Grade: A
| Yay, Pixar!!! They’ve done it again. The Incredibles is a real winner. Fun for everyone in the family. This is the kind of movie that you want to see on the big screen to get the full effect, and they you’ll want to buy it on DVD to watch on rainy days as a family. Craig T. Nelson voices the super-dad, Holly Hunter is the mom, “Elastigirl.” Clever writing, great animation – this one is another classic! |
Grade: B+
| The Impossible is based on the true story of a family from Spain that survived the recent tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters of our time. Naomi Watts is the mother in this physically and emotionally challenging role – she’s already gotten a Golden Globe nomination and an Academy Award nomination and it’s well-deserved. Ewan MacGregor is the father – and he has some heart-wrenching scenes as he desperately searches for his family. The kids are all amazing young actors. The whole film is technically very well done. I was totally caught up in the drama and feeling for these people all along the way. |
Grade: B+
| The Imitation Game is the true story of British mathematician and logician Alan Turing. During World War II he and his team helped to crack the Enigma code, a means of communication used by Hitler and the Nazis.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Turing, and Keira Knightley plays Joan Clarke, the only woman on the team. This is a fascinating story, primarily because the character of Turling has so much going on. It seems like he’s autistic, although that is never formally addressed, it is clear that he is somewhat of a genius and socially awkward. He’s also homosexual, which at that time in history was socially unacceptable. He and Joan become engaged, and he is honest with her about his situation. She goes along with the plan so that she can participate in the important work of cracking the code. The machine that Turing designed during this time was likely the first computer. Well written, wonderful performances. Worth seeing. |
Grade: A
| What a nice surprise! I didn’t expect to like this movie. From the previews, I really couldn’t tell what it was about. But let me tell you… it’s a love story! It’s marvelous! And it’s a mystery and a thriller and even a little bit of a soap opera. The effects are amazing. Edward Norton has the title role. He’s a kind of Harry Houdini with a mystical side. He comes from “common” stock and falls in love with an upper crust girl, played as a young lady by Jessica Biel. The two are separated, and then reunited as adults during one of his magic shows. But, alas, she is promised to a prince, and complications ensue. Paul Giamatti is the police investigator on the prince’s payroll. The story plays out nicely, with lots of twists and turns. And then when the pieces fall in place it’s fabulous – a great pay-off. I loved “The Illusionist!” |
Grade: A
| After I saw The Hurt Locker I knew it would win the Academy Award for Best Picture this year. It has everything on the check list – great acting, an interesting premise, a tight script, and that extra something raw and real that pulls you in and makes you forget that this is a movie. Kathryn Bigelow deservedly won the directing award for her work. She was able to really bring out the emotion in this movie – which I think can be a challenge when you’re dealing with soldiers in uniform and all the posturing that goes on with the job they have to do. Jeremy Renner plays the bomb specialist, a little cocky, but for good reason – he’s good at what he does and he knows it. The relationships between the men make sense. The big scene that really brought it all to light is when one of the men is sent home, and he feels the environment is more surreal and foreign to him than the war. It’s a movie to talk about, and think about, long after it’s over. |
Grade: B+
| Subtitled. Beautiful Chinese movie about a Robin-Hood type of group of criminals who fight against the military. Mei is the gorgeous young martial artist who gets in the middle of it all. The cinematography is breath-taking – the martial arts moves some of the best I’ve seen for this genre. And there’s a love story! Great for a date-night. Good characters, strong story. Some cool girl power, too! |
Grade: B+
| Ah, the romantic comedy! We see too few of these. “The Holiday” is a delightful date night movie – some might call it a “chick flick” but both my husband and my 17 year old son enjoyed it and they usually cringe at chick flicks.
Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, whose characters are both suffering from recent break-ups, decide to switch houses for two weeks over the Christmas holiday. At first there’s a little bit of culture shock, but they each settle in nicely. They each meet men, complications ensue, they learn just how great they are as women, and there’s a happy ending. What more could you want? I loved it! Cameron Diaz is darling. She overacts a little, she’s got that goofy thing going on, but somehow it works for her. It’s so nice to see Kate Winslet in something light. She’s a wonderful actress, and very good at comedy. Jude Law is Cameron’s love interest, and he’s predictably charming. We expect him to be the cad but he ends up being a really good guy. Jack Black is sweet and sensitive as a composer who makes friends with Kate. He’s very attractive in this role! The girls both do a lot of drinking in this movie – but other than that, there’s nothing objectionable for young teens. |
Grade: B
| Based on true events, probably exaggerated for dramatic effect, The Hoax tells the story of how small-time author Clifford Irving created a big-time stir when he got a publishing deal for the “biography” he said he was co-authoring with Howard Hughes. Richard Gere plays the ballsy writer with just enough arrogance to think he’s going to get away with it. This is a complex character, and to make him more believably sleazy, Gere dyed his silver locks a mousy brown and put in a bad perm. Marcia Gay Harden plays his put-upon wife. Love her! Great cast, interesting story, more so because it’s something that actually happened. |
Grade: D
| I didn’t read the book. I think there’s a small group of fans who read the book and were really looking forward to the movie. Interesting premise: the world ends, and a man is rescued just in time by his friend who happens to be an alien. They tour the galaxy and get in the middle of some kind of alien conflict. There’s a love interest, and a nice little message about being adventurous in life. Other than that, it was all a little too silly for me. Probably best enjoyed by the young teenage male audience. |
Grade: B-
| The Green Zone is set in present day Iraq, in the middle of the war. Matt Damon is the soldier who is in it for all the right reasons, and figures out that some of the people running the war are presenting a different picture than what is actually happening on the field. There are a lot of politics involved, naturally, and the media is eager for any story, even when it might not necessarily be the truth. Greg Kinnear also stars. Some war scenes, violence, gun fights, bombs – that’s what you get in a war movie. Also some political intrigue. |
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