I have been pretty busy in hitting the movie theater. One might wonder how I manage to go see so many films. I have lots of theaters around me– my favorite being AMC with its’Stubbs card program where I gain points just by buying a ticket. The theater near me has early shows before noon which cost only $6 for anyone to see a movie– so that’s when I get to the theater (between 9:30 to 11 AM). So between that and free upgrades when I buy a drink or popcorn from the concession stand, it’s a pretty affordable situation. How much popcorn can you eat at 10 AM anyways?
The Raven starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe (yes the poet/author) who is past his prime as a writer but is deeply in love with a woman who is the model of Annabelle Lee. Her judge father doesn’t want her to be associated with Poe but Poe and the young woman have managed to establish a relationship. The key about this movie is about it’s a thriller movie about a serial killer who uses Poe’s stories as the basis for his killing.
The killer kidnaps people and then uses Poe’s stories as the model for killing people– and it’s pretty authentic and graphic. Imagine seeing the pendulum slicing someone in half from the Pit and the Pendulum. The chief inspector in the story is well-known for his ability to solve crimes and thinks Poe might be involved but eventually realizes that Poe can actually help him solve these killings and capture the killer. The movie features amazing acting from everyone– Cusack in particular– and it’s played taut and tense and keeps you on edge as you try to figure out “who did it”. (Even I didn’t get who did it right away and I am pretty astute in plot assessment). This movie got short shrift in marketing it and you might find it hard to find in theaters which means it will be out sooner than later on DVD however if you have the opportunity to see this period drama/mystery/thriller, don’t miss it. It kept me fully engrossed and I think that even despite the graphic violence, it was a great film. It’s a real sleeper and definitely plays well on the big screen.
The big opening movie that kicked off Summer 2012 was/is The Avengers. This movie brings all the action heroes from Marvel’s vault and recent movies and put them all together. Typically these movies are “no brainer” phone it in performances but this one is quite different from other movies that are similar in genre. I was in no rush to see it like some I know but I was in the audience for a very early show and despite being there 30 minutes before the show started, the theater was PACKED!!
The movie was better than I thought it would be. I am pretty sharp on nailing trailers down and this movie was sooooooooo much better than the trailers. Loki is back in storyline along with Thor, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johannsen), Iron Man (stellar smart -a$$ performance by Robert Downey Jr.) and an amazing performance by Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. The plot line might seem simple but it’s not. Every character brings their own issues to the table and it’s definitely worth the time and money to see this movie in a theater with stadium seating and great sound. Suspend some disbelief and become the fan and open to the characters and the well-planned plot. The only character that was less than great was Gwyneth Paltrow who had little to do. There is more back story left for another flick too.
Dark Shadows is Johnny Depp & Tim Burton’s latest collaboration and it reminds me of Edward Scissorhands meets Nightmare Before Christmas only with a lot of people and too many tweaks on the soap opera turned movie.
Rather than making it scary, this was more comedic in essence and Eva Green was excellent in her role but it seemed like everyone phoned in their performances. Helena Bonham Carter played a “normal” character (relatively speaking) and she was quite believeable. However there are so many loopholes and missing plot pieces that some roles make no sense– others have unnecessarily too much time in the movie. It’s ok for a summer movie, but I walked out feeling disappointed that there was not more serious substance to the flick. Tim Burton seems to have gotten lazy about flicks since he has a couple more releasing this summer or later this year. I liked Johnny Depp but it wasn’t that difficult a role and he slips into the role effortlessly and gives it that much substance. However it’s much better than “BattleShip”.
My recent DVD to review was This Means War with Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy (Inception).
This is a chick flick– plain and simple. Yes there are lots of stunts but the guys who see this aren’t going to be happy that these two dudes are fighting over a GIRL that’s not seriously kicking a$$ in the their own world– much less these two guys trying to be who she thinks they are. The women will generally dig it. Me? Not so much. I am a huge action/thriller/spy movie fan. This isn’t that kind of movie. Big nyet on this one, unless you have nothing else to watch and then go for it.
That’s the essence of the movie. SHE is the focal point. That’s not what a person should be beating their best friend up for– since they were just DATING.
You can find the movies in theaters everywhere. The DVD of This Means Wars is available on Amazon.com as well as major mass merchandise stores and electronics stores.
For those who have never heard of The Heart Specialist — here’s a video that’s a bit of behind the scenes to give you some idea of what it’s about.
The Heart Specialist is another chick flick and while there are enough guys in this movie to break a heart or three, this was not that funny of a film. This was originally released in 2006 and available now on DVD to get attention because some of the actors are big name brands. However the lack of maturity and the pro forma/stereotypical roles are really boring. I stuck with this movie as long as I could. I tried to work on my computer so that I could listen to it because the funniest guy was the comic on the stage. Trust me, this is NOT worth your time. Some of it was slightly offensive, more of it was just lame. If you think This Means War is not worth watching, this one is MUCH worse.
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
15 Days of Free Gifts Happening Now! Use Code: 15DAYS
Check out NARS Spring 2012 collection at Beauty.com!
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
Powered by FeedBurner
If you are going to feature content from LA-Story.com including podcasts or videos including the accompanying text, please respect copyright provisions. We require a notation of content origination (meaning credit tag), a linkback to the specific page & please email the link to stevie@la-story.com before the piece goes live.
LA-Story.com, LA-Story Recessionista, Celebrity Stylescope, Celebrity Style Slam Trademark/Copyright: KBP Inc. 2007-12
