Zero Dark Thirty Preview

On September 11, 2001, a terrorist group known as Al Qaeda carried out the worst attack by a foreign country on US soil.  In the decade that followed, several covert and overt operations have been carried out in retaliation against those responsible for the attack and in efforts to track down their elusive leader, Osama Bin Laden.  Zero Dark Thirty is the story of the success of a small military group knows as Navy SEAL Team Six in accomplishing this goal.  Maya (Jessica Chastain) is a new CIA operative and she has the uncomfortable job of overseeing the interrogation of prisoners after the Al Qaeda attacks.  Although she is reluctant to be a part of it, Maya truly believes this is the only way to get any viable information as to the location of Osama Bin Laden. After a decade of pursuit, Maya is sure she has discovered Bin Laden's whereabouts, and SEAL Team Six is sent to capture or kill the terrorist mastermind, but she is the only one confident in her findings.

Based on actual events, Zero Dark Thirty looks to be an emotionally charged, gut-wrenchingly uncomfortable, frustrating movie.  Movies like this tend to do three things: point out how inept and inefficient our government is, demonize an entire race of people because of a small faction of radicals, and glorify the actions of those following orders as brave heroes.  The preview, unfortunately, looks like it has the real potential to accomplish all three of those.  More than ten years after 9/11, many are still left with doubt and questions about how the attacks on our country actually happened, and many more are still cynical about our countries military response to those attacks.  Although I don't know anyone, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, who doesn't agree it was a victorious day when we found and killed Osama Bin Laden, this film is sure to make everyone take a moment to reflect on what it took to get him and ultimately poses the question: does the end justify the means?   

This type of movie is difficult as a viewer because you are constantly debating how much is Hollywood liberty with telling an entertaining story, and how much is actually true.  Regardless of how much of either is represented in Zero, I just hope I don't walk away feeling like this movie was propaganda of any kind towards the United States, Pakistan, or any military branches.  With all the hype, I'm hoping for 4 stars.  With all the controversy, I'm not expecting more than 3.  So I'll call it in the middle and predict 3.5 stars.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Argo Review

4 Stars

Argo is the name of the 1980 science fiction movie set in Iran with a storyline and feel similar to Star Wars.  The film was never made . . . and they never intended to make it either.  During the Iran hostage crisis, six Americans were able to get free when the embassy is invaded by Iranian protestors and found asylum in the home of Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber).  When the CIA ordered that they be rescued and brought home, it was up to CIA exfiltration expert Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to figure out a way to do just that. Argo was his elaborate plan: a Canadian movie set in Iran.  Mendez posed as one of the film's producers, the CIA set up a fake Canadian film studio and sent out press releases advertising the movie, even members of Hollywood's film industry were brought in to bring legitimacy to the film that was never going to be made.  Based on true events, the plan was to get their phony film crew into Iran, make contact with the six refugees, and sneak them out of the country as part of their film crew.

I predicted 4 stars and Argo was a solid 4 star experience.  The preview was spot on: an incredible and almost unbelievable story, great characters, and a non-stop heart-pounding ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.  Ben Affleck was great as Ben Affleck, or Tony Mendez. Affleck is one of those actors who is pretty much the same character in every one of his movies, but I still like him.  I think he's been in some bad movies (Gigli), but I don't think he performed badly in any of those movies.  But I don't ever see him delivering an Oscar-worthy performance.  So, he should set his aspirations of trophies and commendations to behind-the-scenes work, like Good Will Hunting.  And Argo is up for an Oscar for Best Picture.  I'm not sure why Affleck didn't get recognized for his job Directing this movie, but Beasts of the Southern Wild Director Benh Zeitlin and Silver Linings Playbook Director David O. Russell did get nominated.  

Speaking of nominations, Alan Arkin was nominated for Actor in a Supporting Role for his part as Hollywood Film Producer Lester Siegel. He was great for the whole ten to fifteen minutes he was in the movie, but I don't think that warrants an Oscar Nomination, especially being put up against Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) and Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained).  Regardless of the awards this movie should or should not be receiving in my opinion, Argo was thoroughly entertaining, extremely well-done, rivetingly intense and well worth the price of admission.  I will definitely see it again and there's a good chance of it making my home collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Argo Preview

Argo is the name of the 1980 science fiction movie set in Iran with a storyline and feel similar to Star Wars.  The film was never made . . . and they never intended to make it either.  During the Iran hostage crisis, six Americans were able to get free and found asylum in the home of Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber).  When the CIA ordered that they be rescued and brought home, it was up to CIA exfiltration expert Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to figure out a way to do just that. Argo was his elaborate plan: a Canadian movie set in Iran.  Mendez posed as one of the film's producers, the CIA set up a fake Canadian film studio and sent out press releases advertising the movie, even members of Hollywood's film industry were brought in to bring legitimacy to the film that was never going to be made.  Based on true events, the plan was to get their phony film crew into Iran, make contact with the six refugees, and sneak them out of the country as part of their film crew.

The preview shows an almost unbelievable story told by an amazing cast.  Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, Argo looks to be intriguing, entertaining, and a nail-biting story of epic heroism. Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, and John Goodman lend their talents to the film and seem to be in top form. In 2010, Ben Affleck's last project in Directing and Acting, The Town, earned an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor Jeremy Renner and an AFI award win for movie of the year.  Argo has been nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture of the Year and Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin.  Is this the year Affleck takes home the trophy? He's certainly up against some stiff competition.  Judging from the preview, this movie will earn those nominations, though I'm not so sure about actually winning them when you look at the other films and actors who were also nominated.  I'm predicting a 4 star experience overall that is worth the price of admission and might make it to my home collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Silver Linings Playbook Review

3.5 Stars

Silver Linings Playbook is the story of Pat Solatano Jr. (Bradley Cooper) who was just released from a court ordered stint at a mental institution. He was placed there as a result of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder which was decided after he beat up his wife Nikki's (Brea Bee) lover. Pat was released after eight months of treatment on the condition that he move back in with his parents in Philadelphia.  Pat has lost his house, his job and his wife (who also has a restraining order against him), he's a newly released mental patient, and supposed to be taking medications to help with his disorder.  Against all odds, Pat is determined to set things right and is convinced he can do it all by making healthy life choices rather than through self-medication.  On his journey, he finds he's not the only one with problems: his father Pat Solatano Sr. (Robert DeNiro) has become a bookie to pay the bills, his best friend Ronnie (John Ortiz) is quietly seething inside over his controlling wife Veronica (Julia Stiles), and Veronica's widowed sister Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) is a recovering sex addict.  But it's Tiffany who throws the biggest wrench into Pat's plan to get his job, his wife and his life back as they develop a love / hate relationship stemming from the help they find they can offer each other in their journeys.

