Her

Her directed by Spike Jonze, starring Joaquin Phoenix, the voice of Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, and Rooney Mara.

I honesty thought there was no way this movie could be good because the idea of a man falling in love with a computer program is just absolutely ludicrous.  But like any good movie the execution of the idea is everything.  This movie nails the execution perfectly, to create a beautiful movie that truly caught me off guard and is one of the best movies I saw, made from last year.  This is Spike Jonze best directed film and best film he's made.  This film also proves what a great actor Joaquin Phoenix has become over the years as he embodies a man detached from committing to emotion and people in general.  Phoenix has become a sort of chameleon for odd sort of people and always seems to throw himself into those roles with such an abandonment (see The Master for a great example of this).  I'm not much of Scarlett Johansson fan but I've got to admit this is some of her best acting considering she has no physical body in this movie and has to do all of her acting with her voice, and she nails it perfectly.  I mean she creates a whole person with nothing but her voice and she makes that non-body completely complex, alive, and bubbling with a life where the people in this movie have detached from it.  By doing that she connects this movie ever so slightly with the perfect 2001: A Space Odyssey and the computer HAL.  In that movie, and in this movie, it was the computer that displayed more emotion and life thane people in the movie, the connection has to be mentioned.

This movie is infinitely complex from the over simplified premise.  It's full of irony as it tackles questions of technology detaching people from each other, society, emotions, and communication, while we watch this movie on any kind of technology.  I couldn't help but notice this irony as I watched it and really did wonder about it while I watched the movie.   The movie isn't pretentious or preachy but relies on Phoenix and Johansson's character to weave us through this world.  Both of them are up to the challenge as they create wholly believable characters. 

This movie also tackles questions of connection and emotion as these relate to how we accept technology into out lives.  Make no mistake this is a sci-fi movie but an ever so slightly sci-fi movie as the technology in this movie is similar to the kind in our world but just a little more advanced.  It's this technology being just a little bit more advanced as us but yet familiar that really helps the viewer to connect with the themes on display because we can see them happening right now in our lives.  The technology's look in this movie reminded me so much of what we have now and the advancement in the movie seemed like it was only a few years away that it made access to this movie so easy.  Thus the themes discussed in this movie became more apparent and clear because of the familiarity of the technology.  I haven't seen too many sci-fi movies like this that it really blew me away.  Jonze didn't have to preach anything or over narrate anything he let his visuals speak for themselves but unlike a Terrence Mallick, Jonze has a story and characters who flow with the visuals of the movie.  

This movie also has a faithful ending to the story being told, not some sappy, syrupy, ending but an honest to goodness real ending from the story being told.  It handles questions of AI (artificial intelligence) with some real thought much like 2001 did and not like most movies do, for that I'm really glad as it made the movie a total delight to watch.  I am looking forward to seeing this movie again to see if I will have the same kind of connection with it that I did the first time because most of Jonze's movie don't seem to have rewatchablity to them but I think this one might have more than his previous films.

I, Frankenstein

I, Frankenstein directed by

This is a total disaster of a movie from beginning to end as this movie never really seems to know what it wants to do.  Even from the insane premise: Frankenstein's monster fights vampires with the help of gargoyles, this movie should be completely over the top and just plain fun.  But it is no where near the level of fun it should be as it takes itself way to seriously and has too much angst.  It should have learned from the movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which was a totally fun movie as it bathed in the insaneness and craziness of the title and concept - thus it was on of the more enjoyable movies I've seen in a long time.  I, Frankenstein is boring and feels long, despite the run time of 90 minutes and I came into this movie low expectations, which then the movie went even lower than those expectations.

X-men Days of Future Past

X-Men Days of Future Past directed by Bryan Singer, starring Hugh Jackman, James McAvory, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Shaun Ashmore, and Evan Peters.

It's good to see Bryan Singer hasn't lost his touch for the X-Men movies, just wish he had directed X-Men Last Stand.  This is going to be a completely biased review because my nerd genes are totally geeking out from this movie.  Not to say it's without its flaws - the whole time travel thing at the end and time travel in general don't normally seem to get the full attention it deserves but seems more used as a gimmick.  Even in this movie it starts to be gimmicky versus story based as is the opposite of the Terminator movies (the first two only) and the Back to the Future trilogy, where it's used a gimmick but as movies go on it becomes very story line and character based.  There was a chance for them to not gimmicky up the time travel aspect of this story line but I really felt they dropped the ball on this as the movie ended but I didn't mind because the roller coaster ride until the end was so much fun. 

