Tag: movies

Film disappointments – Sandra Bullock

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I love Sandra Bullock and have ever since I saw her in Speed and While You Were Sleeping.  No matter what the film, she was always likeable and fun to watch.  In addition to those first few I’ve loved her in The Proposal, The Heat, 28 Days, The Lake House, Crash, Miss Congeniality, Murder by the Numbers…you get the idea.  I even liked her in the bomb Forces of Nature!  I think, in all, I’ve seen her in 24 movies.

So, I brought All About Steve, co-starring Bradley Cooper, home from  the library.  I know it was panned by the critics when it came out but I figured Sandra could really pull off anything, especially if it was supposed to make me laugh.  I was wrong.  She was so completely miscast in this disjointed 2009 movie.  She was very strange and that’s okay because I’ve always considered normal pretty boring, but not strange in much of a real way.  Also, I know she looks young, but I’m not sure what age she was supposed to be pulling off.  It was very disappointing, even with the overriding message of it’s okay to be different.

Has one of your favorite actors or actresses let you down lately?

 

July’s Movies & $ for charity

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Last month we reached $100 and Sheree chose her charity (here).  Contribute the most reviews this go round and next time it could be your charity of choice $100 richer!

Add your 5 words (or less!) to mine in a comment and earn $1 for charity.  Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity.  Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to.  Anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

We’re at $6 to start the round.

I hope that you will take a few minutes to participate when you can each month.  It’s fun for me and for everyone else who reads it.  I’m not looking for a critical review, just a few words about how you felt about the movie.  This is ongoing so you can leave your 5 words anytime.

A girl in a red dress, laughing in the rain, alongside a tall red-haired man wearing a suit.About Time, 2013 (Cast-Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie)    Grade B+

Sweet love story about time.

Great mix of sentimentality & humor.  (Kathy)

Bill Nighy, sweet time travel   (Mary)

Shrek forever after ver8.jpgShrek Ever After (voices-Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas)   Grade B

Always fun to visit Shrek.

Adventuresofrockyandbullwinklemovieposter.jpgThe Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, 2000 (Cast-Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, Rober DeNiro, Piper Pirabo. Jonathan Winters, Whoopi Golderg…)       Grade C+

Expect little and laugh lots.

Transcendence2014Poster.jpgTranscendence, 2014 (Cast-Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Kate Mara, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy)  Grade C

Watchable if ridiculous AI warning.

House at The End of the Street.jpgThe House At the End of the Street, 2012 (cast-Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue, Max Thieriot, Gil Bellows)

Grade C/C-

One messed up spooky killer.

Friendly neighborhood sociopath next door…..   (Heather)

June’s Movies

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Is it July already?!  I  can hardly believe how fast June flew by.  We had a few weeks of sleeping in, Gage actually slept past 8am a few days, and this week he’s been going to nature camp three hours a day plus a few other usual activities.  They actually took an hour and a half hike yesterday!  Needless to say, he’s been sleeping well 🙂  Onto the movies.  I loved both new movies we saw at the theater.

Add your 5 words (or less!) to mine in a comment and earn $1 for charity.  Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity.  Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to.  Anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

We made it to $100!!  Yay!  All reviews posted now will count toward to month when we start back at 0 🙂

I hope that you will take a few minutes to participate when you can each month.  It’s fun for me and for everyone else who reads it.  I’m not looking for a critical review, just a few words about how you felt about the movie.  This is ongoing so you can leave your 5 words anytime.

Spy2015 TeaserPoster.jpgSpy, 2015 (Cast-Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Jason Stratham, Allison Janney, Miranda Hart, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, 50 Cent)   Grade A-

You can’t disguise funny.

 Bawdy, naughty, lots of laughs  (Mary)

 More spy movie, less comedy.  (Kathy)

Melissa…a powerhouse of funny.  (Michelle)

Jurassic World poster.jpgJurassic World, 2015 (Cast-Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins)   Grade A-

Chris can protect me anytime.

 Loud! Fun! Chris & dinosaurs rock!   (Kay)

Almost as fun as original.  (Michelle)

Movie poster featuring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in characterThe Fault in Our Stars, 2014 (Cast-Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolf, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe)    Grade B

Cancer can’t beat young love.

Great love story; bring tissues.  (Kathy)

cancer, courage, love, tears, tissues  (Sheree)

Dramatic, snot-flying, tears down face.   (Heather)

A man and woman embracing, side view.The Vow, 2012 (Cast-Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill, Jessica Lange)     Grade B-

Will true love always survive?

