Parental Guidance

 

Old school grandfather Artie (Billy Crystal), who is accustomed to calling the shots, meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife Diane (Bette Midler) agree to babysit their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents (Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott) go away for work. But when 21st century problems collide with Artie and Diane's old school methods of tough rules, lots of love and old-fashioned games, it's learning to bend, and not holding your ground, that binds a family together.

This was a very cute family holiday movie.  Could there have been more laughs?  Absolutely.  Was it completely formula across the aboard?  Of course it was.  Do you still enjoy the movie from start to end.   Yes!!!  Well - at least I did.  Very much.  I miss movies like this that bring the whole family together on many levels and are simple and touching.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It makes you laugh and cry and leave the theater happy.

Les Miserables

 

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Mis�rables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption - a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

I loved this movie.  I have grown to be a bigger fan of musicals over the years.  Thank you, Moulin Rouge!  I had seen this play on broadway many many years ago.  I sort of remembered the story and tried to keep my expectations in check because I had heard such great things about it.  However, they completely met and exceeded my expectations and all of the good word the movie had gotten.  I loved that it was a total musical with barely any normal spoken dialogue.  I loved even more how the actors were legitimately singing at that moment instead of lip syncing to a previous recording.   I loved the cast (especially Anne Hathaway and the new girl that played Eponie).  This was easily my favorite non-comic book related movie of the year.

I would absolutely recommend this movie to everyone.  It was a masterpiece.

Django Unchained

 

Set in the South two years before the Civil War, Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles - dead or alive. Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South's most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago. Django and Schultz's search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of "Candyland," an infamous plantation where slaves are groomed by trainer Ace Woody to battle each other for sport. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), Candie's trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival...

This was one of Tarantino's better movies.  I like that he finally told a story in actual time instead of the going back and forth in the timeline sutff he usually does.  The character development was awesome and his direction of Christoph Waltz just makes both of thier talents better.  He was easily the best part of the movie.  The quick and proper dialogue from him and the back and forth with Jaimie Foxx was awesome.  I was loving the movie and couldn't wait to see where it would go and then we got to meet Leonardo DiCaprio's character and the setting of Candyland and the movie honestly got even better.   The violence was waaaaaaaaay extreme at times and didn't really have to be, but outside of that - this was a very excellent movie.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's a textbook example of amazing character development.

Jack Reacher

 

When a gunman takes five lives in what seems like an open and shut murder case, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: "Get Jack Reacher!" So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence, a secret to keep and a target on Reacher's back.

This was a very enjoyable popcorn/crime solving type of movie.  It was nice to just sit down, lean back and enjoy the ride.  Tom Cruise was perfect for the part and the dry humor of all his character's deliveries made the movie pretty funny at times as well.

I would definitely recommend that people check this out.  It's just a fun ride that you enjoy from beginning to end.

This Is 40

 

Judd Apatow brings audiences This Is 40, an original comedy that expands upon the story of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) from the blockbuster hit "Knocked Up" as we see first-hand how they are dealing with their current state of life.

Once again - Judd Apatow has disappointed me.  I know that most people find his movies to be hysterical, but outside of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The 40 Year Old Virgin, I have never found his movies to be that funny.  I was kind of excited about this one because these two characters were definitely my favorite part of Knocked Up.  There were some good laughs in this but they were kept too far apart.  It was frustrating because I would start to laugh and get into it and then it would seperate the two main characters into their seperate waa waa waa that wasn't nearly as funny as when they were together. 

I wouldn't really recommend people checking this out.  Strike that.  I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out.  It's not terrible but it could have been sooooooooo much funnier.

The Guilt Trip

 

The story follows an inventor (Rogen) who invites his mother on a cross-country trip as he tries to sell his new product while also reuniting her with a lost love.

This was a much better watch than I thought it would be.  Don't get me wrong.  The movie is just as formula as it appeared to be from the trailer, but the pairing of Seth Rogan and Barbara Streisand was surprisingly good.  They played really well off of each other and there were a lot of decent laughs and you are interested enough to root for their adventure to work out.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see by any stretch of the imagination and there are definitely better movies out there, but this is a somewhat enjoyable movie.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

 

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

This is a tough one to review.  Do I do it as a stand alone movie or part of the Lord Of The Rings world?   I was very entertained and loved the movie very much.  It was too long and I'm still trying to wrap my head around how The Hobbit (one book) is going to be three movies with a running time of almost 3 hours each?  But it is a very entertaining fantasy world story done by Peter Jackson.  You really can't go wrong with that.  Is it Lord Of The Rings level?   HELL NO!!!  Not even close.  This movie might crack my top ten of the year . . . . . barely.   The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was a top 3 (if not number one overall) every year. 

I would definitely recommend people checking it out.  It's great story/character development - although a little slower than needed.  It is a great movie.  It's just not Lord Of The Rings worthy.

Playing For Keeps

 

Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Dennis Quaid star in Playing For Keeps, a romantic comedy about a charming, down-on-his luck former soccer star (Butler) who returns home to put his life back together. Looking for a way to rebuild his relationship with his son, he gets roped into coaching the boy�s soccer team. But his attempts to finally become an "adult" are met with hilarious challenges from the attractive "soccer moms" who pursue him at every turn.

This was a decent but kind of pointless watch.  Good characters - but possibly too many of them thrown in to the world of relationships and parenting.  It was a little muddled at times but I wasn't bored out of my mind watching it or thinking of other things I could be doing.

Would I recommend it?  No.  Not because it was bad but at this time of year when there are so many other things that you could be doing - why bother with this?  Wait for cable.

The Collection

 

When Elena's (Emma Fitzpatrick) friends take her to a secret party at an undisclosed location, she never imagined she would become the latest victim of The Collector, a psychopathic killer. The Collector kidnaps and transports her to an abandoned hotel he's transformed into his own private maze of torture and death. Upon learning of his daughter's disappearance, Elena's wealthy father (Christopher McDonald) hires a group of mercenaries to retrieve her from the vicious grips of The Collector. These mercenaries coerce Arkin (Josh Stewart), the only man to have escaped the wrath of this heinous monster, to lead them through the gruesome labyrinth. Now, Arkin finds himself fighting for his own life in order to save Elena.

This was a sequel to a quietly released horror movie a couple years back called The Collector.  For some reason they didn't even bother advertising it as a sequel even though it literally picked up where the last one left off.  Much like the first one - this is basically another version of the Saw franchise movies.  Crazy killer hunts and tortures people for unknown reason . . . . lots of gore . . . . no real story.  One huge positive - they wasted no time bothering with an story development whatsoever.  It just took right off and was over an hour and fifteen minutes later.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering to check this out.  Unless you are a huge fan of the Saw franchise.  Then you might like this movie.

Silver Linings Playbook

 

Life doesn't always go according to plan.  Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything -- his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert De Niro) after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat's parents want is for him to get back on his feet - and to share their family's obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

I loved this movie.  They made you care about the characters and made it okay to laugh and care at the same time as they dealt with their mental disorders.  The chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence was amazing.  And although it was pretty predictable where it all was going, I enjoyed the ride.  The performances of the ecclectic group of supporting characters were equally funny, touching and entertaining.  

I would absolutely recommend everyone checking this movie out.  It has some of the better performances of the year across the board for the year and it a very entertaining story.