This
was the wrong movie to watch so closely to bedtime, but pausing and
walking away for a while helped to prevent me from having terrible
dreams, so that's nice. I love Emily Blunt, but Benicio Del Toro doesn't
really have a range of facial emotions. It seems like his face is set
in stone, sometimes. The movie was okay.
Even though I watched this movie in a crowded room of noisy youth, and missed some of the dialogue, I was still touched by this film. I loved that during the credits they showed the real people. I'd be interested to watch it again, in a quieter environment.
Don't let Pattinson fool you... he is quite the opposite of a vampire. I was very interested to see him in this film since I'm a Spanish minor and have studied these writers and painters throughout the years. I found the film intriguing and was surprised by the ending. I must not have been paying attention in school! Good film, if the artists/era is something you enjoy.
Not one of my favorites, since I'm not a fan of rom-com, generally speaking. In fact, quite cheesy and requires suspension of disbelief. There were some loose ends that weren't tied up and plot points that were pretty vague. I was surprised to see Sean Patrick Flanery in the film. I'm more familiar with him in The Boondock Saints (1999) (apparently released in the same year... crazy!). and Patricia Clarkson is always a fun addition to any film. :)
I actually liked this film. It seems to only have 5.5 stars out of 10 on imdb, but I liked the concept/tie in to The Graduate (1967) and thought it was a fun watch. Sure, it was a tiny far-fetched, but I could live with it. I like the actors too, so it was fun. You either like or dislike Jen Aniston, and I must like her because I see her movies and like them and her performances. I mean, she has a certain performance delivery, but I'm okay with it. I thought this movie wasn't as bad as the rating seems to make it. It wasn't amazing, but definitely enjoyable characters/concept.
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Five movies in a month's time... not my usual rate. But I've been quite busy, so this is all I could manager. I know I didn't explore the movies in depth, but you've got the trailers and a general opinion, so I think you're able to make a decision. I figured I'd get this blog kicked out. I'm gonna be MIA for the next two weeks, so you're just gonna have to review the blog for movie suggestions. ;) Happy viewing!
I knew I would like this movie when I saw the trailer because I happen to be a fan of Wes Anderson
films. I like his sense of humor and the often-reoccurring cast members
he employs. If you agree, I probably don't have to convince you to see
this movie. If you have seen his films and dislike the style, you
probably won't find this one any different. I liked the throwback/homage
style for the decade but did find that much of the theme was based on
how creepy childhood can be. The kids that wore masks were unnerving.
And there was a lot of it. Maybe that's to indicate how many bizarre
things kids are expected to do and how it's supposed to be considered
'cute'. But Anderson had a way of portraying it that put me on edge. You
knew that the blank animal mask you were seeing was only a facade and
there was a child lurking underneath. Of course the premise of the movie
was unlikely and the children's characters were a little unbelievable
as far as realistic-ness goes, but it played into the charm of the
movie. I think part of the fun is the cast that Anderson uses: people we
enjoy in general, but enjoy even more together.
I last reviewed this movie in Sept 2010 and I don't really like to talk about movies more than once. But it's been 2 years and this time I watched it with my 13 year old nephew and he really liked it. It says a lot for a film to hold up and get approval from newer generations. It probably helps that my nephew is familiar with Corey Feldman from The Goonies and it was funny to see his surprise at seeing a younger Tom Hanks, even though my nephew has seen him inBigas well. (Oh, and of course he knew Carrie Fisher from Star Wars.) This movie will always be one of my favorites. The array of characters and the situations they encounter are great and you do see the hero rise at the call to action (that's screenwriting jargon for taking on the task in front of him, finally accepting it). I think this shows that sometimes ensemble casts/movies are even better than just rooting for one character. It allows everyone the chance to connect with a character on screen in one way or another and enjoy everyone's contribution to the story. I also showed my nephew the alternate ending on the DVD to show him how much the proper ending to a story can really make it or break it.