Amazing story, pretty good movie.  (Kathy)

Who doesn’t love Channing?   (Sheree)

Escapeplanfilmposter.jpgEscape Plan, 2013 (Cast-Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, 50 Cent, Sam Neill, Vincent, D’Onofrio)     Grade B-

Badass prisoners in badass prison.

Actually pretty good. Old School.   (Michelle)

Book vs. Movie – The Fault in Our Stars

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The Fault in Our Stars(2012) VS The Fault in Our Stars(2014)

I was surprised to find out last week that so many of my blogger friends still haven’t read this book or seen the movie.  I thought I was all kinds of deficient in waiting as long as I did to read it.  But I listened to the excellent audio and then watched the movie with my ‘no, that’s just the sun in my eyes and that’s not me wiping tears away with my sleeve’ husband. (hmm, sometimes he actually reads this blog…)  We both had the same assessment.

The Story/Plot    They both told the cancer-ridden story of two teens who fall in love against all odds and they were both spot on in that aspect.  There were differences though.  In the book there was more of an understanding of Hazel than in the movie.  In the book we see her go to college classes, meet a friend at the mall, visit Isaac in the hospital, discover that Augustus had and ex-girlfriend (I will spoil no more about that), have more conversations with her parents.  As for Augustus we missed a lot of his struggle at the end of the book (no more spoilers).  The movie focused primarily on the love story, which it is at it’s heart, but it lacked the nuance and depth of the book. And I missed one of the more lighthearted scenes of the book about the swingset as it was left out of the movie.  Thumbs Up- Book

The Visual  I’ll give the props to the movie on this one.  For one, I loved the visit to Amsterdam and want to visit someday. Also, in the book there was always Hazel with her oxygen tank and it was surprising how by the end of the movie I didn’t even notice it.  It became a permanent part of Hazel and it wasn’t distracting and that illustrated that the beauty within a person shines through even if physical ailments exist.  Thumbs Up- Movie

Characters vs. Actors  I read the book well after the movie came out, so I was already picturing Shailene Woodley as Hazel and Ansel Elgort as Augustus.  I was more familiar with Shailene’s work and she felt right in this role. She was a great Hazel.  I loved the casting of Laura Dern and and Sam Trammell as the parents, I thought they were perfect.  As for Augustus, well Ansel came so close that I won’t hold it against him.  I think Augustus is such a difficult character because he was so everything, so perfect teen girl fantasy, so witty, so smart, so romantic.  That is a hard role to fill.  I think Ansel got about 80% of the way there for me and that’s saying a lot!    Thumbs Up- Book, but barely

The Ending  There were a few differences toward the end of the movie but the one that bothered me most was one I mentioned earlier, we missed some of Augustus and his struggle. I think the movie would have been better for showing it.  Thumbs Up – Book

And the winner is…the book!!!!

Did you realize that John Green hasn’t written a book since? This article is from entertainment Weekly this month.

Other book vs. movie polls you can still vote on: (It Ends With Us) (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) (The Sun is Also a Star) (We Have Always Lived in the Castle) (Good Morning, Midnight/The Midnight Sky) (Before I Go To Sleep) (The Little Prince) (Charlie St. Cloud) (Far From the Madding Crowd) (The Girl on the Train) (Tuck Everlasting)  (Northanger Abbey) (Me Before You) (And Then There Were None) (Still Alice) (The Blind Side) (The Fault in Our Stars) (The Hound of the Baskervilles) (Gone Girl) (Jack Reacher) (Ender’s Game) (Carrie, the original) (Under the Tuscan Sun) (The Secret Life of Bees) (The Shining, the original)

May’s Movies

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A very manly movie month, well except for Pitch Perfect.  Did you see anything good this month?

Now it’s your turn.  Add your 5 words (or less!) to mine and earn $1 for charity.  Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity.  Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to.  Anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

We’re up to $92!!

I hope that you will take a few minutes to participate when you can each month.  It’s fun for me and for everyone else who reads it.  I’m not looking for a critical review, just a few words about how you felt about the movie.  This is ongoing so you can leave your 5 words anytime.

Cars 2006.jpgCars, 2006 (voices-Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shaloub)   Grade B+

Cute, although it was racing 🙂

Cutest car movie ever – voices!  (Kay)

Fun and sweet. True friendship.  (Heather)

My favorite animated movie ever!  (Vicki)

Avengers Age of Ultron.jpgAvengers:Age of Ultron, 2015 (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner)             Grade B

Avengers take on artificial intelligence!

