Netflix Streaming over 2/4/12 and 2/5/12
This movie is boring. I'm sorry, but it's true. I have heard that the book is pretty awesome, and I fully intend to read it, but framing action around a courtroom drama that lacks on the drama is not a great way to set up your story. I think that the backstory - the love between Ishmael and Hatsue when they were children and young adults, plus the sequences in the internment camps - is far more interesting. I wanted more of that, instead of James Cromwell in an awful, bushy beard and Max Von Sydow bickering back and forth in the courtroom.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 135
Showing posts with label Drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drama. Show all posts
Monday, February 6, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Shame (2011)
The Nick with Lauren on 2/1/12
Again with the no plot! Michael Fassbender (mmm, mmm) is convincing in his incredibly subtle performance as a sex addict, and Carey Mulligan is disturbing as his falling-apart sister, but nothing happens! The characters end up in the same place they started out in. The plot is really only a situation. There is a lot of nudity. I find it interesting that male full frontal nudity nearly always gets an NC-17 rating, while female nudity shows up in PG-13. I know that I'm not the first person to point this out, but everyone just needs to relax about the full frontal.
My Netflix rating: 2 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 133
Again with the no plot! Michael Fassbender (mmm, mmm) is convincing in his incredibly subtle performance as a sex addict, and Carey Mulligan is disturbing as his falling-apart sister, but nothing happens! The characters end up in the same place they started out in. The plot is really only a situation. There is a lot of nudity. I find it interesting that male full frontal nudity nearly always gets an NC-17 rating, while female nudity shows up in PG-13. I know that I'm not the first person to point this out, but everyone just needs to relax about the full frontal.
My Netflix rating: 2 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 133
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Sarah's Key (2011)
Netflix DVD on 1/4/11
The book that this is based on is always advertised as a tragic mystery, almost like noir. If the movie is anything similar, it's not that at all. Tragic, yes. It's about the roundup of Jews in France in 1942, so obviously it's tragic. But there really isn't a whole lot of mystery or intrigue going on at all. I felt that the framed story (all the parts with Kristin Scott Thomas) was entirely unnecessary, and that the true heart of the story was with young Sarah. The child actress playing Sarah was brilliant. Other than that, there isn't too much going on here.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 125
The book that this is based on is always advertised as a tragic mystery, almost like noir. If the movie is anything similar, it's not that at all. Tragic, yes. It's about the roundup of Jews in France in 1942, so obviously it's tragic. But there really isn't a whole lot of mystery or intrigue going on at all. I felt that the framed story (all the parts with Kristin Scott Thomas) was entirely unnecessary, and that the true heart of the story was with young Sarah. The child actress playing Sarah was brilliant. Other than that, there isn't too much going on here.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 125
War Horse (2011)
The Nick with Lauren on 1/4/11
If this movie had been an hour and twenty minutes, it might have had a chance to be decent. But two hours plus is torture. It follows a horse Joey (which is a really stupid name for a horse if you ask me - it sounded ridiculous whenever anyone said it) who is sold to the British army at the onset of World War I, despite the desperate love of his trainer/owner Albert. Albert swears to find him again, much in the way that loved ones parting on the deck of the Titanic probably sounded. Then the story follows Joey and his many owners, most of whom end up dead, until a climactic race through No Man's Land. That's actually the one touching scene in the whole film. And I will say that it's interesting to see a movie about WWI, since there aren't many, but this is just so cheesy and lame in most places that it's not worth it.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 124
If this movie had been an hour and twenty minutes, it might have had a chance to be decent. But two hours plus is torture. It follows a horse Joey (which is a really stupid name for a horse if you ask me - it sounded ridiculous whenever anyone said it) who is sold to the British army at the onset of World War I, despite the desperate love of his trainer/owner Albert. Albert swears to find him again, much in the way that loved ones parting on the deck of the Titanic probably sounded. Then the story follows Joey and his many owners, most of whom end up dead, until a climactic race through No Man's Land. That's actually the one touching scene in the whole film. And I will say that it's interesting to see a movie about WWI, since there aren't many, but this is just so cheesy and lame in most places that it's not worth it.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 124
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Descendants (2011)
The Nick with Lauren on 1/3/12
