Moneyball

Billy Beane is the General Manager for the Oakland A's.  Faced with having lost his best players and having no money to buy new ones, he sets out to change the game.  With the help of a young economics graduate he tries to put together a championship team by buying runs, not players.

This was based on a true story and it's about Sports so already it has everything going for it.  What I wasn't expecting was the fact that this movie is truly character driven, it is not a comedy.  Keep that in mind if you find it running a tad long.

I absolutely loved this.  The cast was perfect.  Brad Pitt, the Robert Redford clone, was incredible.  Jonah Hill, is able to reign in his over the top awkwardness just enough, that you truly believe he is a bean counter.  Not to mention Phillip Seymour Hoffman, so impressive, even more so that he took such a small role and really ran with it.

Rocky, Rudy, Miracle, The Natural, Hoosiers, A League of their Own,  all some of my all time favorites. This could be up there. I don't want to reveal too much, but I will say this,  the ending, which baseball fans are all too familiar with, makes this story all the more great.

*** 1/2 Oscar Buzz


Rated PG-13 (for language)

I Don't Know How She Does It

Kate is a successful financial analyst, happily married, and the mother of two.  She seems to have it all but when she is offered a high profile account at her firm, her job takes center stage and she struggles to keep all the pieces together.

I have to admit that I actually liked this.  Granted, I went in with extremely low expectations.  I was prepared for Sex and The City 3, which, who are we kidding,  it kind of was... however truth be told it is by far the best episode in that trilogy.

You all know that Sarah Jessica Parker is capable of playing only one role, that of herself, well it actually worked here.  The dialogue is witty and smart.  The characters are funny and engaging.  The plot was predictable and a tad trite,  but hey, two out of three isn't too bad.  OK that is a blatant lie, but I laughed enough that I am willing to overlook the mundane storyline.

This is not something that anyone needs to rush out and see, but if one does see it you will be pleasantly surprised and delightfully entertained.

** 1/2 Rentable


Rated PG-13 (for sexual references and language)

The Debt

Three young spies cross into East Germany in the 60's to track down a Nazi war criminal.  Their heroic deeds are published in a book in the late 90's.  As the book gains notoriety the three spies must relive as well as come to terms with their past.

I liked this.  It was a fun espionage thriller, albeit a tad predictable.  It is also a smidgen confused in its use of language and subtitles as the characters randomly slip in and out of different languages.

The casting is great, particularly the group in the 60's.  They were much more engaging than their older counterparts. The ending,  I found to be slightly disjointed and unfulfilling.  Nevertheless,  it was still entertaining.

** 1/2  Not a Must See -- but theatre worthy


Rated R (for violence and language)

Fright Night

A young teenager discovers that his new next door neighbor is a real life vampire.

Oh how I hate horror films, and yet it is amazing what a good looking man can get me to see.  Yes I saw Fright Night, and in 3D no less -- tsk tsk tsk Colin Farrell.

OK so this was absolute rubbish.  I have never seen the original Fright Night so I have no commentary on how this remake compares.  I will say however that I did spend the entire movie with my ears plugged as it was bloodcurdling, although at the same time I was totally irritated at how stupid all the characters were.

I suppose if you are into vampire movies this one might work for you,  I understand that it borrowed from many of the early vampire works in terms of what vampires can and can't do and how one goes about destroying them, which FYI isn't common knowledge.

Can't say I was impressed by this scary movie, mostly because I can't stand Anton Yelchin, the kid who played the main character. He is so spineless.  I don't know that this actor is capable of playing anything but himself and that seems to be a soft spoken, stammering, stick figure -- serves me right, as I went only to see Colin Farrell.  Who by the way makes an excellent bad guy.  He is the saving grace of this flick as he is truly frightening.

* 1/2 Rentable


Rated R (for gore and language)

Our Idiot Brother

After being released from prison, a optimistic pot dealer upsets the delicately balanced lives of his three sisters.

So this was at Sundance this year and I didn't go see it because it got kind of bad reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised.  This was not the movie I expected to see.  You know the typical Seth Rogan type comedy about pot that really needs to be seen while high to actually find it funny... no this was actually quite endearing and brazenly sentimental.

I was in fact charmed by this silly concept and tricky dynamics that made up this family.  It was real and despite the foolishness of the main character he was very believable.

Nothing to rush out and see but again delightfully entertaining.

** 1/2 Rentable


Rated R (for sexual content and language)

One Day

A young aspiring writer and a wealthy playboy become friends on July 15 1988.  Their story is told as they reunite that day every year for the next twenty years.

