A Little Step into My Head

So, they've done the expected and made yet another Spider-man. To everyone's great relief, it's NOT another origin story. But that still leaves one large question: Is it any good? In my opinion, yes! For the first time in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), they're exploring teenage Peter Parker, and I for one am grateful! It's a breath of fresh air! Even compared to the myriad of other superhero movies that are overwhelming the box offices, this one is actually fun! Is it groundbreaking? Does it have a masterful plot? No and no. Will you walk out of the theater and feel like you got your money's worth? Yes! On all honesty, the worst part of this movie was the clunky attempt to shoehorn Iron Man into the middle of it. I get it, he's a very popular character, but he didn't deserve or need nearly as much time as he was so graciously given. The runtime, that can come to feel a little bloated by the end, could have been delightfully pared down if...

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to talk about 'The Hobbit'. After two disappointing films that were mostl pointless filler we have finally reached the dreaded conclusion. I thought I was ready. I thought my expectations were low enough. If there is one skill that Peter Jackson has, it's the unyielding ability to always find a new low. Although in a scene by scene comparison nothing can be worse than the barrel riding scene in 'Desolation of Smaug', as a whole, 'Battle of Five Armies' managed to leave me with an even larger pain in my stomach than any of it's predecessors. Do you want details? Well, I'm going to give them so buckle in. This movie is nothing but a soulless franchise that should be an eternal shame to everyone involved. All of the trite side plots that we have grown to loath continued, at their normal slothful pace. Yes, more vomit inducing dwarf/elf romance, Gandalf and his merry band doing things that have nothing  to ...

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 Thursday everyone! Today I am going to talk about 'Cairo Time'! It's a movie that has been loafing around my Netflix Que for quite some time and I finally got around to watching it! 'Cairo Time' is a movie about an American woman who flies out to Cairo to meet up with her husband. Her husband works for the UN and is stuck in Gaza. Now the wife has all the time in the world, alone in Cairo. Well, not exactly alone. She soon befriends her husband's retired head of security. Plot ensues! This is a rather quiet movie that has a lot of subtlety and finesse. I found it incredibly enjoyable!  They touch on some of the cultural differences and dangers of being a woman alone in Cairo. This adds some very mild seriousness to an otherwise easygoing movie. I was pulled right into the story and was captivated until the last second! On top of the great story the cinematography is absolutely stunning! I've never been to Egypt, and I doubt I will anytime soon, ...

Good afternoon everyone! Today I watched 'Kon Tiki'. You may remember it from the Oscar nomination last year. I have been interested in watching for all this time but have been beating around the bush. It's a movie about sailing across an ocean on a tiny raft, I feared it may be boring! Thankfully, it wasn't! 'Kon Tiki' is a film about real life events where a group of Scandinavians, mostly Norwegians, attempted to sail from Peru to the Galapagos Islands to prove that that is how the Islands were originally discovered. This rebutted the accepted idea that the islands were discovered from Asia. You see how I could think that it may be somewhat tiresome to watch? This is an incredibly well done movie! I was happily surprised with my viewing experience. Not only was I learning something about scientific and nautical history (don't judge my nerdiness) but it was intense and gripping from beginning to end! As an added bonus the characters don't get on the...

About a week ago 'The Monuments Men' hit the theatres. I have been anticipating this film for so long and finally I have seen it! Best of all, it did not disappoint! I first showed you the trailer  back in August. This has been a long time coming! Time to get down to business. I adore the detail in the background. 'The Monuments Men' is a movie about a small group of art scholars, historians, and the like trying to save as much art from the Nazis as possible. Naturally, this is set in WWII. The cast is star studded and primed for a great performance! This is a calm mature movie. it isn't going to shock or thrill you with flash and pomp. The story and emotion will suffice perfectly. That and the fact that visually, it's absolutely incredible! The detail as well as the grand images are both exacted with such correct perfection. I was pleased with every, single, second. It would be rather redundant to go ever the fact that a cast filled with old pro...

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...

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...

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...