The Setting: Here are some upcoming movies that I'm looking forward to seeing. Click the movie titles for previews.
Precious Release date: Limited release Nov. 6; wide release Nov. 20, 2009
Director: Lee DanielsStarring: Mo'Nique, Gabourey Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz
Plot: Precious is a pregnant sixteen-year-old who can neither read nor write. She is emotionally and physically abused by her mother and deals with constant bullying at school. Precious remains hopeful of a better future and when she transfers to an alternative high school, she believes she has found her way. This one will be tough to watch. I did not read the novel Push by Sapphire, which this movie is based on, but I'm assuming (and hoping) there will be a happy ending.
2012Release date: November 13, 2009 Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton
Plot: December 2012 is the timeframe when many cultures and religions say something major will happen to change the world as we know it. We just don't know what the something is. This movie seems to be taking the approach that the world will end then. Yet, there are survivors. Hmm... already inconsistent. But what the hell - great special effects, so I'm there. Also, I really dig their official site: games, iPhone apps - it appeals to my inner geek.
Avatar
Release date: Dec. 18, 2009 (worldwide) Director: James Cameron Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni RibisiPlot: Description from the official site: "On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a cililization." This movie could absolutely suck and I would give it three out of five Slurpees just based on the amazing special effects. That's what I say now, but stay tuned for my review sometime in December.
The Setting: I really like seeing movies when I don't know too much about them. As I mentioned in a previous post, previews give way too much of the movie away. I must not have seen more than a couple previews for The Hangover, because I only had a vague idea of what it was about. But I needed some comedy in my life today so I decided to go check it out, and I am SO glad I went.Four friends hit Las Vegas for a bachelor party before Doug's wedding. The next day, Doug is missing. Not only do his friends not know where he is, they have no idea what happened last night or why there's a tiger in the bathroom. The movie is about the guys using the few clues they have to piece the story together, find Doug, and get him to the church on time. It is a great ride as the story unfolds. I laughed out loud more times than I can remember. Along the way they meet a baby, the menacing Mr. Chow, and (yikes) Mike Tyson.A la Trading Places and Coming to America, this movie has lots of great lines that people like me will amuse ourselves quoting every chance we get. One of my favorites: when asked directions somewhere, Dr. Valsh replies, "Yeah, it's on the corner of 'get a map' and 'fuck off'." The movie stars Justin Bartha as Doug; Bradley Cooper as his married thrill seeking buddy, Phil; Ed Helms as straight-laced, henpecked dentist, Stu; and Zach Galifianakis as the bumbling but well-meaning brother-in-law to be, Alan. You won't hear me say this very often, but I give The Hangover four Slurpees out of five. It may not win any Oscars, but I highly recommend that you go see it if you just want to laugh your ass off.
The Setting: Spoken by Robert Langdon in the movie Angels and Demons.
Angels and Demons is actually the prequel to the Da Vinci Code. I liked the Angels and Demons book more than the Da Vinci Code so I was looking forward to this movie. The Pope has died and all cardinals are gathered at the papal conclave in Vatican City to elect a new pope. Four cardinals are kidnapped and a message is received that the four cardinals will be killed, one by one. Not just any cardinals; these four are the Preferiti - one of them is most likely to be voted by his peers as the new pope.The kidnappers have also stolen and hidden a canister of antimatter which, if allowed to expode, would completely destroy Vatican City along with its priceless art, documents, architecture. Get it? Science vs religion. Symbologist Robert Langdon and physicist Vittoria Vetra are in a race against the clock to locate the kidnapped cardinals before they are killed. So the mystery this time is Langdon and friends trying to determine the locations where each cardinal will be killed and save them, while at the same time trying to figure out where the antimatter is hidden.The storyline of the movie does not stick exactly to the book but the gist of it is still intact. Expect lots of scenes of Robert and Vittoria staring at old documents for clues, lots of cars racing through the streets, and actually, lots of action. There are moments that are not very believeable or feasible, but hey, it's Hollywood. It has enough action and plot twists to keep it interesting. Several times from where I was sitting in the theatre, I could see people literally sitting on the edges of their seats. All this time, I thought that was a cliche. The movie stars Tom Hanks and Ayelet Zurer. I give it three thick Slurpees.