You had me at Avengers!!  (Kay)

Excellent..plus all the hotties!  (Michelle)

Pitch Perfect movie poster.jpgPitch Perfect, 2012 (Cast-Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Elizabeth Banks)     Grade B-

Cheesy but oh so fun.

Love that acapella singing – funny!   (Kay)

They had me at singing!  (Michelle)  

I ended up loving it!  (Vicki)

Furious 7 poster.jpgFurious 7, 2015 (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Kurt Russell, Jason Stratham)    Grade C-

Just don’t get this franchise.

Franchise oddly appealing to me.  (Kay)

April’s Movies

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It was a sad movie month. We’ve been going out doing other things AND Jason is making me watch the last season of Game of Thrones so that I will then become an addict like him.  I think we have one or two more before we start the newest season.

Now it’s your turn.  Add your 5 words (or less!) to mine and earn $1 for charity.  Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity.  Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to.  Anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

We’re up to $83!!

I hope that you will take a few minutes to participate when you can each month.  It’s fun for me and for everyone else who reads it.  I’m not looking for a critical review, just a few words about how you felt about the movie.  This is ongoing so you can leave your 5 words anytime.

EndlessLove2014Poster.jpgEndless Love, 2014 (Cast-Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde, Bruce Greenwood, Joely Richardson)    Grade B/B-

Much needed sappy teen romance.

21JumpStreetfilm.jpg21 Jump Street, 2012 (Cast-Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Dave Franco, Ice Cube)       Grade B-

High school has new rules!

Fun way to pass time.  (Kathy)

Book vs. Movie – The Hound of the Baskervilles

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IMG_2446 vs. The Hound of the Baskervilles - 1939- Poster.png

This is a semi-regular feature where I talk about which was better, the book or the movie.  I read the 1902 classic in February for the Classics Club and watched the 1939 movie in March.  Most of the time I don’t know which will come out on top until I’ve worked my way through some of the criteria, and this is one of those times.  Let’s see how it all pans out.

The Story/Plot There’s a mad hound on the prowl in the moors of England and he’s killing the renowned Baskerville family.  When a concerned friend seeks out Sherlock Holmes for help, the detective sends his trusted assistant, Dr. Watson, to the spooky manor on the moors with the latest Baskerville descendent.  It’s a lonely place with few people, so the cast of characters is made up of the odd ducks that would want to live in such a place.  While the movie stayed fairly true to the book by only changing the sequence of some scenes, there was one glaring plot point that was so much better in the book. I don’t know why they changed it, maybe it was too juicy for the 1939 screen?   Thumbs Up- Book

The Visual The movie was able to show the absolute desolate setting of the moors, but the hound they showed was no match for my imagination.  Since this was way before the ability to do it justice on film I won’t hold it against the movie.  Thumbs Up- Movie

Characters vs. Actors  Most people are familiar with Sherlock Holmes and his trusted friend Dr. Watson and these days it is because of the Sherlock Holmes films featuring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.  In the beginning, when this film and others were made, it was Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.  As I was reading the book I was picturing my own versions of Downey and Law and it worked for me.  It’s hard for anyone to quite match Downey’s manic and genius as Holmes.  Bruce as Watson was not at all what I expected from reading the book, he seemed more like poor comic relief than an intelligent assistant.  Thumbs Up- Book

The Ending The ending, while mostly the same, was missing part of the great reveal I mentioned in the plot.  There was a scandalous revelation and a scene showing a severe beating of a woman and I don’t know if they decided that the movie goers at the time just didn’t want to see that or what.  The end suffered for it.    Thumbs Up- Book

And the winner is…the Book!!

Now it’s your turn to vote

Other book vs. movie polls you can still vote on: (It Ends With Us) (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) (The Sun is Also a Star) (We Have Always Lived in the Castle) (Good Morning, Midnight/The Midnight Sky) (Before I Go To Sleep) (The Little Prince) (Charlie St. Cloud) (Far From the Madding Crowd) (The Girl on the Train) (Tuck Everlasting)  (Northanger Abbey) (Me Before You) (And Then There Were None) (Still Alice) (The Blind Side) (The Fault in Our Stars) (The Hound of the Baskervilles) (Gone Girl) (Jack Reacher) (Ender’s Game) (Carrie, the original) (Under the Tuscan Sun) (The Secret Life of Bees) (The Shining, the original)

March’s Movies

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Yes, I’m feeling rebellious so I didn’t stick to five words on a few 🙂

Now it’s your turn.  Add your 5 words (or less!) to mine and earn $1 for charity.  Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity.  Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to.  Anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

We’re up to $82!

