A Little Step into My Head

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 all! I know that I haven't checked in for quite some time. Not to make excuses, but it's not my fault! I have been watching trailers and none of them have been any good. Movies I have also watched, and they were so forgettable that I didn't even bother with a blog about it. Finally, the trailer drought is over and I have a few new trailers to share with everyone! Hurray! I want to start with the one I like the best. 'The Birder's Guide To Everything'. The trailer for this is bizarrely difficult to find! The only place where I could get it is on the Apple Trailers site. So, here is the link to the site where you can find the trailer. Sorry for the difficulty! The Internet has failed me!  Here is the link to the trailer, enjoy! So, I love this trailer and I love Ben Kingsley! It looks so incredibly unique, clever, cute, and enjoyable! Basically, I think I'm going to like it. What did you think? Second, is 'After The Dark' or 'The Pholos...

So as I'm sure you noticed from the trailer above, they are making another 'Planet of the Apes' movie! It is the sequel to the James Franco one that came out a few years back. I, personally, have always loved all the 'Planet of the Apes' movies and I even enjoyed the most recent one! It will be an exciting adventure, if nothing else! I'm pretty sure I'm biased to like this movie but it looks good to me! What do you think?

I have another trailer for everyone! This one is a new Johnny Depp movie where he isn't wearing a lot of make-up. Gasp! It looks mind bendy, Sci-Fi, and a bit thriller-y. Here is the trailer. I think it looks interesting and fun! There appears to be the moral debate over AI which is always interesting. I'm not sure whats up with the end of the trailer when everything starts dissolving. They better have a good explanation for how a computer can just start to dissolve stuff. All in all, it looks like it'll probably be all right!

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 ...

All right everyone! It's time to watch the new Muppet trailer. Here we go! I guess he's the villain again! It looks great and fantastic and I can't wait! The previous Muppet movie, 'The Muppets', I despised. It was depressing and lame. This one looks like it has the right feel! That fabulous Muppet feeling is very hard to beat. I want to say one thing. If you aren't into Muppet movies, I am so sorry. Apparently your childhood was wrong. Hopefully, one day you will learn to love them! I just love Burrell for this character! The cast looks fantastic! In case you didn't recognize him, Tom Hiddleston was definitely in that trailer! The idea of Hiddleston in a Muppets movie makes me giggle. Naturally, there were far too many actors to mention them all by name but it looks like a great line-up. Except Galifianakis. I don't know why anyone let him withing twenty yards of a children's movie. Basically, I can't wait! Everything about...

Today I have a trailer. It's for a movie about Noah's Ark. I'm not really saying that it will be good or bad. Frankly, I'm just saying, "Hey look, this exists!" I do love the idea of Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins together. It just looks so dramatic! I don't even know it that's good or bad. I'm a bit stunned I think, that they even decided to make this movie. I mean, we all know exactly what happens. If they change anything, there will be angry people. If they stay true, I would think that it would be boring. I don't know how you can spice up 40 days and 40 nights of rain. I suppose they could have scenes of tension and cabin fever. Also, they seem to show a mob of people trying to get on the boat like it's going to be some great battle scene. Spoiler, they don't take the boat. It's not that exciting.  What do you think? Watch or skip? UPDATE: Would you like to know more about religious movies coming out this year? Check ...

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...