Delayed Reaction: Shine

The Pitch: It's a biopic about a crazy guy - AN IT CAN WIN OSCARS.

What Took Me So Long: This never struck me as one of those interesting biopics.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Anytime a performance gets an Oscar it triggers my interest since I'm seeing what is supposedly the best thing that year. I agree, Geoffrey Rush is quite good in this. He gets all the fun of playing a mental illness without having to do retarded, which has go to be refreshing.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Rush is barely a lead in this. So much of the movie is about him growing up that young David is virtually a co-Lead. I'm not sure what in this I haven't seen before. Looking at when it was released versus when, say, A Beautiful Mind was, it's possible that, in context, it was fresh and new at the time, but to me, watching it now, it was overly familiar.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Movie Reaction: The Spectacular Now

Formula: 1 / (She's All That)

Why I Saw It: Of all the Sundance movies that generated buzz this year, this was the one I'd uniformly heard the best things about.

Cast: Miles Teller is charming as hell in this and sells both the good and bad about his character surprisingly well. For all that I'm heard about her in this, Shailene Woodley is not in this as much as I expected. She's certainly a supporting character. That said, I'm sold on her. She's great. The Descendants wasn't a fluke. Brie Larson is the frustrating ex for Teller which isn't a demanding role. I seem why I've heard so much about Kyle Chandler's role for how un-Coach-like he is. He is the anti-Coach and it's heartbreaking. Bob Odenkirk, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Andre Royo all have small parts complete with at least one scene each that bummed me out.

Plot: It's a coming of age story - Here me out! Teller is an alcoholic teen who is the life of every party but he is a trainwreck. It's basically his, a lot of it. I have trouble with protagonists like that, but he is young, so I forgive it a little more. Anyways, his girlfriend breaks up with him and he starts dating Woodley's character who is supposed to be a nerdy girl (who is totally hotter than almost any nerdy girl I've ever met, but whatever). He brings her down his spiral of self-sabotage. A lot of the beats are familiar. A few go in some unexpected directions and shit never his the fan as much as I feared and I appreciated that. The story realizing that it doesn't have to go big to be effective.

Elephant in the Room: You say that he is an alcoholic? Is he ever! The movie makes his alcoholism clear almost to the point overdoing it. The dude is always drinking. He makes me feel bad for owning a flask. Ok, it makes me feel bad when I think things like "that's wasn't that much whiskey that he drank". I don't fully understand where all the money was coming from for this habit. How can anyone without a full time job afford to be a functioning alcoholic? Sorry, this is starting to not be about the movie at all. Ignore me.

To Sum Things Up:
I liked this movie. It was definitely hurt by raised expectations, because I was expecting something a lot better. The performances top-to-bottom are great. I will certainly give anything that I see Teller or Woodley in immediate consideration in the future. I'm loving how they committed to the R rating. I can't deny that I badly wanted a neater ending even though I think the ending it has works, probably better. I was hoping to come back from this with a mandate that everyone see it, but it's certainly a niche movie. I am happy I saw it, not through the roof about it.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Knight and Day

The Pitch: What would it be like if a normal person walked into a spy movie?

What Took Me So Long: At least one friend insisted repeatedly that is was sub-par.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I didn't believe this friend. More importantly, I was prepared for the relative quality level I was walking into and was intrigued to see how effective it was. This is a classic example of a Hollywood movie sold on the pitch, not on the screenplay. 90% or the good parts of the movie are in the first half, then it remembers it has to be more than a 2hr. SNL sketch. Due to that, I thought the first half was fun. Tom Cruise is playing a caricature of a lot of the characters he's played before. Cameron Diaz is fun too, even if I don't think this is the best kind of role for her.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: That last half really limps along. The last 20 minutes or so, especially drags. I don't think anyone actually believe Cruise's character was dead, so what's the point in killing the momentum of the whole movie? This had the same problem a lot of action comedies have which is that the people behind it only have a grasp of one of the other. In this case, I think they were way more focused on the punchlines, which caused the staging of the action to be fairly sloppy. To be fair, I don't think the movie was going through an identity crisis or anything. I just think the people behind it didn't care about the rough edges.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: The Adventures of Tintin

The Pitch: Let's make a movie about Tintin...You don't know Tintin? Oh, you must be American. Trust me. It'll do wonderfully in Europe.

