Movie trailers…Now You See Me, R.I.P.D

I took my dad to see Oblivion the other day. A resounding …meh…from both of us. Not horrible, but confusing (maybe it’s just me and sci-fi but it took me forever to catch up to speed) and a very dragged out ending. I did enjoy seeing Earth after the alien invasion though. It had a cool concept and a few original ideas – just not my thing.

But…..the best part is always the previews and here were two that caught my attention.

Now You See Me – May 31, 2013: This could be a really cool movie or horrible lol I’m not sure how I feel yet but it does look different.



R.I.P.D, Rest in Peace Department – July 19, 2013: Has a Men in Black vibe and looks kind of cool. What do you think?

Summer Movie/Television ramblings...

I am so far behind in my movie and TV watching! My hubby and I decided to concentrate on clearing out that DVR and watch that final Netflix movie so we could dump them due to that rate hike. (PS Netflix - if you got newer movies to stream I would switch to that plan but I don't want to pay to watch movies that are over a decade old! that is all.)

So here's a quick glimpse at what I've watched - I apologize ahead of time for the randomness. Kids movies to very violent adult fare....

Movies:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One & Two.

Part One - I had to catch up to see part two so this was my final Netflix movie. Have to be honest and say I was bored through most of it. Sorry HP fans.

Part Two - Loved it! I think aside from the first movie, it was my favorite. The acting has improved and the pacing was excellent. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I felt tension and anxiety throughout the movie. I teared up several times - mostly involving Snape...*sniff* *sniff*
My one complaint. Ginnie Weasly. Nope, not buying her and Harry together one bit. Didn't believe it in the books and I believe it even less in the movie. I also wasn't a fan of the epilogue. They didn't really look old enough to have kids that age and some actual information would have been nice. Where do they work....etc? But still- an excellent movie.

The Road.

Holy crap is this a depressing movie. But very, very good. I love Viggo. The acting and cinematography are amazing. The Road is unrelenting in it's bleakness. I was biting my nails and covering my eyes I was so afraid of what was going to happen next. This is a rough movie to watch but ends with a glimmer of hope. Right? Was that hopeful? I don't even know....

Flipped.
On a lighter note..... Super cute movie if you're looking for a little coming of age nostalgia or loved the series The Wonder Years. The same story is told from the POV's of both the boy and the girl. The results are adorable and funny. While Bryce is obviously tying to get away from Juli she only sees his love in his eyes. then the story *flips* and Bryce really does have love in his eyes but it may be too late. Young actress Madeline Carroll is amazing as juli and such a good example for young girls. She stand by her beliefs - always. I just wish it was a little longer with an epilogue. (I know I complained about HP's epilogue but I wanted one here!)

TV:

Wilfred.
FX Thursdays at 10PM
This is one bizarre show. If you're into a pot smoking, passive aggressive dog that only Ryan (Elijah Woods) can see as a man in a dog suit and converse with then this may be the show for you. Warning: it's pretty crude but I love it. Not sure how long the premise will work but it's been funny so far.

Breaking Bad.
AMC Sundays at 10PM
Absolutely freaking brilliant story telling. My favorite thing about this show is the lack of overbearing music to tell me how I feel. The silence brings an intensity to the scenes and makes the characters actions that much more shocking. This is a brutal, dark show about the descent of a decent man headed down a very very dark road from which there will be no redemption.
Season 4 started a few weeks ago but you really need to watch it from season one.

True Blood.
HBO Sundays at 9PM
Last year was so outrageous and over the top that I wasn't sure how much more I could handle. This year has fixed that and now I would like to take a nap during most of the episodes. I'm bored. Eric & Sookie - yes. Almost everything else - no. I'm not sure how I feel about King Bill. At least it gives him something to do. (including banging your great, great, great, great Granddaughter - EWW) Please oh please get rid of Tara, Jesus and Tommy. Zzzzz whenever they hit the screen.
More Pam, Sookie and Eric.
I might give up after this season. It was never a favorite of mine but I gave it one more shot. I think I'm done after this year.

Still hope to see Winnie the Pooh, Captain America maybe Cowboys and Aliens (for Daniel Craig) and a few of my favorite TV shows should be coming back soon. Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Sons of Anarchy, Archer.

What are you guys watching this summer?

