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Archives for : September2013

Movie Review: “Baggage Claim” is a Flight you can Afford to Miss

During awards season, the majority of films I’m watching are intense dramas or dark comedies. So I appreciate getting to take a break with a fun romantic comedy that requires little or no thought. Unfortunately Paula Patton’s new film, Baggage Claim, makes too many uneventful stops and one predictable destination.

Paula Patton plays Montana Moore, a bubbly flight attendant who still hasn’t met Mr.Right. After Montana’s younger sister (Lauren London) gets engaged, she starts to feel the need to find a husband of her own. With her mother (Jenifer Lewis), who has already been married five times, constantly pressuring to find a man and become a real “lady,” Montana sets out for mission “put a ring on it.”  With the help of her co-workers, she embarks on a thirty day challenge to find her future fiancée within the batch of past exes who happen to all be taking flights on her airline.

The acting in this film is mediocre. At times it was hard to remember that Patton was the same actress who played Ms. Rain in Precious. Though Montana is a likeable character, she is also a bit of an irritating one. You like her because she is beautiful and sweet, but her desperation to find a husband comes off ungenuine by her over expressive facial expressions and lack of emotion during her “saddest” times in the film. Jenifer Lewis does a good job as the over dramatic mother who worries her daughter will never get married. I’ve just seen this character so many times before, and they always end with the same resolution that can be a bore to watch. Surprisingly enough, the characters who did make me laugh were Montana’s best friends and fellow flight attendants, Sam (Adam Brody) and Gail (Jill Scott). Scott and Brody make an entertaining duo with some hilarious one-liners. Sadly, these two have more chemistry together than Patton does with any of her suitors, and that’s with Adam Brody playing a homosexual in the film. 

To say Baggage Claim is a cliche romantic comedy is an understatement. This film is so predictable that you can figure out how it is going to end within the first five minutes. That being said, it is still a cute film with a relevantly good message. “The magic isn’t in the getting married, it’s in the staying married.”  With the rush to get married these days and the soon after divorces, it is nice to see a film express how important it is to know and love yourself first before sharing your life with someone else. But other than that message and some cheap laughs, you are left feeling a little underwhelmed with the film.

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some language.

Baggage Claim makes it’s landing in theaters today…

If you are in the mood for a more realistic romantic comedy, I recommend Enough Said. Starring the late, James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The film is currently playing in select theaters, but its worth whatever drive you have to take to see. It’s an original story with lots of laughs and an incredibly, charming James Gandolfini.

Movie Review: Prisoners

When your child goes missing, how far would you go to find her?

After his six-year-old daughter and her best friend are kidnapped on Thanksgiving, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) butts heads with detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is in charge of the investigation.   Keller feels Loki and his department are not doing enough to find the girls.  Keller’s son mentions an old RV, owned by Alex Jones (Paul Dano) and believes he is the culprit that has taken his daughter.  When there is a lack of evidence to show any signs that Alex may have taken the girls, he is set free.   Losing faith in the law, he captures Alex and holds him captive in a desperate attempt to find out what happened to the girls.  But the further he goes to get the man to confess, the closer he comes to losing his soul.

If you have already seen the trailer for this film, then you should know that it screams Best Picture potential.  But after watching the movie, it’s the performances that prove to be Oscar worthy.  With an all star cast like this one, it’s not shocking that the acting would be exceptional.  At this point for most of these Academy Award nominated actors,  it is about competing with their own past performances.  Hugh Jackman is fresh off his Best Actor nod for Les Miserable.  Though I thought he did an incredible job as Jean Valjean, it’s his performance in Prisoners that has left me more satisfied than ever with the actor.  Jackman takes the audience on a nail biting, dark journey to see how a desperate father handles every parent’s worst nightmare.  It’s the little things that stand out in his performance, from every scowl to every deep breath he makes.  I could go on for a while discussing him, but I think you see my point.

Jake Gyllenhaal raised the bar for himself as an actor.  He plays detective Loki, a cop that has never lost a case.  Loki has his own troubled past which is seen through all his subtle, twitching tendencies.  It been since his 2005 nomination for Brokeback Mountain that we have seen him be in such a strong in a role.  The movie is really seen through both the eyes of Jackman and Gyllenhaal’s characters.  

On one hand we have Loki, who follows the law and chooses to stick with his moral compass when trying to solve this case.  On the other hand, we have Keller who has lost all morality and has taken the law into his own hands.  As the story unfolds, it’s interesting to see which method proves to be most effective.  Come Oscar time, I see a nomination for both of these actors.

