Johnny English Reborn

Movie: Johnny English Reborn

Genre: spy comedy

Synopsis: Johnny English (Rowen Atkinson) is a master spy (MI-7) who has been in a sort of exile in Tibet for the last five years – since a mission went bad and he was blamed.  He is brought back from exile by the new head of MI-7 (Gillian Anderson) to help defeat a plot to kill the Chinese premier.    

My two cents: I needed a light movie after my triple-feature the day before (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”, “Oranges and Sunshine” and “The Mill and the Cross”).  This movie fit the bill.  It is like a cross between Austin Powers and Inspector Clouseau.  There were laughs to spare, without getting to carried away with the slapstick.  It was nice to see Gillian Anderson, also.  It was not until I checked this out in IMDB that I discovered it is a sequel to the 2005 “Johnny English”.  I am going to have to check it out.

Bottom line: if you want a light, funny spy movie – you should like this.

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The Mill and the Cross

Movie: The Mill and the Cross

Genre: drama

Synopsis: This is a tough one.  In 1564, the Flemish master Pieter Bruegel the Elder completed a painting that was called “The Way to Calvary”.  It attempts to depict what the crucifixion of Christ might have looked like in the 1500’s - with Spanish soldiers crucifying a Protestant.  This movie dissects the painting by taking small scenes from it and bringing them to life so that you can see the story of what led to the scene.

My two cents: While not really my cup of tea, this was a really interesting movie.  I don’t know how the director did it, but it was fascinating how you could look at the movie screen and know that wheat you were looking at was a painting – even though there were figures in the scene that were moving.  It never ceased to fascinate and amaze me how he did this.  If you see this movie, take the time before you see it to take a look at the painting and study it a little – and after the movie, you will want to look at the painting again.

Bottom line: again, not my cup of tea – but I am glad I saw it, even though it left me scratching my head.

Bottom line, addendum: it is now 24 hours since I saw this movie, and I am having a heck of a time getting it out of my mind.  There is something about it that I cannot let go. I am definitely going to have to get this on DVD when it comes out and watch it again.

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Oranges and Sunshine

Movie: Oranges and Sunshine

Genre: drama

Synopsis: This movie is strictly based on fact – the events really happened.  In England in the last 1980’s, Margaret (Emily Watson) is a social worker.  Margaret accidently stumbles on a horrific series of deeds perpetrated by the governments of England and Australia.  Beginning in the 1940’s and continuing up to 1967, the British government took 120,000+ children from English orphanages and group homes and shipped them off to Australia.  Many of these children had parents who sought to re-claim them – only to be told the children had been adopted -  they were never told that they had been sent to Australia.  In Australia, these children became virtual slaves to the groups (frequently church groups) who took them in.  To cap it off, the children were either told their parents did not want them – or that their parents had died.

When Margaret realizes the scope and horror of what the governments have done, she embarks on a one-woman crusade to (1) help these now-adult kids to find their families and (2) to hold the governments accountable.  It was decades before the British government finally – and publically – owned up to what they did.

My two cents: The story that this movie covers is absolutely amazing.  The stories of what the orphans were subjected to is beyond shocking.  Just as awful is how they have suffered their entire lives from what was done to them.  Margaret actually suffers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because she has been exposed to so many of these horror stories.  If you see this movie, bring some tissue with you because there are some pretty emotional scenes.  I had read about this a few years ago, but seeing it dramatized really hit me hard.  I still cannot understand how a government could do something like this to children.

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Martha Marcy May Marlene

Movie: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Genre: drama

Synopsis: The movie opens with Martha (Elizabeth Olson) running away from a cult.  She has lived with this cult (4 men and 8 or so women) for two years.  They live in an old farm in rural New York.  The cult is led by Patrick (John Hawkes). Early on, Martha (who is re-named Marcy May by Patrick) is enthralled with her new “family”.  Eventually she begins to see a not-so-nice side of it – which leads to her running away.  She ends up re-uniting with her sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and stays with her.  Martha will not go into any details about where she has been, and Lucy never really realizes the degree to which Martha was emotionally damaged by the cult – she does not even know about the cult.  The movie continually cuts back and forth between Martha’s time with the cult and the present, as she tries to shake off of lasting effect the cult has had on her.

My two cents: This was a really interesting movie. I believe it is only the second film for Elizabeth Olson (younger sister of the Mary Kate and Ashley).  Based on this film, she has a heck of a career ahead of her.  John Hawkes also did a great job.  The only part of this movie that I have a bone to pick with is the ending.  It was the kind of ending I hate – where it looks like someone accidently cut the film before the end – it really leaves you hanging.  I read a few blogs from people who went to showings of the movie that had members of the cast or the director on hand for Q&A – and apparently it was the director’s intent to leave things up in the air – in which case, he succeeded.

