Wednesday Movie Night: Bachelorette (2012)

It's true, I'm getting married this weekend. After a rough day I figured I would get into the mood of being married soon by watching Bachelorette. I can't say this movie would have been as funny as it was had I not had that glass of wine though. A lot of the jokes feel very strained, and overall I felt like I walked away from a movie trying very hard to be the female version of The Hangover. There are drugs and sex along with plenty of drinking, plus crazy antics all in the night before the wedding. Instead of the bachelor party going wrong, the bachelorette one does.

Summary: Becky has a skewed view of what her so called friends think of her. While they all seem close their ties seem to be based on partying. Becky though has calmed down, especially since becoming engaged. Regan though is bitter because she thought she would be the one marrying first, and Gena and Katie are living their lives in party mode without any regrets. After the girls decide to get out Becky's dress to look at and rip it they find their night in one big rush to fix it before the morning.

Movie Spotlight: End of Watch (2012)

Here is another new blog segment I will be trying out from time to time where I focus on a director, or an actor (depending on which is more accessible in my movie database), who is releasing a movie this weekend. Well you're probably why I chose to focus on a movie from David Ayer this weekend instead of Darren Aronofosky who is releasing Noah. That is because I will be reviewing Pi sometime next week, and it's on the list. Anyways, Ayer is releasing Sabotage, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger this weekend, which seems like a far cry from the work he did on End of Watch. Actually, I was shocked by how good End of Watch was.

Summary: Brian and Mike are two young LAPD officers working the tough streets. They seem to have a lot of success catching bad guys, which honestly makes them feel pretty confident. Just as their personal lives are transitioning completely into adulthood, and they are beginning their own families, they find themselves getting mixed into crime that is above and beyond the street gangs they are acquainted with.

Saturday Movies: Frances Ha (2012)

I had been wanting to watch this movie for a really long time. There was just something that screamed Holly about it, and I was right. There is also something very Woody Allen about it as well, but with a little more life. Anyways, Noah Baumbach directs this movie, and brings to life Frances. Frances for some reason is a very easy to relate to woman, and I think whether male or female, if you're in your twenties, about to be, or already been there is something that to like about this movie and that reminds you of that decade of your life.

Summary: Frances wants to be a dancer and is apprenticing at a dance company though she is not really a dancer. She also is living in New York without an apartment as well. She is from California, but has come to New York to make her dancing dreams work out. The one thing that seems to be real about Frances life that is an illusion she has created is her friendship with Sophie. Sophie though has a successful job, and now she is in a serious relationship. Somehow this makes Frances' world feel as if it is falling apart.

247 of 1001 Movies: Amour (2012)

Amour was a movie a couple of years ago made popular by the Oscars, or at least that is how I heard about it. I had been wanting to see it since, but without the list might not have checked it out considering my reservations about watching a movie that was perhaps as slow as this one. Though slow the story for the most part is very realistic. It isn't overly romantic if you're hoping for a cute tale of an older couple, and it isn't a pleasant depiction of dying. Where someone slowly drifts away till they wake up no more.

Summary: Georges and Anne are retired music teachers who on their last normal night together go to see a concert of their now famous past student, Alexandre. Their daughter, Eva, lives with her English husband, so she doesn't live nearby. When Anne suffers a stroke it leaves her paralyzed on her right side, and now she is dependent on Georges who also has his own struggle with age. The stroke, and the emerging problems it will cause will leave them trying to hold on to the love they've had for so long as it is tested in new ways.

Wednesday Movie Night: Bullet to the Head (2012)

Bullet to the Head was a huge flop at the theater last year. Not quite as huge as Jack The Giant Slayer and The Lone Ranger, but still a big one. I'm a little shocked this movie got a theatrical release anyways, but it was February and I can't say that is a very lucrative market for movies. Sylvester Stallone is showing that he is also not retiring, and will star in movies until he can't. Shockingly, Walter Hill isn't like many of the men who seem to direct movies like this though. He's a bit older, and has yet to seem to make that movie that garners attention. Even with a star studded movie like this it still didn't hit big.

Summary: New Orleans hitman, James Bonomo, and detective, Taylor Kwon, have both lost their partners to the same criminal. Now this puts them on the same path after the same guy, and if they want to increase their chances of catching him then it would be best to work together. Complications arise though as Taylor begins having an interest in James' daughter, Lisa, and Taylor's commitment to catching criminals keeps threatening to put him on the opposite side of James.

