Labor Day

Hollywood seems to love to romanticize the whole "bad boy" thing. We've had vampires, werewolves, even zombies. I wonder if the all got together and were like "We're running out of ideas! What can we do now? I know... how about escaped prisoners?"

To be fair though, Labor Day actually wasn't that bad. I was surprised by how much I liked it.

The movie takes place mostly in 1987 over the course of Labor day weekend. It tells the story of a 12 year old boy named Henry (played by the very talented Gattlin Griffith. He's definitely one to watch in the future.) and his mother Adele (Kate Winslet, who's amazing as always). Due to some very tragic events, Adele rarely leaves the house, only going out once a month to get groceries and other necessary items. One day when she and Henry are in the movie equivalent of a Wal Mart, Henry comes across Frank (Josh Brolin), an injured escaped prisoner who asks them for a ride to their house so that he can rest for a few hours and then be on his way. Adele is initially hesitant, but eventually agrees. Of course, he ends up staying for the whole weekend. During the course of those three days, Frank and Adele, two very lonely people, fall in love and Frank even becomes something of a father figure to Henry. I know it sounds absurd and indeed it is. But more on that later.

Labor Day is directed by Jason Reitman. If I didn't know that ahead of time I never would've guessed it was him. It's an odd choice for Jason given that he's directed movies such as Juno and Up in the Air, both of which I enjoyed. From what I understand, he was a big fan of the book this movie is based on. I give him a lot of credit for wanting to do something different. While I wouldn't call this his best movie, I think it's pretty good. For one thing it's beautifully shot and he really pays attention to details. Everything from the food logos in the grocery store to the news broadcasts makes you feel like you were in the 80's. I also loved how he did a good job of showing rather than telling. Throughout the movie you get these brief, well placed flashbacks that explain Frank's back-story. Another director might have had Frank go into this big, long speech. I'm glad they decided not to go that route. The way Jason did it was much more effective.

I also loved the cast that Jason put together. That was honestly my favorite part about the whole movie. Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin were amazing. They both had great chemistry. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing these roles. It was also nice to see Josh Brolin step out of his comfort zone and play the romantic leading man role. Hopefully we'll see more of that from him. As I said before, Gattlin Griffith was wonderful as Henry and really held his own against Josh and Kate. The rest of the cast mostly has smaller roles since the main focus is on Frank, Adele, and Henry. Even Dawson himself (aka James Van Der Beek) has a role as a police officer. Tobey Maguire appears in this too, for all of maybe five minutes.

My biggest problem with Labor Day is that it's way too sappy and unrealistic. I'm all for a good fantasy, but this was too much. It almost felt like I was watching a Nicholas Sparks movie, although I admit Labor Day was done way better than the more recent Nicholas Sparks movies. For one thing, Frank is made out to be too perfect, aside from the whole escaped prisoner thing. He helps Adele bring in the groceries, fixes her car, and repairs things around the house. He accomplishes more in three days than most people do in a year. Not only that but as an added bonus Frank can cook, make a great peach pie, and teaches Henry how to play baseball. Then he says all these romantic things to Adele and while I admit it made me go "Aww!" more than once, that dialog was super cheesy. I'm sorry but I don't know any man that talks like that. If I did, I sure as hell wouldn't be sitting here typing this right now.

Overall though, I did enjoy this movie. While I can't see it doing well at the box office, I still think it's worth checking out if you're into sappy romance movies. Or if you're a big fan of Josh Brolin or Kate Winslet.

My Rating: 7/10

American Hustle

I was excited about this movie from the moment it was first announced. I love most of David O'Russell's movies, especially Silver Linings Playbook. So how was American Hustle? Well, it may not be my favorite movie of his but it was still pretty good.

American Hustle is loosely based on a true story. It's about a con man named Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale in a fat suit) and his partner Sydney Porter (Amy Adams). They end up being forced to work for a crazy FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). It takes them into the dangerous world of politicians, the mafia, etc. The stakes are high and Irving's wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could very well screw things up if they're not careful.

