Movie List #4

It's been a busy month for me - moving to a new home among other things - so this will be my movie list for the entire month of May. I haven't watched a lot of movies this month (so it's a short list) since a Community marathon (seasons 1-4) and a re-watch of Game of Thrones (season 1) have taken a bulk of my down time.

Intermission (2003)

There's some heavy Irish accent going on in this film and I had to watch this without subtitles. So imagine my effort in understanding what they were saying. Better yet, you could go watch this film and after your ears adjust to the thick accent, you'll realize this is well-directed with an excellent ensemble and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I sometimes enjoy Colin Farrell's performances especially when he's playing the bad boy (the first scene of him chatting up this girl was the best scene to me - proof here) and I always enjoy Cillian Murphy. This is a dark comedy, an indie film set in Dublin, with a handful of stories intertwined and chaotic with a purpose. Oh, and I'm happy to read that Roger Ebert gave this movie 3 1/2 stars.

Warm Bodies (2012)

Remember that little boy from "About a Boy"? (This was the time when Hugh Grant was still making decent movies that I cherished. Anyway...) That young boy Hugh starred with was Nicholas Hoult and in Warm Bodies he's the teen zombie R who does lengthy but witty voice overs and happens to be the love interest of Aussie Teresa Palmer. The story's a no-brainer (by the way, zombies in this story are like the zombies from Plants vs. Zombies - they eat brains) and the turns are predictable but this is a better love story than Twilight and with a much agreeable ending.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Ms. Kathryn Bigelow - I'm a fan. The Hurt Locker was a fine piece of work and so is Zero Dark Thirty. Even if I (and the rest of the world) knew how the story would end, I still found myself holding my breath during the last minutes of the film, which is the same feeling I got from Argo. Jessica Chastain makes one fierce CIA officer.

The Eagle (2011)

Whose idea was it to make this two hours long? I think Channing Tatum is an OK actor (you can even say a great one if you just can't look past that body) and I seriously thought he could pull off  playing a Roman soldier in a period movie. He's put on an accent (I think) but it's not believable. His character, Marcus Aquila, can't hold a candle next to Russel Crowe's Maximus. Jamie Bell should have been the soldier and not the slave. As for the plot, again, why does a story about looking for a small eagle statue have to be two hours long? 

If I could take Channing out of the equation and leave Mark Strong and Jamie Bell, could this film suck even less?

21 Jumpstreet (2012)

This Channing Tatum movie I like way better than The Eagle. Who would've thought there would be so much comedic chemistry between him and Jonah Hill? They were so cute together and the jokes got funnier and funnier until the end. There's a surprise cameo at the latter part of the movie from an original cast member of the 21 Jumpstreet TV show which I'm sure you'll be delighted with. And if you've already seen 21 Jumpstreet, I hope to be the bearer of good news that a sequel is in the works and is scheduled for release next year.

Mama (2013) 

This is a fantasy-horror film presented by Guillermo del Toro and stars Jessica Chastain and Jaime Lannister, also known as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. There are elements in this movie that reminded me of del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth which is why I liked it even more and there's also a couple of cute kids here who definitely upped the creepiness level of the story. I thought this was a good, stylish horror flick that's my type of scary.

*Images via Rotten Tomatoes & Wikipedia

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Movie List #3

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Buying tickets for this movie was a déjà vu of the-waiting-in-a-long-line-for-The-Avengers-tickets-at-Greenbelt scene I had last year. Let it be said that I still liked Iron Man 2 more than 3 due to the presence of  Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell in the previous film and I never cared much for Guy Pearce (except in Memento of course). Nevertheless, it's still an enjoyable movie. It was great seeing RDJ reprise the role of Tony Stark and witnessing the smug and funny quips his character is famous for. Now the plot picks up after the The Avengers' battle in New York and fixes Tony Stark in a darker phase of his life. It's a slick movie with some interesting visuals and gorgeous Iron Man suits (and even a nice sky diving action sequence) to keep us hooked but plot-wise, I thought it was too much smoke and not enough wood to make a bigger fire.

On a side note: Fellow movie goers, please don't get angry at the ticket sellers if the movie's already sold out. It's not their fault that you haven't bought/reserved tickets in advance. You only make an ass of yourself if you keep doing that in every Marvel/DC ticket line. Please don't do that when Man of Steel comes out. Just don't.

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

What sucks about remakes is the fact that you've already seen the original and and the remake leaves little room for unpredictability and suspense. I do respect a remake though if it's decently made and when I say decent, I mean it can still entertain you. This one did but only in the last few scenes. The original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo starring Noomi Rapace outshines this leaps and bounds. But Rooney Mara does make an effective and covincing Lisbeth Salander and her transformation was a tad shocking when you compare to what she was like in The Social Network. You can't fault her here and she does the accent so believably. As for Daniel Craig... well, he's still Daniel Craig.

Gangster Squad (2012) 

The attraction to seeing this film was, first and foremost, see Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone pair up again and second, get a glimpse of Sean Penn clad in heavy makeup and prosthetics as the notorious Mickey Cohen. It won't get on my list of best mafia/gangster movies but it was still an OK version of a mafia story despite having some borderline boring scenes. There could have been more depth and grit in the story but in the end, I only wished there was more Sean Penn in it.

Three Idiots (2009) 

If you see someone post "All is well" on their Facebook or Twitter account, it's because of this film. It's a little over 2 hours long and I thought it was going to be a bit of a drag but the story was just so colorful and unpredictable and I was hooked. I thought this would be like a Three Stooges-type of film (I'm blaming the title) but it was far from it. It's a rare quality for any movie to have a handful of characters and make them all important and central to the story. Three Idiots is a rare gem.