425 of 1001 Movies: Jack White's Blunderbuss

I became a fan of The White Stripes almost two years ago when watching a DVD they released. From there I've also been following what Jack White is doing since The White Stripes ended. His solo album, Blunderbuss, was released a couple of years ago, and it shows that Jack White is great even on his own by creating a funky mix of blues rock with other genres like country and other elements to make for a creative album.

History: The backing band that Jack White used to put together this album has always varied. To record he used a band that traveled to Nashville, to record with him and RZA, but since he was unable to show he went ahead and recorded some different songs with them. This led to different bands being able to back like when he played SNL where he swapped between two groups to back on the instruments, one all female, and the other all male. The album would be a critical success the year it was released, making #3 on Rolling Stones' album of the year 2012 list. It also would be a hit with audiences, and find itself with Grammy nominations.

Wednesday Movie Night: The Sapphires (2012)

Not going to lie, The Sapphires is probably one of the cutest movies I've seen in a while. The only thing is should subject matter like this be cute? The movie explores a lot of different ideas, and a time period where Australia was having much the same struggles that the United States was with racism. It opened my eyes to the fact that the U.S. isn't the only country who as delved into the struggles we have. Racism had become so bad in Australia against the natives, that white people had began stealing their children that they could pass off as white and raise them in homes with white people in the hopes of "civilizing" them. I hadn't heard of anything quite like that before though America has done similar things.

Summary: Gail, Cynthia, and Julie arrive in town to be apart of a talent contest. Also, a talent scout will be there. Dave Lovelace is the scout who travels from location to location in these events, but with his alcoholism beginning to affect his career and ability to be trusted by those who hire him he may need to be searching for his next big gig. After seeing Gail, Cynthia, and Julie sing he is the only white person to applaud them. The girls hope he will help them go to Vietnam where they are offering to pay a singing group well to perform for the troops, while reluctant he agrees if the girls can get their act together before then with his help.

Bookshelf: John Green's The Fault in Our Stars

So most teenagers have probably heard of this book, and many have it. Adults like me have even read it. It has become a bestseller, and now it's in the works to be a movie next year with some notable names in it. I can see why this book has achieved popularity though. Green has been building his name for a while in the young adult genre by consistently releasing novels, and teens like them. He does put a voice out there for them that most teens wish they had. And like author's, Lurlene McDaniel, he somehow hits a soft spot that is devastating to read.

Summary: Hazel lives with terminal cancer. She carries an oxygen tank around to help her lungs work, and is attending a cancer support group. Other than that her life is filled with America's Next Top Model reruns and going to college classes three days a week. All Hazel's mom wants is for her to get out a little and live the life she has. After Hazel meets Augustus at the cancer support group she finds just what it seems she needs. Hazel is scared to fall for the guy though considering she doesn't know how long she has to live.

Saturday Movies: Black Rock (2012)

You won't be able to help but laugh at this one. I also would have hated to direct myself in this one as Katie Aselton did. What else has she done? I am unsure. She also directed the 2010 movie, The Freebie which has just about the same rating as this movie. She likes to direct herself as well and naked. There are many problems working for this movie though including the chopping editing, the odd hipster vibe, and some very bad acting.

Summary: Three women unite for a camping trip, but only at the persistence of one friend, Sarah. With past issues beginning to stifle the fun between the three though, Sarah only hopes that Lou and Abby can work past those problems. Their trip is disrupted when they come across three men, one who is familiar from childhood. They invite the group to hang out with them, but after a misunderstanding between the two groups, things go awry and the women find themselves on the run from a new threat.

Wednesday Movie Night: The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

Blue Valentine was a bit of a disappointment when I watched. I became attached to the trailer and after watching the movie just felt let down by the overall emotional impact of the story. Derek Cianfrance now has his second directed movie out, The Place Beyond the Pines, and once again I got very excited, but was able to keep it a bit toned down considering the last time watching a movie of his. With this one though my expectations were exceeded. Cianfrance hits in this movie where you want it to and cast the perfect setting for the character to develop. He gives us a cast of characters who we for some reason grow to care about, mostly Luke that is, even though they seem like not too good of people.

Summary: Luke is a stunt motorcycle rider who learns he fathered a son with a woman he met while in the area a year ago. After learning of this he wants to provide for her and the child. She already has a boyfriend who has been in her life and the child's consistently, but she has obvious feelings for Luke that remain. To provide Luke turns to robbery and this sends a police officer, Avery, involved in corrupt dealings on his tail.