All of that being said I still found this movie hugely enjoyable with the pacing zipping by with such energy that you won't question much of what is going on.  I also must admit I do enjoy the younger versions of Professor X and Magneto than the older versions of them, for some reason the actors playing them and the characters themselves feel more real and defined than their older selves.  McAvory and Fassbender are simply mesmerizing as these two character as they were in X-Men First Class - still my favorite and I think the best X-Men movie so far.  Hugh Jackman will always be Wolverine no matter who they get to replace him in the future - this is his character and I'm glad to see that he plays him whenever he can. 

This is a movie of set pieces, but what set pieces they are.  Bryan Singer seems to be more interested in these set pieces, as his firs two movies showed, than in exploring the themes and issues raised by the story.  Where as a more polished director, like Nolan, feels more comfortable letting the story unfold, the actors act together, and set pieces/action scenes fall where they may.  But Singer when he is on game makes some great set pieces/action scenes and he is very comfortable in the X-Men universe.  Unlike his movie Superman Returns or Jack The Giant Slayer, where nothing seemed to gel well, in Days of Future Past everything gels well and these action scenes are simply amazing with the quieter scenes not interrupting the flow of anything.  I think a large part of this can be credited to the actors of the movie: Jackman, Fassbender, McAvory, and Lawrence.  They all really bring something to the table that makes every scene they are in worth watching.  The investment in their characters really shows and helps the audience connect with what is going on.  

The character Quick Silver almost steals the show in the best set piece of the movie, hands down. What Singer does with this scene mixing music, action, slow motion, with a quirky character only makes the character more interesting as we get a glimpse into how he sees the world.  Singer does a great job of introducing Quick Silver making that scene with Wolverine, Prof. X, Magneto, and Beast funny and hugely watchable as it acts as a foreshadow of what Quick Silver will do later and better.  Such is the impact of his character that the movie makes us want more of him when he is gone. 

All in all it was great movie in the X-Men universe and a welcome return of Bryan Singer.

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth.

For all of the hype and millions of copies sold of this book I've got to admit I didn't really like it and by books end I had no desire to read the sequels.  I'm really tired of first person narration and teen angst books but I understand why teens are reading these kinds of books in the millions - as the best sellers lists testifies.  These kinds of stories really connect with the emotional roller coaster of being a teen - so I'm not a target audience for this kind of book because I'm not a teenager anymore so I have a hard time connecting with the characters in this book.  No matter what now, these dystopian books are going to be compared with The Hunger Games - this book is no different and the similarities are obvious as are the ways Suzzane Collins' book is much better.  Also I've read a lot of sci-fi and the similarities between this book and Ender's Game are there in abundance also, with Ender's Game being far and away the superior novel.  This book just felt like it was drawing on all sorts of other parts of art, which isn't a bad thing because all writers do this, but I just never got the feeling that Roth created her own beast everything - to me - felt artificial.

Despite being in first person narration I never really got to know the main character as a person.  She felt real distant to me, not so much a person as just blank guide to lead me through the world of the book.  Other side characters were more interesting and seemed to be more fleshed out than the main narrator and those characters I wanted to know about and in my opinion that's not a good thing when side characters seem more interesting than the main character.  I've read The Hunger Games trilogy and Catniss - as the narrator - seemed much more fleshed out and real even as she swam the ocean of those teenage emotions.  Tris just doesn't have the depth to sustain this story and she seemed more created than real and as I've said before you create a good character and that character can guide the audience through anything no matter how far fetched or insanely crazy the story line becomes, that main character will make navigating everything interesting. 

I also didn't buy into the world building of Roth.  I never got a really good picture of the world around Tris.  It seemed more artificial than real with no real explanation for anything that was going on in the world and that really bothered me as world building of this type of novel needs to be good. 

Slow building is always better than quick building.  Quick building always feels rushed, see this book and The Mortal Instruments books (first two) for some good examples of quick building.  Where as The Hunger Games and Harry Potter build things slowly without trying to summon everything up in the last few pages.  Roth does the opposite of this here as the heroes quickly beat the villain in the last few pages even when the odds are hugely against them, this never sets well with  me as logical it makes no sense.  I also hate it when the villain acts brutal and vicious only in certain scenes than seems to forget they're a villain in other scenes.  This kind of inconsistency annoys me to no end - see The Mortal Instruments books for some great examples of this, which is one of the reasons I didn't finish that series. 