So, this is the critical darling of the year. I was not overly thrilled. It's not a bad film by any means - it's exceptionally filmed - but it's just not wowing me. Actually, I haven't really seen anything yet this awards season that wowed me, except Arthur Christmas. George Clooney is fine, the girl from Secret Life of American Teenager is really effective, and the writing is pretty solid until the end (that meanders and wanders and just doesn't get to the end fast enough), but somehow the elements just didn't all come together for me. I think perhaps if the pacing was tightened up just a bit or if some of the extraneous plot elements were streamlined, it would have been a much more enjoyable film. Best Picture? Maybe, but I'm not convinced that it deserves it.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 123
So, this is the critical darling of the year. I was not overly thrilled. It's not a bad film by any means - it's exceptionally filmed - but it's just not wowing me. Actually, I haven't really seen anything yet this awards season that wowed me, except Arthur Christmas. George Clooney is fine, the girl from Secret Life of American Teenager is really effective, and the writing is pretty solid until the end (that meanders and wanders and just doesn't get to the end fast enough), but somehow the elements just didn't all come together for me. I think perhaps if the pacing was tightened up just a bit or if some of the extraneous plot elements were streamlined, it would have been a much more enjoyable film. Best Picture? Maybe, but I'm not convinced that it deserves it.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 123
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
The Nick with Lauren on 1/2/12
I had heard really mixed reviews about this film, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I have no feelings on Marilyn Monroe either way, though from what I've seen, she was an atrocious actress, and this movie really made me feel sad for her. Michelle Williams plays her perfectly, from the breathy voice to the little girl lost glazed look in her eye to the completely believable naivete that she carried with her. My only complaint is that Kenneth Branaugh looks nothing like Sir Laurence Olivier, and the woman they found to play Vivien Leigh looks even less appropriate.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 122
I had heard really mixed reviews about this film, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I have no feelings on Marilyn Monroe either way, though from what I've seen, she was an atrocious actress, and this movie really made me feel sad for her. Michelle Williams plays her perfectly, from the breathy voice to the little girl lost glazed look in her eye to the completely believable naivete that she carried with her. My only complaint is that Kenneth Branaugh looks nothing like Sir Laurence Olivier, and the woman they found to play Vivien Leigh looks even less appropriate.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 122
Sunday, January 1, 2012
West Side Story (1961)
Netflix DVD on 1/1/12
Happy New Year! Watching this brings my total of Best Picture winners that I haven't seen down to 10. I have been resistant to this movie for a very long time, since I watched the beginning a long time ago and was so disgusted by the singing, dancing street gangs that I turned it off. Turns out, this is not as painful as I thought. I don't like movie musicals - the theatricality of them doesn't work on screen for me - but I have seen far worse. This is the street gang version of Romeo and Juliet of course, and it's at least interesting to see how they translate some of the aspects of the play.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 121
Happy New Year! Watching this brings my total of Best Picture winners that I haven't seen down to 10. I have been resistant to this movie for a very long time, since I watched the beginning a long time ago and was so disgusted by the singing, dancing street gangs that I turned it off. Turns out, this is not as painful as I thought. I don't like movie musicals - the theatricality of them doesn't work on screen for me - but I have seen far worse. This is the street gang version of Romeo and Juliet of course, and it's at least interesting to see how they translate some of the aspects of the play.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 121
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Netflix DVD on 12/31/11
Not the best film to end the year with. I remember now why I hate Woody Allen so much. Even if he doesn't appear in the movie, his whiny poor me attitude seeps into every single word uttered by his main character. Owen Wilson is better than this. The concept of the crazy writer who has delusions of hanging out with famous artistic Parisians is not necessarily new or creative, and has been done far better. But this will get nominated for writing, because the Academy so loves Woody Allen. God knows why. Happy New Year everyone!
My Netflix rating: 2 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 120
Not the best film to end the year with. I remember now why I hate Woody Allen so much. Even if he doesn't appear in the movie, his whiny poor me attitude seeps into every single word uttered by his main character. Owen Wilson is better than this. The concept of the crazy writer who has delusions of hanging out with famous artistic Parisians is not necessarily new or creative, and has been done far better. But this will get nominated for writing, because the Academy so loves Woody Allen. God knows why. Happy New Year everyone!