Movie Review: Double Feature - Source Code & Hanna

Source Code
Directed by: Duncan Jones
Screenplay: Ben Ripley
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Science Fiction/Action 

Review: Source Code stripped down to it’s essence is basically a sci-fi version of Ground Hog Day.

I really had no interest in seeing it but was persuaded by my friend Tiger’s review. I’m glad I went - it turned out to be a fun movie.

Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a train, next to a girl who calls him Sean and seems to know him but he has no memory of her.  For 8 minutes he tries to figure out what the heck is going on and then whoosh.....there is an explosion on the train and then he wakes up in uniform, strapped into what appears to be a capsule.

A woman, Goodwin (played by Vera Farmiga) starts speaking to Stevens through the capsules video screen informing him that he is in a virtual exercise and it is his mission to go back in time to find out who planted the bomb on the train. He cannot prevent the attack or save anyone on the train from their fate but he can prevent a future dirty bomb attack in the middle of Chicago.

Colter tries to piece together who and where he really is. He goes from the capsule back to the train for 8 minutes each time. There are only so many times his body can handle the trip and while he frantically tries to find out who planted the bomb he also tries to find out what is reality and who is pulling the strings behind this elaborate plan.

What was good about Source Code is that even though you are reliving the same 8 minutes over & over, it is always from a new perspective with new information. When he is sent back to the capsule and questions Goodwin he actually gets answers. It’s in bits and pieces but they are there so I wasn’t left frustrated. Now ... you may not buy into the plausibility of some of those answers but they are given. I for one just went for the ride because it was plausible enough and moved at a quick pace. There were a few hmmmm that doesn’t make sense moments but again, I was able to pass them off.

Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect as the everyman. He pulls off being a soldier but not a super hero quite well. He makes a few mistakes but is determined to change the course of events and do the right thing no matter the personal cost to himself.

Michelle Monaghan as Christina is effective as a potential love interest and you root for them even though they just met. The love aspect doesn’t get too carried away which helps too. Monaghan plays what I call the generic brown haired girl (GBHG). Almost every movie has one these days. The recognizable male lead paired with a capable but interchangeable, brown haired, actress.  

Overall a good sci-fi thriller with a bit of a hollywood type ending.

Rating: 3 out of 4 

Hanna

Directed by: Joe Wright

Screenplay: Seth Lochhead and David Farr

Music: The Chemical Brothers

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett

Rating" PG-13 Violence and Profanity

Review:

If I could use one word to describe Hanna it would be “stark”. For the first two thirds of the movie everything is stripped down the essentials. Just pulse pounding music and shots that could be freeze framed at any time to make a spectacular photograph.  

Hanna has spent most of her life being raised by Erik (Eric Bana), in the hostile woods of Finland. He has trained her to be a ruthless assassin knowing one day she will be ready to take on Marissa Wiegler (Kate Blanchett) the woman who killed her mother. He has not only relentlessly drilled her in survival skills but Hanna is book smart also - speaking fluently in several languages. His goal is to try to make Hanna as skilled as possible when she enters the world without him to protect her.

I say tried because despite all of Erik’s good intentions and relentless training Hanna is ill equipped to be in the real world. He sends Hanna out into the world with the intention of meeting up with her once she accomplishes her task. She may know how to break someones neck or infiltrate a top secret facility but she doesn’t know how to socially interact with normal people. Hanna can rattle off a stream of facts with near military precision....my name is Hanna...I go to such and such school, my dogs name is spot, but to carry on a conversation with another child? She has no clue.

The contrast between Hanna’s quiet winter wonderland in the woods and her arrival in the modern world is striking. Even though the woods were harsh, she’s comfortable there. In the modern world she is overwhelmed by the television, lights, a phone ringing - pretty much everything. This leads to a few lighter moments of which there are very few.

The film lagged, IMO anyway, for the last third of the movie. Once there are other characters involved it slipped into your standard action movie. There was something visceral when it was just Hanna and one or two other people. What seemed really engrossing with the driving beat of the music started to get on my nerves near the end. By the last 15 minutes the director tightened things up again and we get our answers to the mysteries presented and the promised standoff between Marissa and Hanna which felt a little forced but I would still highly recommend it..

Note: The beginning is awesome and it kind of reminds me of how I envision what The Hunger Games movie should be. A young girl with a bow hunting in the forest.

Rating: 3 out 4 Good acting and unique movie.