The preview for Silver Linings Playbook is pretty spot on in it's representation of the movie.  I said that it looks like a cute, smart, sweet, heart-felt story of pain, recovery and growth.  It's exactly that.   I did think it was an original story: Pat Solatano Jr (Cooper) gets out of a court-ordered mental facility after beating the man his wife was cheating with. He moves in with his parents as part of the condition for his release.  His father (DeNiro) has turned to gambling to pay the bills which gets interesting with his OCD paired with severe superstition.  His best friend Ronnie (Ortiz) has lost the love and passion in his marriage and feels whipped by his wife Veronica (Stiles).  Veronica's sister Tiffany (Lawrence) has her own issues getting over her husband's death and being labeled as the town slut, a title she earned by sleeping with all of her co-workers.  Somehow, Pat and Tiffany find they just might have the ability to positively affect each other, help each other grow and heal, and somehow actually find they are perfect for each other.

My biggest concern was Bradley Cooper and his ability to pull off the lead role in a movie like this.  I thought he was funny as part of an ensemble in the Hangover movies, and I thought he was also good as part of an ensemble in the romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You.  And he did a really good job in Silver Linings; but ultimately, it was basically taking his ensemble part in Not Into You and expanding it to a sole lead.  And the movie was on par with a movie like Not Into You as well.  And I thoroughly enjoyed that movie, as I did this one.  I thought DeNiro was great, as is to be expected.  I thought Jennifer Lawrence was smart and sharp and sexy and love her more and more with every role I see.  But I just don't see why this was nominated for 8 Oscars.  Again, I really enjoyed it, I give it 3.5 stars.  I'll probably watch it again, but doubt it will make it to my collection.  But Best Picture? Best Director? Best Actor?  I didn't see it.  Maybe best screenplay.  But I could be wrong.  We'll find out in a few weeks.  So what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Silver Linings Playbook Preview

Silver Linings Playbook is the story of Pat Solatano Jr. (Bradley Cooper) who was just released from a court ordered stint at a mental institution. He was placed there as a result of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder which was decided after he beat up his wife Nikki's (Brea Bee) lover. Pat was released after eight months of treatment on the condition that he move back in with his parents in Philadelphia.  Pat has lost his house, his job and his wife (who also has a restraining order against him), he's a newly released mental patient, and supposed to be taking medications to help with his disorder.  Against all odds, Pat is determined to set things right and is convinced he can do it all by making healthy life choices rather than through self-medication.  On his journey, he finds he's not the only one with problems: his father Pat Solatano Sr. (Robert DeNiro) has become a bookie to pay the bills, his best friend Ronnie (John Ortiz) is quietly seething inside over his controlling wife Veronica (Julia Stiles), and Veronica's widowed sister Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) is a recovering sex addict.  But it's Tiffany who throws the biggest wrench into Pat's plan to get his job, his wife and his life back as they develop a love / hate relationship stemming from the help they find they can offer each other in their journeys.

The preview makes Silver Linings Playbook as a cute, smart, sweet, heart-felt story of pain, recovery and growth in Pat Solatano Jr (Cooper) and those around him including his father (DeNiro), best friend (Ortiz) and friend / love interest (Lawrence).  Jennifer Lawrence is quickly making a name for herself with such movies as The Hunger Games and X-Men: First Class and looks to be on the rise to becoming one of the greats.  And what can you say about Robert DeNiro? He looks as sharp as ever.  My biggest concerns are Chris Tucker and Bradley Cooper in this movie.  I liked Cooper in the Hangover movies and think he's great as part of an ensemble cast like He's Just Not That Into You, but I'm not sure about him taking on the sole responsibility of leading man putting out an Oscar worthy performance.  And I just don't see Chris Tucker being a part of any Oscar worthy film.  But perhaps Director David Russell has what it takes to bring out Oscar performances from these men.  He certainly did in his last directing project with The Fighter, earning him an Oscar Nomination and Oscar wins for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo in their supporting roles.

So I'm optimistic but not getting my hopes up too much about Silver Linings Playbook.  It looks like a movie I'll enjoy.  I'm sure I'll laugh and even well up at some points.  Ultimately, though, it looks like it will be a 3 star movie that most likely won't be finding a home in my personal collection.  But I could be wrong.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Lincoln Review

4.5 Stars

Through the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln granted freedom to the slaves in our nation's history as the Civil War continued to divide and threaten to destroy our young country.  Lincoln faced fierce opposition to his declaration and so he set out to make his decision permanent by passing a thirteenth amendment to the Constitution.  Stephen Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis as President Abraham Lincoln in the story of the trials he faced to get that Amendment passed, to bring an end to the Civil War, bring peace to the United States, and bring freedom to the slaves.

Spielberg has struck gold once again with Lincoln. Astounding from start to finish.  I don't know if it's comforting or disturbing to see that our House of Representatives is just as effective now as it was even in the 1860's; however, I wonder what happened to the way our meetings of the Representatives are run.  It looks like it used to be a lot more interesting and entertaining 150 years ago.  I also wonder what happened to our way of speaking and communicating.  It used to be so much more colorful and bold and effective:

Thaddeus Stevens: "How can I hold that all men are created equal when here before me stands stinking the moral carcass of the gentleman from Ohio? . . . You are more reptile than man George, so low and flat that the foot of man is incapable of crushing you."

Thaddeus Stevens:  to Fernando Wood "Some of us breathe oxygen and we find the mephitic fumes of his oratory a lethal challenge to our pulmonary capabilities."

And not only was Lincoln a great orator, he loved to tell stories (seemed to have one for every occasion) and had an amazing sense of humor, which is quite impressive considering all he endured.  While talking to enlisted black soldiers from the north:

 

Private Harold Green: You got springy hair for a white man.
Abraham Lincoln: Yes, I do. My last barber hanged himself. And the one before that. Left me his scissors in his will.