What Took Me So Long: Even when its Spielberg, I'm not likely to be in a hurry to see an animated movie, especially Belgian characters.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I kept hearing very good things about this, critics talking about the purity of it and the sense of fun and adventure. I suppose that's all true. The movie is straightforward in its intent. There's a lot of movement to it and looks great. It is made with Tintin novices in mind, which was nice, because all I had to go off was faint memories of the Tintin show on Nickelodeon that came on after Eureeka's Castle in the 90s. I'd say it remained true to the spirit of that.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Ultimately, I think this movie hinges on how much you already do or do not love Tintin. While I appreciated the quality of the production, I honestly didn't care one bit about the character Tintin, or Captain Haddock, or Thomson and Thompson. I loved Snowy the dog. He's a dog. How could I not? I think this movie relies to some extent on nostalgia that I don't have. It wasn't bad or anything. I simply didn't think it was anything special either.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: The Passion of the Christ

The Pitch: Let's do a "realistic" portrayal of Jesus's persecution. Don't worry about profitability. We'll make it a religious mandate for an entire Easter season.

Remember when that name used to me something to people? Mel Gibson's, I mean.

What Took Me So Long: Protest, mostly. I figure 9 years is long enough to prove I'm not seeing it because "you have to."

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) It is without a doubt the highest grossing movie that I've never seen. Given the motivation of this club 50 project of mine, it would be bad to continue ignoring it. I'll give them credit. They created a grisly depiction of the passion, perhaps too grisly, but I get what they were going for. Also, props for sticking with the Hebrew. English would've been a cop out. It was also very clear the actors were totally on board with it.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I remember people talking about how you couldn't be a good Christian if you didn't see this (in my case, that was accurate). This is basically an art film and I'm not sure that there was any message to it other than "feel the pain". Watching it years removed from its release, I realize this of one of those weird pop culture moments that don't fully make sense, like "The Macarena" or Tickle Me Elmo, that I can't explain why it was such a big deal, but it was.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

September Preview

Oh boy. Can't wait for awards season to start up proper because this is a dull month. I have exactly one lock for this entire month. I'm hoping there are a few surprise gems in the mix, however that looks unlikely.
There's still a lit of movies that are expanding for me to take advantage of like The Spectacular Now and Drinking Buddies. I'm starting to wonder how far some of these will expand.

March |  April | May | June | July | August 

 

9/6

The Lock: None

In Consideration:

I guess I could've found a picture for Riddick, but I think this expresses my overall interest better.

Riddick - Had I seen the first two movies, I'd be much more likely to see this. I don't get the sense that Vin Diesel's return as Riddick will be impenetrable for people new to it. I'd rather not watch it that way though. This also strikes me as a weird time for a release like this.
Odds I'll See It: 30%

There's really no good picture from the movie that I could find.

Salinger - The 16-year-old in me is really interested to finally learn something about J.D. Salinger's life. A decade later, I'm good waiting for Netflix. Documentaries are hard sells for me to see in theaters and this one comes with little critical fanfare that I'm aware of.
Odds I'll See It: 15%

Oh, that looks fun.

Hell Baby - I remember reading a good review of it for Sundance and it has a lot of familiar players that I like seeing on the screen. This sounds like a comedy sequel to Rosemary's Baby which is one of those pitches that sounds funnier in concept than it is likely to be in execution. It's a pointless debate though because I figure there's no way this expands to the needed level for me to see it.
Odds I'll See It: 35%

9/13

The Lock: None

In Consideration:

That looks absolutely horrifying.

Insidious: Chapter 2 - I almost bumped this to lock because I enjoyed the first movie a good deal and The Internship proved that I'll see a lot of things that Rose Byrne is in, but I'm pretty sure the only thing making this so guaranteed is the lack of other options. As for the movie itself, I didn't get a sense of a need for a sequel from the first, so I'm curious to see how they extend the story.
Odds I'll See It: 51%

 Doesn't he look tired?

