Wednesday Movie Night: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Captain America seems like he would be a tough comic character to pull off. You don't want him to be too perfect, especially with a name like Captain America, but you know he has to represent certain attributes perhaps placed with that name. Chris Evans brings to life the character perfectly though making him human and likable, but also what seems to be a nicely intended guy at heart. It's much different from other heroes like Thor or Iron Man in the series. Plus, they made the outfit a lot cooler. The movie does a lot more character development in the first hour than you would think, and then slips into an action fest for the last hour or so.

Summary: Set during World War II in 1942, Steve Rogers is looking to sign up for the military, but he is told he is not fit enough to join. He volunteers instead for research, and after proving to be worthy for that he is transformed into a human that can utilize his body to the maximize human strength. His first task will be a huge one though, and that is to stop Schmidt and Nazi's top secret department, HYDRA.

Bookshelf: E.L James' Fifty Shades Darker

So you might recall I read the first book, and gave it higher stars, which was 5 of 6, than some might have thought it deserved. Well that is because it was entertaining, and well it did keep you wondering where it would go next. Now this will give you spoilers in this blog if you don't want to know where the first book goes, so stop reading now if you don't want that. Anyways, at the end of the first book Christian and Anastasia had parted ways, so a huge enough cliffhanger was left to keep us reading till the next book. Now upon arriving to the next book you see that the plot was completely useless. There was no reason to continue writing these characters. The BDSM disappears, the story, everything.

Summary: Anastasia and Christian are back together after a very short break. Now they have discovered they want the real thing, or least Anastasia does. Christian seems still on the fence about whether he can commit since he can't say he loves her just yet. When an ex-submissive shows back up who has gone crazy, and Elena, the woman who was Christian's first submissive, begin to over crowd Anastasia's existence in Christian's life she is unsure she can commit to a man with such a past. Not only that, but Christian still has many issues he is dealing with from childhood that prevent him from being touched. Anastasia thought she was ready to commit, but is she?

Saturday Movies: Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

I'm not sure what exactly drew me to this movie. I don't enjoy cooking or sushi, but yet I had been wanting to see Jiro Dreams of Sushi. The good feedback from critics in this case seemed to be a huge factor that despite neither of my interest in those things I still wanted to see the movie. Perhaps it's seeing people at a job that they really enjoy, and while it takes hard work and dedication it's possible to achieve something that you want to do in life.

Summary: Jiro Ono is an 85 year old sushi chef. His business lays at the bottom of an office building, the Ginza Tokio Subway Station. The movie chronicles the success that Ono has had so far from achieving one of the highest levels of achievement and feedback in restaurants and also landing a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. It also shows how Jiro got into the job that he did, and how his passion for it has carried his success. Now that Jiro is 85 though it also shows how he is trying to pass his legacy on to his son, and his relationship in general with his apprentices and his other son who has his own sushi place.

Wednesday Movie Night: Win Win (2011)

Thomas McCarthy has been a writer for some of the more touching stories you've seen brought to the screen like Up. Now he's not only writing, but also directing his movies as well. Win Win is a solid movie from the screenwriter that shows the same type of emotion he is capable of offering, and the relationship between older and younger men as well. Win Win is solid, but still there is something that lacks in it resonating long after. Maybe it's just too feel good? Regardless, it is a very solid written, and well acted movie.

Summary: Mike is a struggling lawyer who also volunteer coaches a wrestling team. One of the clients he is defending is a rich man who pays out around $1500 a month to his caretaker. Mike agrees to be his guardian to keep the state from taking over guardianship, and agrees that in being his guardian he will make arrangements for him to continue to live in his home. Instead Mike double crosses the guy, and sends him to a nursing home, so he can instead use the $1500 a month to keep his practice alive, and his family supported. The grandson of the man he is now stealing from though arrives to live with with his grandfather though complicating his plans.

Saturday Movies: Straw Dogs (2011)

So usually remakes just aren't a good idea, and most likely the original 1971 version of this movie didn't need one, but Rod Lurie decided to anyways. I haven't actually seen the original, but I did enjoy at least the action in this one. I felt that it does have it's weak spot, but I was entertained so I just forget them. Anyways, when you try to take on a remake you've got to expect more likely than not people aren't going to receive well, mostly because the original is always better.

