Mirror Mirror

Julia Roberts stole the show.  Hands down.  There was some really fun humor, a unique take on the seven dwarves, and it was refreshing the way live action and CGI elements (especially in the landscape) were blended together.  One interesting facet is that it almost seems as though the film was directed for the theater - the way it was shot and the characters placed on screen many scenes had minimal editing and appeared as though staged for an audience.  But it was too "sweet", and the Prince was absolutely dreadful.  And honestly, I also expected more from Nathan Lane's performance.  However, if you can get through the cheesy dumb stuff I do think it is worthwhile to see just for Julia.

Wrath of the Titans (3D)

You may be asking yourself, the first one was so bad why would anyone bother to see a sequel (nevermind make one)?  And I would say, good question.  I can only answer for myself, and in this case it was free and who am I to turn down a screening for a free fantasy-action flick?  And I kept telling myself, it could not possibly be worse than the first one...

I think it might be tied.  Cheesy dialogue aside, the movie starts and we meet up once again with Andromeda and... wait a second... totally different actress!  Instead of the brunette Alexa Davalos we now have a blond Rosamund Pike.  And the movie continues with a string of confounded plot points and anti-climatic moments.  Throw in some weird deja vu to Star Wars, and a Balrog, and the film is complete.  Hands down best part was Bill Nighy as Hephaestus.

The one good thing was that I managed to make it all the way through a 3D movie without getting a headache!  Yay!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Are you done laughing?  Not yet?  Ok, I'll wait...

After watching the first couple, I feel compelled to watch the rest of these films.  Don't ask me why.  Probably the same reason you feel compelled to eat that last slice of pizza even though you wanna puke, you are almost done, and just want to see it through to the end.

If you can believe it, this first installment of the last film was even worse than the previous two.  Horrible.  Half of it was a prolonged wedding ceremony, and the other half a disturbing waiting game for scary baby to be born.  At 117 minutes, it was 115 minutes too long (two minute scene of "wolf running through woods" was watchable)

Just one more to go.  Be strong.  

The Hunger Games

This was a movie where I felt not having read the book was a disadvantage.  As much detail as was included within, I still felt as though the filmmakers were assuming that their audience knew a lot of specifics from having read the book, and therefore left it out of the film.  Lucky for me, I attended a screening with someone who had that background knowledge and was able to share it in hushed tones as the movie progressed.

For a film that was hyped as much as this one was, I thought it was a let down.  Not nearly as good as I expected.  If it had been geared towards adults I think this movie could have been awesomely badass, but since it was focused on a target audience of teenie boppers it played its controversial content too "soft and mushy" for my taste.  However, if there is any take-away, I am now motivated to go out and read the series which I have heard has all the raw visceral emotion and violence that the movie does not...

The Man Who Cried

I stumbled on this movie when searching for "movies starring Johnny Depp which I have not seen" of which there are not many) and was surprised to find this number, which also stars Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, and John Turturro.  Depp is cast as a gypsy, which is kind of funny because in 2000 he starred in three films, two of which he was cast as a sexy gypsy (the other being Chocolat).  But let's be honest, when is this man not sexy?  Wait, I take that back... ::ahem:: Chocolate Factory ::ahem::

Anyway, this movie was ok.  Not bad, but not anything to write home about.  Just average.

Young Adult

This movie explores the ideas behind what it means to grow up and mature.  At first I thought it was going to be a comedy, but really I would consider it more of a drama.  Charlize Theron deserves props for being both annoying and repulsive yet oddly endearing at the same time.  Throughout the film you wonder about her delusions, why she is the way she is and if something actually might be wrong with her.  But the scary part comes when it dawns on you that there are many, many people out there in the real world that are exactly like her.  I wouldn't necessarily consider this a great film, but it is a great character study.

HOP - The Artist and 21 Jump Street

Talk about polar opposites, these two films could not be any more different.  But that was the beauty of this hop; it illustrates some of the many possibilities available in the movies - from polite silent black-and-white to colorful over-the-top comedy.

THE ARTIST - First I didn't want to see it.  Then people who's film opinions I pay attention to said it was amazing.  But I still did not go.  Then it won multiple Academy Awards, and yet I stayed home.  Finally the opportunity arose to catch it in the theater, when I needed a movie I had not already seen to pair with my hop, and off I went.  It was beautifully shot, and Jean Dujardin (who won a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a silent movie star) and Berenice Bejo were charming.  The silent films certainly require their own unique acting skill set with especially descriptive gestures and facial expressions.  At just 1hr 40min the film felt long, but I guess that is to be expected.  There was one scene in the middle with a glass that is absolutely terrific, if you have seen it you know what I am talking about.  But despite the well-deserved hype and the awards, I left this movie simply craving to watch Singin' in the Rain.

21 JUMP STREET - I am glad The Artist came first, as it would not have been good to do this hop in reverse order.  Having only watched a couple episodes of the original TV show I had pretty nonexistent expectations for this movie, so it was not hard for it to over-deliver haha  Not being a big fan of Channing Tatum I will admit that he could have been worse, and Jonah Hill was of course great.  I found myself literally laughing out loud on multiple occasions, which is rare for me.  Usually a film will get a smile and nod of approval, but not this one, this one I was guffawing with the rest of the audience.  The movie also did something that I love - it made fun of itself.  Is it as dumb as it looks?  Yes.  Can Tatum not act?  Yes.  But will you laugh?  Oh yes.

