"Beastly" B
With the movie Twilight, it sparked a new phenomenon in movies: a love story, but with a twist. Let's have a movie about a normal woman who falls in love with an abnormal man. After Twilight and the two sequels, it showed the world a vampire love story. Then, there is love stories between an alien and a woman, such as the show on ABC Family "Kyle XY", and the recent action movie that came out in February "I Am Number Four". In this particular love story, it is as if it is based on an old disney classic story "Beauty and the Beast". The movie is appropriately titled "Beastly". I was surprised at this movie. With the long delays that took place (they showed a preview of this movie last summer and was scheduled to be released in July 2010), I was thinking to myself that this movie has been shelved a long time. That is not a good sign. But I actually thought it was a good story with a very good message, that beauty is on the inside too. There are not many well known actors in this movie, with the main cast being Alex Pettyfer as the cocky, shallow popular student council president and Vanessa Hudgens as his love interest (of High School Musical fame). The movie also has appearances from Neal Patrick Harris (How I Met your Mother) giving some comic relief, and Mary-Kate Olsen (one of the Olsen twins, most well known as Michelle Tanner in Full House). She is far from that character in this one as the witch who hexes the student council president with scary looks, which sadly causes his father to disown him. The lesson is he must find someone to truly love him in a year, otherwise he will look "beastly" forever. The message here is clearly defined: don't be shallow, beauty is on the inside. The transformation here is good and it is very realistic. It was a pretty good movie with some interesting nods to poetry and classic love stories. A good rendition of the beauty and the beast story for the Twilight crowd.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Rango
"Rango" A
It has been quite some time since we have been to the movies. According to my last post, it has been exactly two months. Once again, we got some free passes to a movie and this one, while it was not on top of my list, was actually a really awesome movie. The movie we saw was Rango, starring Johnny Depp as the lizard wanting to be a hero and belong somewhere. Gore Verbinski, director of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, has reteamed with Johnny Depp to create an exciting and funny animated adventure movie. It starts out with Rango role playing adventure scenarios in his little aquarium, until he lands on the road and is forced to go his own way. He travels the desert for a while, meets some singing owls, and then gets chased frantically by a giant bird. After some surreal scenes and some introduction of our heroic lizard, he ends up in a town called Dirt. They have a water problem there, so he assumes the role of sheriff by telling everyone he shot some dangerous criminals with one bullet, and took on Jake the Snake, one of the most ferocious villains in the old west. Along the way, there is adventure and Johnny Depp's usual comic talent. He does a really good job in this movie. Johnny Depp is definitely in Jack Sparrow mode here and this is pretty much his movie. Gore Verbinski does a good job keeping things at a fast pace but at the same time, allowing us to care about the characters and the dilemma of the town. And Rango is a very likable lizard. Gore Verbinski also gives us a couple of scenes resemblant to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, involving a flying giant gold fish and a group of bugs. We also have an interesting scene with the "man with no name", which seemed to be an homage of the old Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. However, there is a warning. While there are some cool adventure scenes and funny parts, there are a few scenes that might be scary for kids, especially with Jake the Snake. Other than that, it was a good time at the movies! I am thinking this one is going to be an early blockbuster for the spring.