Summary: Screenwriter, David Sumner, has moved from L.A. with his wife, Amy, to her small town in the south. After arriving though David rubs everyone in the town the wrong way, especially by avoiding hanging out with them. To make matters worst, one of the locals, Charlie, seems to have a thing for his wife. Tensions begin rising even though David tries to smooth over some of the misunderstandings between them. David is going to have to step up to protect his family if they want to survive.

Book Review: Robin Jones Gunn's Summer Promises (Christy Miller Book #1)

Summer Promises was released in 1989. To be honest the book has aged well as I couldn't tell it was from 1989 minus some different language used then that isn't used so commonly by teens now. Gunn though looks at Christy the eyes of a mother more so than another teen might look at her. She shelters her, coddles her, and assumes that she might be surrounded by the impure acts that teens can get involved in, but would never actually do herself. We get a perception of a teenage girl through a worried mother's eyes, than how a teen might actually perceive themselves.

Summary: Christy Miller is leaving her home in Wisconsin for the summer to spend time with her aunt and uncle at the beach. With the growing frustration of finances at her home her family feels it is best for her to spend it somewhere more enjoyable. Aunt Marti wants to help Christy transition more into a teenager. Christy doesn't seem very confident about her dress or appearance, but with a makeover her summer seems more promising for dating. After meeting Todd though she finds boys are a little different than she expected, or at least he is. His attention is placed on someone that is above the shallow things that Christy hopes will get his attention.

Bookshelf: E.L James' Fifty Shades of Grey

Whether people have read it or not it seems that most people have an opinion about this book. One of my hugest pet peeves is hating something that you've never read, watched, or listened to though. Out of curiosity I finally got around to reading Fifty Shades of Grey. The talk of the movie made it difficult to keep putting off. In 2011 a book that began as Twilight fanfiction hit the scene. It's pretty obvious it has Twilight origins, and I'm sure E.L. James wasn't shocked by the negative reaction. For some reason women can't enjoy things without it being bashed whether it's Twilight or this. I forget that Playboy is scholarly.

Summary: Anastasia Steele is a 21 year old with a promising future. She has hopes of working in the publishing industry. Before graduating college she meets Christian Grey. Grey is a wealthy business tycoon who feels intrigued by Ana from the moment he meets her. She also has become intrigued by him, but Grey has a lifestyle that only those he knows practice the same he lets in a relationship with him. While Grey is interested in Ana she would have to not be put off by his private lifestyle.

Library Reads: James Patterson's Kill Alex Cross

The Alex Cross were fast paced, intense, mystery/thriller, novels when they first made their appearance in 1993 with Along Came a Spider, but it's now 2013 and James Patterson is still writing them. Kill Alex Cross is definitely the weakest so far, and shows that the Alex Cross series is probably only continuing because of the money behind it. Alex Cross didn't even sound like himself in the usual past books like this one, and why is Nana still alive? She was around 70 when the books first appeared in 1993! Even Patterson makes a joke about her age in this one.

Summary: The President's children, Ethan and Zoe are abducted at school, leaving the FBI in a frenzy as they search for clues to find them. This leaves them to call in one of the best detectives there is, Alex Cross. Along with the kidnappings a deadly contagion is leaving a trail of dead bodies and has showed in the D.C. water lines. The two seem to be connected, but Cross thinks someone involved is misleading them for one of the hugest cases that Cross has been on.

Book Review: Ian Morgan Cron's Jesus, My Father, The CIA and Me

If you're going to write a memoir then don't tell everyone it is an exaggerated lie in some spots to catch the attention. When reading a memoir it's good to feel things are real all the way through, and if you believe your life is too uninteresting that you need to make up some points to share your own story then you probably weren't meant to write one. Just title it fiction and let it be that. Let your life inspire the story, but don't try to make yourself popular by saying it's you with some extra extensions. Otherwise the story is nice and it does have a good catch to it.

Summary:  When Ian sees a bunch of men at his father's funeral who seem to have better things to say about his own dad that he would never use to describe his own dad, he begins to realize he might not have knew his dad that well. Growing up he was raised with a father who was an alcoholic. This left Ian struggling to figure out who he was without any guidance into finding that. Now as he raises his own family and reflects on his own he ponders over what he has learned and what there still is to learn.