Angry Birds Movie Trailer

What if Angry Birds was made into a movie? Rooster Teeth Shorts gives us a glimpse of what it might be like. Can I just say that it looks more interesting than most of the movies out there right now??

Enjoy!



Want more Angry Birds? This is pretty amazing! A playable Angry Birds birthday cake!

The Walking Dead trailer!

Can. Not. Wait.



The trailer is a little long but so worth it.

This is it. I can feel it. A good zombie TV show!!

Premiers on AMC October 31st.....Halloween!!

AWESOME!

Movies: Flipped

I read a review for this movie the other day and then watched the trailer. All I can say is awww!



Movie description from the website: HERE

When second-graders Bryce and Juli first meet, Juli knows it's love. Bryce isn't so sure. Beginning that day, and for the next six years, young Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) does everything he can to keep his outspoken wannabe girlfriend at arm's length...which isn't easy since they go to the same school and live across the street from each other. Smart, dreamy, independent and willing to stand up for what she believes in, Juli (Madeline Carroll) is different from anyone else he knows and, frankly, it's a little overwhelming. What's a guy supposed to do when a girl tells him his hair smells like watermelon or wants him to sit in a tree for the spectacular view? There's just no telling what Juli will do next, and Bryce is one guy who'd rather be safe than sorry. Though disappointed by Bryce's unwillingness to see things her way, or even to see the things in life she finds most meaningful, Juli continues to give her potential dreamboat the benefit of the doubt. Until those doubts stack up so high that she finally thinks maybe she was wrong about him. It's just about the same time Bryce starts to think maybe he was wrong about her, too. But is he too late? The coming-of-age romantic comedy "Flipped," from director Rob Reiner, takes Bryce and Juli from Grade School to Junior High, through triumph and disaster, family drama and first love, as they make the discoveries that will define who they are--and who they are to each other. --© Warner Bros. (based on the novel by Wendelin Van Draanen-Flipped)

The girl Madeline Carroll who plays Juli Baker - how cute is she?? The movie takes place in 1963 and even though I haven't seen it yet, I'm sure based on the premise, that this is the only era it could work in. It has that Wonder Years nostalgia feel to it and I'm not sure today's youth could pull the same thing off without a healthy dose of snark and cynicism. Which I also like, but sometimes it's nice to have a little sweetness in our lives.

The one down side? It doesn't seem to be getting a big push by Warner Bros so the chance of me seeing it until it gets released on DVD are slim to none since it's not playing anywhere near me. It's too bad that there isn't room out there for a variety of movie genres anymore. Maybe if they made the 60's in 3D!! people would be interested.

This is totally random  - but since this movie is directed by Rob Reiner I have to grab the chance to recommend one of my favorite movies The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition) I still watch this every time it's on and my husband & I can be heard frequently quoting the movie. And Ahhhh Wesley!

Review: Movie - Iron Man 2

Review:
I'm really starting to get a complex...........maybe something is wrong with me. I haven't liked most of the books or movies that everyone else is going crazy for lately and Iron Man 2 is yet another example.
This movie had such a frenetic energy going on that I just wanted to yell at everyone to stop and shut up! Everyone seemed to be having at least three conversations at once or talked over each other. There were so many scenes of crowds cheering or yelling and they just served no purpose.
The exception to that rule for me were Pepper Potts  & Tony Starke played by Gweneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr who have an amazing chemistry. I loved every scene that they were in together - even when they were talking right over each other.
Most people I've talked to liked the first one better but said this movie was a good no brainer explosion summer movie but I didn't think it did that very well either. There were a few scenes that didn't even make sense as to why they were in there. The last third of the movie picked up and came together a little bit.
I was afraid the villians were going to start taking over the franchise but no worries there. I'm not sure why they went out of their way to cast Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke - they didn't use either actor very much and there is a point in the movie with ScarJo that had me laughing out loud. (If you've seen the movie - in the car when she changes - her before "in the car hair" and the "after hair" when she goes to kick butt!) I was unaware that you get new hair while putting on your superhero costume or she has amazing speed curling iron skills! She looked perfect while kicking ass and I mean perfect - it was weird...every kick ended in a strange little "look at me" pose.
I'll just say - go see it - you'll like it even though I didn't. I seem to have that kind of taste in movies....I usually like weird obscure movies that no one else likes and hate the ones everyone else loves....lol
BTW - For a second opinion - my husband (who loved the first one and is a big IM fan) thought it was boring.

