Movie 43

Movie: Movie 43

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: This movie consisted of fourteen ‘shorts’.  Among the stars: Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear, Seth McFarlane, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Live Schreiber, Naomi Watts, Anna Faris, Emma Stone, Uma Thurman, Kristen Bell, Gerard Butler. Halle Berry, and Terrence Howard.

My two cents: With this star-studded cast, I had hoped that this movie would be good.  Maybe I am getting too stodgy, but I found the majority of these shorts were funny – but eventually crossed the line and made me a bit uncomfortable.  Don’t get me wrong – a lot of it is really really funny, but it just always seemed to go a little too far for my comfort level.

[11]

Gangster Squad

Movie: Gangster Squad

Genre: drama

Synopsis: This is set in Los Angeles in 1949.  The legal system in L.A. is rife with corruption.  Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) is a Chicago mobster who has moved to L.A. and is well into his goal of controlling crime all on the west coast.  He has much of the police force, judicial system, and politicians in his pocket and is considered untouchable.  Police Chief William Parker (Nick Nolte) assigns Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) to form a small group of trusted officers to do whatever needs to be done to put Cohen out of business – and to do this strictly off the books. What ensues is a prolonged, bloody, violent war with Micky Cohen and his gang.

My two cents: Not too well accepted by critics – but I kind of liked it.  I particularly liked the performances of Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling (as Sgt. Jerry Wooters, one of the ‘squad’), Mireille Enos (as Mrs. O’Mara), and especially Emma Stone as Mickey Cohen’s ‘moll’ and Jerry Wooter’s girl friend.

[10]

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters IMAX 3D

Movie: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters IMAX 3D

Genre: fantasy

Synopsis: A somewhat new take on the Hansel and Gretel story.  In this one, they are abandoned by their father, get captured by a witch, kill the witch – and then go on to become professional witch-killers-for-hire.  Armed with an impressive array of weapons (from a machine-gun style crossbow to a hand-crank stun gun) they go from town to town hunting and killing witches/

My two cents: I had a lot of fun watching this movie.  The futuristic but medieval weaponry provided interesting twists.  Both Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) are well-portrayed as bad-ass witch-killers.  The story of why they were abandoned gets answered.  I would love to see at least a sequel or two.

[9]

Zero Dark Thirty

Movie: Zero Dark Thirty

Genre: drama

Synopsis: This is the story of the ten-year long search by CIA operative Maya (Jessica Chastain) for Osama bin Laden, culminating in his death.  While the focus of others seems to waiver over time.  Maya never strays from the hunt, often having to resort to threats to her superiors in order to keep up the hunt.

My two cents: Whether or not the movie strayed from the facts, as is not claimed by some, this is an absolutely riveting movie. Jessica Chastain did a fabulous job portraying Maya.  Definitely a must-see movie.

[8]

The Last Stand

Movie: The Last Stand

Genre: action

Synopsis: Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) is a third-generation Mexican drug lord in federal custody in Las Vegas.  He escapes custody and ends up in a 1,000-horsepower Corvette heading for Mexico. The FBI (lead by Forest Whitaker) is hot on his trail, but are totally outmaneuvered by Cortez.  The only thing standing between Cortez and freedom in Mexico is the tiny Arizona town of Sommerton Junction . . . and its sheriff, Ray Owens -(Arnold Schwarzenegger).  Ray Owens was a big-time, highly-decorated Los Angeles cop who got tiered of all the violence and retired to Sommerton.  Now he and his three deputies are all that can stop Cortez.

My two cents:  This was a fun movie.  It was great to see Arnold back in the saddle.  The head henchman of Cortex was played by Peter Stormare – he seems to specialize in playing really nasty villains since Prison Break. Johnny Knoxville played a local “character” who had a gun museum to give him an excuse to have a huge gun collection – something that came in handy when the sheriff needed to beef up his arsenal.  If you like simple good guy vs bad guy movies with lots of action, you should like this.  Last note – the way that Cortez escapes from custody was one of the most innovative escapes I can recall seeing.

[7]

Rust and Bone

Movie: Rust and Bone

Genre: drama

Synopsis: This is a French film with subtitles. Stéphanie (Marion Cotillard) works in the French version of Sea World as a killer whale trainer.  Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a poor Belgian immigrant who is trying to raise his young son while living with his sister. When Stéphanie loses both of her legs in a freak work-accident, she and Ali become friends.  He is instrumental is Stéphanie coming to grips with living her life without her legs.

My two cents: As much as I like Marion Cotillard, this movie just did not do it for me.  It kind of left me flat – like so many French films, the credits rolled and I asked myself what was the point of the movie and why did they not wrap things up.  It just left me hanging.  I am also a bit puzzled about the title – I never figured out how it fit the movie,

[5]