Movies

Prisoners

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We watched Prisoners a few months back and I never got around to reviewing it.

Prisoners Movie Poster (from IMDb)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Viola Davis

Runtime: 2 hours 33 minutes

Plot Summary: (from IMDb) How far would you go to protect your family? Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki arrests its driver, Alex Jones, but a lack of evidence forces his release. As the police pursue multiple leads and pressure mounts, knowing his child’s life is at stake the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?

Rating: On Demand.

This one obviously isn’t in theaters anymore, but it’s a really good movie. I’m sure if you’re a parent it’s even harder to watch. Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman play amazing roles – they make you love and hate them all at the same time. This movie makes you question what you would do if in the same situation and shows how quickly a single thought can spiral out of control. Definitely give this one a try!

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

The Chamber

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A few nights ago we watched a movie that Mike had taped on our DVR. It’s an older one (1996) based on a John Grisham novel called The Chamber.

Director: James Foley

Stars: Chris O’Donnell, Gene Hackman, and Faye Dunaway

Runtime: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Plot Summary: (from IMDb) Having survived the hatred and bigotry that was his Klansman grandfather’s only legacy, young attorney Adam Hall seeks at the last minute to appeal the old man’s death sentence for the murder of two small Jewish boys 30 years before. Only four weeks before Sam Cayhall is to be executed, Adam meets his grandfather for the first time in the Mississippi prison which has held him since the crime. The meeting is predictably tense when the educated, young Mr. “Hall” confronts his venom-spewing elder, Mr. “Cayhall,” about the murders. The next day, headlines run proclaiming Adam the grandson who has come to the state to save his grandfather, the infamous Ku Klux Klan bomber. While the old man’s life lies in the balance, Adam’s motivation in fighting this battle becomes clear as the story unfolds. Not only does he fight for his grandfather, but perhaps for himself as well. He has come to heal the wounds of his own father’s suicide, to mitigate the secret shame he has always felt for the genetic fluke which made this man his grandfather, and to bring closure — one way or another — to the suffering the old man seems to have brought to everyone he has ever known. But, would mercy soften his grandfather’s heart?

Rating: TV

Seriously, who doesn’t love a little Chris O’Donnell? He played a great part, as did Gene Hackman. He managed to make you hate him for being racist, yet see the good in him as well. I’m always intrigued by a good character that you both hate and love as well as a movie willing to take on a heavy subject like the actions of the KKK and John Grisham did both. This is not a light hearted movie by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely well worth the watch!

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

Anchorman 2

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A couple of weekends ago Mike and I met up with our friends Chris and Kassie to check out Anchorman 2.

Director: Adam McKay

Stars: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, and Christina Applegate

Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Plot Summary: (from IMdB) Having left San Diego for New York City, Ron Burgundy is living the high life with his wife Veronica Corningstone and son Walter Burgundy. However, when the boss decides to promote Veronica to full-time lead anchor and fire Ron, everything changes. Now heading back to San Diego, Ron is washed up and working part-time at Sea World. His shot at redemption though comes in the form of a man named Freddie Schapp, who’s an executive producer at the Global News Network, the world’s first 24 hour round the clock news channel. He hires Ron, who proceeds to reunite the news team of Champ, Brick, and Brian, and head back to New York City. While there Ron and his news team are given the graveyard shift and a challenge. Ron comes up with a radical new idea to transform the news and that puts him at the top of the game once again. But how long will Ron’s newfound fame last? And will Brick finally find true love?

Rating: On Demand

This movie was pretty darned funny. The whole cast is back (including Steve Carell & David Koechner) and as hilarious as ever. There are some borderline jokes (as one would expect from Will Ferrel/the Anchorman franchise) but it was definitely funny. Let me explain why I gave it an “On Demand” review instead of a “Theater” review. I loved the movie. It was hilarious and really entertaining. But you could watch it at home and get the same experience. Just my two cents. 🙂

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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A couple weekends ago Mike and I actually went out to the movies (gasp!) which we haven’t done in a really long time. We went to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Director: Francis Lawrence

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth

Runtime: 2 hours 26 minutes

Plot Summary: (from IMDb) A year after winning the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and her partner, Peeta Mellark must go on what is known as the Victor’s Tour wherein they visit all the districts. But before leaving, Katniss is visited by President Snow who fears that Katniss defied him a year ago during the games when she chose to die with Peta. With both Katniss and Peeta declared the winners, it is fueling a possible uprising. He tells Katniss that while on tour she better try to make sure that she puts out the flames or else everyone she cares about will be in danger. But unfortunately she fails to do that. So Snow decides to enact what is known as the Quarter Quell, the right to make a change to the Hunger Games, which he is allowed to do every 25 years. He decides to hold an edition of the Hunger Games wherein previous winners will compete again. Their mentor Haymitch thinks their best chance to survive is form an alliance with some of the others. They decide to align themselves with Finnick and his partner, Mags. But Snow is secretly hoping Katniss will be killed.