The Family - I like Robert De Niro. I don't see enough of Michelle Pfeiffer (Seriously, the last movie I remember seeing her in was Stardust in '07, also with De Niro, coincidentally enough). Then there's Dianna Agron who is certainly nice to look at but I've no sense of what she can do outside the confines of Glee. I think Tommy Lee Jones is in this Witness Protection (?) comedy as well. This has all the makings of a stinker, like We're the Millers meets Analyse This.
Odds I'll See It: 10%

9/20

The Lock: None

In Consideration:

 I'm thinking of doing a media block out of this and seeing it blind so that I won't know why everyone looks so angry.

Prisoners - This movie has Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman. It is in the festival circuit. Its title is Prisoners. That is all I know about this movie and it is still enough to be the only film released this weekend to get me at all interested.
Odds I'll See It: 40%

9/27

 I'm trying to decide whether this looks more European or more 70s.

The Lock: Rush

Really, this is barely a lock. It's Ron Howard, who churns out good product. There's some light Oscar buzz, so this is sort of an investment in February. The whole plot is laid out in the trailer (as well as being Wikipediable true story) so I assume it is not a film that exists to serve plot alone. I don't think "excited" is the best word to describe the 70s Formula One movie. Perhaps "curious" is better.
Odds I'll See It: 75%

In Consideration:

I hate when a movie makes me afraid to eat something.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - The first movie was cute. Working against this one though is that it looks like a rehash of the first and I see movies in the afternoon and hate being in a theater full of children. I'm a crotchety old man like that.
Odd I'll See It: 5%

Even in a still, I can't stop hearing those accents.

Don Jon - I don't know where I stand with this. I'm certain the Jersey accent will drive me made within an hour. It does look funny though and I'd like to show my support for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. There's a linger doubt about how a comedy about romance and porn-addiction can play out. I may have to rely on reviews and theater availability to decide on this one.
Odds I'll See It: 64%

DVR Purge: 8/28-9/3

 Did Burn Notice take the week off or was last week's episode the last before a hiatus. I swear to god, this better not be my DVR getting back at me for some perceived ill.
By the way, I finally watched Rectify which has been sitting in my DVR for weeks. That show is excellent. If you are considering watching it, do so. It is well worth your time. Because of that and I'm getting tired of using Breaking Bad pictures every week (step it up Wilfred), I'm using a Rectify picture for this purge.

Past Purges


The Bridge "Vendetta"
-So, was the scene with Matthew Lillard at the beginning supposed to be a flashback? I assume it was, meant to build confusion about why the victim pretended not to know him.
-How old is Gus supposed to be? I know he is two young to seriously expect to date Sonya, but how far out of his league is she? Criminally, or simply socially irresponsibly?
-Anyone else more than a little disappointed by who the killer is? For all that build up, I was hoping it would be someone with something to say. Not a cuckold.

Wilfred "Heroism"
A bit of a forgettable episode until the end. Then, wow. Jenna jumps Ryan. I didn't see that coming as much as I probably should've. As much as I like Ryan and Wilfred and having them as the only constants keeps the show cheap and all that, I do enjoy when we see more of the side characters like we did this week.

Breaking Bad "Rabid Dog"
This was a necessary episode for the season, but it certainly was my least favorite. I should make it clear we're talking about the difference between a 9 out of 10 and a 10 out of 10, so, still pretty great. A great episode for Jesse. I would love it if his full confession video was recorded and put on the site as a webisode or special feature on a DVD. That would be asking a bit much I realize. RJ Mitte had a great scene with Walt that makes me a little sad he never got a bigger role. Hank handled Jesse a lot better than he did Skyler when faced with building the case against Walt, but still seems outmatched.
As for the parts that rubbed me the wrong way: 1) I hate perfect timing. I understand the purpose of it for establishing timelines when dealing with time jumps, but it comes off as lazy writing. I hold Breaking Bad to higher standards than Walt missing Hank and Jesse by a matter of seconds. 2) Walt has to be able to come up with a better lie than the gas station pump one. I mean, Skyler still probably wouldn't've believed him, making this a stupid thing to be picking on.
Overall, the momentum keeps moving the show along and I continue to have no idea how we catch up to his 52nd birthday.

