“A Beginner’s Guide to Endings” on IMDB
Comedy/Drama, 92 Minutes, 2011
Had no idea what to expect from this one. Liked the box art, liked the people in it and had a couple hours so gave it a shot. The first shot is of Harvey Keitel [IMDB] and that’s usually a good sign. He’s a low-life who spent most of his life being a bad father to his five sons and has finally done something so heinous that he can’t live with himself.
Crime/Drama, 100 Minutes, 2011
I bounced around with this one a little. Was it just a lower-budget “The Transporter” [IMDB] or did it have something new to say? Word of mouth indicated greatness but the marketing material said “shallow and disposable”. Where, oh where, does the truth lie?
Drama, 110 Minutes, 2012
This movie was marketed horribly. It was marketed as a quick-cut, quick-wit, wacky ensemble comedy like “Snatch” [IMDB] or “Ocean’s Eleven” [IMDB]. The trailer has swearing, explosions and guns. It was presented as a fun, simple, frenetic story about some lunatics that steal an even bigger lunatic’s dog. Smart, yes, but not too smart.
Comedy, 90 Minutes, 2011
There’s always humor, often some of the best, to be found when people take something too seriously. It can be anything, but it’s all the better when the something in question is a little… out there. This is what makes movies like “Best in Show” [IMDB] so good. Take an activity that we know of but really nothing about. Include a cast of people, often small-town people, for whom this thing is everything and just sit back and watch the fireworks.
Drama, 97 Minutes, 2012
This isn’t really a “comedy” (although it’s billed that way). You really won’t laugh at it. It’s a somewhat decent drama however. A light, non-threatening, ultimately unimportant drama to be sure, but a decent one nonetheless. It’s flawed and these flaws tend to undercut its message but I’m willing to admit that I may not be the target audience here.
“Beasts of the Southern Wilds” on IMDB
Fantasy Drama, 93 Minutes, 2012
This is an odd little movie. A wonderful, thought-provoking, completely odd little movie. In broad strokes, it’s an environmental film but this aspect is almost an afterthought. The setting – the origin of which is only really mentioned in passing – is a place called “The Bathtub”. It’s the only remnant of Louisiana left dry and outside an enormous levy built to protect the Southern U.S. from rising sea-levels. The small population of the Bathtub live in squalor struggling to maintain their sense of community fearful that they will be forcibly taken from their homes to government shelters.
Family Drama, 124 Minutes, 2011
Benjamin has recently lost his wife, the love of his life, to illness. Dylan, his teenage son, is a moody, artistic teenager who’s pulling away from him and having trouble at school. Rosie, his seven-year old daughter, is insanely cute, totally precocious and straight from the Hollywood breeding tanks. When Dylan is expelled the family decides to try for a new start and, almost accidentally, falls into buying a run-down zoo on the verge of losing its license.
Thriller, 80 Minutes, 2007
Revenge films tend to form a mixed bag. They can be very easy to pull off (all you really need is to show somebody doing something horrible to somebody else) which means that a lot of them suffer from laziness. Others spend so much time on the mechanics of the situation – long, intricate, graphically violent scenes – that they lose focus on the human impact. It’s difficult to find the sweet spot. This one starts out strong but unfortunately wanders aimlessly through its last two acts.
Action, 96 Minutes, 2012:
[Hurricane Sandy is currently causing all kinds of hell for all kinds of people. Here in Scranton, PA we’ve still got power and Internet (at least for now). We’re going to watch movies until either Sandy puts a stop to it or we can actually leave the house.]
Drama, 80 Minutes, 2011
It’s taken me a long time to write this review. Some movies I have to mull over for a while. It’s difficult for me, sometimes, to actually know whether I even liked a movie or not right after seeing it. I have to swish it around in my head and see if anything sticks after a few days.