Take Me Home Tonight (2011)

A comedy set in the 80's with Topher Grace taking the reins on this one. There were funny moments but this wasn't much of a comedy film. I was excited when I saw Anna Farris in it but unfortunately her presence still couldn't save this from tanking. What was the highlight for me? Teresa Palmer's bronzed up look. 

It's sad that your makeup was the only thing I found worthwhile here. :-/

Man on a Ledge (2010)

When you watch the trailer, you think there would be such a big mystery as to why Sam  "The Avatar guy" Worthington is on a ledge. I imagined there would be an intricate plot and an interesting twist to his predicament. Sadly there's none and for a moment, I thought it would follow suit to Colin Farrell's Phonebooth since there were some similar elements but Phonebooth fares WAY better in suspense than this. Best thing that could have happened here was Sam Worthington's character actually falling off the edge. 

*April 14-April 28, 2013

*Images via Rotten Tomatoes

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Movie List #2

Lincoln (2012)

I don't know much about the Civil War but this movie was an effective avenue of shedding light on what Abraham Lincoln went through for the greater good of his nation. He certainly wasn't a saint and had his own personal issues going on but here was a man who did everything he could to make things right. Daniel Day Lewis is now my favorite American President. The end credits (which I also enjoy watching, were a bit of a revelation, too. It wasn't the usual, "Soldier 1 played by Joe Jones". Every single character played in the film was a real person, had a real name and had a credited role in American history. The movie being this detailed and historically accurate is an incredible feat and it was a thrill to watch the downs and the ups of Lincoln's government until the time of his assassination.

To quote from the late and great Roger Ebert's last review of a Spielberg film:

The hallmark of the man, performed so powerfully by Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln," is calm self-confidence, patience and a willingness to play politics in a realistic way. The film focuses on the final months of Lincoln's life, including the passage of the 13th Amendment ending slavery, the surrender of the Confederacy and his assassination. Rarely has a film attended more carefully to the details of politics. (source)

The Croods (2013)

I saw this on Easter Sunday at Greenbelt 3 and after hearing that G.I. Joe 2 would just be a waste of a ticket, I opted to watch this animated movie instead. It was lighthearted family movie with Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds and Nicolas Cage lending their voices to these insane but fun bunch of characters. It got a lot of laughs out of me so I can't complain. 

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

This movie confused me - in a good way. I kept questioning myself if the situations Hushpuppy lived through actually happened or maybe these were representations of a six-year-old's reality. This movie seemed like a lot less glamorous Life of Pi-stylized movie with a bit of Hunger Games camera work in the mix but it was rooted on an amazing story nonetheless.

Quvenzhané Wallis, who played Hushpuppy, was only 6 years old at the time of filming and her acting was so good, of course, she had to be nominated for an Academy award (youngest one to be nominated, might I add). Dwight Henry also delivered a memorable performance as Hushpuppy's father, Wink, who you won't warm to at the beginning but eventually won me over.

Disco Pigs (2001)

I don't watch a lot of Irish films but if Cillian Murphy's in it, I have to watch it. Disco Pigs is Enda Walsh's creation for theatre and the story was so good, it had to be adapted on film, too. This is the story of the Pig and the Runt and their turbulent and volatile relationship as friends. Cillian serves one of his most powerful performances here and Elaine Cassidy, who I had no idea was Irish when I saw her first in Harper's Island, does so as well.

I've been busy watching these brilliant TV shows, too: Sherlock, Game of Thrones, The Following, and Hannibal. 

What have you been watching this past week?

If you're curious, here are my other movie lists. ;)

*March 31 - April 13, 2013
*Images courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes

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Movie List #1

You know how some people sleep listening to music? I sleep to the sound of movies because it's my happy place. I get to see a bunch (like 3-5) of them every week and I'll be doing a list of what I've watched within the week so when you're bored and don't know what movie to watch next, you can take a look at one of my movie lists and get an idea or two from it. ;)

Django Unchained (2012)

This has been highly praised by critics and viewers alike although there have been mixed feelings out there about the film, too, due to the nature of the plot. It's set during a dark period of slavery and racism so expect a lot of offensive language and disturbing scenes here - just like any good 'ole QT movie of course. So that being said - I loved the movie. It made me laugh and the chemistry between Jamie Foxx's Django & Christoph Waltz' King Schultz was so enjoyable to watch. DiCaprio as the antagonist Candie was deliciously (no pun intended) evil here, which I honestly thought deserved a nomination, too.

Red Lights (2012)

I have the biggest crush on Cillian Murphy so I have this biased opinion that whatever he's in is nothing short of amazing and he rubs off his brilliance in Red Lights. Anyway what you have to know about the movie is that it revolves on the investigations of supernatural/paranormal phenomena and you get to see some serious acting chops from Sigourney Weaver and Robert DeNiro.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

I keep forgetting that Jennifer Lawrence is only 22 years old with the performances she gives (remember Winter's Bone?). I thought she deserved her Best Actress win here, especially after blowing my mind away with this scene and many more. I think this is a charming film that's a cut above the other generic romcom movies out there.

Yes, that is Julia Stiles in the family portrait - in case you were wondering.

Hitchcock (2012)

When I first saw the trailer, I didn't even recognize it was Sir Anthony Hopkins playing the legend that is Alfred Hitchcock. Kudos to his makeup team which deserved their nomination for Best  Makeup & Hairstyling in last year's Academy Awards. 

Dame Helen Mirren plays his wife, Alma, and "Hitchcock" focuses more on their relationship during the making of Psycho than the actual making of it. Hopkins is so spot on with his Hitchcock and you can take a look at this clip for comparison.

"You may call me Hitch. Hold the cock."

*March 24 - 30, 2013
*Images courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes

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