So, I haven't written a review since June 14th. Luckily Brian reviewed some of the bigger summer movies like The Amazing Spiderman, The Dark Knight Rises and Brave on July 22nd. But I've been really lazy. And there were so many movies that I wanted to see and never got around to seeing. Like Magic Mike. What kind of a gay man am I if I missed Magic Mike? Oh well. There's always Red Box and the privacy of my own home.
And remember, I'm not Brian. He uses the star system like a legit movie critic. I'm just a nobody so I rate on an awful, average, admirable and awesome scale. I also like alliteration.
Julianne Hough stars in the screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical of the same name. The story is nothing to shout about. A small town girl takes a bus to Los Angeles because she wants to be a big star, but winds up instead as a waitress in a cool bar where she finds love. Remind anyone of Christina Aguilera's Burlesque? Luckily the movie is funny enough to get you through it and most of the 80s rock covers are pretty entertaining (although I'm not the biggest fan of Hough's thin voice). Also Tom Cruise shows up as the legendary rocker Stacee Jaxx and ultimately steals the show. Who knew he could sing?
I really liked this movie! There were just a few parts that I didn't think fit in with the whole, or else I would have rated this one "awesome." Steve Carell plays Dodge, a man whose wife runs out on him when it's announced that the end of the world is near. He soon meets Penny (Keira Knightley), a much younger woman, and the two embark on a strange apocalyptic journey to say goodbye to their families. The film is a lighthearted look at humanity and even on the brink of extinction there are a lot of laughs. But the film also manages to connect on deeper levels and the ending had me in tears. Kudos to Lorene Scafaria who both wrote and directed.
From Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, comes a movie about a little boy and his magical, talking teddy bear, Ted (Seth MacFarlane himself). Except for now they've both grown up and the novelty has kind of worn off. John (Mark Wahlberg) is the grown-up man-boy and his girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis), wants the relationship to get more serious but Ted just keeps getting in the way. The jokes are all funny with a comedic style perfectly in league with Family Guy, and while I was completely in stitches over the crude, off-color gags, I also found myself attached to the furry CGI character enough to be genuinely sad at the prospect of his demise. I kinda wanna wish for a talking teddy bear now... oh, and a visit from Flash Gordon.
Directed by Oliver Stone, the movie stars Blake Lively as O, a woman in love with two men who are deeply involved in the drug trade of California. Yes, I said drugs. Lots of marijuana smoking. And yes, I said she's in love with two men: Chon (Taylor Kitsch), the strong ex-soldier and Ben (Aaron Johnson), the sensitive hippie-type. And let me tell you, the scenes with the three of them are smoking hot! The rest of the film involves another drug cartel from Mexico--led by the villainous Elena (Salma Hayek)--trying to move in on them. Things get crazy and violent, but mostly the film is a lot of style and a little substance. Oh, and there's a horrible fake-out at the end. Trust me. You'll be annoyed.
The popular books are back on the big screen, and the result gets worse each time. Wimpy Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) wants to play video games all summer but his dad (Steve Zahn) wants him to get outdoors and his mom (Rachael Harris) wants him to read classic novels. So what does he do? He hangs out with his tubby pal Rowley (Robert Capron) at the country club where of course embarrassing and outrageous scenarios play out. These things are meant to be funny, but mostly they just gave me a headache. The story meanders all over the place without any sense of purpose and the dog mentioned in the movie title is hardly significant at all.
Meryl Streep plays Kay, an older woman, who feels like her husband, Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones), is growing distant. He no longer sleeps in the same bedroom and she's longing for intimacy. She convinces him to go with her to a week-long couple's retreat in Maine to undergo therapy with Dr. Feld (Steve Carell). The performances by the three main characters are very controlled and nuanced and the film has a very intimate feel as we watch them struggle in their counseling sessions. Sometimes it feels almost too personal. Like we're intruding. Still, there are moments of humor and something very beautiful about watching them learn to love again. My only real complaint is that the soundtrack was cluttered with out-of-place girly pop music, as if this were a feminine hygiene commercial.
Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a boy who talks to ghosts. Or rather, they talk to him whether he likes it or not and the kids in school make fun of him for it. His parents don't get him either. But when a witch unleashes a terrible curse--bringing zombies up out of the ground--it's up to Norman to save the day along with his sister (Anna Kendrick), his new friend (Tucker Albrizzi), the school bully (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and a high school jock (Casey Affleck). The story deals at its core with issues of bullying and acceptance... and it's not just Norman who's misunderstood. There is some very gutsy storytelling, fantastic stop-animation, plenty of horror movie references and the end had me in tears. I loved it!
The Bondurant Brothers--Jack (Shia LaBeouf), Forrest (Tom Hardy) and Howard (Jason Clarke)--are bootleggers believed to be immortal in their small town in prohibition-era Virginia. But everything changes when a new deputy (Guy Pearce) moves into town and tries to take control. Jessica Chastain plays Maggie, a quiet city girl who finds solace in the equally stoic Forrest and Mia Wasikowska plays Bertha, the daughter of a preacher who young Jack falls in love with. LaBeouf does a fantastic job with his role, imbuing Jack with both an innocence and ambition which causes him to want more than he can handle. The film is very violent, which I don't necessarily mind, but it becomes almost nonstop and loses some of its ability to be truly affecting. Still, a good movie with solid performances.
Sure, this ain't The Exorcist, but I quite enjoyed watching this movie. Newly divorced Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) are trying to make the transition easy on their two daughters, Hannah (Madison Davenport) and Em (Natasha Calis). But when Em buys a mysterious box from a yard sale, she unknowingly releases a demon who begins to possess her body. The look of the film is very sleek, with good camerawork, effects, and interesting abrupt cuts, however, some of the performances aren't quite up to snuff and most of the film follows the horror formula to a tee. Overall though I thought the tension built to a pretty satisfying climax with fun scares and even some humor along the way. Come to think of it, I've never seen a Jewish exorcism before...