I hope that you will take a few minutes to participate when you can each month.  It’s fun for me and for everyone else who reads it.  I’m not looking for a critical review, just a few words about how you felt about the movie.  This is ongoing so you can leave your 5 words anytime.

Still Alice - Movie Poster.jpgStill Alice, 2014 (Cast-Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth)    Grade A-

Heartbreaking and powerful look at Alzheimer’s. 

Sad, but hoped for more.  (Kathy)

The Hound of the Baskervilles - 1939- Poster.pngThe Hound of the Baskervilles, 1939 (Cast-Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene)    Grade B

The hound was scarier in my imagination.

A man falling back along an airplane, firing a gun.Non-Stop, 2014 (Cast-Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery)   Grade B

No shortage of terror suspects.

It certainly kept me guessing.  (Michelle)

Absurdly entertaining, love Neeson’s accent  (Sheree)

Cinderella 2015 official poster.jpgCinderella, 2015 (Cast-Lily James, Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett, Stellan Skarsgard, Helena Bonham Carter)   Grade B

Perfect for the younger set.

Beautiful adaptation of animated original.  (Michelle)

Anchorman 2 Teaser Poster.jpgAnchorman 2, 2013 (Cast-Will Ferrell, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate)    Grade C-

 The dawn of 24-hour news.

February’s movies and $ for charity

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Gage is on the mend, but still fighting a cough and sinus issues. I appreciate all of your comments and messages.  It’s been a long week.  On to more fun things…

Now it’s your turn.  Add your 5 words (or less!) to mine and earn $1 for charity.  Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity.  Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to.  Anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

We’re up to $78!

I hope that you will take a few minutes to participate when you can each month.  It’s fun for me and for everyone else who reads it.  I’m not looking for a critical review, just a few words about how you felt about the movie.  This is ongoing so you can leave your 5 words anytime.

The Imitation Game (2014).pngThe Imitation Game, 2014 (Cast-Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear)   Grade B+

Breaking the unbreakable code.

Important part of history memorialized.  (Kathy)

The Words 2012 Film Poster.jpgThe Words, 2012 (Cast-Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde)       Grade B+

Thoughtful look at life’s decisions.

 

The Other Woman (2014 film) poster.jpgThe Other Woman, 2014 (Cast-Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau)           Grade B-

Women sharing man get revenge.

Sweet revenge, chicks before d*cks.  (Sheree)

 

TheWeddingRingerPoster.jpgThe Wedding Ringer, 2015 (Cast-Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting)      Grade   B-

Money can buy fake friends!

 

The Tourist Poster.jpgThe Tourist, 2010 (Cast-Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Pauil Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton)      Grade C

Well, Venice is always beautiful.

Not an attractive Johnny Depp. 😉  (Michelle)

 

January’s Movies & $ for charity

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A good movie month!

Now it’s your turn.  Add your 5 words (or less!) to mine and earn $1 for charity.  Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity.  Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to.  Anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

I hope that you will take a few minutes to participate when you can each month.  It’s fun for me and for everyone else who reads it.  I’m not looking for a critical review, just a few words about how you felt about the movie.  This is ongoing so you can leave your 5 words anytime.

We’re up to $65!

PK Theatrical Poster.jpgPK, 2014 (Cast-Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman Irani    Grade A

God is hard to find.

Selma poster.jpgSelma, 2014 (Cast-David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey, Common)   Grade A

Calculating MLK brings real change.

Chris Kyle is wearing desert fatigues army outfit, his wife Taya embraces him. They are standing in front of a tattered US flag.American Sniper, 2014 (Cast-Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller)     Grade B

Soldiers fight for each other.

Sniper married tours of duty.   (Sheree)

 

Hyde park on hudson poster.jpgHyde Park on Hudson, 2012 (Cast-Bill Murray, Laura Linney)   Grade C+

Why so many women Frank?

 

BadWords2014.jpgBad Words, 2013 (Cast-Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Allison Janney, Philip Baker Hall)      Grade C-

Harassing kids is never cool.

 

Waiting-poster.jpgWaiting, 2005 (Cast-Ryan Reynolds, Justin Long, Anna Faris)       Grade C-

Still waiting…for more laughs.