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. 

Trailers to Watch NOW

I don't know if a movie concept gets much better than this.

Bank robbing magicians. Jesse Eisenberg being a smart ass. What else do you need? Leave it to Jesse Eisenberg to make THE DORKIEST things seem super cool.

A post-apocalyptic zombie love story. SCORE

For those who steer clear of actually scary movies (LIKE ME), this looks like a great not-scary zombie movie. Nicolas Holt is a favorite, and this looks genuinely funny. Like Zombieland crossed with something slightly different than Zombieland, but still really similar to Zombieland.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Guess what. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. No one is surprised. Except maybe me. It's pretty rare for me to go into a film with REALLY HIGH EXPECTATIONS (I'm talking months of intense fanhood and waiting), and not come out disappointed. But, Perks is just that special.

Before you get all cranky and whatnot (because I know you get cranky if you haven't had your nap), I have read the book. I enjoyed the book. I did not love the book. So, why was I so eagerly awaiting the movie? Because the cast is amazing and the trailer is out of this world! Logan Lerman is beyond adorable. Emma Watson is my girl-crush. Mae Whitman is my home-girl from Parenthood. Paul Rudd is randomly in it. And that theme song! Come on! AMAZING!

Now that you're absolutely sure that I can't be unbiased, I'll tell you why I liked it. Let's start with the cast. Logan Lerman is an exceptionally talented actor. It's almost impossible that he will get an academy award nomination for this because people view it just as a teen movie, but he really blew me away. It's hard to play everyone, but he did. He played exactly how you felt. Or, if you weren't the shy kid in school, then Emma Watson played you. She's outgoing, fun, and totally believable. Although, I've heard a couple complaints about her American accent, I thought it was near perfect. Ezra Miller was also hilarious and will no doubt be very relatable for people as well.

I could talk about this movie forever (and I pretty much did in a 14 page midterm), but I'll just tell you my favorite thing about this film. It captures a moment. It doesn't sell you a story, it makes you feel something. There's something intangible but so real that just is the teen experience. And whether you are a teen, you recently were and are missing it, or this is nostalgia from long ago - you know what they feel. And the tagline "We are infinite," feels right, and makes more sense than any marketing ever has for me before.

So, yeah,  I guess you should go see it or whatever.

Looper

The best part about this movie is trying to figure out afterwards what the heck happened during the movie. It's kind of like Inception in that way. Don't get me wrong, this is NOT Inception, and anyone who goes into it thinking that it is Inception will be disappointed. But, it's a fun, interesting and extremely entertaining movie that exceeded my (somewhat low) expectations.

This movie is smarter than 90% of the mainstream films out there. It doesn't try and explain itself. It assumes that the audience will figure it out or be satisfied enough with the details their given. In that way, it maintains its mystery. You don't entirely understand the world these characters live in, but it is a fascinating, futuristic, sci-fi world. The director made a conscious decision to throw all the rules of time-travel out the window, and that's okay. The average person does not need to know exactly how it works during the movie, and it gives them something to talk about after the movie.

I'm a big JGL (Joseph Gordon-Levitt for those of you who live under a rock and don't refer to people you don't know by charming nicknames) fan. I was a bit sad that you basically don't get to see his pretty face in this movie because they graphically alter it to look like Bruce Willis' face, but you get used to it after a few minutes. Emily Blunt's character was much better than I thought it was going to be (although still a little lacking). From the trailer, I thought she was going to fail entirely at playing some country bumpkin that JGL would fall for. There's actually another plot-point that makes her a slightly more intriguing character. I really loved Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels in this movie as well - great bit parts. I'm not a crazy Bruce Willis fan, so he was neither here nor there for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie a lot. I expected average, and got something far more fun to watch.

Forward Unto Dawn

So I have no intention of ever playing HALO 4, but this web series that they've made to promote the release is AWESOME! I want it to be a real series! I want it to be a movie! It's like a mix of Star Trek and Ender's Game, with actors I really like. Check it out!

Movie 43 Trailer

I have no idea what's happening in this trailer, but I think I like it.

BIG FRICKIN' NEWS

So, you may have noticed that I AM OBSESSED with movies. And, today, I saw something that is LIFE-ALTERING. Exaggerating? NO. THAT IS WHY I AM USING SO MANY CAPS.

Check this out: http://blog.moviepass.com/see-moviepass-in-action/

I was very skeptical at the beginning, but after researching it, this may be the best thing EVER.

The studios won't be mad because people are still technically paying the full price for the ticket. The theaters should be ecstatic because people will be buying more concessions (because they'll go to more movies.) And the company will stay afloat because some people will not fully use their membership. Now, I personally think this might not last because people like me will go see 10 movies in a month and drive this company into bankruptcy. But, I plan on making the most of this deal while it's around!