2011. 113 minutes. Rated PG.
Dr. McCarthy:”Trying to put a tail on a fish? Nobody in his right mind would even try it. Luckily, I’m not.”
Sawyer: “Not what?”
Dr. McCarthy: “In my right mind.”
I believe I mentioned I am a sucker for overcoming the odds flicks (see my Soul Surfer review). Especially ones based on true stories. So you can only imagine how I might feel watching a movie based on a dolphin overcoming the odds. Yes, there were tears. Let’s get that out of the way right now.
2012. 142 Minutes. Rated PG 13.
“Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.”
I know some girls wouldn’t dream of going to see a movie based on comic books, but The Avengers was pure eye candy (I’m not biased due to my secret crush on Mark Ruffalo either; ever since 13 Going on 30, there is a quiet sadness look that I just can’t get enough of.) If Ruffalo isn’t your type, this movie also has Robert Downey Jr. in his reprise of millionaire playboy Ironman (who always seems to get better with age), the loyal and patriotic newcomer Chris Evans as Captain America, and Chris Hemsworth as warrior god of Thunder, Thor. Oh, and for everyone else, Scarlett Johansson bends and twists in skin tight leather as the spy, Black Widow.
Quote : People just do the strangest things when they believe they’re entitled. But they do even stranger things when they just plain believe.
I won’t retell the story, you should read Jessica’s post first. So I will pick a couple points I really thought were good additions.
Hey all, forgive the lack of posts this week. 2/3rds of us were away at the Massachusetts Library Conference, and the other 1/3 just bought a house. We’ll get back on track next week. Enjoy this video, it made me spit water on the floor…TWICE.
2009. 122 Minutes. Rated R.
Quote: “The sky is the limit.”
This is one of those times it’s EASY to knock out some writing. Christopher Wallace and me, we may not have been the best of friends, but I spent countless hours with him by my side. This man helped to shape and change the face of music. Rap music had only earned a few champions at this point. The 1980′s produced the pioneers of the sport, nobody’s arguing that fact. The NWA, Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, these guys laid the groundwork, no doubt. They aren’t considered the best though. In the history of rap, we have some serious players who stand atop the heap. The best of the best. They are underground now, literally and figuratively. Notorious is the story of one in particular; one who may go down as the very best to ever spit a rhyme.
2012. 95 minutes. Rated PG-13.
“You want me to fly? I think I left my cape at home.”
Every now and again, you go see a movie, and all you can think about while you watch it, is the other movies it reminds you of. Lockout was one of those movies, but I can’t say its style won any praise from me.
2011. 100 minutes. Rated R.
Irene: “What do you do?” Driver: “I drive.”
Did you ever watch a movie and think that it should have been made in a different era? That was my feeling while I was watching Drive. I kept thinking the director, Nicholas Winding Refn, wished it was the 70s or 80s, with the heavy synth music, and driving scenes through the silent streets of L.A. at night. In a way, this film has more in common with a Clint Eastwood western than it does with a modern day action movie. It is the one hero in a harsh world, but this world is the city instead of the desert, and cars take the place of horses.
2010. 119 Minutes. Rated R.
“I only live for today. I’ll show you just how @#$!ed up that can be.”
As I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for Korean revenge films (Netflix has even developed a category of them for me). Korean revenge films have a certain formula: it’s like a twisted Count of Monte Cristo. Something terrible happens to the main character who has to suffer. Then said person goes on a crazy spree of revenge with an M. Night Shyamalan twist. Although I’m still searching for one that blows me away like Chan Woo Park’s Oldboy, The Man from Nowhere was still fun to watch.
2011. 91 Minutes. Not Rated.
“I think the answer to your question is that the dialectic of the homily always presupposes a ground of evil.”
Note from the writer: If you are religious, and you are easily offended, then skip this post. I am not a believer, and I talk about it a bunch in this review. This is your disclaimer.
Two men in a room. Just two men. Just one room. No names. One black, one white. Both old. One looking towards the light with a dark past. One with a bright history, staring into the darkness.
2012. 99 minutes. Rated PG-13
“You’re sweating like a human. Next it will be tears.”
I remember the original Clash of the Titans from 1981. The stop-motion effects are nothing to look at now, but the Greek mythology story of Perseus was still compelling. And who can forget the infamous phrase of “Release the Kraken!” intoned by Laurence Olivier. The movie was redone in 2010 to fairly mediocre reviews and I must admit, I never saw it.
Yet somehow, there was a sequel made and there I was, taking it in.
