The Artist Review

Justin, Dad and I saw The Artist today on December 31, 2011. What an excellent movie!!! I loved it because it was something different and the acting was incredible!! The storyline was great in its own right basically highlighting the transition from silent film to the "talkies." This movie literally was shot as a silent movie, and I couldn't believe how amazing the finished product came out. George Valentin is a big shot movie star in Hollywood circa 1927 right around the time where the transition was about to be made. He was played by Jean Dujardin and I am going on the record right now and saying I am 100% in favor of him picking up the Golden Globe and the Oscar. He is the most deserving candidate. As much as I'd love to see Leonardo DiCaprio get it, Dujardin gave one of the best performances I've ever seen. He was on top of the world highlighted in newspapers and the women loved him. He has a signature mustache and he resorts to action and physical comedy in his movies to entertain the audience. The theater is packed at his movies. The audience applauds and loves him. He always has a smile on his face. After walking out of one of his premieres he stumbles into a beautiful girl in the crowd named Peppy Miller, who was played by Berenice Bejo, yet somebody else I am in favor of winning a Globe and an Oscar, as she did very well in her role as well. George is looking for dancers for his next picture and Peppy gets a part as a dancer. During the production of the picture, Al Zimmer the manager of the movie studio that George is a part of is planning for the future telling George that the silent film era is ending and the talkies are the future. George laughs at him and thinks this fad will never take off. Peppy is attracted to George and vice versa, and you really couldn't blame him when his wife ignores him and doesn't respect him at all. He gives Peppy a drawn on mole as a signature. He tells her you need something that sets you apart. All of a sudden, we watch as the talkies and Peppy's career skyrocket while George and his silent films barely have half a theater. He resorts to alcohol and refuses to get involved with the talkies. We watch as he basically hits rock bottom. One of my favorite scenes is when he talks to a shadow of himself on the projection screen saying he's a loser and nobody cares about you. He destroys his films, but grasps onto one as his career burns down around him. Peppy is trying to revive George's career by encouraging Al to put him in the movie with her or she walks. Really awesome stuff!! Peppy is a great female character: strong, confident, and insightful. She feels that if you can combine the stars from the two eras into one picture it will be amazing. George is at the end of his rope and is about to take drastic measures, but she arrives in the nick of time and helps him to realize that people still love George Valentin. The ending shows us that George agrees to this. Peppy never forgot who got her the big break and I loved how she kept trying to pick him up and help him out. I really enjoyed this movie and feel it is definitely one of the best films in a long time. This movie deserves to win Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress at the Golden Globes and The Oscars. I like alot of the nominees, but I am 100% in favor of this winning the awards as I feel its the most deserving movie on the ballot and Jean Dujardin was phenomenal as I said. This earned a 5/5 for all the hard work put into it and the amazing acting fueling an amazing story!!!

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Review

Justin and I just got back from seeing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on December 21, 2011. This was an excellent movie that pretty much followed the book of the same name quite accurately. David Fincher put together a pretty incedible film with an excellent cast, and some intense scenes. Daniel Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist, who is a publisher for the Swedish political magazine Millenium. He had been sued for libel after failing to prove allegations against Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. He was sentenced to three months in prison. As a writer, he is selected by Henrik Vanger, the CEO of the Vanger Corporation (played by Christopher Plummer) to write the life story of the family. There are five generations of the Vanger family and they all share different characteristics. Since Blomkvist's main goal is to take down Wennerstrom as he knows he is guilty, Henrik actually offers him monetary compensation and the hard evidence he needs to write this book. Mikael takes it. Let me just say that Daniel Craig is a complete badass. I can't begin to tell you how intense some of his scenes get, but he takes it as only he can. I feel like he has written in his contracts I must have the crap kicked out of me. Henrik believes that his great niece Harriest was murdered by a member of the family, so this basically becomes a criminal investigation. Automatically, I am invested in the story as there are all different types of obstacles that will emerge thus explaining my Daniel Craig feels no pain philsophy. We are introduced to Lisbeth Salander, played wonderfully by Rooney Mara. I can't say enough about how much I loved her in this role and wish she was being nominated for a Golden Globe at least. Lisbeth works for security companies and is really intelligent at getting information and how to track people. She is such an amazing character. As most people know, I love strong female characters. She is a ward of the state since she was considered incompetent as a child and was awarded guardians. Her first guardian ends up suffering a stroke. However, her second guardian ends up being one of the lowest forms of life somebody can be. There are some sexually explicit scenes that result as Nils (the name of the guardian) has his way with her. I was yelling at the screen for the coward he was. However, she does get him back and the other people in the theater including myself were loving every second of it. Some of the punishments she places on him are just great. She really drives the point home "Don't screw with me!!" Lisbeth Salander rules!!! She eventually is tracked down by Mikael to help him "find a killer of women" as they are attempting to track down a serial killer within the Vanger family. Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig had such amazing on screen chemistry. The characters trust each other (which is something that Lisbeth really needs in her life and I liked seeing that) They study photographs from certain events as well as study family trees. Stellan Skarsgaard was really good in his role as Martin Vanger. He had great chemistry with Daniel Craig, as well. Joely Richardson being a major part of this movie was awesome for me as I loved her as Julia McNamara in my all time favorite show Nip/Tuck, and she did a great job in her role as Anita here. She actually has a really important part in this movie, however, I will not spoil it. I also have not written alot about Martin as I don't want to ruin some key plot points. They filled their parts very well. The case does get solved, and then Lisbeth helps Mikhael with his other goal as she uses disguises to deal with the illegal activities of Wennerstrom. As I said, I thought the movie was excellent and Justin really liked it as well. I really loved Rooney Mara in this movie, and thought she really made the character of Lisbeth Salander her own. I give this a definite 5/5. I've really been enjoying the movies I've seen lately. I just love all the mystery involved and the interesting characters interacting on the screen.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.. No its not that Christmas is coming up.. Hardly! Its Golden Globe Nominee time!!

Below are my choices. Italics are my personal choice, bold are the ones I think will win.  After the my selections, you’ll find the movies I think got screwed by the Hollywood Foreign Press.

—    Picture, Drama:

o   “The Descendants,”

o   ’The Help,” ‘

o   ’Hugo,” ‘

o   ’The Ides of March,”

o   ’Moneyball,”

o   ‘’War Horse.”

—    Picture, Musical or Comedy:

o   “50/50,”

o   ‘’The Artist,” ‘

o   ’Bridesmaids,” ‘

o   ’Midnight in Paris,”

o   ‘’My Week with Marilyn.”

—    Actor, Drama:

o   George Clooney, “The Descendants”

o   Leonard DiCaprio, “J. Edgar”

o   Michael Fassbender, “Shame”

o   Ryan Gosling, “The Ides of March”

o   Brad Pitt, “Moneyball.”

