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
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
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
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The Ninth Gate (1999)
Netflix DVD with Lauren on 10/30/11
This reminds me a lot of Rosemary's Baby in tone, which is most likely due to Roman Polanski as the director and the heavy occult theme. I think that I would have liked this a lot if the pacing had just been fixed. The movie is over 2 hours long, with the first 55 minutes or so dedicated entirely to set up. Once the first hour is over, you feel like you've been subjected to some kind of lecture on the mythology and history of Satanism. From there, the film moves with a very deliberate pace, though never quite introducing characters fully and building towards three separate and oddly-spaced climaxes. I enjoyed the film, but I most likely won't ever watch it again.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 99
This reminds me a lot of Rosemary's Baby in tone, which is most likely due to Roman Polanski as the director and the heavy occult theme. I think that I would have liked this a lot if the pacing had just been fixed. The movie is over 2 hours long, with the first 55 minutes or so dedicated entirely to set up. Once the first hour is over, you feel like you've been subjected to some kind of lecture on the mythology and history of Satanism. From there, the film moves with a very deliberate pace, though never quite introducing characters fully and building towards three separate and oddly-spaced climaxes. I enjoyed the film, but I most likely won't ever watch it again.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 99
The Stepford Wives (1975)
Netflix DVD with Lauren on 10/29/11
Surprisingly, this is based on a book by the same author as Rosemary's Baby. And I think it would have been really interesting to see what a director like Roman Polanski or even Tim Burton in his really early years would have done with it. The problems that this film has are more products of its era than the actual production. It's slow and almost deliberate, taking time for audiences to put the clues together and catch up to what's going on. Modern audiences don't need all of the bread crumbs that are dropped. That being said, this is far superior to that awful remake with Nicole Kidman a few years ago.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 98
Surprisingly, this is based on a book by the same author as Rosemary's Baby. And I think it would have been really interesting to see what a director like Roman Polanski or even Tim Burton in his really early years would have done with it. The problems that this film has are more products of its era than the actual production. It's slow and almost deliberate, taking time for audiences to put the clues together and catch up to what's going on. Modern audiences don't need all of the bread crumbs that are dropped. That being said, this is far superior to that awful remake with Nicole Kidman a few years ago.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 98
Saturday, October 29, 2011
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Merrill Auditorium with Lauren, Andy, and Dad on 10/28/11
This is one of the few original "monster movies" that I had never seen. Lon Chaney, father of Lon Chaney Jr. (duh) of The Wolfman fame, is the iconic Phantom, with the skull-like appearance and secret lair under the Paris Opera House. I'm not really familiar with the original book, nor have I seen many adaptations of it, but I definitely enjoyed this. We went to a special showing, complete with a 7,000 pipe organ playing the soundtrack - it's an amazing experience to see a silent film now with live accompaniment!
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 97
This is one of the few original "monster movies" that I had never seen. Lon Chaney, father of Lon Chaney Jr. (duh) of The Wolfman fame, is the iconic Phantom, with the skull-like appearance and secret lair under the Paris Opera House. I'm not really familiar with the original book, nor have I seen many adaptations of it, but I definitely enjoyed this. We went to a special showing, complete with a 7,000 pipe organ playing the soundtrack - it's an amazing experience to see a silent film now with live accompaniment!
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 97
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Carriers (2009)
Netflix Streaming on 10/10/11
This is like Contagion with a micro budget. Or, like Contagion meets Zombieland. It's pretty good! It's a roadtrip movie, through the west as the four main characters head to the ocean, to a place where they believe they will be safe from the virus. It's never really clear what the virus is, or how it started, but it's fast-moving and they aren't afraid to kill off main characters. It's also made clear that they aren't looking for some mythical community that is virus-free - they're just looking for a place with no other people where they will be free of the danger of infection. Overall, solid low-budget horror film.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 96
This is like Contagion with a micro budget. Or, like Contagion meets Zombieland. It's pretty good! It's a roadtrip movie, through the west as the four main characters head to the ocean, to a place where they believe they will be safe from the virus. It's never really clear what the virus is, or how it started, but it's fast-moving and they aren't afraid to kill off main characters. It's also made clear that they aren't looking for some mythical community that is virus-free - they're just looking for a place with no other people where they will be free of the danger of infection. Overall, solid low-budget horror film.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 96
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
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Oceans (2009)
Netflix Streaming over 10/7/11 and 10/8/11
This is Disney's latest addition to their version of Planet Earth, but their camera work and wow-factor just doesn't live up to PE. Some of the underwater shots were really cool, and the satellite images of pollution spilling out of rivers into the ocean was effective, but technically, the rest is a little mediocre. The one truly moving/heartbreaking scene was when the freshly-hatched turtles make their break for the ocean and half of them get eaten by seabirds. Even some of the babies that make it to the ocean aren't safe. Overall, interesting but not mind-blowing.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 94
This is Disney's latest addition to their version of Planet Earth, but their camera work and wow-factor just doesn't live up to PE. Some of the underwater shots were really cool, and the satellite images of pollution spilling out of rivers into the ocean was effective, but technically, the rest is a little mediocre. The one truly moving/heartbreaking scene was when the freshly-hatched turtles make their break for the ocean and half of them get eaten by seabirds. Even some of the babies that make it to the ocean aren't safe. Overall, interesting but not mind-blowing.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 94
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