Movie Review: Safety Not Guaranteed

Safety Not Guaranteed

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Starring Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson

Rating: A

            This was easily my favorite movie of the year so far. It told a great story and through well-timed pacing and an exciting climax, it had my attention the whole time. There are mysteries revealed throughout the movie, and certain things we thought were facts we find out are lies and manipulations of the truth. There is an interesting growth in the relationships of not just between the main characters Darius and Kenneth, but also in the lives of the two co-workers Darius is on a mission with. While their stories may not be central to the film, each character is on a journey of their own and you can see a transformation as their skepticism diminishes and they let their guards down. This movie is about the characters trying to find their place in this world and to find the person who compliments them. It is also about believing in the impossible, and at the end ultimately cheering it on.

Movie Review: The Master

The Master

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams

Rating: B-

            This was an intense movie that had me pondering the characters and their alternate psychology treatments. The actors did an excellent job and I believe this is a movie to keep an eye on come awards season, especially for actors Joaquin Phoenix Seymour Hoffman. However, I didn’t connect with the characters. I do not feel this is in any way the fault of the actors, I attribute this to the fact that I lacked the patience needed for the story development. This is a longer movie, compared to most other feature films of recent. In addition, the movie didn’t move along very quickly; it lacked a certain pacing. I still give it a B- rating because I appreciate the alternative topic of the movie and all the director was attempting to accomplish.

Movie Review: The Terminator

The Terminator (1994)

Directed by James Cameron

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton

            The movie started out cheesy enough given that it has been 28 years since the movie was released, however the plot line was engaging. I cared more about finding out what was going on and why a killer was targeting people named Sarah Conner than concerning myself with the Dr. Frankenstein looking lightning special effects. There was plenty of suspense throughout as I waited with baited breath to see if Sarah would be saved. I thought her sex scene with her protector was ridiculous, after all a machine is chasing you and is intent on killing. There’s no time for that! Then at the end, I found it annoying that the Terminator just wouldn’t die. There were two false alarms from destruction attempts that would have killed cockroaches buried in a nuclear fallout shelter, but still he survived and kept chasing. The movie was more entertaining than I was expecting.

Watching the movie solved a life-long mystery of mine. When I was a child I remember watching a movie with my extended family. It was an R rated movie and frequently as children we (my cousins and I) would have to hide under a blanket until we were given the all clear. However, that blanket had holes in it; it was so worn it resembled a crochet afghan. So, I saw a man in a bathroom cutting out his eyeball and tossing it in the sink. I had no recollection of what the movie was or even what type of movie it was, but I always remembered the eyeball. Oddly enough given the popularity of the movie, as I got older I would ask people if they knew what movie the scene was from and they would always answer no. Now that I know it was a scene from The Terminator I realize that it was not as creepy and disgusting as it was in my memory, after all it was a cyborg cutting out his eyeball and he couldn’t feel any pain.

T.V. Review: Freaks and Geeks

            This series only ran for one season before being cancelled (1999-2000). It has since become a cult classic. A number of actors from the series now have great film careers (James Franco, Jason Segel Seth Rogen, Linda Cardellini, Busy Phillips) and that is the reason "Freaks and Geeks" landed on my “must watch” list. The show features one family in suburban Detroit in 1980. The sister and brother are described as freak and geek respectively, and the show follows their lives as they try to navigate through high school. Their troubles are mostly focused on finding your place in life. I greatly enjoyed watching this series. There were a lot of laughs and many unbelievable moments. Freaks and Geeks reminds me of another teen high school drama that also only lasted one season. "My So-Called Life” (1994-1995) dealt with the same type of issues and had the same sort of lost feeling in the main character. The main character in that series was also trying to find her place in the world as she started questioning many values that she had been taught by school and her family. "My So-Called Life" has also become a cult classic.