—    Actress, Drama:

o    Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”

o   Viola Davis, “The Help”

o   Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

o   Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”;

o   Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”

—    Director:

o   Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”

o   George Clooney, “The Ides of March”

o   Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”

o   Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”

o   Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

—    Actor, Musical or Comedy:

o   Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

o   Brendan Gleeson, “The Guard”

o   Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “50/50”

o   Ryan Gosling, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”

o   Owen Wilson, “Midnight in Paris.”

—    Actress, Musical or Comedy:

o   Jodie Foster, “Carnage”

o   Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”

o   Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”

o   Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

o   Kate Winslet, “Carnage.”

—    Supporting Actor:

o   Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”

o   Albert Brooks, “Drive”

o   Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”

o   Viggo Mortensen, “A Dangerous Method”

o   Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”

—    Supporting Actress: 

• Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”

o   Jessica Chastain, “The Help”

o   Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”

o   Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

o   Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants.”

—    Foreign Language:

o   “The Flowers of War,” ‘

o   ’In the Land of Blood and Honey,” ‘

o   ’The Kid with a Bike,” ‘

o   ’A Separation,”

o   ‘’The Skin I Live In.”

—    Animated Film:

o   “The Adventures of Tintin,”

o   ‘’Arthur Christmas,”

o   ‘’Cars 2,” ‘

o   ’Puss in Boots,” ‘

o   ’Rango.”

—    Screenplay:

o   Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”;

o   George Clooney, Grand Heslov,

Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”

o   Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”

o   Alexander Payne, Nat Faxwon, Jim Rash, “The Descendants”

o   Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, “Moneyball.”

—    Original Score:

o   Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”

o   Abel Korzeniowski, “W.E.”;

o   Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”;

o   Howard Shore, “Hugo”;

o   John Williams, “War Horse.”

—    Original Song:

o   “Hello Hello” (music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin), “Gnomeo & Juliet”; 

“The Keeper” (music and lyrics by Chris Cornell), “Machine Gun Preacher”; “Lay Your Head Down” (music by Brian Byrne, lyrics by Glenn Close), “Albert Nobbs”;

o   “The Living Proof” (music by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr., lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas), “The Help”; “

Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E

Hugo Review

I just got back from seeing Hugo on November 29, 2011. I was very impressed with it. The movie was all about adventure and imagination, which are two things that every person should experience in some form or another, whether its in our dreams or road trips, etc. This movie in particular takes us on a journey to appreciate how movies are designed to take us out of reality and experience what we create in our minds. Now, before I get into some of the plot and characters, this reminded me of a movie I used to watch when I was younger with my brothers Jake and Justin. It was an animated movie called Little Nemo, and he always used his imagination and went on crazy adventures such as flying in a dirigible to new worlds.The film takes place in Paris in the 1930s, and Hugo Cabret, played brilliantly by Asa Butterfield, lives within the walls of the train station, fixing things and also trying to find a particular item in order to repair an autobaton (a robot) who is designed to send a message to Hugo from his father who is killed in a fire. Hugo always questions why he is alone, and he has many run-ins with the train conductor played by Sacha Baron Cohen (very different role than we're used to out of him) and the man that operate the toy stand (played by Ben Kinglsey). More on Ben a bit later on haha. I feel the standout of this movie is rising star Chloe Grace Moretz who plays Isabel (one of my personal favorite actresses over the past two years). She is an excellent actress at 14 years old and really brings forth alot of the magic through her dialogue and facial expressions much like she did in Let Me In. I am really hoping to watch her continue to ascend up the ladder. She is very talented. Actually, Asa Butterfield looks like Owen from Let Me In so that was pretty interesting as well. There is a key around her neck which happens to be what Hugo needs to wind up the autobaton. The autobaton is wound up and draws a picture that would spell out the rest of the direction of the film. From there we learn more about George Melies, renowned film maker (Ben Kingsley's true role), and wer discover how he became impressed with cinema while working as a magician. He enjoyed creating illusions for people and with film he could do this and help people escape harsh realities. I found the films very interesting and filled with creativity, even using technicolor which wasn't really something known until The Wizard of Oz. Martin Scorsese is amazing and even though some scenes can be slow, its still an incredible movie that actually even could be a semi-historical approach as to how film and movies came to be popular. He shows this through the depiction of one of the first movies ever created in 1895 where a train was just coming into a station (much like the train station is a major part of the movie) and the audience reacts as if the train is about to hit them. Melies was captivated by the realism of the shot and then we see Scorsese use it later in full technicolor in a different setting. The dream sequences that Hugo has are very interesting such as when he transforms into the autobaton or when he leads a train off a track through a window because he is stuck on the track. As I said, I loved how this presented how movies are an incredible journey that taps into our imagination and allows us to take adventures with the characters. In this movie, Hugo and Isabel have a real adventure putting the pieces together to discover who George Melies is, so we as the audience follow their adventure as they have theirs. I find things like that very interesting. Alot of the scenes were very impressive and once again Scorsese impresses me. I definitely give this a 5/5!! I really enjoyed this as a movie enthusiast and as somebody that enjoys following the adventures of the characters.

The Muppets Review

I just got back from seeing the Muppets with Jake and Justin on November 26, 2011. It was a fun movie!! It was definitely geared towards a younger audience which isn't a bad thing. There needs to be something that can be appreciated by all audiences. Basically, the synopsis is Walter (the newest Muppet) idolizes the Muppets especially Kermit and has watched them through his whole life with his brother Gary played by Jason Segel. Gary is in a relationship with Mary played by Amy Adams. An oil tycoon named Tex Richman played by Chris Cooper possesses the deed to the old Muppet theater and plans to tear it down to drill for oil. There are adult themes such as corporate greed that are pretty evident in the movie, but kids won't recognize it, which is fine. It's a fun movie filled with singing and all of our favorite Muppets like Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy (who had been working in Paris as a plus size fashion editor), Fozzie (who had been working with a Muppet parody group called the Moopets), and Gonzo (who was a plumbing magnate). They had the parodies and the musical numbers that made it entertaining and isn't that what a movie is supposed to do. I like that Walter has the idea to bring the Muppets together to make one more show. They go to all of the television stations and if they raise $10,000,000 in a telethon they will be able to make a comeback. Veronica played by Rashida Jones is the one that eventually allows them to put this show on, and at the end the magic of the Muppets is experienced inspiring new generations to their amazing talents. Of course, I love the numerous cameos throughout the movie that keep the movie flowing along with a good storyline of reviving the Muppet Theater and ending Richman's plans. My favorite scene was when they had Gary and Walter singing Am I a Man or a Muppet? They had Gary singing and there was a Muppet version of him while Walter sang as Jim Parsons from the Big Bang Theory represented Walter's human form. Entertaining, fun movie that has alot of laughs, a fun cast of celebrity cameos, and a good story to it. I give this a 4/5.