My Netflix rating: 2 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 120
Hugo (2011)
Westbrook Cinemagic with Lauren on 12/30/11
This is a sad story for a family film! I know that orphans are often the subject of kid's movies (for some weird reason), but seeing how poor Hugo lives within the walls of the train station was heartbreaking. I like the cast, especially Ben Kingsley and Helen McCrory as Georges Melies and his wife. I had totally forgotten that this is a movie for people who love movies until halfway through. And while the automaton is creepy looking, I can get past it for the sake of the rest of the plot. Love all the famous faces that show up as the others who frequent the train station too.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 119
This is a sad story for a family film! I know that orphans are often the subject of kid's movies (for some weird reason), but seeing how poor Hugo lives within the walls of the train station was heartbreaking. I like the cast, especially Ben Kingsley and Helen McCrory as Georges Melies and his wife. I had totally forgotten that this is a movie for people who love movies until halfway through. And while the automaton is creepy looking, I can get past it for the sake of the rest of the plot. Love all the famous faces that show up as the others who frequent the train station too.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 119
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Young Adult (2011)
The Nick with Lauren, Kat, and Chris on 12/27/11
This was not at all like I expected. The trailers make it look far more like, as Lauren called it, a black comedy than it actually is. It's far closer to the tone of Diablo Cody's United States of Tara than it is to Juno. It's heavy in places, especially with the gentle treatment of the fact that there really is something wrong with Mavis, and there really is no character resolution for anyone. Despite that, it still feels like a complete story. I definitely laughed, but it also makes you uncomfortable in a lot of places too. Elizabeth Reaser's character of the wife of Mavis's former flame is the most sympathetic and likeable character. She throws the other characters into a much sharper contrast.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 117
This was not at all like I expected. The trailers make it look far more like, as Lauren called it, a black comedy than it actually is. It's far closer to the tone of Diablo Cody's United States of Tara than it is to Juno. It's heavy in places, especially with the gentle treatment of the fact that there really is something wrong with Mavis, and there really is no character resolution for anyone. Despite that, it still feels like a complete story. I definitely laughed, but it also makes you uncomfortable in a lot of places too. Elizabeth Reaser's character of the wife of Mavis's former flame is the most sympathetic and likeable character. She throws the other characters into a much sharper contrast.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 117
Friday, December 23, 2011
Take Shelter (2011)
The Nick on 12/21/11
This is totally different than the poster makes it look. The poster indicates some kind of apocalyptic bug invasion is coming, which would make sense with the title. The movie is actually about a man who suffers from increasingly disturbing visions of the end of the world, mostly in the form of tornadoes, so he builds a huge storm shelter under his backyard. And everyone thinks he's gone off the deep end. Michael Shannon plays him brilliantly, though I was not a fan of the end of the movie. Not only is it incredibly unclear, but it's also kind of tragic. If the end of the world really is coming, he and his family now have nowhere to hide.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 115
This is totally different than the poster makes it look. The poster indicates some kind of apocalyptic bug invasion is coming, which would make sense with the title. The movie is actually about a man who suffers from increasingly disturbing visions of the end of the world, mostly in the form of tornadoes, so he builds a huge storm shelter under his backyard. And everyone thinks he's gone off the deep end. Michael Shannon plays him brilliantly, though I was not a fan of the end of the movie. Not only is it incredibly unclear, but it's also kind of tragic. If the end of the world really is coming, he and his family now have nowhere to hide.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 115
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
J. Edgar (2011)
Westbrook Cinemagic with Lauren on 12/19/11
I had heard that this was a terrible movie, but Leo is going to get nominated for Best Actor, so I felt that I had to see it. Turns out, it's actually decent. Leo is very convincing as J. Edgar Hoover, and Armie Hammer is heartbreaking as his best friend/unacknowledged life partner. Clint Eastwood makes Hoover into a pitiable character, and by the end, you almost want to forgive him for doing things like wiretapping his own employees. And I wish there was some way to know what was in those secret legendary files.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 113
I had heard that this was a terrible movie, but Leo is going to get nominated for Best Actor, so I felt that I had to see it. Turns out, it's actually decent. Leo is very convincing as J. Edgar Hoover, and Armie Hammer is heartbreaking as his best friend/unacknowledged life partner. Clint Eastwood makes Hoover into a pitiable character, and by the end, you almost want to forgive him for doing things like wiretapping his own employees. And I wish there was some way to know what was in those secret legendary files.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 113