The Secret of Wings

The Secret of Wings by Disney. 

I wrote this review over a year ago just so you know.
 
Got this for my little girl a few days ago since she was being such a trooper when my new little girl was being born. She just needed a little something special to lift her spirits from not having momma around; she's a real momma's girl and showed some great strength while her new sister was born. So we watched this a few nights ago for family movie night and I've got to admit it wasn't a half bad movie. 

This is one of the small things I've noticed while raising a girl: I really despise most of the products aimed at girls. That's not just a from a boy's perspective, it's from a perspective of a nerd and literary dissector. Why do girls things have to be so...not that much in depth when compared to boy things? Where is the plot? Where is the characterization? Where are the story arcs? Where is any form of mythology that will stimulate thinking? What do girls get instead? No plot or very simplistic types of stories with very little characterization to speak of and hardly any type of mythology or world building to stimulate thought. 

So I've got to applaud Disney for at least trying to bring some kind of mythology, plot, character, and world building to a girl's show and it was these very things that I really liked about this show and made it fun to watch. Then my daughter watched it the next morning when she woke with full encouragement from her nerd father. This is why I encourage her to watch the Avengers cartoon (and pretty much anything dealing with boys movies/cartoons) with her brother and myself (goodness I had as much fun watching those cartoons as they did) because boy does that cartoon have a depth that is seriously lacking in some adult movies. This is another reason why I'm always on the look out for girl things that break with the paradigm set up by marketing suits trying to fit my girl (now girls) into the mold they think they should fit in.

Looper

Looper directed by Rian Johnson starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, and Jeff Daniels.

This is how you do a good screenplay, good pacing, good acting, good sci-fi and good time travel. This movie was awesome. 

It was one of few times I've seen a movie and been genuinely surprised by the plot as it unfolded before me. I honestly had no idea where it was headed most of the time and even when I was thinking about where it was headed it would do a 180 degree turn and head in the opposite direction. I can't emphasize enough what a relief it was to watch a movie with this good of a storyline mixed with good character development and confidence in both, without letting the special effects or a huge action sequences ruin them. 

This is a sci-fi movie in the vein of Blade Runner and Children of Men, meaning it's a close look a future path our world could be headed and the production design of this movie picks up with that concept and runs with it making it a believable but not overblown future like Minority Report was. Rian Johnson is definitely a director to keep on a eye on. His direction was flashy when it needed to be and controlled when it needed it be and his handling of the action scenes were good and never once did I feel he lost control of this movie. 

I think my favorite actor in the movie was Jeff Daniels he pulled of a really good mob boss without going over board like so many actors seem to do. He was quiet but never once did I doubt he had a ruthless streak in him. Don't let the adds confuse you into thinking this is an action movie because it's not, it's a sci-fi movie that plays with some big concepts as the movie draws to an end that I won't go into right now but if you see it let me know and I will be more than happy to discuss them.  Also this movie showcases what a great actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become as well as the actress Emily Blunt.  This movie totally shifts in tone when these two meet up and all for the better also.  They have a really chemistry and spark that made me wish they had more scenes together but I was thankful for the scenes I got with them.

 A good movie go and see it.

Jesse Stone: Sea of Change

 Jesse Stone: Sea Change staring Tom Selleck. 

This is the last Stone TV movie on Netflix here's hoping they get more of them I really like this series. Of the episodes before this one I would consider this episode the slowest paced one, not that that's a bad thing because it isn't. It just goes to show that they aren't afraid to take this show in different directions and this episode does that as it builds things slowly this time around. 

This episode also further explores Stone's alcohol abuse and gets some new characters introduced as it follows up on plot threads from the last episode. One of the best things in this episode is the actress Rebecca Pidgeon, the scenes with her and Selleck are really good. I haven't looked to see if she stays for later episodes but it would good thing if she did. And having Kathy Baker fill in for Viola Davis for Stone's dispatcher was a wise move. It just amazes me how good "character" actors are when compared to main Hollywood "stars". All in all it was another good episode for Jesse Stone.

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise

 

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise staring Tom Selleck. 

This episode focuses on a dead girl found in the water and the effects this has Jesse Stone. 

