tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54883226580761384492024-02-20T18:18:28.006-07:00Movie Man MillsFrom Movies to Jon Mills and back!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-37069061484968743152018-03-26T11:19:00.002-06:002018-03-26T11:19:43.366-06:00Molly's Game Review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are certain creative people that just hit us right
between the eyes. They speak to us. While not everything that a specific
creative person does appeals to that person’s fans, generally speaking, the
fans are more geared to enjoy the work that person creates. For some people, it
may be painting, and others may be spoken to by architecture, writing,
sculpture, directing, acting, the list goes on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For most people of
my generation, Steven Spielberg is very much a director like that. Maybe Empire
of the Sun and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull were not in your wheelhouse, but
you cant imagine a world without ET, Jurassic Park, and Schindler’s List. I
currently work with someone who feels that everything that Quentin Tarantino
touches is gold. I am a huge fan of both Spielberg and Tarantino, but they each
have certain projects that they have been connected to that speak to me more
than others.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spielberg and
Hitchcock are two of my personal creative idols. I would also put Cameron
Crowe, John Sayles, and Rob Thomas (not the musician) also very high on my
list. But, the talent that speaks to me first and foremost is writing. As a
book author, Stephen King tops my list. But the current writing talent who creates
both film and television who speaks to me most is Aaron Sorkin.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on my mission
in France when A Few Good Men came out, but it was one of the first films that
I saw when I got home and I loved it! A courtroom drama with such amazing,
crackling dialogue is definitely something I can appreciate!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know this
until a couple of years ago, but I actually heard Sorkin dialogue on my first
day back in theaters after my mission. Since A Few Good Men was so widely
loved, for a few years, Sorkin worked as a script doctor on many huge hit films
in the mid ‘90’s and, looking back on it, it is quite obvious to hear Sorkin
dialogue in Spielberg’s aforementioned Jurassic Park. If you’re a Sorkin fan,
think about it. Most everything out of Goldblum’s mouth was probably reworked
by Sorkin in some way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aaron Sorkin went
on to write the film The American President (the less said about Malice the
better, except for Baldwin’s ‘I am God’ speech) and Michael Douglas’ blistering
speech at the end of that film made me take notice of who wrote that film.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tuned into the TV
show SportsNight for 2 reasons- it was written by the guy who wrote The
American President and it was right after Michael J Fox’s show Spin City, so I
only had to elongate the taping time to catch SportsNight anyway. So I did.
Even though I didn’t (and still don’t) care about sports. But ABC’s advertising
called SportsNight a “Tv show about sports the same way that Charlie’s Angels
was about law enforcement”. Even though it took 22 minutes for Casey McCall to
come out of his funk from his recent divorce to do a cold tease about their
upcoming show, I was basically a goner after a studio technician was asked to
ensure that Helsinki was in Sweden and Dan Rydell responded with, “Yea, we
think there’s a pretty good chance!” But, especially after SportsNight’s second
episode where Dan had to give an on-air apology about an interview he gave and
he ended up apologizing to his dead brother for mistakes made in his past, that
I realized that Sorkin could tackle issues, comedy, and drama in even measure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorkin would go on
to write 2 seasons of SportsNight, the first 4 seasons of The West Wing, 1
season of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (and, while still having its share of
problems, a show I feel is much better than 30 Rock), 3 seasons of The Newsroom
(whose opening scene is a constant Facebook meme), along with the scripts for
Charlie Wilson’s War, Bulworth, he co-scripted Moneyball, wrote Steve Jobs (the
Michael Fassbender version NOT the Ashton Kutcher version), and The Social
Network (whose opening scene of dropping you right into the middle of an
argument and expecting you to keep up is still my favorite thing ever written
for the screen).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this point of me
explaining my adoration for all things Sorkin, you will pretty much be able to
tell that I went into Molly’s Game extremely biased and also, if it will be
your cup of tea or not.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Molly’s Game is based on the true story of Molly Bloom who,
after flaming out in grand style during the final qualifying mogul skiing run
before <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the 2002 Salt Lake Winter
Olympics, ends up going to Los Angeles, working for a real estate broker and
running that broker’s weekly poker games. In real life, these games included
such stars as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey McGuire, Todd
Phillips, A-Rod, and many more. Molly ended up taking over this game, and,
after leaving Los Angeles and moving to New York, starting up her own game at
an even higher price and running the highest priced private poker games in the
nation. Until she ran into trouble with the law by crossing a small line and
getting into trouble with the Federal Government.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Molly’s Game, using
Sorkin’s trademark back-and-forth style starts his film with the ski trial,
then with Molly getting arrested, then flashbacks to explain how she got where
she was, and continuing a forward motion story of Molly with her lawyer and how
she is trying to stay out of prison while keeping her dignity. Sorkin (also
directing for his first time) jumps out of the gate and never slows down. He
expects you to keep up for the entire 2 hour and 20 minute runtime.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorkin is known for
using very fast paced dialogue to explain hard to explain things in a very
compact way, but also while using high aptitude language. In order to speak
Sorkinese, an actor has to be of a very high caliber to ensure that the words
placed in their mouths come out flowing instead of tripping and dribbling. This
is why I have had to rethink my initial impressions of Matthew Perry, Jesse Eisenberg,
Brad Pitt, and Jonah Hill.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, Molly’s
Game is lead by Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba. They are high quality actors
who feel comfortable with Sorkin’s words in their mouths and it sounds right
coming from them. Normally, near the end of a Sorkin script, one character gets
to use all the bombast at their disposal to make large declarative statements
that sum up the themes of the story. Idris Elba gets that chance here and he
does it in a very non-bombastic way, but it works perfectly and gets the point
across just as powerfully.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chastain is always
powerful on screen and solidifies it here. Having read the book written by the
real Molly Bloom, Chastain puts the attitude of the real Bloom in her
performance and, mixed with Sorkin’s dialogue, gives a, perhaps, career high
performance. Elba keeps up with her in every way. His role is more to pull the
exposition for the audience out of Molly and he gives a fascinatingly strong,
even performance. Where many actors could have blustered their way through it,
Elba subtly nudges the audience through the emotions and the case, and gets the
quiet moments of power. Chastain’s is the showy role, but Elba’s is the solid
rock that she can bounce off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a first time
director, it is easy to see that Sorkin studied the people who have directed
his previous scripts and used some of their tricks to keep the camera and the
forward motion of the picture moving while the dialogue keeps going at a
breakneck pace. There are several times where one can see an exact directoral
lift from SportsNight’s own poker episode ‘Shoe Money Tonight’. Other times,
you can see a camera angle that David Fincher would have used in Social
Network. Yet, Sorkin makes it his own and keeps the movie’s pace humming right
along. He doesn’t get in his own way. He trusted Chastain and the film’s
costume designer to choose clothing that looks expensive and sexy, yet never in
a sexualized way. In a year which could be called The Year of the Woman, a very
strong female story and performance is guided by a man who trusts the women
around him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are not a
Sorkin fan, this film will not change your mind. In fact, to paraphrase Spinal
Tap, How much more Sorkin could it be? None. None more Sorkin. But, if you are
a fan, or even intrigued a little bit by this story, give it a shot.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Molly’s Game is as
much about poker as SportsNight was about sports and Charlie’s Angels was about
law enforcement. Even if you don’t know a straight from a Royal Flush, I would
recommend that you give this film a whirl and jump right in.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Living in St
George, this film was only playing for 2 weeks and I only got to see it twice.
As of this moment, it is my favorite film of the year 2017. I still have a lot
of films that I still need to see from 2017, but I do not see Molly’s Game
falling that far down my list, no matter what. I will definitely be watching
Molly’s Game many, many more times throughout this year and the rest of my
life. But, I am an obsessive Sorkin fan, and that is just part of what I do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Molly’s Game is a
tour de force of acting and writing, and many times in a film, that’s what
captivates me- a character and an actor portraying that character’s emotions
through a well written script. There are no explosions in Molly’s Game, and it
couldn’t be called an action film by any stretch of the imagination, but it
shows you just how breathless words and actors can make an audience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Film rating- 10/10<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Movie rating- 10/10<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-1112210038040391192018-03-26T11:18:00.001-06:002018-03-26T11:18:51.351-06:00Insidious- The Last Key Review Review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Horror films are a
strange quantity to review. Generally speaking, people like comedies if they
make them laugh, dramas if they feel something, and action films if things are
kept moving and enough stuff blows up or goes flying through the air-
specifically on fire. Horror films, though, people tend to like for a lot of
different reasons. Some people want to be creeped out, others want to laugh at
how stupid they are, some want to see how bloody and gory they get, and some
just want their significant other to hold them just a little bit tighter on the
way home from the theater.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gets even
tougher to review a horror film that is the fourth film in a franchise-
especially a franchise about which I have very conflicted feelings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Insidious
franchise comes from the mind of Leigh Wannell, who gave us the Saw franchise,
and Jason Blum, the producer of such varied micro-budgeted films as Get Out,
The Purge, Split, and Jem and the Holograms. It should be noted that Insidious
was never meant to be a franchise, but when your $1.5 million budgeted horror
film makes a $95 million profit, the studio wants you to keep making them. As
such, the four Insidious films have a chronological continuity of films 3, 4
(The Last Key), 1, and 2. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since this film
bridges films 3 and 1, if you have not seen either of those films, then I would
not recommend seeing this one. While The Last Key tells a relatively straight
forward story in and of itself, it does not go into details such as what
exactly is The Further? How does one get to The Further? Who is Dalton? Who is
Quinn? Who are any of these characters? Why does a red door matter? And if none
of this makes any sense to you, then Insidious The Last Key is not a film for
you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sequel to the
prequel, this film goes back in time and starts with, and then intermingles,
the childhood of current psychic Elise Rainier with a case that is presently
taking place at the house where she was raised. We find out why Tucker and
Specs wear the outfits they wear and get in on an early case with Elise and her
sidekicks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before getting
deeper into this film, it must be said that I loved the original Insidious. It
reinvented the genre and created an immense amount of tension and scares and
creepiness that was all done in a way that looked so easy (and most of the
effects and scares were done in a very inventive yet physically simple way
which could technically be done by any film student) but needs a real pro of
storytelling and directing to be able to pull it off. The strong alpha-female
mother character played by Rose Byrne who would do anything to protect and get
her son back brought a strong emotional kick to the proceedings that created a
real backbone for the story. Byrne and her husband, played by Patrick
Wilson,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>get a psychic (Lin Shaye) who
helped Wilson’s character with some disturbing things when he was younger.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then came Insidious
Chapter 2 which, in my opinion, turned Byrne’s character into a damsel in
distress a few too many times and took away her strength and decision making
capabilities, and let Shaye’s psychic (who is still an intriguing character) do
the saving of the family.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Insidious 3,
like I said, we jumped back several years and Shaye’s psychic character is
helping a young motherless girl who is stuck in a cast at home, being
terrorized by an entity in the building which may be affecting her friends as
well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In The Last Key,
we now go back and try to explain how all these films connect in a way that
isn’t just through Lin Shaye’s character while making the film solely about
her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is both a
very good and a very bad thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lin Shaye, as Elise
Rainier, is easily the best part of this film. She immediately gains your
empathy and is very likeable right off the bat. When she is frightened, you are
right there with her, when she feels sad, or overwhelmed, or mildly amused, you
feel it, too. Unfortunately, this is not a one person show.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Horror films almost
always need at least a bit of humor injected into the runtime so that a little
pressure can be released before the next big scare. The humor used in this film
feels weak and forced and the characters to whom it is given do not perform it
well and the humor is more cringe-inducing and seems like it comes from a
Saturday Night Live sketch mocking the Insidious films instead of from an
Insidious film. Another couple of actors also seem to be in that same SNL
sketch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scares in the
original Insidious film were all very low tech, but here, the need for special
effects and CGI, for me, lessened the terror in the film. While some of the
shots are indeed, very creepy, after the camera cut from the shot, it didn’t
stay with me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My problem with
this film comes purely down to the script and the direction. Needing to connect
all of these films with something other than the psychic Elise Rainier also
felt like more of a studio need for another film in the franchise than a plot
or story need to wrap things up. Is the main plot idea a bad one? Not at all.
In fact, in and of itself, if it could have just told the story of Elise as a
child and how it affected her work in modern day, I think it would have been a
solid entry, but needing to tie everything together and lace it with some badly
timed and written humor creates more of a feeling of ‘meh’ then anything else.
Also, several of the performances come across as ham handed, over the top, and
don’t fit emotionally. There is also an over-reliance on musical stinging jump
scares. If a horror film has nothing else in its playbook, it has almost
nothing, and they go to this well a few too many times, instead of trying to
create a truly scary scene.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, with all of
these problems, I would also be lying if I said that certain scenes didn’t work
on an emotional or creepy level. They do. Special mention must be made for many
of the actresses in the film, not just Lin Shaye, who do more for this film
than they have any right to do. Even the emotionally cathartic resolutions all
hit home for me when, purely by the film and script alone, they didn’t earn it.
It’s just that the good is on screen with the bad at the exact same time and it
makes the viewing a very jarring one, and not in the ways the filmmakers
intended, I am sure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are a fan of
these films, I would definitely say to go see it- not that me telling you not
to see it would really keep you away. If you have always been interested in
these films, but have yet to see any of them, start with the first one. If you
see every horror film that comes out, you will have seen much better and also
much worse.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For me in rating films, a film rating is more of a critical
rating and the movie rating is more of an audience type of rating.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Insidious The Last Key-<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Film Rating- 3<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Movie rating- 5<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-28567724425643679902018-01-22T05:14:00.001-07:002018-01-22T05:14:47.991-07:00Where Have I Been?It has been one heck of a last 2 years.<br />
I kept wanting to start the blog back up, but, again, just like after my dad died, there were so many things that happened, and I didnt know how to start back up. So, here is the start back up!<br />
I don't want to get into all of it, but here is the gist of it.<br />
<br />
1- In August of 2015, I had implantable corrective lenses put in my eyes. I was lucky, and got to be the 1 percent of people who have the surgery who get cataracts from it. So, in August of 2017, I got the cataracts taken care of. Due to the cataracts, I had to crank the magnification up on my computer and I couldnt really see it unless it was at 600%. Try that. Crank your computer up to that high of magnification and see how much fun it is to be on the computer.<br />
2- I was working 2 jobs- Protection 1 and Megaplex Theaters. My job at Protection 1 got phased out so I got put into the general customer service area and, because I was new to customer service, I was given the worst shifts possible (even though I had been at the company for 9 years) and had to make my Megaplex shifts work around those crappy shifts.<br />
3- I eventually left Protection 1 to work for another company (which I would prefer not to name). I was hired to do one thing and, almost every week, my job description got changed, and I was never trusted to do any part of the job, until I was given an impossible job and tasks and, when it didn't work, I was let go...the week before Thanksgiving. So, Megaplex became my main job.<br />
4- In a 6 month period, I had a car fire, my car was totalled, but I was safe. So, I got a new car, and then got into an accident which totalled that car. And I am now on my third car in about a 15 month period. Hopefully I will have this one for a while.<br />
5- My wife Aleisha and I seperated in August of 2016. She moved to Austin, Texas. We tried to make it work for 10 months, but, on June 2, 2017, Aleisha asked for a divorce. This was after we had already started the process to get back together in St. George, UT, but things just weren't progressing in that way. I filed the divorce papers in Salt Lake. Since the process had already begun, I continued to move and so, I am now ,living in St. George, Utah. The divorce finalized the day before Thanksgiving 2017. So, as of this writing, I have now been single for 2 months.<br />
6- I was able to transfer to a theater in St George with Megaplex, so I am now an Assistant Manager at the discount theater in St George. I am working on trying to get as many smaller and independent films to the theater as I can. The first one I fought for, Megan Leavey, was one of our top sellers of 2017. I also made Team Leader of the year after just 6 months at that theater. I am quite proud of that achievement!<br />
7- I have started a movie club with my friends from the theater, showing them some of my favorite films of all time and talking about them.<br />
8- I am working on writing curiculuum with my mom for a school down here in Southern Utah. We just started, so I dont have much more information, but it feels great to get back to writing!<br />
9- I have also started writing movie reviews again and I am initially sending them to a website called www.filmsleeprepeat.com. After being there for a short while exclusively, I will start posting them here and on my podcast site so that I will have record of them, no matter what happens in the future to the other site.<br />
10- I have also started writing the sequel to my fiction series novel, the continuing adventures of Jonathan Edward Mills. Boy, does it feel great to write again!<br />
11- At this time, I still have the four cats- Ainsley, Calleigh, Felicity, and Cordy. They have helped me immensely during this transition period.<br />
<br />
So, as January 2017 comes to a close, I am 45 years old, newly divorced, single, now living alone in St. George, Utah, working at a local movie theater, writing movie reviews for a blog, writing history curiculuum for a school with my mom, working on a sequel to my book, trying to get that all published, and trying to start over again.<br />
<br />
It's hard, but I feel good. It's not where I would ever have chosen to be, but, it seems to be working out.<br />
<br />
I'm back!<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-23005852641384904172015-12-30T10:00:00.001-07:002015-12-30T10:00:33.228-07:00What I Watched in 2015Since I am working both jobs between now and the end of the year, this is my final list for the year of 2015. I have not had a chance to see any movies in the past 2 weeks because of working both jobs like crazy, but I will be catching up on some of those in the first week or two of 2016. I will also be catching up on many films that I missed in theaters that are coming out on video in the next month or so, so I will be posting my 'Best of' list just before the Oscars, so that I may also include Oscar nominated films that slipped by me.<br />
<br />
So, without further ado, here is my list of everything I saw in 2015:<br />
<br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Previous Years’ films</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Annapolis</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Matinee</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Grandma’s Boy</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Program</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Supercross</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Fire with Fire</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Bride Wars</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Fame- 2009</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Making of Alien 4</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Father Hood</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">10</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Trouble with the
Curve</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Innkeepers</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Star Wars</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Full ReWatch with others</span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cheers Ssn 3</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cheers Ssn 4</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Veronica Mars Ssn 1</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Boyhood</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Whiplash</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Birdman</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">17 Again</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Amazing Spider Man 2</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Life Itself</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Ghostbusters 2</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lego Movie</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">John Wick</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Blended</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When the Game Stands
Tall</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Million Dollar Arm</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Alexander and the
Terrible Day</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">About Last Night</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Big Hero 6</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Guardians of the Galaxy</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Annie- 2014</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Trance</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rocky</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Big Eyes</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Into the Storm</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Iron Giant</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hot Fuzz- 3x</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Commitments- 2x</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Prisoners</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">TV Series</span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Benson Ssn 1</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Benson Ssn 2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Big Bang Theory Ssn
7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Big Bang Theory Ssn
8</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Castle Ssn 6</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Castle Ssn 7</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Charlie’s Angels Ssn
3</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">CSI Ssn 14</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">CSI Ssn 15</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">CSI Cyber Ssn 1</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Dallas Ssn 1</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Dallas Ssn 2</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">iZombie Ssn 1</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mentalist Ssn 6</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mentalist Ssn 7</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Nashville Ssn 1</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Psych Ssn 8</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rizzoli & Isles
Ssn 5</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rockford Files Ssn 1</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Scrubs ssn 4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Scrubs Ssn 5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Scrubs Ssn 6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Scrubs Ssn 7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Scrubs Ssn 8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Scrubs Ssn 9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Streets of San
Francisco Ssn 5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Vegas Sssn 1 V 1</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Wings Ssn 1</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Wings Ssn 2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">2014films</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
American Sniper- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Inherent Vice</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Foxcatcher</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Selma</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Babadook</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ida</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unbroken</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still Alice</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Laggies</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr. Turner</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two Days One Night</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">2015 Films</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span></b>
<div class="WordSection2">
<div class="MsoNormal">
1-Taken 3</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2- Woman in Black 2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3- Wedding Ringer- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4- Project Almanac</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5- Jupiter Ascending</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6- Black Sea</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7- Loft</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8- Fifty Shades of Grey</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
9- Hot Tub Time Machine 2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10- McFarland USA</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
11- Kingsmen- The Secret Service</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12- Focus</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
13- DUFF- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
14- Lazarus Effect</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
15- Chappie</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
16- Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17- Unfinished Business</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18- Cinderella- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
19- Run All Night</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
20- Last Five Years- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
21- Ala Mala- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
22- Insurgent</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
23- It Follows</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
24- Get Hard</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
25- Furious 7</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
26- Woman in Gold</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
27- Freetown</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
28- Longest Ride</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
29- Danny Collins</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
30- Unfriended- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
31- Paul Blart Mall Cop 2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
32- Ex Machina</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
33- Age of Adaline- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
34- Monkey kingdom</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
35- Avengers- Age of Ultron</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
36- Water Diviner</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
37- Hot Pursuit</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
38- Paddington</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
39- Most Violent Year</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
40- Spare Parts- 2x</div>
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41- Pitch Perfect 2- 3x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
42- Mad Max Fury Road</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
43- Mortdecai</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
44- Poltergeist</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
45- Roar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
46- The Voices</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
47- Boy Next Door</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
48- Cut Bank</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
49- Aloha</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
50- Seventh Son</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
51- Good Kill</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
52- Tomorrowland</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
53- San Andreas- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
54- Far From the Madding Crowd</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
55- Spy- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
56- Entourage- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
57- Jurassic World- 3x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
58- Cokeville Miracle</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
59- Insidious Chapter 3</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
60- Love & Mercy- 3x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
61- Red Army</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
62- Blackhat</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
63- Black or White</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
64- Wild Tales</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
65- Inside Out</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
66- Ted 2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
67- Dope</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
68- Max</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
69- Terminator Genisys</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
70- Magic Mike XXL</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
71- Me & Earl & the Dying Girl</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
72- Kill Me Three Times</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
73- Minions</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
74- Gallows</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
75- Self/Less</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
76- Ant-Man</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
77- Trainwreck- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
78- Pixels- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
79- Mr. Holmes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
80- Southpaw</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
81- Paper Towns</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
82- Blindsided</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
83- Vacation</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
84- Mission Impossible- Rogue Nation</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
85- Batkid Begins</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
86- Amy</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
87- Fantastic Four</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
88- The Gift- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
89- Ricki & the Flash</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
90- Irrational Man</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
91- Shaun the Sheep</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
92- Straight Outta Compton</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
93- Once I Was a Beehive- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
94- Vatican Tapes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
95- American Ultra</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
96- No Escape</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
97- Hitman- Agent 47</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
98- Man From U.N.C.L.E.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
99- We Are Your Friends</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
100- Walk in the Woods</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
101- Burying the Ex</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
102- Cake</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
103- The Visit</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
104- The D Train</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
105- Transporter Refueled</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
106- True Story</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
107- Maze Runner- Scorch Trials</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
108- Barely Lethal</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
109- Meru</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
110- Everest</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
111- Do You Believe?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
112- Perfect Guy</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
113- Captive</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
114- Martian- 3x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
115- The Walk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
116- Pan</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
117- Intern</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
118- Hotel Transylvania 2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
119- 99 Homes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
120- Ladrones</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
121- Goosebumps</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
122- Crimson Peak</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
123- Just Let Go</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
124- Sicario</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
125- I’ll See You in My Dreams</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
126- Return to Sender</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
127- Woodlawn</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
128- Last Witch Hunter</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
129- Paranormal Activity- Ghost Dimension</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
130- Steve Jobs- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
131- Jem & the Holograms</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
132- Rock the Kasbah</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
133- Scouts Guide to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Zombie Apocalypse</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
134- Burnt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
135- Truth</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
136- Spectre- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
137- Our Brand is Crisis</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
138- Miss You Already</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
139- Suffragette</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
140- When We’re Young</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
141- Final Girls- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
142- She’s Funny That Way</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
143- Final Girl</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
144- Bridge of Spies</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
145- Peanuts Movie</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
146- My All American</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
147- Love the Coopers</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
148- Hunger Games- Mockingjay Part 2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
149- Night Before</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
150- Secret in Their Eyes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
151- Spotlight- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
152- Creed</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
153- Electric Boogaloo- Story of Cannon</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
154- Good Dinosaur</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
155- Victor Frankenstein</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
156- The 33</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
157- Brooklyn- 2x</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
158- Krampus</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
159- Trumbo</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
160- Christmas Eve</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
161- Cooties</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
162- Stanford Prison Experiment</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
163- In the Heart of the Sea</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
164- Mississippi Grind</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
165- Room</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
166- Star Wars- Force Awakens</div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Missed in Theaters</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Romance in the Outfield</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gunman</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Child 44</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
War Room</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mistress America</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sinister 2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
90 Minutes in heaven</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Grandma</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Learning to Drive</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pawn Sacrifice</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Green Inferno</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Freeheld</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Black Mass</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">To<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See in
Theaters</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sisters</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alvin & Chipmunks</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Big Short</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Point Break</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Joy</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Concussion</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Daddy’s Home</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hateful Eight</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Danish Girl</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-20039469581343433602015-12-08T09:44:00.000-07:002015-12-08T09:44:09.299-07:00Top Films of 2014 #16- 1<b>16- Imitation Game</b><br />
<br />
<b>15- Lego Movie</b><br />
<br />
<b>14- Gone Girl</b><br />
<br />
<b>13- Guardians of the Galaxy</b><br />
<br />
<b>12- 22 Jump Street</b><br />
<br />
<b>11- Fault in Our Stars</b><br />
<br />
<b>10- Veronica Mars</b><br />
<br />
<b>9- Raid 2</b><br />
<br />
<b>8- Edge of Tomorrow</b><br />
<br />
<b>7- Captain America- Winter Soldier</b><br />
<br />
<b>6- Theory of Everything</b><br />
<br />
<b>5- Whiplash</b><br />
<br />
<b>4- Chef</b><br />
<br />
<b>3- Begin Again</b><br />
<br />
<b>2- Life Itself</b><br />
<br />
<b>1- How to Train Your Dragon 2 </b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-16591930267901344482015-12-08T09:38:00.002-07:002015-12-08T09:39:44.459-07:00Great Films, but Missing That Extra Little Thing- #32- 17<b>32- Still Alice</b><br />
<br />
<b>31- Nightcrawler</b><br />
<br />
<b>30- John Wick</b><br />
<br />
<b>29- Big Hero 6</b><br />
<br />
<b>28- The Drop</b><br />
<br />
<b>27- Kill the Messenger</b><br />
<br />
<b>26- Most Wanted Man</b><br />
<br />
<b>25- Walk Among the Tombstones</b><br />
<br />
<b>24- Foxcather</b><br />
<br />
<b>23- Oculus</b><br />
<br />
<b>22- Babbadook</b><br />
<br />
<b>21- X-Men Days of Future Past</b><br />
<br />
<b>20- Big Eyes</b><br />
<br />
<b>19- This is Where I Leave You</b><br />
<br />
<b>18- American Sniper</b><br />
<br />
<b>17- Boyhood</b><br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-11847299792374809512015-12-08T09:33:00.002-07:002015-12-08T09:34:10.883-07:00Good For What They Were, but Better Than Expected- #80- 33<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>80- Million Dollar Arm- </b>While I enjoyed this film quite a bit
while watching it and I have recommended it many times,, it just felt a little
blah at the same time. The acting is great, with Jon hamm, lake Bell, and Alan
Arkin, and the Indian actors are a joy to watch, but, again, even though this
is a true story, it is still a very cliched version of the way to tell it.
