The Hurt Locker

This movie was awesome - it's another one that makes you feel everything the characters are feeling. The fact that it's about a war that is still currently going on makes it even more personal. It's VERY intense. As the movie goes on, they show you how many days they have left before they go home, which ups the intensity even more. I really liked the cinematography - it's very gritty and raw and therefore seems real. Who knows if how the movie looks is close to what it really looks like, but it seemed pretty believable to me. Besides dismantling the bombs, you also get a little of the struggle that comes along with being a soldier, like being so scared they start going a tad crazy, and feeling like they're coming home a totally different person. I can't imagine what that must be like, and this movie gives you a heaping dose of that reality. It's pretty violent and gory in a few parts, but if you can handle that I'd say - CHECK IT OUT.

Up In The Air

This has been up for a bunch of awards lately, so I was dying to check it out. It's a very simple story and everything is under-stated and REAL. George Clooney is about to be removed from his life of endless travel because of soon-to-be-implemented online procedures, and he's none too happy about it. After complaining about all this, his boss sends him out with the new rookie to show her the ropes before they start up the new online system of firing people (which he uses as an opportunity to show her how the new system won't work). On the way he meets and falls in love with another constant traveler, which only manages to change his life even more. Throughout the movie, you feel the transition he goes through as though it's happening to you, when he's devastated, embarrassed, or ridiculously happy you feel it too (which is one quality in movies that is extremely hard to accomplish, in my opinion.) I liked it and would recommend it - check it out!

(500) Days of Summer

I saw this movie several months ago in theaters, but since it just came out on DVD I'm inspired to post it on here. I loooooooooooved this movie! The title literally means the 500 days of their relationship, and they bounce around between good times and bad. Like on day 200 they had a great day, laughing and enjoying each other, and on day 245 they almost broke up. I thought this movie perfectly presented how an actual relationship might go. We all know relationships aren't always perfect, and this movie represents that well. This is not your typical love story, and because of that it was refreshing and beautiful. I remember several parts that made me laugh, parts that made me feel lovey-dovey and parts that reminded me of past break-ups of my own. I need to buy it on DVD cause I can't wait to watch it again. So overall, I'd say CHECK IT OUT - it's great!

Precious

Just like the trailer, this movie is pretty hard to watch. But it's intriguing and moving, because I'm sure people are living in this kind of situation right now. "Precious" is 16 years old, pregnant with her 2nd child (both from her father), she can barely read and suffers physical and emotional abuse from her own mother. By the end, she has moved on from alot of these situations and is turning her life around. But I didn't leave the theater with a sense of hope for her, and I won't tell you the reasons why, because I want you to be as shocked as I was when you see it. The acting was fantastic, I'd say they all deserve an award. Even Mariah Carey was believable and didn't come across as one of those I'm-a-singer-but-I-want-to-try-acting people. I'd say check this one out, but be prepared for a tough story, and don't forget your Kleenex.

Avatar 3D

This isn't exactly my kind of movie, but I wanted to see it because of all the hype. I usually enjoy these action movies with tons of special effects, they're just not always my first choice. Mostly because they're all too similar. Avatar on the other hand is unlike any action movie I've ever seen. The special effects ARE amazing. Everything looks so real. And the story was good enough to make me curious how it would end. Negatives - the acting was TERRIBLE. I'd say the actors didn't have alot to work with though, because how do you deliver a cheesy line? It was so bad I almost laughed a few times. The length - it was WAAAY too long. They could have easily cut out 30 minutes, if not 45. I did see it late at night so I was getting tired, but I don't think it made that much difference, I was ready for it to just be OVER. Overall, it's semi-interesting and visually stunning. I'd say check it out - if only for the special effects!

Christmas Break Movies!

"Sherlock Holmes"


Good movie! I wasn't quite sure what to expect, because the preview looks a little nuts. But overall it was enjoyable and interesting. It had a good classic solve-the-mystery feel which was refreshing. The relationship between Sherlock and Watson was funny and endearing. Rachel McAdams was surprisingly good as Sherlock's love, despite mine (and everyone's) view of her as sweet Allie from The Notebook, she pulled of a con artist pretty good. I kept thinking throughout the movie "Madonna's ex (Guy Ritchie) makes one good movie!," because he incorporated alot of little tidbits that were enjoyable and again, refreshing. The music was one of my favorite parts. The story had to do with a "black magic" mystery which I wasn't exactly expecting, but it turned out interesting and ended well. I'd say - Check it out!!