It's the little things I really like about this series that help to ground it in a blue collar, working man's world. Jesse is almost always seen carrying a cup of Styrofoam coffee with him when he enters a scene - this little thing really helps to ground him in reality because the blue collar guys I work around (myself included) always drink some form of caffeine throughout the day. 

I like how Jesse Stone is also struggling with his battle against alcoholism, which has been a ongoing struggle as the series started. 

I like Jesse Stone's character when he's asked questions because unlike most characters in shows who tend to dodge and evade questions Jesse Stone answers them with a sludge hammer like honesty and he likes the same kind honesty from others, but rarely gets it. The series stays true to this part of Stone's character: when the visits a psychologist about this facing his alcoholism, this psychologist then proceeds to ask him some very sharp questions and Stone remains in character and gives him the truthful answers no matter how hard they might for him to answer. That is how you stay true to a character. A very good blue collar, working man show with deep conservative roots, I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the episodes.

Hounded

Hounded by Kevin Hearne.

I've been looking for a good urban fantasy series since I started reading The Dresden Files but alas I haven't found anything even coming close to matching what Butcher has done with Dresden.  For some reason all of the urban fantasy seems to want to be like Dresden: there's some kind mystery that needs to be solved by a detective.  Originality seems be lacking in urban fantasy just like it is in the other fantasy books as well.  But they always forget that the main character needs to be interesting because that character is the person telling the story and guiding the reader through the fantastical world.  Sadly enough most of these characters aren't all that interesting even though the world they populate is.

I can finally say I have found a series that has peaked my interest more than the others, without a doubt.  There was no main mystery to solve in this first book just a Druid and his faithful Irish Wolf Hound fighting the past of his being 2000 years old.  The fat his is 2000 years old really intrigued me and Hearne pulled it off by making him very interesting and full of charisma as would befit a 2000 person.  I'm not going to say much more but that I am looking forward to reading the next volumes in this series.

This first book in the series did everything a first book is supposed to do: peak my interest, want to continue reading in the series, and have the guide of the books be interesting enough to want to follow.  Things happen in this book that are going to carry over into the next books in the series, which is just what the doctor ordered, considering how Butcher has got his claws in me hook, line, and sinker when it comes to stories like this.  I really like the continuation aspect of these stories because I really get to see the world thrive and live.  I have a real connection to it much like I get with a really good TV show.

Nebraska

Nebraska directed by Alexander Payne, starring Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Obenkirk, and Stacy Keach.

A quiet little film that came out and got lots of praise from critics of which I finally got around to watching and I've to to admit the film lived up to the praise I'd read about.  So, If you're in the mood for a slow film with some good characters (and acting) that doesn't have a real story line but as the film goes on does get engrossing, then this is a film you'll like.  I liked it, not a lot, but enough that I'd recommend to people who like movies that are vastly different from the type of movies Hollywood churns out by the dozens.  Don't get me wrong though, this a slow moving film of which I'll talk more about later.

If you're a fan of Alexander Payne, have heard of him or seen his movies, I will say of the films I've seen of his (Election, Sideways, and About Schmidt,) this is his best film.  I'm not a total fan of his but I found his style of direction and pacing really fit the subject matter and themes of this movie with a perfection I found lacking in his other films.  One thing I do like about Payne is that he does let the actors and actresses in his movie actually act and he doesn't ruin their performances with too many edits or cuts, you actually get to see them perform.  This movie is no different.  It is a very character driven movie and as I've said before if you make interesting characters you won't need much of a story line to drive the movie forward.  The interesting characters can do that for you, if you know, you make them interesting.  I found them wholeheartedly interesting in this movie and very relate able in a real world way.  The characters in this movie have a real life quality to them from their appearance, to their personality that just made this movie feel all the more authentic, which a lot of film makers try to achieve but I always get a feeling that they're trying to hard to get this authentic feeling across.  Nebraska doesn't feel this way at all.  All of the authenticity feels genuinely earned in a way I'm not used to movies trying to be this way feeling and it felt good when a film maker got it right.  Another thing Payne isn't using these kinds of people to make a comment on small town America but actually just a good slice of life from these character's life.    

