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
Thursday, January 5, 2012
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
Friday, December 30, 2011
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Westbrook Cinemagic with Lauren on 12/29/11
This was my first attempt at sitting through a 3D movie in a long time, and will also be my last for a long time. It makes my eyes hurt and my stomach start to roil. So not worth it. All that being said, this movie is great. It's fast-paced and full of adventure, complete with sinister Victorian bad guys and pirates. It is, however, very violent and somewhat dark for a kid's movie. Some of the things they did with the motion-capture animation were pretty amazing and it's my pick for Best Animated Feature of 2011. I have no experience with the Tintin books, so other than the fact that I thought Tintin was a kid, I had no expectations going in.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 118
This was my first attempt at sitting through a 3D movie in a long time, and will also be my last for a long time. It makes my eyes hurt and my stomach start to roil. So not worth it. All that being said, this movie is great. It's fast-paced and full of adventure, complete with sinister Victorian bad guys and pirates. It is, however, very violent and somewhat dark for a kid's movie. Some of the things they did with the motion-capture animation were pretty amazing and it's my pick for Best Animated Feature of 2011. I have no experience with the Tintin books, so other than the fact that I thought Tintin was a kid, I had no expectations going in.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 118
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
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
Netflix DVD with Lauren on 12/23/11
Happy Christmas Eve! This was a decidedly weird movie that, by the end, totally worked. I think that it's partially because it was acted brilliantly (Ryan Gosling got a Globe nom for it) but it also has amazing writing. The connections between the characters aren't obvious or predictable, but they are completely believable when the whole thing is over. The whole love triangle with the baby sitter is a little weird, but I can overlook that in favor of the absolute exaggerated realism of the other situations. It's funny and sort of touching by the end. And Emma Stone, of course, is awesome.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 116
Happy Christmas Eve! This was a decidedly weird movie that, by the end, totally worked. I think that it's partially because it was acted brilliantly (Ryan Gosling got a Globe nom for it) but it also has amazing writing. The connections between the characters aren't obvious or predictable, but they are completely believable when the whole thing is over. The whole love triangle with the baby sitter is a little weird, but I can overlook that in favor of the absolute exaggerated realism of the other situations. It's funny and sort of touching by the end. And Emma Stone, of course, is awesome.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 116
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
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
The Nick with Lauren on 12/20/11
Wow, Guy Ritchie. A fan of the slow-mo? I really enjoyed the story of this movie, actually more than the first Sherlock Holmes, but the heavy-handed stylized camera work was way too much. I was glad to be rid of Rachel McAdams this time around, and I loved Noomi Rapace as Sherlock's second sidekick. Mycroft Holmes was a nice touch, too. Moriarty is the classic villain, and he was played beautifully here. I would say delightful all around, except for the overused slow-mo.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 114
Wow, Guy Ritchie. A fan of the slow-mo? I really enjoyed the story of this movie, actually more than the first Sherlock Holmes, but the heavy-handed stylized camera work was way too much. I was glad to be rid of Rachel McAdams this time around, and I loved Noomi Rapace as Sherlock's second sidekick. Mycroft Holmes was a nice touch, too. Moriarty is the classic villain, and he was played beautifully here. I would say delightful all around, except for the overused slow-mo.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
New Movies in Year Three: 114
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)