changes I might have made but they were minor and didn't detract much from the overall experience. I would LOVE to see more films like this one! Kudos to those involved.
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 Groundhog Day (1993)

Director:
Harold Ramis

Writers:
Danny Rubin (screenplay), Harold Ramis (screenplay), and 1 more credit »

Stars:
Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott | See full cast and crew

How I made it this long without seeing the full movie, I'll never know. Bill Murray has always been one of my favorite actors. Enjoyable movie for sure. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out. I know I was!

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 Hope Springs (2012)

Director:
David Frankel

Stars:
Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell | See full cast and crew

I kept getting the title confused with the similarly named Hope Floats. This was a nice film. Not as silly as I thought it would be, but more sentimental. It's not just for an older crowd, but is relatable for the rest of us. Supposedly, part of it was based in my hometown, but I know they didn't shoot it here, just hired a taxi. It was a nice, truthful film. The characters were sweetly played.

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 Ted (2012)

Director:
Seth MacFarlane

Writers:
Seth MacFarlane (story), Seth MacFarlane (screenplay), and 2 more credits »

Stars:
Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane | See full cast and crew

Ridiculous, fun, raunchy, everything you've heard. It was a fun look at an imaginative idea and I loved the cameos.

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  La Flor de mi Secreto (1995)

Director:
Pedro Almodóvar

Stars:
Marisa Paredes, Juan Echanove and Carme Elias | See full cast and crew

I studied Almodóvar in school so I may have already seen this film. I wasn't too surprised by what I saw, so I think I may have seen it before. I like his films. Not super raunchy or kitschy like some of his earlier work. But a nice part of his collection. Oh, and I loved the reference to the later work Volver! Proves that Almo is quite the auteur!

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 Carne Trémula (1997)

Director:
Pedro Almodóvar

Stars:
Liberto Rabal, Francesca Neri and Javier Bardem | See full cast and crew

YES! This is the Almodóvar I'm used to! Twisted and sensual and dramatic. Very much liked this movie because you never knew who to root for and you felt for all of the characters.

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  Peepli (Live) (2010)


Writers:
Sanjeev Sharma (lyrics), Swanand Kirkire (lyrics), and 4 more credits »

Stars:
Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghuvir Yadav and Shalini Vatsa | See full cast and crew

This was a very nice movie and it was produced by a Bollywood actor Aamir Khan. This was not a typical Bollywood film but a more political look at government and media and rural life in India. Very nice film.

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  Kaboom (2010)

Director:
Gregg Araki

Writer:
Gregg Araki (screenplay)

Stars:
Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett and Chris Zylka | See full cast and crew

Short Version: Disappointing
SPOILER ALERT: This film was marketed as a gay Donnie Darko but it was quite a letdown. ALL of the action led to a big fat disappointment at the end. In the last 10 minutes, all of the backstory was rattled off AND the main character didn't even have an opportunity to do anything about it. So it was all useless. Why did I waste time learning and caring for the characters only to have them all end in the way it did? And if that one gal knew so much, how did she not piece things together and figure out she was related to a deeper level? I'm disappointed in this movie. Boo.

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Paranorman (2012)

Directors:
Chris Butler, Sam Fell

Writer:
Chris Butler

Stars:
Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick and Christopher Mintz-Plasse | See full cast and crew

I'm always up for a spooky-cute movie and there were fun parts to this film for sure. But it was a bit lacking. It used a lot of white flashes which was distracting because it was an overused feature. And the conclusions/actions were a little weak, ie how the main character used his ability in the end. Not very strong. It wasn't quite what I was hoping for.
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 Pardes (1997)

Director:
Subhash Ghai

Writers:
Subhash Ghai (screenplay), Subhash Ghai (story), and 2 more credits »

Stars:
Shah Rukh Khan, Amrish Puri and Mahima Chaudhry | See full cast and crew

Talk about epic. It's 3 hours long which is typical old school Bollywood. And it deals with themes of Motherland India vs America, upholding Indian traditions of propriety, and honoring parents. It has my dear Shah Rukh Khan in it and he is always swoonworthy. This is one of the films I bought in the Indian equivalent of a Sam Goody store at the mall. I bought it soley based off the fact that SRK is in it... and that he was holding a violin, since I play. The violin was not a prominent feature in the film, but thankfully SRK was.
WATCH FULL FILM ONLINE BELOW!
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 Holy Motors (2012)

Director:
Leos Carax

Writer:
Leos Carax (screenplay)

Stars:
Denis Lavant, Edith Scob and Eva Mendes | See full cast and crew

Ugh. Disappointing. Trailer promised more. But the best part of the film was a gang of accordion players. The film had potential but was mostly just weird without satisfaction.

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Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

Director:
Yash Chopra

Writers:
Devika Bhagat (screenplay), Aditya Chopra (screenplay), and 1 more credit »

Stars:
Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma | See full cast and crew

I enjoyed this film, but I'm incredibly biased for anything with Shah Rukh Khan in it. The music was done by AR Rahman, so hooray. I was glad I was the only one in the theater because I was behaving like a maniac... laughing, giggling, dancing and exclaiming at everything. I like how SRK still plays the leading man/young hero even though he is nearly 50. Keep going! You will always be my hero! Meow! P.S. The film title means Until My Last Breath and was the final film from legend Yash Chopra. He died three weeks before its release :(

 

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