Not quite sure how I feel about this movie. It is heartbreakingly sad, the story of an intelligent women losing her mind to early onset Altzheimer’s. Granted, Julianne Moore as Alice is incredible. She deals with her quickly failing cognitive abilities with as much grace as possible, but all the film does is make you feel sorry for her. Her family stays by her side even when she no longer knows who they are. Little things are perhaps the saddest, like they day she can’t remember how to tie her shoes properly, or when she goes to the bathroom in her clothes because she can’t remember where the bathroom is. In the end of course, there is no swooping savior or something that makes it all right, she just fades away. As an insight for someone like myself who has never been touched by this disease, it is a fascinating picture, just not sure how good of a movie it actually is.

Into the Woods got a lot of praise when it came out end of last year. I almost saw it in theaters during my run but didn’t make it. Glad I didn’t. Not sure what the hype was about. Pretty bland movie, geared towards kids (I think?) but fairly dark at the end when people start dying in droves. Big all-star cast hides a disappointing plot, and though I’m a sucker for musicals, I could have done without the plethora of aimless songs. The movie is a re-telling of a few classic stories interwoven together, including Rapuznel, Cinderella, Jack and Giant Bean Stalk, and Red Riding Hood. Their individual tales colide with weird consequences. Overall, this is one of those that I’m sure the stage production is better than the film.

Maps to the Stars is just a strange film. It paints Hollywood society as a dark culture, with everyone sleeping with everyone to get to the top, everyone popping pills, everyone holding dark secrets, and just about everyone has some weird psychotic episode at one point or another. It is extremely well acted, so movie lovers may want to see it for the acting alone, but the plot is a bit convoluted. Much of the film is based on a twist that is revealed about halfway through, so it is hard to say anything without giving it all away, but the ending is not quite what you expect and I think the movie tries too hard to elicit a gasp from the audience.

Paddington is a cute kid’s film, based on the old children’s books. It doesn’t have the same kind of appeal to adults; I enjoyed it mostly, because it felt like the type of kids movies that were around when I was a kid myself, almost like going back in time, but perhaps because of that it doesn’t have the same adult reach that, say, the latest Pixar movies have. But it is adorable. The story is of Paddington the bear, who has lost his family and is now trying to find a new home in the busy streets of London. The family that takes him in takes time to warm up to him, and the film is mostly the antics they go through together. Cute, but not much replay value if you are over the age of 10.

I honestly don’t know why critics were so hard on The Wedding Ringer. It doesn’t pretend to be a great cinematic experience, you won’t find expert acting or story, but it is a genuinely hilarious film. Doug is a guy with no friends, so when he is getting married to gorgeous Gretchen, he needs to quickly find not only a best man, but a whole suite of groomsmen to match his popular bride’s ladies. He turns to Best Man Inc, a company that hires out wedding parties, with Jimmy to be his best man. The spend the week getting to know each other, so that Jimmy can put together the perfect fake best man, but events take them in a new direction. The jokes come from the banter between leads Josh Gad and Kevin Hart. Not as crude as some of Hart’s other material, but still edgy and loud-out-loud good at times. If you are a critic, don’t bother, there is no deep meaning here, but for everyone else, you will laugh.

Inside Out is the latest offering from Pixar, and the first original in awhile. 2013 had the Monsters sequel, and 2012 had Brave (which lets be honest, felt a little more Disney and little less Pixar). With the Cars and Toy Story sequels before that, you have to go back to 2009’s Up. So it has been a bit, and thankfully Inside Out lives up to the storied franchise.

Riley is just a normal 11 year old girl with a good life, until her family uproots and moves. She is now struggling with everyday issues, and the battle is raging outside and inside. Most of this movie is the goings-on inside her head. Her primary emotions of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust all run things from time to time, but because she’s had a fairly happy time up to now, her memories are littered with golden orbs showing all the happy moments, and all the emotions are pretty much ok with letting Joy run the show. Now however Riley is facing some true hardship, and the team is left wondering how to “fix” her.