It's great that I see the poster to know that the film is supposed to be a comedy, but I felt it was painful to watch. Usually Korean movies are supposed to be overly dramatic and tear-inducing; a close neighbor to Indian Bollywood movies that twist and turn your emotions while providing escapism at its finest. But I found this an atypical Korean love story and instead disliked the characters and the plot. I couldn't root for any of the characters and found them all people that I would hate to associate with. I don't know if I'm missing something or if the movie really was a bomb by Korean standards as well. If someone more knowledgeable could intervene, that would be great.
My friend said this is one of her favorite movies, swore I would enjoy it and bought it for my birthday in April. I finally got around to watching it. It's silly, that's for sure. It's kind of an out there movie, but it was the mid-80's, so I guess it was normal for the teens then. It had some odd sequences, definite suspension of disbelief throughout all of it and was a little predictable for plot points. If you are looking for something campy and a throwback, this would be one of them.
I read about this documentary somewhere. Apparently in the 80's in San Fran, these two young guys lived next to these two old guys who used to get drunk and scream at each other. Well, the young guys started to record the audio, which became somewhat of a cult. Through most of the movie, I found the profanities pretty funny, but felt bad for the old guys that had that as their life. SPOILER: Once the film progressed and you saw how the young guys grew up and, along with others, were trying to capitalize on the old men, I started to feel sick about it. I started to feel it was insensitive that these guys started trying to find the old men and give them booze and a hundred dollars and were pestering them about those days back in the 80s. These old men were living on welfare and the young guys were taking advantage of it. I had to watch another movie directly after because this film left a sour taste in my mouth.
Something tells me that Marisa Tomei was added as the main icon on the cover when the DVD was released to draw people. It made me purchase the DVD for cheap at the grocery store, so I guess it worked. This movie was one of those 'teen spirit trumps the odds and win'. I thought it was cool they were fixing up a house, but I thought the ultimate purpose for it was a little short-sighted. And far-fetched. But this is the 80's. It was an okay to watch once movie. And it might be an okay background movie.
Since I was a Spanish student, I'd heard of Frida Kahlo and her art early on. I was surprised that my parents hadn't, but maybe I shouldn't have been because they were only about a year old when she died and they weren't art or Spanish students. If I would have elaborated or shown them a picture, I'm sure it would have rang a few bells. You don't son forget the art of Frida. After watching this documentary, I took a nap and had a dream I was in Mexico and had just finished watching the documentary there and didn't want to return to the States, so was disappointed when I woke from my nap. ;) I liked the documentary. I thought it covered well her life and her art and her relations. I LOVE that Lila Downs voiced Frida's journal entries. I know her best from her songs on 2002 Fridasoundtrack. LOVE it. I can't tell you how many times I've played that CD or have belted out her songs in general. Anyway, this documentary is great for anyone that would like to learn a little bit about Mexican art, in a very cool way. The art of Frida is very striking and you've probably seen it somewhere before. What I love is that her art almost seems to overshadow that of Diego Rivera. I also find it interesting how many other famous and political people of the time they were familiar with, so it's always cool to learn more about that.
I don't have a trailer for this film, but I highly recommend checking your local library or movie rental program. I got it from Facets Multimedia.
I've been waiting for a very long time to see this movie. A Colombian friend told me about in January, so I've been following it via social media until I was able to pre-order it this past week and bask in the joy of a very professional-looking Cuban zombie movie. It was everything I hoped for and more. The story was great, the Cuban twist was interesting and informative and insightful. I have too many good things to say about this movie, but I think the trailer helps a lot. I love the characters and the creative ways to kill zombies. Some might say that zombies are overdone, but this is one zombie movie that should not be passed over.
I love Emily Blunt so I had to give this film a look-see. I liked it. It was a little dramatic, but not overly so. I could definitely see this as a stage play, if it wasn't already. Ah, never mind; a look at the trivia page lets me know that "The movie was shot in 12 days and it was largely improvised." I thought the characters looked down-to-earth enough to be real people. Often times, movies are less believable due to the fabricated appearances and styles of the actors, which only reminds you that they are playing a role. These actors helped the audience feel at ease with more realistic appearances. There were moments that were slightly 'emo', but it worked out mostly alright. If you want more of an emotional story rather than action, this is a good flick to catch. Oh, and I love that Emily Blunt gets to keep her accent and her sister doesn't have an accent, and it's worked into the storyline pretty seamlessly. Rather than with Five Year Engagement where Alison Brie overdoes a British accent to play Blunt's sister. Sorry, Brie, I still love you.