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 Review

I saw Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 with Justin on November 22, 2o11. I know alot of people frown on these movies, but I have to say I really enjoyed this movie. I do like New Moon and Eclipse as well, so I was actually looking forward to this. Bella and Edward get married at the beginning of the movie, and I personally am a fan of Kristen Stewart as I've liked her in Adventureland and The Runaways, and Robert Pattinson is great in Water For Elephants. Of course, there's the rivalry with Jacob played by Taylor Lautner who did a fairly decent job in this one struggling with the Quilets and the decisions they are making. Of course, Bella and Edward go on their honeymoon and Kristen looked really good in those scenes. There is a baby growing inside Bella, but its impossible since vampires can't impregnate humans. Bella actually bonds with Rosalie played by Nikki Reed while the rest of the Cullens and Jacob tend to her helping her out as the baby is killing her from the inside. Now, the battle lines are drawn as Jacob has disobeyed the pack and along with Leah and Seth, they help the Cullens. The fight outside the Cullen's house gets really good and theres alot of action going on in that scene. Meanwhile, you have Bella feeding her hybrid baby with blood which actually is really important as she has blood in her system and during the birthing scene which is friggin intense, Bella dies on the table. Jacob is furious and Edward doesn't know what to do as he tries to revive her but as he is he bites her. Then the awesome transformation scene begins and the very last shot is Bella opening her eyes and they are red. Now, I marked out with the rest of the tweens just because I was so caught up in the movie I had to. I just really enjoyed this movie and though some of the stuff in the middle can be dry, the second half is chock full of awesome action and scenes, while the first part with the wedding, the images with the Volturi (very awesome stuff) and some of the honeymoon were great. I will give this a 4/5. Probably the best review of any Twilight movie from anyone, but I really liked it and look forward to getting the DVD!!

My Week With Marilyn Review

I saw My Week With Marilyn on November 25, 2011 with Dad and Justin. This was an incredible movie. It chronicled the time period in 1956 when she worked with Laurence Olivier on The Showgirl and The Prince, and the professional and personal issues surrounding the entire ordeal. Michelle Williams was excellent in the role of Marilyn Monroe and really did a good job showing her mannerisms, speech patterns, and how she was around men. I also liked how they incorporated her marriage to Arthur Miller in the movie who was portrayed by Dougray Scott. Also, I really liked how they incorporated the fact that she used to place a picture of Abraham Lincoln at her bedside saying it was her father. Since she didn't know who her real father was, it might as well be Abe haha. Michelle deserves an Oscar nomination (and hopefully a win) for this role. The storyline was simple but made for a great film. Kenneth Branagh was great in the role of Sir Laurence and showed how he was a perfectionist when it came to film as has been documented by many sources. Marilyn's interactions with Colin Clark played by Eddie Redmayne were natural and seemed realistic (which means the acting was excellent and theres no doubt about that). I also liked that they put Vivien Leigh in the movie with a nice cameo by Julia Ormond that worked very well. Of course, I was very happy to see Emma Watson in this movie who looked absolutely gorgeous in her role as Lucy. She seemed right at home in the UK circa 1950s. Though her part was small, it still was very important as her character is involved with Colin. I hope to continue seeing her in more roles. I really can't say enough good things about this movie and I am hoping that it gets the Oscar nominations it deserves. Michelle Williams was just on top of her game and everyone meshed well. Interestingly enough, there are 3 Harry Potter alumnus in this movie. We have Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart), Zoe Wanamaker who did an excellent job as Paula Strasberg (Marilyn's acting coach) (Madame Hooch) and of course Miss Emma Watson (Hermoine Granger). Great cast, great acting, great scenes, great dialogue, just great. Once again I just seem to really be liking the movies I've seen lately and this gets a 5/5. It's extremely deserving!!! Dad really liked it and Justin found it very interesting with good acting.

J. Edgar Review

I just got back from seeing J. Edgar on November 13, 2011. Incredible movie and some of the best acting I've seen since The Help. Keep your eyes on the movie countdown as these two will be making appearances soon!!! Clint Eastwood did an excellent job directing this movie as well. What can I say about the cast other than it was excellent? Leonardo DiCaprio portrays the legendary director of the FBI who worked within the system for 48 years under 8 presidents and saw alot of things go down over his careeer. DiCaprio is on top of his game and constantly proves why he is my favorite actor today without a doubt. Incredible acting abilities in this man!!! He portrayed the man of J. Edgar very well as it seems Eastwood did alot of research from his life as it was fairly accurate for the most part. I did like how they touched on how he wasn't taken seriously as he hadn't arrested anyone directly in his career, and even when he did he embellished the details, but that's how many have said he was. Though, deep down we do know that he is big on trust and keeps those people by his side. He's a big man on Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect (John Cena's ethos) and you can see it through several instances. I really hope DiCaprio gets an Oscar for this. He is more than deserving. I would just love to see him finally holding the little golden statue. He works his ass off on that screen and it deserves to be shown in the form of the statue. However, he wasn't the only great part of this movie as Armie Hammer who plays Clyde Tolson was phenomenal as well. He is basically the only part of Social Network I feel is a decent actor anyway, so it was just nice to see him show it in this movie. I liked how they explored the relationship between Hoover and Tolson, as it shows how Edgar struggled with his sexuality and becomes involved romantically with him. Some of those scenes are extremely powerful and I was just taken in by the acting. There were times that I had a tear in my eye. Sorry, I'm not heartless!! I loved the little nods to historical events such as the kidnapping of Charles Lindberg's baby, and really love how they show Hoover's achievements in helping to create the forensics lab and showed how fingerprints can be beneficial in achieving arrests. They showed how forensics is used to help convict a criminal like Bruno Haumptman. Judi Dench was excellent as Annie Hoover and how she gave J. Edgar alot of advice in his career. They even touched on Hoover's cross dressing briefly which was interesting. I also really liked how they used a flashback technique for some of the scenes as Edgar tells multiple people his memoirs. It worked well and the flashbacks tied in nicely with the section he was discussing at the moment on screen. I also really liked when he was in NYC with Tolson and his mother and they had a brief cameo from Shirley Temple when she was a child actress in the 1930s. It was so awesome to see as Temple shares my birthday of April 23. I marked out because I am a nerd. Definitely one of the finest movies I've seen and really hope it's DiCaprios moment for the golden man. However, though it should be his time, this movie already should have three Oscar nominations (and hopefully wins) and thats (ones I've already mentioned)Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor: Armie Hammer, and Best Director: Clint Eastwood. I give this movie an easy 5/5, and it will be on the countdown soon.