Note: the names in the title are derived from her actual name (“Martha”), the name Patrick gave her (“Marcy May”) and the name that all of the women in the cult used when answering the phone (“Marlene”).

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The Three Musketeers

Movie: The Three Musketeers

Genre: swashbuckling adventure

Synopsis: The (sort of) classic Alexander Dumas story.  Three of the French king’s musketeers – Athos, Porthos and Aramis – are pretty much out of work and looking for adventure.  They befriend a young musketeer-wannabe - D'Artagnan.  The four of them team up to save France from the plot hatched by the evil Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher Waltz) and Milady de Winter (Mila Jovovich) to convince the king that his queen is having an affair with the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom).  Along the line there are numerous swordfights, they break into a secret vault that belonged to Leonard deVinci and engage in the world’s first arial dogfight.

My two cents: A pretty fun film.  I think I laughed more at the 1973 version – this one is worth seeing.

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Footloose

Movie: Footloose

Genre: drama

Synopsis: This is a remake of the 1984 Kevin Bacon classic of the same name.  Ren (Kenny Wormald) was recently orphaned when his mother died of leukemia.  He moves from Boston to the small southern town of Bomont to live with his aunt and uncle.  He finds that in the aftermath of a tragic car accident three years earlier, a series of rather draconian laws were passed to “protect” the students, including a law that bans dancing in public.  Ren embarks on a campaign to revoke the law and to allow dancing back in the town.

My two cents: I really loved the original.  His version was pretty darn good – but not quite up to the 1984 original.  Character by character: Ren goes to Kevin Bacon in 1984, Reverend Moore goes John Lithgow in 1984, Mrs. Moore goes to Diane Wiest in 1984, Williard – I give this a tie between Miles Teller (2011) and Chris Penn (1984), Ariel Moore goes to Julianne Hough in 2011.  I also liked the aunt and uncle in 2011 better.  The 1984 versions were red-neck bible-thumpers whereas the 2011 were pretty decent people and very supportive of Ren.  The real stand-out I thought was Julianne Hough.  She is not only drop-dead beautiful, but is in a class of her own when it comes to dancing.  My only real disappointment was that they did not give Kevin Bacon some kind of cameo.

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Where Soldiers Come From

Movie: Where Soldiers Come From

Genre: documentary

Synopsis: This documentary starts out shortly before the 2008 presidential election.  It follows five recent high-school graduates in a small town in the Upper Michigan Peninsula.  These five have grown up together and are inseparable friends.  Two of them enlist in the National Guard and talk the other three into also enlisting.  The five are trained in a unit that disposes of IEDs.  Ultimately, the unit – and the five friends – get sent to Afghanistan.  The documentary shows the men discussing whey they enlisted, it shows how they react to being deployed and how they are physically and mentally changed for the rest of their lives.  It also follows their families and girlfriends so we can see the effect the deployment has on them . . . and how they deal with the changes in their sons/boyfriends when they return.

My two cents:  I have seen a lot of movies/documentaries about soldiers in the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Until this now, “Stop Loss” was the only one that really touched on how soldiers handled things when they were back in the states. “Where Soldiers Come From” gives us a real-life look at the impact a soldier’s deployment can have on their families and loved-ones.  It also shows how a single deployment can so totally change a man for the rest of his life.  An example of how the family can suffer was given by the father of one of the soldiers.  He said that every time the phone rang, he was afraid it was a call to tell him his son had been injured or killed.  Every time he heard a car door slam outside his house, he was afraid it was the Army coming to notify him that his son was dead.

Bottom line: I have never had anyone I know, much less a family member, deployed in a combat situation.  This is one of those movies that I feel people in my situation need to see in order to gain some kind of understanding about the degree of the sacrifice made by our soldiers and their families and loved-ones and corresponding high cost of war.

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Paranormal Activity 3

Movie: Paranormal Activity 3

Genre: horror-thriller

Synopsis: The third movie in the Paranormal Activity series, this is a prequel to the previous (which was a prequel to the first).  The movie spends most of its time in 1988 where we see Katie (played by Katie Featherston as an adult and Chloe Csengery as a child) and Kristi Rey (played by Sprague Grayden as an adult and Jessica Tyler Brown as a child) as children.  When things start going bump in the night, and Kristi Rey gains an imaginary friend, the girls’ stepfather starts using video cameras at night to try and figure out what is going on. What is going on is pretty darned scary.