Not once during this masterpiece did I see Daniel Day-Lewis.  He was Abraham Lincoln, flawlessly.  Sally Field made brave and strong choices as Mary Lincoln.  Most people only remember her to be increasingly insane from the death of their firstborn son to the trials and tribulations of being First Lady to the Civil War President of the United States.  Field was able to bring to light a caring, emotional and sharp Mary Lincoln.  Tommy Lee Jones was full of memorable quotes as Lincoln's Vice President Thaddeus Stevens.  Oh to have such smart, determined, effective and quick-witted Vice Presidents as was Stevens!  And James Spader as W. N. Bilbo, attorney, journalist, and cunningly crafty supporter of the Thirteenth Amendment was genius. 

The movie was not action-packed with bloody war scenes like Saving Private Ryan, but this movie was not so much about the Civil War as it was about Lincoln's crusade to pass the Thirteenth Amendment and free the slaves.  And this movie didn't need the action to keep the plot rolling.  It focused on a very specific topic and a very short period in the life of President Lincoln, but it was riveting as a story.  And with perfect performances by every cast member, Spielberg made it feel as though we were actually being given the gift of watching this historic period in our nation's history, rather than watching a movie about it 150 years later.  I give Lincoln 4.5 stars and cannot wait to see it again and own this film that is sure to be front contender at the Oscars.  So what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Lincoln Preview

Through the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln granted freedom to the slaves in our nation's history as the Civil War continued to divide and threaten to destroy our young country.  Lincoln faced fierce opposition to his declaration and so he set out to make his decision permanent by passing a thirteenth amendment to the Constitution.  Stephen Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis as President Abraham Lincoln in the story of the trials he faced to get that Amendment passed, to bring an end to the Civil War, bring peace to the United States, and bring freedom to the slaves.

This is Stephen Spielberg's fifteenth nomination for an Oscar, though it's been a while since he's won.  His last trophy was awarded him for his Direction of Saving Private Ryan (1998), although the Best Picture honors went to Shakespeare In Love. And he's not the only Oscar winner associated with this movie.  Daniel Day-Lewis has won twice, Sally Field has won twice, and Tommy Lee Jones has won once.

So, the movie shouldn't be filled with any twists and turns that I don't see coming. It's the story of Abraham Lincoln.  Civil War President, freed the slaves, and was shot and killed while attending the theatre by John Wilkes Booth.  Sorry if that was a spoiler for anyone out there.     He has the opportunity to end the war and bring peace to the South, but he feels the need to end slavery.  With so much hostile opposition, his fellow politicians, his closest advisers, even his family tell him that he can do one or the other and that he should give up on freeing the slaves.  So since we all know the story, it's going to be about how it's told, and there's not many better than Spielberg to do so.  The preview looks like a perfect time period movie that will bring Lincoln to life in a way that's never been done before.  And with an all-star cast like Day-Lewis, Field and Jones (and many others), this has all the makings of an Oscar-sweeping film.  I'm predicting at least 4 stars.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Beasts of the Southern Wild Review

3 Stars

In a small shrimping bayou town known as The Bathtub, Beasts of the Southern Wild is the story of six year old Hushpuppy who is "raised" by her wildman of a father named Wink.  Her mother is not in the picture and she is more often left in the company of various wild beasts of the bayou rather than family.  At six years old, Hushpuppy believes that life in the bayou and in the universe is fragile and depends on everything fitting together perfectly.  Her world, and the world around her is rocked when Wink contracts a mysterious disease the same time global warming results in melting ice caps and the unleashing of prehistoric beasts.  A storm nearly destroys The Bathtub and Hushpuppy and Wink manage to survive.  Hushpuppy can't bear to watch her dying father so she sets out to find her estranged mother, learning about herself and the real world in the process.

I've been teetering on the fence about giving this 2.5 or 3 stars.   It was a decent movie.  The preview and the plot synopsis were a little misleading.  I was lead to believe that the father was more physically non-existent in young Hushpuppy's life.  The truth is, Wink raised her the best he could, preparing her to be a strong, independent woman who doesn't need to rely on anyone for anything.  Ironically, this completely contradicts Hushpuppy's view on life which is everything fitting together perfectly to keep the fragile universe working properly.  And anything that is done wrong, must be undone to set things in proper motion again.  The preview made it seem like this story would be more of a survival adventure weathering the storm and the aftermath; abandoning her ailing father in search of her estranged mother; epic prehistoric beasts on the loose.  Actually the storm sequence was over pretty quickly, the aftermath was pretty much life as usual in The Bathtub for those who chose to stay behind, she didn't abandon her father but came to understand and accept he wasn't fit to take care of her, the search for her mother lasted all of ten minutes and ended with a weird bayou brothel scene, and the prehistoric beasts were nothing more than a metaphor for those who lived in The Bathtub.

All that made me want to give 2.5 stars, but I bumped it up for the great performance of Quvenzhané Wallis definitely deserves recognition for her role as Hushpuppy.  Oscar worthy?  That may be a little stretch, but only a little.  She was great.  And I also give kudos to young director Benh Zeitlin for getting that performance out of Wallis.  Look for more great things from these two in the future.  So officially, Beasts of the Southern Wild gets 3 stars.  Worth catching a matinee or renting, but most likely won't be making my home collection.  So what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Beasts of the Southern Wild Preview

In a small shrimping bayou town known as The Bathtub, Beasts of the Southern Wild is the story of six year old Hushpuppy who is "raised" by her wildman of a father named Wink.  Her mother is not in the picture and she is more often left in the company of various wild beasts of the bayou rather than family.  At six years old, Hushpuppy believes that life in the bayou and in the universe is fragile and depends on everything fitting together perfectly.  Her world, and the world around her is rocked when Wink contracts a mysterious disease the same time global warming results in melting ice caps and the unleashing of prehistoric beasts.  A storm nearly destroys The Bathtub and Hushpuppy and Wink manage to survive.  Hushpuppy can't bear to watch her dying father so she sets out to find her estranged mother, learning about herself and the real world in the process.