Anonymous Review

Whilst braving Narnia conditions, I managed to see Anonymous with Dad and Justin on October 29, 2011. I thought this movie was excellent. I love when people take theories such as Shakespeare being a fraud and running with it to create an interesting and compelling story. There are some that actually side with the fact that he didn't write his plays, sonnets, etc as manucsripts haven't been found in his handwriting. What's interesting is the movie starts in modern times with a man giving a performance to an audience about the theory that Shakespeare didn't write the plays. It appears they are acting out this story on stage, but then it goes into the real world and how this is what actually happened. I personally found that very interesting. The movie gives the theory that the plays were written by Edward De Vere The 17th Earl of Oxford, a nobleman, who would be educated about the perils of society and the history of the world. Basically: We've All Been Played!!! It also ties in some English history with the Essex rebellion against Elizabeth I (who is one of my favorite rulers from history along with Louis XIV). Rhys Ifans was absolutely amazing in the role as Edward De Vere. It explores his relationship with Elizabeth, how his marriage was arranged, and how he believed that words can give hope to a nation better than swords can. Edward wants his plays to be seen for this reason, but as a noble he needs someone to pen their name to the work. The man he had originally selected, Ben Jonson (played by Sebastian Armesto-who I thought was very good in his role as well) , a playwright himself attends Henry V which has a man that we all may know by the name of Will Shakespeare (played brilliantly by Rafe Spall) in one of the roles. In the movie, Shakespeare is painted as an actor who isn't literate, basically saying he doesn't know how to write certain letters. When the audience demands to see the writer in person, Shakespeare takes the reins and at first Edward is confused as is Ben. Over time, we see a nice montage of the plays we all may know tied in with altered history such as Elizabeth having affairs with Edward, giving birth to bastard sons, and the inspiration for several of the plays such as Romeo and Juliet. What's VERY interesting is they found a way to work in the plots of plays like Richard III, Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear into certain aspects of the movie through the political aspects with Elizabeth who was portrayed by both Joely Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave (as mother and daughter in real life this was very cool to see). The Cecil family had been very adamant of getting rid of plays as they felt it was a cesspool of nonsense that wasn't necessary. Both David Thewlis (who some may know as Professor Lupin in Harry Potter) and especially Edward Hogg were phenomenal. Robert took his father William's views to heart and wanted to put James I (who before his succession was the rules of Scotland. The I didn't come until he sat on the English throne) on the throne through the Act of Succession and also in a way to erase the cultural influences of Elizabeth I. They portrayed Elizabeth in a very similar light to her father Henry VIII, especially through Joely Richardson's portrayal with love of theater and festivities, as well as taking several lovers. I just liked how they did it (like father, like daughter). Ben of course eventually gets incensed at all the attention William Shakespeare is getting with building the Globe Theater as well as taking credit for everything. Ben goes to great lengths to expose Edward and this in turn brings forth a conclave of consequences and also makes Robert Cecil very happy as he can bring down those closest to Edward, and even Edward himself. All in all, I loved this movie and really can't wait to get this on DVD as it was one of the most well made movies I've ever seen. I liked how the topic was approached and how the cultural aspects were balanced with the political aspects and then connected to the present. For me, this movie is a 5/5!!!

Jacqui's Countdown begins!

So Mr. Verterano, as requested.. My favorite movie countdown had began. Though there are some movies that are absent from this list... Star Wars, Musicals and Jane Austen Adaptations do not make an appearance in this countdown. Star Trek is limited. All around I tried to keep sci-fi movies and chick flicks to a minimum.  I also kept this down to 50 instead of 100.

Why you may ask? going through my personal movie collection, I realized I focused on certain types of movies. While I would call them "favorites", some I wouldn't say are "great" or even ones I would recommend to friends.  So I thought: "I am going to an island and I have only 50 movies to bring..." And behold, below is the list..

Honorable mentions:

1. Big Fish
2. Finding Forrester
3. Mona Lisa Smiles
4. Finding Neverland
5. Children of Men
6. Black Swan

Footloose Review

I just saw the new Footloose on October 19, 2011. I was actually really impressed with it. It basically follows the same formula as the first movie with Kevin Bacon (who is busy playing villains and doing a great job at it recently in Super with Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson and in X-Men First Class. I remember how fun he was in Wild Things as well). The city boy from Boston, Massachusetts Ren MacCormack comes to Bomont and shakes things up. There was an accident that claimed the lives of four teenagers including the reverend's son. Due to the dancing and partying that led to the accident, there is a ban on public dancing and anything not deemed moralistic such as drinking alcohol. Kenny Wormald actually did a good job in the role and had great chemistry with Ariel Moore, the preacher's daughter played by Julianne Hough. I am not a fan of Julianne Hough, but I have to say I was impressed overall with her performance. My favorite character was Willard played by Miles Teller. He did a great job being Ren's friend and showing him the ropes of the South, while Ren helps him learn how to dance. There was alot of good music in this movie particularly by Quiet Riot which can also be heard in The Wrestler and some decent country music. I loved the scene where they go to the country line dancing bar. They were having fun on the dance floor and I almost thought they should have had 5,6,7,8 by Steps playing or Cotton Eyed Joe. They both would have worked. The race with the buses was pretty cool and that guy Chuck just deserved to get his butt whooped. Willard dancing along with the Barbie sing-along that Ren's cousins are dancing to is priceless. He does this in order to learn the dance steps that Ren knows. The kids get a petition together to ban the ban on no public dancing, which is successful after Reverend Shaw witnesses that Ren is a class act. I felt for Ren in a way as he talks about his mother who died of leukemia and how he never got to properly say goodbye to her. It was pretty emotional as I technically never really got to properly say goodbye to mine the right way either. He is a likeable character and his buddy Willard just reminds me of how me and my buddies from Elmira just hung out talking about the little things in life that we like. Ren actually had a similar suit to the one Kevin Bacon wears in the original for the prom scene at the end. I am not a fan of Blake Shelton, but he actually did a great job of recording the Footloose theme making it sound pretty close to the original one. I'll give the movie a 4/5 as the performances were pretty good, the dancing was fun, the music was loud and good and you could feel the energy coming off the screen.

