We're back!
We took a little break in 2013, but we decided we really missed our weekly movies. We didn't like being out of the loop. Mostly, we missed the time we spent together going to the movies. So here we are.
Before our first official review for 2014, we thought we'd give you a little breakdown of the movies we saw over the holidays. There were some good ones in there we think are worth mentioning. Five movies in less than a month. Guess we are coming back with a bang!
Frozen:
Deb: This movie was the best Princess Disney movie I have seen in a very long time. The music was superb, the concept was different and it was about sisters!! I would give this one an Opening Day review. You and your kids will love it.
Tiff: I really liked this movie too but the beginning story line was a little rushed and weak. From an adult standpoint. My kids however, loved it. I liked the idea that true love wasn't just a romantic concept. I give this one a Friday Night rating.
Saving Mr. Banks:
Deb: So different than what I thought it was going to be. I love a true story. This one made me want to go out and buy the Mary Poppins Series. Great acting. (not necessarily a kid movie, they would probably get bored.) Friday Night at its best.
Tiff: This was definitely a deeper movie than what you think you're getting into. Very well done and acted. Agree with Deb, not a good kids movie. Definitely worth a Friday Night.
The Wolf of Wall Street:
Deb: WOW, WOW and WOW. Pushing movies to their limit in more ways than one. I did really love it! Great Acting, Crazy out of control story. (Lots of nudity, sex and drugs so be aware). Friday Night Rating from me.
Tiff: This movie was dirty and wrong but so very good. Lots of sex, lots of drugs and more than a little uncomfortableness. Make sure you go with an appropriate companion. Leo was really great in this. I give this an Opening Night.
American Hustle:
Deb: Think 70's at its height. Great job with setting the stage, costumes and personalities. The movie did get a little long for me, the story was lengthy but I never guessed how it would end. Matinee
Tiff: Didn't get to see this one. Maybe I can check it out on Netflix someday.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty:
Deb: This one was Quirky at best. I have a hard time with movies that push the limit on reality. This one did, but the relationship was endearing and the message was positive. Great Rental
Tiff: Didn't get to see this one either. Wasn't super interested. I guess I'm fine with missing this one.
What movies did you see over the holiday that you think are worth mentioning?
Showing posts with label Tom Hanks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Hanks. Show all posts
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Monday, October 22, 2012
2012: Week 42: Cloud Atlas
Cloud Atlas
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Main Players: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Jim Sturgess, Jim Broadbent
General Gist: A story about how individual lives affect one another in the past, present and future.
Deb's Take:
This movie was another one of those “thinker” type of movies. There is a lot going on with so many characters and so many time lines, the movie can get confusing. I was a little lost most of the time. I felt like I needed to watch the movie a couple times in order to really figure out who was who and what was what. The movie followed the lives of so many different people/past, present and future. I tried to find the connection in each but know I missed some of it.
The most amazing part of this movie was how many characters each actor played. Tom Hanks played 7 different characters, Halle Berry did 6, and most of the others had 5-6 as well. Not until the credits were running did I see who was who as some of them were so unrecognizable. There definitely is outstanding acting. I sort of felt like I was watching a play vs a movie because the actors “acted” so well.
The movie was a little to long and drawn out for me. I found myself wondering if there was really a point, luckily, things did have closure..which I like of course. Wonderful acting, but a little too much bouncing back and forth for my taste.
Deb's Rate: Matinee
Tiff's Take:
Yeah, this definitely was a thinker. I too, like Deb, was confused for a lot of it. I wasn't sure how it was all going to tie together. I don't think it was until the last 20 minutes of the movie that I had a little ah ha moment. But I'll be quite honest. That ah ha moment wasn't a real clear one. There's still a lot I missed.
It sounds like I enjoyed the whole journey of it a little more than Deb. I liked the bouncing back and forth between stories and times. And I liked how some of the stories were more serious then others. The present day story was especially entertaining and gave a little comic relief.