It has been quite some time since we have been to the movies. According to my last post, it has been exactly two months. Once again, we got some free passes to a movie and this one, while it was not on top of my list, was actually a really awesome movie. The movie we saw was Rango, starring Johnny Depp as the lizard wanting to be a hero and belong somewhere. Gore Verbinski, director of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, has reteamed with Johnny Depp to create an exciting and funny animated adventure movie. It starts out with Rango role playing adventure scenarios in his little aquarium, until he lands on the road and is forced to go his own way. He travels the desert for a while, meets some singing owls, and then gets chased frantically by a giant bird. After some surreal scenes and some introduction of our heroic lizard, he ends up in a town called Dirt. They have a water problem there, so he assumes the role of sheriff by telling everyone he shot some dangerous criminals with one bullet, and took on Jake the Snake, one of the most ferocious villains in the old west. Along the way, there is adventure and Johnny Depp's usual comic talent. He does a really good job in this movie. Johnny Depp is definitely in Jack Sparrow mode here and this is pretty much his movie. Gore Verbinski does a good job keeping things at a fast pace but at the same time, allowing us to care about the characters and the dilemma of the town. And Rango is a very likable lizard. Gore Verbinski also gives us a couple of scenes resemblant to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, involving a flying giant gold fish and a group of bugs. We also have an interesting scene with the "man with no name", which seemed to be an homage of the old Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. However, there is a warning. While there are some cool adventure scenes and funny parts, there are a few scenes that might be scary for kids, especially with Jake the Snake. Other than that, it was a good time at the movies! I am thinking this one is going to be an early blockbuster for the spring.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Black Swan
"Black Swan" A
It is around this time typically when critics and people all over the world look at the top movies of the year. The year 2010 was a good year for movies and around the holidays is when we start getting the opportunity to watch the academy award winning contenders. From what I have heard, this year, some of the top movies are True Grit, which was awesome, The Social Network, which I have not seen yet but I would like to, and lately, I have heard a lot of buzz about Black Swan. Corrine and I have both wanted to see it for a while, so we decided to ring in the new year with a movie today. We had free AMC passes we got last year, so we used them on Black Swan. Pretty much every review I have read about this movie is true. It is the weirdest of the weird from director Darren Aronofsky, but it pulls you in and it is very good at what it does. The movie centers around Nina (Natalie Portman) and her goals of being a top ballet star. The new show about to start is Swan Lake and everyone is trying for the Swan Queen part. The newcomer trying for the part, Lily (surprisingly perfectly played by Mila Kunis of Family Guy and That 70's Show fame) is more of the black swan persona, while Nina is more the white swan. Some people might think, who would want to watch a ballet movie? Well this movie has more than what meets the eye. Darren Aronofsky, who also directed The Fountain and The Wrestler to name a couple, knows how to keep the audience intrigued and how to make things so weird, it keeps you watching. This movie also has a horror element to it. Some scenes have a resemblance to the movie The Fly (enough said). Overall, I think this movie would be a worthy contender for best picture and best director for Darren Aronofsky. This movie is art at its best.
It is around this time typically when critics and people all over the world look at the top movies of the year. The year 2010 was a good year for movies and around the holidays is when we start getting the opportunity to watch the academy award winning contenders. From what I have heard, this year, some of the top movies are True Grit, which was awesome, The Social Network, which I have not seen yet but I would like to, and lately, I have heard a lot of buzz about Black Swan. Corrine and I have both wanted to see it for a while, so we decided to ring in the new year with a movie today. We had free AMC passes we got last year, so we used them on Black Swan. Pretty much every review I have read about this movie is true. It is the weirdest of the weird from director Darren Aronofsky, but it pulls you in and it is very good at what it does. The movie centers around Nina (Natalie Portman) and her goals of being a top ballet star. The new show about to start is Swan Lake and everyone is trying for the Swan Queen part. The newcomer trying for the part, Lily (surprisingly perfectly played by Mila Kunis of Family Guy and That 70's Show fame) is more of the black swan persona, while Nina is more the white swan. Some people might think, who would want to watch a ballet movie? Well this movie has more than what meets the eye. Darren Aronofsky, who also directed The Fountain and The Wrestler to name a couple, knows how to keep the audience intrigued and how to make things so weird, it keeps you watching. This movie also has a horror element to it. Some scenes have a resemblance to the movie The Fly (enough said). Overall, I think this movie would be a worthy contender for best picture and best director for Darren Aronofsky. This movie is art at its best.
