Netflix DVD with Lauren over 11/29/11 and 11/30/11
First of all, it took us nearly an entire month to get around to watching this movie. Not a great first impression obviously if it sat that long on top of our television under Thor and Downton Abbey. And I was not at all impressed with the film itself. I get that this is a whole indie style, where absolutely nothing happens, but it's just not good storytelling. Actually, that's not true. It's hardly storytelling at all if there is no story that you're telling. This is the third Sofia Coppola movie that I have seen, and the third that I have been disappointed by.
My Netflix rating: 2 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 107
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)
The Nick with Lauren, Kat, Anna, and Sadie on 11/29/11
So...this is the best Twilight movie, huh? I'm not so sure I agree. I think that this movie suffers exactly what the book suffers. There are moments that are interesting, like the sex scene, the tension between Jacob and the rest of the wolf pack, and Bella's extremely SFX intense emaciation by her unborn half-vampire baby, but the rest of the time feels a lot like filler. It's very obviously not the whole story - this was not the best one to split into two films. I was very impressed by the effects to make Bella look like she was starving, though, and the birth scene was fairly intense. The sex scene was fine, but the shot of the destroyed bedroom after was way better.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 106
So...this is the best Twilight movie, huh? I'm not so sure I agree. I think that this movie suffers exactly what the book suffers. There are moments that are interesting, like the sex scene, the tension between Jacob and the rest of the wolf pack, and Bella's extremely SFX intense emaciation by her unborn half-vampire baby, but the rest of the time feels a lot like filler. It's very obviously not the whole story - this was not the best one to split into two films. I was very impressed by the effects to make Bella look like she was starving, though, and the birth scene was fairly intense. The sex scene was fine, but the shot of the destroyed bedroom after was way better.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 106
Happy Feet 2 (2011)
Westbrook Cinemagic on 11/29/11
I was not a huge fan of the first Happy Feet. Something about the dancing penguins just failed to reach me. I also found the switching between CGI and live action a little jarring. However, though this one also features dancing penguins and one or two switches between CGI and live action, I found it much more amusing. The baby penguin trio is adorable. Though, interestingly, I found the story of the two krill, Will and Bill, to be far more enjoyable and engaging. Despite the fact that it had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the plot.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 105
I was not a huge fan of the first Happy Feet. Something about the dancing penguins just failed to reach me. I also found the switching between CGI and live action a little jarring. However, though this one also features dancing penguins and one or two switches between CGI and live action, I found it much more amusing. The baby penguin trio is adorable. Though, interestingly, I found the story of the two krill, Will and Bill, to be far more enjoyable and engaging. Despite the fact that it had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the plot.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 105
Monday, November 28, 2011
Moneyball (2011)
Westbrook Cinemagic with Lauren on 11/27/11
First I should say that I'm pretty mad at my baseball team right now. I know that the Red Sox are great at implosions, but this year was such a colossal clusterf*ck that I am still less than willing to forgive them. Which made watching this movie, about the backdoor business side of baseball and the 2001 Oakland A's use of sabermetrics (mathematically predicting a player's value to your team) to build a stellar team, sort of bitterly amusing. I know that baseball is a business. But I have never forgiven Theo Epstein for trading Nomar Garciaparra - I don't care what the math says. And speaking of the Red Sox, there were some seriously slacking fact checkers on this film. It takes place during the 2002 season and includes a shot of Billy Beane visiting Fenway Park. Not only are there parts of the park visible that did not exist in 2002 (the left field roof, the absence of the .406 Club, etc.), but also the 2004 and 2007 World Series banners are clearly visible above the press boxes. Pay attention, people! And I know it doesn't sound like it, but this was a very well-made film and I enjoyed it a lot.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 104
First I should say that I'm pretty mad at my baseball team right now. I know that the Red Sox are great at implosions, but this year was such a colossal clusterf*ck that I am still less than willing to forgive them. Which made watching this movie, about the backdoor business side of baseball and the 2001 Oakland A's use of sabermetrics (mathematically predicting a player's value to your team) to build a stellar team, sort of bitterly amusing. I know that baseball is a business. But I have never forgiven Theo Epstein for trading Nomar Garciaparra - I don't care what the math says. And speaking of the Red Sox, there were some seriously slacking fact checkers on this film. It takes place during the 2002 season and includes a shot of Billy Beane visiting Fenway Park. Not only are there parts of the park visible that did not exist in 2002 (the left field roof, the absence of the .406 Club, etc.), but also the 2004 and 2007 World Series banners are clearly visible above the press boxes. Pay attention, people! And I know it doesn't sound like it, but this was a very well-made film and I enjoyed it a lot.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 104