First lets start off with the best thing about this movie- the acting. David O'Russell tends to use a lot of the same actors in all of his movies. I really have no problem when a director does this as long as the movie is well made and the performances are good, as is the case here. In this he brings together an amazing cast including Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (who David worked with on Silver Linings Playbook) as well as Christian Bale and Amy Adams (who both appear in The Fighter). There's also a few other actors in this that I recognized from Silver Linings Playbook, but I can't remember their names.

I must say, David O'Russell knows how to get incredible performances out of his actors. I really can't think of a bad performance in this. The only thing is I felt Jennifer Lawrence was a bit too young for the role of Rosalyn. She gave a great performance don't get me wrong, but it took awhile to get use to. Anyway, I can see why the cast is getting nominated for all these awards.

Another thing I loved was the look of the movie. Everything from the costumes to the way the movie was shot really made you feel like you were in the 70's. At the beginning of the movie when they show the production company logos they used the original logos from that time period. I thought that was pretty cool. Even the soundtrack fits in perfectly.

Now onto the not so good things. There weren't too many but one of them was I felt that the story itself wasn't the best. It wasn't bad necessarily but the pacing was weird and the editing could've been a little tighter. The ending also was weak. I could see what was going to happen from early on in the film. It would've been nice to see a few surprises thrown in there.

I was debating for awhile on how to rate this movie. Normally I'd take points off if the story wasn't great, but the performances more than made up for it.

A lot of people are saying that American Hustle could pull off an upset and win big at the Oscars. To be honest, I hope it doesn't even though I liked the movie. Do I think it deserved to be nominated for all these awards? Sure why not. Should it win Best Picture? No. I still think 12 Years a Slave should get that. I could go on forever about my feelings about the Oscars, but I'll spare you from listening to another one of my rants. For now anyway.

American Hustle is one of those movies that you go and see strictly for the acting. Despite some flaws, it's still a movie that I highly recommend.

My Rating: 8/10

Her

My first actual review of 2014! I'm happy to say that it's for a good movie.

I hadn't really planned on seeing Her, but I decided to give it a chance since I heard a lot of positive things about it. Plus it's nominated for Best Picture and every year I try to see all the Best Picture nominees.

Her is a science fiction film that takes place in the not so distant future. It tells the story of a man named Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely letter writer whose about to finalize his divorce. He sees an advertisement for the worlds first artificially intelligent operating system, known as OS1. Of course, he purchases one and is immediately drawn to Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). the voice of his OS1. As time goes by, Theodore and Samantha become very close and eventually fall in love.

Sounds crazy? Of course it does. That's what I thought at first, but as the movie went on I found it to be surprisingly sweet. There were even some funny moments. It's such a well made movie that you forget that Samantha isn't "real" (in the sense that she doesn't have a physical body).

Aside from the whole OS aspect, I think the movie did a great job  realistically portraying the ups and downs of a relationship.

The acting was great all around. Joaquin Phoenix gives a brilliant performance as Theodore. If the Best Actor category had more than five nominees I'd say he would've made the list this year.

I'm not sure if Scarlett Johansson was there on set when Joaquin was doing his scenes or if she was alone doing the voice in a recording studio. Either way, she does an amazing job portraying a variety of emotions without actually being on screen.

There were so many other great actors in this that I just don't have the time to talk about all of them- Amy Adam, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, Kristen Wiig, etc.

Her is directed by Spike Jonze, whose previous films include Where the Wild Things are as well as several shorts. I love how in this film he explores the idea of what it means to be human. There's also some really nice cinematography in here as well.

My only real complaint is that the ending is very predictable. Not that it was bad by any means, but I could see it coming from a mile away.

I have a feeling Her is going to be one of those films that people either love or hate. At the screening I was at I saw two people walk out. But I would say give it a chance. You may be surprised like I was.

My Rating: 8/10

My 2014 Oscar Predictions

Overall I’m pretty happy with this year’s Oscar nominations. My only real complaints are that Tom Hanks didn’t get nominated for Captain Phillips (although I understand that there were just so many great performances and only five can be nominated. I do agree with all the choices for Best Actor though.) and neither did Hans Zimmer for his beautiful, haunting score of 12 Years a Slave.

So here are my predictions. Let’s hope I do better with these than I did with the Golden Globes. Like I’ve said in previous prediction posts, these are the people who I think WILL win, not necessarily who I WANT to win. I’d love to hear what you guys think.