Wednesday Movie Night: Thor (2011)

Marvel comics has what seems to be the most successful superhero franchise there is. With Iron Man being a hit, and in preparation for the now released Avengers movies, Thor was released despite the fact he wasn't as big as the other heroes. The movie went over quite well though, and honestly I liked it just as much as I did the Iron Man movies. Thor's personality is very arrogant, but the themes of the movie dealing with how he matures and grows throughout is one that many can find something about to relate to, and the character is likable himself.

Summary: Thor is arrogant and impulsive, and his dad, the king of Asgard, has had enough. Odin, the king, banishes Thor from Asgard, and he is forced to live among humans. Instantly, upon landing on earth he is put in the path of humans that are reluctant about his sanity first, but after mysterious forces show up on earth they begin to believe him with Jane being the one most interested in Thor's past. Leaving Asgard though has left it unprotected from a lurking villain and with his father ill he must find a way to return home to protect it.

Wednesday Movie Night: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen mainly drew me because I thought it would be very nature filled and perhaps maybe inspiring. While the acting is good, and the chemistry between the leads is there, something about the movie runs a little dull at times. I never can quite leap onto caring about where this movie is going. I do care about the romance though, and the development with that. Despite unable to make the Sheiks endeavors inspiring they at least made us concerned about hte personal lives of the people involved.

Summary: The British government needs something to redeem their image in the eyes of the public, and they seem to be at a loss until a Sheik seems to be looking for someone to enlist to help him improve the lives of his people in the Yemen. He thinks if he can brings Salmon to the area that it will not only give the locals a water resource but food. Harriet is put on the assignment and seeks out Captain Robert, who is a fishing expert, to help her plan how it would be possible to bring fish and water there. He believes the plan is impossible, but his growing feelings for Harriet encourage him on with the plan.

169 of 1001 Movies: The Artist (2011)

The Artist is a movie for both the modern and the classic movie lover. It takes the best of the world from the silent era and puts it into a movie that creates a character connection just by the music and action of the characters. I can't exactly see all the 5 Oscars win it got, considering silent films aren't anything new. It seemed like everyone treated it like a new invention that year. Anyways, the score is marvelously done to build the emotion, and you have the little dog who steals the show.

Summary:  George Valentin is a popular silent screen star. When he meets a dancer, Peppy Miller, she instantly catches his eye. After her one screen appearance with him in a silent film flick though her career sky rockets, but hers takes a new and different path into talkies. Valentin is reluctant to move on to talkies, and sticks with silent films. His career dwindles as more movie goers are attracted to talking movies, and Peppy herself. Peppy has never left her interest behind for George though, and as he continues to struggle she reaches out to help him with love and help in his career.

158 of 1001 Movies: A Separation (2011)

Asghar Farhadi has been hitting up the festivals with his new film, The Past, which as A Separation does, explores the divorce proceeding and domestic roles in Iran's culture. It seems to be a common theme for Farhadi, but one that he is really good at exploring. A Separation is not a light film by any means, and he does something that rarely a director is able to accomplish, and that is make everyone someone you can feel for and also find fault in. Everyone in A Separation has their own set of problems that heavily drive where they end up. It's just a beautifully done film, and one I can't stop thinking about.

Summary: Nader and Simin are seeking to divorce one another after finding the other is not going to budge on staying or leaving Iran. Simin wants to leave, believing that another country will bring her daughter a better opportunities. Nader has a sick father that he is caring for, and doesn't want to abandon to leave Iran. The judge though does not believe that either has a good reasoning for wanting the divorce. Simin moves out though, and this leaves Nader seeking someone to care for him while he is at work. The woman he finds though will bring more problems and stresses onto the family though.

Saturday Movies: Tonight You're Mine (2011)

I think this movie has an intriguing plot and it captures that excitement of what you imagine a music festival being like until you actually experience a music festival. I've never been to one, but I've gotten old enough to hear other stories of concert festivals and it's just an experience I'm glad I passed up. I can't imagine how it would have been to have been handcuffed the entire time during one, but these two leads know how to glamorize it.

Summary: Morello and Adam are two feuding rock stars set to perform at T in the Park. When the two end up handcuffed together though, and without the keys to help them break apart though they drag each other for a day throughout the part. What begins as a time trying to get away from each other though turns into one where the two are becoming closer though. Even while the two have performances to make they seem to be getting use to each other. The movie almost works as a little documentary as well highlighting some of the performances quickly and just showing in general what people go there and do at the concert.