OH, and if you think that one kid reminds you of James Franco you are not far off...

The Skin I Live In

Fabulous.  Pedro Almodovar is a twisted genius.  You don't know what is going on, and you are mesmerized by it.  Then you do know what's going on, and you are even more mesmerized.  This film has layers upon layers, but at the most basic level you have Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeon carrying out secret artificial-skin experiments on a woman captive in his home.  Forget crap like The 13th Warrior and Spy Kids, Banderas was born to star in Almodovar films (as he has in several others).  This is a film you need to see, unless your idea of a good time is Puss in Boots, in which case this movie will most certainly make you squirm.  Be prepared to have your mind blown.

The Double

Rushed, and without any real surprises, this movie is an unfortunate waste of Richard Gere, Topher Grace, and Martin Sheen.  Not that any of these guys are really that great actors to start with, but I am still shocked that after reading the script they signed onto the film.  But then again looking at some of the films these actors have done just prior to this one maybe that is the point, they really haven't been reading scripts.  At least not lately...

Just going through the motions, there is no drive or motivation.  This film turned what could have been an intriguing suspenseful plot into a plodding boring mess by giving away all its secrets far too early.

Irreversible

This is not a movie to watch lightly.  I have not seen anything like it, nor do I think I care to in the future.  Complicated, and told in an unconventional manner, this French film is disturbingly graphic and often times difficult to sit through due to both the shooting style as well as the content.  Starring Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci, this story of a brutal rape and subsequent quest for revenge is told in reverse chronological order.  Bellucci, no stranger to taking on the challenge of emotionally difficult violent roles, shines in her time on screen and her performance will unnerve you.  This is an uncomfortable movie to watch, and as the screen goes black you will be left sitting on your couch feeling like your gut has been wrenched through your mouth.

Even the Rain

A movie about making a movie, this film touches on the concept of what happens when art imitates life, and vice versa.  Gael Garcia Bernal stars as a director working to create a film about Christopher Columbus, shooting in Bolivia against the backdrop of an uprising over the privatization of water.  If anything I thought this film could have gone deeper into its controversy, but as it stands it is a poignant reflection on a subject many people overlook.  And as a filmmaker it makes me wonder, what would I have done?

Captain America: The First Avenger

I need to preface this post by saying that the only reason I saw this film is because The Avengers is coming out soon, and I want to be prepared for what looks like a pretty great superhero movie.  I have not read any of the comics so this is the only way for me to get background information on the characters, and having seen all the other "preliminary" movies I figured it was only fair that I give Captain America a chance.  Big mistake.  Huge.

Enough with the montages - he is scrawny and sucks at his military training; he is performing in tights and raising money for bonds; he is searching out Hydra weapons plants - I get it.    Enough with the slow-motion flying through the air - I get it, he can leap tanks in a single bound.  Enough with the bad green screen - didn't you have the money to shoot on actual sets or locations, or at least do a halfway decent job at faking it?

A surprisingly good supporting cast, albeit Hugo Weaving strangely reminded me of Arnie as Mr. Freeze haha  Did anyone else get that?  HA

Wild Target

The first 20-30 minutes of this film were exceptional, I literally was sitting there watching the movie thinking damn, how have I not heard of this movie before, it is amazing!  Did I just discover one of the industry's hidden gems?  But then I kept watching.  As high as I got in that first half hour is as low as I got by the film's end.  Strong cast - with Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, and Rupert Grint, and an interesting story could not keep this movie afloat, and that baffles me.  How a cute, funny, well-shot, endearing and entertaining film so rapidly disintegrated into being slow, boring, and entirely uninteresting is a marvel of modern filmmaking.  Did the entire crew switch over part way through production?  Was the script lost, and hastily re-written by the producer's cat?  Hmmm...

Marathon Man

I thought this flick was going to be more intense than it actually was.  I imagine that in 1976 before the age of torture porn that the interrogation scene would have been terrifying, yet I feel that watching this movie for the first time in 2012 I was not able to fully appreciate the suspense and thrill that is a major basis of this film.  There was one fabulous moment in the movie that I cannot comment on more specifically without being a spoiler, but suffice it to say that even if you see it coming it is pretty awesome.  A little guy caught up in a big conspiracy, Dustin Hoffman was great as the "right guy in the wrong place" sort of character, and Laurence Olivier (nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) was eerily perfect as the evil torturing Nazi-dentist-diamond-smuggler (quite the character description haha).

Act of Valor

I have a lot of catching up to do... been watching movies and not updating my posts - gasp!

But it is unmotivating when you watch a string of uninspiring films, starting with this one.  Act of Valor did not know what it wanted to be - Documentary? US Navy propaganda film? Advertisement for some new Call of Duty game?  Who knows, as I sure don't, but as a result of this hodgepodge the movie felt very disjointed.  Add in real military men as "actors", two Directors with pretty much no directing experience, and a DP who occasionally seemed like he didn't know how to use the Canon 5D and you have a fairly unwatchable movie.  Some of the action sequences were fantastic (due to "disposable" cameras and what was probably very high-level access to military equipment) but that still does not compensate for all the rest.  Watching this movie, as one of the soldiers does a rockstar slide forward on his knees while shooting his weapon, and I could not help but wonder if real Navy Seals were rolling their eyes with me...