Best Actor:

·        Bruce Dern- Nebraska

·        Christian Bale- American Hustle

·        Chiwetel Ejiofor- 12 Years a Slave

·        Leonardo DiCaprio- The Wolf of Wall Street

·        Matthew McConaughey- Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress:

·        Amy Adams- American Hustle

·        Cate Blanchett- Blue Jasmine

·        Judi Dench- Philomena

·        Sandra Bullock- Gravity

·        Meryl Streep- August: Osage County

Best Supporting Actor:

·        Barkhad Abdi- Captain Phillips

·        Bradley Cooper- American Hustle

·        Jonah Hill- The Wolf of Wall Street

·        Jared Leto- Dallas Buyers Club

·        Michael Fassbender- 12 Years a Slave

Best Supporting Actress:

·        Jennifer Lawrence- American Hustle

·        Lupita Nyong’o- 12 Years a Slave

·        June Squibb- Nebraska

·        Julia Roberts- August: Osage County

·        Sally Hawkins- Blue Jasmine

Best Picture:

·        12 Years a Slave

·        The Wolf of Wall Street

·        Her

·        Captain Phillips

·        Nebraska

·        Gravity

·        Dallas Buyers Club

·        Philomena

·        American Hustle

Best Director:

·        Steve McQueen- 12 Years a Slave

·        David O’Russell- American Hustle

·        Alexander Payne- Nebraska

·        Alfonso Cuaron- Gravity

·        Martin Scorsese- The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Animated Feature:

·        The Wind Rises

·        The Croods

·        Despicable Me 2

·        Frozen

·        Ernest & Celestine

Best Original Score:

·        Gravity- Stephen Price

·        Philomena- Alexandre Desplat

·        The Book Thief- John Williams

·        Saving Mr. Banks- Thomas Newman

·        Her- William Butler & Owen Pallett

Best Visual Effects:

·        Gravity

·        The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

·        Star Trek Into Darkness

·        The Lone Ranger

·        Iron Man 3

My Top 10 Movies of 2013

2013 was another great year for movies. This list was harder to come up with than I thought. I realize that not everyone will agree with me, but that’s okay. We’re all entitled to our own opinions. Enjoy and I hope all of you have a wonderful New Year.

10. The Conjuring

·         I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to see this well directed horror movie that actually scared the crap out of me. Everything about it was creepy, and I mean that in a good way.

9. Pacific Rim

·         Never did I think this movie would make it onto my list. When I first saw the trailer I figured it was just going to be some Transformers rip-off. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Transformers wishes it was this cool. Guillermo del Toro delivers a strange but visually stunning sci fi action adventure. It has something for everyone- kick ass action scenes and for the ladies there’s Charlie Hunnam hehe.

8. Fast & Furious 6

·         Yes, I know these movies are dumb and have no real plot. But I don’t care- I love the hell out of them! Normally I can’t stand movies like this, but what makes Fast & Furious different are the characters. They’re all really interesting in their own way and the movie actually makes you care about them.

7. Captain Phillips

·         I’ve always been a big Tom Hanks fan. Here he delivers another Oscar worthy performance (although I don’t think he’s going to win it this year. More on that in a bit.) as the title character. It’s based on the true story (for the most part) of Captain Richard Phillips, who in 2009 found his ship being hijacked by Somali pirates. The leader of the pirates is played by actor Barkhad Abdi. From what I understand, he had never acted before this. Not that you can tell at all. His performance was so good it was scary. I’d love to see him get a Best Supporting Actor nomination. This movie had me on the edge of my seat and also nearly in tears, especially Tom Hanks’ performance in the last few minutes.

6. Dallas Buyers Club

·         Had a chance to see this back in October at the local film festival. It tells the true story of Ron Woodrow, a Texas bull rider who in I believe it was the mid-eighties was diagnosed with AIDS and given only 30 days to live. Refusing to accept this, he sets out to find alternative drugs/vitamins, going so far as to smuggle them in from other countries since the FDA wouldn’t approve them (even though these medications were perfectly safe). He ends up forming a “club” to help other AIDS individuals but instead of selling them the drugs themselves, he sells memberships and gives them access to all the drugs they need. Along the way he meets a transgender person named Rayon (who becomes his business partner), played brilliantly by Jared Leto. They might as well just give Jared an Oscar now he was that good. Heartbreaking, yet at times funny. Matthew McConaughey has really redeemed himself lately. I hope he continues to do more movies like this.

5. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

·         Another great movie I saw at the film festival. It’s about the life of the late Nelson Mandela, based on the book of the same name that he wrote himself. It’s spans most of Mandela’s life from the time he was a young lawyer and political activist, his 27 year imprisonment, right up until he becomes President of South Africa. He’s played by the amazing Idris Elba, who’s having a great year. While he doesn’t look like Nelson Mandela, he captures who he was so well that it doesn’t matter. In addition the movie has some gorgeous cinematography and a powerful musical score.

4. Star Trek into Darkness

·         I know this movie had a lot of flaws, especially in the last third, but I still loved it. Plenty of action, humor, and great characters. Benedict Cumberbatch really surprised me in this. He makes a great villain. Director JJ Abrams does a pretty good job here, although I really wish he would stop using those damn lens flares. While this wasn’t as good as the 2009 movie, it was still a lot of fun.

3. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

·         I just loved this movie so much. Peter Jackson is amazing. I liked how he developed the characters this time around especially the dwarfs. Kili was my favorite. While I wasn’t crazy about the higher frame rate, visually this movie was beautiful and the  action sequences were a lot of fun, especially the barrel scene. Smaug looked absolutely badass. The movie does end on a big cliffhanger though. I just wish we didn’t have to wait a whole year for the conclusion to these wonderful movies.

2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

·         A rare instance when the sequel is better than the first movie. I loved the story a bit more this time around. And thank god there was no shaky cam! Jennifer Lawrence is such a great actress. I can’t imagine anyone else playing Katniss. The arena looked amazing too. It’s a wonderfully made movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat and will probably make you shed a tear or two. If you liked Hunger Games, then you’ll love Catching Fire.

1. 12 Years a Slave

·         Some might think it an odd choice, but I just couldn't put this movie at anything but number one. While I admit, there were other movies that I enjoyed more (in the sense that I walked out of them feeling really happy and not seriously depressed like I did with this one), I can’t deny that 12 Years A Slave was the most well made movie this year. I've said it many times, Chiwetel Ejiofor is going to win the Best Actor Oscar for his incredible performance as Solomon Northrup, a free man from Upstate New York who was tricked, drugged, and sold into slavery. It’s an extremely brutal movie that had me turning my head away from the screen several times and wanting to shout, “Enough! I can’t take this anymore!” That’s the point though. It’s supposed to make you feel uncomfortable and if you don’t there’s something seriously wrong with you. Steve McQueen deserves the Best Director Oscar this year for making this powerful, flawless movie. It really is well made- from the cinematography to the haunting musical score by Hans Zimmer. I walked out of 12 Years a Slave and found myself thinking about it for days afterward. Not many movies these days do that to me. And when one comes along that does, it deserves the number one spot on my list. It really needs to be seen by everyone, unless you have a weak heart or stomach. But for me it’s kind of like Schindler’s List, a cinematic masterpiece that’s so depressing you’ll only watch it once.

2014 Golden Globes: My Predictions

With the awards season fast approaching, I thought I’d give you my predictions for the Golden Globes. This is who I think WILL win, not necessarily who I WANT to win. Although, there are so many great nominees this year so it’s worked out pretty good. I’m just going to do the major categories and put in bold who I think will win. Enjoy ;)

Best Motion Picture (Drama):

12 Years A Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Rush

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

American Hustle
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Performance by an Actor (Drama):

Chiwetel Ejifor - 12 Years A Slave
Idris Elba - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford - All is Lost

Best Performance by an Actress (Drama):

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
Kate Winslet - Labor Day

Best Performance by an Actress (Musical or Comedy):

Amy Adams - American Hustle
Julie Delpy - Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig - Francis Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Enough Said
Meryl Streep - August: Osage County

Best Performance by an Actor (Musical or Comedy):

