I'm a sucker for these Pixar movies. Even though I don't have kids, I find them entertaining and funny. I loved the first and second Toy Story, but I would have to say that my favorite so far is The Incredibles. It was hilarious and badass at the same time! This Toy Story however, I didn't think it was as great as everyone has been saying. I thought it was just as good as the other two.
I really liked it, but I've people say that it's the best movie of the year and it made them cry?? I guess the scene at the end was a little emotional. I just wasn't blown away by this one and I'm sure a lot of you are going to disagree and give me shit for this, and that's totally fine. Maybe I'm way off on this one. I thought the story was a little weak. It could have been better for the millions AND MILLIONS (in The Rocks voice) of dollars that was paid to all those writers. John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, they could BUY a country! If was that rich and had ALL the time in the world I wanted, I could have come up with something better.
You probably disagree with me on that too, but that's alright. Like I said, I didn't hate Toy Story 3, I just don't think it deserves the title of BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR or BEST COMEDY. The highlight of this movie for me was Michael Keaton as the voice of Ken. He should be in everything, honestly. I would love to see Keaton win an Oscar one day. Not for this movie, but for a dramatic or comedic role. He's awesome at both.
My final words on Toy Story 3 are that it's DEFINITELY worth adding to your bluray or regular DVD collection. Especially if you have kids, this is one that you'll enjoy with them.
BUY IT!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Considering the fact that I am not in my forties or fifties, I wasn't super stoked about seeing this movie. It's definitely one of those movies that was made specifically for an older yuppie crowd. I'm also certain that it was made to be an Oscar contender. You know how some movies are just automatically gonna make it to the nominees? Like anything with or directed by Clint Eastwood (except Hereafter). Orrrrr, anything that revolves around a dysfunctional family.
I'm sure you can already tell that I loved this movie, huh? Nope, I certainly DID NOT like this movie and that's not too say it was terrible and I have a lot of hatred towards it. I just wasn't the audience that this film was intended for. Mark Ruffalo, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are great actors, obviously, and they did a good job (not great) but they let the one character that you like (or at least that I liked) go away and you're like "That's it? They're not coming back into the movie?" Granted, the story was more about Annette Bening and Juliane Moore's characters (they're lesbians) but I always believe that EVERY character should have an ending or at least be validated.
The kids in the movie, they're just all right. Hahaha, get it? Sorry, that was a shitty joke. Seriously though, they were just OK as far as acting goes. The chick from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Mia Wasakowska is in this. It doesn't end badly, just boring, once again. I hate movies where you know the filmmaker WANTS you to laugh. Like when Annette Bening takes a sip of wine from her glass but then chugs it. That's when all the women in the audience that are around her age are like "hahahaha, oh man, I've so been there!" Nope, sorry, not funny and that shit has been done a bazillion times. I won't say that there are zero funny parts in this movie, but the parts that are SUPPOSED to be funny, outnumber the parts that actually ARE funny.
I apologize for bashing this movie, for those of you that have seen it and actually liked it. I've seen worse movies, I just wasn't a fan....obviously.
PASS ON THIS ONE! unless you're over 40
I'm sure you can already tell that I loved this movie, huh? Nope, I certainly DID NOT like this movie and that's not too say it was terrible and I have a lot of hatred towards it. I just wasn't the audience that this film was intended for. Mark Ruffalo, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are great actors, obviously, and they did a good job (not great) but they let the one character that you like (or at least that I liked) go away and you're like "That's it? They're not coming back into the movie?" Granted, the story was more about Annette Bening and Juliane Moore's characters (they're lesbians) but I always believe that EVERY character should have an ending or at least be validated.
The kids in the movie, they're just all right. Hahaha, get it? Sorry, that was a shitty joke. Seriously though, they were just OK as far as acting goes. The chick from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Mia Wasakowska is in this. It doesn't end badly, just boring, once again. I hate movies where you know the filmmaker WANTS you to laugh. Like when Annette Bening takes a sip of wine from her glass but then chugs it. That's when all the women in the audience that are around her age are like "hahahaha, oh man, I've so been there!" Nope, sorry, not funny and that shit has been done a bazillion times. I won't say that there are zero funny parts in this movie, but the parts that are SUPPOSED to be funny, outnumber the parts that actually ARE funny.