Beasts of the Southern Wild stars Quvenzhané Wallis in the principle role of six year old Hushpuppy.  It's always tough when the main character is so young to predict how the movie will pan out.  This is her first credited role, so there's nothing to reference.  And this may sound harsh, but the temptation as a critic (and as a movie goer in general) is to somewhat lower your standards if the performance isn't perfect by saying, "Well, she's only six".  The "grown-ups" don't get that leeway and in fact are held up to the standards of DeNiro, Hanks, Streep and Close when the notion of Oscar is brought up.  So what about the director? This is only Benh Zeitlin's fourth credited title as a director and only his first full-length feature film.  Again, not much help in trying to figure out what to expect from Beasts of the Southern Wild.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad for Beasts that I just watched Life of Pi which is also about a youngster facing tragedy with wild beasts all fending for their lives and learning about themselves and the world at the same time.  The problem is that Ang Lee created so many picturesque scenes in Pi that were just jaw-droppingly beautiful, it's hard not to compare that to Beasts of the Southern Wild.  And judging on that aspect alone, Beasts pales in comparison from the preview.  Again, it looks like a good, heart-warming story, but I'm skeptical of a six year old carrying the movie on her shoulders.  I'm predicting a great first effort by many involved in this movie, but we'll see if it lives up to the Oscar hype surrounding it.  I'm predicting 3 stars, but I'm hoping for more.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Life of Pi Review

4.5 Stars

Based on the best selling novel by Yann Martel, Academy Award Winning Director Ang Lee brings the story Life of Pi to the big screen. Pi is the son of an Indian Zoo Keeper who's family has decided to take their trade to Canada and has hitched a ride on a Pacific tanker ship to do so.  Tragedy strikes when the ship goes down leaving the 16 year old Pi to fend for his life adrift in the ocean with his fellow survivors: a Bengal tiger, a hyena, an orangutan, and a zebra.

Ang Lee is best known for his works directing such films as Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  Lee has enlisted unknown actor Suraj Sharma to play the principal role of Pi.  Quite the opportunity for a young actor's first role.  And he nailed the role, and Ang Lee nailed this film. Every shot of film in this movie could be clipped from the reel and blown up to a poster sized print and sold as art is was that beautiful, that breath-taking.  And that's exactly what the preview leads you to believe it will be.  However, unless you read the book, you wouldn't know from the preview that this isn't just a survivor story; but it's also a story of identity, discovery and doubt.  Young Pi is a smart and inquisitive boy, qualities that both get him into trouble, and ultimately save his life.  Some of the biggest questions he has are about religion.  Instead of rejecting anything, Pi seems to find the best of every religion to which he is introduced and ultimately becomes a devout Christian, Jew, Hindu, Muslim.  While his family is looking to start a new life in Canada, a tragic shipwreck and an unfortunately crew of co-survivors, Pi finds himself looking to not only survive with his castaway crew, but also survive from his castaway crew.  As if that wasn't enough to worry about every day, he was also looking for answers to his questions about God.

Along the lines of other best-selling spiritually reflective books like The Shack, Tuesdays with Maurie and The Alchemist, Life of Pi is a beautiful albeit familiar story, but it's told in such a beautiful way through the artful direction of Ang Lee.  This was a solid movie that completely accomplished what it set out to do and was quite accurately portrayed in its preview.  4.5 stars and I can't wait to see this again, and most likely add to my home collection.  So what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Life of Pi Preview

Based on the best selling novel by Yann Martel, Academy Award Winning Director Ang Lee brings the story Life of Pi to the big screen. Pi is the son of an Indian Zoo Keeper who's family has decided to take their trade to Canada and has hitched a ride on a Pacific tanker ship to do so.  Tragedy strikes when the ship goes down leaving the 16 year old Pi to fend for his life adrift in the ocean with his fellow survivors: a Bengal tiger, a hyena, an orangutan, and a zebra.

Ang Lee is best known for his works directing such films as Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  Lee has enlisted unknown actor Suraj Sharma to play the principal role of Pi.  Quite the opportunity for a young actor's first role.  And that's really about all we have to go on from the preview as well.  A no-name actor with no lines in the trailer makes it a little difficult to make any kind of prediction as to what this movie will actually be like.  The two minute preview, however, has enough gorgeous cinematic picturesque moments to fill a two-hour movie.  That alone makes me curious and I'm looking forward to seeing this film by Lee.  I am predicting a touching, reflective and introspective movie that is visually stunning.  As for the story, it seems it will be along the lines of Tom Hanks in Castaway where is mostly about survival and what it takes to stay alive and sane.  It will be interesting to see how well the story can keep me captivated and if it lives up to the beautifully painted scenes from the preview.  I'm willing to take a leap of faith and say this will earn a solid 4 stars, maybe even 4.5.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Django Unchained Review

4 Stars

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is the story of a slave name Django (Jamie Foxx) who's freedom is bought by Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz).  Schultz trains Django to become a bounty hunter.  Django then uses his skills to confront the brutal Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) to rescue his wife. 

Best known for his uncomfortably brutally funny movies like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and From Dusk Til Dawn, Django Unchained is bound to be another over-the-top gory and violent movie that is smart, well-acted, and so cleverly put together that you find yourself laughing and cringing at the same time and wondering how you could possibly be doing both.  The answer is simple: Quentin Tarantino.

And Django Unchained was exactly that.  Perhaps I'm getting a little old for movies like this, or maybe this movie was just particularly violent, but I really did find it to be uncomfortably violent at times and did find myself cringing in my seat.  I know Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were violent movies, but I don't recall being this disturbed for this long at what I saw in a movie.  As for the laughing, it was more brief moments of well-timed brevity that were a much welcomed and much needed break from the otherwise non-stop bloodshed. 

That being said, it was still done very well.  It was smart, gritty, gruesome, but a touching albeit unconventional love story.  Jamie Foxx was sharp as the slave with a vengeance Django.  Christopher Waltz was perfect and stole the show for me as the dentist turned bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz.  I even enjoyed Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as the business man Calvin Candie.  Django Unchained gets a solid 4 stars for the original script, the well shot movie, the amazing acting performances, the choice in music accompaniment, and even the brutality which was probably more accurate than most movies dare to show about this era in our history.  Well worth the money, highly recommended, though not 100% sure I will add this to my collection, it's something I could see myself watching again . . . when I can stomach it.  So what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Django Unchained Preview

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is the story of a slave name Django (Jamie Foxx) who's freedom is bought by Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz).  Schultz trains Django to become a bounty hunter.  Django then uses his skills to confront the brutal Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) to rescue his wife. 