Christian Bale - American Hustle
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Leonoardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix – Her

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:

Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence -American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
June Squibb – Nebraska

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:

Barkhad Abdi- Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years A Slave
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Director- Motion Picture:

Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen - 12 Years A Slave
Alexander Payne - Nebraska
David O’Russell - American Hustle

So there you have it. I’d love to hear what you guys think. I’m going to try and put together my top 10 favorite movies of 2013 list so be sure to keep an eye out for that within the next week.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (IMAX 3D)

This year has been filled with nerdgasms for me. So it's only fitting that my (most likely) last review of the year is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. It's an amazing adventure that I actually think is better than An Unexpected Journey.

After a small scene which would've worked better had it been in the first movie, things pick up pretty much where they left off. Bilbo and the dwarfs continue on their quest to reclaim Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug (played by Benedict Cumberbatch through the use of motion capture). Along the way they encounter Orcs, Elves, creepy looking spiders, and much more.

Peter Jackson does an amazing job once again. He really makes you feel like you're in Middle Earth. Yes, the editing could've been a little tighter in certain scenes but it wasn't too bad. For me, those three hours just flew by. I easily could've sat in that theater for another three hours. The action scenes were well done, especially the barrel scene. It was just so much fun and looked incredible in 3D. The cinematography was gorgeous as well. The movie looks wonderful on an IMAX screen. The special effects were great for the most part. Although it was a bit much at times, mainly with the Orcs. I think practical effects would've been better in that case. But I trust Peter Jackson and think he knows what he's doing.

Martin Freeman is back as Bilbo. Surprisingly for being the title character, he really doesn't have as much screentime in this one. But the scenes he does have are really memorable. Especially his scenes with Smaug. Speaking of Smaug, how badass was he? Excellent job by Benedict Cumberbatch and the special effects team.

I really enjoyed Richard Armitage as Thorin. The way he was able to show such emotion simply with his eyes was amazing. I loved learning more about this fascinating character .

Luke Evans plays Bard, whom Bilbo and the dwarfs encounter in Laketown. I think he was a great choice and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of him in There & Back Again.

But my favorite characters were Kili (Aidan Turner), whom I must admit is pretty hot for a dwarf, and the Elf warrior Tauriel (Evangeline Lily). Now I know Peter Jackson completely made up Tauriel for the movies and I'm okay with that. Lets face it, there is a lack of female characters in Middle Earth. So it's refreshing to she her character who completely fits into this world. She's smart and strong. It's great seeing her kick ass and save the day.

As some of you may have heard, there's a love triangle thrown in between Tauriel, Legolas (Orlando Bloom. It's so great seeing this character again and how he was before the events of LOTR) and another character that's a bit of a surprise. When I first heard about the love triangle I thought it was crazy and unnecessary. I have nothing against love triangles (although the Twilight movies seem to have ruined them for a lot of people). I think if done correctly they can be fun to watch play out. After seeing this movie, I'm totally okay with it. In fact I loved it. Yes, the dialog is extremely cheesy at times, but overall I thought the whole thing was really sweet.

Howard Shore once again provides a beautiful score that works perfectly with each scene.

I must warn you though, if you're not a fan of cliffhanger endings, boy does this movie have one. Probably one of the biggest cliffhangers I've seen a movie pull of recently. When it cut to black and the credits rolled, I literally was like, "What the hell? Nooooo!! It can't end now." Damn you Peter Jackson for making us wait a whole year for the last movie. Although I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.

The only complaint I really have has to do with the higher frames per second issue. In An Unexpected Journey I got use to it after awhile. But for some reason in this one it bothered my eyes in certain scenes. I don't know if it's the higher frame rate, maybe it wasn't set up right by the theater I was in, or it could be because I have astigmatism. Normally I don't have any issues watching 3D movies. Who knows. I'm definitely going to back and watch the movie again, but maybe this time in regular 3D or in 2D.

The Desolation of Smaug is a fun, action packed movie that I think everyone can enjoy. Especially if you're a big LOTR fan. Did The Hobbit need to be split up into three movies? Well, no. Are they as good as the LOTR trilogy? Of course not. But I still had a great time watching it.

My Rating: 9/10