Tag: three sentence movies

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I’m hoping to rarely have other experiences watching the ghost of a dead man on the screen, because the (nearly seamless) CGI of Paul Walker made this movie hard to watch in some ways.  In other ways it was just as awesome as its predecessors, inspiring almost equal multiple thoughts of “that is totally unrealistic” and “this movie is awesome!”  Overall, this was a great addition to the franchise and I’m happy the loss of Paul Walker did not put an end to big dumb cars driving fast and furious.

cost: $5.00
Where watched: Regal City Center Stadium 12 with Christi

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/furious_seven.html
but I like this one better: http://www.impawards.com/2015/furious_seven_ver2.html

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Sometimes when there is a lot of tremendous gushing about a movie* it scares me off and that’s one reason it took me so long to catch up with this fabulous film.  However, I should not have tarried, as this has an interesting setting (“short-term” care facility for troubled youth) and great female character in the lead as well as an excellent romantic interest.  It’s sweet without being saccharine and hard without being formidable and I highly recommend you search it out.

Cost: free from Library’s Hoopla
Where watched: at home

*The Filmspotting podcast I listen to could not say enough good things about this movie.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/short_term_twelve.html

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Season three continued the uneven plotting that appeared in previous seasons and as usual, I was quite happy to overlook this, because I enjoy the show.  The girls are getting older, (25) and do/do not seem to be settling in their lives.  Great performances from all made this required viewing and I’m hoping that I don’t have to wait another year for Season 4 to appear on DVD.

cost: free from library
where watched: at home

poster from: amazon

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This movie is filled with so much violence, both overt and casual, that I had to distract myself with something else to do while I was watching it.  Excellent performances all around (though I found Mr. Pitt to be annoyingly distracting–how convenient that one of the producers turns up as the savior) .  This wasn’t easy to watch, but worthwhile.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/twelve_years_a_slave.html

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An excellent series that takes place in the post-war 1940s where Agent Peggy Carter has to fight not only crime, but sexism as she is one of the few OSS agents.  It was never explained to my exactly why a British citizen would be a member of the OSS, but that’s my only gripe about this.  And you get to enjoy a fine parade of 40s fashions.

Cost: I think Matt paid $3.00 for the first episode.  The rest we watched on Hulu.  Which has a lot of commercials.  Which was one of the reasons I stopped watching TV.
Where watched: at home with Matt.

poster from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3475734/

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My friend Stephanie referred to this movie as “total war porn” and she wasn’t wrong.  I found the story to be mildly engaging and was interested in the amount of falling the actors/stunt doubles had to undertake while transferring this tale to celluloid. However, when I find myself mid-movie eagerly awaiting the part in the credits when we see pictures of the real people on which the movie is based, I know this is not a successful movie.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/lone_survivor.html

Most of the newer posters on the IMP Awards site have comments. I usually read them.  These struck me as funny enough to include them here.

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The book on which this movie is based is 748 pages, so it wasn’t very surprising to me that I had more than a few moments of “what in god’s name is happening?”  This is a great movie for people who like to look at Colin Farrell; for people not so much into just watching a movie to look an actor, you might find yourself alternating between confusion and complete boredom.  Given the number of stars packed into this movie, I suspect this was destined to be a hit and entirely missed the mark.

Cost: Free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/winters_tale_ver4.html

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I had a rare experience of spending the first part of the move hating* this movie and then there was a slow reversal until I was completely charmed by the end.  What started out as a wild girl/uptight dude story gradually morphed into complex characters and interesting twists, all backed by this incredibly cool** new-wave reggae soundtrack.***  And then Ray Liotta appears, which amps things up considerably.

*It doesn’t help that I cannot stand Melanie Griffith.
**Although what was with 80s movies and their obsession with the Trogg’s “Wild Thing”?
***Sister Carol’s performance at the end was particularly charming.

Cost: Free from library
Where watched: at home.
 

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1986/something_wild.html

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The animated Cinderella was my favorite Disney film* and I wasn’t really convinced we needed a live-action entry.  However, while this does not break new ground (as in Maleficent) it is a grand example of everything being absolutely perfect in the film.  It’s worth watching just for the ballroom scene, which is exquisite to say the least, and probably worth watching just for the costumes, even if you don’t think you are interested in costumes.

Cost: $5.00 (Upgraded theater, upgraded prices)
Where watched:  McMenamins St. Johns Theater & Pub.

*Until the Little Mermaid came out.  Then Cinderella became my favorite of the old-school Animated Films.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/cinderella.html

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Stephen Sondheim’s musical styling gets on my nerves after about an hour, so that was distracting.  Aside from that, this was a very fun movie with great performances by all.*  It also featured an amazing sweater (worn by the boy Jack) that I sadly cannot find a pattern online for.

Cost: $3.00 (Plus pizza and a seasonal cider. I do recall that I made a vow to not buy food/drink at movies this year, but I was hungry.  There wasn’t any food in the house.)
Where watched: Kennedy School. 

*Every time I heave a big sigh when Meryl Streep is nominated for yet another Academy Award. Then I see the movie and take back that heavy sigh, because she really is amazing.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/into_the_woods.html