A Little Step into My Head

Happy Daylight Savings time! Yeah, I know, I heard the communal groan. No one likes this tradition! But, while you are feeling particularly grumpy due to the time change I am going to help you avoid watching two wretched films! First, and the lesser of two evils, is 'Ender's Game'. (If you want to see the trailer click,  here. ) This movie is somewhat interesting in a teenage sort of way. That is, until the end when the expectable 'Twist' happens and the absolutely bizarre ending that left me feeling confused, a bit uncomfortable, and generally just done with the movie. I was laughing out loud at it's stupidity, I really was. Mostly, it felt like a Politically Correct regurgitation of countless movie and stories that have come before it. It's sad but true!  The only reason it remained somewhat interesting through the beginning and part of the middle was the acting. Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford were great. I pretty much watched the movie for ...

Good morning and happy Saturday! As per usual, before the Oscars I tend to start catching whatever stray nominees I can. This time I saw 'Philomena'. I  posted the trailer  a while ago in case you don't remember. The rough story is that a young girl became pregnant in a fling and was forced to give him up for adoption and fifty years later she is trying to find him. She, being Philomena, has attempted to find him before with no luck. This time she has the help of an ex-BBC reporter who is quite a bit more forceful with his questions. Last but not least, this is based on a chillingly true story. There are many interesting and shocking twists in this story, which I shall not spoil. What's important is that it's a good story! 'Philomena' held my attention from start to finish. Best of all it touches on a vast  array of hot-button topics. This is why I call it a conversation starter. Oh the discussions I had, and could still have, about the various ...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I was trying to decide what movie to highlight for today when I noticed 'Austenland' in the new release section on iTunes. I figured that there really wasn't a better day to give it a whirl then today and I've just finished watching it now! You may recall that I shared the trailer with you  some time ago. Let's talk about the movie shall we? 'Austenland' was an enjoyable watch! I feel like I must warn up front that it was a touch more crude than I would have liked. Honestly, I don't ever like crudeness in movies. It was unnecessary and childish but thankfully easily forgotten. In the movies favor, I think that the good was enough to outweigh the bad. Moving on! The story is rather simple. Jane is a thirty something American woman who is dangerously obsessed with all things Austen. Specifically, Mr. Darcy. She decides to spend her life savings to go to a themed, role-play based vacation in England where every guest...

While I busy myself trying to keep my finger on the movie pulse I, naturally, encounter multitudes of trailers. Obviously, I don't post about every trailer I watch, only the ones that strike me as worthwhile. There are a lot of trailer that just barely don't make the cut. Through all my observing I have noticed a stunning trend that I believe is rather unique. There are five Christian movies that have come out/will come out over the period of a year. Obviously, Christian movies come out all the time, they just usually don't make it to the movie theatre. It's really a direct to DVD market. That's what's so strange! All these movies are coming out and they are going to the theatres and some of them even have people you've heard of in them. Let me show you what I mean. Two of the five I have already posted about in the past.  'Noah'  and  'Grace Unplugged'.  'Grace Unplugged' was the first movie in this trend that I noticed. Since...

Yesterday afternoon, I walked into my local theatre to watch 'Saving Mr. Banks'. I didn't exactly know what to expect because I had heard some clashing reviews on the subject. I did have high hopes which I expressed in my previous post . I left the theatre about as pleased as I can possibly be with a movie watching experience! I absolutely adore this film! 'Saving Mr. Banks', as you probably know, is the story of how Walt Disney and his team managed to create the beloved 'Mary Poppins' film. A major part of this conquest was convincing the author to sign over the rights to the story! Throughout the movie you watch flashbacks to the authors childhood where the real life inspiration of 'Mary Poppins' takes place. Let me tell you, it is an engrossing and totally immersive situation! Part of what makes this movie so fantastic is the perfect casting. I loved every single character. I'm not even exaggerating. Paul Giamatti was a true delight ev...

Hello, everyone! I finally managed to get myself to the theatre to see 'The Desolation of Smaug'! As most of you probably remember,  I pretty much hated the first 'Hobbit' movie.  Well, this one is even worse! Congratulation Peter Jackson, you outdid yourself. Your selfish, egotistical direction style has managed to absolutely destroy the middle section of the beloved Hobbit story. Let's get started on the details shall we? First! I know this has been talked about by everyone, but the High Frame Rate! It's distracting and clunky. I'm my opinion, it make everyone look like they were moving ever so slightly in fast forward. Also, it generally made the film quality look like a made-for-TV movie. I watched the first Hobbit in 2D so this was my first encounter with this laborious beast. They never should have done it. Second, the Hobbit feet. WHY WHY WHY? Why did they make his feet swollen to a comical, ridiculous level? They are meant to be hairy and tough, ...

Yesterday, the roads were finally clear enough to get to the movie theatre. I decided to watch 'The Book Thief'. Boy was I glad I made that choice! You might recall that I  blogged about 'The Book Theif'  several months ago. At that time I hadn't read the book but the trailer was enough to get my curiosity running and I have read it now! It's good to know your source material wouldn't you say? Let's get started! This movie is absolutely gorgeous. The visuals are simply stunning! Indoors or outdoors, it doesn't matter. All the little details and World War II era gadgets pull you right back in time. What I'm trying to say is that the sets, costumes, and cinematography are absolutely perfect! Not only are they perfect, but they are also exactly how I pictured them from the book. So they are accurate to the story as well! Very, very good! The acting is also masterfully done. Geoffrey Rush is such a class act, yet somehow I am still surprise...