There is the businessman who takes a last chance effort to make his business
succeed. It works for a while, but everything hinges on these people from a
different culture who he brings to the US and they have the predictable
fish-out-of-water-experience. There is failure, they teach him what life is
truly about, they get one last shot and, success and he turns his life around
because of their influence. While admittedly rousing and fun, it also is way
too long, and not quite as interesting as it thinks it is.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>79- Muppets Most Wanted</b>- The music was nowhere near as good as
the last one, although it is still fun enough, the story seems much more
slapdash without the heart of the best Muppet films (and also has a feeling of
Great Muppet Caper reboot), but this is still an entertaining fun time with the
felt fiends. It still gets good mileage out of a bunch of silly gags and I
loved Tina Fey overplaying it as the Warden of a gulag. And Danny Trejo
because, you know, why not? I realize that this is just a feeling of whining of
‘it’s not as good as the last one’, but, I also don’t see this holding up
through the years as well as some of the others, either.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>78- Maze Runner</b>- I saw this in Dolby Atmos and, as the walls
moved and changed, the theater rumbled and came alive. I was really into the
plot and intrigued as to where it was going and what this island was and how
they were going to escape…. And then the last ten minutes came, and I just
didn’t care anymore. It took the generic,
dystopian-future-kids-are-being-tested storyline instead of going with
something more interesting and thinking outside of the box. It became what it
hadn’t been until that point and my interest level bottomed out. Am I going to
see the sequel? Yes, because it’s a movie, but even the sequel seems by the
numbers and as uninteresting as it can get.<br />
<br />
<b>77-Inherent Vice</b><br />
<br />
<b>76- Top Five</b><br />
<br />
<b>75- Exodus: Gods and Kings</b><br />
<br />
<b>74- Mr. Peabody & Sherman</b><br />
<br />
<b>73- As Above So Below</b><br />
<br />
<b>72- Cantinflas</b><br />
<br />
<b>71- Stalingrad</b><br />
<br />
<b>70- Paranormal Activity- Marked Ones</b><br />
<br />
<b>69- Robocop</b><br />
<br />
<b>68- 13 Sins</b><br />
<br />
<b>67- November Man</b><br />
<br />
<b>66- Deliver Us From Evil</b><br />
<br />
<b>65- Two Days One Night</b><br />
<br />
<b>64- Selma</b><br />
<br />
<b>63- Neighbors</b><br />
<br />
<b>62- Book Of Life</b><br />
<br />
<b>61- St. Vincent</b><br />
<br />
<b>60- Heaven is for Real</b><br />
<br />
<b>59- Godzilla</b><br />
<br />
<b>58- Snowpiercer</b><br />
<br />
<b>57- Ida</b><br />
<br />
<b>56- Horrible Bosses 2</b><br />
<br />
<b>55- Laggies</b><br />
<br />
<b>54- Bad Words</b><br />
<br />
<b>53- About Last Night</b><br />
<br />
<b>52- Mas Negro Que La Noche</b><br />
<br />
<b>51- Non Stop</b><br />
<br />
<b>50- Equalizer</b><br />
<br />
<b>49- Wild</b><br />
<br />
<b>48- Gambler</b><br />
<br />
<b>47- Belle</b><br />
<br />
<b>46- Birdman</b><br />
<br />
<b>45- Boxtrolls</b><br />
<br />
<b>44- When the Game Stands Tall</b><br />
<br />
<b>43- Interstellar</b><br />
<br />
<b>42- Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit</b><br />
<br />
<b>41- Hector & the Search for Happiness</b><br />
<br />
<b>40- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes</b><br />
<br />
<b>39- Draft Day</b><br />
<br />
<b>38- Meet the Mormons</b><br />
<br />
<b>37- Into the Woods</b><br />
<br />
<b>36- Mom's Night Out</b><br />
<br />
<b>35- Vampire Academy</b><br />
<br />
<b>34- 50 to 1</b><br />
<br />
<b>33- Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day</b><br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-16786274091500074282015-08-31T16:03:00.001-06:002015-08-31T16:03:09.152-06:00Pure Entertainment #89- #81<b>Pure Entertainment- </b>These are films which are exactly what they want to be- and they don't really want to be anything more than just pure fun- whatever that may be- in their chosen genre.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>89- Pompeii-</b> The first hour of this is pretty preposterous- it is extremely hammy and over-the-top. And not just from Keifer Sutherland. Yet, once the titular volcano erupts, I mostly forgot about the rest of the film and enjoyed the destruction a lot. When you see a movie called Pompeii, you are not watching it for plot. Same as Titanic.<br />
<br />
<b>88- Expendables 3-</b> Lots of actors. lots of action. Utterly ridiculous and stupid. But very entertaining. Is it because of nostalgia? Probably. But who cares? It is what it is- a third Expendables film!<br />
<br />
<b>87- Raze-</b> an underground group kidnaps women and makes them fight to the death. There are a bunch of semi-recognizable actresses in the mix (Rachel Nichols and Tracie Thoms) but also some female stunt women (Zoe Bell) Very impressive film since you can tell that most of the actresses are doing their own stunts, but script-wise and character-wise, a chore to sit through.<br />
<br />
<b>86- Hercules- </b>This is the one with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. It bothers me that we had 2 Hercules films in one year and never told a version of the story with the 12 tests of Hercules. But, for what its worth, this was much better than the other one. The problem is that this still isnt very interesting but it had a couple of fun action sequences and everyone knew what kind of film they were in.<br />
<br />
<b>85-Step Up- All In</b>- It's a movie about a bunch of dance "crews" facing off in Vegas for a starring role ina Vegas show. That's most of the plot- except for various random characters having various random issues to create dramatic "tension". But, the dancing was a lot of fun and very good. The camera did not move too much and the editing was not overdone so that you could actually see what the dancers were doing. The dancing was good but everything else was as trite as could be. But, what else are you expecting? The carnival dance sequence was fun, but kind've came out of nowhere.<br />
<br />
<b>84- Into the Storm-</b> A found footage storm movie in Dolby Atmos? Okay! The characters are never more than just thinly scripted cariactures but the storm scenes look very good for the massively low budget they had. I think it still creates a nice sense of tension, but it is not really a great film, but it delvers in the storm scenes.<br />
<br />
<b>83- 3 days to Kill-</b> Kevin Costner plays a CIA hitman with terminal cancer who has an estranged wife and teenaged daughter who tries to retir but is brought back in to find a suspected terrorist and, for coming back is injected with a trial serum that may cure his cancer but incapacitates him at the worst moments. Did I mention hi young, blonde female handler? And the driver who Costner gets family advice from? or the immigrants who have moved into Costner's apartment for the winter and that Costner can't kick out because one of the daughters is pregnant? And that it takes place in Paris? There is almost 3 entire films crammed into this film and I almost can't believe this film exists- but it does. It is ridiculous and stupid but also a lot of fun- until the end sets up a lot of problems and only resolves a few of them.<br />
<br />
<b>82- Need for Speed</b>- This film is almost literally 3 films in one! The first 40 minutes or so follows a street racer and his brother and another racer who build a superfast car. And for building the car, they get to race really expensive cars but the other racer accidentally creates an accident that kills the brother and leaves no trace of the accident and the other brother is put in prison. The next hour follows the brother, after getting out of prison, travelling across the country to go to a special race created by Michael Keaton a s aman who can see everything in some way. The last 30 minutes is the actual race. This film is waaaay too long, plot threads pop up and are quickly dismissed. Characters come and go. It is a wild, uneven mess. But I had a blast while watching it!<br />
<br />
<b>81- Lucy-</b> Scarlett Johanssen becomes a computer! No, really! Because obviously that is what should happen when you are able to use all of your brain. It makes no sense! But this is a wild, fun ride directed by Luc Besson. I cannot in any way stand behind this film, which is interspersed with a ton of stock footage, but I really, really enjoyed this film and had a lot of fun!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-16034195714298563152015-08-05T12:17:00.000-06:002015-08-05T12:17:39.711-06:00Good Tries- #135-90Some of these films have a great idea that loses steam by the end. Others have an awful idea that is helped way more by its cast than it should be. Others can't quite overcome issues with their scripts. These are all films that have more than one or two things to recommend them, but there are usually one or two issues with them as well, so they are not quite disappointments, but they do not work as a whole.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>135- Mr. Turner- </b>While this received several well- deserved Oscar nominations for Production Design, Costuming, and Cinematography (and one undeserved nomination for Score)- this film can be summed up like this- I'ma jerk, nobody really likes me, I'm a jerk, but I' love my father, I'm a jerk, now my father dies, I'm a great painter, but I'm a bigger jerk now, and I keep becoming a bigger jerk with my amazing talent and my dad now being dead, I become the biggest jerk, but I'm a great painter, but I'm a jerk. No connection to the characters , insight into the characters, and no reason to like anyone makes this a total misfire.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>134- Annie- </b>Why must this be remade? And why, if it is going to be remade, does it have to be changed so thoroughly and only keep certain songs recognizable? By moving the story into the current day, the film turns itself into a pretzel to try to shoehorn in the basic generic plot. Foxx is actually quite good, as is Wallis, and Byrne radiates joy in her side role, but Diaz is miscast (I sense a trend with Diaz the last few years) and the update just doesn't quite take. Charming in fits and spurts, it could have been much worse, which means it also could have been oh, so much better.<br />
<br />
<b>133- That Awkward Moment- </b>Do the filmmakers really know what goes into a relationship? As far as that goes and the ins and outs of the dating scene, there is not an ounce of truth or humor in this film. However, the cast (Miles Teller, Zac Efron, Imogen Poots, Michael B Jordan, Mackenzie Davis) gives it their all and creates a sense of camraderie, friendship, and raucous fun, even if their characters really only do things because the script tells them to and not because it is how any actual human being would act or react.<br />
<br />
<b>132-Ouija- </b>Another film where characters do things only because the script tells them to- If you think that your friend was killed by an evil spirit that came from a ouija board, why would you get your friends together and try to contact your dead friend and other spirits with the same board? Idiotic. However, some of the cinematography, lighting, and shots capture some very creepy moments that still linger in my head. I have to give it some credit for the mood that it creates.<br />
<br />
<b>131- Labor Day- </b>Over a 3 day weekend, an escaped felon takes a woman and her child hostage and the divorced mother falls in love with the felon. This is based on a book and I have to believe that the book creates a more believeable reason for these characters to fall in love. Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin almost make it work, but the central conceit is a little much- especially when a peach pie ties the relationship, and the whole film, together in a very cheesy and creepy way.<br />
<br />
<b>130- Let's Be Cops- </b>Again, the film is stranded by the central conceit. Two guys dress like cops to go to a costume party and then like the feeling of power and authority that it gives them, so they keep dressing in the fake uniforms and going after dangerous criminals. Had this all taken place in one night when they could not get out of the uniforms, were away from their house, etc. this may have worked. But, as the days go by and the threats are worse, the excuses to keep getting back into the uniforms get weaker and weaker until I just did not buy them continuing the charade. Some very funny moments, but the concept wears itself out by the end.<br />
<br />
<b>129- Endless Love- </b>A very generic teen romantic drama remake with amazing performances by Bruce Greenwood, Gabrielle Wilde, Joely Richardson, and Robert Patrick. The cast makes the emotion of the story work. I just wish that Alex Pettyfour was not so bland as the "exciting" love interest. This should be much lower on the list, but the cast makes it work much better than they should.<br />
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<b>128- Under the Skin-</b> This film is showing up near the top iof many lists, and I understand why. I can see what this film's fans see in it. However, for me, the exact same things that people love in it, is what makes me not feel so great about it. It stars Scarlett Johannsen as an alien who kidnaps men, takes them back to her place where she... does something with them as they sink into an oil slick type pool, never to return. If you want to talk about a mood piece- this is that film. There is not so much plot as there is a feeling and a mood. SJ does a great job at mainly acting with her face and registering the bits of emotion there, but at the end, I just didn't feel anything emotional.<br />
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<b>127- Third Person- </b>Paul Haggis wrote and directed this multi character film which stars Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde, Maria Bello, Mila Kunis, kim Basinger, Adrian Brody, and James Franco. All of the characters are connected in some way and that way is meant to be a surprise. After figuring out the purpose of the film and its characters, all that was left was the acting, which is quite good, but still, not enough to save this 2 1/2 hour long film from needing more than its main concept to drive the film.<br />
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<b>126- Ride Along- </b>Ice Cube and Kevin hart made sparks fly onscreen. Their chemistry is the reason this film works at all. Otherwise, everything else about it, is cliched and a pale rip off of scenes from other films- the most notable being a PG-13 version of the Beverly Hills Cop strip club scene where Eddie Murphy threw off the planned robbery. Had there been anything original, this film could have been tons of fun, as it is, it was funny for a one time viewing.<br />
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<b>125- Words and Pictures- </b>Gerard Butler, as a literature teacher, bets Juliette Binoche, playing an art teacher, to an intellectual battle at their school as to which is more important- words or pictures. A very intriguing idea is hamstrung by a generic romantic subplot between the teachers, an over-the-top characterization with Butler as an alcoholic and generally not a very nice man- and nothing more to give its audience. Better as a conversation starter than a film.<br />
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<b>124- Son of God- </b>a 2 1/2 theatrical version of the telling of the story of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem using footage from the tv miniseries of The Bible. Exquistely produced, but there is nothing new on display. The stories are told in a fine manner, but nothing special. There is no new way of telling any of the stories or bringing in the characters. It is what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. Unfortunately, it is also very long with no need to be. It feels every one of its minutes as they tick by.<br />
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<b>123-Purge- Anarchy- </b>Frank Grillo gives an intriguing performance as a man on a mission during the one night a year where murder is legal. yet, along the way, he stops to help several other stranded survivors who need his help to make it through the night. It is better than the first Purge and creates a more unified premise, but there is nothing interesting that happens with its characters, other than Grillo as Seargeant.<br />
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<b>122- Magic in the Moonlight- </b>I will admit right off the bat, that I am not a fan of Woody Allen films. However, I was hoping that Emma Stone and Colin Firth could help this film along. While they did help it along, the premise of the film again was foreshadowed waaaay too far in advance and there was nothing interesting or intriguing in any of the relationships. And Firth wooing Stone was just a little strange.<br />
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<b>121- No Good Deed- </b>This is a fine little thriller for its first 45 minutes but then it runs out of places to go and loses steam. Idris Elba escapes from prison and finds his way to Taraji P Henson's home where she is alone with her 2 kids while her husband is on a trip. A fine rainy day watch that will be everywhere on cable over the weekends in 2 years, but not interesting enough on its own merits to make a concerted effort to watch.<br />
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<b>120- Dracula Untold- </b>I thought the first 45 minutes of this film were crap, the middle half hour ok, and the last 25 minutes or so were amazing! But, after all was said and done, I would not recommend this film as a whole. Dracula is a misunderstood warrior who gets powers to help those he loves but the power overtakes him and he becomes the monster we know. Had they left in an entire subplot about who the man in the cave actually was and why he offered the power to Dracula, it may have helped the film immensely, but, as it is, it is just okay.<br />
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<b>119-Noah- </b>I have to give it to Aranofsky- he tried. There are some interesting thoughts here- the rock monsters being the right size to help Noah build the ark, the wood coming from the Garden of Eden, the acting is fine and well done, but the film does not hang together as a whole and is not religious enough for those wanting a religious story, but too much so for those wanting a purely "fairy tale" version of the story. Along with some strange survivor's guilt sequences nothing can quite save this film as a whole, but, as it is, an extremely interesting misfire.<br />
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<b>118- Think Like a Man Too- </b>This is a generic bachelor/ bachelorette party set in Vegas. Will the bride and groom make it to the altar? Will they find things out about themselves and each other that may put their pairing in jeopardy? Yes, of course. But the cast is winning and game for whatever the script throws at them and, sometimes, in this kind of a movie, that is all you need.<br />
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<b>117- Tusk- </b>Kevin Smith's second horror film is about a man who is kidnapped and put into a walrus suit by a crazy man living in the depths of Canadian wilderness where no one can hear him scream. Michael parks and Justin Long are great as the main duo as are Haley Joel Osment and Genesis Rodriguez as Long's partner and girlfriend. Johnny Depp is also good in his role, but the scenes with Depp go on far too long and are the most unfocused of the film. The concept of the walrus "suit" is also never fully made clear (to give away more would be to spoil it), so the ending does not hit as hard as it might have otherwise. I liked this film for all of its faults, but for others, it may end up on a worst list.<br />
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<b>116- Giver- </b>The book is amazing and, in the book, they are able to disguise certain things which will become major plot points without any difficulty. However, in turning this book to a movie, things which are hidden on the page become immediately obvious as soon as we are shown the world, and other things which seem to work on the page, once made literal, just seem stupid. I still love the book, and the film is amazingly well produced and acted with Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges in commanding roles, even Taylor Swift is good in a very small, but hugely important role, but this is one book that just should have stayed on the page.<br />
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<b>115-Interview- </b>This is the film that freaked out North Korea? Really? I love the fact that Seth Rogen and Adam Greenberg do not hold back on their comedy. I love that they take insane plots and make them even crazier. No one can say that these guys do not get to put what they want up on the screen. However, for me, their films are all very hit-or-miss with the misses overwhelming the hits. But, when it hits, it hits hard- such as the scene with the tiger. But, when it misses, it zooms by and keeps going. I give it a higher rating than I might simply for the chutzpah that these guys have to make the films they want. In Hollywood, that counts for a lot.<br />
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<b>114-Hundred Foot Journey- </b>I am going to be killed for this one almost as much as I am for the ranking of The Hobbit, but I stand by it. This film about an Indian family that opens up an Indian restaraunt across the street from a famed French restaurant in a small town in France has nothing behind it. The old woman (Helen Mirren) who runs the French eatery does not initially get along with the Indian family, but she finds that the son is a great chef in his own right and she takes it upon herself to teach him the French ways of cooking. This is the most amiable film of the year- however, it tries so hard to not be anything more or less than amiable that it gets stuck in one storytelling gear of which it can't escape. The food looks amazing (be ready to eat after watching this film) but I felt nothing for any of the characters or any interest in how it got to where it was going to end, so, therefore, its lower ranking on the list.<br />
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<b>113-Unbroken- </b>The story that this tells is amazing. But it only tells half of the story. And it focuses on the torture. This is the true story of an Olympic gold medal runner who goes to WWII, is shot down over the Pacific, survives 47 days in a raft, is then taken to a Japanese POW camp and endures much torture before the end of the war. As far as the movie goes (excepting a paragraph before the end credits- that's the story. It doesn't tell of the toll these events took on him when he got home and how he eventually healed and actually forgave his captors and turned his life around after being ina massive state of PTSD for many years. So, he survives the torture and apparently Jolie, the director, thinks that the survival is the story. Unfortunately, the film feels more like torture porn than an uplifting story about survival and forgiveness. The movie looks good and is technically well-made but, like most of Jolie's projects, it is all about the suffering and not the hope.<br />
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<b>112-Pyramid- </b>This is a found footage horror film about a group of archeologists who find a special pyramid buried in the sand and, in a rush to go inside before they get thrown out of the country during a civil war, they go in and meet up with a still alive and roaming Anubis and his evil meat-seeking jackals. This is actually well-paced with some decent scares, but the darkness and the found footage tend to make this way too dark of a film, especially near the end, and the effects are not very convincing. Fine performances from Denis O'Hare and Ashley hinshaw, though, who give this movie more than they probably should.<br />
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<b>111- Good Lie- </b>This tells the story of a group of young adults from Sudan who get seperated from their family and friends when they get a chance to relocate to the US. While nowhere near as manipulative as it could have been, it still hammers you over the head with its message and there are a few too many "fish out of water" sequences where we laugh at, not with, the misplaced youths. The actors all do their jobs well, especially the Sudanese who are actually either from the area or 1st generation US Citizens, along with Reese Witherspoon and Corey Stoll.<br />
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<b>110- Get On Up- </b>The story of James Brown, the hardest working man in show business- and the title could also go for Chadwick Boseman, who plays Brown and who also did a great job as Jackie Robinson last year. Boseman gives an amazing performance as Brown and it is sometimes like you are watching the Godfather of Soul himself. However, the estate would not let Boseman sing, so the actual tracks of Brown are used and the lip syncing is obvious. The story is all over the place and told in such random snippets that, had I not known much about Brown, I may have been lost wondering what happened and when. I would still highly recommend this for Boseman's performance alone, but just be ready for the mess that surrounds him.<br />
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<b>109- Blended- </b>The first half hour of this Adam Sandler/ Drew Barrymore film is boring and very unfunny and stretches the audience's patience very thin. By the time the duo and their families reach Africa (which I am not sure where they filmed since we rarely see the actors actually interacting with any scenery) and start working on becoming a "blended" family in the vein of The Bradys, there are some good laughs and some nice heart warming moments, but then the end bogs down again and gets to become tiresome- especially since we all know where this is going. Is it worth seeing? Depends on your level of enjoyment of Sandler and Barrymore- I say yes, but just barely.<br />
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<b>108-Saints & Soldiers- The Void- </b>This has the same issues as the other Saints and Soldiers films- it is a little too on-the-nose with its dialogue, a little too obvious with its plotting, and there is almost no suspense, however, the sincerity of the filmmakers comes through and the entire film works because of it. Do not expect great cinema, as I believe the first one was a triumph of low-budget filmmaking, and go for the emotions and you will be satisfied.<br />
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<b>107- Best of Me- </b>This Nicholas Sparks movie almost makes it based on the cast alone. Almost. Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden come back to the small town they grew up in for the funeral of a common friend who brought them together originally and rekindle their teenage romance, even though she is married. The casting and chemistry is good and Liane Librato, as the young Monaghan is electric and Gerald McRaney as the common friend is very good as well. But, the movie starts to fall apart the further it goes along (she is upset that her husband has a major drinking problem and she no longer does- please pass the wine in almost every sequence, thank you) and the actual ending is so bad it almost turns the bend and becomes a riot, but as it is, it is just one of the worst endings ever- which is also telegraphed from a mile away. Cast is Fantatic but otherwise, it stumbles severely along the way.<br />