152 of 1001 Movies: War Horse (2011)

Steven Speilberg has many recognizable elements, and you'll probably recognize them in War Horse. Yes, there cheesy scenes, the dialogue gets a bit sappy, and to probably afford the very fancy cinematography they sacrificed some in the acting department, even though there are some great performances, it's mostly the people who stay on screen no longer than 20 minutes.

Summary: After Albert's dad puts too much into a horse he struggles to make him of value to the family. His dad sells the horse though under the weight of financial burden. Albert enlists in World War 1 after his horse is sold into the Calvary to find him. The two both mature from juveniles to adults in the war as they fight on the front lines, and find themselves witnessing losing beings that been by their sides since the beginning of the war. Albert never loses sight though of the one thing he joined the war for though, and that is to find his horse. First he will have to survive the war to though.

Wednesday Movie Night: The Intouchables (2011)

 I would say it's been a while that I've watched a movie that made me feel as genuinely good as this one did. There is a running time that does extend some scenes beyond what they need to be, so by the end I was feeling some forced emotions. This movie was led by two directors at the helm, Olivier Nakache and Eric Tolendano. The movie I think uses the advantage of two directors, and at times we feel the movie is giving us two perspectives from these two different men that are put together to learn from each other.

Summary: An aristocrat, Phillipe, is left paralyzed from the neck down after he had a paragliding accident. While he may have lost his confidence and ability to live as he once did, he hasn't lost his humor. He is looking to hire a person to be his caretaker, and when he meets Driss from the projects there is something about him that draws him in. Driss was just looking to have him sign his paper though so he could get unemployed benefits. When he is offered the job as caretaker he is shocked, but takes it and the lavish lifestyle it gives. The two though will change each other's lives more than they expected.

141 of 1001 Movies: Bridesmaids (2011)

I don't think there is a movie I've laughed more watching than Bridesmaids. There are many elements to this movie behind the scenes that give it enough balance to appeal to a broad audience though. You have Kristen Wig as a writer, so you get this comedic female emotions weaved in, you have a male director, Paul Feig, and Judd Apatow releasing it through is company. You have enough working for the movie to get all types of people to see it, and so many varying angles to make the comedy work.

Summary: Annie's life just can't seem to fall together. Her business failed, she is with a man who is using her for sex, and now she finds a rival in her a woman, Helen, who is a bridesmaid for her friend's wedding. She thinks maybe the one thing she can do is pull together a nice wedding for her friend, Lillian, but Helen is determined to let her planning skills shine. When Annie continues to mess up her wedding planning first with food poisoning, and then getting them kicked off a plane, she thinks maybe she isn't cut out for not only not being maid of honor, but maybe just a failure at everything. All the while she is being pursued by a cop that she can't seem to believe may be the real thing.

Saturday Movies: The Double (2011)

I don't ever want to see Topher Grace try to act tough again. The Double wasn't a movie I'd heard of before a couple of weeks ago, but upon stumbling upon I figured I would watch it for the heck of it, and honestly it was better than expected, but there are some obvious reasons it may have not been a hit. I also think it's pretty obvious that this is the only movie that Michael Brandt has shot. He's more so known for his screenplay writing than directing.

Summary: After a senator is murdered, a retired FBI agent is called back into investigate after the signs point to it being a previous Soviet assassin he thought had disappeared. Ben is assigned to work with Paul on the case after showing his extensive knowledge about the crimes to the team. After the previous assassin is quickly revealed it is then seemingly a race between Ben and the Soviet to stop him before another killing occurs. Ben though also has a family that he must protect, and Paul is warning his wife about the danger they are being put in.

97 of 1001 Movies: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

 Maybe you've watched Let the Right One In, but you probably didn't figure the same guy who directed it also directed Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  The Swedish director put together this film in the same quiet way he seems to have a trademark for with a very huge list of British actors. In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy you have a slow building suspense that has a few strong characters you want to grow with, and other you would hope more from.

It's the Cold War, and things are very bleak especially for unit M16. After a betrayal happens among them two agents are sent into retirement, but George Smiley is still curious as to figure out what exactly went wrong when they let a mole under their noses to jeopardize another. With the help of Peter he begins piecing together the events to figure it out. Others show up to help him to out the ones responsible for the fall, and down fall of M16 as far as their dignity among their colleagues.