Delayed Reaction: Legends of the Fall

The Pitch: Brad Pitt in The Last of the Mohicans except without the Mohicans

What Took Me So Long: It looked like it would be way too long for its own good.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Is it just me, or are there a lot of American frontier period pieces in the 90s? It seemed to start with Dances with Wolves, continue through Last of the Mohicans, get a bump with Legends of the Fall, and sputter out with The Cider House Rules with numerous movies in between. This one is perfectly fine. It's a little caught up in it's Oscar bait moments, but that comes with the territory, I suppose. Brad Pitt is always engaging to watch and even a disinterested Anthony Hopkins will demand one's attention on screen. On a personal note, I'm always more interested to see anything talking about WWI instead of WWII,

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Seriously, what's the point of this movie? It has something to do with Brad Pitt fighting a bear. I know that. There's a love triangle between Brad Pitt, his brother, and Julia Ormond, but then the grown Cree girl Pitt marries is killed and I'm supposed to care about that too. Oh, then there's Adrian Quinn's moonshining issues and the bizarro-world version of Pitt and his brothers: the O'Banion brothers. I certainly don't regret watching this the way I do many others, but I'm not sure why it exists.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Movie Reaction: Blue Jasmine

Formula: Young Adult + Woody Allen

Why I Saw It: I've never seen a Woody Allen movie in theaters. I figured I should rectify this sooner than later.

Cast: Cate Blanchett is at her most detestable and plays it wonderfully. I don't think it's possible to be actively rooting for her by the end of the movie. Every one of her instincts is wrong and she is a burden at best for everyone around her. Sally Hawkins plays her less-cultured sister. Their dynamic is understandably nuanced. She comes off much more like the protagonist but still has a lot of flaws. Alec Baldwin plays a grounded, dishonest Jack Donaghy which is beginning to be what he's known for. Bobby Cannavale is a lovable oaf with some anger issues. Andrew Dice Clay of all people shows up playing, well, whatever character you'd expect him to be. Louis C.K. even has a small part played very much within his range (or maybe it would be better to say "comfort zone").

Plot: It's all about following the conceited ex-wife of a Bernie-Madoff type character who has to move in with her sister in San Francisco. The whole time it is cut with flashbacks that show how she got there. Every decision she makes is the wrong one and most of the humor that is in this is through the discomfort she creates in situations. Mostly though, it is more of a drama and it is impressive how similar it really is to Young Adult in a lot of ways except it's with a divorcee.

Elephant in the Room: Didn't Woody Allen just have a movie last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, etc.? Yeah. He keeps up one hell of a pace with movies. With one like this, I have to wonder what it would look like if he had a little more time. I liked the movie a good deal throughout, but the ending is a little empty. It just sort of happens. I love that Allen has such a large back log of movies, but sometimes, with a movie like this, I start wondering if we've been cheated on some greater final products.

To Sum Things Up:
I liked this but I don't regret waiting to see it. Had the release schedule been more crowded, I'd be likely to wait for video release for this. Good acting. Good dialogue. Questionable ending. Fits perfectly in the Woody Allen filmography.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Enemy of the State

The Pitch:  Here's what I image. Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer are sitting in a room. Jerry says, "Tony, I really want to produce a movie about a whistle-blower on the run. Will Smith owes me a favor, so if you can find a script for this, I'll make sure he's in it." And, Tony tells him "J.B." (I assume he goes by initials, not his name. It sounds more Hollywood like that) "I just heard about computers and Gene Hackman still owes me a favor, so if you let this movie be about that as well, I'll make sure he is in it." Then, they shook hands, smoked a Cuban cigar, and laughed about poor people. At least, that's how I assume deals in Hollywood are brokered.

What Took Me So Long: You may be noticing a trend here, but I always confused this with U.S. Marshals, so I was never sure which movie I hadn't seen.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Will Smith, Jon Voight, Gene Hackman, Lisa Bonet, Regina King, Jack Black, Jamie Kennedy, Jason Lee, Gabriel Byrne, Anna Gunn, with Tony Scott Directing and Jerry Bruckheimer producing. They even got a Busey. Frankly, I'm not sure why I hadn't seen this sooner. It's a little eerie how topical this is now with all the news about the NSA coming out. Despite that depressing real life connection, this is a fun thriller that has all the necessary beats without too much of the sloppiness and plot inconsistency that tends to ruin many of this kind of movie.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Beyond some nightmares about the NSA following me, none. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend