Zero Dark Thirty

My View: Zero Dark Thirty (2013): Maya (Jessica Chastain) is a CIA investigator who goes on a ten year mission to hunt down Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the Twin Tower attacks on 9/11. Chastain is amazing in this role as a character who is so driven to find Bin Laden that she has no personal life, almost no friends and she displays a single-minded determination that antagonizes everyone she works with. There are some very good supporting actors in this film, including Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler and Jennifer Ehle, but it's Chastain’s film, and she dominates every scene she's in.  When you see it, though you know its outcome, you are still on the edge of your seat until the very end.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Zero Dark Thirty Website

My View: Gangster Squad (2013) :The story of a group of police officers who form an elite squad with the intention of keeping 1950’s Los Angeles free of Mafia influence. This squad, though, will have to make tough decisions in their attempt to fight crime, and the Mafia plays dirty, so the squad may have to do the same. Be warned, this film contains a lot of violence.  The first time we meet gangster, Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), he is having a man ripped apart by two cars. While I like Josh Brolin, I just feel like the part of the leader of the squad, Sarge, was just too big of a role for him. I did like Ryan Gosling as the slick police officer, but the film mostly wastes such talents as Emma Stone and Robert Patrick giving them one dimensional characters to work with. Overall, the film had an almost cartoon-like feel to it, Sean Penn's makeup is campy, and it was as if I were watching a remake of the 1990 Warren Beatty film, Dick Tracy.     My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Gangster Squad Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

#10 Best Film

The Searchers  (1956):   Directed by John Ford, this western is about Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) who returns from the Civil War to his brother’s ranch in Texas. While Ethan is out tracking an Indian raiding party, Ethan’s brother’s family is attacked by Comanche’s who kill the entire family except Ethan’s niece, Debbie, who is kidnapped. Ethan, with Martin (Jeffery Hunter), Debbie’s adopted brother, sets out on a quest to find and bring back Debbie, but as years pass, the quest turns from being a rescue mission to one of revenge. In one of his better acting roles, Wayne is brilliant as the hard-nosed Ethan, whose hatred of Indians is apparent almost from the start of the film. This is a quintessential John Ford film with dynamic and sweeping camera shots that fill the screen with breathtaking scenery.    The Searchers Info

Forgotten Film: Downhill Racer (1969) Dave Chappelet (Robert Redford) is an ambitious skier who is added to the U.S. National team as a last minute replacement. Chappelet clashes with both his teammates and his coach (Gene Hackman) from almost the very start as he puts his own goals ahead of his teammates.  He has talent, though, and may be America’s best hope for a medal at the Olympics. This is not your usual Redford role, as his character for most of the film is self-centered and unlikeable, but Redford makes the role work. The racing scenes are well done, and the final race is extremely exciting to watch.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Downhill Racer Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Looper (2012) This film is set in the future. When the mob wants to rub out someone, they send them 30 years into the past where Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is waiting to commit the perfect crime. The mob has a surprise for Joe, though. They are sending him his future, older self (Bruce Willis) to be killed. Will Joe do the deed? I enjoyed this film and especially enjoyed Gordon-Levitt’s performance as the young Joe, but I was left wanting the storyline to be a little more complicated and better thought out.   My Rating: Full Price   Looper Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Identity Thief (2013) When Sandy (Jason Bateman) finds out that his identity has been stolen, he sets out to find the thief and bring them to justice. Diana (Melissa McCarthy) is the woman who has stolen Sandy’s identity, but Sandy isn’t the only one hunting for Diana - so is the mob. This just looks like an attempt to put McCarthy into one zany situation after another, which means a film that just won’t be funny.   Identity Thief Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Zero Dark Thirty: Sign Writer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Warm Bodies (2013) I have seen the first three minutes of this film, and it looks like so much fun.  A zombie (Nicholas Hoult) falls in love with a human girl (Teresa Palmer). Will their love survive the end of the world?   Warm Bodies Website

Until Next Time!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

My View:  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) After the birth of their daughter, Renesmee, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) gather up the Cullen Vampire clan to protect their child. Irina (Maggie Grace) feels that Renesmee, whose miraculous birth, is a threat to the Volturi, so they set out to kill the child. Now the ultimate battle is about to go down. This isn’t saying much, but this is the best Twilight film. It has the usual beginning of any of the Twilight films, lots of setup with very little action, lots of corny scenes between Bella and Edward (that even my audience full of Twihard fanatics laughed at), and if you haven’t seen any of the other Twilight films, don’t start with this one as you will be completely confused. I thoroughly enjoyed the big battle sequence near the end, but there is a major flaw with this film (that I can’t discuss without giving out spoilers) that really ruined the ending for me.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Website

My View:  Lincoln (2012) As the Civil War continues, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) is determined to pass the 13th amendment and battles Congress as well as his own cabinet to abolish slavery. The film is only about the last few months before Lincoln’s second term is to start, so don’t expect a lot of setup from this film as it expects that you know most of the history of the Civil War and of Lincoln, himself. Daniel Day-Lewis is incredible in this performance, though it does take a little getting used to his voice, which is sort of high pitched. The rest of the cast does a remarkable job, including Sally Field as Mary Todd, David Strathairn as Secretary of State Seward and Tommy Lee Jones as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. I really enjoyed the performances of James Spader and John Hawkes, as they try and muster votes for the amendment by just about any means possible. The film is beautifully shot, and its score fits perfectly with what we are seeing on the screen. Steven Spielberg has done a great job in capturing one of our country's  most trying times.  My Rating: Full Price   Lincoln Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

#`13 Best Film

North By Northwest (1959) In this classic Alfred Hitchcock film, Cary Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a New York advertising executive who is mistaken for a government agent by some foreign spies. As he travels across the country, he meets a woman on a train, Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), who begins to help him with his quest to find out why he has been targeted. The film contains many of the iconic Hitchcock scenes, including the crop-duster scene where Thornhill is attacked by a dusting plane, and the film concludes with a major battle on top of Mt. Rushmore between Thornhill and the bad guy. Grant is at his absolute best, and there is a great deal of chemistry between him and Eva Marie Saint.   My Rating: I Would Pay To See it Again   North by Northwest Info

Forgotten Film:  Silver Streak (1976) A mild-mannered book editor (Gene Wilder) takes a cross country train trip. While on the train, he thinks he sees a murder committed, but there isn’t any evidence and no one believes him. He decides to investigate on his own and becomes the next target of the killer. This is a very funny film with superb performances by Wilder and, in a smaller role, Richard Pryor. Jill Clayburgh plays the romantic interest of Wilder, and their meeting on the train is one of my favorite romantic/flirting scenes between two leads in all of movies. The dialogue in this film is witty and fast, and while some of the comedy is a little over the top, it still makes for a highly enjoyable film.   My Rating: Full Price  Silver Streak Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Arthur Christmas (2011) I liked this animated film about Santa, who is getting ready to retire, and his two sons, one of which will follow in his footsteps. The humor in the film plays to both adults and kids, and the storyline is perfect for the holidays.  My Rating: Full Price   Arthur Christmas Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Lincoln: Facial Hair Artist

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Zero Dark Thirty (2012) Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow brings to the screen the story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his eventual death by SEAL Team 6. Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton fill out the cast on this highly anticipated film.   Zero Dark Thirty Website

Until Next Time!