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<b>106- If I Stay- </b>Chloe Grace Moretz proves that she can almost carry a film by herself even with a ludicrous premise, but she can't quite do all the heavy lifting herself and it crumbles underneath her. She plays a senior in high school who has everything going for her until her family gets in a crash and everyone dies except for her, and she is in a coma, and now must decide whether to die and be with her family or live and become an accomplished cellist with a great shot at prestigious college ahead of her and a boyfriend too good to be true. Hmmm- I wonder what she will choose. Moretz is great, as is Mirielle Enos and Joshua Leonard as her parents, but the film never gives us enough reason to truly believe that she may choose death.<br />
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<b>105- Life of Crime- </b>In a low budget film that has a story that is a prequel to Jackie Brown, but with a younger cast, this kidnnapping heist comedy is very reminiscent of Ruthless people (a woman is kidnapped and her husband wants her out of his life anyway so he refuses to pay the ransom. Jennifer Aniston, Tim Robbins, isla Fishcer, Yasmin bey, John hawkes all do their darndest and the story is never boring and amusing at least, but the pace is never quite right for this film to work fully.<br />
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<b>104-Homesman- </b>For the first 3/4s of the film, this is a very good western, but then the story takes a weird turn and it never fully recovers. Hilary Swank plays a pioneer woman who accepts the responsibility of taking 3 "crazy" women back east so that a local pastor can contact their families and get them the help they need. She meets up with Tommy Lee Jones (who also directed) as a scoundrel who agrees to help her in exchange for his life. Again, very well done, but after the story turn, I could never quite get back on its wavelength again.<br />
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<b>103- Trials of Cate McCall- </b>I saw this because I will watch Kate Beckinsale in anything and she, and the rest of the cast, including Nick Nolte, was very good, but the script really could not have felt more forced. She is a recovering alcoholic lawyer who is trying to get readmitted to the bar and recover custody of her daughter. She takes on the appeal of a woman who says that she is wrongfully convicted of murder. The melodrama in this film is almost smothering and it feels like the writer felt like she had to pile as much into this woman's life as possible, and it almost became laughable by the end, especially when, with that much happening, there is not enough time spent fleshing out all of the important character threads.<br />
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<b>102- Grand Budapest Hotel- </b>This is a Wes Anderson film in which he is screaming "Look at me! Look at me! Look how quirky I am just to be quirky? Ain't I a little devil?" This film is a flashback set in a flashback set in a flashback. Each one has its own theatrical aspect ratio. It randomly switches into stop motion animation. It wants us to feel for the characters, at least a little, yet laugh at them and with them, yet doesn't make any of them really appealing, in my opinion. While the film looks great and the costumes and sets are immaculate, I ended up only laughing a couple of times but not getting into the story at all.<br />
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<b>101-Sabotage- </b>Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the leader of an elite DEA team who, after a major bust and millions of dollars goes missing, each starts dying in random ways. Did the team take the money? Is one of their on targeting them? If not, then who and why? Arnold does a great job of playing a not so good guy wjho may have overstepped the boundaries. The film is very dark and gritty and I liked the resolution and the acting. However, it can be felt that there was about a half hour too much trimmed in the editing stage as there are leaps in time and logic and characters that come and go for large sections of the film- telltale marks of a studio taking over the film. I would be willing to hazard a guess and say that if I could see a director's cut, this would be up much higher on the list, but as it is, it sits at number 101.<br />
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<b>100- Million Ways to Die in the West- </b>When it is funny, this film is very funny. When it gets to be too crude or when it ambles along in 'genial' territory instead of 'funny', it becomes very lugubrious and needing time cut out. I must admit that I liked this film except for its excesses. I have not liked Charlize Theron this much in a film since Italian Job and Liam Neeson has just the right amount of goofy gravitas in his role, but the film just ambles more than it speeds along, and the pacing kills it.<br />
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<b>99-Judge- </b>Robert Downey Jr goes home after his mom dies and discovers that, on the night after the funeral, his father, a small town judge, may have struck and killed a man who, after he was given a lenient sentence, killed a woman. Was Duvall trying to exact justice? Did Downey Jr make out with a woman who could be his daughter? What mental illness does the brother have that everyone has to keep giving him expository dialogue? How do the home movies really come into the story? (hint- they don't).Duvall, Downey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dax Shepard, Vera Farmiga are all good in a film that really goes nowhere, bites off a lot more than it can chew, and strives for a bittersweet ending that it hasnt earned. The actors are always worth a watch, but this film is another 2 1/2 hour glacial mess.<br />
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<b>98-Jersey Boys- </b>The Broadway play has a pacing that can't be topped. Clint eastwood's first film of 2014 can't top the pacing, makes it a little boring to finally get to the creation of the Four Seasons, cuts many of the songs that helps move the story and plot along in exchange for dialogue sequences. This makes an amazing play into something not bad, necessarily, but lackluster, to say the least.<br />
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<b>97- Night at the Museum 3- </b>While the "secret of the tomb" is not much of a secret and the issue is resolved quickly and easily, this is more about visiting some old friends for the (supposedly) last time and enjoying hanging out with them- and for 2 cast members in particular, it will be their last times on the screen. Mickey Rooney has a very small cameo and Robin Williams, as in the other 2, plays Teddy Roosevelt. A nice send off for Williams, a hilarious cameo near the end of the film (with theme music and everything) make this an enjoyable time waster.<br />
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<b>96- Bears- </b>Great cinematography and a fun narration by John C Reilly are really the only things to recommend this DisneyNature film. The "story" is not as fascinating as some other documentaries and that makes this 90 minute film feel much longer.<br />
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<b>95- Mockingjay Part 1- </b>Although I am ranking this, in my mind I can't really judge this film fully as it is literally, one part of what may be a great film. The ending is not so much an ending as a stopping of the film, a good screenwriter could have easily trimmed this down to about 45 minutes to an hour and there is no reason to drag this story into 2 films. But, what is here is good, it just is not all here.<br />
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<b>94- Divergent- </b>Shailene Woodley is great in the role of Tris, but the allegory is a little too thick and the story really makes no sense (you are born into a faction, can choose to go to another faction, unless you're divergent, in which case you have to hide), and the finale seems like a forced climax to the story. The ending is not an ending as much as a franchise builder, but the first hour and a half of this film is very entertaining. It is too bad the film gets weaker as it goes along.<br />
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<b>93- Fury-</b>While this is a very well-made World War 2 film<b> </b>following a tank crew. I felt it was too long, and followed too many other war cliches story-wise. The battle scenes are engrossing, but, unfortunately the actors can't rise above the 'been there done that' script.<br />
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<b>92- Dolphin Tale 2-</b> I understand what they were trying to do- tell the continuing true story of Winter while also talking about the truths behind the scenes of the actual aquarium and how hard it is to truly care for the animals- especially when you care for the animals. The young leads acquit themselves the best, other than the animals, of course, but the top-line names of Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman feel shoehorned in, and Harry Connick, Jr is given a role that would be tough for many to pull off. The actual scenes of the animals are fantastic and the highlight, but, unfortunately the behind the scenes of the aquarium just don't translate into interesting screen time. It might have been the script or the direction, or both, but it didn't work anywhere near as well as the original.<br />
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<b>91- Monuments Men-</b> A fascinating true-life story that doesn't work as a whole the way it should and it also suffers from wildly different tones that don't mesh well together. It tries to be a serious war film, with a lot of comedic scenes, and drama, and action! But MASH, this ain't. It also hurts it that the cast is really only together a few times and then they are separated into different "missions". That may be how it was in real life but in this film, it just doesn't quite get over these 2 major issues. The actors all do their jobs, but, again, it might have been the script or the direction, but for some reason, this just didn't land like it should have given this amazing story!<br />
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<b>90- Amazing Spider Man 2</b>- I still absolutely love the chemistry between Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield. I think Sally Field as Aunt May is perfect. I think Andrew Garfield is a really great Peter Parker. Hearing this film in Dolby Atmos was fantastic! The concept of Electro being mad at Spider Man for not remembering him is a little too off for a major villain to me. Bringing in green Goblin at the end to be the catalyst to kill Gwen Stacy was one villain too many, although, if they wanted to bring him in for the final scene for Peter to get his mojo back, I could have been okay with that. But bringing in Paul Giamatti as Rhino was one villain too many (maybe even 2) and it was waaaaay too long and set up too many disparate plot threads that would have needed 5 or 6 more films to sort out or 1 amazingly awful, hastily written one. There was so much good here that just didn't quite come together. It is too bad we will never see what could have been and if they could have gotten it correct the 3rd time.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-83563031347247837272015-01-19T05:51:00.001-07:002015-08-05T12:26:16.879-06:002014 #164- 136- Good Moments, Good Actors, but major disappointments<b>164- Devil's Due- </b>This is essentially a found footage version of Rosemary's Baby. The acting is fine but the script and the twists and turns that the plot takes are neither interesting nor well- done or thought-out. The only thing that kept this from being a bottom of the barrel film was that it had a couple of very creepy and indelible images. Otherwise, pure tripe.<br />
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<b>163- Believe- </b>This is a film that is based on a true story of a top manager from a British soccer team who, after dropping out of coaching the sport years earlier due to a tragedy, ends up coaching a kids soccer team. My wife will accuse me of putting this film way down on the list because it is about soccer, but that is far from the truth. This film stars Brian Cox and Natascha McElhone who give great performances and do more for this film than they should. The kids are well cast and even exhibit some amazing ball handling skills (they are all part of actual award winning teams). The problem with this film is that the writing, directing, and editing are so poor that the film almost makes no sense. The kids have 4 weeks or so to train and get ready for the match. We get a montage and then they are playing their first match. Then, as the audience, we assume they are shown playing a different game just moments later since the jerseys on the competing team have changes. Is it the same day? A month later? Were games played in between? We don't know. There are moments where the shot lasts much longer than needed and nothing else happens in the frame and you can almost hear the actors asking for the director to yell 'Cut!'. How long ago did the tragedy happen? What causes the coach to decide to come back to coaching? A semi-final game is discussed but never shown. This film is a mess from beginning to end, behind the camera, which is a real shame. The story is intriguing, too bad they can't tell it. This is one of those films that needs to be remade immediately with the same cast but different behind-the-scenes talent. It almost feels as they had only 7 days to film this and they filmed what they could, missed filming a lot of connective scenes, and had to assemble a semi-coherent film in the editing room, which did not work. A real shame.<br />
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<b>162- What If- </b>This is a supposed romantic comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) and Zoe Kazan as a couple who meets at a party. He wants to be "more than friends" but she is already in a relationship. This is based on a play and, maybe it plays better on the stage? I doubt it. Both the main characters are insufferably obnoxious (they are written that way- I think Radcliffe and Kazan do what they can), and Adam Driver has some great moments as Radcliffe's friend (brother? I didn't care enough to remember) but it was more boring and insufferable than even bland and forgettable.<br />
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<b>161- Skeleton Twins- </b>This is an independent drama that stars comedic duo Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader showing off their acting chops. While they definitely can handle drama, the film and script are awful and have all of the "Indie Sundance dysfunctional family" tropes without feeling like actual people or situations. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are brother and sister who have not seen each other in many years. They both attempt suicide on the same day. Hader ends up in the hospital and Wiig picks him up and invites him to live with her and her fiancee for a while until he can get back on his feet. Wiig's character is depressed because of reasons and Hader is gay, has nothing to live for, and has a big hidden secret that is dug up once he comes back into town reconnects with an old mentor of his. Luke Wilson is portrayed as an awful man because of... reasons and is openly mocked for trying to give Wiig a life that he feels that she wants. While the acting is all well done, the films tone is all over the place and never gels. The script is also all over the place (after spending 10 minutes of screentime on a "bonding session" between the siblings at Wiig's job as a dental hygenist, the next day, Hader calls Wiig a bored housewife who has nothing to do- obviously he forgot that she has a job???) and all of the dramatic developments are too choreographed and obvious and the ending is seemingly a happy ending where the siblings have each others backs but they end up being the worst thing that either of them could ever wish for. This is what people think of when they think of bland, uptight, pretentious independent filmmaking. The lip sync to Nothing;s Gonna Stop Us Now is a highlight, however.<br />
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<b>160-Rover- </b>Guy Pierce and Robert Pattinson co-star in this variation on 'Of Mice and Men'. It is 10 years after a cataclysmic disaster in Australia. Guy Pierce's car is stolen and he will do anything to get it back. Pattinson plays a dim-witted robber that pairs with Pierce to find his car. While trying to be a slow burn tense thriller, it ends up bein boring, uninteresting and waaaaaay too long for a conclusion that is not interesting or surprising. A different edit of this same film may yield a great film, but this version is just not a good film. Australian outback looks gorgeous, though!<br />
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<b>159- I, Frankenstein- </b>The creators of Underworld try to reboot the Frankenstein story by giving it an interesting twist and then it becomes a generic "secret battle of creatures that the human race does not know exist"- except that their battles occur in public, at nighttime, with a lot of yelling, screaming, fire, explosions, and hordes of creatures blocking out the moon. Maybe it is secret since there are no other people on the streets. At All. Ever. A decent concept is marred by generic creature action filmmaking and Aaron Eckhhart, Yvonne Strahovski, and Bill Nighy are stranded in this thriller that does not thrill.<br />
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<b>158- Inspired Guns- </b>A Mormon film about missionaries who, due to a mistaken identity plot so obvious that it would make the writers of Three's Company feel embarrassed, are mistaken for hitmen while trying to talk to 2 actual hitmen about The Book of Mormon. It tries to be funny- it's not. It tries to be suspenseful- it's not. It tries to have a feel-good surprise ending- it fails. This is the film that I feared Mobsters & Mormons would be. If looking for a funny, mob themed Mormon film, skip this and rent Mobsters & Mormons instead.<br />
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<b>157- Sex Tape- </b>Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel sleepwalk through this comedy, forgetting to be amusing. The plot makes no sense and, even if you turn your brain off and go with the plot, they literally do almost nothing with it! They pretty much forget what they are trying to do! Rob Lowe has an amazingly hilarious co-starring role and Ellie Kemper and Rob Corddry are funny but given very little to do in this misfire. A comedy should be funny. This is not.<br />
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<b>156-Tammy-</b> Just like Sex Tape, this comedy forgets to be funny or do anything interesting with its characters. I like Melissa McCarthy a lot. Susan sarandon is a great actress, but they are both stranded in this lifeless script that is neither funny nor dramatic. It tries to show, I think, that a cross-country dual generational road trip starring women can be just as tasteless and unfunny as similar films starring talented men (such as Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifinakis in Due Date). If that was the goal, they succeeded.<br />
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<b>155- Maleficent- </b>I know that many people love this film, but I just couldn't get on board. The cutting of the wings started the film with a whole rape-y vibe to me. Then, characters do things only because the script tells them to and not because a character would actually choose to do those things (I am the king and I love my daughter so much that I am going to give her to these fairies that I only met a few moments ago that I know nothing about and let them take my daughter to the area where the witch lives). I am also glad that metal hurts Maleficent so much that it weakens her to the point where she can't use her magic as a method of escape (oh, wait...) When I ask what people liked about this film, I am always told that Angelina Jolie was amazing in the scene wher e she curses the child- of course she is! She did exactly what was done 75 years ago in the animated film! This was a movie made to make money with no thought to plot or characters at all- and it made tons of it! Mark my words- in 10 years, very few people will think of this as a great film, as many people are stating that it is this tear.<br />
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<b>154- Transformers- Age of Extinction- </b>And speaking of films made just for the sole purpose of making money and not for any point of telling a story... I walked into this with a very open mind, wiping clean my hatred of the previous 3 Transformers films and viewing it as a brand new film experience. It worked- for the first 45 minuttes. Then, I got numbed to the never ending pointless battles of CGI creatures fighting CGI creatures wuith nothing interesting happening. After I started to roll my eyes and get bored after the opening 45 minutes and looked at my watch and realized that there was still 2 hours of a film left....it almost broke me. In working at the theater, I heard only 2 perople tell me that they liked it, everyone else said that it was boring, awful, bad, terrible, and yet everyone paid money to see it. I do not understand how this makes $245 million and Edge of Tomorrow only made $105 million. My suspicions have been confirmed by my wife- who loves the Transformers films- who watched the first hour and forty five minutes, turned it off and a few days later forgot that she had not actually finished the film. I must say, though, this was the best Dolby Atmos mix that I have ever heard!<br />
<br />
<b>153- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-</b> I do not have a horse in this race. I have enjoyed certain TMNT properties (I thought the first film was good and liked the original cartoon series well enough but have not found anything interesting about the Turtles in quite some time). I thought the mountain chase in this film was amazing (however, I know of no mountain like that within an hour's drive of downtown New York- let alone a mountain that has a direct sewer line to downtown New York) but the rest of the film was a bad, bad piece of filmmaking. script, acting, plot, characters, action scenes all were a big zero for me. Without the amazing mountain chase scene (which I almost think came from a different movie), this could have been in my bottom of the barrel list. However, inexplicably, DVDs and Blu Rays of this film sold faster than any other film in 2014. I weep for the future of humanity....<br />
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<b>152- Cesar Chavez-</b> I have to wonder if there is a five hour director's cut of this film somewhere. What is here is very well done, but it seems like the film was edited with a chainsaw and I also wonder if I had no idea about the story of Cesar Chavez if I would have been able to follow the film at all. This film suffers from the same issues as last year's film, Jobs which starred Ashton Kutcher- the acting is top notch and it is well filmed and created but characters walk in and out of the film just for one or two scenes and then are never heard from again. Just as badly edited as #163 Believe, but this has amuch better and deeper cast, has better cinematography and behind the scenes merits, it just barely skims the surface of the life of Chavez.<br />
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<b>151- Transcendence- </b>It says something when an amazing cast (Rebecca Hall, Johnny Depp, Kate Mara, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany) can't make the script for the film even intriguing or interesting. It also is a major mistake to show the ending of the film and then go back to show how the characters got to that point. For this film, it wipes out all tension. Very, very bland and uninteresting.<br />
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<b>150- Quiet Ones- </b>This horror film has an interesting concept, recording a girl who may be possessed but is undergoing a scientific experiment to try to coax the demon out, but does nothing with it. There is no tension built, no characters are created, no plot to speak of, just a bunch of "jump scares" of really loud sound coming at the audience.<br />
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<b>149- Other Woman- </b>Yet another Cameron Diaz "comedy" that gets its laughs mainly from co-star Leslie Mann and a couple of funny line readings by Kate Upton. Again, a great concept (a man's wife and his mistress become friends, find yet another mistress and plot revenge) goes nowhere and the lowest of the low fruit is grabbed for comedic purposes. Women who were looking for a "gilrs' night out'ovie flocked to this film. I am all for female-empowering comedies but I want them to be good.<br />
<br />
<b>148-Happy Christmas- </b>It hurts me to put an Anna Kendrick film so far down the list, but the problem is, it just isn't good. Kendrick stars in this film from 'Drinking Buddies' (one of my top films of 2013), director Joe Swanberg that tells the story of a woman who moves in with her brother and his wife temporarily during the holidays so that she can get over her recent break-up. The film is improvised, and it shows. Scenes go nowhere, actors are stranded trying to find something interesting in the concept or scene, and the resolution is a quick "I'm sorry' and... Roll Credits! I should not get bored by an 82 minute film, starring one of my favorite actresses- yet I was.<br />
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<b>147- Earth to Echo- </b>A very low-rent 2014 found footage version of ET. I like that the ending is not "happily ever after" and there is one great sequence showing what the little alien can do (the semi truck scene ruined in the trailers) and the acting is good for what it is, but otherwise, there is nothing new in this film. Rewatch ET instead.<br />
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<b>146- Dumb & Dumber To- </b>The best joke of the film is in the title. There are a few other random jokes and visual gags which are done subtly and randomly (good luck in recognizing Bill Murray in his cameo) but otherwise this is a lazy, cheap sequel. The girl playing the daughter in the film is a breath of fresh air as she tries to eat her room service meal, and I love Jeff Daniels, but, wow- we waited 20 years for this?<b> </b><br />
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<b>145- And So It Goes- </b>Michael Douglas is a grumpy old widow who must take care of his granddaughter while his son serves out a prison sentence. He lives next door to single Diane Keaton. Might his neighbor and granddaughter soften his heart by the end? What do you think? While it is very nice to see Douglas and Keaton together on screen in a romantic comedy for seniors, I just wish the script were up to snuff and gave these great actors something up to their talents.<br />
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<b>144-Before I Go to Sleep- </b>Nicole Kidman's version of Memento! A dramatic version of 50 First Dates! Nicole Kidman wakes up every morning with no memory of anything that happened before. Her husband, Colin Firth, is getting weary of explaining their life and the death of their child to her every day, but, Kidman finds a recorder hidden that may hold the key to the secret of her past. While it is intriguing in fits and starts, the "happy" ending makes no sense and is not in any way happy at all! Maybe the book on which this is based makes more sense, but this is a film that even Kidman and Firth will forget they were ever in within five years!<br />