Best known for his uncomfortably brutally funny movies like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and From Dusk Til Dawn, Django Unchained is bound to be another over-the-top gory and violent movie that is smart, well-acted, and so cleverly put together that you find yourself laughing and cringing at the same time and wondering how you could possibly be doing both.  The answer is simple: Quentin Tarantino.  I'm a big fan of Tarantino's style of directing and Django looks to be right on par with one of his best.  I admit, I'm not a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio and I know that will make me unpopular with most of the world, especially the ladies, but that's even more credit to Tarantino for making me want to see this movie still.

From the previews, Django Unchained looks to be a cross between the bloody, action-packed, uncomfortably brutal scenes of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs and the hilarious irreverence for a very serious topic (slavery) of Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles.  I predict Tarantino will work his insane magic once again and deliver on at least a 4 star movie that will have me waiting anxiously for the Blu Ray release to either watch again, or actually add to my collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Won't Back Down Review

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a single mother and bartender struggling to provide a life for her daughter who is struggling in school in Won't Back Down.  She teams up with one of the teachers (Viola Davis) to not only bring light to the problem of the failing school, but take head on the corrupt bureaucracy that is running the school. 

The preview starts with Jamie's (Gyllenhaal) daughter standing in front of her classmates being belittled by her peers and her teacher for not being able to read.  In fact, the teacher (sure to be a representative of the bureaucratic public school system that has failed our children) puts her in a supply closet to teach her a lesson. We also see another one of the teachers (Davis) at home with her own son struggling to perform at his grade level.  And the fight begins to fix the failing and corrupt school system.  Jamie teams up with the only honorable teacher around (Davis) and takes on the president of the teachers' union (Holly Hunter - returning to the screen after a seven year hiatus) and the principal (Bill Nunn) of the school.

So the preview for Won't Back Down is a little misleading.  Holly Hunter doesn't play the president of the teacher's union, she's a representative.  And she's not evil.  She is really caught between a rock and a hard place trying to truly do what's right and what's best for both sides involved.  The preview makes it look like Jamie (Gyllenhaal) is going head-to-head with her.  The preview also makes it seem like Viola Davis' character is the only teacher in the school who still cares and is willing to do anything about the situation when the truth is, the majority of those teachers are good people who readily stand up to make things right.  There is really only one teacher spotlighted as being completely void of compassion and completely inept at her job, rude to her students and often more interested in playing on her phone rather than the state of her classroom. 

The movie is two hours long, yet I felt there was a lack of scenes between parents and kids or kids in school to raise our emotional connection to the characters and their plight.   There was really only one scene between Davis' character and her son that really I found quite touching.  There have been so many more successful movies about failing schools and the few who dared to take a stand to make things right: Stand and Deliver, The Principal, Lean On Me.  This one pales in comparison as far as execution of the story and emotional attachment to the film.  Though Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis gave great performances, as usual, the film was a disappointment and will only be getting 2.5 stars, at best a renter.  So what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Won't Back Down Preview

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a single mother and bartender struggling to provide a life for her daughter who is struggling in school in Won't Back Down.  She teams up with one of the teachers (Viola Davis) to not only bring light to the problem of the failing school, but take head on the corrupt bureaucracy that is running the school. 

The preview starts with Jamie's (Gyllenhaal) daughter standing in front of her classmates being belittled by her peers and her teacher for not being able to read.  In fact, the teacher (sure to be a representative of the bureaucratic public school system that has failed our children) puts her in a supply closet to teach her a lesson. We also see another one of the teachers (Davis) at home with her own son struggling to perform at his grade level.  And the fight begins to fix the failing and corrupt school system.  Jamie teams up with the only honorable teacher around (Davis) and takes on the president of the teachers' union (Holly Hunter - returning to the screen after a seven year hiatus) and the principal (Bill Nunn) of the school.

Won't Back Down is based on the true events in Los Angeles, California that lead to what is known as The Parent Trigger Law which gives control to the parents to make administrative changes in the public school system when the current administration demonstrates they are unwilling or unable to perform their duties with the best interest of the students in mind and fails to show positive results.  Some have critiqued the movie as nothing more than an emotional simplification of the problem with the agenda of propagating The Parent Trigger Law.  I hope that's not the case.  The preview for Won't Back Down certainly portrays the movie as highly emotionally charged; but I have to admit, I'm a sucker for these kinds of movies where the underdog stands up to corruption,  especially where children's education is concerned.  And I'm also a sucker for Maggie Gyllenhaal and can't think of anything she's done that I haven't enjoyed.  I'm predicting an infuriating movie, emotional ride with tearful moments and moments of joy.  I don't have expectations for an Oscar movie, but am hoping for a solid 4 star experience.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Prometheus Review

Director Ridley Scott returns to his Science Fiction roots with the alien thriller Prometheus. Prometheus is an exploratory vessel that is used to accept the "invitation" of an alien race documented by several civilizations on earth throughout history.  Only now do we have the technology to do so.  The plan was simple: go to their world, explore, report back, and leave.  While the crew of Prometheus hoped to discover clues or maybe even the answer to the oldest question ever "Where did we come from?"; instead they find they were lured into a trap.  This alien race isn't the answer to our origins, but the very real threat to our existence and it's up to them to stop the aliens.

 I was delightfully surprised at the restraint in the use of digital technology to create this film; and the computer graphics used were tastefully done and added to the effectiveness of the movie rather than distracted you from the story.  While watching Prometheus, it was more than just a little similar to Scott's Alien movie from over 30 years ago.  The plot of Alien is that the hibernating crew of the ship Nostromo is awakened while returning to earth when they intercept a strange transmission.  They go to investigate and find an egg chamber and one of them releases an alien that attacks one of the crew.  Breaking protocol, they bring it back on the ship where it ultimately begins to aggressively kill all of the crew.  One of the crew, Ash, is an android that is ordered by their corporate employers to bring the alien back to earth at all costs.  Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) foils that plan and decides to trap the alien on the ship, activate the self-destruct, and escape in a pod. Ripley finds the alien made it onto her escape pod and ultimate kills it leaving only herself and a cat to survive.

The plot of Prometheus is that a crew voluntarily spends two years in hibernation while traveling to an alien planet they believe to have the answers to their origins. The expedition is funded by a corporate employer who has his own agenda with the aliens.  They have their own android on board who is programmed to do the corporate bidding even at the expense of the crew's lives.  They discover a chamber of tubes that contain alien DNA that can use human bodies as incubation hosts.  In this chamber, they find a decapitated alien head and the android secretly stashes one of these DNA tubes, both of which are brought back onto the ship.  Ultimately they find the aliens are not looking to provide answers but to destroy earth and mankind.  One last alien is about to escape but the surviving crew of Prometheus decide to use their own ship to destroy the alien and ultimately we are left with one female crew member, Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and one final alien who bears more than slight resemblance to the creature in Scott's film from 30 years ago.

