long-winded movie reviews: playing severe catch-up

movies i have seen recently that i have a few cents about...


king's speech

before you write this off cause it's rated R, the "family friendly" PG-13 version should be available if it isn't already.  though, i don't know that it is all that necessary as long as you are adults- there is a scene of swearing, and it is vital to the story... outside of that, sheer brilliance.  i get now why this one all of those oscars - not to mention - best picture! Colin Firth plays the king and he captures the role and the history so well. Helena Bonham Carter shows very well as his wife too.  I know- you are trying to picture her in a semi-normal character role... well, she is- and it is tasty.

in my humble, yet correct, opinion: 5/5 - at least rent it... i might even need to own it...
















social network

fascinating to watch.  i knew this one would win awards for screenplay- that is definitely what shines in this one- the way it evolves is too fun that you almost miss some really great acting jobs in there... i think that half the fun of watching the film though is just knowing how much this one kid has influenced the world as we know it now- what would we do if we didn't have a place to spatter all of the meaningless details of our lives to each other just so we have something to do at 2am?  {i will answer: i would go crazy- now that i am up 2-3 times a night for at least 20 minutes without anywhere to go, it is my saving grace.}

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 4.5/5 - also a renter...



unstoppable

classic case of denzel the hero just doing what he does in all of his movies.... but it isn't any less entertaining i guess cause they keep making em.  again the fun is that this story is based on true events.  i thought it got kind of slow in the middle... it does sort of feel like you are mindlessly watching the news after a while. but it was a decently entertaining action film. not one you need to own though.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 2.5/5 - rent it.



















unknown

we went to see this one in the theater a few weeks ago just before we had the baby... like a babymoon- since we know we won't get to see current movies for a long while. thank heaven for netflix i guess.  so this is another fun action one that actually surprised me.  usually i guess the plot in the first little bit and tick of my husband by doing so... but this one turned and i liked the surprise factor.  the characters don't gel perfectly for me, but the story is fun and drove me crazy not to know what was going on the whole time! liam puts out a great performance, and that one chick has a pretty decent accent, but other than that- i would call it an average man flick.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 3/5 - can't really watch it more than once.















RED

for the all-star cast that was in this movie, i am sad to say that it was not the sheer entertainment that i thought it would be.  it has moments, and it helps that all of the actors are great- but the story itself seems patchy.  it has an over-the-top/borderline campy action vibe to it that is fun as long as you know to expect it, but to have such an expensive cast, i would have paid my writers and editors to figure out how to keep some more depth to the characters.... you will enjoy it though- light-hearted man flick. sensing a pattern in movie choices lately?

in my humble, yet correct opinion:  3.5/5





life as we know it

 look at the cover. yep - that's exactly how it goes. there are few surprises here, but its not that you need many in romantic comedies... its charming though, and we enjoyed watching all of the baby humor now that it is so close to home. even when it was over, i couldn't tell if i thought the casting choices would have been my top picks for this one- but it works enough. cute chick movie- girls' night kind.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 4/5
{ps- i try to rate chick flix as compared only to other chick flix...}

i hope you are watching good movies too!!

premiere week

the first week of fall tv was a great success.
it's like a holiday week.

and with the weekend of great football,

it was even betta.

i picked up a few new shows:

castle

they solve crimes.

big surprise. crime fighting is the new "aliens" these days.

the twist here is that this guy is a writer-

so he can creatively and intuitively write the story as he goes

and solves crimes almost better than the cops.

good stuff.

 

chase

this one is the reverse of prison break.

in fact, a lot of the same characters are in it.

should be fun- its not one big long story though,

they catch a guy each time.

it's more like house in that way-

new story- new episode.

could be good.

 

outsourced

this one has some potential.

did i laugh as hard as the premiere of 30Rock or Community?

No.

but this could be the bump, set, spike to jazz up your comedy line-up.

we shall see.

to end the week of greatness,

a fabulous ucla game.

this here is cousin kev- after his 34 yard touchtown run.

pretty cool to watch from his house.

the win was a huge upset, and ended texas's home winning streak.

deep in the heart.

suckas.

yes, i am still watching byu football,

[not pictured]

though it will be painful.

perhaps even for another year or two as all the babies grow up some.

they are on a 3-game losing streak- most under bronco since 2004.

i know it looks like my life is spent in front of a tv.

...no comment.

happy BL night-

recap tomorrow in case you miss it!

long-winded movie review #4 — waitress

waitress

ok, so i saw this one a while ago whist in the district, but nevertheless, it must be mentioned...

i have always held a special place in my heart for my fellow mesa stars dancing former LDSer keri russell. i love her innocent curls and porcelin doll-ness... and she has really grown as an actor in the last few years. kudos. oh- and it has a bit part by andy griffith that is charming as all get out too...

the style of this one is what is so fun and yes, charming. very independent, aka cheaply filmed was the key here and a great gimmick of sorts. the gimmick being the pies. the story revolves around this woman (russell) who bakes pies of all kinds. they serve a new one a day that she makes up and they all have random names like "pregnant, miserable, self-pity, and loser" pie. it just makes you smile all the way through as you root jenna on to her happy life.

ya know what else i love? i love the way it ends. won't tell you, cause i want you to rent it and see for yourself, but i just adore it. it is empowering, even for a suberbanite like me with far fewer trials than the waitress...

in my humble, yet correct, opinion: 4.5/5
owner/renter: yes. definitely. own it, that is.
great pick me up/chick flick/comedy/dramas are always good to have around in a funk.
in fact, i could go for some waitress right about now...

don't forget to vote over there. looks like it is getting heated.
hope one side can pull out all the phone call rallies he's got to win it...

long-winded movie review #3 — yes man

yes man!

in classic jim carrey fashion, the plot is based on a somewhat of a random supernatural-like force that jim can't control that throws him into fits of inconceivable situations... some of which will make you squirm far worse than when Hitch almost kissed that one guy.

its funny. sure. you will laugh... but it will give you the heebies in moments and you will realize it is more due to a faulty plot hole and poor writing than your ability to sit still or hold on to your moral values.

as a classic comedy with no other deep value to it, the highlight moments were that bradley cooper and zooey deschanel, both we love, have fairly prominent roles in the flick. cooper comes straight from—duh—alias, and we love that. he has a handful of movies he is in this year/working on and i dont think this is the last of him we will see... watch out robert downey! jim's little boss from new zealand or wherever is quite hilarious as well... comparable to perhaps steve martin's random role as the homeopathic freakshow in baby mama. (also, a great flick, btw)

smiles all around, but not the best thing you will see. it does make you think about a positive approach to life and taking all opportunities that come at you. but that you can get from watching the warm and fuzzy trailer. as far as families go. no. i would not take my 10yr-old, or even my 16yr-old to see it. more just cause it would be awkward in those minutes of pure awkwardtown. if you are looking for mindless entertainment. go for it.

in my humble, yet correct, opinion: 3/5
owner or a renter: renter.
especially if you own "liar liar". you don't need two to see it twice.

don't forget to vote over there -->
two days... this is getting interesting...