Rating: We both give it 2.5 out of 4. Robert Downey Jr owns this role - just wish it was a smarter movie to go with the acting.

Movie - quick review: Kick Ass!

Review:
Kick Ass was…ultra violent, ultra graphic and full of vulgar language – and that’s just coming from the 11 year old girl Mindy aka: Hit Girl (played by Chloe Moretz)

And I loved it!

It’s not like any other comic book movie I’ve ever seen. The closest movie I can think to compare it to in terms of style/violence/humor is Shoot Em’ Up with Clive Owen.

Definitely NOT for the kiddies. There is the aforementioned violence . language, nudity (of the National Geographic variety) and a lot of sexual innuendo/humor (think teenage hormonal boy type stuff).

Rating: I would give it a 3.5 out of 4. If you like comic book movies and lean towards Quentin Tarantino – over the top graphic violence then this movie is for you!

* On a side note -My movie theater won't put the word *ass* on any of their signs for the movie. So everything  reads Kick A**....which just cracks me up....since I have to say Kick Ass to buy the ticket and the movie has been advertised everywhere - the poster is out front at the movie theater......It just amuses me as to what people think we need protection from. I suppose I can see it from a parental point of view but then they shouldn't show the movie then if they have an issue with the title. But that's a whole other topic! Reminds me of the South Park movie - Reportedly the original title was "South Park: All Hell Breaks Loose" but the MPAA wouldn't let them use the word "hell" so they changed it to "Bigger, Longer and Uncut" which the MPAA was fine with. hmmmmm

Visit the website for Kick Ass! http://www.kickass-themovie.com/Sure it had a few plot holes & dragged in spots but the action/gore was nonstop, had snarky humor, and a pretty good story. The movie would have been better if Hit Girl was the star and Kick Ass was the supporting player...but that's just me.

Movies....

Here are some brief reviews of a few movies I watched this past week......

How to Train Your Dragon:

AWESOME! Loved it....great story & animation, one of the first movies I've seen worth spending the extra $$'s to see in 3D. Audience members of all ages were laughing and enjoying this one! I'll be buying it when it comes out on DVD.

On Netflix:

Up: I really liked this....didn't see it when it came out because I thought it looked boring. I laughed - I cried. Surprisingly sweet and a little sad. Loved the dogs!! Did anyone take their kids to see Up? I wonder if kids would like it when it got serious or did they just enjoy the animation (which was amazingly beautiful)

Moon: Here's the description for this one from Amazon: Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the completion of his 3-year-long contract with Lunar Industries, mining Earth's primary source of energy on the dark side of the moon. Alone with only the base's vigilant computer Gerty (voiced by Oscar-Winner Kevin Spacey, 1999 Best Actor, American Beauty) as his sole companion, Bell's extended isolation has taken its toll. His only link to the outside world comes from satellite messages from his wife and young daughter. He longs to return home, but a terrible accident on the lunar surface leads to a disturbing discovery that contributes to his growing sense of paranoia and dislocation so many miles away from home. Moon is an engrossing, intelligent sci-fi thriller that ranks with genre classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey. My take - trippy.....very trippy. Had a really interesting concept but had some slow parts typical to low budget/indie films . I'd give it a 2.5 out 4 for a rating. If you check it out watch the short film extra "Whistle". Very good.

What have you been watching? Got a movie to recommend? Have a nice weekend!

Movie Review: Alice In Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is director Tim Burton's take on the classic tale, and it is all that you would expect from Burton visually. I loved the color pallete of pastels and muted tones with bursts of eyepopping color throughout.
Alice has been having dreams of “Wonderland” since she was a child. Now as an adult the White Rabbit has returned for her to defeat the Jabberwocky and save Wonderland from the Red Queen.
Mia Wasikowska's portrayal of Alice was the perfect balance to the trio of Burton, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. She kept the movie grounded and gave me someone to root for when it could have easily gone way over the top.
I'm not a big Helena Bonham Carter fan but I loved her as the Red Queen. First of all, you cannot stop laughing at that emormous head! but she also added a surprising depth to the character and I felt a lot of sympathy for her.
Johnny Depp was surprisingly bland and I couldn't understand what he was saying most of the time. I also didn't think he had much chemistry with the other actors.
As you would expect this is mostly a special effects movie and there is a lot of CGI used to varying degrees of success. One of the worst uses is with Stayne (played by Crispin Glover). His head is real but his body is CGI and his movements are very choppy. I'm still unsure of why they felt the need to use CGI for his character. Another example is with the horses...again, I'm not sure why they even used CGI for them except for when they talked.
Overall a fun movie......gorgeous to look at. It seemed like they attempted to flesh out a story but I just wasn't feeling the connection between the characters with the exception of Alice and the Red Queen and Stayne.
Note: I didn't see this in 3D so maybe the effects would be better in that format.