Upon further investigation, I found that originally Prometheus was to serve as a prequel to Alien.  Scott didn't want that, so they re-wrote the script so this story "precedes" the Alien movie, but isn't directly linked to that series.  Right.  Without even reading that, it was obvious this was more of an Alien re-make than a brand new original thought.  That being said, the previews are pretty accurate in what you get out of the movie.  It's a sci-fi scary alien movie.  Honestly, I would have liked to have a little more explored about our origins as a race rather than an abrupt turn into a violent alien war, but that's not what this movie was ultimately supposed to be about.  It was entertaining, moved right along, but still had the sense of "I swear I've seen this all before" throughout.  That being said, I was pretty close to my 3 star prediction, but think I will ultimately give it 2.5 stars.  It was worth renting, I don't think I'd see it again and it won't be in my collection.  So what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Prometheus Preview

Director Ridley Scott returns to his Science Fiction roots with the alien thriller Prometheus. Prometheus is an exploratory vessel that is used to accept the "invitation" of an alien race documented by several civilizations on earth throughout history.  Only now do we have the technology to do so.  The plan was simple: go to their world, explore, report back, and leave.  While the crew of Prometheus hoped to discover clues or maybe even the answer to the oldest question ever "Where did we come from?"; instead they find they were lured into a trap.  This alien race isn't the answer to our origins, but the very real threat to our existence and it's up to them to stop the aliens.

I'll admit, the trailer looks a bit cheesy.  Like George Lucas with Star Wars, perhaps modern movie technology wasn't the best thing for Ridley Scott who had to resort to much more creative and innovative ways of creating his science fiction worlds when he directed Alien, Blade Runner, and Legend some thirty years ago.  Digital effects can often destroy that tangible reality that can't be created on a computer, no matter how good the program is.  It's still digital and still takes something away from a live action movie. And it looks from the preview that there's going to be plenty of computer created special effects in Prometheus. While Scott has directed some amazing movies like Robin Hood, American Gangster, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and G.I. Jane, his most recent producing endeavor was The Grey with Liam Neeson which was a pretty big disappointment for both Neeson and Scott.

I'm also a bit hesitant as I look over the cast and see that other than Charlize Theron, it's mostly a long list of not-so-well-known actors.  Topping the list are Noomi Rapace (who bears a striking resemblance to a younger Sigourney Weaver which may just be coincidence) who made an appearance in the Sherlock Holmes sequel and in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; and Michael Fassbender who's work includes X Men: First Class, Jonah Hex, and Inglourious Basterds. But it's mostly Ridley Scott's directing and return to Science Fiction that I am looking forward to.  I honestly don't have high hopes for a great story or Oscar-worthy acting.  I do hope to be entertained. I do want to see how a thirty year hiatus from science fiction and modern digital technology will manifest themselves in Prometheus.  I'm predicting a generous 3 star rating.  We shall see.

Arbitrage Review

Director Nicholas Jarcki storms onto the scene with Arbitrage, his first major motion picture project.  Arbitrage is the story of Robert Miller (Richard Gere) who is a multi-billion dollar hedge fund manager, a husband to a devoted wife (Susan Sarandon) and father to his daughter and co-worker (Brit Marling).  Miller is about to close a deal for a handsome price, but has doctored the books to cover up a large financial loss, unbeknownst to his wife, his daughter and his employees.  Miller's problems at work are just the beginning.  He is also having an affair.  One night, while driving with his mistress (Laetitia Casta), Miller dozes off at the wheel, flips his car and ends up killing her in the process.  He flees the scene and makes his way home.  Investigating the accident, Detective Bryer (Tim Roth) soon finds the trail leads to Miller.  Meanwhile, his daughter is discovering the discrepancy in the financial records and fears she might be implicated in the cover up.

Arbitrage was not your typical roller-coaster of a movie.  A roller-coaster has ups and downs and twists and turns.  This wasn't even a train wreck because a train can really only derail once and fall off its tracks.  This was one spiraling disaster after another that starts right from the beginning and keeps going down and down getting worse and worse for Robert Miller (Gere).  It was like a plane that crashed into a train that derailed and crashed into a roller coaster that derailed and crashed into a balloon cart sending the balloons into the sky hitting another plane's engine causing it to crash into another train and just kept going on and on.  True, Miller brings all of it on himself, but Gere is so good at playing roles like this that you actually feel for him and want things to work out alright for him.

It really only takes about fifteen minutes before you are made aware that Miller's company is in trouble and a $400 million discrepancy is being covered up to secure the sale of his hedge fund.  You are also made aware that Miller is being unfaithful to his wife (Sarandon).  Though her role is a smaller one, Sarandon plays the part perfectly as the dutiful (though not ignorant) wife, stockpiling her knowledge until it serves her purposes. And Tim Roth, as expected, is delicious as almost a Platoistic Detective doing what it takes to solve this case.  I enjoyed Arbitrage and felt I really wasn't allowed to take a breath until the very end.  I give it 4 stars.  I thought it was worth the money, Gere should get an Oscar nod (maybe not a win, but a nomination) for his role and would recommend this to others, though it might not make my home collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Arbitrage Preview

Director Nicholas Jarcki storms onto the scene with Arbitrage, his first major motion picture project.  Arbitrage is the story of Robert Miller (Richard Gere) who is a multi-billion dollar hedge fund manager, a husband to a devoted wife (Susan Sarandon) and father to his daughter and co-worker (Brit Marling).  Miller is about to close a deal for a handsome price, but has doctored the books to cover up a large financial loss, unbeknownst to his wife, his daughter and his employees.  Miller's problems at work are just the beginning.  He is also having an affair.  One night, while driving with his mistress (Laetitia Casta), Miller dozes off at the wheel, flips his car and ends up killing her in the process.  He flees the scene and makes his way home.  Investigating the accident, Detective Bryer (Tim Roth) soon finds the trail leads to Miller.  Meanwhile, his daughter is discovering the discrepancy in the financial records and fears she might be implicated in the cover up.

