I, Frankenstein is proof that a movie can be enjoyable if you just don’t take it too seriously. It is getting some truly terrible reviews by the critics, but is doing a little better in the ratings among average viewers. I saw it not expecting too much, and while it has flaws, it is a fun action flick.

The story follows Frankenstein’s monster in current day, as he becomes part of a never-ending war between good (gargoyles) and bad (demons). The action in the movie is great, the fight scenes are pretty brilliant I thought. The dialogue is rough at times, but you don’t see a movie like this for the dialogue. And the director and writers seem to realize this, as they keep the talking short, just long enough to advance the story, before launching into another fight.

The characters are all one dimensional, Aaron Ekhart doesn’t do much more than grunt and brood for the most part, but if you want to kill 1 1/2 hours, and see some good gripping battles, you can sit back and enjoy this one.

My parents raised me as a reader, stressing that I read for enjoyment and knowledge, so I’ve been reading all of my life. I also consider myself a fairly decent movie buff. Having said all that, I’m sorry to admit I’ve never read a Tom Clancy novel or seen any of the previously made Jack Ryan movies. So I went in to this one fresh with no preconceived notions.

As a spy action film, it started well and I was hooked through the first half to two thirds of the film. Then it sort of fell apart for me. The last part of the movie was hurried through, and I understand they probably did this on purpose to build excitement, but it just felt rushed. Not to mention, the story asked the viewer to follow them on some pretty outlandish leaps of faith. (Really? You can guess the location of bombing from looking at a series of random photos taken? You can guess the exact spot based on looking at blueprints of the area handed to you 2 minutes ago? Many like this in the last 20 minutes of the film.) Really unfortunate, most of the film until then was great.

If the movie does well enough to greenlight a sequel, I’d be in, hoping it to be better, because this one definitely had potential. And it will make me crack a Clancy before too long to see where the muse for the movie started.

Last night I made it to see August: Osage County. I was unsure if I really wanted to see this one, seemed very much a “chick flick” from the previews, but the play it was based on won a Pulitzer so I had to give it a chance.

First off, it was indeed very well written. The characters are shaded and complex. Meryl Streep is the matriarch of a family with dark secrets, brought together after their father (Streep’s husband) has committed suicide. Everyone seems to be hiding something, and as each is revealed (to each other, as well as to the audience), the story really starts to tug at you. You really feel for each person, even when they do despicable things. Streep’s character in particular is so well developed that you find yourself loving, hating, pitying, and condemning her at different times as the story progresses.

I wouldn’t say this is a great movie, but it is a great story, and it has plenty of surprises. The acting is superb for the most part, and the characters are fleshed out in a way that makes them feel very real. A solid date night movie.

Inside Llewyn Davis
Rotten Tomatoes : 94%
Metascore : 92

People are buzzing about this movie, however a few friends saw it and said it was no good, so I went in with mixed feelings. It is a Coen brothers film, and it definitely has their style of comedy, so if you don’t like their movies, you most certainly will not like this one. I myself am not a huge fan of most of their stuff, but Llewyn Davis was getting such sterling reviews, that I thought I’d give it a chance. I’m (mostly) glad I did.

Llewyn is a struggling, homeless folk singer in the early 60s. Every bad thing that can happen, does happen throughout the film to poor Llewyn. This leaves him pretty jaded and prone to anger with even his close friends. Thus, it becomes hard to really cheer him on, as he becomes a bigger and bigger jerk throughout the film. But because literally nothing goes his way, he still feels like the underdog you want to root for.

Some of the dark comedy is funny, as his troubles pile up, and in the end Llewyn sort of redeems himself and finally seems to find a kind of happiness, or at least a sense that everything is going to be alright. I’m not gushing over the movie, and I certainly don’t think it is worthy of the ratings listed above, but it is overall a solid movie that is well acted (Oscar Isaac is very good as Llewyn) and well directed. Worth a rental if not exactly a rush-to-the-theater and see.

I’m a patient movie-goer. I’ve sat through a lot of mediocre films, some downright bad ones too. Since I started my movie-going craze last year, just once have I walked out on a movie, last year’s flaky, superficial, and abysmally bad The Bling Ring. Last night made twice.