Movie Review: The Ring

The Ring (2002)

Directed by Gore Verbinkski

Starring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson

Rating: C+

            I had high expectations for this film, or low depending on how you look at it. I do not like horror films and I was told this is one of the best, and therefore I was dreading watching it. This film was selected for me to watch by Mike as part of an attempt to get me caught up on scary movies that I have not seen (in addition to all the other movies that I have not seen). However, while watching the movie I wondered if Mike loaned me the movie so I would die. The characters that watch the ring tape all die within seven days. I started counting the days until my death, but then I realized that Mike has seen the movie and he’s still alive…

            I enjoyed this movie as much as one can enjoy a movie with a dark mystery, a scary apparition, an insane asylum, and creepy children. It was more of a suspense thriller than the kind of horror movie I was anticipating. There were moments when I didn’t want to watch anymore, but the movie mostly had my eyes glued to the screen. I also enjoyed that this movie was a sort of highbrow horror film with numerous small details that all add up to disturbing facts. The average viewer wouldn’t have to catch all of the subtleties to understand the movie or even enjoy it, but it certainly gave me a lot to think about during and after the film. Some of those things I thought about were the motivations of the characters. I guess this is typical of a horror movie, wondering why someone is running up the stairs when there is an axe-wielding maniac on the chase (not in The Ring, but something I come to expect horror movies). In this movie and in many others I wonder why the characters investigate really creepy sounds when they know they’ll lead to their doom. In The Ring I also wondered why the mother would leave the evil video tape where anyone can get to it and watch it, and since it has to continue in existence why not just label it “watch at your own risk” or “view this and die.” Many people would probably think those are snarky warnings and watch anyway, but at least they were warned.

Movie Review: Argo

Argo

Directed by Ben Affleck

Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman

Rating: A

I was not sure how hard I would have to work to keep my attention on a movie based on a true story. However, I like politics and history so I thought I would give it a go. The movie has great pacing, with the suspense growing through out. During the climax of the movie I found myself gasping and holding my breath waiting to see if things would work out. The movie is filled with strong and vivid scenes of the revolution in Iran and it was easy to become fearful for the characters and the situation.

Ben Affleck produced, directed and acted in the movie, and he did the story justice. The film came across as historically authentic with the crew paying great amounts of attention to detail in the film interpretation of photographic scenes from the revolution. In addition, the actors  bear a remarkable resemblance to their real-life counterparts. The only negative critique I heard about this movie ahead of viewing it is that Affleck did everything well in the movie aside from casting himself. At first, I took that critique to mean that his acting might have been subpar. However, his acting was believable and I have no complaints there. Affleck was perhaps not the best match, aesthetic wise, for the man he was attempting to portray and I believe that is what the slightly negative critique meant. Affleck was able to cast a number of great actors in this movie. Actually, the number was surprising, from John Goodman, to Alan Arkin, to Victor Garber. He tends to do better with films that he directs rather than films he just acts in.

As I stated, I like politics and history, and I feel like this movie was very well done. My affinity for those two subjects may be one reason I am so excited about this film and perhaps why I might have enjoyed it more than other theater goers. I don't think any serious movie snob or critic would argue on the merits of this movie.

Bettlejuice on the Big Screen

            This weekend I had the opportunity to watch Bettlejuice on the big screen. A local theater was hosting a midnight showing of the classic film in honor of Halloween. I have seen the movie more times than I can count, but I had never seen it in a theater. The movie was as entertaining as I remembered, but the real experience was being in the theater with numerous movie snobs who all sought out the special event. There was excitement in the air as we waited for the opening credits to roll. I feel like I should take advantage of more of these midnight showings in the future.

Movie Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Directed by John Madden

Starring Judi Dench, Bil Nighy

Rating: B+

            This was a delightful moving that followed the personal changes of five characters as they settle into their new lives in India in a community for the elderly. Most of the characters start off with some major character flaw. They are brought to life through their new experience exploring their surroundings and their new freedom and friendships. However, one character doesn’t change and continues to antagonizing her husband. That lack of change in her compelled a change in their relationship that is positive for the husband.  