THIS is the kind of movie that would make conservatives think that gay people have a 'gay agenda'. This movie is of the soft-core variety and is not very believable nor comfortable. Apparently, if you are a good friend, you'll go along with a three way, and if you're a good friend, you won't demand your friend do the three way after all. It's raunchy and very pigeon-holed and stereotyping. It doesn't do justice to the wide array of personalities and lifestyles of non hetero-people. I liked the accents, but that didn't do enough for me. I understand sexuality is a big part of humanity, but I want to see more depth in 'gay' movies. I have seen some that do a good job of it, and this was not one of them. The characters were more caricatures than actual people. There were a lot of unrealistic situations and the movie was not one I'd see again. I consider myself an ally for sure, but not to this movie. Sorry, filmmakers.
I'm actually not going to post a trailer of it this time. Google at your own risk! ;)
If you like camp and reminders of actors when they were young, this movie is fun. Slapstick is present in this movie to a fun degree. If you haven't seen it in a long time, you'll still laugh at the gags and if you haven't seen it (and aren't completely jaded), you'll laugh at the gags as well. It's a fun movie and anyone who has had to do home repairs will probably relate and cringe a little bit. Or maybe a lot ;)
This was a very sweet movie. I love movies that let me practice accents and this was good practice for that. It even poked fun of itself in the accents area. It was very much a mother-daughter movie and I had the pleasure of watching it with my own mother (and my 'work-mother') so it was all the more touching. During the film, I really related with the main character and it made me think on the reality of how many millions of women throughout history were forced into marriages against their wishes. In our society and current day, 'traditional marriage' is very much misrepresented, as marriage is only recently used as a result of 'love'. As we see in this movie, marriage is very much a political contract. So I find it interesting on a societal level and on the fact that we take so many things for granted. Soapbox aside, I LOVED seeing a strong female character that was headstrong and physically strong as well. There was nothing she couldn't do and that is a great idol for our young girls. Especially since she is against marriage and all things expected of her and wants to blaze her own path. That is highly admirable and we need more female roles for our young women. AND for our young men so they can realize the strength that we have, not just what roles we should be designated. I really love the characters and the movie was tops in my book. Good for children, but with a few scary moments. I don't think it has to be labeled mother/daughter film either, because any headstrong parent and child can relate to this film.
This Hindi movie is definitely NOT your average Bollywood movie. It has a few musical sequences but it is much more suspenseful and unpredictable than the movies the B-wood system churns out. I felt like it kept me on my toes and threw me for a few loops, although maybe if I would have been more attentive, I could have had a better idea of what to expect. I wasn't too happy with the last twenty seconds of the film, and it did have the same 'far-fetched' idea that B-wood movies are famous for. But I did enjoy the ride and that's what counts.
This was painful to watch. It's another "Sorry, filmmakers" type of movie. It was very much one of those independent movies that no one told the writer/director "Hey, you need to do a few more revisions. And maybe you shouldn't direct it yourself." I had a hard time not turning it off in the first few minutes. The actors weren't completely rotten, it's just that the script was so poorly written/revised that it hurt to watch the actors deliver the ill-constructed dialogue. It was a poor execution of a campy film. There's good camp and there's bad camp. This falls into the latter. There are some people who write a script and immediately want to film it and no one tells them no because they are able to get the funding. This seems like one of those. The characters weren't real, they were caricatures, something I mentioned in another movie review above. I want to really connect with the characters, even in a campy movie, and I couldn't do that with any of the characters here. Everything was so on the nose. I regret watching this movie. Not recommendable. Sorry, filmmakers.
Now THIS was a campy film that was very well executed. I'm not into horror movies very much, but this was a great homage to AND a saucy wink at the horror film genre. I had no idea what I was getting into because I thought the movie was going to be something else completely, but it was fantastic. I really enjoyed this film on all levels. It looked great, the special effects were 'to die for' and the characters were spot-on. Yes, on this movie, all the way!