I apologize for bashing this movie, for those of you that have seen it and actually liked it. I've seen worse movies, I just wasn't a fan....obviously.
PASS ON THIS ONE! unless you're over 40
THE FIGHTER
Not a huge fan of the director, David O'Russel, although I did like Three Kings, but I still wanted to see this movie because it looked pretty awesome. Not to mention, Christian Bale is one of the BEST actors out there. I'm gonna tell you something top secrect....he's going to win the Oscar.
Many of you probably didn't know this, but Darren Aronofsky was supposed to direct this and I was pretty bummed to find out that he dropped out to do a ballet movie *cough*. He did stay on as an Executive Producer though. Surprisingly enough, David O'Russel knocked it out of the park with The Fighter! I heard 50/50 reviews, some people were let down, but I definitely was NOT!
I laughed my ass off! I swear this movie was a comedy! Don't get me wrong, it had it's dramatic moments and those were good as well, but I would say I was laughing during this movie for probably 60% of the time! Christian Bale was hilarious! And brilliant! He really did BECOME Dickey Ecklund and when you see the real Dickey at the end (that just sounds wrong) you'll see that Christian was dead on.
I have been a fan of Bale's since he was in Senior(accent) Spielbergo's "Empire of the Sun" which is one of my favorite movies. He is a real actor. As you know, he plays a crack head in this film and lost all kinds of weight. Almost as much as he did for The Machinist....almost.
Mark Wahlberg was pretty good, especially when he was talking to goats. "Hey, so you're a goat huh? Say hi to your mother for me". Sorry, I couldn't resist. No seriously though, he did a pretty good job in this, as well as Amy Adams and the woman who played the mom, Melissa Leo. In fact, I don't think there was anybody bad in this movie. The camera work was awesome too (you know I gotta mention that) but the DP wins the category for worst name ever, Hoyte Van Hoytema. I can't knock the guy too much though, he did an amazing job on this movie and he also has my dream job.
Finally a movie with a decent ending as well. I really liked this movie overall and I am glad that it's nominated and the actors are getting their dues. I'm telling you though, I think this movie is a comedy. I will laugh every time crazy crack head Christian Bale jumps out of a window into a dumpster and gets caught. Too funny.
SEE IT!
Many of you probably didn't know this, but Darren Aronofsky was supposed to direct this and I was pretty bummed to find out that he dropped out to do a ballet movie *cough*. He did stay on as an Executive Producer though. Surprisingly enough, David O'Russel knocked it out of the park with The Fighter! I heard 50/50 reviews, some people were let down, but I definitely was NOT!
I laughed my ass off! I swear this movie was a comedy! Don't get me wrong, it had it's dramatic moments and those were good as well, but I would say I was laughing during this movie for probably 60% of the time! Christian Bale was hilarious! And brilliant! He really did BECOME Dickey Ecklund and when you see the real Dickey at the end (that just sounds wrong) you'll see that Christian was dead on.
I have been a fan of Bale's since he was in Senior(accent) Spielbergo's "Empire of the Sun" which is one of my favorite movies. He is a real actor. As you know, he plays a crack head in this film and lost all kinds of weight. Almost as much as he did for The Machinist....almost.
Mark Wahlberg was pretty good, especially when he was talking to goats. "Hey, so you're a goat huh? Say hi to your mother for me". Sorry, I couldn't resist. No seriously though, he did a pretty good job in this, as well as Amy Adams and the woman who played the mom, Melissa Leo. In fact, I don't think there was anybody bad in this movie. The camera work was awesome too (you know I gotta mention that) but the DP wins the category for worst name ever, Hoyte Van Hoytema. I can't knock the guy too much though, he did an amazing job on this movie and he also has my dream job.
Finally a movie with a decent ending as well. I really liked this movie overall and I am glad that it's nominated and the actors are getting their dues. I'm telling you though, I think this movie is a comedy. I will laugh every time crazy crack head Christian Bale jumps out of a window into a dumpster and gets caught. Too funny.
SEE IT!
127 HOURS
I don't know why it took me so long to see this movie, because I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty stoked about it. The true story about Aron Ralston who got his arm caught between two giant boulders and had to cut his arm off! Sounds fucking crazy! How are they gonna make a movie out of that!? A dude stuck in one spot for 127 hours, sounds pretty boring.
