Life Of Pi

 

Director Ang Lee creates a groundbreaking movie event about a young man who survives a tragic disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While marooned on a lifeboat, he forms an amazing and unexpected connection with the ship's only other survivor -- a fearsome Bengal tiger.

This was one of the more amazing visual movies I've ever seen.  I didn't see it in 3D but really wish that I had.  It's very rare that a movie can consist mostly of a man and a tiger on a boat and keep you as captivated as this movie does.  The narration was done very well and complimented the unspoken relationship growing between the boy and the tiger. 

I didn't expect much because I usually think that Ang Lee is one of those overrated critically acclaimed directors.   However, I was wrong.  This was a great movie.  And I would definitely recommend people checking this out. 

Breaking Dawn - Part 2

 

Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is the final installment in the franchise and is based on the fourth novel in author Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series.  Do you really need more of a synopsis on this one?

The franchise is over.  I can go in to great detail reviewing this or I could just save my time.  If you love the franchise, you have seen it or will.  If you don't - you won't.  I read the books and saw the movies.  This one was much more tolerable that Part 1 of Breaking Dawn and I was glad that they did a twist at the end that gives much more satisfaction (and a pretty big laugh after realizing it) then the last book did.

Like I said - if you are going to go - you will.  If you are not - you won't.  No reason for me to recommend whether or not you should.

Red Dawn

 

In Red Dawn, an American city awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky.  Shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.

For the record - the original Red Dawn was not a great movie in terms of quality.  It was however a cult classic for me.  So this was one of the million remakes that Hollywood has churned out the last couple of years that made me cringe at the thought of it.  So I went in to this movie braced for an intense amount of pain.  And to be honest - it wasn't that bad.  Whoa.  Don't get me wrong.  It wasn't good at all, but it wasn't that bad.  The part that killed it the most was how atrocious the kid that used to be the fat guy from Drake & Josh was.  If that part was an actor with the tiniest shred of acting ability, this movie probably would have been much more digestible.  But since every scene had his face looking like Rocky Balboa talking to Adrienne, it just got so beyond annoying every time he was on screen. 

I would absolutely not recommend anyone bothering with this one.  I went into it with garbage expectations so I deemed the garbage acceptable . . . . . .for garbage.

Lincoln

 

Steven Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

This was a movie that is a reminder just how good of a director Steven Spielberg is.  Forgotten at this point for the most part with all the talk about the new class of directors that churn out movie awesomeness, Spielberg has put forth a historical biopic without any of his usual special effects and what not that can make even the most not interested in history peeps (like myself) riveted by the story being played out on the screen.  And Daniel Day-Lewis completely equals his director's awesomeness with his performance.  The man is pure gold as an actor.  It seemed as if Lincoln himself was alive and back on screen.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  Premium acting and directing are on display and this is easily one of the best movies of the year.

Rise Of The Guardians

 

Rise of the Guardians is a magical adventure that tells the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost - legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children everywhere.

This was a cute and enjoyable movie taking known characters and giving them an extra twist of being guardians to children.  The voices were good (although Santa with a Russian accent was a little weird) and the story progressed fast enough that any adults going with their kids are not wanting to scream. 

I would lukewarmly recommend this movie to people.  It's not bad.  It's not great.  It is watchable and enjoyable but there are actually better options out there for parents to take their kids too.

Fun Size

 

Fun Size is a teen comedy centered on a sarcastic high school senior, Wren (Victoria Justice), who is eager to distance herself from her dysfunctional family by going off to college. Before that can happen, Wren's mother, Joy, insists that she watch her little brother Albert on Halloween night, so Joy can go to a rager with her much younger boyfriend. When Wren gets distracted by an invitation to the party of the year, Albert disappears into a sea of trick-or-treaters. Frantic to locate him before their mother discovers he's missing, Wren enlists the help of her sassy best friend April, as well as Peng, an aspiring ladies man and co-captain of the debate team, and Peng's best friend, Roosevelt, a sweet nerd whose crush on Wren clouds his better judgment. This unlikely foursome embarks on a high-stakes, all-night adventure to find Albert, crossing paths with outrageous characters every step of the way.
This is a pretty pointless teenage comedy.  It's like a teenage Adventures In Babysitting based on Halloween.  There is literally nothing more that can be said about this movie.

I wouldn't really recommend it . . . . . . unless you are a teenager. 