Rating: See it in the theater!!!

This movie was absolutely awesome – I loved it. I am always a little skeptical of sequel movies because often times they don’t live up to the original, but this one definitely was as good, if not better, than the first Hunger Games. It also doesn’t feel as long as it is (2 1/2 hours!). I can’t help but hate the Peeta character, played by Josh Hutcherson. I don’t think it’s the acting, because I hated him in the book too. I just got tired of him being hurt and needing rescue. I also loved Jena Malone as Johanna Mason – she was really bad ass! Go see this one!

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

Django Unchained

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Mike and I have wanted to see Django Unchained for a long time, but we never got around to it while it was in the theater. As huge Quentin Tarantino fans, we knew this was going to be a pretty good flick.

Django Unchained
Django Unchained

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson

Runtime: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Plot Summary: (from IMdB) In 1858, a bounty hunter named Schultz seeks out a slave named Django and buys him because he needs him to find some men he is looking for. After finding them, Django wants to find his wife, Broomhilda who along with him were sold separately by his former owner for trying to escape. Schultz offers to help him if he chooses to stay with him and be his partner. Eventually they learn that she was sold to a plantation in Mississippi. Knowing they can’t just go in and say they want her, they come up with a plan so that the owner will welcome them into his home and they can find a way.

Rating: On Demand.

Seriously, you can’t go wrong with Quentin Tarantino and you can’t go wrong with the rest of the cast! I absolutely love Christoph Waltz – I’m not entirely certain how they called him the “supporting actor” in this film, but am definitely glad he won an Oscar for it! There was a lot of controversy surrounding this movie when it was released – particularly for the use of “the n word”. Yes, it was there, but I don’t think that it took away from the film. It was also criticized for being too violent, something that I think people should just expect from a Tarantino film – let’s not pretend that Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, or Kill Bill Volume 1 lacked in the violence department. This was a pretty good movie!

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

Rock of Ages (The Movie)

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There has been very little on TV this week, so Mike and I decided to rent Rock of Ages to see how it stood up to the musical.

Rock of Ages (from IMdB)
Rock of Ages (from IMdB)

Director: Adam Shankman

Stars: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, and Tom Cruise

Runtime: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Plot Summary: (from IMdB) Set in 1987 Los Angeles, Drew and Sherrie are two young people chasing their dreams in the big city. When they meet, it’s love at first sight, though their romance will face a series of challenges.

Rating: SKIP IT! Go see the musical instead!

Where to start, where to start? Tom Cruise is officially creepy. Let me get that out. I hated him in the role of Stacee Jaxx. He didn’t look like a rock god, he looked like an aging old man. Find better roles Mr. Cruise. Let me also say that I hate Julianne Hough’s voice. Stick to dancing, you sound auto-tuned. The one good part of the movie, believe it or not, was Russell Brand as Lonny. Pretty sad when Russell Brand is the shining light of your movie.

You see, this is why I’m not a big fan of musicals being made into movies. In fact, I’m terrified to watch Les Misérables because I’m pretty sure they’ll destroy that one too. I think the only one I have ever liked the film adaptation of was Chicago, but I haven’t seen the musical, so I might actually end up hating the movie once I do. Definitely skip this one and see the musical instead!

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

Looper

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Our latest movie from On Demand was Looper. I’ll admit, Mike wanted to see it more than me, but I was very pleasantly surprised.

Looper (from IMDb)
Looper (from IMDb)

Director: Rian Johnson

Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt

Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Plot Summary (from IMDb): In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to ‘close the loop’ by transporting back Joe’s future self.

Rating: On Demand.

This was seriously a good movie. It was one of those thought-provoking types that leaves you at the end with the question “What do you think happened next?”. The whole idea is that when a looper kills his older self from thirty years in the future (“closing the loop”) he gets a big chunk of gold and to live the next thirty years of his life in peace. Joe’s older self (Bruce Willis) realizes that his life is amazing and that he wants more than just thirty years. When he gets sent back to be killed by the younger Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), he has to convince him that life is worth living longer than thirty years. The ending really does leave you thinking and contemplating. This is definitely a must see movie!

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

Baytown Outlaws

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Last night we rented Baytown Outlaws, a movie that neither of us had really heard of. After our debacle with Killer Joe the other night, we figured it couldn’t be any worse!

Baytown Outlaws (from IMDb)
Baytown Outlaws (from IMDb)

Director: Barry Battles

Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Paul Wesley, and Zoe Bell

Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes

Plot Summary (from IMDb): After her ex-husband Carlos shoots Celeste three times in the gut, it’s time to play dirty. In the fight for her godson, Rob, she hires three outlawed and redneck brothers to bring him back to her. But nothing can be that simple in the South. What begins as a small rescue mission rises to a southern battle royal. This odd team must shoot their way through gorgeous female assassins, Native American hunters, Federal agents, and a whole lot of metal coming after them, while protecting Celeste’s innocent child.

Rating: On Demand.

I actually thought this movie was pretty good. It had equal parts of shoot-em-up and comedy, which made it appealing to both Mike and I. As always, Billy Bob Thornton plays a hilarious role and the three brothers (I haven’t heard of any of them) were perfectly cast. This is a good, entertaining movie!

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

Killer Joe

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So apparently all of television takes the week between Christmas and New Years off. Mike and I settled onto the sofa last night only to find that nothing was on. We started surfing through the On Demand movies and came across Killer Joe, which looked pretty decent. We were wrong. Very, very wrong.

Killer Joe (from IMDb)
Killer Joe (from IMDb)

Director: William Friedkin

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, and Juno Temple

Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Plot Summary (from IMDb): Finding himself in considerable debt, Chris Smith, a Texan drug dealer, decides the only solution is to murder his mother to collect the insurance money. Conspiring with his father, Ansel, the ex-husband of Chris’s mother, they decide to hire “Killer Joe” Cooper, a police detective who has a parallel career as a contract killer. They plan to give the money to Chris’s sister Dottie, who Chris thinks is the beneficiary of the mother’s life insurance policy. Chris is unable to front Killer Joe’s fee. However, Chris agrees that Joe can take Dottie as a retainer until the insurance comes through.advertisement

Rating: Skip It.

Seriously, it’s a terrible movie. Any movie that starts with someone knocking on the door only to have the door opened by a naked white trash woman is not going to end well. It was all downhill from there.

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.

Pitch Perfect

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I had been wanting to see Pitch Perfect for a while, so I picked a day that Mike wasn’t home to watch it… it really didn’t strike me as the guy’s guy kinda movie.

Pitch Perfect (from IMDb)
Pitch Perfect (from IMDb)

Director: Jason Moore

Stars: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, and Rebel Wilson

Runtime: 1 hour, 52 minutes

Plot Summary (from IMDb): The Barden Bellas are a collegiate, all-girls a cappella singing group thriving on female pop songs and their perfect looks. After a disastrous failing at last year’s finals, they are forced to regroup. Among the new recruits is freshman Beca, an independent, aspiring DJ with no interest in the college life. But after she meets Jesse, from the rival all-male a cappella group, Beca has a new outlook and takes it upon herself to help the Bellas find their new look and sound and get back into the competition.

Rating: TV.

This is definitely a music geek kind of movie (those new to my blog, don’t take offense to that – I’m a very proud music geek). They did all sorts of different a capella cover songs that were a lot of fun. This movie is full of loads of funny one liners – here’s a few of the ones that cracked me up (they probably make more sense in the context of the movie, but I’ll post them anyway):

Nothing makes a woman feel more like a girl than a man who sings like a boy.

Your weirdness is actually affecting my vocal chords, so I’m gonna need you to SCOOT!

I can sing, but I’m also good at modern dance, olden dance, and mermaid dancing which is a little different. You usually start on the ground – it’s a lot of floor work.

If you’re expecting a deep, thought-provoking movie, this is not the movie for you. It’s a fun, light-hearted movie. I probably wouldn’t pay to rent it again, maybe just wait for it to come out on TV. Rebel Wilson was pretty funny, but I think they used up her best lines in the trailer.

Ratings Explanation:

  • Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
  • On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
  • TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
  • Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.