Well, much to my surprise, it was not boring and Danny Boyle did an excellent job of keeping the movie flowing. There were some interesting and intense scenes, especially, THE scene...you know what I'm talking about. Boyle had some great help, with his fellow Oscar winner, Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and also (yes, TWO DP's) Enrique Chediak. These guys were key because how the hell can you make one character in one spot interesting? Well, they did a hell of a job.
James Franco is another one of those dudes that pisses you off because he's really good in everything, and he's a full time student at Stanford or whatever, and paints house, and is an architect, and designs all the rides at Disneyland, and makes shell art in his spare time. I might have made some of those up towards the end there but you get my drift.
He did a really good job in this movie and genuinely LOOKED like he was stuck under a rock for days. You really feel his frustration and pain just by looking at his face. By the time the movie was over, I didn't even realize that it had been that long. It went by really fast which is definitely a good sign. The scene where he cuts his arm off, and I'm not giving anything away because if you didn't know that happens, you should read or watch the news more. I fucking hate the news and I still knew about Aron Ralston and the arm incident. Anyway, the cutting of the arm is NOT as hardcore as everyone says it is. I heard that some people had to leave the theater and throw up or pass out. I mean, it's a little gory but there has been WAY worse shit to happen on the big screen. I would be lying if I didn't say I cringed a bit, but then I kind of laughed because you have to be pretty badass to cut off your own arm with a dull knife.
SEE IT!
Well, much to my surprise, it was not boring and Danny Boyle did an excellent job of keeping the movie flowing. There were some interesting and intense scenes, especially, THE scene...you know what I'm talking about. Boyle had some great help, with his fellow Oscar winner, Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and also (yes, TWO DP's) Enrique Chediak. These guys were key because how the hell can you make one character in one spot interesting? Well, they did a hell of a job.
James Franco is another one of those dudes that pisses you off because he's really good in everything, and he's a full time student at Stanford or whatever, and paints house, and is an architect, and designs all the rides at Disneyland, and makes shell art in his spare time. I might have made some of those up towards the end there but you get my drift.
He did a really good job in this movie and genuinely LOOKED like he was stuck under a rock for days. You really feel his frustration and pain just by looking at his face. By the time the movie was over, I didn't even realize that it had been that long. It went by really fast which is definitely a good sign. The scene where he cuts his arm off, and I'm not giving anything away because if you didn't know that happens, you should read or watch the news more. I fucking hate the news and I still knew about Aron Ralston and the arm incident. Anyway, the cutting of the arm is NOT as hardcore as everyone says it is. I heard that some people had to leave the theater and throw up or pass out. I mean, it's a little gory but there has been WAY worse shit to happen on the big screen. I would be lying if I didn't say I cringed a bit, but then I kind of laughed because you have to be pretty badass to cut off your own arm with a dull knife.
SEE IT!
WINTER'S BONE
I didn't really have any desire to see this but after reading some other reviews (blasphemy!) I thought, what the hell, it could be good. Never heard of the any of the cast or crew, except John Hawkes, he's been in all kinds of stuff and is a REALLY good character actor and he happens to be on one of my favorite shows, East Bound and Down.
I would be surprised if any of you have seen this movie because it's been pretty low on the radar. The story takes place in a pretty depressing world of meth heads, and the main girl is trying to find her dad but has to deal with all these fucking crazy druggies. There, I explained the plot. Obviously there's more to it than that but don't get too excited. This movie only frustrated me because the main character, played by Jennifer Lawrence who is actually a pretty decent actress, and she is supposedly this "strong woman" who is trying to raise her younger brother and sister, but lets these weak ass meth heads kick her ass!? Dude, just throw a rock at their fucking head and they'll hit the ground in an instant! Or hell, one swift kick to the junk!
She encounters one crazy, lifeless junkie after another and lets them scare her?? Move to a different fucking neighborhood! Why do you live around all these psychos?
I don't know, this movie didn't do it for me at all and to top it off, the ending was extremely boring. The only cool part, which I can't mention, happens and then you're like "Alright, why couldn't more crazy shit like that happen?" There needed to be more action because there was WAY too much build up. John Hawkes was badass, even though he was a junkie himself. The sheriff was alright, played by Garret Dillahunt.