Rating: 3 out 4 Not perfect....but fun! See it on the big screen.

Running Length: 1hr 48min
MPAA Classification: PG
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Stephen Fry (voice), Michael Sheen (voice), Alan Rickman (voice)
Director: Tim Burton

MOVIE REVIEW: The Crazies

The Crazies is based on the 1973 George A. Romero film of the same name & Romero is listed as an Executive Producer on this film.
Timothy Olyphant stars as David Dutton, a sheriff of a small town in Iowa. While at a local high school baseball game one of the townspeople shows up on the field with a shotgun acting dazed and zombie-like. The man was a recovered alcoholic so his behavior is chalked up to falling off the wagon until more bizarre & violent incidences occur that can’t be explained away. David’s wife Judy (Radha Mitchell) the local doctor, also starts noticing strange behavior in her patients.
David, his deputy Russell (Joe Anderson), and Judy team up to investigate the cause of what they suspect is an outbreak but quickly find themselves on the run from not only the Crazies but also from the military whose orders are to contain the outbreak by any means necessary.
The Crazies is very reminiscent of 28 Days Later (which was a far better movie). It never quite lives up to that movie but has some very tense moments and smarter than average characters.
Olyphant’s portrayal of David as an intelligent sheriff was refreshing. He figured things out right away, did what had to be done in tough circumstances.
Which leads me to what I didn’t like………..in the second half of the movie it started to lose steam and the typical horror movie clichés kicked in. These otherwise smart characters started doing very dumb things. Like separating – even though you were attacked earlier for doing the same thing! Like walking off in a dark parking ALL ALONE to see what’s in a cargo bin. Like giving your gun away to someone who is infected! The list goes on but you get the idea. I know we need some of this for tension but it was tough to take when these people were so smart just 15 minutes ago!
Having said that, it is still one of the better horror movies I’ve seen in awhile. A few BOO! moments, some gross out violence and a few cringing – cover your eyes – moments. Timothy Olyphant as David grounded the movie and really made you care about what happened to these people.

Rating: I would give it a 3 out 4. Worth seeing if you love horror movies.

But Hollywood…………..why can’t you make a really good, scary, smart horror movie?

Running Time: 1hr 41minutes
Rated: R (Violence, Profanity)
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker
Director: Breck Eisner

Movie Reviews & Music

MOVIES:
*Hanna
*Source Code
*Flipped
*Iron Man 2
*Kick Ass!
*How to Train Your Dragon, Up, & Moon
*Alice in Wonderland (2010)
*The Crazies (2010)

MUSIC:
Tune in Tuesday: The Neighbourhood
Tune in Tuesday: Passenger
Tune in Tuesday: Wye Oak & The Black Keys
Tune in Tuesday - Kendra & Gotye
Tune in Tuesday: Kevin's picks - The Weepies, Massive Attack, The Grates
Tune in Tuesday: Young the Giant
Tune in Tuesday: Of Monsters and Men
Tune in Tuesday: Billie Holiday and Abba
Tune in Tuesday -I Melt with You - Modern English
Tune in Tuesday: Airborne Toxic Event
Tune in Tuesday: Soundtrack - Scrubs
Tune in Tuesday: Foster the People
Tune in Tuesday: Ed Sheeran
Tune in Tuesday: Lana Del Ray
Tune in Tuesday (Trent Reznor, Karen O, Laura Marling, The Kooks)
Florence and the Machine - "The Drumming Song"
Adele: "Rolling int he Deep" and "Lovesong"
Jump Back Jake
Summer Songs: Sleigh Bells, The Drums, Weezer
Broken Bells: Vaporize
Broken Bells: The Ghost Inside video
Cover: "Rocket Man" by Puscifer
Mumford and Sons
My Musical Evolution
Metric: Acoustic version of "Help I'm Alive"
Cover: "kids" by Weezer
The Eels - "The Look You Give That Guy"
Favorite music of 2009Publish Post