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Green Hornet
"The Green Hornet" A
It was just an ordinary day today. I went to work this morning, Corrine went to class this morning and it was good. I came home at 3:00, put some clothes in the dryer and took out the trash. Then, Corrine called stating that she was coming home so I awaited her arrival. I then got on the computer and found out that we had the chance to get two free passes to a movie that is not even going to be released until January 14, 2011. I decided to give it a try and miraculously, we got the passes. The movie we saw this evening was The Green Hornet. I did not expect to see it this early (almost a month early), and I have to tell you, I was very impressed! I have wanted to see this movie since I saw the first trailer and I have heard a lot about it. I know it was radio show, and a tv show and a comic book series about two crime fighting vigilantes with a really cool car. The movie stars Seth Rogen, who is in top form as Britt Reid, the newspaper publisher by day and crime fighter by night. His sidekick, Kato, has some skills of his own, including working on cars, making cool gadgets, kung fu and making awesome coffee. Together, they make a good masked pair, which makes this movie so good. It is a buddy comedy with lots of typical Seth Rogen laughs, but at the same time, it is a non stop action packed superhero movie. The fight scenes were top notch and the villain Chudnofsky, played by Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), was a scene stealer too. The most fun character to watch was Kato, played by Jay Chou. He has some good one liners and it is so much fun watching him in slow motion showing his kung fu skills. The chemistry between Rogen and Chou was what also made the movie, and Waltz proves once again that he can play a villain. This is going to be a good start to the 2011 winter movie season and I am sure that people are going to love it. It was a fun time at the movies.
It was just an ordinary day today. I went to work this morning, Corrine went to class this morning and it was good. I came home at 3:00, put some clothes in the dryer and took out the trash. Then, Corrine called stating that she was coming home so I awaited her arrival. I then got on the computer and found out that we had the chance to get two free passes to a movie that is not even going to be released until January 14, 2011. I decided to give it a try and miraculously, we got the passes. The movie we saw this evening was The Green Hornet. I did not expect to see it this early (almost a month early), and I have to tell you, I was very impressed! I have wanted to see this movie since I saw the first trailer and I have heard a lot about it. I know it was radio show, and a tv show and a comic book series about two crime fighting vigilantes with a really cool car. The movie stars Seth Rogen, who is in top form as Britt Reid, the newspaper publisher by day and crime fighter by night. His sidekick, Kato, has some skills of his own, including working on cars, making cool gadgets, kung fu and making awesome coffee. Together, they make a good masked pair, which makes this movie so good. It is a buddy comedy with lots of typical Seth Rogen laughs, but at the same time, it is a non stop action packed superhero movie. The fight scenes were top notch and the villain Chudnofsky, played by Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), was a scene stealer too. The most fun character to watch was Kato, played by Jay Chou. He has some good one liners and it is so much fun watching him in slow motion showing his kung fu skills. The chemistry between Rogen and Chou was what also made the movie, and Waltz proves once again that he can play a villain. This is going to be a good start to the 2011 winter movie season and I am sure that people are going to love it. It was a fun time at the movies.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
True Grit
"True Grit" A
I really like how Hollywood has brought back the western genre. Westerns are the kind of stories that are about old fashioned heroism. It has always been fascinating to me to watch movies or read books about old western heroes and how they restore a town and how they become the hero. We have gotten some new westerns in the past few years, such as 3:10 to Yuma, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Appaloosa, and each have stood alone on how they display the old fashioned western story. The newest one, True Grit, is a remake of a classic John Wayne movie, and is directed by the Coen Brothers. The Coen Brothers directed movies such as No Country for Old Men, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges reunites with the Coen Brothers for this action western and is nothing like The Dude. He is the perfect replica of an old fashioned western US marshall. The story is about a girl, who wants to avenge the murder of her father. She enlists the help of Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), and Lebouf (Matt Damon). They all go on a journey to bring in Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who murdered the girl's father. The chemistry between all of the actors is perfect. There should be some oscar nods for all of the actors in the movie and the Coen Brothers bring back their methods they used with No Country for Old Men. There is a lot of action, the scenery is amazing and even the music made for an old fashioned western classic. I bet it was tough to remake a classic, but the Coen Brothers pulled it off and this movie ranks as one of the top movies of the year.