The first time I saw this movie was taped off tv. I had to obtain the DVD copy, and it was only by way of a 4-pack that I could. Plenty of slapstick humor and gags to keep you laughing, 20 years later. I love both the leads and they play so well off each other. This movie is, IMO (in my opinion) a must-see. Especially if you've been having a rotten day. This movie will make you feel lucky to be you! ;)
This film came highly recommended to me by a friend and I finally got a copy to watch, thanks to my library. I really liked this movie. It was suspenseful and intriguing. Due to the interplay of time and characters, you were always second guessing the outcome. I liked the feel of the film, especially when we got to see the characters in 70's garb and behavior. The movie was very well done for sure and highly recommendable. Thanks, B, for the awesome suggestion. Sorry it took me so long to get around to it! But it was worth the wait!
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Fun Fact: I watched the last five movies in one day. That may have been a new record for even me. ;)
I
heard from a friend that psych wards are not like their portrayal in
this movie and that doesn't surprise me. A lot of liberties are often
taken when trying to tell a story. Sometimes it's believable, other
times not. This movie was cute enough. The storyline was predictable to a
degree with the love interest stuff. The characters were likeable and
the situations were fun. I think it's worth a watch if you like life to
be a bit odd, and I do ;)
I'd
like to thank whatever station put this on for giving me such a
treasure. Haha. I caught the show mid-way through, but they played it
again after the next movie... which I also watched and will next review.
The movie is kind of hokey when watched present day. Or maybe, it was
back then too. The pairing of the stars was ... interesting, maybe
knowing now what we know of Ricki Lake not really having much of an
acting career. If you want to watch something goofy, this would be your
movie. I would like to point out that the baby in this movie apparently
requires very little work and doesn't keep his mother up at all hours of
the night. How unrealistic, right? I realized later that I missed a few
scenes of the movie while flipping channels, but I saw enough of it.
Shame on me for not having had seen this earlier OR the Billy Wilder version from 1954.
The movie followed the previous movie on tv, so of course I had to
watch it. ;) It was an odd movie only for the age of the male leads. Or
maybe they just seem so much older now in my head? I had a chuckle at
the premise that "I found myself in Paris". It reminds me of when I tell
people I went to India and they asked if I had a spiritual awakening.
HA! But that's what happens when a city or country has an image to
uphold. Because every woman that experiences Paris must be worldly and
demure, non? The movie was very stylish though, but the styles don't
always hold up, as in some movies, so it was a bit dated. Harrison Ford
was a bit dry. I understand that's his character and some people really
are that boring, but it would have been nice to have a bit more to go
from. I guess mainly I was concerned about the age difference of the
characters/actors. But c'est la vie, non?
I really enjoyed it. It was
2 hours long, which made it feel like we really did suffer through five
years, but I suppose that helps to drive the point home. It definitely
was not your average romantic comedy and I happen to adore Emily Blunt. I
was a bit critical of Alison Brie's accent, only because I'm too aware
of my accent when I attempt it. I'm not saying it was a bad accents, I'm
just saying I was hyper-aware that she was doing an accent. Anywho, I
found this movie long but enjoyable because it was a fresh set of
characters and events. I liked seeing what happens when things don't go
according to plan.
This
is another movie that should challenge the United States citizens who
are resistant to immigrants to learn what situations some of them are
trying to escape. Life isn't always as easy as 'learn my language and be
legal and stop taking our jobs'. This movie was gut-wrenching at times
and was an eye-opener to how easy life can be and how we take it for
granted. I liked the characters but was a little confused as to the
politics of the movie, as in what groups were what, for example. Since
the U.S. doesn't deal much with guerilla warfare, it's a little harder
to relate, even knowing what I know about Latin America. But I suppose
that makes sense because the p.o.v. is primarily from the child, who
would not be aware. The film is an award winner and very much worth a
watch.