The Thing Review

Sorry I'm late on this review, but I have been busy with research papers and lesson plans for my classes, but this deserves a review. I saw The Thing with Justin on October 15, 2011. I really liked it!! I thought it was a great homage to John Carpenter's The Thing from 1982, with some differences. Basically, the plot is a group of scientists arrive in Antarctica and discover an alien life form. Things get chaotic and its a whole bunch of great old fashioned horror/sci-fi fun. The gorgeous and talented Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Kate Lloyd, a graduate student at Columbia University (her field is paleontology). She is recruited because they need her to help them dig up this discovery in Antarctica. Even in a winter coat and ski hat Mary looks unbelievable. Haha!! I can't help it. Any chance I get to put over Mary, I'll do it. I've loved her ever since I saw Final Destination 3 with Tom Hubbard. Other notable cast members were Joel Edgerton (who was recently in the phenomenal movie Warrior) and Addewale Akinnuyoe-Agbaje (who was one of the guards hired to protect Imhotep in The Mummy/The Mummy Returns). The alien takes the carbon life form and copies its organic matter and is able to hide as a member of the crew and when you least expect it that alien sheds its skin and feeds off of you, fusing itself to you and basically doing many things resembling a scene straight from Alien (one of the greatest horror/sci-fi franchises ever) and actually a little bit of Predator thrown in (because of the way this creature can clone itself into another human-similar to a Predator's invisibility/radar feature)-not awesome dreadlock hair or serpent like heads unfortunately but it's still a pretty interesting looking creature nonetheless. I like how Kate discovers that the creature cannot copy inorganic matter such as teeth fillings (which was a very nice subplot) and led to each member of the crew being paranoid about what was going on. I love the final battle between Kate and The Thing as they did a great job of giving Mary several character traits similar to Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver in the aforementioned Aliens franchise. Kate goes nuts on the creature with flamethrowers and kicking its ass literally. All in all an entertaining movie that did a great job of paying homage to the original without changing too much. I give the movie a 3/5, but a very enjoyable 3/5. Mary Elizabeth Winstead hopefully gets some Oscar worthy roles down the line. She's phenomenal and a personal favorite actress of mine.

Dream House Review

I saw Dream House on October 4, 2011. I actually really enjoyed this movie. I had been interested by the previews for some time and I thought the concept would be interesting. The movie follows a man named Will Atenton played by Daniel Craig, who was excellent in the role. We see him leave an office at the beginning seemingly retiring from his job to spend more time with his family: his wife Libby played by the beautiful Rachel Weisz, who was phenomenal in her role as well and his two daughters, Trish and Dee Dee. Over the course of the film, he learns about a man named Peter Ward who allegedly had murdered his wife and daughters in cold blood. I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, because you basically have to watch it unfold yourself. You have to pay attention to little details throughout the movie in terms of characters and especially in that opening scene I mentioned earlier. Keep your eyes open for Elias Koteas who seems to be in more movies lately and I am liking that. Daniel Craig develops a friendship with Ann Patterson (played by Naomi Watts) that knows the truth about what happened with Peter Ward. I think I liked this movie because I got a bit of a Shutter Island vibe from it. If you've seen it and then you watch this you might be able to pick up on what I mean from that. I recommend this movie as it was actually a decent cinematic journey and it kept me interested the whole way through. I'll give it a 3/5, but I definitely liked it.

50/50 Review

Justin and I just got back from seeing 50/50 on October 1, 2011. This was a very good movie!! Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character Adam is diagnosed with MS, a severe form of spinal cancer. The movie follows his relationships with his parents (The mother was played marvelously by Angelica Huston) and his friend Kyle (which was an excellent performance by Seth Rogen). His character is 27 years old and he is struggling to deal with the fact he has cancer. Add on top of that his bitch of a girlfriend cheats on him with a random hippie guy as soon as he is diagnosed and he basically feels lonely as if he doesn't have a support system. Kyle is always by his side to help try and cheer him up and I really liked that aspect as he tried to keep his mind positive and that is really what a support system is supposed to do. Anna Kendrick played his therapist who was working on her doctorate and she was great in the role getting to know Adam's character and they grow a bond through the therapy sessions. During his chemotherapy, he befriends two older men who both have severe cancer. One scene that was extremely powerful is when one of the older men dies from his cancer the night before and Adam witnesses the funeral. After that he starts getting angry and he basically has a melt-down. He needs to get a very serious surgical procedure done in order to try and quell this tumor. I was getting emotional at times during this movie. However, the ending is positive and this was apparently based on a factual story (I think from Seth Rogen's life as he and Evan Goldberg wrote it). I firmly believe that Joseph Gordon-Levitt deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance. I can see them giving a best supporting actress to Angelica Huston as well. I know how tough this must have been as I have learned from personal experience with my family. I will give this movie a 4/5. I recommend this and Rogen definitely helps to lift the audience's spirits throughout which I liked.

Moneyball Review

Tonight I went to go to see Moneyball. This movie landed on my must see theatre list for one reason.. Aaron Sorkin. As friends and readers know, Jacqui has a slight Sorkin problem. I may or may not own every single TV show and movie he has written. But I digress...

Moneyball is an adaptation of the Michael Lewis' book of the same name. The movie is a dramatization of the events surrounding the 2002 Oakland Athletics. Following the 2001 season, the Oakland A's lost their three star players but did not have the money to replace them with players of a similar caliber because their owner likes to keep the payroll among the lowest in baseball. General Manager, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) turns to Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who argues that you can replace the players by finding diamonds in the rough who will provide similar production. Sorkin and Steven Zaillian also focus on Beane's personal background and his failure as player because the scouts misjudged his ability. This thread plants the seeds for Beane to reject the baseball status quo and use the methodology preached by Brand. The movie follows the season through its ups and downs, trades, streaks and disappointing ending in the first round of the playoffs. 

The movie itself is a good piece of film.  While this movie appears to be a "baseball" movie, it is far from. Since the perspective is from Billy Beane who doesn't actually watch any games, the focus is shifted to the back story.  I feel this makes the movie very accessible even to those that might not otherwise be interested in a sports movie. Overall, I liked the film itself and the storytelling.

However, I had some problems with the film. Beane and Brand seem to have too much of a central role in the day-to-day management which left out Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman). I almost feel like his character was just there for the television playback scenes.  I found that a bit annoying.  I would have liked to see that character featured more (I am also partial to PSH as an actor).

"The flashbacks" seem to me as something that was added later. I feel this effected the fluidity of the story. They would seem to come out of nowhere. I feel Beane's background was well explained during scenes in the film and these additions were distracting.

As a Sorkin snob, I feel this film is lacking the traditional markings of a Sorkin movie.  Sorkin's writing has a fluidity to it. His movies are written to music and seem to have a certain beat to them. This movie lacked the beat, the speed of dialogue, heck even the "walk and talk" that traditionally mark a Sorkin film. I was disappointed in the obvious "fixes" made to the script. Yes, I am pretty sure the flashbacks I complained about were not his doing.  I am in search of the Sorkin version of this script, I would love to see what was added besides slowing down the dialogue.

I am going to differ from Gerard and give this movie a 3/5.

One more edit.. The use of "the Show"? They should have found a truly original song to garner an oscar nod for this movie.. It won't be nominated for anything else. 

