Cops and Robbers

Place Beyond The Pines-
Bear with me on this one for I am reduced to typing with only my right thumb and am left with out bold or italics thanks to the Internet being down. Good thing I spent $2.99 on this app, right? But I digress, where were we? Yes... the first real thriller since Michael Jackson! Got a new member of the family and need some extra cash? Oh and you mentioned you're a stud when it comes to driving a bike, correct? Perfect, there's an opening in town as a bank robber! This is how the thought process of Ryan Gosling works in Derek Cianfrance's latest mind boggling flick, The Place Beyond The Pines. As a disclaimer before entering the theater: bring the seat belt from the car with you because you'll need it. Or you can just hold on tight because the cinematography chases and takes the audience on a bumpy ride as you cheer on a criminal to make good his escape. Another catch to thicken the plot is a normal every day gold star cop turned to a crooked pig. Now that you have 2 of the 500 details in the scariest non horror film in recent memory you're ready to go! Ryan Gosling (as seen in Drive and the poster on every girl's bedroom wall) is not so pretty as he's dolled up with ink uglier than Lil Wayne and a pair of white pants that are soon to make a comeback from 1990. He's got his bike and his unexpected son as his motivation for a get rich quick scheme and the only person stopping him is himself and his loyal fan, Eva Mendes. On the other side of the spectrum is Bradley Cooper (who's found on the next blank spot on the wall that doesn't have a Ryan Gosling mug) who is just here to save the day and avoid any trouble that can be found in the office or on the streets. The twists and turns this movie takes while riding a dirt bike are not one to be missed along side Ray Liotta (he was in Goodfellas, I don't think they make posters of him) and his smile that just never leaves you alone. One can only hope Mr. Cianfrance has something else up his sleeve after making a strong voice heard and paranoia at every street corner.
Grade: 8/10

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Livin' The Party Life

Spring Breakers- What more does a college student look forward to to get away from all the stress of drinking and partying every weekend than going on spring break? A perpetual party where all problems are made and then solved because what happens on spring break stays on spring break, right?? Harmony Korine (a male, not female) directs the perfectly timed flick for this time of the year about two extreme worlds and how they can clash in the midst of a good time. Take the biggest party-going, rebellious, anti-studious, take-life-as-it-comes bimbo and multiply it by 10, then add 2 more of them and the result is the three desperate, fun-loving girls that gives this movie its namesake. Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine live the life that produces a good time no matter how much it costs because they have their own ways of cracking the system that eventually gets them locked in a cell. Along with them is the loyal, church-going friend, Faith (Selena Gomez) that doesn't necessarily condone her friends' criminal partying but, then again, who in college says No to the time of their life with all the consequences that follow? Lucky enough a local rapper and real life gangsta, Alien (James Franco), comes to the rescue and sweeps these damsels in distress off their feet and out of jail. Alien is decked out in charming tattoos and tasteful cornrow braids accented by a silver grill across his smile that would make any girl weak at the knees. Now that he is flanked by four pretty girls perfect for the plans he has in store and this package deal includes these co-eds being given the party they came searching for.
         James Franco seems to lose himself in a role we really have not seen him take on before and his Kevin Federline-esque tactics steal the show and make you forget this was the same guy who once hosted the Academy Awards. The drama that comes with this indy-feeling is dark (despite the constant neon lighting) and truly adds to it's appalling, explicit nature Harmony Korine has been known for. This movie may not seem for the weak of the mind or heart but could serve as a good wake-up call to those scholars looking to party on. Grade: 6.9/10

The (almost) Great and Powerful

Oz: The Great and Powerful: 74 years after one of the most iconic films to ever hit the silver screen, a prequel is released with 74 years of more advanced graphics and special effects. Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) directs the first part of the yellow brick road that nobody knew or really cared about until now when news got out that James Franco is the reason for all this magic. The story begins with our star, Oz, working as a sideshow magician at a carnival in turn-of-the-century Kansas. He is a man of skewed morals with the good looks that can bring even munchkins down to another level. Without giving away too much, there is a chain of events that leads him into Oz the same way Dorothy got there and he meets up with a witch named Theodora (Mila Kunis) and along with a furry companion they head to the Emerald City accompanied with computer generated effects Judy Garland could not even dream of, let alone, want.
      The cool thing about prequels is that everybody watches them for are the "ohh, okay" moments that tie together details and open ends from the movie that took place in its future. The Wizard of Oz was one of those movies that was nearly perfect to begin with and did not really have the untied ends that needed closure. This film was packed with references left and right, sure, but one should expect a little bit more out of feature that links itself to a movie with memorabilia in the Smithsonian and pretty much declared a national institution. There were some comedic one-liners that were charming and then there were others that stretched a bit much for a punchline. Theodora's sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardner) was seductive and vile which, one could say, stole the show. James Franco and Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn), Glinda, were stopped short of their true potential to unleash the acting we've seen in previous films of theirs. Thank you for the references that you did add though, Mr. Raimi--Next time--go a little further on the details and less on the green screen. To Oz? To Oz!  6.4/10