The acting was great but more importantly, the makeup was wonderful. I imagine it was fun for the actors to play all those different parts and be a completely different person for each story.
And yes it was long but it didn't feel too long for me. The only beef I have is, again, what's up with these bleak futures?
Tiff's Rate: Friday Night
Preview: A few more pre-screenings in the works.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
2012: Week 3: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Main Players: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Zoe Caldwell, Max von Sydow
General Gist: The journey of a nine year old boy dealing with the loss of his father who died in the World Trade Center on September 11th.
Tiff's Take:
You never know what to expect going to a movie dealing with September 11th. It seems like it is still fresh enough that only a few mainstream movies have touched on this subject. I imagine it will be different 10, 20, 30 years from now. But for now I still get goosebumps whenever I see anything about it.
However, this movie wasn't so much about September 11th as it was about the effects it had on a boy who loses his father because of it. I was thinking this would be a movie that lead up to that day therefore expecting a really sad ending. It didn't though. It really started out with that day and followed this boy's journey of dealing with the loss of his father. The father was played by Tom Hanks and the boy was played by Thomas Horn. Tom Hanks did great but it was really all about Thomas Horn's roll. He did a fantastic job of being this quirky (on the verge of disorder) boy who thinks he will lose the memory of his father if he doesn't keep around pieces of him. He finds a key his father kept and goes on a mission to see what it opens. All the while his mom, played by Sandra Bullock, is trying to make sense of it all too.
I've had a little bit of a hard time deciding whether I really liked the movie or not. It was a little slow but it was interesting and well acted. Although it didn't leave much of a lasting impression. For me, that's a big indicator to how well I like something. So take that how you will.
You never know what to expect going to a movie dealing with September 11th. It seems like it is still fresh enough that only a few mainstream movies have touched on this subject. I imagine it will be different 10, 20, 30 years from now. But for now I still get goosebumps whenever I see anything about it.
However, this movie wasn't so much about September 11th as it was about the effects it had on a boy who loses his father because of it. I was thinking this would be a movie that lead up to that day therefore expecting a really sad ending. It didn't though. It really started out with that day and followed this boy's journey of dealing with the loss of his father. The father was played by Tom Hanks and the boy was played by Thomas Horn. Tom Hanks did great but it was really all about Thomas Horn's roll. He did a fantastic job of being this quirky (on the verge of disorder) boy who thinks he will lose the memory of his father if he doesn't keep around pieces of him. He finds a key his father kept and goes on a mission to see what it opens. All the while his mom, played by Sandra Bullock, is trying to make sense of it all too.
I've had a little bit of a hard time deciding whether I really liked the movie or not. It was a little slow but it was interesting and well acted. Although it didn't leave much of a lasting impression. For me, that's a big indicator to how well I like something. So take that how you will.
Deb's Take:
This movie was definitely not what I was expecting. The advertising made me think I was going to watch a movie about Sept 11, and about one man's journey through that time. As Tiff mentioned, it's really about the reaction of a boy who loses his father Sept 11 and all the struggles and the journey he takes to find some sort of peace and understanding. They sort of played up that Tom Hanks was in the movie, but Thomas Horn was the real star and in the forefront most of the film.
I did have a difficult time getting into the movie. The story line and relationships seemed sort of disjointed for at least the first half of the movie. I felt like I was in an "artsy" film and a lot of the meaning was going over my head or something. I was finding it hard to believe this boy could travel around New York City all day with no adult supervision and that everyone was taking it in stride. Luckily, the ending cleared it all up for me. Thomas Horn really did an amazing job, and I always like Sandra Bullock..(she is a favorite of mine!!). The movie did bring Sept 11 back in a different light, yet as always, made me very sad for the families so closely effected by the terror.
I enjoyed the movie and the message it sent. A good sort of touching movie. My 14 year old didn't think it was all that great, I think mostly because it was just slower paced. Worth an afternoon viewing or week night date.
Preview:
Stay tuned for our first give-away of 2012, and the upcoming movie for the week..."One for the Money"
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