Moneyball Review

Justin and I just came back from seeing Moneyball on September 24,2011. This movie was excellent!! The movie follows the Oakland Athletics during the 2002 baseball season and the decisions and planning by the General Manager, Billy Beane played perfectly by Brad Pitt. He works with his crew of scouts and newly appointed strategist Peter Brand (who analyzes players statistics and how they will factor in and who is worth signing) played shockingly well by Jonah Hill. It gives you an insight as to the differences between ball club salaries with the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and of course the Oakland Athletics and how their club can't really spend the amounts they do. The dialogue was brilliant as it was written by Aaron Sorkin. It was just smart and I loved the interaction with the players that Beane and Brand had. I loved watching the 20 game winning streak and the audience applauded when Hatteberg hit that last home run in the 20th game. Chris Pratt did great in that role as did Stephen Bishop in his role as David Justice who is molded to be sort of a mentor to the younger guys on the team and build confidence. I always loved the Oakland A's colors of green and gold as it reminds me of my high school alma mater North Hunterdon High School in good ol' New Jersey. The interactions with his family specifically his daughter Kasey were awesome. One thing I really liked was when she sang "Anyone Else But You" which was a prominent song featured in Juno. Hey, anything that reminds me of my favorite actress Ellen Page gets two thumbs up automatically haha. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was perfect in his role as Art Howe. He just looked like the manager of a baseball team like Joe Torre did. On a sidenote, I missed when he was around in the Yankees ball club. I'm not saying Girardi is doing a bad job at all, but Torre was the man haha. I also like the snippets of players like Jason Giambi (personal favorite), Johnny Damon(who I honestly never knew was on the A's team), and Kevin Youkilis (He's always been one of my favorites. He has a Stone Cold Steve Austin demeanor, especially when he was on the Boston Red Sox. I'm one of the few in the tri-state area that is a fan of the Red Sox ball club.) I love how they showed how Beane remained loyal to the A's and turned down Boston's $12,500,000 offer. I have alot of respect for the Red Sox club as they did what the As did in terms of talent picks and what not which worked well in 2004. I know one of my best friends Josh Meddaugh will love this movie as the Peter Brand role could have easily been filled by him, plus several references to the New York Yankees and oh yeah he loves baseball. Baseball is really the only legit sport I enjoy myself. I also know another one of my friends who would like this movie, Bill Clinton, because I remember how he liked the Oakland Athletics. GO A's!!!! I always remember Mr. Clinton shouting that off everytime we were watching a Yanks game in Towers. This is a definite 5/5 and much better performances and dialogue then Sorkin's previous movie The Social Network (which I really liked and is definitely in my favorite movies but there were really no likable characters in that).

Contagion Review

I just got back from seeing Contagion on September 14, 2011. This movie was abysmal. There was an all star cast and I like four of the main actors in the movie, but I hated the story. Basically, a virus spreads around the world and health organizations scramble to find vaccines and things of that nature. Honestly, Jude Law's part of the journalist raising inquiries was probably the only redeeming part of this movie (He should have been taking inquiries of why he decided to sign up for this), though Marion Cotillard is awesome and she did well with the crap she had to work with. People just keep dying left and right and you have no idea how half the people became infected. There's alot of random plotholes and the ending was horrible. I thought that was how the movie should have started and at the end everyone in the theater said HUH? That's it. Basically, its a virus contracted from bats and pigs, so basically trying to instill that whole swine flu thing. Matt Damon just tried to protect his daughter from contracting the disease and he somehow was immune to everything going on, but you never see the vaccine he took before the epidemic spread so either he had the H1N1 virus, but how could it prevent him from contracting the new disease. I like Damon, but somehow his wife played by Paltrow was cheating on him and they randomly just threw that in. Even though there is a contagious subplot involved, the cheating aspect just does not belong in this movie. The real ending should have been side effects coming from the vaccine, or a new stream that develops if they wanted to make a sequel. PLEASE DON'T!! Anyway, this is a definite 1/5 and you must avoid this movie at all costs before you contract a disease from the terrible story unfolding before your eyes. I did note the positives of Jude Law and Marion Cotillard. However, the best part was The Dark Knight Rises trailer I got to see.

Warrior Review

I just got back from seeing Warrior with Justin on September 10, 2011. This movie was amazing!! The plot centers around the lives of two brothers: Brendan and Tommy Conlon and their father Paddy. One brother (Tommy) is an ex-Marine who is haunted by his past as a former hero saving his brothers during a mission by ripping the door of a tank to prevent them from drowning. However, he also went AWOL. He had abandoned his father who was an alcoholic to live with his mother. He took her maiden name Riordan as his last name because he didn't want to associate with his ex-Marine father. The older brother (Brendan) seems to have it together as he has the beautiful wife Tess and his two daughters. He is a high school physics teacher in the Philadelphia School District. However, he is struggling to make ends meet and faces foreclosure on his home. He is a former UFC fighter and resorts to fighting low end bouts to make some money. Tommy knocks out a top fighter in a gym and becomes a Youtube sensation from it which starts turning heads. Both brothers end up entering a tournament featuring top fighters throughout the world. One of the reasons is due to the prize money which is a $5,000,000 purse. It will help sort Brendan's mortgage problems and his daughter's medical bills (who had heart surgery) and Tommy wants to give the money to the widows of a fallen brother of his Marine unit. The title of the movie is so apropos as they are fighting in the tournament but they are also battling with the struggles in their lives. Paddy really wants to win his kids hearts again and had entered rehab for his drinking. The fights were incredible and a cameo from one of my all time favorite wrestlers Kurt Angle was a highlight. I don't follow UFC or MMA, but I enjoyed the choreography and the camera work with the fight. Two powerfully emotional scenes were 1) Tommy basically tells Paddy to get the hell out of my life and Paddy goes on a drinking binge seemingly trying to end his life, but the next morning when Tommy realizes what his words from the previous night had done to him he consoles his father and tells him everything's going to be alright. Very powerful scene. 2) Brendon and Tommy have a conversation about their past and how Tommy went to live with the mother, but Brendan wanted to stay behind with pop. Brendan never knew his mother was sick and never got to say goodbye to her. Tommy tells him that forgiveness means nothing from him. As you can see there are alot of problems within the family. However, the main fight between the brothers is tough and they take out their aggressions on one another with Brendan breaking Tommy's arm and Tommy just trying to beat Brendan senseless. Throughout the fight though, you watch as the bond seems to grow and the aggression being shown ends up leading to forgiveness. Even before the last tapout, Brendan goes to Tommy I love you and that scene really wrapped up the movie nicely. The last shot of the movie is Brendan and Tommy supporting each other and helping each other walk out of the arena. The repairing of a brotherly bond is great and the overcoming the odds mantra that follows Brendan is succeeded in more ways than one. He gets the respect from Tommy and he realizes how much Tommy means to him and both realize how much Paddy loves them. The acting was top notch and Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte all deserve nominations for this movie. Yoy felt the emotions as if you were in the cage with them and you follow their journey to the top of the tournament as well as fighting to repair their lives. An easy 5/5 and a definite must see.