In true Pixar form, there are tons of laugh-out-loud jokes, but plenty of heart-tugging moments as well. I think they did an admirable job of showing the complexity of human emotion, in a way that kids and adults can enjoy together. When Riley is young, events and emotions are black or white, but now that she’s growing, she (and her emotions) are realizing not everything is so clear cut. A very enjoyable film for all ages.

Jurassic World will bring a lot of people back to their childhood. Boasting the same soundtrack and the same creepy hiding from the dino’s (though not as suspenseful), it made me feel like that 13 year old again. Unfortunately while dazzling visually, the movie is ultimately more about the dinosaurs and fairly light on plot. Let’s not kid ourselves, that’s why you’d go see it anyway.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this movie. Fairly predictable from the get-go, that doesn’t stop it from being an epic tale worthy of “summer blockbuster” status. But in the end, though the CGI has gotten better, for me it isn’t going to go down as memorable as the first all those years ago. It picks up 20 years after the events of the first film (I’m not sure if it ignores the first 2 sequels or not, doesn’t clearly say). Jurassic Park has become Jurassic World, a full fledged amusement park that has forgotten its gory beginnings. However, with sagging attendance (“kids now look at a dinosaur the same way they look at an elephant”), the powers that be decide to genetically grow a new super dinosaur that will put butts in the seats. Of course this new terror gets out, and havoc ensues. Starring Chris Pratt, who is on a roll and is his usual likable character again, the park workers try to at first contain the problem, before ultimately realizing there’s not much they can do.

It is edge-of-your-seat thrills for most of the film, and for fans there are lots of easter eggs to bring you back to the first film. I’m sure it will make a ton of money and you will leave happy for 2 hours of nostalgia, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the outcome.

This film is a wild ride from the opening sequence until the final scene. I know the original trilogy has a big following, but honestly I thought they were just ok when I saw them years ago. Maybe I’ll give them another chance. But the newest incarnation is incredible.

Max is in a post-apocalyptic world, haunted by the demons of his dead family. This new film shows more clearly his half-insane nature, more than I remember from the earlier films. He is captured by a crazed cult-like group that run a city, the Citadel. Their leader runs the city by his control of one of the only clean water sources for miles. The film is centered around Furioso’s (Charlize Theron’s) abduction of the leader’s brothel, and attempt to get them to safety. Max ends up with this motley crew, and together they try to evade and fight off pursuit.

Most of the film is the various car chases, with explosions aplenty. The people in this world are all right on the edge of insanity (or slightly over if you want to look at it that way), and the cult members are more than willing to sacrifice themselves to take out Max and Furioso, for the promise of Valhalla for those that die for the cause. Parts of the film are a little silly, and many parts are way over the top, but rather than make the movie outlandish, it just adds to the feelings of despair and madness that these people live in. It is a wild, edge-of-your-seat rush that will not disappoint action film lovers.

Ex Machina is a great, subtle film that is both thought-provoking and quietly tense, from nearly the opening sequence. I tried to describe it to a friend and everything I said made it sound like a bad B movie, so I’ll try to do a better job here.

Caleb (played by the likable Domhnall Gleeson) is a computer programmer for a big Google-like search engine company. He finds himself meeting up with the genius founder of said company, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), for a secret week-long experiment. It turns out he is there to perform a Turing Test on Nathan’s invention, a woman cyborg with supposed artificial intelligence, named Ava (Alicia Vikander). Caleb spends a couple hours each day asking Ava questions, usually in a small-talk kind of way, to see if she is actually formulating responses on her own, or just as a result of programming by Nathan, all while Nathan watches over CCTV. However, there are occasional power surges that knock the cameras out, and during these times, Ava paints a very sinister picture of Nathan. Caleb is stuck not knowing who to believe, or how to act in the secluded compound where they are located.