Dark Something

Dark Skies- The first real supernatural flick of the year is...a dud. If you take some time to show your work while adding some movies up you will find Signs + Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Insidious = Dark Skies. From the producers who brought you Insidious and Paranormal Activity, this movie should be somewhat similar, you would think right? Not this time (in the sense of being a quality horror film-but-carbon copy of the plot? exactly). Okay might as well just start from the beginning. Ready? A suburban family finds strange things happening in their home at night and the security alarm goes off and then the youngest son starts acting weird and then crop circles show up on the older son and then the aliens from Signs show up in the younger boy's bedroom and then the parents seek professional help from the newspaper editor in Spider-Man (J.K. Simmons) and then the movie repeats itself and then the spaceship from Close Encounters flashes its lights yada yada yada. There, now you don't have to see it. If I were M. Night. Shyamalan I would sue for the copyright infringement of Signs and make Josh Hamilton (J. Edgar) apologize to the almighty Mel Gibson for his portrayal of an alien-distressed father. Okay... a short break from the negativity to say that there was one incident that caught me off guard that included the mom (Keri Russell, Felicity) turning a corner to find an unexpected visitor in her son's bedroom. See the previews for it and you've predicted all 97 minutes. 5.8/10

The Biggest Night In Movies

The 85th Academy Awards, I mean, The Oscars are tonight! Known as the most magical night in show biz, this is takes class and elegance to a new level. While the other award shows of this season are a good time to sit at home and enjoy, the Oscars stand alone at the top. This year was not a bad year at all for movies and most of the Best Picture nominees did not even come out in theaters until September-December of last year. I have enclosed in this post some of my picks to win for tonight's main event and to spice things up a bit I figured I'd go all out and add who I think Will win and Should win and maybe even a Close Second place... Shall we?

Best Picture
Should Win: Lincoln
Will Win: Argo

Best Director
Should Win: Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Will Win: Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Should Win: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Will Win: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Should Win: Sally Field (Lincoln)
Will Win: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Will Win: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

This year, like every year, there are always some talents that have seemed to have been overlooked when nominating in each category (not necessarily saying they should win). Here is a brief list of who I am in belief should be included with the nominees above:

Best Picture: Lawless

Best Actor: Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained), Samuel L. Jackson (Django Unchained), Guy Pearce (Lawless)


Well there you have it. A carbon copy of how exactly tonight's broadcast will go... only joking! The fun of it all is seeing the unsung heroes surprise everybody and that's the beauty of the Oscars. Thank you and see you tonight!

Reading The Signs

Silver Linings Playbook: Silver lining: (noun) a consoling or hopeful prospect--according to Merriam-Webster. Take this definition and apply it to a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles family and you get a recipe of hope, struggle, and inspiration. Fresh out of the funny farm, Pat (Bradley Cooper) is getting back in touch with the life he left rather abruptly and wants nothing more than for things to get back to normal; getting back with his wife who is out of the picture is high on his to-do list. Battling his bipolar outbursts of explosive anger and reluctant to see a therapist, Pat finds comfort in running (alone) and reading (kind of) but this too is even difficult with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver) just looking out for his own good. It isn't until Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) "runs" into his life and adds her own issues into this mix of emotions.
              Written and directed by David O. Russell, Silver Linings does not stop delivering from start to finish. This emotional roller coaster takes its audience through the struggles of re-finding love in family, friends, and estranged wives and introduces us to "one of the best love stories since The Notebook" according to my girlfriend. The quality of acting shoots beyond the moon with Bradley Cooper offering his best performance to date and supported by Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro showing why they are nominated for their Academy Awards. Silver Linings Playbook is heartwarming and challenging at the same time; a classic for future generations. Excelsior! Grade: 9.1/10

The Greatest American

Lincoln- Steven Spielberg is at it again working his magic in his latest installment revolving around one of the greatest leaders America has ever had. Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) delivers the performance of his career as our 16th president during a time where the country was at war with itself leaving him to do whatever he can to mend the gap between races. It's January, 1865 and an end to the Civil War is very much in sight but the war on Capitol Hill between the democrats and republicans is still neck and neck. The task at hand is to pass the vote to put the 13th amendment into effect, ending slavery and involuntary servitude in its entirety. Only one problem, there are some politicians in the House of Representatives that do not agree with President Lincoln; democrats. Lincoln, being a republican president, must somehow get his left-sided colleagues to see things clearer, the way it should be as we know it. Along with his wife, Mary, played by Sally Field (Forrest Gump), a few persuading and unorthodox lobbyists, and his cabinet, the president intends to do nothing more than reset the bonds of man, simple.
        Lincoln tells the story of not just a president in a controversial time, but of a man who must juggle the burden of this country as well as that of his rather dysfunctional family. Starting with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, who is in strong belief that her husband is set out to put his job before her as well as their sons and is a very emotionally-racked woman to begin with. The eldest son, Robert Lincoln (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Dark Knight Rises), is back from school and has plans other than those of his parents. And finally the youngest, Tad Lincoln (Gulliver McGrath), who wants to be just like his father. This makes up the First Family who look to their head who happens to be Commander-In-Chief as well in times of need. 1865 was not only the year of the Civil War's end, but also that of Abraham Lincoln's.  Day-Lewis' breathtaking role is supported with faces such as Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, and David Strathairn in the cinematic experience of the year. Spielberg can already begin shining the Academy Award statuettes from directing this mesmerizing cast portraying a time in the life of one of, if not The, greatest American to have ever lived. Grade: 9.4/10