My Movies: 2012

Quite the pitiful storyline, action, and acting. Was this made for children?

DATE: 2012-01-06

A true story is always quite interesting, though in this case the writers had a point to make and I wonder how much they might have embellished the story to make themselves look good. Sean Penn, in any event, didn't impress with his over-acted character.

DATE: 2012-01-06

Amusing, "Wall Street" type story. It's most likely to have more truth than it should have. Americans might feel embarrassed by this aspect of our society. Watch if for the laughs, but then shed a tear for decency in society.

DATE: 2012-01-07

Very human drama of an innocent, warm woman. Her life doesn't follow the script that anyone would ask to have as their own, but those challenges never stop her from bouncing back to pursue life to the fullest extent she can. Another "down under" film that is strong in the category of "character development," the reason I so often cherrish foreign films, particularly those of Australia.

DATE: 2012-01-07

Watch it for the desire for freedom it portrays in the desire to dance. Be sure to enjoy the progression of the movie and not wait to be moved at the ending.

DATE: 2012-01-07

Wow! This is the best-woven tale I have seen in more years (decades?) than I can remember. It is seminal for me in that regard, like when I read the brilliantly-crafted "QB VII" by Leon Uris as a teenager. I felt like I knew these characters, or at least know people in my life like them. Meryl is terrific, Claire Danes role is little more than a cameo, Nicole Kidman doesn't overdue her role as Virginia Woolf, and Julianne Moore is the most captivating of the supporting actors.

DATE: 2012-01-07

Ayn Rand is a hot topic in 2011-2012, which is why this movie caught my attention. It was interesting because I didn't know her story. This film isn't the story of "Atlas Shrugged," but that's fine with me. Enjoy this look into life transitioning out of the last age of relative innocence, the 1950s.

DATE: 2012-01-08

Sometimes it's better when history is fiction, thus it was better to witness this tale of the 2008 financial crisis without having to endure an editorial stance such is taken by the film "Inside Job." A good reprise of the Gordon Gecko character by Michael Douglas, and a decent supporting case.

DATE: 2012-01-28

This docupinion provides one view of the 2008 financial crisis. Surprisingly, governmental entities like FNM and FMC were rarely, if ever, mentioned as being complicit in the events of that year or those leading to the eventual catastrophe. It isn't a bad idea to hear this viewpoint, but I suggest other reading to provide a broader perspective. There's no mistaking that the big banks were aggregious in their behavior - - it's just that the story doesn't start and end there.

DATE: 2012-02-15

First you have to get past the setting being Moscow rather than St. Petersburg. While there is no chance for the film to delve the depths of one of the great novels in literature, it fashions the story well, with excellent character portrayals. My main criticism would be that the actors appear much more endearing than I would have expected (except for Dunya, who most certainly would be a charmer). But then, I recognize that the setting was modern Russia, quite different from the timeframe of the novel itself.

DATE:2012-03-05

Short film that shows each of us can make a comeback from a bad situation and can find the motivation to perform, or have it provided for them. Go out and win this one ... for yourself!

DATE: 2012-03-07

Short. What would YOU do in that situation? Your hopes, dreams, and plans become unglued; do you still hold to them? Do you follow the love in your heart, the voice in your head, the laws that pertain, or the goodness that is expected of you?

DATE: 2012-03-07

Short. We can believe something for a long, long, time that just is not true. So can the other guy. There isn't one answer until you know all the facts, and then you learn that maybe it doesn't really matter - - you just go on with life ... or back to it!

DATE: 2012-03-07

Short. When seagulls slip from the sky is it like frogs falling with the rain (in "Magnolia"). If you want death to leave you laughing, this is a film for you. If you hope to make amends before it's too late, this is a film for you. If you have just 25 minutes for fun, this is defintely the film for you!

DATE: 2012-03-07

Short. Did you ever want to BE that guy and NOT BE that guy? Especially true if you sometimes found yourself being like that guy! This American short not only held its own against the foreign competitors in the 2011 short films Oscar category, but it shined.

2012-03-07

"Then you had to go and do THAT!" Regretably, a movie full of intrigue degenerates into a 30-minute car chase scene. Congrats to the director for making someone's list of the 30 best car chases in movies, but you lost the story for a long stretch there, and you lost me. 2012-04-12

The natural question would seem to be, "Is Secretariat or Seabiscuit the better last-decade horse movie?" Secretariat has the better lead "actor," a magnificent horse. Stop: don't compare the two, enjoy them both! This one is both a terrific story of the animal and an engaging story of a few people. A true story that seems every bit believeable, enjoyable, and wonderful to watch. You'll root for the personalities and the pony.

2012-04-27

This movie attempts the impossible, so I give it credit for that. The tried-and-true fans of Shakespeare won't like the modern setting or the modern actors portraying Shakespearean roles. And fans of movies watched just for entertainment won't like the difficult true-to-the-bard dialogue, which was indeed a struggle. Perhaps the use of closed captioning would have been wise for me, but I enjoyed the challenge and appreciated the acting. There were quirks and odditiies in the story line as the production attempted to bridge the gap between modern day and the true time of Hamlet. Don't be distracted by that because it's a good effort, well acted by most, and, by golly, it's Shakespeare!

