Potiche

This French film didn't quite live up to what its trailer promised.  Rather disappointing overall.  Maybe it had a moment here or there, but overall slow and ponderous.  Definitely had potential, interesting and dynamic storyline, but execution fell flat.  The film even had two great stars - Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu - but both are clearly past their prime, and that just makes it kind of sad to watch.

L.A. Story

A classic.  Good ol' Steve Martin, I love his work.  He is so quirky and endearing, such a character.  This film is typical of his earlier work - kind of odd and offbeat, not following any standard formula... which makes it at times off-putting or simply "too weird", yet with some really great one-liners and funny scenes.

This film has several other faces you will recognize - like Sarah Jessica Parker and Patrick Stewart - but Martin is the real shining star.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2D)

After watching this flick in HFR 3D I couldn't stop thinking about comparing it with a "normal" 2D showing - so off to the theater again I went... and DAMN are the different.

Even with intense pressuring I am not sure I can say which version I prefer, each one has its goods and bads.  The most noticeable difference was with the motion blur - after watching it in HFR, following that with a 2D showing, all the camera pans and high action seemed blurry or out of focus.  The HFR makes such an incredible difference when it comes to camera motion and fight sequences, the clarity is unparalleled.  

But that clarity doesn't help when it comes to incorporating CGI characters...

The first time around, with the LOTR trilogy, Peter Jackson utilized more real actors in full costume/make-up whereas with this movie it seems like he has forgone that for use of more CGI characters, and I think that is shame.  Gollum still looks amazing, but many of the others you see are clearly computer-generated.  Whereas in LOTR many of the Orcs and Uruk-hai were actual actors, especially those interacting with the primary characters, in this film that seems not to be the case.  For me it takes away an air of realism (speaking of a fantasy film that sounds like a dumb comment, but you get what I am saying, yes?) - and I will just go right out and say it - I thought that Azog the Defiler was pretty terrible.

On another note - I came across this blog entry that pretty accurately reflects how I feel about the movie as a whole (3D, 2D, and HFR aside haha)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (HFR 3D)

I had my doubts.  Curious about HFR (high frame rate) and dubious about 3D, I was not quite sure what I was getting myself into for this three-hour screening (other than the obvious that Peter Jackson + Middle Earth = awesome).  Without a "normal" 2D showing under my belt it is hard to make any direct comparisons, but I can tell you this - the HFR certainly has its pros and cons.  The sharpness and clarity made the action sequences simply astounding, yet for other moments it was almost too hyper-real.

Normally I am completely against 3D, but it was used much more subtly in this film - so much so that I often barely noticed it!  And when paired with the HFR, it made sequences like the battle in the goblin tunnels and the eagle flight simply breathtaking.

All the techno-jumble aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the three hours flew by.  It had its cheesy moments (like the hero shot of Thorin during battle) and its downright dumbed-down moments (the Great Goblin's last words...) but otherwise a fun frolic into Middle Earth.

The Expendables 2

You get exactly what you expect from this movie.  All your favorite old school action superstars together again, fighting a similar fight all spouting their same classic dialogue.  Amidst the hokiness you did have some special moments - usually delivered by the better actors of the group (Bruce Willis, Jason Statham... and when they are "better actors" you are generally in trouble haha  But Willis made a valiant effort with the rather horrible re-used lines he was given)  Jean-Claude Van Damme does a shockingly good job as the bad guy, and while the female lead wasn't terrible I still wish they had cast a famous female action star to keep in line with the rest of the cast - maybe Lucy Liu?

Lots of plot holes and complete randomness... issues with continuity... poor effects... shoddy lighting... but getting the action-star gang of our past together again?  Priceless.

Safety Not Guaranteed

From the very beginning of this movie I was wondering how it would end.  So many possibilities and the surprising thing was I wasn't sure what I expected, not sure which ending I hoped for.

It was a super cute quirky movie, very indie, and thoroughly enjoyable.  Aubrey Plaza, of Parks & Recreation fame, was outstanding.

Airplane Whirlwind

No, "Airplane Whirlwind" is not the name of a movie.  Instead, it refers to the recent overseas trip I took in which I watched a total of five movies while in flight.  One sentence posts follow:

MEN IN BLACK III - Nothing is as good as the first one.  Not even with adding Josh Brolin.

TED - The teddy bear was funny.  And Giovanni Ribisi.  The rest I could have done without.

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD - I can see why this film didn't have commercial success... it had ups and downs, but the end is just... OY

THE WATCH - Disappointed in this one.  Stellar cast.  Crap movie.

DARK SHADOWS - Oh Johnny, how far you have fallen.  This goes for you too, Burton.

Overall, 0 for 5.  I don't think I would recommend any of these movies to anyone.  Well, maybe Ted...  I seriously struck out, but at least I didn't waste a Netflix DVD rental...