The movie slowly creates tension throughout, and even the powerful climax feels subdued and quietly intense. What really sets this film apart is how it gets the viewer engaged. It asks questions about A.I., such as the responsibility in creating it, whether we even should just because we might have the ability, and our treatment of the creation after it is done, all questions that we as a society will be asking ourselves before long. A minor warning for those with kids that may be interested in the whole robot theme, it deserves its R rating for some pretty graphic nudity and some violence. I took my son, and since he is 18 and going to college, I’m sure he’s seen it all, but it made old Dad feel uncomfortable!

Sorry my blog posts have slowed. I’m still reading a lot more slowly lately, in fact been on An American Tragedy for a couple weeks and I’m nowhere close to finishing it. Just sort of doing other things right now. But I did get to the theaters over the weekend to see the new Avengers.

In this newest one, the Avengers team comes together to yet again stop a plot to destroy the world. Stark (Iron Man) creates Ultron, a robot that is supposed to protect humanity, but is instead fueled by anger and sets out to do the opposite. That’s pretty much the plot in a nutshell, it isn’t all that deep, and most of the film showcases the amazing battles that makes these films great. The one knock against it is by the end, it seems super heroes are coming out of the woodwork, in a X-Men Last Stand sort of way, which personally feels a little out of character for the series so far.

I have mixed feelings for this movie. The production is huge and well done, but it is starting to wear on me a little. It seems the team just keeps facing more and more dire circumstances, and honestly this film seemed to stray off what the Avengers movies do best. Some plot elements felt a little forced, and boy did they try hard to squeeze a tear out of you (to no avail)! Overall it is good, don’t get me wrong, but I liked the first Avengers better, and as the Marvel team is ramping up these films and releasing more and more, with closer dates to each other, they may have to do something to keep this series feeling fresh.

This is a hodge podge of movies, something for everyone in here!

Death Comes for the Archbishop was released in 1927, written by Willa Cather. It tells the story of Father Latour, a missionary who is made a bishop and sent to the newly USA-acquired New Mexico Territory to set up a diocese. He must balance the local Mexican and Indian (primarily Navajo and Hopi) groups, which seem open to God’s word (the Mexican population especially, having passed down Catholic traditions from a couple generations back, from the original Spanish explorers), while facing some opposition from protestant Americans who are increasingly moving to the new territory. He also must fight the entrenched clergy all ready there, who care more for personal gain than the spread of the church. Latour is aided by his longtime friend, Father Vaillant.

The book is spread out over many years, many of which are rushed by in the blink of an eye, while some events are closely examined. Latour makes it his goal to build a true cathedral in Santa Fe, while Vaillant is more for the people, spending most of his time riding out in the surrounding lands to spread God’s word. Vaillant being out so much leads Latour to become very lonely and somewhat more seclusive than he all ready is. Vaillant dies first, and because he has walked so far and made so many friends, his funeral is attended by hundreds, coming from all corners of the territory. Finally as an old man, Latour dies as well. He had a choice to spend his last days in his home in France, but chose to stay in his new country. His funeral is less attended than Vaillant’s, but he is laid out in the cathedral that he was finally able to build.

This book reads almost like a biography, rather than a novel, and is (probably loosely) based on the life of Jean-Baptiste Lamy. There isn’t an over-arching story tying it all together, other than just Latour trying to build a solid foundation for the church in the west. For history buffs, it is an entertaining read, it shows a pretty crisp picture of the daily struggle just to get by when there is nothing around you. It is also a fascinating look at the local groups that inhabited that area, and how they had to weigh this new God with their longtime traditions. It is a shorter book and a quick, very nice read.

A few children’s books are on my list of 100 greatest 20th century novels, and this was the first I’ve read. A Wind in the Willows tells a couple years of some friendly animals living their lives. In the beginning, Mole feels some wanderlust and leaves his little corner of the world for an adventure, and ends up at The River, and meets Rat. Rat introduces him to Toad, Otter, and Badger, all with their unique personalities. There are adventures along the way, for instance the time Toad steals a car and gets thrown in jail. Each character shows different traits to the reader and others, and individually (and as a group) they exhibit all the human emotions that plague us.