"All About Steve"


Who doesn't love Sandra Bullock? Because my whole family does, somebody received this on DVD for Christmas. I'm not quite sure what to say... this is not your typical Sandra Bullock movie. It has a WEIRD story - she loves words and therefore makes the Crossword Puzzle for her local paper, meets Bradley Cooper, falls madly in love, then follows him across the country. Despite all the craziness of the story, I'd say it has a pretty good message to stay true to yourself. But other than that, it was just way too silly. Because the story is so ridiculous, it's pretty shocking to me that Sandra was a producer. Why?!?!? She must have really liked the script, but I couldn't tell you why. Anyway, it's cute at times, but pretty dumb overall. Sorry Sandra, I'd say PASS.

"The Hangover"


I saw this movie in theaters, but that was before my blog. So I watched it again with my brother over Christmas break. This movie is VERY funny! It's rated R for mostly just language, until the very end where they show the pictures from their crazy night, then it definitely has rated R behavior. I don't agree with all the hype of "it's the funniest movie EVER!" but it is really funny. Ed Helms (Andy from The Office) is GREAT, and Bradley Cooper is DREAMY (in looks only). I'd say check it out if you can handle the language (it's definitely not for the younsters.)

Thanksgiving Weekend Movies!

5 whole days off in a row allowed me to catch up on the Netflix movies I had at home. With 2 of them, I had company to watch it with, which hardly ever happens!

"Man On Wire"


This movie actually won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2008. I had never even heard of this story - a tight rope walker named Philippe Petit rigged a wire between the World Trade Center Towers in 1974 and walked back and forth across it for 45 minutes before being arrested. This documentary is all about how he and several of his friends planned the whole thing. It was of course very detailed and took like 6 years to plan. The entire movie was very interesting. And even though you know how the story ends (he did it and lived) you will still feel anxious and scared for him while watching it. Uncle John watched it after me and said he enjoyed it as well.


"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past"


Mom and I watched this together one evening, and it's just okay. It was pretty much exactly what I expected from Matthew McConaughey - his character is basically the same as in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." It did have some funny parts that made me laugh, and it was kinda cute at times. But, it was nothing to write home about. The plot is sloppy and quite ridiculous at times, but what else do we expect from these romantic comedies? Anyway, overall I'd say it was a semi-cute, semi-romantic, comedy that you might enjoy, but won't change your life or anything.


"The Ugly Truth"


Now this "romantic comedy" was NOT what I was expecting. This movie also had a few cute parts, but the bulk of it was about sex, sex, sex. It seems like that's all they talked about - even the girls. There were several parts of the movie where I thought "I can't believe they just said/did that." I didn't realize it's rated R, and after watching it I know why! There's no nudity or major sex scenes or anything like that, but they're just constantly talking about it! I actually like Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler and was looking forward to watching this movie, but it was a disappointment. And besides all the sex talk, the plot was messy and moved too fast. I'd say skip this one.

"I Am Legend"


I know, I know, this movie has been out on DVD forever and why haven't I (the movie queen with her own movie blog) seen it yet? The answer is I don't know. Sometimes with these big budget action movies I'm just not interested enough to ever watch it unless somebody else wants me to see it with them. I happened to watch this one because Kelsey had to write a paper about the differences between the book and the movie. I'll say that I enjoyed it, mostly because it was unlike any movie I'd ever seen (what with only 1 human living in New York City) but it was really confusing at times. I kept asking Kelsey things like "so what happened to make everybody die? and "who are those mean guys?" because it's unclear for a long time. But it was interesting and moving - I definitely got teary eyed in a few parts (the dog!!!!!) I wasn't crazy about the ending because it left alot of things unanswered, but I'm sure the book would explain alot of it. There's no sex or language, but there are some very scary parts. Overall, pretty interesting!