Quick Reviews! - Skyfall, Pitch Perfect, Argo, Breaking Dawn: Part II, Smashed, Totoro

So... I've seen a lot of movies recently. And I didn't tell you about it. Awkward.

But, I'm telling you now! Since there are so many, I'm going to give you a shorter run down of my thoughts on each.

Skyfall

I had heard GREAT things about this movie. I don't agree with them. This was not a bad movie, not by a long shot. Javier Bardem was the best part; although, he could have been a lot more eerie. I wanted him to go all the way off the crazy cliff, and he kind of just took a picture of it from behind the barricade. The new Q is too cute for words and should immediately be put in every other movie coming out this year. The chases and fights are Bond quality. BUT, it was exactly expected. There was nothing new or exciting. The film never challenged me, except for a brief moment with Bardem and Bond that was the most interesting part of the film really. The story kept alluding to these grand secrets and betrayals, but the plot ends up being simple. One person wants revenge on one other person. That's all. A lot of it is almost copycat of The Joker from The Dark Knight. And while I love The Joker and The Dark Knight, it's not innovative the second time around. I've even heard people say that this is their favorite of the recent Bonds, which I don't understand. Casino Royale was far more complex and interesting. Even the opening credits, usually guaranteed to be great, were disappointing in this one. But, if you want an action movie, you'll get what you paid for.

Pitch Perfect

I saw this one during the hurricane (well the aftermath when I had no power, not the actual hurricane) when I knew I needed to watch something cheery. There's not much more to say other than it delivers exactly what you expect. It's fun, there's dancing and singing, Anna Kendrick is not nearly as annoying as she could be, Rebel Wilson is a rockstar, how is it possible that Brittany Snow is still in any sort of school age movie?

Argo

Can I just say that I find it hilarious that everyone now thinks that Ben Affleck is the genius who wrote Good Will Hunting and not Matt Damon? LOVE IT. There are some things I really liked about this movie. Pretty much the first thing you notice is that this movie presents an unbiased view, which is entirely refreshing. It doesn't scream YAY AMERICA! It tells a multi-faceted story. I appreciate that. Also, I don't believe most of our generation knows much about the Iran Hostage Crisis (an assumption I make because I didn't know very much about it), and this movie educates while it entertains. It gives you great characters and a fascinating story, while you are immersed in history. Besides that the time warping of clothes and sets was done impeccably. Thumbs up for Ben. This smart and suspenseful(!) film is destined for Oscar glory.

Breaking Dawn: Part II

I love talking about justifying seeing this movie. I've been doing it a lot lately. I'm almost taking pride in it at this point. I knew I was going to see this movie because HELLO I've read all the books and seen all the other movies. It's like a bad piece of cake. Even if you realize that cake totally sucks after the first few bites, YOU FINISH THE CAKE. Just me? Anyway. If you're looking for other ways to explain to yourself why you're seeing this movie, you can see it before noon at an AMC theater and only pay $6 to make yourself feel better - because there is no logical explanation.

I had a good laugh during this movie. At the beginning it was most certainly laughing at the film. It seems that the writers have not only quit, they've hired really dumb monkeys to take their place. But, (AND I WILL NOT SPOIL IT) the twist ending that you've probably heard about, is EXCELLENT. I'm being dead serious. I was totally, entirely in the movie at that point. It was brilliant. I wish you had seen it, so we could actually talk about this brilliance. Because right now you're probably adding me to that list of people not to ever associate with again, along with that girl from middle school whose room was filled with unicorns and that guy at the bar who asked you if you were studying for you Mrs. But, seriously, the end - loved it.

Smashed (Obscure Movie of some week that has already passed)

I like movies that are character pieces. Even if the story is kind of barely there, if I get to see great acting - it's not time wasted. Smashed features two pretty great performances by up-and-comers Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul. It felt more like the first 2 episodes of a series. It didn't really feel like there was a beginning and an end, which I don't think was to the detriment of the film. It just kind of flowed. As a film about alcoholism, I didn't really connect with the subject matter, but this could be a very moving film for some people. It didn't quite dig at my brain and heart like I wanted it to though.

Totoro (NOT A NEW RELEASE, BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT)

Basically this movie is my childhood. It's playing at an art theater right now, and I knew I HAD to go see it. It is still as ABSOLUTELY AMAZING as it was when I was 6. Seriously, do yourself a favor and watch this. Same director as all those other favorites like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Howl's Moving Castle.