So check this trailer out. Can we just talk about how heartwarming this is? I mean, obviously the wife dying isn't heartwarming but the paternal connection certainly is! It just looks so very intense, which will hopefully be good. It will be a bit difficult watching because it's Paul Walker. Post mortem movies always have that certain grim feel. We shall see! It's a short but sweet post today! Talk to you all again soon!

Last night I snuggled in with a cup of cocoa and watched 'Robot and Frank'. I first blogged about the trailer over a year ago,  here.  Finally, it came out on Netflix instant so I could give it a watch! 'Robot and Frank' is a movie about an aging man whose son gives him an assistance robot. It's set slightly in the future where aid robots are more commonplace. Frank is having problems with his memory so he needs someone, or something, there to make sure he doesn't get confused or lost. One of the things I like about this film is that even though he had trouble with his memory, he was still very smart and capable in most areas of his life. Frank is very resistant to the robot but begins to see the silver lining when he realized that the robot doesn't have any programming that prohibits him from breaking the law. You see, Frank is a retired high-end cat burglar. Now that Frank has the help of his new robot friend, he is able to come out of retirement and ...

Hello movie watchers. I have been contentedly viewing movies this week and I am going to go over the two main ones! Neither movie is jaw-droppingly amazing but they are both fun little romps. First is the new 'Hunger Games' movie, 'Catching Fire'. If you are a book purist and are eager for an accurate book to movie translation, you will be very pleased! Everything is very accurate, the storyline is true to the book, and what is removed is simply for time. If you like the book, I'd imagine you will enjoy the movie. If you've never read the book you will probably be a bit surprised about the regurgitated story. The second 'Hunger Games' story is a very close mirror of the first one. There are several scenes that are practically identical to the first movie. Because of this fact the movie was a bit 'meh' for me. However well done it was couldn't make up for the cookie cutter story line. That, and the fact that I did get a bit tired of watchin...

Hello all! As you may remember, some time ago I posted the trailer for 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'.  Finally, it managed to get to the top of my Netflix que. Yesterday I made a pot of tea and snuggled in to watch it! For those of you that don't know, 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' is the story of a young, ambitious, Pakistani man who had recently started his new job at a Wall Street company when the Towers fell in New York. Bad timing to say the least! The movie is a retelling. The star character, Changez, is explaining his life story to a reporter (Liev Schreiber) in a café in Pakistan. Throughout the movie there are many little twists and turns which result in an interesting viewing experience. The story is thought-provoking, chilling, at times heartwarming, and at times terribly sad. There is a nice balance. The primary draw is the 'Walk a mile in someone elses's shoes' effect. This movie certainly delivers! I think this film will give you the ...

Happy Saturday! Today I come laden with trailers. These trailers, at first glance, seem rather generic but if you watch them all the way to the end I think you'll find your curiosity stirring within you. That's what happened to me anyway. I hope you will feel the same. First is 'How I Live Now'. This trailer starts out looking like a commonplace Indie flick and then there is a serious tonal change. Let's take a look shall we? At first I was very confused by how it looked modern day and the war references didn't make sense. I did a little digging and this movie is based off a novel about an American going to Britain just as a war breaks out. It looks interesting to say the least! As long as there isn't too much angsty teenage romance that is. All I know is that the trailer drew me in. If it proves to be good is yet to be seen. Next, is 'Winter's Tale'. This one starts out looking like a common Chick Flick Romance movie and then BLAM! Plot ...

Today the new 'Thor' movie hit the theatres. I, being the nerd I am, hastened to see what adventures and perils awaited Thor and the gang. All in all, I enjoyed myself! This movie succeeds because of the cast/characters. They are all gold and the chemistry is delicious! Even when the world is crashing down around their ears, there is humor and wit. I appreciate that! The interactions between Loki and Thor are simply perfect. The story itself is slow to start. It's worth it though, in my opinion. There is a lot of groundwork to lay out and it takes some time. Once things get going it doesn't slow down! You get to see a lot more of Asgard and Thor's world in general which is a very nice treat. The part that is on Earth is all set in London which adds a certain international element. The villains were Dark Elves which were surprisingly creepy! I literally shivered once. Their pure darkness was enough to make Loki seem like a beacon of light. They were so cute i...

Hello movie world! Today I have two movies that I think should be skipped entirely. This is for the people who are waiting for things to come out on DVD. I did that, too, and I wasted a few Netflix shipments on these mongrels. Everyone you get to see bicker for the entire film. First, is 'Now You See Me'. This movie is bang-your-head-against the-wall boring, completely flat in character and plot development, and sadly filled with good actors shelling out cheap, hollow acting. It's not even exciting! You just watch, essentially, the same heist go down three times broken up by a boring monologue in between that explains things. It's like a puzzle for dummies! They don't even give you enough time to become confused before they show you all the answers. This, paired with the fact that any major twists are either seriously predictable, or such cop-outs that they are groan-worthy, makes 'Now You See Me' an obvious skip. Just don't waste your time! Sec...