"Company" Review

I am cleaning out the draft cue and found this review I had started for the Lincoln Center production of Steven Sondheim's Company. I saw it on a movie screen so I figured I should have a review prepared, haha.

(I moved the more personal version of this to My other blog.)


I recently saw Lincoln Center's production of Steven Sondheim Company. The cast included Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") in the lead as "Bobby" as well as Christina Henricks ("Mad Men"), Steven Colbert ("Colbert Report"), Jon Cryer ("Two and Half Men") and Patti Lupone ("Evita", "Sweeney Todd"). The show was staged in a concert format with very little scenery and props and the Orchestra on stage.

The plot summary of the show is Bobby (NPH) is the last single guy in his group of married friends. He's the godfather of their children, go-to babysitter, and confidante for them all. They take it upon themselves to make him feel like he's somehow missing something because he's not living their "kind of life". Two songs, I've got a girl for you (sung by the male ensemble) and Poor Baby (sung by the women while Bobby has sex with a Flight Attendent) makes this clear how they perceive Bobby's current life. However, throughout the show the audience sees the pitfalls of the relationships that his friends have and how they are not perfect or ideal. We also get to see Bobby's life and his view on relationships.

One Day Review

Hello All. Its Jacqui. I am back from vacation and a slight break from movie going.

Today I went to see "One Day" starring Jim Sturgess ("21", "Across the Universe) and Anne Hathaway ("Princess Diaries", "Devil Wears Prada"). The basic summary is they are two friends who almost hook-up after the college graduation. The movie is a snap-shot of their relationship that occurs every July 15 from the year they met. The viewer is treated to not just a flashback of fashion and music but also where Dexter (Sturgess) and Emma (Hathaway) are in their lives. We see how Emma struggles while Dexter succeeds and vice versa throughout their 20 year friendship.

I went into this movie expecting something like 2000's "Love and Sex" starring now-action director Jon Favreau  and Famke Jannsen (and also one of my favorite movies of all time because of Favreau [yes I have a crush on him, lol]). The background of that movie was two people meet randomly and then it took time for the "timing" to be right for them to be together. Possibly combined with the classic "Same Time, Next Year"(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078199/). "One Day" seemed like it didn't know exactly where on that spectrum it wanted to be. If anything, it was like a nasty hybrid of every single romantic movie ever made. It had your unrequited love, the anti-climatic get together, and the tragedy that occurs once the main characters finally get together.

Overall, I am not a fan of this movie. I felt the movie was very choppy among its many issues (Hathaway's inability to do a consistent English accent, for example). I came away feeling that something was missing from this movie and its story telling style. Whenever the vignette shifted, it seemed like as a viewer I lost out on something. For example, one scene where Dexter and Emma discuss something that happened in between one of the prescribed days. I feel that would have been a pivotal scene that explained everything else that followed. But no, the event is hinted at, talked about but you never see it.

While the books are usually always better than their adaptations, this one really fails to even partly live up to the book. I feel it left too much just "floating out there". I will give this movie one of the lowest ratings I have given a film since we started the blog... 1 out 5 stars

(Gerard asked me about where this ranked on the "Tree of Life" scale, I said slightly higher because I sat through this one.)

Colombiana Review

I just got back from seeing Colombiana on August 26, 2o11 with Justin. I really liked this movie. Basically, the plot is when Cataleya Restrepto played by the gorgeous and talented Zoe Saldana (personal favorite of mine) witnesses the murder of her parents by Colombian drug lords and crooked army officials she vows to get revenger. She goes to her uncle Emilio played by Cliff Curtis who looks shockingly like current WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio and wants to be trained as an assassin. Now, I thought the movie was smart and didn't rely on extreme violence to tell the story which is sometimes a good thing. She uses different aliases and goes on vigilante killing missions to show the people responsible for killing her parents that she never forgets. She always leave the cataleya flower at the crime scenes in some way and works her way around the police. She reminds me of a great mix of Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill and a female version of Dexter Morgan. She is an assassin, but she targets people who commit evil deeds and in that instance the audience can identify with her. By the end of the movie it's her against the entire faction that took our her parents...and other members of her family. She takes them out systematically and completes her deeds in innovative ways, such as using sharks, dogs, or advanced weaponry skills and wait for it...toothbrushes, yes she beats a guy with toothbrushes. Saldana is perfect in the female action role and I personally really like strong female characters and that could be a major reason why I really like this. I definitely say give this movie a try as its a fun movie and you really want Cataleya to get revenge. I'll give this a 3/5 as well, but it was pretty good and worth seeing.

Final Destination 5 Review

On August 19, 2011, I saw Final Destination 5 with Jake and Justin. Now going in you know that you can expect gruesome scenes and things of that nature. I enjoyed this installment and the only other ones I actually liked were the original and the third one. The story begins with Sam played by Nicholas D'Agosta who has a premonition as he and a group of employees on a retreat are crossing a bridge under construction. This is the second time there's been a male who has the premonition since Alex Browning in the original. The supporting cast were mostly unknowns which is fine because big name actors can take away from a movie like this. The death scenes in this really make you cringe. WARNING: Be aware of the gymnastics scene!! In my opinion, that is the most cringeworthy death in the ENTIRE series and there's been some bad ones. The story flowed pretty well and the acting wasn't horrendous like the last movie which was so terrible. It wasn't Oscar worthy acting, but the cast did a decent job in their own right and it's not meant to be an acting movie in general anyway. Molly played by Emma Bell was the best acting wise and i could see her getting some roles in the future. Keep your eyes open for little details throughout the movie as they can help to show where the ending will take place. I think it's a brilliant ending and really thought it was smart. It was a perfect twist and really brings everything full circle. I'll give it a 3/5, but the movie is worth seeing as I liked what they did with this installment in terms of twists, making you cringe (again beware the gymnastics scene), and a decent story to begin with. I would reveal some more plot points but then it takes away from what I said about subtle hints. You may even be able to guess the ending from the first pieces of dialogue but when it gets to the end, it's pretty awesome.