My two cents: Not quite as good as the previous installment – still pretty darn good.  It has a number of those “gotcha” moments that will bring you out of your seat.  If you liked the previous two, you will enjoy this.  I think it would also work for someone who has not seen the first two – although I definitely recommend seeing them first, if you have that option.  My only real beef is one I had with the first one – you have a guy filming with a handheld camera.  Something happens that scares the crap out of him – and as he runs away, he keeps filming.  I’m sorry, but I just cannot run fast enough if I am looking through a viewfinder.

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The Mighty Macs

Movie: The Mighty Macs

Genre: sports-drama

Synopsis: This is based on the real-life Cathy Rush.  Portrayed by Carla Gugino, in 1971 Cathy is hired to coach the women’s basketball team at the tiny Catholic all-girls Immaculata College. She is paid $450 for a year, there is no gymnasium, no uniforms and one single moldy basketball – but Cathy is happy. Coaching is her dream.  She strives to make her girls not only better players, but better people – and succeeds on both counts.  Her team makes it to the national championship in her first season.

My two cents: I loved this movie. It seems that Cathy rush is quite a legend.  She coached at Immaculate for six seasons – during which they made the final four all six seasons – and won the national championship three consecutive years.  The movie was an eye-opener into the obstacles in the path of female athletes forty years ago. It was inspiring to watch this team go from a rag-tag team that practiced in a storage room to national champions – while reminding myself that it is a true story.

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The Big Year

Movie: The Big Year

Genre: comedy-drama

Synopsis: A “Big Year” is when a birder sees how many species of birds he/she can sight in one calendar year.  This is based on an actual “Big Year”.   Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) is the reigning American record holder in birding – with over 700 species sighted in one calendar year.  Brad Harris (Jack Black) is a 36 year-old divorcee who lives with his parents.  He lives for bird-watching.  His father (Brian Dennehy) considers Brad to be a loser and his hobby a complete waste of time.  Brad decides to attempt a “Big Year” on a tight budget while holding down a full-time job.  Stu Preissler (Steve Martin) is a wealthy company owner who has just retired for the 2^nd time.  He is determined to fulfill his dream of doing a “Big Year”.  Over his wife’s (Rosamund Pike) vehement objections, Kenny also decides to do another “Big Year”.  The movie follows the three throughout the year as Kenny puts birding ahead of everything – including his wife, Stu tries to put his career behind him, and Brad tries to reconcile with his father and to start a relationship with another birder.

My two cents: A really fun movie. Owen Wilson plays a great jerk, Jack Black and Steve Martin were also great..  The movie gave a peek inside the world of birding.  The encyclopedic knowledge of these birders is amazing.  I also enjoyed the ending.  Definitely a movie worth seeing.

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The Ides of March

Movie: The Ides of March

Genre: political drama

Synopsis: Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) is campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination.  His campaign manager is Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his media guru is Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling).  Along for the ride is a campaign volunteer, Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood) and Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei) – a political reporter.  Paul is in the campaign to win – period.  Stephen is in it because to truly believes in the candidate.  Stephen is considered the best media guy in the country and has a great future ahead of him.  Things start getting derailed when he meets Molly.  Then he makes a politically unforgivable mistake.  Stephen’s idealistic outlook takes a severe beating in what follows.

My two cents: Some great acting – but I felt the movie did not quite come together as well as it could.  But – this is still a really good movie.  The acting alone really makes it worth your time.  I think Ryan Gosling is way overdue for an Oscar – he is just great.   The transformation of his character from an idealistic campaigner to a jaded man who will do what he needs to get ahead is great to watch.  I think my favorite scene is at the end of the movie when Stephen gets on an elevator and turns to face Ida (the reporter) who exclaims – “but I thought we were friends”.  Stephen says nothing – but the expression on his face is worth a thousand words.  Don’t pass up this movie – the acting by all of the main characters is outstanding.

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The Thing

Movie: The Thing

Genre: sci-fi / horror

Synopsis: This is a remake of the 1982 movie of the same name starring Kurt Russell which was a remake of the 1951 movie “The Think from Outer Space” which starred a young James Arness as the “Thing”.  An Antarctic science mission discovers a space ship that crashed 100,000 years ago.  When they investigate, they discover that not everyone on the ship died.  The survivor is able to replicate any organic being.  It becomes a race to identify whose identity the Thing has assumed before everyone is killed off.

My two cents: A pretty decent horror flick.  It was a bit much to think that something that survived in a spaceship crash opted to stay buried for 100,000 years rather than fly out . . . and the whole replication thing is a bit much.  But if you get past that, this movie should keep your adrenaline flowing.