Skyfall

 

Daniel Craig is back as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in Skyfall, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time. In Skyfall, Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

This was a pretty kick a$$ Bond movie.  It was very straight forward with a ton of great action.  There was no heavy espionage story.  We got a lot more of M (Judi Dench) which was pretty cool and Javier Bardem was awesome as the bad guy.  Daniel Craig has really grown on me as Bond.  He might be my favorite one at this point.  The only real knock I can make on this movie was that it was about 20-30 minutes too long.  The pacing could have been kicked up and the movie kept shorter.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was great and very entertaining popcorn type movie to just get away from everything else and enjoy for 2 plus hours

Flight

 

Flight tells the redemption story of "Whip" (Washington), a commercial airline pilot who pulls off a heroic feat of flying in a damaged plane, saving 98 lives on a flight carrying 106 people. While the world begs to embrace him as a true American Hero, the everyman struggles with this label as he is forced to hold up to the scrutiny of an investigation that brings into question his behavior the night before the doomed flight.

This movie was tough to watch although an amazing movie acting wise overall.  A - Anyone with a fear of flying will only have that fear multiplied by like a million after watching the plane crash in this movie.  B - It was very tough to watch so many people try to cover for an out of control alcoholic for about two hours.  It speaks volumes of how great Denzel Washington's performance was that I legitamitely hated him so much throughout the movie.  I wanted to see his character get his a$$ kicked at some point for his alcoholic behavior and blatant disrespect for all of the people trying to help him.

I would recommend it because it really was a well directed and amazingly acted movie.  But I am dead serious when I say that this is a very hard to watch movie on a fear level and a human being level.

Wreck-It Ralph

 

Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix (voice of Jack McBrayer), the "good guy" star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides he's tired of playing the role of a bad guy. He takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he's got what it takes to be a hero.  On his quest, he meets the tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch) from the first-person action game Hero's Duty. But it's the feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) from the candy-coated cart racing game, Sugar Rush, whose world is threatened when Ralph accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade. Will Ralph realize his dream and save the day before it's too late?

This movie was alot of fun.  I have been disappointed for the most part by animated movies recently.  There are few movies that I enjoy more than animated movies that the kids can enjoy and the parents can enjoy just as much.  I had very high hopes for this movie and they definitely met them.  The story was great and does for video games what Toy Story did for toys in my opninon.  Knowing most of the characters and games just made it that much more enjoyable.  This is easily Disney's best non-Pixar animated movie in a while.

I would definitely recommend people checking this one out.  Kids will love it.  The adults taking them will love it.  The movie totally met my very high expectations.

The Man With The Iron Fists

 

Since his arrival in China's Jungle Village, the town's blacksmith (RZA) has been forced by radical tribal factions to create elaborate tools of destruction. When the clans' brewing war boils over, the stranger channels an ancient energy to transform himself into a human weapon. As he fights alongside iconic heroes and against soulless villains, one man must harness this power to become savior of his adopted people.

This is one of those "it's good for what it is" movies.  It's a throwback kung fu movie with lots of great fights and gore.  The story is kind of there but doesn't matter.  The acting a dialogue is nothing more than filler between the fights. 

If you like pointless kung fu movies - then you should definitely check this one out.  If you don't - I don't see why you would need me to tell you not to bother.

Chasing Mavericks

 

Based on the inspirational true story of surfing icon Jay Moriarty, Chasing Mavericks tells the story of a young man's quest to surf Northern California's most dangerous wave, and the local legend who takes him under his wing. What begins as a mentorship turns into a unique lifelong bond, as the two unlikely friends discover that there is nothing more powerful than pushing your limits and chasing a nearly impossible dream.

This was a cutesy, heartstring pulling movie.  Think Karate Kid but with surfing.  You know the story from the trailer.  There are no surprises.  Just a good build up to a completely expected outcome.  The footage of the waves was amazing. 

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It is not a must see by any means, but there are much worse things that you could be watching.

Killing Them Softly

 

Killing Them Softly follows professional enforcer, Jackie Cogan (Pitt), who investigates a heist that occurs during a high stakes, mob-protected, poker game.

The movie is actually only worth that short synopsis.  This movie was basically two things.  A LOT of talking.  And then a lot of hipster, gangster cleanup type stuff.  This movie felt like it was trying too hard to be hip/cool.  Kind of like Snatch or RocknRolla.  There was the dark designs and the non-stop dialogue.  There was Brad Pitt looking like a bada$$ cleaner.  The look was definitely there, but the substance was pretty much non-existent.

I wouldn't recommend people wasting their time with this.  Its pretty much one of those movies that is just there and looks good appearance wise but that is about it.