The few themes running around in this movie revolve around relationships: father/son, husband/wife, brother/brother, mother/son, and the many other relationship combinations you can make from an extended family relations.  These relationship combinations make up the bulk of the film and are all the better for it.  As I wrote earlier, this is a slow moving film for about the first 45 minutes to an hour but once the history of the father starts to be explored - with no major revelation but enough that the pacing of the movie livens up quickly.  This makes for a screenplay that sizzles with life when it's supposed and doesn't phase out.  Also when the actors are all together on screen: the mother, father, and both brothers the film really has a different life and feel to it than before and one of genuineness that is completely earned.  The acting of everyone is so that I wouldn't mind seeing more scenes with them in it or seeing them together in another film (sequel maybe and an odd sequel it would be but also kind of fitting in a way) such was the brilliance of their performances.

A small gem of a movie that needs to be seen by more people. 

Escape Plan

Escape Plan directed by Mikael Haftrom, starring Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Vincent D'Onofrio, and 50 Cent.

There's not much to say about this movie other than to say this is the first pairing of Stallone and Schwarzenegger in an entire movie not just bits and pieces from the Expendables movies.  I must admit it was refreshing to see these two in the same film.  They both did a good job in a movie that wasn't trying to break any new ground and knew exactly what it was: an entertaining movie. 

It was entertaining.  It wasn't a souped up action film but actually had a story line with enough good character actors in bit roles to make this movie even more enjoyable.  All in all not a bad way to spend the night watching a movie if your not looking for high brow entertainment.  

Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Johan Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Rob Reiner, Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, and John Favreau.

Before I get too far into talking about this movie, I just want to say I really like this poster.

I liked this movie but - and that's a huge but - there's just not that many likeable characters in this movie, which means I didn't have much invested empathy-wise with the characters, that when bad things started happening to them - I didn't feel sorry for them and I was more on the side of the FBI agents than the main characters in the movies.  I've heard this movie compared to Goodfellas, only instead of huge amounts violence and blood, Wolf has sex and nudity instead.  This is a fair comparison but like I said before there is no sympathy for any of the main characters in this movie, unlike Goodfellas.  Goodfellas built the main character of Henry Hill into a complex three dimensional character so when things happened to him I felt sorry and sympathetic towards him despite how bad his character might have been.  Wolf offers so such characters.  In fact most of the characters are assholes, now a good screenplay writer would have done a little more them to help guide the audience through the world of the movie.  I think of Goodfellas, A Clockwork Orange, and Dallas Buyers Club as good examples of movies that generated some real sympathy for some unlikeable characters and that actually made those characters likeable despite the things they did.

This is by far the funniest movie Scorsese has directed with plenty of moments that were very funny and the almost 3 hour run time goes by pretty fast, helped along with some very good directing (not great directing but very competent directing) and a cast that throws themselves wholeheartedly into their characters.  The set pieces, production, and costumes all go into making a very stylishly, slickly made movie that is very easy on the eyes, as they help to make that run time go by with a speed of a two hour movie. 

The whole sum of this movie is one of decadence and greed and reminded me a little bit of the movie Caligula and the life of Caligula.  It was a modern day Rome, which I imagine is lot how most of the rich people who didn't actually earn their money with hard, honest work, live because their morals and values don't go hand in hand with how they made their money. 

Captain America: The Winter's Soldier

Captain America: The Winter's Soldier directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johanssen, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Cobie Smulders, and Emily Van Camp.

This is, hands down, the best Marvel movie since the Avengers came out.  It's wildly entertaining in it's popcorn movie way, just like the Avengers was.  If all popcorn movies were like this I'd enjoy them a lot more and look forward to seeing them more, sadly enough, this is not the case.

The story line was good and the movie focused on the characters over everything else going on, even as they introduced new characters.  Even the large action set pieces were built around the story not the other way around like they seem to be in other movies.  This time around Captain America had a lot  more invested in the storyline and it made investing in his character easier.  Everything in the movie was paced at a speed that was not overbearing (like a Michael Bay movie) but flowed with a grace that was refreshing to see.  Another thing I liked about the movie was that the dialogue/drama scenes were plenty and they were interesting and didn't feel forced.  The actors actually got to act and really seemed to enjoy their characters.  The introduction of the Falcon was done with some great slight of the hand that avoided a whole origin story but still allowed his character plenty of room to breath as I got to know him.  The action scenes were large and over expanding on the big scene but I've got to admit as wild, crazy, and explosion filled as they were I really enjoyed watching the characters and story unfold on the screen more than the action scenes, and that's a good thing.

 I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the Marvel movies as they expand on the cinema Marvel universe.