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Real Steel IMAX

Movie: Real Steel IMAX

Genre: Sci-fi / drama

Synopsis: Set several years in the future, Charlie (Hugh Jackman) is a washed up boxer.  He is a bit of a loser who tries to support himself with robot boxing matches.  His only real friend is the owner of a gym he hangs out at – Bailey (Evangeline Lily).  Circumstances – and Charlie’s greed – conspire to convince Charlie to take temporary custody of his son, Max (Dakota Goyo).  Max is 11, but Charlie has not seen him since he was an infant.  It turns out Max is a bit of a genius with computers. Charlie and Max work together to put together a former sparring robot who is way more successful than anyone expects. 

My two cents: This was a really good movie. There were an awful lot of parallels to the original Rocky movie.  It is also the story of a father trying to figure out what it means to be a father and to make a connection with his son.  Definitely a movie worth seeing . . . and if you can see it in IMAX, so much the better.

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Dream House

Movie: Dream House

Genre: Horror

Synopsis: Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) has just quit his job so that he and his wife, Libby (Rachel Weisz), and their two daughters can move to the country.  After they get into their new house, mysterious things start happening.  When Will does some investigating, he learns that the house has been vacant since a grisly murder occurred in it.  He learns of the murder from his neighbor, Ann (Naomi Watts).  When he follows some leads Will learns something that rocks his world.  To say more would give too much away.  For the rest of the movie Will tries to come to grips with the implication of what he has learned – with some assistance from Ann.

My two cents: A pretty decent horror film.  It kept my interest all the way to the end.  My only beef is with the trailers for the movie that gave away entirely too much of the plot.  I would have loved to have been surprised by the revelation Will has – but the trailer had already given it away.

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What’s Your Number

Movie: What’s Your Number

Genre: romantic comedy

Synopsis: Ally Darling (Anna Faris) is having a crisis.  She reads a magazine article that convinces her she has slept with too many men.  She decides that the next guy she sleeps with will have to be “the one”.  So, she starts looking up old hook-ups to re-evaluate their possibilities.  Meantime, he sister (Ari Graynor) is getting married and their mother (Blythe Danner) is putting relentless pressure on her to find the right man (which in her eyes means rich).  Countering the maternal pressure is Colin (Chris Evans).  Colin lives across the hall in Ally’s apartment and is the king of the one night stands.

My two cents: I found this movie to be very entertaining.  Anna Faris is always fun to watch.   There are a lot of laughs.  While parts of the plot were a bit predicable, it did not spoil the movie.  If you are looking for a light romantic comedy that has laughs but manages to avoid any unduly gross scenes – this should fit the bill.  Ed Begley Jr. was also great as Ally’s father – divorced from her mother and as different from her mother as night and day.

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Moneyball

Movie: Moneyball

Genre: sports drama

Synopsis: This is based on what actually happened with the 2002 Oakland A’s/  Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is the general manager of the A’s.  They are just about the poorest team in the league, have just lost three key players, and Billy is being told by the owner that he just has to make do.  What Billy does is to hire Peter Brand (Jonah Hill).  Peter is a recent graduate of Yale with a degree in economics.  Peter has some rather innovative ideas about how to place value on a player.  What he does is a lot of number crunching with a computer to quantify what a player can do for the team.  Billy decides to follow Peter’s idea, which does not sit well with the veteran coaches and scouts on the team.  Once the manager is dragged kicking and screaming into the new direction, the A’s set a league record for consecutive wins.

My two cents: A great movie.  It provides a glimpse behind the scenes in what goes into managing a major league baseball, but does it without numbing the viewer with too much information.  Brad Pitt was great – as was Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe, the manager.  The one I really loved was Jonah Hill.  I love seeing an actor completely switch the type of role he is playing.  Typically, Jonah seems to play the big bumbling goofball.  In “Cyrus” I saw a different – and rather creepy – side of what he can do.  In this movie he plays a whip-smart number kid fresh out of college who has the guts and confidence to follow his dream when only one guy on the team supports him.

Bottom line: definitely worth your time and money to see this.

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Killer Elite

Movie: Killer Elite

Genre: thriller

Synopsis: Danny (Jason Stratham) is the protégé of Hunter (Robert De Niro).  The two of them are elite assassins.  Danny decides he has had enough and announces his retirement.   When an Arab Sheik takes Hunter as a hostage, Danny is forced out of retirement to kill three enemies of the Sheik.  The three targets were members of a secret British organization.  Davies (Dominic Purcell) is a former British Commando who now freelances and is recruited by Danny to help with the job.  Spike (Clive Owen) works for the secret organization and mounts a campaign to kill Danny.

My two cents: Good but not great.  Some great action shots.  Danny had a girlfriend Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck’s girlfriend on “Chuck”).  It was fun to watch her playing the innocent civilian who was in love with a dangerous secret spy-type.  If you like Jason Stratham movies, you should like this movie . . . it just lacked something to set it apart.

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