If you guys see this, and that's a big IF, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. There just isn't much to take away from this movie and I certainly don't know why it's nominated for Best Picture. That's what happens when they have shit movies to choose from I guess. Except for a select few, which you will read about right here on Emoviereview, right? That's what I thought.
PASS ON THIS ONE
I would be surprised if any of you have seen this movie because it's been pretty low on the radar. The story takes place in a pretty depressing world of meth heads, and the main girl is trying to find her dad but has to deal with all these fucking crazy druggies. There, I explained the plot. Obviously there's more to it than that but don't get too excited. This movie only frustrated me because the main character, played by Jennifer Lawrence who is actually a pretty decent actress, and she is supposedly this "strong woman" who is trying to raise her younger brother and sister, but lets these weak ass meth heads kick her ass!? Dude, just throw a rock at their fucking head and they'll hit the ground in an instant! Or hell, one swift kick to the junk!
She encounters one crazy, lifeless junkie after another and lets them scare her?? Move to a different fucking neighborhood! Why do you live around all these psychos?
I don't know, this movie didn't do it for me at all and to top it off, the ending was extremely boring. The only cool part, which I can't mention, happens and then you're like "Alright, why couldn't more crazy shit like that happen?" There needed to be more action because there was WAY too much build up. John Hawkes was badass, even though he was a junkie himself. The sheriff was alright, played by Garret Dillahunt.
If you guys see this, and that's a big IF, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. There just isn't much to take away from this movie and I certainly don't know why it's nominated for Best Picture. That's what happens when they have shit movies to choose from I guess. Except for a select few, which you will read about right here on Emoviereview, right? That's what I thought.
PASS ON THIS ONE
BLACK SWAN
I know there are some Darren Aronofsky haters out there, and they think he's gone off track, but I don't agree 100% with that. When I saw that this was his next film, I was a little worried because it's probably one of the worst subject matters for gaining my interest.
The Wrestler was well acted by Rourke, but it didn't blow me away or anything and I think it got WAY more praise than it should have. It had more potential, for sure and I loved that it was about a washed up Wrestler. I would be lying if I didn't say I loved me some old school WWF and even some of the later WWE stuff back in the day with my boys Jason and Jeff.
If you haven't seen Aronofsky's other films, I highly recommend "Pi", "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Fountain."
Black Swan did a surprisingly good job of keeping me from falling asleep. Beautifully shot by the mad genius, Matty Libatique. Music by Clint Mansell is also, always good and very disturbing at the same time. The movie was written by....a shit load of people. Most of them are newbies, I know Mark Heyman wrote the Wrestler.
Anyway, I do have to give props to Vincent Cassel and Natalie Portman on this one. They did a fantastic job, as well as Barbara Hershey who scared the shit out of me, even though she didn't really do anything. Mila Kuniz however doesn't deserve THAT much praise, she didn't play a very complicated role. Seems like she pretty much played herself. Then again, maybe I just hate her because she made fun of me one time for calling her Meg....true story.
The movie itself was pretty predictable, but I don't think it was supposed to be about some crazy twist at the end, but more about lesbians....just kidding. It's about the struggle of someone who desperately wants to succeed and dedicates themselves a little too much...I think.
Overall, I would say it's worth checking out but it's not gonna blow you away or anything. I can't say I hated it, but I can't say that I loved it either. I think the media has pumped it up WAY too much, especially when it was just coming out in the theater. Those commercials that had Natalie Portman come up really close to the camera and showed her crazy eyes, that was pretty fucking cheese and made me think the movie might be a comedy.
WAIT FOR DVD
The Wrestler was well acted by Rourke, but it didn't blow me away or anything and I think it got WAY more praise than it should have. It had more potential, for sure and I loved that it was about a washed up Wrestler. I would be lying if I didn't say I loved me some old school WWF and even some of the later WWE stuff back in the day with my boys Jason and Jeff.
If you haven't seen Aronofsky's other films, I highly recommend "Pi", "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Fountain."