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Like Crazy (2011)
The Nick with Anna and Lauren on 12/7/11
Huh. This movie was odd. I'm not sure I buy the romance that the story is trying to sell. Two college students fall in love, the British one decides to violate her student visa to hang out with her American boyfriend all summer, and then red tape keeps them apart. What exactly did she expect was going to happen? Plus, from that point on, the couple grows apart but continues to force their relationship to work. Which it doesn't. The film doesn't end on a happy note, nor does it end on a convincing one.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 109
Huh. This movie was odd. I'm not sure I buy the romance that the story is trying to sell. Two college students fall in love, the British one decides to violate her student visa to hang out with her American boyfriend all summer, and then red tape keeps them apart. What exactly did she expect was going to happen? Plus, from that point on, the couple grows apart but continues to force their relationship to work. Which it doesn't. The film doesn't end on a happy note, nor does it end on a convincing one.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 109
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Somewhere (2010)
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
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
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
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
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The End of the Affair (1999)
Netflix DVD on 10/9/11
I have to read this novel for one of my upcoming workshops, and since this got a couple of Oscar noms a few (okay, 12) years ago, I figured it was time to Netflix it. And it's okay. It's just not really memorable at all. The story is told in retrospect from the man's point of view, except for a bit in the middle which inexplicably shifts to the woman, and meanders to its inevitable end. It's slow, which is not necessarily bad - it just makes it feel a lot longer than its 1 hour and 35 minutes. Which is probably saying something. Also, I think the casting is off, because to me, there is really no question between Ralph Fiennes and Stephen Rea.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 95
I have to read this novel for one of my upcoming workshops, and since this got a couple of Oscar noms a few (okay, 12) years ago, I figured it was time to Netflix it. And it's okay. It's just not really memorable at all. The story is told in retrospect from the man's point of view, except for a bit in the middle which inexplicably shifts to the woman, and meanders to its inevitable end. It's slow, which is not necessarily bad - it just makes it feel a lot longer than its 1 hour and 35 minutes. Which is probably saying something. Also, I think the casting is off, because to me, there is really no question between Ralph Fiennes and Stephen Rea.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 95
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Debt (2011)
The Nick with Lauren on 9/20/11
This was an absolutely great movie until the last fifteen minutes. It's a framed story about the search for and capture of the so-called "Surgeon of Birkenau," a Nazi doctor responsible for horrible experiments on prisoners. I haven't been able to find anything on whether this doctor was a real person, but the human experimentation in concentration camps certainly was true. The film is so good all the way through - it's a beautiful balance of the two timelines, it's suspenseful, and it's very well acted - but the end completely falls apart. It feels like the writers got to a certain point and then looked at each other with no idea how to end.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 92
This was an absolutely great movie until the last fifteen minutes. It's a framed story about the search for and capture of the so-called "Surgeon of Birkenau," a Nazi doctor responsible for horrible experiments on prisoners. I haven't been able to find anything on whether this doctor was a real person, but the human experimentation in concentration camps certainly was true. The film is so good all the way through - it's a beautiful balance of the two timelines, it's suspenseful, and it's very well acted - but the end completely falls apart. It feels like the writers got to a certain point and then looked at each other with no idea how to end.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 92
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Hereafter (2010)
Netflix DVD over 9/15/11 and 9/16/11
Like the last entry, this movie is pretty bad. It got nominated for Best Visual Effects, but there were very few FX to speak of. The plot is split between three different characters, in a way that makes it difficult to emotionally attach to any of them. The only story that is even remotely touching is the poor boy whose twin brother is killed. However, he is onscreen so rarely that it's hard to remember that you feel bad for him. Fail for Clint Eastwood on this one.
My Netflix rating: 2 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 91
Like the last entry, this movie is pretty bad. It got nominated for Best Visual Effects, but there were very few FX to speak of. The plot is split between three different characters, in a way that makes it difficult to emotionally attach to any of them. The only story that is even remotely touching is the poor boy whose twin brother is killed. However, he is onscreen so rarely that it's hard to remember that you feel bad for him. Fail for Clint Eastwood on this one.
My Netflix rating: 2 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 91
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