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<b>143- Hobbit- Battle of Five Armies- </b>While this is the best of the 3 Hobbit films, I can't tell if it is because it truly is the best of them or if it is because it is the shortest of the Hobbit films, and has no CGI dishwashing/ singing party. This film again becomes a bunch of CGI creatures fighting a bunch of other CGI creatures, the wizard offers nothing ion the final battle, the title character of The Hobbit is only in the film for maybe 35 to 40 minutes, it all comes down to a bunch of stabbing- even with a very cool almost kill of using weight to topple an ice floe- do I need to continue?. These films were not made for me, I know that, but I am so glad that I no longer see any further trips to Middle Earth in the immediate future.<br />
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<b>142- Single Moms Club- </b>A good cast (including Amy Smart, Nia Long, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Terry Crews) are somehow upstaged by Tyler Perry the actor (first good role of the year) in this Tyler Perry directed film. A group of single moms bond and try to support each other in the day-to-day struggles of being a single mom. Easily my favorite Tyler Perry directed film (but that is very faint praise) this film again gives a "woman empowerment film" that is not that well-made and, for all the talk that these woman are full humans without a male in their lives, by the end iof the film, they are all paired up with males that make them whole again. Talk about a script that doesn't know what it wants to be!<br />
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<b>141- Brick Mansions- </b>Paul Walker's final finished film is this remake of the French film District B13 which brought parkour (free running) to the mass pop culture awareness. The original is a great, cheesy, action film that is amazing because the camera pulls back and lets us see the great stunts which are being performed. This version is over directed, way over edited making it impossible to enjoy the stunts for what they are and chopping up a simple story into an almost incoherent mess. There is still some fun to be had, but leave the camera in one spot for longer than 3/4 of a second, please!<br />
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<b>140- Annabelle- </b>This quickly and cheaply made "prequel" to last year's fabulous film The Conjuring feels like a quick and cheaply made prequel. It is not particularly bad, but it is not memorable or interesting either. The only thing that truly makes this film creepy at all is the Annabelle doll herself. She is still very creepy!<br />
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<b>139- America- Imagine a World Without Her- </b>While I liked this documentary, it sets up a very interesting concept (what if George Washington was killed in battle and America never existed) and then does nothing with that concept and takes on certain complaints that people have about America. It is very right wing leaning, but some great points are made, but it still smacks of preaching to the choir and is nowhere near as interesting as the opening suggests/<br />
<br />
<b>138- 300- Rise of an Empire- </b>Eva Green and Lena Headley are the reasons to see this film. Eva Green goes bat s^^^ crazy in this film and almost single-handedly saves it from being nothing but slow-motion CGI bloodied battles. If this film had no slow motion, it would be at least half an hour shorter. The Dolby Atmos sound was fun but there is nothing here that was not done in the original 300- except for Eva Green's scenery chewing performance.<br />
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<b>137- Sin City- A Dame to Kill For- </b>Speaking of films that have nothing new that was not in their original, and that also star Eva Green in a spectacular scenery chewing performance, Sin City 2 is Exhibit B. While the individual stories are generally interesting, every single one ends not so much with a punch but with a whimper. None of the endings are interesting or do anything with the characters. The visuyal effects are more of the same, so there is nothing to see here that is interesting, inventive, or challenging in any way.<br />
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<b>136- Penguins of Madagascar- </b>I know that this is supposed to just be a "kids film" but I demand better entertainment for all the underserved groups of the moviegoing public. The story is uninteresting, the jokes lame, and the animation is fine, but why is this the standard for kids fare? It wasnt badly offensive, but it was quite bland and boring. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-15609498667863325042015-01-08T08:40:00.003-07:002015-01-08T08:40:55.103-07:002014 'What Did I Watch' listWhile this still does not list the myriad of shows that I put in while doing housework or just for background noise (this would include many episodes of Aaron Sorkin shows and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Can't Hardly Wait, and many, many more), this does include everything that I watched from 2014, films that I saw from 2013 in 2014, anything I watched with others that I had previously seen, and older movies that I watched for my first time.<br />
<br />
Here is the list:<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Previous Years’ films</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lawless</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">All the Boys Love
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Meatballs</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Alice Doesn’t Live
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Airport</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The TV Set</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Blow Out</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Apparition</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This Means War</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hot Tub Time Machine</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Full ReWatch with others</span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Big Bang Theory Ssn
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cheers Ssn 1</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cheers Ssn 2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Frozen</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Philomena</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Code of Silence</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">About Time</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Galaxy Quest</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Family</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Saving Mr. Banks</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Wolverine</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rush-2012</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Gravity</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Kick Ass 2</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You’re Next</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Exorcist</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Relic</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Pumpkinhead</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Grudge Match</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Watching Currently</span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Big Bang Theory Ssn
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Castle Ssn 5</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Charlie’s Angels Ssn
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Covert Affairs Ssn 3</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Good Wife Ssn 3</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">2013films</span></u></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Nebraska</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
August- Osage County</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Inside Llewyn Davis</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
20 Feet From Stardom</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lone Survivor</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a World…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Short Term 12</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">2014 Films</span></u></b></div>
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1-Paranormal Activity- Marked Ones</div>
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13- Robocop</div>
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14- Endless Love</div>
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15- Winter’s Tale</div>
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52- Chef- 3x</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
56- Belle</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
57- Edge of Tomorrow- 3x</div>
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58- Fault in Our Stars</div>
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59- How to Train Your Dragon 2- 5x</div>
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60- 22 Jump Street</div>
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69- Earth to Echo</div>
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70- Deliver Us From Evil</div>
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72- Begin Again- 4x</div>
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90- Sin City- A Dame to Kill For</div>
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91- When the Game Stands Tall</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
92- Madagascar- Island of Lemurs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
93- Magic in the Moonlight</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
94- November Man</div>
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95- Expendables 3</div>
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96- As Above, So Below</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
159- Annie</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
160- Unbroken</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-10366151290588135662015-01-08T00:14:00.003-07:002015-01-08T00:14:39.324-07:00Delay to the rankings of films from 2014There will be a slight delay to my rankings this year. I have decided to hold off and wait until I have seen 4 major 2014 releases that will not be released in the Salt Lake area until January 9th and 16th. These films include Inherent Vice, Selma, American Sniper, and Foxcatcher.<br />
The list of rankings should start appearing on january 19th- after I have had a chance to see these Oscar hopefuls!<br />
<br />
Please keep checking back for over 160 capsule reviews from 2014!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-44857708993982077732014-12-23T11:21:00.004-07:002015-08-05T12:20:07.994-06:00Ranking the films of 2014- Special Screenings and Bottom of the BarrelUsually I wait until at least December 31st to start posting, but I thought that I could get the 4 special screenings (which I am not ranking, but listing as a number) out of the way along with the 2 worst films that I have seen this year (since I can't imagine anything being as bad or worse than these 2 films that are still on my lists to catch up on in the last week of the year):<br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Special Screenings</span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">170- Madagascar- Island of Lemurs- </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">An IMAX film shown mainly at scientific
centers, I loved the actual footage of Lemurs. Was not a fan of the scientists
interviewed in this film who literally had nothing interesting to say. But the
lemurs made up for it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">169- Saw- 10<sup>th</sup> Anniversary re-release- </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It was interesting to see this since I hadn’t
seen it since it first hit video 10 years ago. I still have issues with it, but
it is a film that rolls along and does not let up. It was fun to see Michael
Emerson from Person of Interest pop up. I had forgotten he was in it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">168- Anchorman 2- R-Rated Version- </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This was given a 1 week release. It was
longer, cruder, and had a ton of extra footage mixed in. Again, just like the
regular Anchorman 2, some of it works, some of it is extremely superfluous.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">167- Ghostbusters- 30<sup>th</sup> Anniversary re-release- </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I saw this at a Saturday night showing. There
were probably about 100 of us in the theater. While watching it this time, I
tried to view it without looking ahead to upcoming jokes and to watch the film
as I must have in 1984. I was surprised just how scary certain scenes are. The
audience loved it. It had a lot of younger people in the theater so I could not
figure out if they had seen it before or not, but they were enjoying it a lot!
Glad to see that it still works and is one of the great comedies.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">While I honestly
didn’t absolutely hate any films that I saw in 2013, 2014 had 2 films that I
thought were absolute crap and pointless and that I would actively keep people
from seeing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Bottom of the Barrel</span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">166- Winter’s Tale- </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Where do I even begin? A horse that is actually a dog? Will Smith playing
Satan in the early 1900’s wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt? A timeline that makes
no sense if you actually think about it.A large section of film dedicated to a
story that ends up having no influence on the outcome of a film. A model boat
that luckily works and is sea-worthy to float a baby back to Manhattan. Colin
Farrel having an Irish accent evenm though he grew up in New York on the
streets and never set foot in Ireland? These are just a few of the problems
with this film. I had seen the preview and thought it looked bad and hoped that
the whole film would work, but boy was I wrong. This is bad moviemaking at its
worst. Everyone gives it their all but, wow! Nothing works. Stay away from this
stinker!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">165- Legend of Hercules- </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This is the first of 2014’s dueling Hercules epics, neither of which
was very good, but this one was actually boring and laughable! This is the one
directed by Renny Harlin (a long way from Cutthroat Island, which, in
retrospect, is Oscar winning) and starring Kellan Lutz. Hercules’ mother having
sex with Zeus (who is apparently made up of wind and sheets) made me laugh in
the theater along with the scene with Hercules wielding pillars made of styrofoam
on the end of his chains and shackles… and those are the 2 good scenes! I
actually dozed off a couple of times during this one for a moment or two and I
can guarantee that I didn’t miss much. Again, stay away!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-27072278029953439192014-01-16T07:30:00.003-07:002014-01-16T07:30:57.246-07:00Oscar Nominations 2014In looking at the full list of nominations this year for the Oscar ceremony, I am pleased to see that I only have 3 movies that I need to see that got more than 1 nomination and these films are: Blue Jasmine, Grandmaster, and Lone Survivor (I am seeing Lone Survivor today). Then, of the films that got single nominations which will be easy for me to see (I always try to see everything I can, but I never count the foreign films, documentaries, or shorts in this list and this year, I am also excluding 2 of the animated films because I dont know how readily available they will be), there are only 6 more films that I need to see. And, to be honest, since 2 of those 6 films are just up for best song, I can just find the song online and compare them if I have to, so that only leaves a list of 9 (or 7 if you take out the song nominations) that I need to see in 6 weeks. That seems very easy.<br />
For the complete list, you can find it anywhere on the web now (the 2 easy spots are imdb.com or oscar.com )<br />
<br />
Here are the major nominations, which will be followed by a breakdown, by number of nominations, by film.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best picture</b>:<br />
<br />
<br />
•"American Hustle"<br />
<br />
•"Captain Phillips"<br />
<br />
•"Dallas Buyers Club"<br />
<br />
•"Gravity"<br />
<br />
•"Her"<br />
<br />
•"Nebraska"<br />
<br />
•"Philomena"<br />
<br />
•"12 Years a Slave"<br />
<br />
•"The Wolf of Wall Street"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Actor in a leading role:</b><br />
<br />
•Christian Bale, "American Hustle"<br />
<br />
•Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"<br />
<br />
•Leonardo DiCaprio, "Wolf of Wall Street"<br />
<br />
•Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"<br />
<br />
•Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Actress in a leading role:</b><br />
<br />
•Amy Adams, "American Hustle"<br />
<br />
•Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"<br />
<br />
•Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"<br />
<br />
•Judi Dench, "Philomena"<br />
<br />
•Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><br />Actor in a supporting role:<br /></b><br />
•Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"<br />
<br />
•Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"<br />
<br />
•Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave"<br />
<br />
•Jonah Hill, "Wolf of Wall Street"<br />
<br />
•Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Actress in a supporting role:</b><br />
<br />
•Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"<br />
<br />
•Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"<br />
<br />
•Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave"<br />
<br />
•Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"<br />
<br />
•June Squibb, "Nebraska"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Director:</b><br />
<br />
•David O. Russell, "American Hustle"<br />
<br />
•Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"<br />
<br />
•Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"<br />
<br />
•Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"<br />
<br />
•Martin Scorsese, "Wolf of Wall Street"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Animated feature film:</b><br />
<br />
•"The Croods"<br />
<br />
•"Despicable Me 2"<br />
<br />
•"Ernest & Celestine"<br />
<br />
•"Frozen"<br />
<br />
•"The Wind Rises"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
10<br />
<br />
AMERICAN HUSTLE<br />
GRAVITY<br />
<br />
<br />
9<br />
<br />
12 YEARS A SLAVE<br />
<br />
<br />
6<br />
<br />
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS<br />
DALLAS BUYER’S CLUB<br />
NEBRASKA<br />
<br />
<br />
5<br />
<br />
HER<br />
WOLF OF WALL STREET<br />
<br />
<br />
4<br />
<br />
PHILOMENA<br />
<br />
<br />
3<br />
<br />
BLUE JASMINE<br />
HOBBIT- DESOLATION OF SMAUG<br />
<br />
<br />
2<br />
<br />
AUGUST- OSAGE COUNTY<br />
DESPICABLE ME 2<br />
FROZEN<br />
GRANDMASTER<br />
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS<br />
GREAT GATSBY<br />
LONE RANGER<br />
LONE SURVIVOR<br />
<br />
<br />
SINGLE NOMINATIONS<br />
<br />
20 FEET FROM STARDOM<br />
ALL IS LOST<br />
ALONE YET NOT ALONE<br />
BAD GRANDPA<br />
BEFORE MIDNIGHT<br />
BOOK THIEF<br />
CROODS<br />
INVISIBLE WOMAN<br />
IRON MAN 3<br />
MANDELA- LONG WALK FREEDOM<br />
PRISONERS<br />
SAVING MR BANKS<br />
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS<br />
ERNEST & CELESTINE<br />
THE WIND RISESUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-3216715239634324252014-01-14T09:51:00.002-07:002014-01-14T09:51:34.169-07:00Editorial on Awards Shows and NominationsNow that I have posted my favorite films of the year, I am anxiously awaiting the Oscar nominations on Thursday. And you know what? Even though they were my favorite films of the year, I am not expecting Unfinished Song or About Time to be nominated at all. I do think that Philomena will pick up a couple of nominations, The Way Way Back may get a surprise nomination (but I doubt it) and Saving Mr. banks will probably be the biggest nomination-getter in my top 5 films. I do think Dallas Buyer's Club will get more than either Banks or Philomena, but I would bet that American Hustle and 12 Years a Slave will be the top nomination-getters.<br />
But, both of those are on my 'Runners Up' list.<br />
And it won't bother me at all if they become big winners.<br />
Why?<br />
First off, I admit, I love to see what stars wear when they go to awards shows. It is fun to see how they interact with other celebrities and their companions. <br />
But, the main reason?<br />
For me, award shows and their nominations are about getting films some recognition. It is common knowledge in Hollywood that the more awards and nominations that your film receives in the end of year awards, the more people will see your film.If the film is still playing in theaters, that means a lot more box office numbers and, if your film has already hit the home video market, it translates into more rentals and sales. The rentals and sales also heat up once a well-nominated film hits video. A few years ago, when Lost in Translation was nominated, it had just been released on video but was still playing in a few theaters. The theater count went up considerably and it also became the week's highest renter on video.<br />
I worked at Blockbuster for 13 years and I always loved it when I was able to talk someone into renting a particular film that they weren't sure about renting and then they would come back and tell me that they loved it and they had watched it 3 or 4 times, or they had a friend watch it, or hat they went out and bought it immediately. That was what made that job so fun- bringing films into customer's homes and giving them an enjoyable 2 hours.<br />
While some may dismiss the fact that awards aren't important, I agree and disagree. If a film does not get an award, does that automatically make it a bad film? Am I wrong for placing Unfinished Song at the top of my list for films of the year if it receives zero awards? If a film wins a lot of awards, does that automatically make it a good film?<br />
The answer to all 3 questions is 'Of Course Not!'<br />
As I wrote last week, critiquing films and the ranking of them is a purely subjective piece of thinking and writing. In my discussions with people about my list, there are those who disagree with my rankings, but who understand why I ranked them as I did. Unfinished Song and About Time touched me on a very personal level. Two years ago, for the film year of 2011, my two favorite films were 50/50 and We Bought a Zoo. Those also got zero nominations between the two of them. And I was okay with that.<br />
The groups that vote on the awards each year are also doing it subjectively. A lot of times, a film will be nominated because of its subject matter. Other times, it will be a purely political nomination because so-and-so needs a nomination or needs to win an Oscar. (Come on, after all of his performances, can you really tell me that Paul Newman's best work in his entire career was in 'Color of Money'? While he was great in it, it was not his best film, yet that is what he wion his Oscar for.) I do not feel that 'The English Patient' was the best film of the year whe it won. However, it was a very well-made and crafted film, but I didn't like it.<br />
When a film gets a nomination, like I said, it will be viewed by many more people. And that, to me, is a good thing. If a film's nomination gets it in front of a lot more viewers who even give it a shot because of its nominations, it's a good thing. Even if the viewer hates the film, they have at least expanded their horizons a bit from what they normally might see. My father-in-law fell asleep while watching Unfinished Song. And that's okay. It wasn't his thing- no problem- but he at least gave it a shot.<br />
A few years ago at my work, a co-worker and I were talking about films and we attempted to see every film that had at least 2 nominations before Oscar night. I think I only missed 2 films with multiple nominations that year and I think he only missed 3 or 4. While he (and I) didn't like everything, he thanked me for getting him involved because he was able to broaden his horizons and he saw a lot of films that he wouldn't have seen otherwise and he was glad that he did.<br />
If conventional wisdom holds on what will be nominated this year, I will only have 11 or so films to see to catch all multiple nominated films. And 5 of those only opened here in Salt Lake last weekend, so I will have plenty of time to catch them all. Even if 4 or 5 other films sneak in away from conventional wisdom, there is a high likelihood that I have already seen them and, even so, 15 or so films to see in a month and half should not be too taxing.<br />
I offer anyone who reads this the challenge of seeing as many of the Oscar nominated films as you can. If nothing else, it will get you to seek out films and watch things that you wouldn't have tried before. Maybe you will despise every single nominated film- but at least you will have seen them and you will have an opinion. And you can starta discussion.<br />
And that is the whole purpose in my mind of lists and awards- get films seen and to starta discussion about film. And hopefully, allow someone the joy of catching a film that touches them greatly in some way.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-13198038791030265622014-01-10T13:55:00.000-07:002015-01-12T11:02:51.276-07:00Best of 2013- #15-1 and editorialThere are still some films that are considered films from 2013, that are considered "Oscar bait" that I have not yet seen because they have barely opened in the Salt lake area today, january 10th (Her, Lone Survivor, August Osage County) and 2 others that barely opened wide today, Inside Llewyn davis, and Nebraska. After I have seen them, I will rank them as part of this year's list and call them, for example 12 1/2, so that you can know where they would fit in. If I see any other films from 2013 that are "lesser" films (such as, perhaps Bad Grandpa, I will not review those, nor rank them, I will just add them to my media inventory list for the year.<br />
<br />
As I was making my list this year, it came into stark relief that the films which made my 'Best of' are all very personal to me- on different levels, of course.<br />
<br />
Numbers 15, 14, 4, 3, 2, 1 all connect to me because of the theme of family.<br />
Numbers 9, 8 & 5 are about creativity<br />
Numbers 13, 12, 11, 10 9, 8, 7, 6 are about the family which we create around ourselves with friends and workmates.<br />
Numbers 2 & 1 deal with cancer<br />
Numbers 15, 14, 2, & 1 deal with marital relationships.<br />
Numbers 14, 11, 2, & 1 specifically have fathers connecting with children<br />
Numbers 7 & 6 deal with finding your place in the world<br />
<br />
I could continue, but I find it interesting that really the only films that are mostly pure action or fantastic filmmaking are numbers 11 & 10.<br />
<br />
I know that as people have been reading my list thus far, I have heard complaints that I did not place something higher on my list (my wife thinks that the "Pure Entertainment" section should be higher in my list since they accomplish what they set out to do, for example), but, as I have said before, those films did not connect to me personally. It takes more than just CGI to make me care about a film anymore. Again, though, let me remind you that if I was watching a film this year, I enjoyed it. There was nothing that I absolutely hated, like Chernobyl Diaries last year. <br />
