You’ll like this movie if you like
a. A Unique story
b. Great amateur acting
c. Something completely different
What a unique movie. This is the story of a Louisiana bayou community and a father and his daughter, before and after Hurricane Katrina lays waste to their surroundings. Quvenzhané Wallis plays the 6 year old “Hushpuppy” who is being raised to be in harmony with the elements and yet struggle to survive them south of the levee. If you like films that take you to a completely different place, you’ll sit in awe, at least for the first half of the movie. Wallis was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, the youngest nominee ever. While she is worthy, Oscar missed out. It is Dwight Henry as her father Wink, who carries this film on his back. He is perfect in the role of the hard living fisherman. Like Wallis, he was cast from an amateur casting call. Wink fools us into thinking he doesn’t care about Hushpuppy, when in reality he is preparing her for his demise.
It appears that these people wake up in the morning and their job is to find and prepare the food to make it through the day, whether by hunting or fishing. As Henry schools his daughter on this primal existence, storm clouds gather, and it’s not just the weather.
Director
Benh Zeitlen was one of those directors nominated ahead of Ben Affleck for an
Oscar. I can see why. His portrait of a place within America that
we didn’t know about is raw, and yet sweet.
It’s like he’s saying to the rest of us, “quit your whining.”
I was enthralled. Check it out.
I was enthralled. Check it out.
Side Effects – 8
You’ll like this movie if you like
a. Suspense
b. Rooney Mara
c. Mystery
Add Rooney Mara to the “star is born” list. If you weren’t sold after seeing her as the girl with the dragon tattoo, prepare to be wowed. She has to be great to make this film believable, and she pulls it off. Director Stephen Soderbergh, in what is allegedly his last big screen film, weaves a tale reminiscent of Hitchcock. By now, we’re used to the surprises in movies. I call it the “Sixth Sense” effect – every movie has to try to surprise you. While I’m not a big Jude Law fan, he’s effective as the psychiatrist under suspicion for his actions. One of those actions is prescribing questionable meds. When Rooney kills her hunka-hunka husband, played by Channing Tatum in the midst of her depression, questions emerge that take Law the rest of the movie to figure out.
You’ll like this movie if you like
a. Suspense
b. Rooney Mara
c. Mystery
Add Rooney Mara to the “star is born” list. If you weren’t sold after seeing her as the girl with the dragon tattoo, prepare to be wowed. She has to be great to make this film believable, and she pulls it off. Director Stephen Soderbergh, in what is allegedly his last big screen film, weaves a tale reminiscent of Hitchcock. By now, we’re used to the surprises in movies. I call it the “Sixth Sense” effect – every movie has to try to surprise you. While I’m not a big Jude Law fan, he’s effective as the psychiatrist under suspicion for his actions. One of those actions is prescribing questionable meds. When Rooney kills her hunka-hunka husband, played by Channing Tatum in the midst of her depression, questions emerge that take Law the rest of the movie to figure out.
Soderbergh plays it straight, and this is a better than
average thriller.
A Good Day to Die Hard – 1
You’ll like this movie if you like
a. Explosions
b. Headaches
c. Lethal Weapon 4
I can remember leaving some movies disappointed. I can’t remember ever going to a movie where I felt significantly worse coming out than I felt going in. When I walked out of this atrocity my head was pounding and my senses were overloaded. Imagine a Lethal Weapon 5. How bad could that be? Much like Lethal Weapon the progression of this series has gone from Classic to Excellent to Good to average, and finally just horrible. I can’t think of one believable moment in this movie, other than when I was muttering “I can’t believe I’m sitting here.”
You’ll like this movie if you like
a. Explosions
b. Headaches
c. Lethal Weapon 4
I can remember leaving some movies disappointed. I can’t remember ever going to a movie where I felt significantly worse coming out than I felt going in. When I walked out of this atrocity my head was pounding and my senses were overloaded. Imagine a Lethal Weapon 5. How bad could that be? Much like Lethal Weapon the progression of this series has gone from Classic to Excellent to Good to average, and finally just horrible. I can’t think of one believable moment in this movie, other than when I was muttering “I can’t believe I’m sitting here.”
No one can accuse Bruce Willis of going through the motions. At my age my body gets out of bed in
sections, each creaking a little more than the last. I looked it up. I’m just two years older than Willis and he’s
falling through scaffolding multiple stories and constantly getting beat to a
pulp in a variety of ways. Yet he
emerges unscathed through all these adventures, save for a little well-placed
blood. Not so much as a broken rib. I hurt just watching him.
There’s an arms race going on in Hollywood. Who can have the biggest explosions? It's comical in this movie.If this wasn’t bad enough, I’m beginning to develop some
real dislike for something I used to look forward to – Movie previews:
Pet Peeve # 1 – Revealing too much. The Die Hard I Need A Paycheck crew give away
a major story point on who the villain is, that isn’t revealed until two thirds
of the way through this movie. No
respect for the audience
Pet Peeve # 2 – Scenes that are cut from the actual movies
are seen in the trailer. This happens
all the time, even on TV. When a preview
is jammed down your throat 4 or 5 times,
believe me, you notice this.
Pet Peeve # 3 – Too many long previews. You’re going to get at least 6, and probably
7 previews of 2 to 3 minutes. Some
movies I’ve seen the previews of so many times I go from “can’t wait” to “no
way” in the space of a few weeks.
Pet Peeve #4 – Target Marketing. Let’s say you’re about to see an action
movie. Get ready for 7 action movie
previews. By the time your movie starts
you’ve already seen 200 explosions. If
you’re about to see a chick flick, get ready for the Nicholas Sparks
genre bombardment.
Finally, I’d like to offer up a remedy for these horrible
movies. Inevitably, the sequel has to
move to overseas locales. Just once,
when Liam Neeson, or Bruce Willis or whomever kills 37 people in a foreign
country, could you at least detain them for questioning? The last scene should be the plane landing in
the US, and surprisingly, no one gets off, because somebody in France noticed the dead bodies everywhere and
decided to make an arrest. Wish they had
arrested anyone associated with this latest version of the declining sequel
syndrome.
Here’s this month’s game.
What movies are your remote busters?
That is, the movies you have to stop on and watch whenever you see
them. There are some movies I loved,
but I still don’t want to watch them again. However, there are some movies that
for some reason I can watch them again and again. Here are my current top ten:
Annie Hall
Serenity
Tombstone
The American President
A Few Good Men
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
The Long Kiss Goodnight
L A Confidential
Miracle
Collateral
Serenity
Tombstone
The American President
A Few Good Men
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
The Long Kiss Goodnight
L A Confidential
Miracle
Collateral
Your top ten please?