Arbitrage is billed as a thriller, though it wouldn't be your typical "who done it" movie as we know right from the beginning it was Miller.  The thriller part would be how his professional and personal lies begin spiraling out of control and affecting those he loves. This intense drama is where Richard Gere does some of his best work.  I thought he was great in Primal Fear, Unfaithful and Red Corner.  It's been a while since Susan Sarandon has tackled a project like this, but I have no doubt she will be right at home with such movies as Cradle Will Rock, Twilight, Dead Man Walking and The Client under her belt.  And Tim Roth, well, what can I say?  I love everything this man has been a part of.  From his earlier work in Reservoir Dogs and Four Rooms to his roles in Planet of the Apes and The Incredible Hulk, I love watching this British native perform.

Arbitrage was recommended to me by a friend a trust and with this cast, I have a good feeling that I'm about to enjoy a great film. 

Les Miserables Review

Set in 1815 France, Les Miserables is the story of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who is released on parole after serving a nineteen year prison sentence.  As time passes, Valjean is determined to do good with his life and eventually becomes a factory owner and serves as mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. One of his factory workers, Fatine (Anne Hathaway) is discovered to be sending money to her illegitimate daughter, Cosette (Isabelle Allen) and is dismissed by the foreman. Left with no option, Fantine turns to prostitution. During an argument with an abusive customer, Javert (Russell Crowe), the police inspector who has vowed to find and arrest Valjean, arrests Fatine, but Valjean intercedes and takes her to a hospital. Later, Valjean learns that an innocent man mistaken for Valjean is arrested. Valjean nobly reveals their mistake and his true identity to the court. After escaping Javert, Valjean finds Cosette and promises to be like a father to her, fulfilling his promise to Fatine.

It took me a while and a lot of thought before deciding on my final review of this film presentation of the Broadway Musical.  I've decided to give this movie 3.5 stars and I'm sure this will not be popular with everyone, but most everyone I've talked to agrees that the debate over the movie is regarding the performances of Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.  Ultimately, I was a bit disappointed in both their performances.  But before I get into that, I'd like to point out the many things I thought were absolutely brilliant about this movie.

There are several advantages to a major motion picture with a $61 million budget that a stage production just doesn't have.  The sets, the props, the scenes were absolutely breathtaking.  I was so pleased that there appeared to be very little digital interference.  This was one of the biggest downfalls of the most recently released Star Wars trilogy: everything was digital.  And, as good as the digital creations were, they were still obviously digital and took you out of fully investing yourself into the movie.  There was only one scene that took me out of the movie just a bit and it was how the movie chose to handle the final scene with Javert.  It was almost too graphic for me and I somewhat missed how much of it was left to your imagination with the stage version.  But, it was effective nonetheless.

The costumes and makeup were superb and with several camera close-ups, you really got to see the scars, the tears, the dirt, the desolation they endured.  The camera got right up in the actor's faces allowing you to feel their pain, their angst, their suffering that you just can't get in a large Broadway Theatre.  The camera also allowed us to witness the slight-of-hand pick-pocketing during the "Master of the House" routine which again you miss on stage.

The acting was phenomenal by every member of the cast.  I thought Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were brilliant.  Newcomer Samantha Barks who played the role of Eponine was magnificent and definitely look for more from her in the near future.  I thought Amanda Seyfried was good as Cosette, but the vibrato in her singing was a little much at times.  Hugh Jackman's acting was Oscar worthy for sure.  But Anne Hathaway stole the show.  Though her role only calls for her to be in the movie in more of a supporting role, she gave the performance of a lifetime both theatrically and vocally with her singing.

 The only criticisms I really have with the movie was with the singing performances of Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. Definitely more so with Crowe who sounded very David Bowie-esque in his singing.  It was distracting enough that I half expected Muppet-like creatures to join him for a song and dance.  I've wrestled with wondering if one walks away thinking this was so perfect because one wouldn't expect Wolverine and Gladiator to pull off those performances, or if it was so perfect because their singing really was that good.  Some have tried to tell me that the singing may not have been pitch perfect at times because it was recorded live during filming.  That may be true, however, one of the luxuries you have in film over live theatre is that you can call "cut" and run another take if it isn't absolutely perfect.  If you miss a note or a line or a move on stage, you can't take it back.  I understand that to make their $61 million back, they had to get people to see the movie and a good way to do that is with marquee actors like Jackman and Crowe.  Though the singing may have been better with some lesser known actors, it might not be the phenomenon it has become.  But I also wonder this: if I was in New York and just paid $150 a ticket to see this on Broadway and these two actors (not Jackman and Crowe) gave this exact performance, would I feel I got my money's worth.  And honestly, the answer is no.  So even though that is my only criticism of a movie I felt was otherwise amazing, I have to weigh that criticism heavier because this is, after all, a MUSICAL. I highly recommend it and thought it was well worth the price of admission in the movie theatres and I'd very much like to see it again, but Les Miserables will most likely not be finding a place in my home collection.

Les Miserables Preview

Set in 1815 France, Les Miserables is the story of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who is released on parole after serving a nineteen year prison sentence.  As time passes, Valjean is determined to do good with his life and eventually becomes a factory owner and serves as mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. One of his factory workers, Fatine (Anne Hathaway) is discovered to be sending money to her illegitimate daughter, Cosette (Isabelle Allen) and is dismissed by the foreman. Left with no option, Fantine turns to prostitution. During an argument with an abusive customer, Javert (Russell Crowe), the police inspector who has vowed to find and arrest Valjean, arrests Fatine, but Valjean intercedes and takes her to a hospital. Later, Valjean learns that an innocent man mistaken for Valjean is arrested. Valjean nobly reveals their mistake and his true identity to the court. After escaping Javert, Valjean finds Cosette and promises to be like a father to her, fulfilling his promise to Fatine.

Most of the previews feature Fatine (Hathaway) singing the anthemic "I dreamed a dream" number from the musical with gorgeous snapshots of incredible costumes, makeup and scenery flashing across the screen.  This has all the makings of an Oscar-worthy movie: $61 million dollar budget, highly successful musical, all-star cast, and what appear to be epic sets that a live stage production could never even hope to achieve.  The concern is how heavily the focus is on Hathaway's performance.  Now we know that Hugh Jackman can sing.  He is a classically trained theatre professional and began his career in Australia and England performing in musicals like Beauty and the Beast and Oklahoma!  We know that Amanda Seyfried can sing as her chops rang out in the film version of Mamma Mia! Honestly, I think she was the only redeeming quality of the film version of that show, so I'm excited to see her in this role.  The concern for me is Russell Crowe.  Although upon investigation, I found that Crowe, like Jackman, began his career in theatre in Australia and some of that included musical theatre.  But Crowe himself wasn't even convinced he was right for the role.  It was only after a conversation with director Tom Hooper (most notably credited with The King's Speech) that Crowe got on board with the project.  I just hope he can keep up with the rest of the cast who seem like they will be quite at home tackling this epic undertaking.