Wednesday Movie Night: House at the End of the Street (2012)

House at the end of the Street is said to be not really a horror movie from hardcore fans, and it makes sense since most people who claim to be horror fans definitely have more hardcore movies they would recommend. House at the End of the Street is horror in a light suspense. It works off fears that people do have, and this movie doesn't emphasis the gore that can be involved with the genre. As someone who really hates gore, I was appreciative of that. What is rough about the movie is the whole first hour. It seems like we're wasting time because there is nowhere to take this plot without just giving us the last 30 minutes and letting it be over.

Summary: Elissa and her mom move into a new house. Her mom is looking to move on from her divorce and start over in the hopes of also connecting with her daughter. Elissa is more concerned with the tragic murder that occurred down the street from where she lives. When Elissa meets the sole survivor of the murders she befriends him, and begins to fall for him. Ryan is a bit of an oddity though, and Elissa thinks she only has to save him from his tragic past.

Book Review: Carrie Rocha's Pocket Your Dollars

The most ironic thing to me is that the book is about saving your money yet you'll have to spend at the very least $8 to get this book digitally. There are plenty of books out there on money though, so maybe you'll find this one worth not keeping your money in the pocket for. Carrie Rocha has had plenty of financial woes and she has overcome them with some lifestyle changes that corrected her way of thinking toward money. At times it reads a bit repetitive, sometimes like a typical self help book, and other times it really does motivate.

Summary: Carrie has seemed to witness money issues that have really impacted her life. From being a kid where her family lost their business, to an adult and using a credit card to pay for her wedding, she seems to not have witnessed the best ways to save money for the circumstances you'll need. She has five attitude changes that she made and applied to her own family to be working to change their financial situation. Everything from cutting out the splurge spending, to eliminating credit cards, they have done a lot to recover their money from debt. Now she is sharing it with readers to help them live a more positive and money saving lifestyle.

Library Reads: Merry Christmas, Alex Cross

So after Kill Alex Cross I was unsure that Merry Christmas, Alex Cross would continue the series any better. Especially since the reviews seem just as lackluster. While it's not return to the better days it still does at least improve. The writing seems to be more Patterson by far. I also do like the return to seeming to more personally explore Alex Cross as a person then just trying to just get us involved by using certain propaganda to make an attachment with the character.

Summary: It's Christmas and Alex Cross' family just wants him home with them. He gets a call though that sends him out on two high profile cases, and he just hopes his family can understand that if he doesn't go he could have innocent lives on his mind that were lost by him refusing to show. One case involves a hostage situation where one man has went off the rails and is threatening his own family's life on Christmas. The other involves one of the FBI's most wanted terrorist who is plotting a disastrous train explosion in Washington D.C. With Alex being the best negotiator and  detective they go he believes it is on him.

Saturday Movies: Safe (2012)

Jason Statham is like the Charlie Chaplin of B-movie action movies, well sort of. His face seems to go hand in hand with most of them now. To be honest it was a way more enjoyable action ride than I expected though. I also liked the atmosphere of the night scenes, and how they get you emotionally connected to feeling for the girl in the middle all of this despite the fact she is a bad actress who keeps changing her accent. It's intense and short though so that is what counts to me for the movie.

Summary: Mei is good with numbers and has an incredible memory, so when she remembers a very important code her life is put in danger when a battle erupts between two sides who want it.  Luke is an ex-cage fighter who has had his own falling out with the Russians who are battling to find the girl, and he decides to help her when he finds she is in trouble. Mei is forced to trust him considering there is no one else to trust. With corrupt cops and mobs tracking their every move though both are going to have fight to disappear.

Saturday Movies: Mud (2012)

If you liked Take Shelter then you should like Jeff Nichols' movie Mud even better. It takes us inside the lives of a small town group of people once again, and while the scenario doesn't seem as fantasy like it still connects themes that relate more to a childhood fantasy and pull us in. When first considering to watch Mud it just seems like it felt obscure in what it was about, so I was glad to find a movie that was well worth watching that couldn't follow just one plot but many that strung together.

Summary: Ellis and Neckbone are two young boys growing up by the river, but their lives will be changed when they meet a wanted fugitive, Mud, living in a boat they had plans to take. While Neckbone is more reluctant, Ellis wants to help Mud escape and reunite him with his lost love, Juniper. With Ellis having his first love, and his parents separation it seems that Ellis is looking for hope somewhere that love works perfectly is there are people who really do have mutual love. Things grow out of control as the boys discover though that Mud has gotten himself tangled in a lot more than they thought.