This is a well written book, and reading it is a stark reminder of how childrens books have changed since it was published in 1908. Very young children will laugh at the antics of Toad, while slightly older kids will get more meaning from Badger and his practical approach to friends and life, but in both cases, the book isn’t dumbed down. It challenges kids to think a little more than they typically will in today’s force-fed picture books. My parents always read to my brother and me when we were little, and reading this was like stepping back in time.

Some more independent films, with some recognizable faces. I’m a big Game of Thrones fan, and if you watch that show, you know the sizable cast. Seems like I see someone from that show in practically every film I watch lately.

Force Majeure is a foreign film, so you’ve got to be ready for some subtitles, but it is a good one. It is about a family on a skiing vacation in the alps. When a controlled avalanche gets a little too close for comfort, it has a lasting affect on the family. The wife’s instinct is to grab their kids and pull them close, while the husband bolts off to save himself. Of course the avalanche was controlled so it never reaches them, but the wife is shaken up and can’t forgive her husband for leaving, while he refuses to admit he was running, only that he “saw the situation differently.” The rest of the film is her badgering him to admit it, and he trying to pretend it didn’t happen. When he finally breaks down, it seems he isn’t the man she thought in more ways than one. I didn’t recognize the leads, but friend Mats is played by Kristofer Hivju, Giantsbane from Game of Thrones.

Lilting is one of the most beautiful films I’ve seen in a little while. In it, Junn is an aging Chinese mother, recently put in a care facility by her son Kai because she is showing early signs of dementia. Despite living in the USA for nearly 30 years, she has never learned the language and so feels very isolated. At the start of the film, Kai has just died suddenly, having never told Junn he was gay. Now Kai’s longtime boyfriend Richard is left trying to take care of Junn. He misses Kai very much but can’t spill Kai’s lifestyle so soon, so he has to internalize his grief as he tries to help Junn feel more comfortable in her home. Everyone’s guilt creates a large white elephant in the room that the characters dance around for most of the film. Beautifully acted and very endearing. Richard is played by Ben Whishaw, Q from the newest Bond films.

Copenhagen is a bit hard to watch at times. Main character William is a real asshole, sleeping with anyone (even hitting on his best friend’s fiancee), and has a real “don’t care about anyone” attitude. His father walked out when he was a boy, and now as an adult he is in Copenhagen hunting down his grandfather, to try to find some backstory of what made his father who he was. He is offered help by Effy, a local girl there who he finds, after he all ready flirted with her, is only 14 years old. The movie gives a real creeper vibe after that, and you keep waiting for this guy who has no morals to sleep with the 14 year old. By the end he surprises everyone and turns into a half way decent guy. Another low budget, but well written and well acted film. William is portrayed by Gethin Anthony, Renly Baratheon from Game of Thrones.

Something, Anything is a much more subtle film. Mark and Peggy are two 30-something professionals that have put their careers first, so they are meeting and getting married a little later. Very quickly he proposes, they get married, and are expecting a child. Almost as fast, she loses the baby in a miscarriage, moves in with her parents, and then gets her own apartment. This all happens in the first 20 minutes of the film. The rest of the movie is her spiritual awakening. Peggy is lost, and not sure what to do with her life now that it has been turned upside down. She quits her successful job and takes an hourly wage position at the library, sells or donates most of her worldly possessions, and starts hunting an old high school friend who became a monk. This is a heartfelt film, clearly showing the difficulty of moving on, and how everyone mends in their own way.

Fort Bliss is about the struggles facing our women soldiers. Maggie Swan is just returning home after 15 months in Afghanistan, to a now ex-husband and a 3 year old son that doesn’t remember her. She can’t find any normalcy, and is haunted by events during her tours, told in flashbacks. At first you aren’t sure if she will pick her family or her country as her priority, but eventually her decision is sort of made for her. The movie is good, though a little paint-by-numbers, and tries a little too hard to pull at the heart strings.