Book Review: The Catcher in the Rye

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The Catcher in the Rye

Rating: A-

            Like movies, there are a number of books that I feel like I should have read by this point. For some reason, I wasn’t ever assigned to read them in school and never decided to pick them up. I just finished Catcher in the Rye. I enjoyed the pacing of the book, as the tempo seemed to speed up as the main character’s desperation increased. His drinking and professed hatred for people also increased as the book progressed. Holden is a young man with a lot of serious issues to work out. We know he’s had a hard time dealing with the death of his brother, and then we find out he has had several very uncomfortable run-ins with so-called perverts. He is a very confused young man. Ultimately, Holden was mourning the loss of his youth or at least his youthful vision of life. He gets furious at the thought of children seeing swear words scrolled across a wall; he doesn't want the loss of anymore innocent minds. That is why he likes Phoebe so much and why she is the reason he decided to snap out of it. I was hoping that in the resolution his parents would have found out about his troubles and gotten him some help. While I do think he did find some piece of mind on his own that day with Phoebe, more was needed to make sure Holden gets on the right path in life and doesn’t have another near mental breakdown.

Movie Review: Catching Up on Potter

 Goblet of Fire rating: B-

Directed by Mike Newell

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

Order of the Phoenix rating: C+

Directed by David Yates

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

            I spent some time catching up on Harry Potter movies the other night. The fourth and fifth movies in the series were showing back to back on ABC Family. I hadn’t seen Goblet of Fire or Order of the Phoenix, so I felt that I should sit back and take it in. Watching these two movies filled in some blanks for me, as I had previously seen the third, sixth, seventh, and eighth movies. I’m not a big Potter fan, but I’ve seen many of the movies because they’re always on television or a friend always wants to go to the theater.

            I enjoyed the Goblet of Fire more than the Order of the Phoenix. It seemed the story line in the first had more continuity, and while there were some surprises along the way, Harry’s goal was clear. Plus, it was more exciting and entertaining. In the latter movie, we were introduced to many evils Harry and his gang were trying to fight at different times in the movie. It did not seem as though there was one clearly developed goal. I found that I wasn’t quite as interested in this movie (this might be due to the fact that I had been Pottering it up for several hours already). However, as this series is created from a book series it makes sense that not every installation is going to be mind blowing.

            The two movies helped me understand aspects of subsequent films. The screenplays were adapted in such a way so that there weren’t any major questions with the movies, however watching these two middle movies allowed me to witness the beginning of some relationships and more background into the characters that helps explain motivations. It was also interesting to see the development of the relationship between Hermione and Ron. Since I had seen them in love at the end, I am taking a trip back through time.

Watching the Harry Potter movies may just motivate me to pick up my book À Lécole Des Sorciers. Over the summer I started reading Harry Potter in French to brush up on my language skills. I figured the Harry Potter series might be a good way to go since the reading level gradually gets more sophisticated with each book. Even if I decide not to read the other books in the series, the first book should still be more simple than some other English to French conversions.

Food Review: Pearl Bistro

Pearl Bistro

Rating: 4 out of 5

            This is another food blog without a picture, but I’ll do my best to illustrate for you. A few weeks ago I picked this small restaurant out of a restaurant listing. It was actually an editor’s pick on Nuvo.net. I ordered the Sundried Tomato Pasta with shrimp. I was very excited when the meal arrived, as it smelled and looked great. The pasta tasted delicious and was savory; it was a lot more flavorful than I was expecting. The sundried tomato cream sauce was a bit heavy and as I neared the end of my meal I was stuffed, but I just couldn’t stop eating it. The shrimp were a bit large for my preference, but that’s just because I have a child-sized mouth. Overall this meal was more than I expected and I would recommend this restaurant to friends.

Food Review: The Jazz Kitchen

The Jazz Kitchen

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

            This is not the first time I’ve eaten at The Jazz Kitchen. However, my previous experience was during a special dining week with designated pre-planned menus.  This time, I chose from the regular menu. There were a few dishes that looked appetizing. I should mention here that I am a demi-vegetarian, which means that I do not eat most meats, but will eat fish, dairy, and eggs. So, as you can imagine it is sometimes a challenge to find delicious, well-executed restaurant meals. I ordered the Asiago Crusted Tilapia. I like asiago cheese and tilapia, so I figured I can’t go wrong with that one. The dish was a tilapia fillet covered in a delicate asiago breading. The fish was coated in a light cream sauce that was drizzled with a chocolate sauce. The fish was flaky and the cream sauce was slightly sweet and not heavy. It was the perfect combination.  I know this meal description would be much better if I had taken a picture. I like to silently mock those who take pictures of their food, but for purposes like this I think a photo would be useful. I will do better next time, I promise.