Black Swan did a surprisingly good job of keeping me from falling asleep. Beautifully shot by the mad genius, Matty Libatique. Music by Clint Mansell is also, always good and very disturbing at the same time. The movie was written by....a shit load of people. Most of them are newbies, I know Mark Heyman wrote the Wrestler.
Anyway, I do have to give props to Vincent Cassel and Natalie Portman on this one. They did a fantastic job, as well as Barbara Hershey who scared the shit out of me, even though she didn't really do anything. Mila Kuniz however doesn't deserve THAT much praise, she didn't play a very complicated role. Seems like she pretty much played herself. Then again, maybe I just hate her because she made fun of me one time for calling her Meg....true story.
The movie itself was pretty predictable, but I don't think it was supposed to be about some crazy twist at the end, but more about lesbians....just kidding. It's about the struggle of someone who desperately wants to succeed and dedicates themselves a little too much...I think.
Overall, I would say it's worth checking out but it's not gonna blow you away or anything. I can't say I hated it, but I can't say that I loved it either. I think the media has pumped it up WAY too much, especially when it was just coming out in the theater. Those commercials that had Natalie Portman come up really close to the camera and showed her crazy eyes, that was pretty fucking cheese and made me think the movie might be a comedy.
WAIT FOR DVD
Thursday, February 24, 2011
TRUE GRIT
I'm going to start my reviews off with all the films nominated for best picture in this upcoming 2011 Academy Awards. True Grit, as you know, is a Coen Brothers film and it is their second time working with The Dude (Jeff Bridges).
It is based a novel by Charles Portis but the Coen Brothers wrote the screenplay. From what I've heard, they stay very close to the book, unlike the original True Grit, starring John Wayne.
So if you're thinking this is a remake of the original 1969 film, you're wrong.
In my opinion, the Coen Brothers are probably the best story tellers in Hollywood. They don't make movies for the money, they just want to tell a story and do it well. This movie was a great story and as usual, my boy Roger Deakins did an AMAZING job with the cinematography. Not to mention the music by Carter Burwell, which is ALWAYS good. The acting by everyone is top notch, especially the young girl, Haliee Steinfeld who plays "Mattie Ross".
This was not my favorite Coen bros. film but it was not bad. I just have a problem with the ending, just like in No Country For Old Men. It felt VERY rushed. I can almost picture the studio Execs. telling the Coen Bros. "You guys need to cut this ending down. Take this out, and this, and this...." I've heard stories of this happening when I was at The Weinstein Company and I can assure you it's true. They don't care about how the film turns out, they care about how long it is and they're afraid people won't sit through it.
Anyway, in my opinion, True Grit is not worthy of best picture but it is worth checking out. There are some really good scenes and as I said before, it's visually pleasant to look at. The ending, I think you will just be like "Okay, that's it? I guess?" It doesn't really leave you thinking about anything other than, it could have ended a hell of a lot better.
WAIT FOR DVD
It is based a novel by Charles Portis but the Coen Brothers wrote the screenplay. From what I've heard, they stay very close to the book, unlike the original True Grit, starring John Wayne.
So if you're thinking this is a remake of the original 1969 film, you're wrong.
In my opinion, the Coen Brothers are probably the best story tellers in Hollywood. They don't make movies for the money, they just want to tell a story and do it well. This movie was a great story and as usual, my boy Roger Deakins did an AMAZING job with the cinematography. Not to mention the music by Carter Burwell, which is ALWAYS good. The acting by everyone is top notch, especially the young girl, Haliee Steinfeld who plays "Mattie Ross".
This was not my favorite Coen bros. film but it was not bad. I just have a problem with the ending, just like in No Country For Old Men. It felt VERY rushed. I can almost picture the studio Execs. telling the Coen Bros. "You guys need to cut this ending down. Take this out, and this, and this...." I've heard stories of this happening when I was at The Weinstein Company and I can assure you it's true. They don't care about how the film turns out, they care about how long it is and they're afraid people won't sit through it.
Anyway, in my opinion, True Grit is not worthy of best picture but it is worth checking out. There are some really good scenes and as I said before, it's visually pleasant to look at. The ending, I think you will just be like "Okay, that's it? I guess?" It doesn't really leave you thinking about anything other than, it could have ended a hell of a lot better.
WAIT FOR DVD
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