I really like how Hollywood has brought back the western genre. Westerns are the kind of stories that are about old fashioned heroism. It has always been fascinating to me to watch movies or read books about old western heroes and how they restore a town and how they become the hero. We have gotten some new westerns in the past few years, such as 3:10 to Yuma, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Appaloosa, and each have stood alone on how they display the old fashioned western story. The newest one, True Grit, is a remake of a classic John Wayne movie, and is directed by the Coen Brothers. The Coen Brothers directed movies such as No Country for Old Men, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges reunites with the Coen Brothers for this action western and is nothing like The Dude. He is the perfect replica of an old fashioned western US marshall. The story is about a girl, who wants to avenge the murder of her father. She enlists the help of Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), and Lebouf (Matt Damon). They all go on a journey to bring in Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who murdered the girl's father. The chemistry between all of the actors is perfect. There should be some oscar nods for all of the actors in the movie and the Coen Brothers bring back their methods they used with No Country for Old Men. There is a lot of action, the scenery is amazing and even the music made for an old fashioned western classic. I bet it was tough to remake a classic, but the Coen Brothers pulled it off and this movie ranks as one of the top movies of the year.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Hereafter
"Hereafter" B
Clint Eastwood does it again. It is amazing how many movies he has starred in and has directed. I am a big fan of Clint Eastwood as a director and an actor, so I was very interested in seeing his latest recollaboration with Matt Damon, Hereafter. Is it a good movie? Yes it certainly is, even if it is quite slow at times. Yes the movie is slow, but I don't know if I would say that it is boring. The performances by each of the actors were riveting, and showed some emotional quality. The movie is three different stories: one in France about a former show host who becomes inspired to write a book; one in France with two twin boys and their estranged alcoholic mother; and in San Francisco, which is Matt Damon's story about a lonely man who wants to get away from his past. While this movie is sad and emotional at times, we do get some comic relief from the teacher of Matt Damon's cooking classes. The opening scene was very realistic and it felt like you were there during the tsunami scene. It marked Clint Eastwood's use of special effects in his movies. Overall, it is a good movie, even if you have to be in a certain mood to watch it. I do, however, think that Invictus, Eastwood's last collaboration with Matt Damon, is one of his best movies.
Clint Eastwood does it again. It is amazing how many movies he has starred in and has directed. I am a big fan of Clint Eastwood as a director and an actor, so I was very interested in seeing his latest recollaboration with Matt Damon, Hereafter. Is it a good movie? Yes it certainly is, even if it is quite slow at times. Yes the movie is slow, but I don't know if I would say that it is boring. The performances by each of the actors were riveting, and showed some emotional quality. The movie is three different stories: one in France about a former show host who becomes inspired to write a book; one in France with two twin boys and their estranged alcoholic mother; and in San Francisco, which is Matt Damon's story about a lonely man who wants to get away from his past. While this movie is sad and emotional at times, we do get some comic relief from the teacher of Matt Damon's cooking classes. The opening scene was very realistic and it felt like you were there during the tsunami scene. It marked Clint Eastwood's use of special effects in his movies. Overall, it is a good movie, even if you have to be in a certain mood to watch it. I do, however, think that Invictus, Eastwood's last collaboration with Matt Damon, is one of his best movies.
Due Date
"Due Date" B
Road trip movies are sometimes the funniest type of comedy that comes out these days. Not only do you get the feel that you are with the characters on their journey, but you tend to have fun laughing at them too. In Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifinakus, you get exactly what you pay for, a buddy comedy. Basically, Galifinakus plays Ethan, an aspiring actor traveling to Hollywood because he wants to be one of the stars of the popular sitcom Two and a Half Men. Robert Downey Jr. plays Peter, an uptight kind of guy who wants to be their in time for the birth of his child. This movie is from director Todd Philips, director of Road Trip, Old School and the ever so hilarious The Hangover. While this one is not quite as funny as The Hangover, it still has the same slapstick humor and good chemistry between Downey Jr. and Galifinakus. It is certainly a fun time at the movies and it is sure to make you laugh.
Road trip movies are sometimes the funniest type of comedy that comes out these days. Not only do you get the feel that you are with the characters on their journey, but you tend to have fun laughing at them too. In Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifinakus, you get exactly what you pay for, a buddy comedy. Basically, Galifinakus plays Ethan, an aspiring actor traveling to Hollywood because he wants to be one of the stars of the popular sitcom Two and a Half Men. Robert Downey Jr. plays Peter, an uptight kind of guy who wants to be their in time for the birth of his child. This movie is from director Todd Philips, director of Road Trip, Old School and the ever so hilarious The Hangover. While this one is not quite as funny as The Hangover, it still has the same slapstick humor and good chemistry between Downey Jr. and Galifinakus. It is certainly a fun time at the movies and it is sure to make you laugh.
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