Saturday, April 30, 2011

The King's Speech

I have to say this movie deserved every Oscar win and nomination it received. It was an amazing film that shows the raw emotion of the human struggle. The film is about Prince Albert (later King George VI) learning to live with his stutter. The film is based on the true story of the Prince trying to defeat his speech issues. Just a little history lesson Albert was the father of Queen Elizabeth the current queen of England. So we can make that connection with her and the royal family's struggle to keep tradition alive, even today.

So film is about the Albert, played by Colin Firth, trying to learn to speak without a stammer. After man failed attempts and decides to give up trying. He figures he is second in line for the throne (Prince David is first) and he is not worried about his public speeches. His wife Elizabeth, played by Helena Bonham Carter, seeks the help of Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush. Lionel is a speech teacher who tries to help the Prince to control his stammer.

The lessons push the Prince to his wits end because Lionel is anything but conventional or professional. He treats the Prince like he is just an average Joe and nothing special about him. As the lessons progress the monarchy starts to fall about because of loss, war, and Prince David's wild private life.

I do not want to spoil the movie because so much happens. It really gives you a deeper look at the struggle of a royal family. Yes they may be wealthy but what is the cost? The movie is so beautiful and so painful at the same time. It had me in tears more than once because of the true beauty of the human struggle. Colin Firth makes this movie a classic. His performance is something haunting and brilliant. Helena is perfect as the 'no nonsense queen' quoted by Firth. Rush is a true friend and a true comic in a time of great darkness.

It is a drama based film so it does depend on dialog. That's my nice way of saying that it moves slow but in an amazing way. It is about the words and emotion not the action adventure. I say rent it as soon as you can, it's amazing!

It gets an A

Friday, April 29, 2011

The Conspirator

The Conspirator is a film that I have been waiting to see for a long time but hardly anyone has heard of it. The movie is about the assassination of Lincoln and the trial that took place after his death. The film is directed by Robert Redford and it proves that he still has it! The man has talent coming out of every bit of him! The movie really should have been nominated for something because it is brilliant and the acting is fantastic!

James McAvoy plays a lawyer that must defend one of the people accused of conspiracy to kill the president, the catch is she is a woman (Robin Wright). She is the only woman to be brought to trial and the film shows how desperate the people were to seek revenge for the death of their president. The film is very historically accurate which is something I really respect. I hate when you go see a movie about history and there is not one true fact in the whole film.

Anyways we have an all star cast with James, Robin, Evan Rachel Wood, Justin Long, Tom Wilkinson, and Kevin Kline. The only actor that did not seem to fit in the movie was Alxis Bledel, she just didn't fit in that time frame. I didn't believe her as a girl during the Civil war times. She wasn't exactly a bad actor she just didn't seem to fit the part.

As the movie continues we find that the government was not worried about a fair trial for these people at all. They just wanted the people to be punished and to move on from Lincoln's death. James is forced to take a deeper look at the facts and finds that justice really is blind. He is torn between loyalty to his country and the search for truth. He is looked down on by everyone in DC because he is defending Wright and they all think she is guilty.

I don't want to ruin the ending for you but I will tell you it will have your jaw dropped. It adds a little twist to the end of the movie that we did not see coming but it is still a great movie.

I say if you like history check it out!

Source Code

Source Code is a movie that messes with the idea of time travel, but not real time travel. It's kinda hard to follow in the movie so I will explain it to you now. Basically when you are in the Source Code you can go back into the last 8 minutes of someones life. So our Jake Gyllenhaal plays a soldier who goes back into this mans life for his last 8 minutes. The man was on a train and the train blows up. Colter (Jake) must go back and try and find the bomb and figure out who set it. Even though all this happened in the past it can help the future. There is another bomb that is suppose to go off in Chicago in a few hours. The government figures that if they can figure out who set off the bomb in the past they can stop the one in the future.

I know it is a lot of take in but it's not too hard to follow in the movie. It's just one of those things where you just have to accept this reality and let the movie roll on! Most of the film is Colter going back to the train over and over and over and over. I have to say it gets a little repetitive and thank goodness Jake is so cute. In the beginning it is more annoying that you have to go back because whenever you get somewhere he blows up. Plus the military people are a pain in the butt and you just want them to go away. It's one of those moments where you are like "I get you are trying to save the world but you are driving me crazy!"

The movie adds in a few really good twists that help you to get back into the movie. They add a little every time so you don't get too bored too fast. It was a pretty good movie it just slows down in bits.

Over all I give it a B-

Insidious

The movie Insidious scared the crap out of me! I mean this movie really messed with my mind! I don't think I have been that scared in years! I jumped and screamed during this movie! The movie is about a little boy who is in a coma and the house that is haunted, or so we think. The mother starts seeing things and weird things happen in the house. Someone tries to break in but no one sees him.

So finally the family moves, which means the ghost will stop....right? WRONG! We find out that it is not the house that is haunted but the kid! The spirits are after the child so no matter where you go these things will follow you. You know what else was terrible.....they came out in the DAY! You are suppose to be safe in the day time but ohhhh noooo!This movie changes all of the rules.

The movie was scary and good except one part at the end. I wont spoil what happens but I can say it reminded me of a bad haunted house during Halloween. The climax did not scare me half as much as the earlier parts of the film. That could be because all the mystery is gone, we know that the villain looks like. We understand what is going on so our minds don't make is scarier.

After I watched this movie I had to go home and check all my closets and doors! I was so freaked out for days after watching it! The film stays with you and almost haunts you!

over all I give it a B+

Hanna

Hanna is a movie about a little girl who is raised in the woods by her father. She has had no social upbringing and she is a little odd. Her father was a CIA agent and he raises Hanna to be a fighting killing machine. HE has raised her to kill Marissa, a CIA agent who holds the secrets to their past. Hanna decides she is ready to leave her cabin in the woods and her father so she sends for Marissa.

The father, Eric, leaves so Hanna can complete her mission. Hanna is taken in my the CIA and she shows them what she can do. Let's just say she kicks some very serious butt and makes these agents look like 10 year old. Once she breaks out we find out that she is in the middle east and thankfully she speaks a zillion languages. She meets up with this English family on holiday and follows them around.

Marissa finds out about our father daughter teams and hires her own muscle for hire. These men are to find Hanna and do whatever they can to stop her. Marissa is full of secrets and we don't find out most of them until the end of the movie.

I really can't say much else about the movie without ruining the good stuff. It has a little bit of blood and tons of butt kicking. It is more about Hanna's skills than the gore of it all. The music in the movie is AMAZING and very energetic and futuristic. If you want a good action adventure than you should check it out.

Over all I give it a B

Fast Five

What could be better than speed and Vin Diesel? Maybe a little Paul Walker and 100 million dollars! That is the tag for me and Fast Five. This would be the 5th Fast movie that we have seen and to be perfectly honest I would say it might be my FAVORITE! I know these are shocking words but these are shocking times. The whole point of the movie is our fast group is on the run from the law and they are running a little low on some cash. So they take a job and all hell breaks out! Our gang calls for help from our other Fast time crew members of the past. We see Tyrese and Luda from 2 Fast 2 Furious, we get Gisele, Leo and Santos from Fast and Furious, we get our favorite Han from Tokyo Drift, and finally we figure out what happens to Mia and Vince from The Fast and Furious. If you kept up with all that name dropping I am very impressed.

We can not have a Fast Five without some new blood and that is where The Rock or Dwayne Johnson as he is credited. He plays a cop on the man hunt for our sexy convicts. He brings with him his new feds and a new lady...wink wink. Together with the cops and the new drug cartel in Rio our gang is on a run for their money....literally!

So these are the reasons why I love this movie Dom is awesome! Ok that can not be my only reason but it is a really big one. I like this one because he has moved on from the events of the last movie (hint hint a certain person) He meets up with Brian and Mia and the three go on their little adventure. This movie brings back the things we love like fast cars and races but comes up with new ideas. It's a movie that isn't exactly like the ones before it. It reinvents itself to become its own film.

If you have not seen the other movies you might be a little lost. There are a lot of jokes from other movies and characters that you might not understand. You don't have to have seen the others but you might be a bit lost.....so I say watch them.

Over all I give this baby an A!

Oh yeah make sure that you hang out for a minute after the credits start to roll. They added a little twist that made me so mad but I will let you judge for yourself! Enjoy!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Water For Elephants

I must say that I was very impressed with Water For Elephants. I finished the book only days before I saw the movie, so I went in with very high expectations. I knew the story and was very interested to see how the film’s adaptation would compare and I have to say it was great. The movie follows the book very closely, there are only one or two little details that were changed from book to movie. The biggest change was the merging of Uncle Al and August into one character and you hardly see the difference.

I have to warn you my biggest worry about this movie was the actors cast in the lead roles. I knew that Christopher would be sensational as August and I was right. He brings the perfect balance of charm and deception. He is likeable one moment and then you hate him the next. He is such a talented actor and fully deserves his Oscar. My other worry was about Mrs. Reese Witherspoon, I love her as an actress. I think she is very talented and charming. My only worry was that she was a little old for the role, that could be my own prejudice because I saw book Marlena as younger. Don’t get me wrong Reese does a lovely job in the role and makes it her own. Now my biggest worry of all was Mr. Robert Pattinson. I did not know if he would be able to carry this film on his own. He is known for being Edward and let’s face it, he not the best actor in that series. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some corny Twilight but this movie has depth. Water For Elephants is a powerful tale with a strong leading man and you know what....Pattison delivered! I must say I was impressed with his performance and he did a great job bringing Jacob to life. So I guess the bad acting come from either being in Twilight or dare I say, Kristen Stewart? Either way the movie is great and I was impressed with the cast.

A quick sum up, the movie is about a guy that runs away with the circus in 1931. His name is Jacob and he was about to graduate from college with a degree in Veternary Science but the day of his final he finds out his parents were killed in a car crash. Don’t worry it’s not a spoiler it happens 3 minutes into the movie. So Jacob runs away and joins a circus group and starts to watch over the animals. The boss August has a beautiful wife Marlena and Jacob swoons over her. The circus buys an elephant and it is Jacob’s job to train it. So basically it’s a How To Train Your Elephant tale! Yes I am aware of how bad of a joke that it!

I don’t want to give much more away because the shock it what makes the movie so amazing. The film is pg-13 so it’s not too bad graphic. I saw the movie with girls from my church and it was appropriate. If you are in the mood for a little romance and secretly want to run away and join the circus than this film is for you. Over all I saw the book is better, but that is ALWAYS the case. I say the movie is one of the BEST adaptations I have seen.
Over all I give it an A-

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Scream 4

Yes I went and saw Scream 4 but you must remember I am 24. I was raised in the middle of the Scream movies. I remember hiding in the living room because my sister was watching the Scream movies and I was too scared to watch. I remember going to see the other in the theaters and falling in love with the series.....well all but the 3rd one. Don't get me wrong Scream 3 has it's amazing twists and turns. The ending was AMAZING a killer no one expected to see but there was not enough Sidney. So I was excited when I heard they were making a 4th movie and it has been rumored for 10 years! The moment of truth came tonight when i went with some friends to see the movie. I was filled with doubts and worried that we would not get our quality Sidney, Gale, or Duey time! I must say.....it....was.....BRILLIANT! I loved it because it wasn't trying to be a new part of the movie it was renewing itself. It had twists and turns all over and we didn't know who to expect. Who was gonna die next and all the people you suspect end up dead! Now I can not go into too much detail because the shock value it PRICELESS! I will say that it took too long to get started, I kept waiting for the 'real' movie to begin. When it did get going it was awesome and you really will love it. So the basic idea is that it is 10 years later and Sidney returns home for a book signing. When she arrives all hell breaks out! People close to Sid end up dying all around her. We can not figure out who the killer is because they are smart. With this one the rules of the horror movie have changed. People are bored with the classic format but a little hint is....never mess with a classic ;) One thing that did drive me a little nuts was there were way too many characters to follow. I couldn't remember who was who or if they were important or not. I guess they were just trying to get as many guest stars in as they could. I must say I was sad we didn't get any Randy/Cotton cameos. I know they are both dead but hey a girl can dream! I must say I hope you are as lucky as I was with the group of people watching the movie. Our theater was full of people yelling along and screaming....myself included! If you are a fan of the first 3 you will love this one! I say check it out and ENJOY! Over all.....yeah it gets an A