I can guarantee that there will be those among you who totally agree with my top of the list, but that is the fun part of lists- to start a discussion. I do think, though, honestly, that all of these films are worth your time. I feel that most of the films in the top of my list do have minor issues and none are perfect, but they all hit an emotional cord in me. Even if you dont agree with some of the story choices they make (Number 9), even if it seems completely cliched (number 1)there is some portion of quality to it and I hope that you will be able to see that.<br />
<br />
My Top 4 are really interchangeable. I loved them all unreservedly and they all touched me on a very deep, personal level. They may all have flaws, but in my eyes, they are perfect.<br />
<br />
Without further ado, here is my best of 2013- a very personal list this year.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best of the Year<br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>15- Drinking Buddies-</b> The cast in this film is amazing- Olivia Wilde, jake Johnson, Ron Livingston, and Anna Kendrick. Johnson and Wilde are co-workers at a brewery who flirt very openly with each other, even though they are each in relationships. When they all spend a weekend together at a cabin, relationships become strained and the couples wonder who they should each be with. While the amount of drinking and open flirting really bothered me at the beginning, the ending and in listening to the director’s commentary track about what the ending actually means, made me love this film even more. The acting is phenomenal and it raises some strong points about relationships. This is the only film on my Top list that I would not openly recommend to everyone, but I cannot deny that I have not stopped thinking about it since I saw it.<br />
<br />
<b>14- Conjuring-</b> My wife often asks me why I watch so many horror movies when many of them are just bad. I always respond with, "You have to sit through a lot of crappy ones to find the great ones. And, when you find a truly great horror film, you forget about all of the crap." After the truly great horror films that I have shown her through the years, she is starting to understand- even if she could never make it through the crappy ones. The Conjuring is a horror film that was rated R literally by being “too damn scary”, this film was scary, creepy, but also had a very solid heart at its core. A family with 5 daughters moves into a haunted house and the mother seeks out some paranormal investigators to help them. There is nothing new in this film, to be honest, but the character beats are so effective between both the family and the investigators, the scares so well done, even if you can see them coming, the craft in the making of this film is so precise, that it absolutely is one of the best films that I saw this year. Because of the connections that you have with the characters, once the scares start in earnest, you are truly rooting for the family. A great showcase of how to make a horror film.<br />
<br />
<b>13- Now You See Me-</b> The Sting is one of my favorite films of all time. Because of that film, I am a sucker for ‘heist thrillers’ such as Matchstick Men, Ocean’s 11, and the TV show Leverage. These are my types of films and Now You See Me, while not as perfect as those, is still a very entertaining heist film. Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, and Isla Fisher star as 4 magicians who are being chased by the FBI after stealing money and giving it back to their audiences. Mark Ruffalo and Melanie Laurent are the agents chasing them and Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are also in the cast, as if the star power wasn’t enough. My only complaint is that the film does not use the magicians as much as it could, but it really is more about the chase. While this is pure popcorn fare, I do feel that this film plays very fair with its final twist, and that it is very well crafted from the acting all the way to the production design and music, and there is nothing wrong with that.<br />
<br />
<b>12- Star Trek Into Darkness-</b> Many of my sci-fi fan friends do not feel that this film should be this high up on the list- there are those that think that it should trade places with Man of Steel on my list, but, this is my list, so “back the **** up!” While it does go back and repurpose one of the most well-known villains and storylines in the Trek universe and it doesn’t sit well with some fans, and it does have amazingly over-the-top references to terrorism and 9/11, I have to admit that the new cast and the filmmaking prowess had me on the edge of my seat the entire length of the film. Benedict Cumberbatch can monologue like no one else (as one of my friends commented), the new cast now fully owns the characters they have inhabited (try to imagine anyone else working right now as Scotty), it had amazing Dolby Atmos sound, and the characters bounced off of each other in very interesting ways. I do feel that it basically hit the same story beats for the crew as the previous film, but, I didn’t mind as it worked so well in all other aspects for me, I can give it a pass. Bring on another Star Trek film!<br />
<br />
<b>11- Pacific Rim-</b> This movie is about giant robots beating up and battling giant monsters! This film has everything that your inner 9 year old would have loved. When I walked into the theater, I wanted nothing more than robots battling monsters and I got it in spades! I also got an amazingly well constructed film that had some of the best “world building” I have ever seen. The first ten minutes of this film could have been its own movie, but it is just the pre-credit sequence! This film has great fun characters, amazing special effects, a sure handed director at the helm, a pounding exciting score, fantastic Dolby Atmos sound (noticing a trend?), and a pure sense of fun, this is my “guilty pleasure of the year”, but I had a blast! It is also dedicated to the memory of Ray harryhausen, which made me tear up at the end. A fun, fun film!<br />
<br />
<b>10- Gravity-</b> While it does not have the greatest plot- 2 astronauts get stranded in space and have to find a way to get back to Earth, I did not have a more tense moviegoing experience all year! I had people sitting on both sides of me and using the armrests, so I had to hold my drink mug in my lap. At the end of the 90 minutes, I almost literally had to peel my fingers out of the handle. Sandra Bullock holds the screen as the most outwardly frightened of the 2 astronauts stranded. She grounds the film with her terror and resignation to the circumstances while Clooney is the voice of reason and adds some slight touches of much needed humor for the situation. This film is amazing on a technical level, keeps you riveted throughout, and is an amazing roller coaster ride of emotions as well. Some laugh as Bullock is barking along with the dogs (you’ll know what I mean when you see it) but for me, it was a last touchback to home. It was a daring performance and although the film almost lost me during what seemed like a very contrived character arrival, it worked and brought me back for the breathless climax. An amazing technical and emotional feat!<br />
<br />
<b>9- Iron Man 3-</b> Shane Black is known for bringing his sharp humor into the tired “buddy cop” formula in the 80’s when he wrote Lethal Weapon. He then wrote Last Boy Scout and Last Action Hero, and Long Kiss Goodnight. He then disappeared for a while and came back in force with Kiss Kiss Bang bang back in 2007, which starred then-working-for-a-comeback Robert Dwoney Jr in one of the strangest and funniest films ever made. He brings that same sense of humor to Iron man 3. While some feel that his treatment of The Mandarin ruined the character (go back and read the comics, it is not as though those have changed since the release of the film), I found it a fabulous twist and a great bit of acting from ben kingsley. Downey really brings his PTSD from “the new York Incident” shown in The Avengers into stark relief, and the connection to Gwyneth Paltrow as pepper Pots really is the core of the relationships here. The plot shows that our past really does make us who we are and, in some cases, may come and bite us in the butt, but it is all about how we deal with our past that makes us who we are. I loved the Shane Black touch added to the Marvel structure along with the great actors!<br />
<br />
<b>8- Crystal Lake Memories-</b> Let me make it absolutely clear- I don’t really like the Friday the 13th films. They are fun and cheesy, but, in all actuality, they are really not that good. Any of them! However, after watching this 7 hour documentary that basically gives 30 minutes to the making of each film in the series, it is very clear why- the studio wanted them cheap, quick, and didn’t really want some of the quality ideas that were floated. This documentary is done by the same team who made Never Sleep Again- the 4 hour documentary about the Elm Street films, and, as a behind the scenes documentary, it ranks right up there with the 3 hour documentary about the making of Alien 3. Even my wife, Aleisha, who has never made it through a full Friday the 13th film, was enthralled and probably watched a total of about an hour of this doc and is planning on watching it in its entirety soon. It is absolutely essential if you are interested at all in moviemaking!<br />
<br />
<b>7- World’s End-</b> This is not as funny of a film as ‘Hot Fuzz’, but it is actually more daring and more human than any of the other films that Pegg/ Frost/ and Wright have done. Gary King (Pegg) gets his 5 best friends from high school back together to hit 12 pubs for a pint all in one night and finish “The Golden Mile” which they started but never finished on their graduation night 20 years ago. They find that you can never go home again as there is something strange and sinister about their hometown. Pegg plays a perfect guy stuck in his teens trying to relive his “perfect night” while this time Nick Frost plays the straight man as the one in the group with a grudge still held after all these years. It does turn into a “Body Snatchers” type of film, but with deep characters and emotional connections that ground the wackiness in reality. Even with all the craziness, there are some spectacular dramatic beats and it takes a real chance with the ending. If more films could be like this- a perfect mix of humor, action, and drama- more people would want to go to the theaters on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
<b>6- Dallas Buyer’s Club-</b> While this is a very tough and gritty film, the main storyline, based on a true story, of a man in the mid-80’s who tries to help himself and others with AIDS, while the FDA is still attempting to find drugs that work to help slow down the disease. Matthe McCaughnahey again hammers home the lead role of Ron Woodroof with a ferocity of purpose and jared Leto’s transformation into a transgendered person who becomes Woodroof’s partner. The message is as subtle as a sledgehammer but the acting draws you in and never lets go- a very powerful film.<br />
<br />
<b>5- Saving Mr. Banks-</b> As can be seen in Crystal Lake memories, my Number 8 film, it is amazing that any movie is able to be released with all of the decisions and behind the scenes struggles that there are to contend with. This shines the light on one of them- PL Travers signing off on letting Walt Disney turn the book of Mary Poppins into a film. While ‘Saving Mr Banks glosses over some issues (Travers NEVER ended up liking the film- thus the reason there were never any sequels made and the fact that the people who made the broadway play could have none of the people who worked on the film be creatively involved), it still has a lot of emotional honesty and shows the creative process ina way that is not normally seen. Emma Thompson and Tom hanks are both terrific, as always, but it is the supporting cast that really brings this movie to life- Bradley Whitford, BJ Novak, Jason, Schwarzman, Kathy Baker, Colin Ferrel, Rachel Griffiths, and Ruth Wilson all make this film astoundingly better, but the MVP award actually has to go to Paul Giamatti as the driver assigned to Travers who is sweet, upbeat, and becomes a real friend and confidante. In another year, this easily could have been my number one film- an astoundingly great movie that hits the heart, soul, and discusses the struggles of the creative process as well. Make sure you watch the credits for pictures of the actual people involved and actual audio recordings of PL Travers in the story meetings!<br />
<br />
<b>4- Way, Way Back-</b> An astoundingly great film that gets better every time I see it. The big strokes of the storyline is that an awkward teenager goes to a summer beach house with his mom and her new “male significant other” as he tries to deal with his life changing around him. He gradually finds acceptance and gets self-confidence and finds himself. Nothing new there. However, the boyfriend of the mom, played by Steve Carrell, could have been a mustache twirling bad guy and the film paints him in a way that he could be viewed as such, but by what we actually see and hear, he is a flawed man attempting to do his best to bring a woman and her son into his life and failing miserably. Carell shows that even the “bad guys” are not actively trying to be bad. Toni Colette as his conflicted mom, struggling to find the balance between her new man and her son is heart breaking. Sam Rockwell is the obvious stand out as a man-child running the local water park who hires the teenager and helps him with his self-esteem. He has many hilarious one-liners (my favorite is the Footloose reference), but also bares the character’s soul near the end when he discusses the realities of his life. Anna Sophia Robb continues to show she has the acting skills of someone twice her age and makes the “girl next door” an actual human being and not just a stereotype. Maya Rudolph, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon, and Allison janney also turn in great comedic performances that round out the cast. I love that the end seems to many people like a happy ending with a definite conclusion, but, at closer glance shows that the only things resolved are that the teenager has gained self-esteem and that his mom has his back. Nothing is closed or perfect- just like life.<br />
<br />
<b>3- Philomena-</b> What seems at first glance to be “Oscar bait” as a woman tries to find her son who was adopted out from under her by the nuns of the convent where she was living at the time, turns into a very soulful film about love, forgiveness, longing, and family. Judy Dench is perfect as the older Philomena, as is Sophie Kennedy Clark who plays the younger version of Philomena, who is searching for her son. Steve Coogan, who also wrote and produced this film, plays the reporter who discovers the story and helps Philomena research and find out what happened to her son. Although the mystery is solved almost halfway through the film, the movie still takes amazing twists and turns as we discover more about the son and his trials and where he ended up. There are some that think it is anti-religion and anti-Catholicism, but I feel just the opposite. I feel that it shows what the true love of Christ can do and the true power of forgiveness. An amazingly sweet, small, perfectly acted film with the right doses of humor and drama.<br />
<br />
<b>2- About Time-</b> This film was written and directed by the same man who made Love Actually. It follows the life of a young man who, on his 21st birthday, is told by his dad (Bill Nighy) that he has the ability to time travel into his past (only his own past- he can’t go back and kill Hitler, for example) and make his life the best it can be. The first 45 minutes or so are basically a romantic comedy and focus on him finding and dating and marrying the perfect girl (Rachel McAdams). It has one the best montages of showing them as they date by just staying in one place in the London subway system and showing them as they walk by the same spot as they date, move in together, and become close. I love the fact that after a hilarious, horrendously mishap- and- rain-filled wedding day, he asks his new bride, “Would you prefer if we had been married on a sunnier day?” and you can see the wheels turning that he is going to go back in time to provide a “Perfect” wedding day, that she tells him that no, it was perfect because it was their wedding day. Life is filled of the unpredictable and that is what makes it life. After the wedding, the film switches gears and becomes a testament to the importance of family, love, life, and making every moment count. Although there is a lot of time travel in this film, it is not at all about the time travel. It is used to show us what truly is important in life and that every day can be perfect. A very touching, sweet, film.<br />
<br />
<b>1-Unfinished Song-</b> This is one of the most clichéd films imaginable. Just by telling the main plot, you will be able to guess every single step that the plot of this film makes (well, almost- there are a couple of very minor subplots that go in different directions than they might in many Hollywood films.) I tried several times to move this film down the list, but I just couldn’t. From the very first few notes of the song that plays over the opening credits all the way until the end credits, I was either laughing or crying every step of the way and I can’t deny the power it had over me. Vanessa Redgrave is dying of cancer. She is married to the town grump, Terrence Stamp, who has an ongoing feud with their son, played by Christopher Eccleston. Redgrave gets involved in a senior citizens singing group which is directed by Gemma Arterton. As Redgrave gets sicker and needing more help to get to her singing group and Terence Stamp becomes more involved in taking his sick wife to the rehearsals and protecting her as much as he can from her impending death, we get to see the sweet soul of this man and his undying love and devotion for his wife. Is it really a shock to learn that Redgrave dies about halfway through the film? Not at all. Is it surprising that Stamp’s grumpy heart grows 3 sizes, just like the Grinch’s and that he will reconcile with his son? No. Are we surprised when Arterton starts to bring Stamp around to being in the group? Nope. But watching the 4 actors, at the top of their game, bringing their all to this simple and sweet story is a triumph of emotion and spirit. The truth in the emotions and the situations hits home. It’s also the little things in the film. After his wife’s death, Stamp ends up sleeping on the couch and having trouble with his sleep schedule. Heck, I sleep on the couch just when my wie goes out of town. I identified with that aspect and with the grief cycle and the loss. But also the joy and the connection to people that is in this film also hit home. Yes, it is all clichéd, but, it doesn’t matter. This is truly a film all about the journey and how well it is all put together and it has my ringing endorsement as my favorite film of the year!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-53039794342119284802014-01-09T14:24:00.000-07:002014-01-09T14:24:34.793-07:00Numbers 34- 16- Great Films, but Missing that Extra “Thing” and, a Special mentionThe next to last post of all of the films which were released in 2013 includes films that I thought were great and which possibly could have, in another year,been in the top of my list. Most of these films have a small nitpick that keep them from the top but I enjoyed all of these immensely in one way or another this year and most of these are what make me feel that this was a fabulous year at the movies!<br />
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Also, Number 16 is a special mention that I can't leave off the list, but I also can't quite categorize or place in the top of my list, even though it belongs there (When you see the title, you will understand.)<br />
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<b>Great Films, but Missing that Extra “Thing”<br />
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<b>34- Behind the Candelabra-</b> Michael Douglas plays Liberace and Matt Damon is his younger lover in Steven Soderbergh’s supposedly last film as director. The cast is fantastic and it is very well produced, but the fact that Liberace was slimy coats the entire film. I loved it and thought it was very well done, but it is graphic in spots.<br />
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<b>33- Saratov Approach-</b> A little tighter editing at the beginning and a better actress cast as one of the Elder’s mothers are the only 2 minor nitpicks that I have of this film. Otherwise, it is a fabulous, intense, and well made film about the true story of 2 kidnapped DS Missionaries in Russia. It doesn’t matter if you are LDS or not- this is a riveting film!<br />
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<b>32- Captain Phillips-</b> Tom Hanks does his normal solid job of portraying the captain of a large ship taken captive by pirates in this true story. It is a great drama with small character moments scattered throughout. The tension is kept up very well, but what makes this one a bit more special is the final scene with Hanks’ Captain finally succumbing to the stress he has felt over several days.<br />
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31- Trance-</b> Just like another film higher on my list, this is a twisty thriller. I admit that I love these types of films more than most. But this one is funny, mysterious, intriguing, and the last 10 minutes is absolutely insane! James Macavoy, and Rosario Dawson make a great pair as an art thief who has memory loss trying to get it back so that he can find a painting that he hid which is worth millions. Not for the squeamish or easily offended but an amazingly fun ride courtesy of director Danny Boyle.<br />
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<b>30- 42-</b> While this film makes Jackie Robinson into a saint with no problems other than facing racism, the cast and production values are so high, I can’t deny how strong the picture is. Chadwick Boseman is riveting and Harrison Ford tears into an uncommon character role. Also, Alan Tudyk is great at playing despicable as one of the most racist people ever put on film! <br />
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<b>29- Hunger Games- Catching Fire- </b>The original film was one of my favorites last year. I think the cast and production values were amazing and the story drew me in and held me while Jennifer Lawrence tore into the role of Katniss and made herself a star. This one is just as well made and intriguing. However, I have not read the books and did not know where it was going. Without giving anything away, the cliffhanger twist ending negated the strength of the character of Katniss and knocked this down a bit on my list. But, it comes more from the story created in the books and the film just follows suit by keeping the plot the same. Never fear- Lawrence is just as good as she was last year and owns the character of Katniss and does a fabulous job,, it’s just the book that robs her a bit of her strength.<br />
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<b>28- Wolverine-</b> The gravitas of the character Wolverine is brought greatly into this film and how hard it really would be to be immortal. The weight of Hugh Jackman’s predicament and decision is brought to bear on the film and it is better for it. While not action packed, when there is action, it is tough and brutal, Jackman holds nothing back. This is definitely more of a dramatic superhero film which finally takes the character of Wolverine very seriously. Until the over the top climax, this is a masterful film and the climax doesn’t kill the film as a whole, it just makes it less than what it could have been. Jackman really IS Wolverine.<br />
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<b>27- Thanks for Sharing-</b> While the first 4/5ths of the film seems like an R-Rated sitcom, the last 1/5th and the cast really brings the darkness and drama out of the situations and it goes places that are quite unexpected. Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Josh gad, and Alecia Moore (or Pink- yes, Pink) star as sex addicts who are going to a sex addicts meeting. Some have been clean for a long time and are mentors, others are newer and still struggling, and some are brand new and having a difficult time even admitting that there is a problem. If you know an addict of any kind, this film is hard hitting and hard to watch, especially when some situations start to spiral out of control near the end. Very hard film to watch, but the actors make it a very strong film and a reason to watch.<br />
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<b>26- Drew- Man Behind the Poster-</b> As a documentary, this is actually pretty poor. There are no amazingly told stories, nothing really dramatic which is happening behind the scenes (such as Metallica Some Kind of Monster), but when your subject is Drew Struzan, the artist behind the original Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future films, along with many, many others and there are interviews with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Michael J Fox, Frank Darabont, Guillermo Del Toro, and you watch Drew paint and the camera shows many of his posters, lingering on the details, you don’t really need much more.<br />
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<b>25- Prisoners-</b> The cast is top notch and the script goes to places that most other stories only hint at. On Thanksgiving 2 little girls go missing and their families (played by Hugh jackman, maria Bello, Viola Davis, and Terrence Howard) all react in different ways as they attempt to discover what happened to their daughters. Jackman is just as seething with rage as he was in Wolverine and attempts torture to a suspect who had to be let go, Bello tries to drug and sleep her way through it, Howard helps Jackman out of helplessness, and Davis looks the other way at the lawlessness the husbands are creating but acknowledges that she is okay with whatever they do. Jake Gyllenhaal is the detective tasked with finding the girls. This film gets dark and gritty, and disturbing and doesn’t let up for its 2 ½ hour running time. The only slight problem is the ending does not go quite as dark as it probably should, but it is a riveting watch.<br />
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<b>24- Mud-</b> Matthew McCaughnahey continues his run of strong characters as a man wanted by the law, trying to get in touch with his girlfriend and befriending two boys during the summer. A very strongly acted and produced coming of age film that also touches on other universal emotions and truths, this is a small sleeper film but one that is well worth watching and is cornerstone for MM’s career resurgence the past 2 years.<br />
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<b>23- Rush-</b> In most sports movies, there is a “good” competitor and a “bad” competitor and the audience is manipulated to root for one over the other in the final conflict. In this true story of race car driving in the early to mid ‘70’s, the 2 drivers at the center of the story are both jerks, egomaniacs, and great at what they do. Ron Howard makes this truly a story of 2 professionals attempting to be the best at what they do and beat the other. There is no “good” or “bad” and it was a very refreshing take on a sports move with great action and racing scenes and spectacular acting bringing you into the conflict.<br />