I had to watch this movie to counteract the depressing nature of the previous movie. Steve Martin is always good for a laugh. The movie was goofy and a bit surreal, as he was taking advice from a street sign. But I loved seeing him poke fun at L.A., even though or maybe because I've never been there, but have heard stories. I mean, there's a reason they call it La-la land, right? Or is that just something we say around my house? Anyway, it's a cheeky story and doesn't take itself too seriously, so be sure you don't either. Sarah Jessica Parker's character was a tad annoying with all the twirling she did. Anyway, if you're looking for something screwy, I guess this could work. P.S. There are a couple things in the trailer I don't remember in the movie.
I loved/own the director's other movie The Host (2006) so knew I had to give this one a try. It's completely different but still very well done. It is a frightening realization at how far a mother will go to protect her child. I highly recommend this movie. I'm not sure what else to say, except that it makes you constantly question where your sympathies should lie. It's humorous at times and intriguing and pretty captivating. Do yourself a favor and watch this and The Host. Awesome movies!
This movie was cute. As one of my friends mentioned, they really like Anna Faris, maybe not despite her unflattering roles, but because of them. The characters she plays are not always cutesy but more nitty-gritty, real woman type characters. This story was fun because it showed a woman who slept around like a man, which goes against society's double standard. Sure, she was following an obscure note from a magazine and could have eschewed that altogether and owned up to her sexuality, but for the means of providing us with a cute, albeit formulaic, but still fun plot, I guess it works. The concept was fun and I had a good time with this movie. Of course it was more or less predictable, but it did tackle society/men's perception of a woman who sleeps around as much as a man. I found the topic refreshing and realistic.
This movie was definitely not what I expected, which is probably a good thing because it had more plot and character depth than I expected from the trailers and hype. I thought it was simply going to be loud and obnoxious potty humor, and it had plenty of that, but it was also a pretty decent story. I love that there was such a strong female cast because women in the cinema is such a big issue for me. I'm probably one of the few people that took this long to see the movie. I look forward to watching it again.
This is another movie that wasn't exactly what I expected and that wasn't necessarily the best thing. The movie was okay, but it was more people driven than animal driven. As a family member said, their nature-loving son was sad because it was a dead-mommy movie and there weren't as many animals as he expected. It seems there was a formula of showing every animal in a three second shot and featuring a tiger or something as part of the storyline. That seemed to be it. The little girl was adorable.I think the zoo would be a fun place to live for sure, but the movie left me wanting more animals and less people.
I had secretly wanted to see this movie since I saw the trailer. I like stupid flicks. This was the right one. It was very much like A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas in that children got taken on a wild ride involving drugs and such. It was a fun enough brain-free movie. There wasn't tons in the way of character development, but yeah, the character kind of underwent some change in his relationship with the kids.
As a friend said, Owen Wilson played a better Woody Allen than Woody Allen does. Wilson played a very whiny guy, reminiscent of Allen's characters in all his movies, but it was less jarring coming from someone who looks like Owen. That might be unfair to say, but it's true. I liked the concept of the movie quite a lot, but at the turn of the movie at the end, it was very on the nose. By that I mean, they beat you over the head with the message of the movie. Otherwise, it was cinematic-ally very beautiful and a great concept that I wouldn't have minded being a part of were that possible in real life. Although it didn't touch on the effects of time travel. But I think it was meant to be more musing than scientific.
Whew, I broke my 2011 streak! The previous 5 movies I just listed were all from 2011. Now, this film I've seen before but it was sooooo long ago that it was such a surprise for me to watch it again! The cast is star-studeed to say the least and it's definitely Tim Burton. This movie is campy and fun and should definitely be re-watched if it's been a while for you too. Don't miss out on some great laughs with some old friends. Ak! Ak ak ak!
This film was very interesting. It was definitely highly linked to music and the portrayal of the spirit world was very interesting. You can check out the film's website here as there is little information to be found on the imdb page. I liked the film, the concept and was left wanting more.
For any of you who follow Almodóvar's films, this is completely in line with his norm. It's creepy and hauntingly captivating in a style that only Almodóvar can do. You're never sure who you should be supporting or why and as the truth unfolds, you question everyone until the last moment. Chilling movie. Be warned, the trailer does the film little justice at all!!