Movie Review: The Oranges

The Oranges

Directed by Julian Farino

Starring Leighton Meester, Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener

C

This movie was enjoyable, but there was nothing special about it. There were comical moments nestled in between my confusion over keeping the characters straight. This is due to casting. I feel the sons and daughters looked more like their neighbors and so when one father starts having an affair with the daughter from the family across the street, I had a hard time remembering which woman was the scorn wife and which was the upset mother. There was a surprise ending, as the young woman who was involved with the man her father’s age decided to not travel down path A or path B and instead pave a new way for herself. I appreciated her decision and I feel it showed growth in the character.

Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White and the Huntsman

Directed by Rupert Sanders

Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron

B

            Snow White and the Huntsman is an enjoyable and surprising movie. The surprises are held in the fact that the plot line does not follow the typical Snow White tale, right down to the number of dwarfs. The movie maintained certain key elements from the fairy tale, however it added quite a bit of variance for a more believable story. There were burning houses, dramatic chases, and soldiers riding into battle.

            The special effects in the movie were great. The scattering pieces of mystical guards and soldiers added to the enigma of the queen. Her ability to use magic to make the impossible happen adds suspense because even the viewer is not sure what she is capable of.

Movie Review: Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect

Directed by Jason Moore

Staring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson

C+

            This was a very entertaining movie and it had more to the plotline than just a group singing songs a cappella and trying to win nationals. The additional twists and turns added interest and surprise, helping the movie appeal to more than just singers and teenage girls. I would have given this movie a higher grade, but in an effort to appeal to a broad audience (likely teenage boys in this case) there were a couple of vomit scenes that I didn’t find funny at all. They were gross, gimmicky, and carried on for too long. However, I am able to look past the repulsion and recommend this movie for its feel good plot progression and (SPOILER ALERT) happy ending.

Movie Review: Damsels in Distress

Damsels in Distress

Directed by Whit Stillman

Starring Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, Analeigh Tipton

B-

This is a silly, ironically funny movie. The main characters are college girls who run a suicide prevention center on their campus, which is known for its high rate of suicide attempts (real or perceived). The girls have a lot of rules and theories about life that others see as utter absurdity. While telling their story, the movie mocks these silly girls. As it progresses, the girls evolve; their absolute way of viewing college life unravels for some of the characters. This change has a lot to do with the interactions between the girls and a new transfer student.

The movie is enjoyable and it leaves the audience questioning odd scenarios and situations. The students think all other students are prone to suicide and depression and during the course of the movie there is an increase in the number of people who attempt to kill themselves by jumping off a two-story education building. Of course this doesn’t work since the building is not tall enough. Additionally, one of the characters leaves campus for a day and the other students mount a mass search party to locate her and there is an article in the school’s daily newspaper about the missing woman. Also, there is a dorm building where there are stinky students and when they are given a bar of soap we are led to believe that they have never seen one before. There is a young man who doesn’t know his colors. At first I assumed that meant he couldn’t see and differentiate them, however it turns out he just didn’t know that blue was called blue, etc. Another laughable aspect of the movie is how the characters walk and run. In numerous parts, some of the girls are half running others are walking beside them. The girls are lumbering forward, leading with their chest and without moving their arms. The comical movement is similar to how I would think the undead would move.

Movie Review: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Directed by Lasse Hallström

Starring Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor

B

            Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a delightful movie with more reality than I had imagined there would be. The movie has many emotional moments as we grow to support the budding relationship between the two main characters. Their work on the fishing project draws them closer as they work on a timeline to finish the project. However, there isn’t as much fishing in Yemen as I expected.

            While I was overall pleased, there were some curious aspects to the movie. First, the camera work appeared to be off the shoulder or on a track instead of on a tripod. This was not poor camera work, but it was surprising because you don’t often see this type of method used in big budget movies. Second, there is a moment when the doctor saved the life of the sheikh by employing a rather unbelievable approach. The cast of the fishing rod is somewhat hokey. Lastly, the climax of the movie is also a bit hokey (I will not ruin it here with specifics). However, the few odd special effects in this movie are forgivable and forgettable.