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<b>22- All is Lost-</b> With a nearly wordless performance, Robert Redford plays a lone sailor, stuck at sea with a damaged boat that is slowly sinking, diminishing supplies, and nature going against him. An absolutely claustrophobic and nerve jangling film. I found my self saying “No, no, no, no, no” several times throughout the screening.<br />
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<b>21- Enough Said-</b> I always at least like Nicole Holofcenter films, but usually, somewhere along the course of her films, the characters end up going to places that I don’t feel are really story driven and become more chess pieces and the endings of her films usually leave me cold. Not this one. Enough Said is her masterpiece and a really funny, touching, and heartbreaking story starring Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and James gandolfini (in one of his last roles) as a couple who starts dating and tries to keep the relationship going, even though they are both divorced and have their own lives and outside influences pulling them apart. The central conflict is a bit forced and comes straight from a Three’s Company storyline, but Dreyfuss and Gandolfini handle it like pros and make you feel every bad life choice that these characters have made and their desire to have someone who loves them and to spend their life with. The supporting cast is also very strong and ties this together. Very touching. <br />
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<b>20- Spectacular Now-</b> Miles Teller plays a teenage alcoholic high school senior whose girlfriend breaks up with him and whose mother is never home because she is working two jobs to try to make ends meet. He meets a girl, played by Shailene Woodley, who is outside of his normal ccol clique at school and starts dating her, bringing her into his alcoholism and slow downward spiral as his high school years come to a close and he searched for his father who left his family many years ago. A gut punch of a film that feels very real with all of the emotions and small things throughout the entire film.<br />
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<b>19- American Hustle-</b> In a comedic, fictionalized version of the Abscam scandal in the 70’s, director David O Russell gets the most from everyone who worked on the film. The main cast- Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner- all knock their scenes out of the park, whether it’s a scene for comedy or drama and the supporting cast, along with a great surprise cameo, also nails it home. The costumes, hairstyles, and art direction all make it feel like it was actually filmed in the 70’s as well. While not as emotionally deep as ‘The Fighter’, the relationships between the characters and their motivations still ring true, but it is much more of a “fun ride” this time. And Amy Adams has never looked better!<br />
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<b>18- 12 Years a Slave-</b> I cannot really say anything bad about this film. The acting is great, the specific moments are very powerful, each whip and punch are felt by the audience, the story is intriguing, but… my mom was a history teacher and loved learning about the Civil War. Of course, slavery is a part of it. So, I have seen many of the real life plantations, heard many stories throughout the years, read many books, saw a ton of films, and this film, while amazingly well-done, adds nothing new to the “slave drama” subgenre. I do, however, hope that, if The Butler is up for any awards alongside 12 Years a Slave, and one of them wins, it had better be 12 Years a Slave which is a fantastically made film with no manipulation added.<br />
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<b>17- Frozen-</b> A few songs don’t quite work and a couple of jokes fall flat, and a slight character issue all drop this film just out of the top of my list, but I have not enjoyed a Disney-branded film this much in aa very long time. Beautifully animated, a song which will go into the pantheon of all-time great Disney songs (Let It Go), fabulous voice acting from everyone but especially Kristen Bell, and a story that focuses on family and sisters more than a “Prince Charming” make this a winner!<br />
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<b>Special Mention<br />
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<b>16- Jurassic Park 3D-</b> Jurassic Park came out while I was on my mission. I did see it in the theater on my first day home, but, with the showtimes, I ended up making it my second movie back in the theater (The Fugitive was my first.) While I loved and really enjoyed Jurassic, Fugitive was in a better auditorium at the time and also such a great film, and I think I was a little overwhelmed with Fugitive and a little underwhelmed by Jurassic- ever so slightly. I have seen Jurassic many times over the years and still really enjoy it. But, seeing it in IMAX, in 3D and really being transported into it again after all these years, this was a very special theatrical experience(s- I saw it twice in IMAX 3D) and it was like seeing it for the first time all over again. This is truly a fabulous theatrical film! And no, if pressed, even all these years later, I don’t know which one I prefer- Fugitive or Jurassic.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-68313796914268021392014-01-08T15:40:00.001-07:002014-01-08T15:40:07.808-07:00Numbers 56- 35, Good for What They Were, Better Than ExpectedThis section of films definitely gets better as the numbers increase. Only 2 sections of the list remain! Keep checking back!<br />
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<b>Good For What They Were- Better Than Expected<br />
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56- 47 Ronin-</b> As I stated on The Geek Agenda recently, “If you go for stupidity, it’s a lot of fun.” Get rid of the first 40 minutes, ignore the too-serious ending, forget about the random mysticism of a dragon and floating hair feeding a prisoner sushi (yes, you read that correctly), a disappearing spider, a random beast in the woods, and a gigantic, unidentified 10 foot tall samurai, then you get a pretty fun middle hour.<br />
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<b>55- GI Joe- Retaliation-</b> I almost out this on the “Pure Entertainment” level, but the mountainside fight makes this one slightly superior to that level because it tries something brand new. Nothing great, but that mountainside fight makes it worth it.<br />
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<b>54- Mortal Instruments-</b> Even though this is a blatant attempt to cash in on the “Find the new Young Adult novels turned into feature film” craze, I actually liked this one a lot more than the rest of them (ie. Percy Jackson, Beautiful Creatures, Host). It is almost funny how crass of a product this is, but there are several interesting ideas at play (where the “trophy” is hidden), and it goes to a certain area of the romantic triangle that I thought was tricky but that I really liked (until one line near the end tries to wipe away the darkness, but I am going to ignore that line!). Here’s hoping to a sequel!<br />
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<b>53- Pain & Gain-</b> Michael Bay Bays it up, but this is still an effectively dark comedy about a real life crime event. To give away any of the twists and turns would spoil it, but, if you want a flashy dark comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg, give this one a shot.<br />
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<b>52- Don Jon-</b> Although I trust Joseph Gordon Leavitt as an actor, he stars in, wrote, and directed this film about a Brooklyn guy who tries to find the perfect woman while still being addicted to online porn. The cast is fabulous and the film actually comes around from a very creepy opening 20 minutes to a slightly less creepy resolution and shows that JGL is a legitimate triple threat now. Not for all tastes!<br />
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51- Warm Bodies-</b> A fun mix of a zombie movie and romantic comedy that actually works. The cast is uniformly good and appealing with some good action and good laughs.<br />
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<b>50- The family-</b> While this film about a family in Witness Protection living in France and hiding out from the Mob has massive tonal shifts, I had a great time all the way through. DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tommy Lee Jones all deliver their normal solid performances, Dianna Agron, who has yet to impress me ina film, does a great job as the very mentally unhinged daughter of the family. The jokes and violence don’t quite mix, but it is never boring!<br />
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<b>49- Ender’s Game-</b> I am a bad geek and have never read the book so I was pleasantly surprised by the plot of this film and how dark it is. The actors do well and I was drawn into the story. My biggest concern is that the final “twist” was what I had assumed was happening anyway, so it felt very anti-climactic, but still a very good solid sci-fi thriller.<br />
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<b>48- Monsters University-</b> Other than the fabulous animation and voice work, I was very disappointed in this G rated version of Animal House- until the heart came hammering back in the last 20 minutes of the film and took it to an interesting way to bring us back to the beginning of the first film. It takes too long to turn around and find its heart, but it finally gets there and is never painful to watch.<br />
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47- <b>Instructions Not Included-</b> I heard that this a very amusing Spanish language comedy. Whoever says that should be shot! It is a very effective Spanish language drama with funny moments, but this film treats its subject honestly and delivers a gut punch about every 10 minutes in its last half hour. Very good and emotional film about an illegal Mexican immigrant raising a daughter on his own after the mother walks out.<br />
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<b>46- You’re next-</b> This is a weird mix of a dark comedy and home invasion thriller. The film starts with a family gettogether at a remote cabin for an anniversary party and the siblings in the family all bring their significant others. Once the blood starts flowing, the plot twists and turns with some great surprises. Sharni Vinson is a great addition to the group. Watch it and find out why.<br />
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<b>45- Byzantium-</b> A very dark, more dramatic version of a vampire film starring Saorise Ronin as a vampiric daughter to vampire Gemma Arterton who helps keep a roof over their heads by being a real “lady of the Night”. When Saorise decides to tell her story to a local boy in their latest small town stop, their lifestyle may be in danger. Neil Jordan, who also directed Interview with the Vampire” directs with a sure but steady hand here as well.<br />
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<b>44- Mama-</b> While I initially had some issues with where the story went, I remembered that it started with ‘Once Upon a Time’. It is truly a fairy tale with a horror bent. An almost unrecognizable Jessica Chastain plays a woman who must take care of her boyfriend’s long lost nieces after they are found alone in the woods after being missing for 5 years and after her boyfriend has to go to the hospital for a while. They show the menace a little too much, but still a very effective PG-13 horror/ thriller.<br />
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<b>43- White House Down</b>- I preferred the fun, over the top goofiness of this Die Hard in the White House.I feel it is a much more fun action film with bigger and more memorable setpieces. Is it a better film than Olympus Has Fallen? Maybe, maybe not, but it is a lot more fun!<br />
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<b>42- Last vegas-</b> While a lot of subplots are conveniently forgotten about or quickly wrapped up, this film works purely through the power of the cast. Kevin Kline, Morgan Freeman, and Robert DeNiro play best friends who go with soon-to-be-married Michael Douglas to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. This shows what a good cast really can do with a pretty generic script. Mary Steenburgen also shines as a lounge singer who gets in with the group.<br />
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<b>41- The Heat-</b> Again, a film that just made me laugh. A lot. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy play mismatched cop partners searching for a drug dealer on the streets. Is there anything that we have not seen before done in numerous other films starring males? No. But Bullock, McCarthy, and the supporting cast really make this work. Could have been a bit shorter, but still enjoyable.<br />
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<b>40- Red 2-</b> Expanding on the initial premise and bringing Helen Mirren back to kill Bruce Willis, this sequel starts at the opening scene and never lets up. The cast is obviously having a great time and bring us along for the ride. I have no idea how Willis does not crack at all when Mary Louise Parker is slapping him, but it is a fabulous scene in a very enjoyable film!<br />
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<b>39- Thor Dark World-</b> While I didn’t quite like this as well as the original Thor, mainly due to the boring villains, Hemsworth proves that he IS Thor and Hiddleston returns as Loki and matches him step for step. The bouncing through the wormholes, the action, and the fun comedy keep this lively even if the plot is quite nonsensical. Also, props for setting up Avengers 3 (yes, 3!), even before they start filming Avengers 2.<br />
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<b>38- Grudge Match-</b> Of the films which came out on Christmas day, this was my favorite. What could have been a cheesy Rocky vs Raging Bull spectacle (and yes, there are jokes based on each of the stars alter egos) the ambitions and shattered dreams of the characters are actually much more front and center than I was expecting. Great acting from the entire cast along with an ending that works makes the film a winner as well.<br />
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<b>37- Fast 6-</b> There is nothing more to this than a big, dumb action film, but when it is done this well, who cares? The tank chase and the girl fights with both actresses taking most of their own punches are the highlights here. It is what it is and it works very well. Could have been trimmed by 20 minutes, but it goes from setpiece to setpiece with glee.<br />
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<b>36- World War Z-</b> Let me be clear. This is NOT World War Z the Book. But, for a big budget zombie movie starring Brad Pitt, it is a very tense and enjoyable ride. While the wife and family become more plot devices than characters after Pitt goes off to find rthe cause of the outbreak, it keeps the tension going and the menace real.<br />
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<b>35- We’re the Millers-</b> The only reason that I saw this was that I had seen everything else and my wife was gone for the evening. I must admit that I laughed very hard all the way through this. Everyone nails the comedic tone and it is gag after gag after gag. It is crude, crass, and frequently hilarious from beginning to end. I definitely have “No Ragrets” after seeing it.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-46913247406132726202014-01-07T13:51:00.002-07:002014-01-07T13:51:24.034-07:00Numbers 93- 57- Good for what they were but no extra oomphSorry about the delay in this post, but I took the weekend off last weekend and had minimal time/ access. Stay tuned for more on Wednesday!<br />
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<b>Good for what they were, but didn’t have the extra “oomph”<br />
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<b>93- Great Gatsby-</b>The book never connected with me and neither di this film. It was, however, well acted and well produced, but, again, I didn’t care. It throws around words like love, devotion, and passion, and I didn’t buy any of it. Near the end, when Carraway is alone at the funeral, he says that he was the only one who cared. But why did he care? The movie never showed us that he cared, only that he was enthralled with Gatsby’s life, but it was a very one-sided relationship. I will however probably pick this for the art direction Oscar if it is nominated.<br />
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<b>92- Texas Chainsaw 3D-</b> Oh, this movie was crap, but it made me jump a few times, Daddario was good, there were moments of dread, and I liked what they tried to do with it. It didn’t work fully, but it was better than Last Exorcism 2.<br />
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<b>91- Baggage Claim-</b> I like watching Paula Patton in films. She is likeable and energetic. The concept of this romantic comedy is generic, but the set up makes it so that this could have been something special and turn the generic rom-com resolution on its head. But, as it get closer to the end, it slowly starts to turn and the ending is extremely disappointing by going to the exact place that any other rom com could have gone. Great ideas, great lead actress, very poor writing of the conclusion.<br />
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<b>90- Elysium-</b> Good action, good acting and world building, but the too-on-the-nose social commentary beat me over the head too hard to get into the actual story. Still looking forward to Blomkamp’s next film, though.<br />
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<b>89- Oblivion-</b> Again, very well produced film with fabulous technical achievements, and a great performance by Andrea Riseborough (and even Tom Cruise), but, when all is said and done, the twist of the film is identical to a much better film made several years ago and so Oblivion was a little bland as the credits rolled.<br />
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<b>88- Jack the Giant Slayer-</b> The movie starts well, dies for about 45 minutes, and then comes back to life and has a rousing finale, but, it dies and stops momentum for a little too long. The effects are good, acting and story are fine, it just could have been trimmed substantially.<br />
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<b>87- Hatchet 3- </b>The conclusion to the Hatchet series which is really just an excuse to have over the top violence (by using actual physical effects, not CGI) and a lot of horror movie in-jokes. The first one was fantastic! The last two have been fun, but the returns have been diminishing quickly!<br />
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<b>86- Insidious Chapter 2-</b> One of the things that I loved about the original Insidious is that the character played by Rose Byrne was a mom who actively tried to resolve the strange situations plaguing her family. In this one, she becomes the crying, fearful mother who does almost nothing. The change in character hurt this film greatly for me even though the tension and dread were still very well done, but it became more like a common horror film.<br />
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<b>85- Evil Dead-</b> Again, it was great to see a horror film use more practical effects instead of CGI. Great acting and, again, tension and dread, take a backseat to inexplicable character choices and a nonsensical script.<br />
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<b>84- The Call-</b> Working in a call center, the first hour of this film absolutely nailed the environment, and the tension and helplessness that an operator can feel while attempting to help a caller. Unfortunately, the man kidnapping the girl is over-the-top evil, causes too much mayhem in broad daylight and doesn’t draw attention to himself, and the finale in which Halle Berry’s 911 operator goes after the kidnapper because she knows more than her cop boyfriend, just gets too silly and drops all of the goodwill from the first hour.<br />
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<b>83- Despicable Me 2-</b> Admit it, take an honest look at this film. Now, take the minions out of it. You are left with a bland and generic kids film with nothing really for adults or, for that matter, laughs. This film is made entertaining purely by the minions. While I laughed very hard at some of the random jokes (an Isaac from the Love Boat reference? Really?) I was left with an overwhelming feeling of meh with the film as a whole.<br />
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<b>82- Croods-</b> The animation is great, it is very funny, and the story is well-meaning, but I didn’t buy it. I felt nothing as the film’s climax came and one of the character’s had to make a sacrifice. While the end of the film was never in question (no big budget family movie is going to end on a down ending), I felt no emotional attachment to the film or charcaters.<br />
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<b>81- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2-</b> While far from a bust, this is nowhere as good as the original. It does have an imagination that goes crazy and is infectious, some hysterical gags, but, again, by the end, I felt nothing more for the characters. The first film was one of my favorite animated films of the last few years. This will not be joining it.<br />
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<b>80- Percy Jackson- Sea of Monsters-</b> There is nothing really wrong with this film, but there is nothing really right about it, either. There are great cameos (Stanley Tucci and Nathan Fillion are the best) and everyone does their job, but some characters are given the short shrift to make room for a new Cyclops brother, but, again, nothing really lands emotionally. The climax was great in Atmos, but was very meh otherwise.<br />
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79- Delivery Man-</b> While I smiled a lot, I never really laughed and that is a problem for a comedy. The actors are fine, but I was never able to allow my suspension of disbelief to take effect as I watched this film. Chris Pratt and Colbiw Smulders make the biggest impacrt, but they are minor roles.<br />
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<b>78- This is the End-</b> Just like most Apatow comedies, there is a lot of genius along with a lot of stupidity. This time, the stupidity takes over. I would have marked this lower, but the script does take some amazing surprising and daring paths. And Emma Watson’s cameo is priceless! “Back the f*** up!”<br />
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<b>77- Epic</b>- The animation is gorgeous, the sound and score are amazing, and the voices are very well done, but the plot doesn’t really make sense and that kills it for me. In the forest, growth is good and decay is bad. Okay, so, if the queen of the forest keeps everything growing, then the plants will overrun each other and will deplete the food resources very quickly which will lead to death of the plants and decay. But, wait, it can’t because the bad guys of decay were vanquished so this forest will just be overrun with too much foliage that never dies. Yes, I realize that it’s a kids movie and I need to turn my suspension iof disbelief off, but it got too far in the way for me. I can go with talking slugs, but not allow the plot to just be? I know, I know…<br />
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<b>76- Black nativity-</b> Good acting and intriguing songs and versions of holiday classics negate the bad melodramatic plot. Not good, not bad, it just is.<br />
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<b>75- Runner, Runner-</b> The plot makes no sense and I didn’t care about anyone or anything but I liked watching Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterto, John Heard and Anthony Mackie in gorgeous island settings and a low-level crime drama. It was nothing special at all, but easily watchable.<br />
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<b>74- Dark Skies-</b> The opening 20 minutes could have been trimmed waaaay down into one scene to get this alien abduction movie going much quicker, but once it gets going, watch out! There are some seriously creepy moments, disturbing images, and great ideas, but the film just doesn’t quite work as a whole.<br />
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<b>73- Incredible Burt Wonderstone-</b> I am probably giving this much more slack than I probably should, but I was one of the target audience members for this comedy that stars Steve Carrell as a Vegas magician who is nearing the end of his reign. I laughed a lot at him, Steve Buscemi, and Jim Carrey, I loved the acting turns by Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin and I had a good time laughing at the mocking of magicians like Copperfield and Criis Angel and others, but, if this is not an area that you enjoy, stay away.<br />
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<b>72- Spring Breakers-</b> Many critics are calling this an amazing indictment of the current culture of pleasure and enjoyment over common sense. I found it a slightly interesting take on the same themes and the vapidness of today’s society (see also Bling Ring) but the most interesting characters leave after the first hour and the others who were left, even James Franco’s drug dealer) never really intrigued me and I ended up not caring what happened to the main charcaters left at the finale. <br />
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<b>71- Bling Ring-</b> I cannot decide where to put this film. The whole point of the film is that the characters are stupid, vapid, and vain. I disliked everyone in this film because they are all stupid, vapid, and vain and I didn’t care about any of them and wanted them to get caught. However, I am sure that the emptiness is the whole point, so the film did its job. But that doesn’t mean that I liked it. Or did I?<br />
<br />
<b>70- Closed Circuit-</b> I was very intrigued by this look at the Britsh legal system starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall, but, after the initial setup, the script lets them down., Just one example- they are afraid to take a witness to the courthouse because they know that the bad guys are hunting the witness to kill him. So, how do they get him into the courthouse safely> They go about an hour early and walk in the front door. Huh?? A very disappointing film as a whole with fabulous parts! I would highly recommend this just for the good parts, if you turn your brain off for the ridiculous plotholes.<br />
<br />
<b>69- Kevin hart- Let Me Explain-</b> The first half of this stand up comedy concert film goes over the same old ‘men and women are different’ jokes as every other comedian has told for the last 30 years, however, once Hart starts telling specific stories about his kid and his horse riding adventure, I laughed quite a bit- too bad that was only in the last 25 minutes or so.<br />
<br />
<b>68- Oz- Great & Powerful-</b> Again, way too long, and way too many CGI effects, but I had a great time watching this Wizard of Oz prequel with James Franco as the soon-to-be Wizard. Franco is good. Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, and Mila Kunis are great as the witches of the land and there is a very interesting climax which uses no violence. A good family film, but still too long.<br />