The Help Review

Justin and I just got back from seeing The Help on August 12, 2011. This was a phenomenal film!! The movie centers around two themes: Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan's ambition to be a journalist and write serious pieces of work and the racial schism prevalent in the South during the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. Emma Stone's breakout role may have been in Easy A, but this is the movie that will cement her career. She showed that she has great acting chops and she is becoming a favorite of mine with her last three films from Easy A, to Crazy, Stupid, Love to this. She wants to gain the perspective of the African American women who work as maids for the white upper/middle class families. They look after the babies and raise them to become members of society. I think this movie produces some of the best acting I've seen in quite some time. I think the greatest parts of this movie lie with three people: Viola Davis (Adelaide), Octavia Spencer (Minni), and Jessica Chastain (Celia), along with Stone's part. The movie plays with your emotions so well and does an excellent job of portraying society during the time period. The main antagonist, Hillie Holbrook, played perfectly by Bryce Dallas Howard makes you love to hate her. She is pure racist through and through and does a great example of how the babies that the African American maids looked after and cared for them grew up and became uncaring much like their parents had been. You can just sense the tension on the screen when she and Adelaide or her and Minni (well basically anyone of the African American maids she shares a scene with) are together. My personal favorite part is the relationship between Minni and Celia. There is respect between the two and each helps each other in perfecting their life. Celia resembles Marilyn Monroe almost to a T in my opinion. I must point out that I thought Alison Janney's role as Eugenia's mother was great. Janney has always been great from the West Wing, to Juno (of course starring my favorite actress Ellen Page), and how can we forget 10 Things I Hate About You? It got me emotional because her character has cancer throughout the movie and though she lives in the old ways of society, she learns that her daughter is right in her views. Sissy Spacek was pure comedy gold in this movie and the audience couldn't get enough of her. There were some powerful scenes, especially Adelaide's relationship with Elizabeth's daughter is so amazing as well as Eugenia's relationship with Constantine, who was her maid when she was younger. Also, be on the lookout for a brief cameo by Nelson Ellis who some may know as Lafayette Reynolds in True Blood. Ironically enough, he plays a cook. Some other scenes that are amazing are the infamous pie scene as it will be known I'm sure, the charity fundraiser, Adelaide and Elizabeth's daughter having a personal bond with the phrase "I is kind, I is smart, I is important" and Alison Janey confronting Hillie basically ready to deck her while she is battling cancer. Great, raw emotion, excellent cast, AMAZING acting (if there are no nominations for this movie it's beyond ridiculous). This movie earned a 5/5 and every piece of this movie was amazing.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

I just got back from seeing Rise of the Planet of the Apes with Justin on August 5, 2011. This movie was awesome!!! The storyline centers around Will Rodman played by James Franco who is working on designing a serum to cure Alzheimer's disease which his father Charles has played wonderfully by John Lithgow (who some may know as the Trinity Killer in Dexter). The serum works on apes and through the first group of apes, he finds that the serum passed biologically to the offspring. He takes this ape home naming him Ceaser (who is portrayed by Andy Serkis who some may know as Smeagol/Gollum and another interesting tidbit is this isn't his first time providing facial scans for apes as he also was King Kong in 2005). As his intellect and motor skills develop, he becomes attached as part of the family unit. He goes so far as to protect the family in one of my favorite scenes and is forced to be relocated to a primate research facility due to the defense of Charles. The film does an amazing job of showing the emotion within Ceaser and the loyalty he has to Will and Charles and the love interest played by the beautiful Frieda Pinto (who played Latika in Slumdog Millionaire, a personal favorite film of mine). Other characters were portrayed by Brian Cox and Tom Felton (who stayed very true to his Draco Malfoy characteristics). After a while, Ceaser shows his mistrust for human beings slowly but surely. Other apes, gorillas, orangutangs and other primates band together in some of my favorite scenes ever. The stars of the movie are really the apes. You cheer for the apes and feel for them as they are tormented constantly by the human vermin. Two scenes between Ceaser and Tom Felton are amazing. One scene Ceaser's superior intellect comes through when Felton utters the famous line that Charlton Heston did in 1968 and when Ceaser responds with speech the whole audience applauded and cheered. That was an awesome moment!! If you look at some of the apes many resemble characters from Tim Burton's 2001 film (which I personally enjoyed). I recognized Thade, Mattar, and that orangutang from the dinner party with the senators. One interesting aspect of the film is that Will creates a stronger serum to try to make the cure for Alzheimer's permanent as it briefly works on his father, but he deteriorates shortly after. This new serum works marvelously for the apes, but instead causes human beings to regress by making them fatally ill and it seems almost like a scene from Outbreak (an underrated film). The Golden Gate Battle as I will call it is one of my new favorite scenes. There is so much great action with apes overpowering humans through brain capacity and military strategy. Ceaser riding a horse into battle against police cruisers was awesome. Ceaser will not go against Will as he has a bond with him and is actually not interested in killing humans, but he does instruct other apes to carry out the deed. I felt the Golden Gate bridge scene was similar to the crossing of the Rubicon story which is of course linked with Julius Ceaser. There was an emotional scene between Ceaser and Buck (the gorilla) and the audience felt the emotion and it made the apes in the film seem human. That is why you feel for the apes. We can feel the same type of abuse on ourselves that the apes experience and we often times want to rebel against those in power and people that hold us down for their own personal gain. I give the movie a 4/5. I highly recommend it. You will be entertained the whole time. There are no dull moments and that is rare.

Crazy, Stupid, Love Review

I just got back from seeing Crazy, Stupid, Love with Justin. My movie buddy Jacqui wrote a review, but I would like to share my views of the film as well. I personally loved the movie. It really did a great job of blending comedy and drama. This film makes you care about all of the characters involved. Jacqui touched on the plot so I won't reiterate it, but the different storylines were all fantastic and well written. My favorite performance much like Jacqui's was by Ryan Gosling which is odd because I normally do not like his work. I also really enjoyed Emma Stone's character and I am not a huge fan of hers, but she is growing on me in terms of her roles. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling had such GREAT chemistry. Their scenes were so amazing. The chemistry between Steve Carell and Julianne Moore was great and you could feel the long term relationship. One aspect I really liked was it focuses on love from three different age brackets: the young, lustful love with his son Robbie and their babysitter (which has some really hilarious twists in it), the young 20 something love where they're deciding what steps to take (this is observed through different storylines), and the older couples relationship (through Carell and Moore with mid-life crises etc). The plot twists towards the end were so amazing and perfectly connected all the storylines which was very awesome. The theater was packed and one little tidbit that I just cannot give away because it was so perfectly well done got such a great reaction and nobody saw it coming. I had an inkling that it might just based on certain characteristics in the characters, but I really liked the revelation. This whole revelation scene ended up being my favorite scene besides the one with Stone and Gosling. In my opinion, this movie is a must see. The acting, writing, music, plot and cameos by Marisa Tomei (HILARIOUS), Kevin Bacon, Nancy Carell and Josh Groban are amazing. Jacqui gave it a 3/5. I give it a 4/5. I honestly was very impressed with how this turned out and will definitely get the DVD when it comes out. As my brothers Jake and Justin know I have a huge case of DVDS that I call The Case and this movie passes approval.