A $61 million dollar budget and almost no limits of time and space that even the largest theatre stage must contend with.  The advantage is the ability to create scenes, costumes and makeup that completely draw you into the story.  The burden of drawing you in during a live stage performance is so heavy on the actors.  At any time, you can tilt your head slightly in any direction and are reminded that you are in a theatre watching a show.  For some reason, though you are still in a theatre, watching it on a big screen almost helps to create the illusion that it's really happening.  The danger, however, especially in this modern time of technology, is to go too far with digital enhancements.  The most recent trilogy additions of Star Wars are a great example of this.  Though the digital additions to the movie were quite realistic, it was obvious they were digital and constantly kept you from fully investing yourself into the movie.

Finally, the film boasts a new and groundbreaking filming technique of live recorded singing.  Piano accompaniment is played to the actors through an ear piece and they are actually singing on the set and being recorded.  No studio is used to create pitch-perfect flawless performances that would later be used for the actors to lip-sync on camera.  Although this practice is very uncommon and very impressive, it's not the first film to incorporate this technique.

Overall, I'm expecting a brilliant and epic movie that should be moving, inspiring, and emotional resulting in a phenomenon that I cannot wait to add to my home collection.  But, we shall see . . .

Trouble With The Curve Review

Trouble With The Curve is the story of an aging baseball scout (Clint Eastwood) and his estranged daughter (Amy Adams).  Eastwood plays Gus Lobel who has been a successful baseball scout for decades, but his age and lack of embracing new technology, his employers are starting to question if he's still got the gift.  Gus is threatened by rival scout played by Justin Timberlake, both on and off the field, especially when Gus' daughter Mickey arrives on the scene.  A promising lawyer, Mickey puts her career in jeopardy to reunite with her father as Gus now finds himself looking after his daughter, his career, and keeping Timberlake away from both.

Trouble With The Curve was a cute movie.  Here are the problems: it will never make it as a classic sports or baseball film like Bull Durham, Major League, The Natural, or even Moneyball; nor is it the best relationship building movie that Eastwood has achieved.  There was more of a smooth transition and steady development of a relationship between Eastwood and Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby than there was between he and Amy Adams in The Curve. In fact, I more enjoyed watching Justin Timberlake's character of the "rival" scout breaking down the emotional walls that Mickey (Amy Adams) had build up over the years than I did watching Gus (Eastwood) and Mickey work through their problems.

There were a couple other issues I had with the movie.  Just twenty minutes into the movie, it felt like eighteen of those minutes were spent going out of their way to make sure we understood that Gus Lobel was old, losing his sight, and losing the faith of most of his colleagues.  It got a little tiresome to have the point driven home so much.  Also, the preview leads one to believe that Johnny "The Flame" (Timberlake) is Gus' competition both on and off the field as they are scouting the same big league hitting prospect in up-and-comer Bo Gentry (Joe Massingill) and Johnny immediately starts scouting Mickey when they first meet.  As it turns out, they are anything but rivals; which is fine, but this movie could have used a little more tension and drama and that might have been a nice twist to throw in the mix.

Finally, the protagonist and actual rival scout within the organization Phillip Sanderson (Matthew Lillard) is your stereotypical sleazy jerk that is played so over the top right along side Bo Gentry's ultra macho jerkiness that you are left with absolutely no choice but to hate both of them the minute you meet them.  The film went a bit over the top again in portraying these two in such an unfavorable light.  Sanderson relied completely on computer stats and analysis to make his decisions to climb his way up the ladder to GM of the baseball team though he knows nothing about people or baseball for that matter.  And Gentry, the next big meat-head slugger is only concerned with his image, his endorsements and chicks and has no love or respect for the game.  Not only are you forced to route against them, within moments of being introduced to either character, you know for certain that they both will fail in the end.

Again, Trouble With The Curve is a cute movie.  A little predictable.  Not the best character movie, and certainly not the best baseball movie.  Eastwood brings his A game as the crotchety old scout who is emotionally closed off to those he cares for most.  Adams is the over-achieving daughter pursuing a career she hates to impress her father and comes to terms with her own emotional baggage.  That done mostly through the aide of the smooth, sweet, and much-needed and appreciated comic relief that Timberlake brought to the film.  I enjoyed it, I'm glad I rented it, but this one will not be making it to my esteemed home collection.  What movie will be on my mind next?  We'll have to see.

Trouble With The Curve Preview

Trouble With The Curve is the story of an aging baseball scout (Clint Eastwood) and his estranged daughter (Amy Adams).  Eastwood plays Gus Lobel who has been a successful baseball scout for decades, but his age and lack of embracing new technology, his employers are starting to question if he's still got the gift.  Gus is threatened by rival scout played by Justin Timberlake, both on and off the field, especially when Gus' daughter Mickey arrives on the scene.  A promising lawyer, Mickey puts her career in jeopardy to reunite with her father as Gus now finds himself looking after his daughter, his career, and keeping Timberlake away from both.

Trouble With The Curve looks like a warm, funny, heart-felt movie that will keep audiences laughing and wiping away tears throughout.  I'd say Eastwood looks like he is back and better than ever; however, other than a slight slip-up at the Republican National Convention, no one's ever accused the actor of being anything other than one of the best.  Amy Adams (three time Academy Award nominated) looks triumphant in yet another role proving her versatility as a promising actress who fortunately was quickly able to lose her Disney Princess persona with roles in movies like Sunshine Cleaning Company, Doubt and The Fighter in which she more than held her own with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.

Justin Timberlake, John Goodman and Robert Patrick lend their talents to what looks like a successful movie delighting audiences of all ages, both genders and sports fans (or not) alike.  I anticipate being thoroughly entertained and tearing up at points, ultimately wanting to add this movie to my collection.  Am I right?  Stay tuned and find out.