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<b>67- Snitch- </b>More of a drama than the action film that Dwayne Johnson fans expected, this was still an enjoyable character drama with great acting by Johnson and Jon Bernthal as an ex-con who helps Johnson’s character. A couple of great stunts, but just a bit too plodding and overemphasis on the same character beats hold this back a bit.<br />
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<b>66- Out of the Furnace-</b> This film had amazing acting, incredible tension and a great forboding sense of depression, but the story held no surprises and the characters do exactly what they would do in Screenwriting 101. Disappointing.<br />
<br />
<b>65- Lone Ranger-</b> This was probably the hardest movie to rank. The film is waaay too long, the script is a mess, the acting is all over the map, but, for the 3 or 4 action sequences in this film (especially the climax) it can almost all be forgiven because they are so well done. Sadly, there is about 90 minutes or more of blahhh filmmaking to get to the good stuff.<br />
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<b>64- Secret Life of Walter Mitty-</b> It is a gorgeous film, very well filmed and made, but while many of my customers at the theater and friends on Facebook are enthusiastic about how amazing the film was and how it is absolutely inspiring, and life changing, I just have to shrug my shoulders and agree that it was good, but nothing special in my eyes. Although the Karaoke bar in Iceland was very funny.<br />
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<b>63- Wolf of Wall Street-</b> Yes, it is over-the-top. Yes, it is crude from the very opening moments. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie are amazing to watch (along with Matthew Mccaughnahey in a 10 minute cameo), and there are some absolutely hysterical scenes of excess and the effects of drugs, but, after 3 hours, I had not learned anything about the characters or the situations other than what was there at face value. Too long with no heart or soul. But again, I think that was the point.<br />
<br />
<b>62- Anchorman 2-</b> This is just as silly, dumb, and pointless as the original. And I laughed quite often. It is, again, too long, goes off on random tangents, and has stretches without laughs, but better than most comedy sequels. The Battle Royale finale is packed with cameos and is very funny.<br />
<br />
<b>61- Carrie-</b> Chloe Grace Moretz is spectacular as Carrie, but her amazing screen presence is still hard to suppress at the beginning when she is supposed to be the ultimate wallflower. Julianne Moore is crazily good as her overly religious mother, Judy Greer adds a great dramatic turn as carrie’s school counselor, and the young actors playing the kids trying to help Carrie and bully Carrie do their jobs well, but the question remains- why remake this film? Sadly, I could not find much reason to watch this one over the original, if you’re only going to watch one.<br />
<br />
<b>60- Room 237-</b> This is a documentary that follows several theories as to what Stanley Kubrick actually had in mind as subtext when he was making The Shining. This is fascinating on many levels, and just crazy and insane on others (In one of the theories, The Shining proves that Kubrick was the director who faked the footage of America landing on the moon. In another, The Shining is all about the destruction of American Indians.) Since it just has the audio interviews and minimal footage other than the film, it is boring visually as it shows the same scenes from The Shining over and over and over and over again, but still is fascinating on its own level.<br />
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<b>59- Kick Ass 2-</b> Chloe Grace Moretz is fabulous again and there are some great bits from Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Carrey, and others, but Aaron Johnson as the lead is still a little bland. I really enjoyed watching this but there was no new point to be made in making the sequel, as fun as it was.<br />
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<b>58- Broken City-</b> This is a modern film noir that does nothing new with the format as it shows that corruption in big city politics can go all the way to the top. Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Alona Tal do a great job and the tension is held well, but there are no real surprises.<br />
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<b>57- Company You Keep</b>- An all star cast (no joke! Robert Redford, Susan Sarandon, Shia LaBoeuf, Anna Kendrick, Chris Cooper, Nick Nolte, and many, many more) elevate the story of a newspaper reporter on the trail of a man who has been a fugitive and living under another name for 35 years and why he finally decides to make a run for it. This is acting class 101, but again, the story does really nothing new or interesting with its ideas.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-79003681833712552302014-01-02T09:06:00.001-07:002014-01-02T09:06:53.967-07:00Numbers 104- 94- Pure Entertainment<b>Pure Entertainment-</b> listed in chronological order of release. These were what they were. No more, no less.<br />
<br />
<b>104- Hansel & Gretl Witch Hunters-</b> Really, if you go see a movie with this title, you should know what you’re getting. A surprising character beat (Renner’s character has diabetes due to eating all the candy as a child), cool action, a winking sense of humor, Peter Stormare chewing scenery, bloody, cheesy special effects, and Gemma Arterton doing her best Kate-Beckinsale-in-leather imitation made for a fun 90 minutes.<br />
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<b>103- Parker-</b> Using a character from a series of novels by Donald Westlake, Jason Statham stars as a moral thief who goes after his ex-partners to get the amount he was owed for a job after he is shot and left for dead. Jennifer Lopez catches onto his plan and finagles her way into the scheme. A fun little thriller/ action film.<br />
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<b>102- Last Stand-</b> Arnold Schwarzenegger comes back to the big screen in a fun way! He is the sheriff in a small US town near the Mexican border where an escaped drug dealer is expected to cross over. Surprising plot choices, a sense of fun, great action, and surprisingly bloody- this film is a blast, however, it does overstay its welcome by about 15 minutes.<br />
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<b>101- Gangster Squad-</b> Josh Brolin leads a group of LA cops to do whatever it takes to take down a mobster trying to take over 1930’s Los Angeles. While it is based on a true story, this is a very fictionalized version of that story. It also stars Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Michael Pena and Nick Nolte. With that cast, it should explode off the screen, but unfortunately is nothing more than a fun 2 hour time waster.<br />
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<b>100- Good Day to Die Hard-</b> I wish that this film was more than it is. The initial car chase is fantastic, but, otherwise it just coasts by and Is nothing at all memorable. Bruce Willis is taking a paycheck, nothing more, and that hurts me to say it. Fun to watch but nowhere near the classic status of the original.<b> Bonus trivia fact-</b> My first film in Dolby Atmos.<br />
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<b>99- Olympus Has Fallen-</b> Basically, Die Hard in the White House. I enjoyed this film, but nothing more. I like the setup for the main character (in a tragic decision, he has to save the life of the President of the US and let the First Lady die) and I like the darkness of it all, it actually works against the film in not making it much fun. This is the bloodier, grittier, R-Rated <br />
Terrorists take over the White House ‘ film of the year.<br />
<br />
<b>98- 2 Guns-</b> Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg make a fun team as two undercover cops (from different agencies) who are both pretending to be criminals (unknown to the other) who rob a bank and try to discover who has set them up for the fall after the heist. The interplay between the two is fun and they elevate the material, but, 2 minutes after leaving the theater, the film evaporated from my mind. Enjoyable 2 hour film.<br />
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<b>97- Getaway-</b> This is an awful, horribly plotted film. Ethan Hawke stars as an ex-race car driver whose wife is kidnapped. He is contacted and told that he must steal a car and do specific tasks throughout the city one night and if he refuses, his wife will be killed. Selena Gomez is the owner of the car he steals who is also a computer hacker. Unbelievable to the extreme, but a very cheap knock-off version of a Fast and the Furious type of film with great car stunts and an amazing 90 second shot filmed from the front bumper of the car as it runs red lights and travels through the streets gives this film a major leg up.<br />
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<b>96- Riddick-</b> Nowhere near as good as the original Pitch Black, but still a fun film with Riddick being left for dead on a planet that has many threats to life, so he calls for a rescue ship which happens to be populated by bounty hunters looking for him. A tense scene involving a locker full of explosives, a tough Vin Diesel, interesting setup (almost a silent film for 30 minutes as he survives on the planet alone, except for his pet “dog”) help this, but it is nothing more than what the makers wanted- a pulp story brought to the big screen.<br />
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<b>95- Escape Plan-</b> Stallone is an expert of breaking out of prisons who is hired by a shadowy group to go into an unknown prison and attempt escape. Once there, he discovers that he has been duped and is being kept locked away with no “safe word” escape route. He enlists Schwartzenegger to assist in his escape and take down the cruel warden. While I enjoyed this film quite a bit, the ending was extremely rushed and Stallone’s “office team” is severely wasted, but otherwise a very enjoyable ride.<br />
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<b>94- Homefront-</b> Jason Statham again as an ex-undercover cop who moves to a small Louisiana town with his daughter to escape the wrath of a local drug kingpin. When he is discovered by the small town drug dealer who sells him out, the dealer he put away plots revenge. Waaaay overlong by 20- 30 minutes with characters who drop in and out for long stretches of time (and one that disappears entirely for no reason after the first 45 minutes or so), but an interesting film, nonetheless. It has a slight ‘Straw Dogs’ vibe to it. One of the “coulda” films- It coulda been so much better but its not bad for what it is.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-2827905202948473052013-12-31T12:30:00.001-07:002013-12-31T12:30:15.015-07:002013 Movies numbers 123- 105Although this list does rank the films that I saw this year, and I critique them, I want everyone to know that I still enjoyed every single movie that I saw this year on some level. If it is a movie and I am watching it, I am enjoying it.<br />
<br />
In making this list, I have created 7 categories in which I placed the films. To try to ensure that my placement in the categories was correct, I went through and made sure that, as I rose through the levels, I would generally rather watch a film from level 3 before I watched one from Level 4, and so on. Then, in each level, I ranked them again, so that, generally speaking, I would rather watch number 105 than 1-8 and so on.<br />
<br />
The only time that I did not follow this ranking is in my section of 'Pure Entertainment'. These are generally action films and these are ranked in chronological order. Since my dad was a cop, I grew up watching cop shows and they are generally like "comfort food" to me and I can watch them at any time and I am almost always much more lenient on these types of films than I should be- that's why they get their own section.<br />
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It was 13 years ago, while watching 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' that I realized that, in order to consider something really good and solid that I had to care or that it had to really touch me in some way. The films which are lower on my list are there, more often than not, because, at the end of the film, I didn't really care about the characters or the story told, and I was able to walk out of the theater and not really think much more about the story and the characters and it was only the technical maiking of the film that kept going through my head.<br />
<br />
On the other end of the spectrum, though, I am starting to realize that the films that make the top of my list are ones where I do honestly care about the story or characters, where I am transported into the film and forget everything for 2 hours, or films that have deep connective ties to me.<br />
I will admit, right now, that the films that are at the very top of my list this year are ones that, even though I see flaws in them, they touched me and struck a deep chord somewhere in me. These chords include cancer, family, fathers, and creatvity.<br />
In fact, to give a bit of a tease, my favorite film of the year is actually one that had no real storytelling surprises at all, but it featured 4 actors at the top of their craft making a heartfelt film that had me laughing or crying the entire 90 minute running time the first time I saw it and, while I did not quite do the same the second time that I saw it, I still laughed a lot and got very teary.<br />
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Anyway, that is for a different post. Here, to start off the list are my least favorite films that I saw this year.<br />
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<b>Bottom of the Barrel-<br />
</b><br />
<b>123- The Host-</b> I am not a Stephanie Meyers hater who automatically hates it just because she is behind it. While I do think the Twilight films were bad, they had certain actors and moments that stopped them from being the absolute worst and, conceptually, I have heard of storylines that are much worse (a high school cheerleader who is also a vampire slayer). The Host, however, even though it has a great cast and a concept that is not necessarily a bad concept, should have stayed on the page. The actors do what they can, but they can’t save it. Having a voice over done by the voices in the main girl’s head doesn’t work, a love quadrangle with 2 minds in one female body and 2 separate boys is laughable, sets look chintzy…the list goes on. It ended up just being a very very bad film and not working on any level.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Good moments, good cast, but large disappointments<br />
</b><br />
<b>122- Diana-</b> Naomi Watts does a great job in playing “The People’s Princess” in this film look at the last 3 years of Diana’s life, but, had I not lived through the actual events, I wouldn’t have cared at all about anything that happens. It is boring, plotless, and gives nothing more than a glance behind the façade. Very, very disappointing.<br />
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<b>121- Book Thief-</b> While I know that many people are loving this film, both of an older generation and younger, I found this film very boring and pointless. Whena main plotline is about the hiding of a Jew in a basement in Nazi Germany and absolutely nothing comes of it either plotwise or characterwise, it is a very misguided film. Story points are brought up and dropped, never to be heard from again, characters make random decisions that do not have any point, things happen for no reason, and again, the list goes on and on. Only the acting by Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and the main character played by Sophie Nelisse and the mjusic score by John Willliams make this even worth watching.<br />
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<b>120- Last Exorcism 2-</b> I really enjoyed the first film and found it both fascinating and terrifying. There is almost none of that here. Only Ashley Bell’s lead performance keeps this one on the tracks. I like the darkness of where they were trying to go, but it just didn’t work.<br />
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<b>119- To Do List-</b> While the cast is amazing, absolutely nothing of any interest really happens in this film. It feels like a generic 80’s sex comedy that was barely released and only Clark Gregg and Connie Britton as Aubrey Plaza’s parents make any impact. No laughs cripple a comedy.<br />
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<b>118- Counsellor-</b> While I love the darkness and bleakness of this film, I just didn’t care. I liked some of the monologues, but at the end of the day, I did not feel any of the stakes for any of the characters, some of the acting was bland, other acting was flat-out bad, some scenes were ridiculous in a bad way- this is showing up on Top 10 and Bottom 10 lists this year and for me, it is on the bottom.<br />
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<b>117- RIPD-</b> Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, mary Louise Parker and Kevin Bacon are all game, but this film is a pale imitation of Men in Black. Only a few silly quips keep it from the bottom.<br />
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<b>116- Dead Man Down-</b> Dripping with mood and good acting, but with a pace that is plodding and a plot that is uninteresting, this Colin Farrell-starrer was easily forgotten upon leaving the theater.<br />
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<b>115- Rapture-Palooza-</b> A few random laughs and a great comedic cast with impeccable timing (Anna Kendrick, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Ana Gasteyer, Thomas Lennon, John Francis Daley) does not save this misfire about a woman who, after the rapture, is coerced into getting intimate with the Anti-Christ so that she can trick him and imprison him for a thousand years. Too much emphasis on the crude jokes while the actually funny bits are few and far between. Oh, and Anna Kendrick looks great in the white dress.<br />
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<b>114- Hangover 3-</b> I really admire the fact that the filmmakers took this film in a different direction (as opposed to Hangover 2) and make 3 more of an action film. Unfortunately, very little of it works. Bradley Cooper having to climb down the outside of Caesar’s Palace and Chow’s parachuting down the strip are highlights, as is a quick reunion with Heather Graham’s hooker from the first film adds a touching couple of scenes, but otherwise, again, why bother (?) and very forgettable.<br />
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<b>113- Machete Kills-</b> I knew that I was going into a complete piece of trash filmmaking- which I got- however, as opposed to the original film, it isn’t much fun. Until the last 30 minutes or so of the 2 hour running time. Then the film springs to life with all the gloriously bad, cheesy plotpoints connect and it almost redeems itself. Almost. By that point, though, the film has overstayed its welcome (see: The Lone Ranger) I am srtill excited to see Machete Kills Again…. In Space.<br />
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<b>112- Pulling Strings-</b> In what is basically an extended Three’s Company setup, a mariachi band member helps a Consulate worker who just denied him his US Visa find a computer that she thinks was lost but is actually safely at his apartment in exchange for receiving a Visa. I laughed only once in this two hour long romantic “comedy” and while definitely not a chore to sit through, the script meanders way too much and the chemistry between the leads is non-existent.<br />
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<b>111- Hobbit- Desolation of Smaug-</b> I have not really been a fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, nor the previous Hobbit film. However, the more that I thought about this film, the more I disliked it. Other than Evangeline Lilly, the barrel/ river chase, and the Dolby Atmos sound, I disliked this movie. The Hobbit was barely in it except for the last 40 minutes or so, it belabored plot points and… Every. Single Thing. That. Each. Character. Says. Is. Of. The. Utmost. Importance. The action was not fun nor was it exciting, the characters were boring, Gandalf is off on his own adventure through most of the running time watching the menace of Sauron buld (which is absolutely non-essential to this story),and Smaug was not menacing. Also, apparently in a world that has Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs, cats and pigs are alive and well. It feels as though the film is struggling to give the audience more of what it loved in the original trilogy and this time, you see the film’s own flop sweat. CGI still looks like CGI. The best thing of this film? I only have about 3 more hours to spend in middle earth.<br />
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<b>110- Jobs-</b> Steve Jobs is a fascinating individual. He pushed technology further than anyone expected it could go. He was a perfectionist. And a world class jerk. That is basically what I got out of this film about Steve Jobs. I have not read his biography nor do I know everything about him and his associates. This film introduces names that I know but does not give me much reason to care. It jumps back and forth in time for the opening 20 minutes. His wife is only onscreen when he can yell at her. Characters are introduced and then forgotten until it is time for Jobs to betray them or for them to betray Jobs. While the acting is the only thing going for this film, it makes it worth it, but it never really scratches anything more than the surface and gives us anything other than: Jobs was a genius, Jobs was a jerk sequences.<br />
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<b>109- Beautiful Creatures-</b> While not unwatchable, there is also nothing really noteworthy about this adaptation of the first in a series of young adult novels trying to be the next Twilight. The production is competent, the acting is good, but again, nothing connected with me in the story or the characters. Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons are always welcome to watch, but even they can’t save this film.<br />
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<b>108- Paranoia-</b> Paranoia is actually only a plotpoint for about 5 minutes of this film. This is one of the most bland films made this year. Characters aren’t really characters in this film, they are chess pieces and they make moves and decisions only to get them to certain places in the plot- nothing seems natural or plausible. Gary Oldman chews the scenery and ignites his scenes. Harrison Ford doesn’t even appear until about the 40 minute mark and only has a few scenes. The real killer of this film is the non-relationship between its leads Liam hemsworth and Amber Heard, both of whom I have liked in other films, but do nothing but recite dialogue here. Even though the plot is silly now ( a phone which has lots of capabilities) it could have been overshadowed by gutsy directorial decisions and a tighter script. This is a real disappointment.<br />
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<b>107- Butler-</b> Forest Whitaker is amazing. Let me repeat that- Forest Whittaker is amazing. Otherwise, this is a horrible white-guilt crowd pleaser meant to make white people feel good about themselves because now we have a black President. This takes a fascinating true story and morphs it into a horrible Forrest Gump like film where the titular butler’s son is involved in every single important piece of the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s. because the Presidents speak to The Butler, they make decisions leading to the laws giving Civil Rights across the board. Oprah Winfrey is along for the ride and co-stars as The Butler’s wife who hates him for the first half of the film and admires him for the second half with no turning point other than it was written in the script. Some of the cameos are great but for every good moment in this film, there is an awful, cringe-inducing moment. I hope that this wons no Academy Awards, especially for Oprah, and that, if any black film wins awards, it should be 12 Years a Slave, a much, much more well-made film.<br />
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<b>106- Man of Steel-</b> Another film that makes a really awful choice for every awesome choice. I like a lot of man of Steel. Cavill is great, Amy Adams is an actual Lois Lane that I believe is an award winning journalist, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner bring the heart to Clark’s yearning for home and family and Michael Shannon is an evil bad guy with motives I understand and sympathize with. I like the “hero who disappears” angle along with the parts of the military not knowing if Superman is a threat or not. Unfortunately, I realized that I just don’t care about Superman’s backstory and Krypton. I never have. Thus, seeing it again and continuing to discuss it bored me out of my mind. Also, the last 45 minutes or so can be summed up like this- IHOP- punch, punch, punch, punch punch, punch, Sears, I throw you through a building, you throw me through a building, bad CGI, bad CGI, punch, punch, punch, punch, punch, punch. Way too long, drawn out and boring. I am more excited for the sequel than I am in ever watching this again.<br />
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<b>105- Bullet to the Head-</b> Sylvester Stallone returns as a mobster who has to work with a cop to find who killed their respective partners, all helped out by Sarah Shahi as Stallone’s tattoo artist daughter. This is a very non-descript action film with a fun, exciting climax. I have become a Shahi fan this year after watching the TV show ‘Life’ and she adds some much needed spark, but nowhere near enough. Otherwise, nothing here.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-77457808670233992942013-12-31T12:05:00.001-07:002013-12-31T12:10:00.706-07:00Total List of everything watched in 2013Here is a list of everything that I have watched for the first time during 2013. I have decided to keep it to first time watches because, if I have seen something before, I may watch it while I fold laundry and only watch a specific 20 minutes or so. I figured this was just the easiest way to do it as, if I have not seen it before, I will push through and finish it as opposed to the half-watche or clips or listing Raiders of the Lost Ark 13 more times. I have notated if I watched a specific film more than once this year as well.<br />
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This list includes a total of 178 films watched this year- 155 individual new films watched- along with 5 seasons of half hour long tv shows and 23 seasons of hour long TV shows. <br />
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Here it is, my list of everyhing new watched in 2013:<br />
<br />
<b>Previous Years’ films<br />
</b><br />
<br />
Big Red One<br />
Code of Silence<br />
Extract<br />
Goon- 2x<br />
Green Berets<br />
Harper<br />
Just Go With It- 2x<br />
Rocky Balboa<br />
To Catch a Thief<br />
Trick or Treat- 1986<br />
Visiting Hours<br />
Warning Shot<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Watching Currently<br />
</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>TV Series<br />
</b><br />
Big Bang Theory Ssn 5<br />
Body of Proof Ssn 2<br />
Body of Proof Ssn 3<br />
Castle Ssn 4<br />
Community Ssn 4<br />
Covert Affairs Ssn 2<br />
CSI Miami Ssn 10<br />
CSI NY Ssn 8<br />
CSI NY Ssn 9<br />
CSI Vegas Ssn 12<br />
CSI Vegas Ssn 13<br />
Dollhouse Ssn 1<br />
Fairly Legal Ssn 1<br />
Fairly Legal Ssn 2<br />