2012-04-30

Always fun to get the backstory on a tale that often flutters past the ears of any golfer over the years. A decent movie, but would it have been just as good as a documentary? No, because most people won't watch a doc. The golfer is legendary, but the story is not as good as Francis Ouimet's tale in "The Greatest Game Ever Played," so watch that one if you have a quota to watch one golfer flick.

2012-05-01

Sum it up: "Life goes on." It isn't always exciting, and neither is this film. I wasn't there, in New York City, after 9/11. I think one had to be there to feel the challenge of life immediately after that most difficult time. If you want a peek into the period, this gives you that.

2012-03-20

My rating on this movie diverges from the normal way I would do so. I figure if you want to watch C&L, then you'll like this as well as you did the TV series. If you don't care to see them again, you won't care about anyone's rating, including mine. This captures the flavor of the past, extends it to the future, expands the story line and characters, yet stays true to the things a fan would want to see from these two.

2012-03-22

Like I said for the short film, Time Freak, "did you ever want to BE that gal and NOT be that gal?" We all want to be individuals in our own image, but are compelled to spend time being the person others want us to be. Mazo fought that dichotomy, tried to draw a hard line between the two people, and apparently did so quite well. She had an enormous following, many well-received novels, and one true confidant. Would you want that life? Mazo plunged her tomes from Canada into every English-speaking corner of the world while keeping both feet firmly out of those intersections, living HER life in HER world. Very interesting documentary in many ways: the person, the actors' portrayals, the attempts to explore dark alleys, and the resurrection of a should-not-be-forgotten rags-to-riches story that is a most-compelling mystery. Credit Maya Gallus for a terrific piece on a difficult subject.

2012-05-02

True story where the human drama is paramount, while there is just enough drama to keep things from being just a story. There are some movies you watch and wonder, "what if that was me?" Quite simply, I wouldn't have made it through that ordeal. Good one.

2012-04-08

Focus! Who and what is the subject matter here? The summary implies one person, but the movie flits from character to character, seemingly unsure about which story to portray. Amanda Peet is a real character in this, but shunted to the side. Her sister is the most compelling subject, but never given the full light of the stage. The husband and daughter of the main character (as implied by the summary) are both given roles of their own, more than developing the story of the wife and mother. I think I just talked myself into lowering the rating on this one.

2012-04-18

Subtitled, but that's okay. Very original storyline, very easy to follow, and perhaps very real. Don't we wonder if our past will come back to haunt us? Would we address it head-on? The main character does, but is unable or unwilling to share the past with his wife. Is "the past" really "the past" or do we have an obligation to it?

2012-05-01

A movie that never decided whether it wanted to be about the people, the place, or the thing (war in Iraq), and didn't capture any of those the way it might have. Credit Anthony Mackie for a very good performance and character, but that's about it for full character development. I expected much more from an Oscar-nominated flick, but sometimes there is that discrepancy between the academy and the viewer.

2012-05-13

A bit old-fashioned, but what's not to like about that? Christopher Lee's portrayal of the mysterious monk is larger than life, the way John Wayne would portray a character with gusto, and confidence. I'm stretching to rate this a 7, since I couldn't recommend it to folks who enjoy the modern Hollywood film. But I have to give credit to the acting achievements, the strong story, and the homage to history that is wrapped up in this flick.

2012-05-14

Amusing, but not too corny. Better than I would have expected from Ashton, while Amanda Peet is both classy and quirky. Give the two of them credit for turning an average story line into an enjoyable movie.

2012-05-12

Wow! This is a gem of a war movie, good enough to be called a gem of a movie, period. The mix of action, feeling, war footage, and back-home coverage makes this one stand out. There were some action scenes that I could appreciate as much as those from Akira Kurosawa, and he is the Director extraodinare when it comes to warrior action scenes; "Soldiers" had Kurosawa-like close-ups of the action that put you in the middle of it all. One errant move: putting CGI helicopters in a training scene, trying to amplify the drama, only cheapened it. But that was only one short segment, and the rest of this film ranks high for its capture of war, of society, of history, and of character, all without becoming political.

2012-05-14

Gwenyth Paltrow never lets down the movie viewer. Country isn't my cup-of-sweet-tea, and this movie wandered along too slowly to keep me fully engaged. The cast was good, actually. The story line wasn't. Perhaps the budget for this film didn't let the creators flourish, but something was definitely missing, and that thing was the "capture" factor that left the audience just watching, not involved.

2012-05-22

In their own words, the band seems to bare their souls and their music essence is captured in this terrific documentary. Sure, if you don't care for Rush, then you're not going to rate this as highly, but I doubt there is a better doc than this for any band. The background stories are engaging, the concert footage is pretty darn good, and the ebbs matched the flows for a group that didn't fit the mold, but made there way to fame and fandom. This flick seems to capture it all. Watch and enjoy! 2012-05-19