I was excited to see Nebraska. Highly reviewed, touted everywhere. It had the very soft rollout that many indie films see, so while it has been “in theaters” since the first week of December, it just now made it to one close to me, and in a way that built excitement for me too. But from the get-go, Nebraska didn’t capture my attention nor my laughs. The jokes seemed to be written for another generation. It was in fact my dad who asked me weeks ago if I had seen the movie about the man who thought he had won a million dollars. My dad, who probably couldn’t tell you the biggest blockbuster last year, what movies were out this (or last) week, or even name one actor in Nebraska. I can see him laughing heartily at the jokes in this movie, as were the members of the upper generation I shared the theater with last night. To me they just seemed forced and dated.

People have lauded Bruce Dern. I just didn’t connect I guess. He played the sullen, depressed, obnoxious old man. While I felt sorry for him, I just couldn’t sympathize with him. Will Forte suffers from the same affliction nearly all post-SNL actors have upon trying the big screen for the first time. As a long-time SNL watcher, I just kept waiting for him to break loose from his sour demeanor into a wide grin and say something ridiculous.

I gave up 45 minutes into this film and left. When I got home I jumped online and read how it ended. From what I read, maybe it got better, but for me, maybe not. Perhaps I’ll wait 30 years and try it again.

So with starting this blog on January 14, I’m a little late in movie reviews for what I’ve seen this year. Here’s my quick recap of the movies I’ve seen so far this year :

Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Saw this one on January 1. This is one of those films that is heavily promoted in theaters (been seeing previews for it for a very long time) but when it finally gets to coming out, it doesn’t seem to blow the critics away. Currently sitting at 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 54 Metascore. I enjoyed it though. It is a funny, quirky movie, but not the same old Ben Stiller type of comedy. It ended up being a very heartfelt film, very much a “person finding himself” kind of film.

American Hustle
I was late to the party on this one. It was out for a full week or two before I finally got around to seeing it. I’m sorry I waited! This was a great way to start the year. This one isn’t just hype. Right now sitting at a 90 Metascore and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is a real gem. The acting is superb, the story builds to a not-so-surprising but still fulfilling ending. The 3 big stars are Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and Amy Adams, all incredible actors as you know, but in a lesser role, Jennifer Lawrence steals every scene she is in. Part of this is certainly due to writing, she is sort of the “comic relief” role to a point and has some funny dialogue, but mostly it is purely her acting. In a movie full of top shelf actors, she stands above them. This shouldn’t be too surprising after seeing her in Silver Linings Playbook, but it will make me sure to see anything she’s in for awhile.

Lone Survivor
Though it is a terrible title (guess how it ends?!) this is a solid “war” film. The previews touted this one as the next Saving Private Ryan. I wouldn’t take it that far, but it is worth seeing if you are up for lots of guns and explosions. I always have a soft spot for based-on-true-story films, I’m just a sucker for them for the most part. I enjoyed it.

Her
Another great movie. Joaquin Phoenix lives up to the billing with a stellar performance. For him, there was no where to hide in this one. In another movie, when a couple is loving or fighting, the camera is far back over the two of them. Here, since Phoenix is in a relationship with his OS, it is just him on screen talking to Scarlet Johansson in her usual smoky voice. Many times the camera is close up to his face, and he adeptly conveys the gamut of emotions from love, joy, and elation to anger, despair, and hurt. The idea that a person can fall in love with his computer seems silly. Go watch the film. The emotions the two of them go through are the same of any couple and are very much real to both of them. A sad movie (no spoilers, not going to give away the ending!), it will certainly jerk with your own emotions throughout the film, but a truly great one.

So that’s it. I’ve seen 4 movies so far this year. I’ll try to get my thoughts up more quickly from here on out. Up next I hope to see August: Osage County, Nebraska (finally showing in my area!), and Inside Llewyn Davis. Maybe Hercules if I’m bored, though he is getting thrashed in reviews so maybe not.

I see a lot of movies. My wife says I should blog about them. So here I am.

I signed up for Movie Pass (https://www.moviepass.com/spd) in February last year. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s a pretty cool program allowing you to see 1 “regular” movie (no 3D, no IMAX, etc.) per 24 hour window for a reasonable, flat monthly fee. The system has its flaws, but I put it to use and saw a lot of movies last year. I’ve always loved going to the movies, but as prices rose over the last few years, I went less and less until I found myself only going a handful of times a year. With Movie Pass in hand, I saw 68 movies last year, and I hope to see far more than that this year.

I’m sure this will be boring to read, it’ll mostly just be a record of what I see and what I think about them. But it is something to do so we’ll see where it goes.