Good Wife Ssn 2<br />
Hart to Hart Ssn 1<br />
House of Lies Ssn 1<br />
Law & Order LA Complete series<br />
Life Ssn 1<br />
Life Ssn 2<br />
Mentalist Ssn 2<br />
Mentalist Ssn 3<br />
Mentalist Ssn 4<br />
Newsroom Ssn 1<br />
Party Down Ssn 1<br />
Rizzoli & Isles Ssn 3<br />
Psych Ssn 6<br />
Suburgatory Ssn 1<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>2012 films<br />
</b><br />
Les Miserables- 2x<br />
Jack Reacher<br />
Life of Pi<br />
Lay the favorite<br />
The Hobbit<br />
Zero Dark Thirty<br />
The Impossible<br />
Django unchained<br />
Wreck It ralph- 2x<br />
Hitchcock<br />
VHS<br />
Beasts of Southern Wild<br />
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen<br />
Seven Psychopaths<br />
Perks of Being a Wallflower<br />
Collection<br />
Fun Size<br />
Hit & Run<br />
Man with the Iron Fists<br />
Dredd<br />
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<b>2013 Films<br />
</b><br />
<br />
1-Texas Chainsaw 3D<br />
2- Hansel & Gretel Witch hunters<br />
3- Warm Bodies<br />
4- Good day to Die Hard<br />
5- Snitch<br />
6- Dark Skies- 2x<br />
7- Jack the Giant Slayer<br />
8- Last Exorcism Part 2<br />
9- Oz- Great & Powerful<br />
10- Dead Man Down<br />
11- Incredible Burt Wonderstone<br />
12- The Call<br />
13- Croods<br />
14- Gi Joe- Retaliation- 2x<br />
15- Olympus Has Fallen<br />
16- The Host<br />
17- Jurassic Park 3D- 2x<br />
18- 42<br />
19- Spring Breakers<br />
20- Trance<br />
21- Evil Dead<br />
22- Oblivion<br />
23- Iron Man 3<br />
24. Star Trek Into Darkness- 3x<br />
25- The Last Stand- 2x<br />
26- Hangover Part 3<br />
27- Now You See Me- 3x<br />
28- Fast & Furious 6<br />
29- Gangster Squad<br />
30- Man of Steel<br />
31- World War Z- 2x<br />
32- Monsters University<br />
33- This is the End<br />
34- The Heat- 2x<br />
35- Bling Ring<br />
36- White House Down- 2x<br />
37- Lone Ranger<br />
38- Kevin Hart- Let Me Explain<br />
39- Pacific Rim<br />
40- RED 2<br />
41- RIPD<br />
42- Way, Way Back- 3x<br />
43- To-Do List<br />
44- Unfinished Song- 2x<br />
45- Conjuring- 2x<br />
46- Wolverine<br />
47- 2 Guns<br />
48- Percy Jackson- Sea of Monsters<br />
49- We’re the Millers<br />
50- Kick Ass 2<br />
51- Paranoia<br />
52- Elysium<br />
53- Mortal Instruments- City of Bones<br />
54- The World’s End- 3x<br />
55- Closed Circuit<br />
56- Jobs<br />
57- Getaway<br />
58- Spectacular Now<br />
59- Riddick<br />
60- You’re Next<br />
61- Despicable Me 2<br />
62- Butler<br />
63- The Family<br />
64- Instructions Not Included<br />
65- Room 237<br />
66- Bullet to the Head<br />
67- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2<br />
68- Baggage Claim<br />
69- Thanks for Sharing<br />
70- Prisoners<br />
71- Rush<br />
72- Runner Runner<br />
73- Don Jon<br />
74- Insidious Chapter 2<br />
75- Gravity<br />
76- Saratov Approach<br />
77- Pulling Strings<br />
78- Crystal Lake Memories<br />
79- Captain Phillips<br />
80- Machete Kills<br />
81- Enough Said<br />
82- Hatchet 3<br />
83- Carrie<br />
84- Escape Plan<br />
85- Last Vegas<br />
86- Ender’s Game<br />
87- All is Lost<br />
88- Counselor<br />
89- Thor Dark World<br />
90- About Time<br />
91- Diana<br />
92- 12 Years a Slave<br />
93- Dallas Buyers Club<br />
94- Delivery Man<br />
95- Hunger Games: Catching Fire<br />
96- Frozen- 2x<br />
97- Homefront<br />
98- Philomena- 2x<br />
99- Out of the Furnace<br />
100- Drew- the Man Behind the Poster<br />
101- Book Thief<br />
102- Black Nativity<br />
103- Rapture-Palooza<br />
104- Company You Keep<br />
105- Drinking Buddies<br />
106- Anchorman 2<br />
107- Hobbit- Desolation of Smaug<br />
108- American Hustle<br />
109- Saving Mr. Banks<br />
110- Pain & Gain<br />
111- Parker<br />
112- Secret Life of Walter Mitty<br />
113- Wolf of Wall Street<br />
114- Epic<br />
115- 47 Ronin<br />
116- Mama<br />
117- Byzantium<br />
118- Behind the Candelabra<br />
119- Grudge Match<br />
120- Broken City<br />
121- Great Gatsby<br />
122- Beautiful Creatures<br />
123- Mud <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-28761423868368818352013-11-22T09:27:00.002-07:002013-11-22T09:27:19.992-07:00A few hints as you go to the movie theaterI have now been working at the box office of a movie theater for a little over a year. During that time, I have weathered all of the holidays once and the opening weekends (and usually the Thursday night premieres) of films such as Skyfall, Breaking Dawn Part 2, Life of Pi, Hobbit, Les Miserables, Iron man 3, Despicable me 2, Fast & the Furious 6, Instructions Not Included (a huge film for my theater) and many more. Here are just a few tips as you go to the theater this weekend, next weekend, during the holiday season, whenever, to make it easier for both you and the person who is helping you at the register.<br />
The movie theater should be a place of enjoyment for all of those people involved. While I understand that sometimes there are issues that are beyond the control of the customer, more often than not, if mutual respect is shown for the employees of the theater and for the other guests as well (an this goes for both sides of the counter), a theatrical experience can be mostly stress free for all involved.<br />
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What this all boils down to is: please use common sense.<br />
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1- Please do not come up and yell at us that "our website said such and such". I check our website every day that I am working so that I know exactly what it says and what it doesn't say. With very few exceptions, the problems are almost always user error.<br />
1a-Last night, for example, we had a 5 pm showing of the original Hunger Games and then our showings of Catching Fire started at 8pm. We had about 20 people buy tickets to the original, thinking that they were seeing the sequel earlier than anyone else. It was far from a packed showing, but, after the movie started, they came out and wanted a refund and every single one said, "Your website did not say it was the original". While it is true that it did not specifically say "The original Hunger Games", our website only had the one showtime for it, showed the poster of the original and, next to the poster and the one showtime had the listing- Hunger Games- 2012. If you are still confused, it is your own fault.<br />
1b- Many times, people say that it is "our website" and when we ask them what website they used, they will say Flixster, Fandango, Movietickets.com, or many other websites. While we do send our showtimes to these sites, more times than not, they get them wrong or do not list them as specifically as we do and seperate them into IMAX, 2D, 3D, etc.<br />
1c- Even if it is the website of my company, they will often be looking at a different theater in my chain and they will tell us that the website showed that we had a showtime at 1030 in IMAX. I ask them to show it to me, and the top of the page clearly shows that it is for the different theater.<br />
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2- For a very busy movie, please make sure you have your ticket and do not throw it away. I had about 10 people last night come up to me and tell me they threw their ticket away and I needed to print them another one. Guess what? Once you buy a ticket and it is handed to you, it is your responsibility to keep it and hand it to the guy at the podium as you enter the theater. Please do not yell at me and tell me that you are going to be late for your show because you threw your ticket away. I will do my best to help you, but please do not try to make me responsible for your mistake. Luckily, in each case last night, the customer came back to me almost immediately after having purchased the tickets and the seats that they had chosen were in easy spots to remember where they were sitting, but this is not always the case.<br />
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3- Do not make up a version of events to hide your error. When you tell me that you purchased 13 tickets and you know that you purchased 13 tickets because you just did it at our automatic ticket machines and the machine only gave you 10 tickets and that I need to find some way to make sure that you get all 13 of your tickets, please try to remember that you actually only bought 10 of them and your friend purchased 3 at the machine next to you. We have ways to check to see if the card has ever been used and if it was declined or if it went through and how much the transaction was for so we know how many tickets were purchased.<br />
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4- Please do not have an argument with your moviegoing partner in front of the cashier and hold up the line. It is very uncomfortable for us to stand there with a smile on our face attempting to help you while you are throwing a fit that you have already seen that movie, or you don't want to see this movie, or you paid for dinner and you sure aren't going to pay for the movie as well, or any of the number of other arguments that I have witnessed.<br />
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5. If you are going with a bunch of friends to the same film and you want to sit together but you are paying seperately and the theater has reserved seating, you can all come to the same cashier so that you are not blocking every single cashier while you are all running back and forth from station to station trying to decide where to sit. At my theater, we can seperate out the payments. Even if this is not the case, you may go to the same cashier who can make each transaction very quickly since that cashier knows where you have all chosen to sit.<br />
5a- If you are going to the same movie, and you are paying seperately, and you all have exact change, just give one person all of the money and have them pay for all of the seats all at once.<br />
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6- If you are standing in line to buy tickets for a moment, and you know what you want to see, and you know that you have a rewards card and you know how you want to pay for it, please have the rewards card and your payment method out and ready to hand to me. It makes it go faster for everybody else and gets you out of the line faster as well.<br />
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7- Please make decisions quickly and voice your opinions. If you do not know what movie you want to see, please do not clog up the cashier station while trying to decide. We are more than happy to answer questions, but, just as when a couple is having an argument in front of me and all I can do is stand and smile and watch as the people in line get more and more impatient, the same thing happens here. If you have an opinion on where you want to sit or what movie you want to see, please voice it to your moviegoing partner. Do not say "I don't care where we sit" or "I'll see whatever you want to to see" and then complain as your moviegoing partner makes the decisions and say, "But I don't like to sit there" or "I don't want to see that."<br />
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8- Please do not complain to us if you have a specific seat that you like to sit in and that seat is already taken. If it has been purchased, it is no longer available. Please do not ask me if the previous customer could move down one seat. You may ask them once you enter the theater, but the other person got their seats first, so they have the right to say no. Also, if the seat is no longer available, all that I can do is recommend a different showtime that has that seat available in it. The early bird gets the worm. This is especially troublesome if it is already 15 or 20 minutes after the movie has started.<br />
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9- If you have a large group and want to ensure that you can sit together, it is best to get your seats early. And no, 10 minutes before showtime of the big new release is not what I would consider early. Last year, on Christmas Day, I had a family of 37 people who wanted to see a 7 pm showing of Les Miserables (a very popular movie on Christmas day last year) and wanted to be able to take 2 entire rows in the exact middle of the theater to sit together. They were shocked, appalled and told me that I had ruined their entire Christmas Day by not allowing them to do so. Now, it wasn't that I was not "allowing" them to do so. It was that the showtime was sold out and they had arrived at 730- half an hour past the start of the showtime that they wanted to see. This probably would have been an impossible request for most any film on most any day.<br />
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10- Please do not try to make it sothat there will be no one sitting next to you, in front of you, or behind you- especially on an opening weekend. If seats are going fast, do not try to leave a seat between you and another guest. If this is done, that single seat will usually not sell. I have a great way to almost guarantee that I have no one anywhere around me- I sit on the front row center seat. If you do not like this option, you will more than likely have people around you.<br />
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11- The Golden Rule- Treat Others as You Wish to Be Treated. If it annoys you when people talk during a movie, do not talk during the movie. If you don't like it when people kick the back of your seat, please do not kick the backs of chairs in front of you. Again, please use common courtesy and it will be a better experience for all of us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-80410029873933461382013-11-20T22:43:00.001-07:002013-11-20T22:43:06.682-07:00Commentary tracksOn Facebook, a friend of mine asked how often I listen to commentary tracks. Instead of clogging up her other post discussion (which involved the music of How To Train Your Dragon by john Powell, which I LLOVE), I decided to write a post.<br />
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In general, I would say that I listen to about half of the commentary tracks that I have on disc. Yes, I watch a lot of movies and have a lot of discs, but I still find time to have them going in the background quite a bit.<br />
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There are several different types of commentary tracks and each one can have its merits. But, here is how I gauge what I llisten to:<br />
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Who is on the track? If there is someone of whom I am a huge fan of their work, I will listen to the track, no matter what, with one exception. I love the work of Tim Burton, but he cannot do commentary tracks alone. If he has someone with him, he is better, but alone, he gives amazing nuggets like this actual quote from the Sleepy Hollow Commentary track: "In this scene, I decided to have Johnny wear black." WoW!<br />
I have listened to tracks by sound designers like Ben Burtt who explains that he made this sound by dropping strawberry Jello through fishnet stockings into kitty litter while he was standing exactly 7 1/2 feet up. I love geeks no matter what department they are in!<br />
Danny Elfman on the Pee Wees Big Adventure track states that one particular piece that he had written for a harmonica was tested by many different professionals and told that it was too fast, too many notes and could not be done. Then, a guy came in and did it in one take. Great stuff! Elfman is usually good for the first hour of his tracks, but he usually runs out of things to say near the end.<br />
Ben Affleck- say what you will about the guy, but he is hysterical! His commentary tracks on Pearl harbor, Armageddon, and Mallrats are some of the funniest things that I have ever heard and proves that he does not take himself too seriously.<br />
Kevin Smith- the Mallrats comentary is one of the best around since it is a party atmosphere and is very funny all the way through. In fact, one of the jokes on the track makes it into the Jay and Silent bob Strike Back feature film. Kevin usually has a bunch of different commetaries on his films- one is usually more technical where he is very honest about filmmaking, and the other is like a fun party track.<br />
Weird Al Yankovic does a great track on UHF where he gives actual addresses of the locations used and tells a lot of funny stories as well as how difficult is was to get the film made.<br />
John carpenter and Kurt Russell- these guys have no delusions as to what it is they do for a living. Their Big trouble in Little China commentary is a lot like watching it with your best buds who in the middle of the film take a 3 or 4 minute detour into talking about their kids playing hockey.<br />
Joel Schumacher, on the track for Batman & Robin, actually apologizes for the film he made explaining that the script was written around toys that had already been made to sell that Christmas.<br />
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If I know that there is a lot of behind the scenes trouble in making the film, I will listen and see how much is brought up of the troubles. Sometimes, the speakers stay far away from discussing it and other times it will devolve into mudslinging. You ever wonder why those disclaimers are there before the movie begins/ This is the example of why it is there.<br />
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Writers tracks- If the main actors or director are not on the track, many times I will just "sample it" and see if the speakers are interesting. If they are, I will listen to it from the beginning. but, if the writer is on there, I will usually listen and try to gain as much as I can when they discuss how they make their decisions on where the plot and characters go. This can be especially intriguin if its an adaptation and they discuss why they left in what they did and took out what they did.<br />
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It has happened where I have lost a llot of respect for certain people, or at least been made to remember that they are just human as well and not to be held up as a paragon of intelligence. Jennifer Connelly is pretty to look at but quite a ditz when it comes to discussing films, her craft, and even just random storytelling. Vanessa Hudgens, on the Bandslam commentary, reminded me that she was only 19 or so when she made the film. It was a lot of giggling and "he's so cute" type comments. While I can't say I have ever been a fan of Michael Bay as a person, his tracks are fascinating, but just go to prove that he is a pretentious dick. On Armageddon, he starts out by saying, "Making a movie is like a war." and continues to discuss how important his job is and how no one can do what he can do. I listen to Michael Bay's tracks and just giggle all the way through with the ridiculous things he says.<br />
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Sometimes I watch the commentary ttracks of films that are complete misfires or just dont quite add up and you hear the makers discuss what they wanted to make and what they thought thy made and give their good intentions and they can make you almost want to like the film just for the good intentions involved.<br />
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But, if the film touched me on any level and especially if it is one of my top films of the year, I will listen to it just for the magical quality that creative people have in discussing how they brought their work to the screen.<br />
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On the weekend that How to Train Your Dragon came out on BluRay, I bought it that morning and watched it all weekend. My wife did not see it in the theaters, so I forced her to sit down and watch it with me (forced because she doesn't really like animation). She loved it and was crying at the end. I then watched it 3 more times (just the film) and did all of the extras that were included on the disc- the featurettes, the commentaries, the whole thing. I made it a How to Train Your Dragon weekend. On the commentary track, the directors talk about how the "learning to trust each other" scene grew from a planned one minute scene to almost 5 because they knew that the whole film hinged on that scene and if it didnt work, the whole film would not work. They also discussed that, originally, Hiccup was alone in his room when he woke up at the end and discovered he lost a leg. It was Steven Spielberg, who saw the first cut at Dreamworks SKG, who told them that Toothless needed to be there and to help his friend out. Of course, Spielberg turned out to be right.<br />
How to Train Your Dragon was a special film to me.<br />
It was the last film that I saw with my dad in the theaters. We saw it as I was driving him back home from San Antonio to Hurricane Utah when he was diagnosed with cancer. He died 11 weeks later. <br />
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Commentary tracks can be like film school in a box, a drunken good time while you are still sober, a memory of what makes a film so special to you, an apology, an affirmation, or just a peek behind the curtain at the magic that can come out of creative people.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488322658076138449.post-26778446852372934182013-11-19T10:52:00.001-07:002013-11-19T10:52:49.249-07:00List of things about meOn facebook right now, there is a 'game' where you list facts about yourself. I decided to blog mine.<br />
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1- I was born 9 weeks premature in 1972.<br />
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2- I taught myself how to read when I was 2 because my parents would not read the TV and movie listings to me everyday. I was also very annoyed when my grandma could not read the cards while playing games with me.<br />
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3- I have, as of this writing, seen Raiders of the Lost Ark 626 times.<br />
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4- I have been to all 50 states as well as Canada, mexico, England, France, Netherlands, belgium, Spain, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Monaco.<br />
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5- When I was 15, my team won the Trivial Pursuit Championship for the Utah Department of Public safety.<br />
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6- I worked at Blockbuster for a total of 13 years altogether.<br />
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7- I have always been a'nightowl'. I prefeer to drive long distances at night and I rarely go to bed before Midnight, more often than not, it's more like 1 or 130 in the morning.<br />
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8-I would take a lot of books to school in my backpack so that I could loan them to friends if they didn't have any reading material. This continued as I grew up and I loaned a lot of movies to people from the neighborhood and am still a go-to friend for movie borrowing.<br />
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9-Before I left on my mission, I saw every single film that came out in theaters from April 1, 1991 until October 5, 1991. This led to me seeing The Commitments- a film that has since become one of my all-time favorites.<br />
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10- I co-host a podcast called The Geek Agenda (www.thegeekagenda.com ) in which we discuss films, and the ultra fan inside all of us.<br />
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11- I came to love films because my parents realized that, when I was a very sick kid and very fussy, I would quiet down when in a theater, but not necessarily in a car.<br />
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12- I became a human IMDB before there was an IMDB. I once won a Blockbuster contest by linking 320 people together. My next closest competition only had 87.<br />
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13- I met a friend in college (the head of The geek Agenda) and it was only about6 months later that we discovered we were actually second cousins!<br />
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14- I went to the State Drama competition 3 years in a row with pieces that I wrote myself based on favorite films of the time (Good Morning Vietnam, Rain man, Talk Radio).<br />
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15- I went on a mission to Paris France. I was originally called to the Port-au-Prince Haiti mission, but the missionaries were pulled out due ti a civil war while we were in the MTC so my call was changed.<br />
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16- To help learn the language, I read, in their original French versions, Les Miserables, Hunchback of Notre Dame, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Days, Three Musketeers, man in the Iron mask, and the whole series of Asterix comics. I also read, in French translations, Bright Lights Big City, Fletch, Silence of the Lambs, Dark Half, and Carrie.<br />
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17- I was companions with one of Mitt Romney's sons, matt.<br />
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18- I helped write the Utah State Core Curiculum for Social Studies in 2001.<br />
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19- My favorite jobs at Blockbuster was making room on the New release Wall for all of the week's new films, and receiving so that I could be the first one to handle the new films as well.<br />
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20- In Vegas, I have been lucky enough to see 2 Cirque de Soleil shows, O and Mystere, and I have also seen David Copperfield, Huey Lewis & the News, Drew Carrey, NiCole robinson, Wayne Brady, Penn & teller, Charles Fleischer,and had front row seats for George Carlin, my stand up comedy idol.<br />
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21- I donated a kidney to my mom in 2003. It was a very tough year, but we both came out well and my mom is still doing extremely well!<br />
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22- I got to watch my cousin argue a case in front of the US Supreme Court. Wow! That was absolutely amazing!<br />
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23- Both carole Mikita and Attorney general of Utah at the time, jan Graham, pulled the "Do you know who I am?" card to try to get a very popular movie on a very busy weekend at Blockbuster and to get late fees taken off of their account.<br />
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24- I was the first person hired for the retention Department when it began at Pinnacle Security.<br />
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25- While working at Blockbuster, I had 2 cars drive into the building.<br />
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26- I got to meet Bill Conti (composer for Rocky), larry Linville (Frank Burns of M*A*S*H) and Rob Paulsen and Jess harnell (Animaniacs) and Paulson did a live version of the Nations of the World song.<br />
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27- Did the motel room scene from 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles' with Eric Taylor as my final project in drama in high school.<br />
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28- Kate Beckinsale and Gemma Arterton are my female celebrity crushes. I will watch anything they are in.<br />
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29- My favorite actors are Harrison Ford and Michael J Fox.<br />
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and, finally<br />
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30- I finished a novel consisting of 119,000 words in October of 2012 and am currently looking for an agent to sell it to get it published.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2