Wednesday Movie Night: Quartet (2012)

Dustin Hoffman directs his first film, Quartet. It includes a lot of the humor I would associate with Hoffman in the movie, but what doesn't work is that the story line has absolutely nothing going for it to interest you. The characters are for the most part likable, especially Wilf. There are also some actors in the movie though who seem to just land in the same old part you've seen them in every other movie they seem to pick of recent like Maggie Smith. Didn't she see some sort of correlation between her character in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Quartet that seemed to similar to play?

Summary: A home for retired musicians throws an annual concert each year to celebrate Verdi's birthday. One of the performances will be a quartet. Reginald, Wilf, and Cissy hope to convince Jean to reunite with Reginald and themselves so they can perform.  Jean is reluctant to though since the relationship between her and Reginald ended badly. Jean's annoyance with the pressure to perform is getting to her though, and dividing their friendships.

Saturday Movies: Robot and Frank (2012)

Jake Schreier attempts a nice little movie with some heart in his first full length film. It also deals with themes that just aren't too pleasant to think about whether you're older or younger. Either you know that one day you will be in the position of planning how to take care of a parent, or you're the parent that everyone is trying to plan for when you may need help taking care of yourself. Schreier also mixes in a bit of humor. and other tiny bits of action to not only focus on family but gives us some character development for the lead, Frank.

Summary: Somewhere in the near future, there if Frank, and he is an ex-thief who receives a gift from his son, Hunter. His kids Hunter and Madison are worried about their father, but since their lives call for them to be elsewhere most the time they believe that getting a robot that can be a helper will be the best thing to do for him. After getting him the robot though Frank feels inspired to take up some new activities including returning to robbery and trying to save a library that he frequents for a woman, Jennifer.

Wednesday Movie Night: Liberal Arts (2012)

In his second directed movie, Josh Radnor writes this movie that seems like a cute little indie movie with characters that seem easy to relate to for twenty-somethings. It looks at the realization for those growing older that they actually are getting older, and how the generation they were apart only a few years ago now seems a lifetime away from being someone they can relate to now in their thirties. It's really difficult to let go of childhood whether it's in the form of being a kid or teen, and embrace the fact you're now an adult, and there is only one phase left to hit and that is senior citizen.

Summary: Jesse is returning to his alma mater for his professor's retirement party, and the party is also accompanied by Zibby and her parents. Jesse is a 30 something year old though that lives in New York, but when he strikes up a romance with the 19 year old Zibby he can't help but return to the alma mater once more to see if the chemistry is really something to explore. Jesse can't help but remember all the passion and hope that college brought him, but he has since lost since graduating. Not only will Zibby change his life though, but the many characters he meets while spending time at the college.

Saturday Movies: Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)

While the acting is good I have to credit Hyde Park on Hudson with being one of the most boring movies I've seen from last year thus far. I understand the appeal of wanting to make the movie, but there are two things that make this documented time in FDR's presidency uninteresting. The biggest one being that anytime you put cousin and relationship in the same lump it just doesn't make for an appealing sounding movie. Secondly, nothing interesting happens. We see a lot of mistresses pop up, some which we know were definitely women he had been seeing and others that are still rumors to this day.

Summary: It wasn't something that really happened, but FDR found it possible during his presidency. The King and Queen of England were set to visit New York to meet FDR on his property where he lived, Hyde Park on Hudson, as he called it. During that weekend though, FDR reaches out to his distant cousin, Daisy, in the search for some new company. There meeting turns into something more very quickly though, and before she knows it she has formed deep feelings for him, but it isn't without complications.

Saturday Movies: The Cold Light of Day (2012)

The Cold Light of Day is one of those movies that has a ton of stars in it making you wonder why you didn't hear of it upon it's release, well I can tell you why, and that is because it isn't really good. Most may tune into the movie because it seems to be action and it has Bruce Willis appearing to star on the cover. Action and Bruce Willis seems to be a selling point. Willis isn't in the movie very long though, and then you have new upcoming Henry Cavill lead the movie, which isn't too bad except his character makes sense and for some reason Sigourney Weaver leaves all her acting talent at the door.

Summary: Will is a struggling Wall Street Trader that is visiting his family on vacation. When he goes out for groceries on the trip though he returns to find that his family has been abducted from their boat. Carrack confronts Will and his dad, but it turns out that she has other motives and wants to get the suitcase in the hands of the intelligence agents. Now in a battle to rescue his family from terrorists and keep the agents from getting it as well and limiting his options of rescuing his family.