I didn't read this book but I understand it is a very accurate adaptation.  The movie was a bit melodramatic but I found it charming in it's own way.

It is very precise in developing their friendship and how deep it is showing how each character follows his or her path in life and how those consequences, be they, positive or negative not only affect them but their relationship with each other as well as those around them.

Although I did find it to be slightly miss-cast and Anne Hathaways' accent a little muddled. It was still engaging and in a very methodical way points out that all relationships be they platonic or romantic are all about timing.

** 1/2 Rentable


Rated PG-13 (for sexual content and language)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

A research scientist desperately works on finding a cure for his father's Alzheimer's disease.  He has developed a drug that works with a virus strain and has been testing it on chimpanzees. When the presentation of his new drug goes awry he not only finds himself at odds with his employer but harboring a baby chimp.

I always think that James Franco selects the most bizarre roles, one minute he is an Oscar nominee and the next he is on a soap opera.  Notwithstanding he always does a great job, it is just a constant surprise of what he'll show up in next.... so this was fun I guess.

I liked the scientific explanation of how the Planet of the Apes came to be as apposed to the random space expedition gone askew.  Granted 89% of this movie was all set up for the inevitable sequel.  So be prepared for a slow moving story line.

The CGI is really good albeit a tad creepy.  I don't know why but movies about animals always scare me.  I just keep waiting for them to snap and wreak havoc upon everything, so when you know that is the main plot point, it kind of puts me on edge and I spend most of the movie with my fingers in my ears.

** 1/2 Rentable


Rated PG-13 (for language and violence)

30 Minutes or Less

A pizza delivery guy is hijacked by a couple of rednecks.  They strap a bomb onto him and tell him he has ten hours to get them one hundred thousand dollars or they will blow him up.

This is quite possibly the worst movie I have seen all year.  It was so stupid!  The dialogue was so painful and on the nose, it made The Fast and The Furious series look like Shakespeare.  I am convinced that this was semi biopic -- probably based off the life of one of the rednecks.  Also I won't be surprised when this disappears, it is so completely miss marketed.  The commercials try to appeal to teenagers, yet it is Rated R so they can't get in.

And!! It isn't funny.  I can remember the 3, yes, only 3 times that I laughed in this movie.  The audience seemed disappointed as a whole and I believe I counted twelve people that walked out before the halfway mark.

Seriously this is what happens when someone owes someones dad a favor -- rubbish like this gets made.  Shameful.

* Not-A-Chance


Rated R (for language, nudity, sexual content, and crude dialogue)

IRIS | Cirque du Soeil: A Journey Through Cinema

So I get that this isn't a movie..... nevertheless, I went and saw this last night, a friend took me for my birthday and it was amazing.

Now, let me preface this with, I had never before seen a Cirque de Soeil show.  Admittedly I was somewhat anti-acrobat.  I don't know if it was the history of film theme or just the show in general but I really loved it.

It's absolutely beyond my scope of recognition that the human body can do the things that these acrobats and contortionists do.  I mean I thought I was bendy!  After watching this show I not only need to attend a yoga class but I need to spend much more time in the gym.

It's a great show, and I LOVED the cinema theme, I will definitely be seeing more of the Cirque du Soeil in my future, so if you get a chance to see Iris -- Do it!

The Help

It's the early 60's, and a young debutante from Jackson, Mississippi decides she would like to write a book from the viewpoint of the "help."  As she tries to get local maids to cooperate and give interviews she finds that the current political atmosphere along with the early civil rights movement, has them all fearful and unwilling to aide her in her efforts.

I went to London/Paris about 2 weeks ago -- long story short, our flight got canceled and we were rescheduled for a later flight.  This left me and my two girlfriends that I was traveling with 5 hours to kill in LAX.  So I bought this book and read it to them -- and anyone else within ear shot.  (I did all the voices too!) Anyway, the book was great. We laughed endlessly, in fact there were a few moments that I could barely read the words on the page I was laughing so hard.  So you can imagine our excitement as well as our expectations for the movie....

It was sweet.  In terms of adaptations, it was sweet.  There are so many details that are left out that completely define certain characters, that we, my fellow travelers and I, decided that if we hadn't read the book we don't think we would have liked the movie that much, but having all the information, it was easier to accept the movie for what it was.  Again, the book was fabulous and if you haven't read it, I would suggest you do so before you see the movie.  Notwithstanding if you happen to see the flick first, even with it's uneven character development,  Hollywood endings,  and blurring of subplots, it is still very sweet.


*** Must See


Rated PG-13 (for language and thematic material)