Director, Denis Villeneuve (Incendies, Enemy), explained how this film is really about the characters; and showing how each of them  handle this disheartening situation differently.  Well Denis, mission accomplished!  Each person affected by this kidnapping portray relatable ways of grieving.  We are shown a non-stop crying mother who can’t get out of bed.  The other mother has gone into shock and hasn’t touched a thing in the kitchen since that Thanksgiving Day.  A father who has no idea what to do, and another father who continues to take any action he can.  Every last detail, whether it’s a clue for the case or a specific characteristic, serves a purpose in this film.

It’s the details in Prisoners that make this film so exciting to watch.  Besides being on the edge of your seat and dying to find out what happened to the little girls, you’re filled with important facts that will eventually all tie together in the end.   Prisoners falls right there with films like Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River, a gloomy, exciting mystery with an original, satisfying ending.  I will say that I’m still partial to Gone Baby Gone, but all three films do a great job of leaving you with the thought of “what would I do if I was in that position?”

The film is two hours and twenty minutes, but it never felt like that for me.  You are too engaged in the case and characters to think about time.  This is a very dark film.  But given the topic, I wouldn’t see this movie played out any other way.  These days with movies being predicable from just a trailer, I enjoyed the fact that two hours into this movie I was still thinking “How is this going to end!?”

Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Paul Dano, and Melissa Leo also star in the film.

Rated R for disturbing, violent content including torture, and language.

Prisoners opens everywhere today!

Prisoners Trailer HD

Having a Rough Day? Here’s 5 Films that are so Entertaining, you’ll forget your Problems

We all have those days.  Work has been stressing you out and you feel miserable.  Your having relationship troubles. Your starting feel insecure about yourself. Overall, your in the dramatic “I hate life” mode.  Anytime I tend to get in this random mood for whatever reason, movies have always been my cure!  When you’re watching a great film, you get to have a wonderful escape.

In this particular mood, I tend to go for films that don’t require heavy concentration. Light-hearted, feel good or even a horror will help.  These are the five films that are so entertaining, you’ll be focusing on the story and the characters’ problems instead of your own for at least two hours or so.

Pitch Perfect

Get Pitch-Slapped!

 

For the Fun: Starring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson, this film just represents “Glee”fulness.   The musical numbers are hilarious and actually really good.  In case anyone didn’t know, Anna Kendrick got her start on broadway.  After seeing the Oscar nominated actress in some strong, big screen performances, its nice to see her showing off both talents in this surprisingly, fun film.  Pitch Perfect is a happy, colorful movie that everyone will enjoy singing along to.  Throw in some major WTF moments and a cute romance, you will be singing to yourself, “what problems?”

Little Miss Sunshine

What makes you a winner in life?

 

For the Message: This Oscar nominated film is more than just breakout performances and inappropriate humor.  The story about this family of “losers” may start out a bit depressing, but as the movie continues you will find that winning the top prize doesn’t necessarily make you a winner in life.  Having people in your life that love and support you no matter what is often what winners and losers strive for.  It’s the message of this film that will leave you still thinking about it even when it’s finished.

Meet the Parents

You’ll be grateful your name is not Gaylord Focker

 

For the Appreciation: Whatever your problem is, it can’t be any worse than what Gaylord ‘Greg’ Focker (Ben Stiller) goes through in one of the most hilarious films of all time.  As if meeting your girlfriend’s parents wasn’t nerve-racking enough, having one of those parents be ex CIA, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) is terrifying.  There are so many obstacles Greg goes through, including lost luggage, a lie detector test, broken noses and so much more that you will appreciate the fact that you aren’t in his shoes.  Besides feeling ultimate sympathy for Greg in this film, you may also think twice before checking a bag for your next flight.

Tommy Boy

Chris Farley in his little coat

 

For the Laughs: Chris Farley was a comedy genius and paired with David Spade, together they were a dynamic duo.  This slapstick comedy is a laugh out loud riot.  As these two are on a mission to sell an impossible amount of brake pads, they encounter so many ridiculous events from cow tipping to a deer fight.  Tommy Boy is a true underdog story, you root for Tommy and laugh at his pain.  There may be one disaster after another in this film, but there is also heart and friendship.  Just sit back and enjoy the catastrophe that these two characters go through, you will more than likely end still laughing and quoting lines.

Scream

What’s your favorite scary movie?

 

For the Scare:  A good scary movie can cure a lot of problems.  Really any horror flick will do the trick here, but one of my personal favorites is the cult classic, Scream. The opening sequence to this film is one of the best from any scary movie.   You may think all the comedy spoofs for these films will make you unable to take it seriously, but try watching it by yourself in the dark.  Regardless of the cheesy romantic scenes and sometimes predictable murders, it’s just a fun scary movie.  Scream has a great story, good mystery, lots of stabbing and it’s just scary enough for you to still be able to sleep easy after watching.  However, if you would like to have night terrors, try The Exorcist or the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.