The Setting: Yep, I went and saw Star Trek. I really liked this movie. It was a great prequel to the TV series and does a good job of explaining how the characters came together. The casting was great. Spock, played by Zachary Quinto, was my favorite. The movie has Titantic syndrome (you show the ship's gonna sink in the end); meaning, you know none of the main characters are going to die because it then wouldn't be possible for them to later exist in the series. But it has enough great action to keep it interesting, cool special effects, and things blowing up, and I'm a big fan of all of those things. Especially when there's popcorn involved.There is this time travel thing going on, which is just a little illogical, but that's another story. It's Star Trek - just go with it. Also, certain parts of the storyline were a bit of a stretch, but overall I thought it was well done. I give this movie three Slurpees out of five.
The Setting: Spoken by Brad Pitt's character to Daisy in The Curtious Case of Benjamin Button.
Benjamin Button is the fourth movie I've seen on my list of movies to see. It is a classic love story done in a very unusual way. Brad Pitt plays the main character who is born around 86 years old and grows younger over time. Picture a baby with arthritis and an otherwise healthy pre-teen with dementia.This film reminded me of Forest Gump many times. Not the plot nor the characters, but the way that the story unfolds - via flashbacks and around-the-world journeys. Although this movie is not quite as whimsical as Forest Gump, it has that same feel.Is it just me, or does Brad Pitt look more and more like Robert Redford as he ages? I meant in real life, but you see it at certain points in this movie, also. The picture was directed by David Fincher and it also stars a mesmerizingly beautiful Cate Blanchett, plus Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, and Tilda Swinton.If you can allow yourself to believe the premise of this almost three-hour movie, I recommend that you see it. I give Benjamin Buttons four out of five Slurpees. Based on the movies I saw last year, if Slumdog Millionaire does not win picture of the year, this one will.
The Setting: Because of the hype surrounding it and just because I can't think of any other movie that I've seen this year that is better, I will go out on a limb right now and say that Slumdog Millionaire will win the Oscar for best picture of the year. It's not a stretch for me to say that; it's what many so-called professional movie critics are also saying.This movie wasn't even on my list of movies to see, but I've heard so much about it - all positive - that I decided I would just go see it and find out for myself. I'm glad I did.Slumdog Millionaire takes place in Mumbai, India and follows the story of a young man who is on the verge of winning millions in the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The story cleverly unfolds, using flashbacks of Jamal's life to show how, through his experiences, he is able to know the answers to most of the questions in the game.The movie manages to capture the beauty of Mumbai, the culture, and the people in the midst of the corruption, over-population, poverty, and anguish. Be prepared: there are many heart-breaking scenes. I admit I haven't previously heard of any of the actors, but the picture stars Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto, and Anil Kapoor. Danny Boyle directed the picture. This picture also has a great music soundtrack. Stay and watch the dance during the closing credits. I definitely recommend this movie and give it four and a quarter out of five Slurpees. Yes, a quarter. I just think it's a little better than a four. Go see it.
The Setting: Spoken by Tom Cruise's character, Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, in the movie Valkyrie. Easier said than done. If you're as hated as Hitler, you know someone (lots of someones) will try to kill you. He practically had bodyguards for his bodyguards.Valkyrie is the third movie I've seen on my list of movies I want to see this holiday season. Not exactly a feel-good movie to see during the holiday season but that is not what I was expecting. It is very much of a drama with lots of moments of suspense. By how crowded the movie theatre was, it appears a lot of people were able to see past the wackiness of Tom Cruise's personal life. Good.This is one of those films that you go into knowing pretty much how it's going to end. We all knew the Titantic was going to sink, but we still rooted for the characters; we wanted them to succeed, to survive. Well, most of them, anyway. This movie takes you to that place. This picture is not about how the plot ends, it's about the plan, the operation, the attempt. Men who felt strongly enough about their cause that they were willing to risk not only their own lives but the lives of their families as well. It did a great job of portraying the struggle the men felt, wanting to do something but knowing the consequences of failure.It was based on a true story which, I admit, I really know nothing about, so I don't know how accurate this story is or isn't. Apparently there were 15 known attempts on Hitler's life by Germans. This movie is the portrayal of one of those attempts. As one character says, "We have to show the world that not all of us were like him."T
he movie also stars Christian Berkel, Kenneth Branagh, and Terrence Stamp. I liked the movie and I recommend it. I give it three and a half Slurpees.
The Setting: Am I the only one who's just a little bit afraid of John Malkovich? I'm sure he's a very nice man and I know he's acting and all that, but there's just something a little...I don't know...sinister about him. I guess that means he's a really good actor. He is fascinating to me in a he-may-kill-you-in-your-sleep kinda way. He's made several movies that I liked such as In the Line of Fire, Being John Malkovich, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Anyway, he is hosting Saturday Night Live tonight. I sure hope it's good. Oh, and don't tell him what I said about him.
The Setting: How come there are so many movies that don’t live up to their hype?
I went to the movies the other day to see Quantum of Solace. I didn't like it as much as Casino Royale, also featuring Daniel Craig, but I liked it more than the critics seemed to. Before the movie started, I realized that I could probably enjoy sitting in a theatre and watching nothing but movie previews for two hours, as long as there were a medium popcorn and a large Slurpee involved. Whomever is in charge of editing those movie trailers (the directors?), does a really good job of making you want to see the actual movies. The trailers are like little two-minute movies, with nothing but good parts throughout.
The problem is, the two-hour versions of many of those movies can't match the excitement of the trailers. This happens quite a bit with M. Night Shyamalan movies. I always want to see his movies but often end up disappointed. One example is The Happening, starring Mark Wahlberg. Did you see it? Remember how great the trailers were? Don't get me wrong: the movie was OK. It had some good suspenseful scenes, and it had that message about mankind not destroying the earth, blah, blah, blah, but I just wanted more. Check out various trailers for The Happening.
The Setting: The five movies of the 2008 Christmas season that I am most looking forward to.
December 12 – The Day the Earth Stood Still
Keanu Reeves pretty much acts robot-like in all of his movies so he will probably do a good job playing space alien Klaatu in this remake of the 1951 original movie. Also stars Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates (love her!). And I’m sure there will be lots of things blowing up. Woo hoo!
December 19 – Seven Pounds
Will Smith stars as a suicidal IRS agent who is changing the lives of seven people. But we don’t know why. There is enough of a mystery here to make me really want to see this movie. That, and the fact that Will Smith is in it and he usually makes great movies. Plus, he’s fine as hell. Also stars Woody Harrelson and Rosario Dawson.
December 19 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Brad Pitt plays a boy who was born into a 70-year old body and he’s aging backwards. No, I don’t know how it all works, but this is a funky enough concept that I wanna see it. Also stars Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton.
December 25 – Marley & Me
Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson star with a very cute Labrador named, you guessed it, Marley. It is about various adventures in this wild and crazy dog’s 13-year life. I know, I know: it is a feel good movie. What’s wrong with that? Hey, any excuse for some popcorn and a Slurpee.
December 26 – Valkyrie
Tom Cruise and friends plot to assassinate Hitler in Nazi Germany. Um… I don’t think they succeed, but what the heck? Interesting story, probably has some great action, and Tom Cruise is in it. Eddie Izzard is also in it – he’s my future husband, although he probably doesn’t know yet. Oh, and I get another Slurpee!
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