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"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange." -Inception

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Movie Reviews Monthly Roundup

Within the last month, I saw a lot of movies and now as the holidays inch closer, I'm feeling a bit lazy to do an individual post on each of them.  Hence, the mega movie review post where I'll talk about all 7 of them.



Salt: There is a reason why Angelina Jolie is the most credible female action star in Hollywood.  She's super dedicated to her task and it shows.  She has acting chops too, having previously won an Oscar for Girl Interrupted but this one's all action.  She plays an CIA agent who after being accused of being a Russian spy has to go on the run to prove her innocence.  This was a fun Saturday night home viewing film that was a bit surprising with the unpredictable twists in the movie.  Jolie took over the role of Salt that was first written for Tom Cruise.  The supporting cast of Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor lend able support to the film.  Directed by Phillip Noyce.

Rating:   

The Kids are All Right: I liked this movie a lot but I'm not so in love with it as most critics are.  There's no doubt that this is one of the best made films on modern families in a long time.  This is definitely an actor's movie with Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson all turning in pitch-perfect performances. I especially liked how natural the kids were.  And Ruffalo just makes every movie that much better by being in it.  This is this going to be an awards show staple in the months to come.  Directed by Lisa Cholodenko (who also wrote the script).

Rating:          



Going the Distance: Drew Barrymore and Justin Long play Erin and Garrett respectively who try out a long distance relationship between New York and San Francisco.  This has all the predictability of a rom-com and the twists and turn could be easily guessed by the audience but the chemistry between Drew and Justin raises the film.  There are some funny moments supplied by the supporting cast of Christina Applegate, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis.  And I'll always remember this film for having one of the funniest closing lines of a movie in a long time.  Directed by Nanette Burstein.

Rating:          


The Disappearance of Alice Creed: I watched this based on a recommendation and it was every bit as twisty and shocking as promised.  This movie was very difficult to watch as the exact events that follow a kidnapping are enacted onscreen.  You should watch this movie for yourself to see how the movie turns out but it was hard not to keep watching and find out what eventually happening.  There are only three actors in the film, Gemma Arterton as Alice Creed and Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan as the kidnappers.  Directed by J Blakeson.

Rating:           (because you really can't stop watching this, no matter how much you hate what's going onscreen)





Flipped: Set in the 1960s, Flipped tells the story of two teenagers,  Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) and Juli (Madeline Carroll), who grow up opposite each other as neighbors and find out how their feelings change towards one another as they grow.  As the title suggests, the perspectives are flipped, certain scenes are told from Juli's viewpoints and then you see it as told by Bryce.  If done well, this is one of my favorite storytelling devices, how things can change depending on people's different perspectives.  This is an old-fashioned type of story where the issues are minor yet seem huge to the characters.  Everyone might not like this kind of tale.  Directed by Rob Reiner.

Rating:   


The Other Guys:  This one was so bad, I wanted to close my eyes and ears to terrible plots and dialogues coming out from this film.  I watched simply because of Mark Wahlberg and I wanted to believe there was a reason why he could be in it.  Well, there's not and sometimes people do things just to get a paycheck.  Will Ferrell and Wahlberg do not make a good duo at all.  Eva Mendes is utterly wasted in this.  Skip this one entirely.  Watch the trailer and you've got the whole movie in a nutshell.  Even the cameos of Samuel L. Jackson and The Rock were terrible.  Directed by Adam McKay.

Rating:













The Winning Season: I like Sam Rockwell as an actor, he seems to pick up roles that always suit him best and showcase his acting ability.  He adds another one to his repertoire.  Rockwell plays a has-been coach for a varsity girls basketball team who he moulds into winners and to become a team unit that there for each other.  Meanwhile on the side, he battles his own personal demons with alcohol and his distant relationship with his own daughter.  What I really liked about this film was that based on the description above, it could have been melodramatic but instead is real and matter of fact.  Emma Roberts,  Rooney Mara and Shareeka Epps play some of the members of the basketball team.  Directed by James C. Strouse.

Rating:      

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