Skyfall

This newest Bond movie was visually stunning, but the plot was seriously lacking.  Yeah it had some crazy action sequences, and Javier Bardem was a pretty creepy bad guy, and there were some sweet throwbacks to the original films, but overall the story was just not there.  I could have done without the random references to Bond's childhood past, it felt very out of character.  And for almost the whole story revolving around saving M, I felt that Judi Dench kind of dropped the ball.  Bardem had a cool backstory, and was awesomely psychotic in his subtle way, and the film could have used more of him and less... sap.

I still think Daniel Craig is right up there for my favorite bond (rugged and manly yet human and fallible) but this film was less than I anticipated.

Wreck-It Ralph

Watched this one a while ago... but once again have fallen behind in my posting.  Damn busy life - HA!  These things just pile up, like old magazines you know you really want to read but as one goes on top of the next you are less motivated to tackle the pile.  Anyway, get ready for a slew of (albeit brief) movie commentary...

Wreck-It Ralph was better than I expected.  Cute, warm, and fuzzy I appreciated it on a totally surface level.  As to the deeper excitement of someone who recognizes all the old games as having played them  continuously as a child, well for that I cannot relate.  But that being said, I think it would have been cool if Ralph had hopped more than two games.  Would have been fun to travel with him through several different gaming worlds on his quest to obtain a medal...

Jane Lynch's character was fabulous.

HOP - Seven Psychopaths and Argo

WOOT to a successful hop.  I am a bit delayed in writing this, having done the hop a couple weeks ago now, but I do feel that it is important to stress that my procrastination should in no way affect how you view these films.

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS - This movie was not what I was expecting, and while that initially threw me through a loop it ended up being a good thing.  Several excellent character-actors made up the cast (including Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, and Woody Harrelson), and each of them were allowed the freedom to go full steam ahead embracing their crazy personas.  The film came across as slightly disjointed, but looking back I actually think of that as part of the film itself; the way it is a story commenting on the making of a story.

ARGO - Boom goes the dynamite.  Yes, yes I went there.  This is the best movie I have seen in a long time, and that says a lot coming from me, an admitted Hater of Ben Affleck.  I would avoid movies simply because he was in them, and lament his performance in every movie I did see.  But I think this actor has finally hit his stride... this film is really superb.  A blend of action, thriller, and yes some comedy (thanks Alan Arkin and John Goodman!) the movie covers a this-actually-happened topic with grace and surprising suspense (for a film in which you already know the ending).  Kudos Affleck, I will indeed go see your next movie.

Turn Me On, Dammit!

This film from Norway was not what I expected, in a "why is this so boring" sort of way.  How they managed to turn the premise of this racy indie-like film into something I had to physically hold my eyelids open for is beyond me.  I am struggling at the moment to find something redeeming to say... the actors tried really hard and the shots were borderline beautiful.  Oh, and it had a honest heartfelt message it was trying to get across.

The Switch

Yes, going along with my blog credo I admit to watching this movie.  My excuse is Jason Bateman, I really quite enjoy his sarcasm and witty humor.  But I know I know, that is really no excuse at all to subject oneself to such a terrible romcom, and I know that now.  I have learned my lesson - do not follow me following Bateman off the deep end.  Sometimes you just have to say no.

Looper

I really enjoyed this movie.  Any movie that is so entertaining it distracts me from what should be a relatively predictable end scores high in my book.  Throughout the movie there was a sense of "how is this going to resolve itself" which pushed the pace forward keeping the film moving.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been around since the early 90s, but it was not until recently that it seems his movie career has really taken off, and I think he has certainly risen to the occasion.  Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels and Bruce Willis were also pretty good, but the star was the little boy, five-year-old Pierce Gagnon.  This kid was extraordinary.

Anyway, fun times.  You should watch this movie.  Just don't think too hard about the time travel stuff. That always makes my head hurt...

Matador

Normally I am a fan of Pedro Almodovar's unique take in his films, but this one from 1986 was difficult to decipher... some parts were so ridiculous I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be some sort of joke!  Do I read it on the surface and make excuses like "oh, it's a foreign film" or "oh, it's just super dated" or do I attempt to give Almodovar the benefit of the doubt and assume he is making a deeper comment on the flaws in our society?  hmmm...

A film he did a few years later in 1990 - Tie Me Up!  Tie Me Down! (also starring Antonio Banderas) - was very similar to this one; a bit jumpy and disconnected, and thoroughly sexual.  In my opinion his most outstanding work was one of his recent films, the 2011 The Skin I Live In, which had similar themes and the same leading man, and is a fine example of the evolution of a talented director.