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
The Nick on 11/23/11
Happy almost Thanksgiving! I have chosen to celebrate this Thanksgiving Eve with...a movie about a woman trying to escape from a cult. Not my best choice I think. This was a serious downer. However, it was acted very well - Elizabeth Olsen apparently got all of the Olsen family performing jeans. It does bother me when characters withhold important information from other characters, whether intentionally or because they can't help it, and that was my biggest problem with this film. I liked the intercutting between Martha's new life with her sister and her old life with the cult as Marcy. It's just heavy and a little too disturbing for right before Thanksgiving.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 103
Happy almost Thanksgiving! I have chosen to celebrate this Thanksgiving Eve with...a movie about a woman trying to escape from a cult. Not my best choice I think. This was a serious downer. However, it was acted very well - Elizabeth Olsen apparently got all of the Olsen family performing jeans. It does bother me when characters withhold important information from other characters, whether intentionally or because they can't help it, and that was my biggest problem with this film. I liked the intercutting between Martha's new life with her sister and her old life with the cult as Marcy. It's just heavy and a little too disturbing for right before Thanksgiving.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 103
Thursday, November 10, 2011
In Time (2011)
The Nick with Emica on 11/7/11
This movie is somewhere between action and thriller. It's not heavy on explosions or car chases, but there is definitely a lot of running (the film makes a good point - if your wealth is measured in time and you're poor, you wouldn't meander anywhere) and it lacks the suspenseful edge that most thrillers have. Amanda Seyfried is pretty awesome, even with that terrible haircut. She successfully makes me feel bad for her poor little rich girl character. I actually found the whole concept of time being the currency as well as determining your life span to be very interesting. It's different, and it definitely kept me interested.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 102
This movie is somewhere between action and thriller. It's not heavy on explosions or car chases, but there is definitely a lot of running (the film makes a good point - if your wealth is measured in time and you're poor, you wouldn't meander anywhere) and it lacks the suspenseful edge that most thrillers have. Amanda Seyfried is pretty awesome, even with that terrible haircut. She successfully makes me feel bad for her poor little rich girl character. I actually found the whole concept of time being the currency as well as determining your life span to be very interesting. It's different, and it definitely kept me interested.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 102
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Ides of March (2011)
The Nick with Lauren on 11/5/11
I am not a huge fan of political thrillers to begin with. I find them often to be plodding and lacking a lot of the "thriller" elements. That being said, this one was decent. It's definitely something that's going to be nominated come Oscar time, and George Clooney and Ryan Gosling (who I normally don't like) were both very good. My biggest gripe with the film is that it lifts its character development, step by step, from The Godfather. Not much by way of originality, right down to the final shot of the film.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 101
I am not a huge fan of political thrillers to begin with. I find them often to be plodding and lacking a lot of the "thriller" elements. That being said, this one was decent. It's definitely something that's going to be nominated come Oscar time, and George Clooney and Ryan Gosling (who I normally don't like) were both very good. My biggest gripe with the film is that it lifts its character development, step by step, from The Godfather. Not much by way of originality, right down to the final shot of the film.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 101
The Three Musketeers (2011)
Westbrook Cinemagic with Lauren on 11/4/11
Kind of ridiculous, but all in all, this movie is really a fun time. There are a lot of sword fights and double/triple crosses, with Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) stealing the show right out from under Milla Jovovich's nose. He is completely unconvincing as D'Artagnan, but they're all unconvincing as Musketeers. Ray Stevenson is always going to be Titus Pullo to me and the guy who plays Aramis looks like the love child of Orlando Bloom and James McAvoy. And speaking of Orlando Bloom, between him and Christophe Waltz, this movie has some pretty sinister villains.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 100
Kind of ridiculous, but all in all, this movie is really a fun time. There are a lot of sword fights and double/triple crosses, with Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) stealing the show right out from under Milla Jovovich's nose. He is completely unconvincing as D'Artagnan, but they're all unconvincing as Musketeers. Ray Stevenson is always going to be Titus Pullo to me and the guy who plays Aramis looks like the love child of Orlando Bloom and James McAvoy. And speaking of Orlando Bloom, between him and Christophe Waltz, this movie has some pretty sinister villains.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 100
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