Safety Not Guaranteed

What I liked:

• The premise of the film derives from a classified ad that appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
• The story lines are full of heart, hope, love, and a dash of crazy.
• The dialogue is great and makes all of the characters feel real.
• Aubrey Plaza shines as Darius.
• Jake Johnson makes Jeff lovable.  Plus it doesn't hurt to see Nick Miller around.
• Mark Duplass is one talented guy.  What a year he is having!
• The supporting cast of Karan Soni, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jeff Garlin, Jenica Bergere, and Kristen Bell are all great.
• Great soundtrack.  Could Duplass get an Oscar nom for "Big Machine"?
• Beautiful use of natural light.

Magic Mike

What I liked:

• It's Tampa, baby!
• Channing Tatum has skills on the dance floor.  There is no denying that.
• Matthew McConaughey lets out his trademark "alright, alright, alright..." about a dozen times.
• McConaughey could get an Oscar nomination for Best Song as he wrote the one that is feaured in the film.
• The supporting cast if full of eye candy.

What I didn't like:

• Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello had about five lines in the film.  Adam Rodriguez had maybe 10 lines and he isn't even featured on the poster.
• Bomer looked scrawny next to everyone else and his dance moves looked pretty terrible next to Tatum.  If they weren't going to have these guys speak a lot, I don't understand why they just didn't hire professional dancers.
• The story line starts out fun but then goes a little dark and then just gets boring.  I felt like this movie was 5 hours long.
• I was very disappointed in the directing by Steven Soderbergh. The film felt choppy.  Scenes started and ended without a smooth transition.
• Cody Horn and Tatum didn't have any chemistry together.
• Alex Pettyfer was ok but didn't really do anything to stand out.
• Olivia Munn goes topless for no good reason.
• McConaughey looks old and creepy next to these youngsters.

Grade: C- 

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

What I liked:

• Steve Carell was great.  He made me believe in his character.  Reminded me how good Dan in Real Life was. 
• Keira Knightley played her role well but it reminds me of every role that she has that isn't a period piece.
• It had an interesting story line with some twists and turns that I don't think most people expect.
• I liked that the characters expressed a variety of natural human responses after learning that the world was ending.
• Great supporting cast: Nancy Carell, Mark Moses, Rob Huebel, Adam Brody, Connie Britton, Rob Corddry, Melanie Lynskey, Patton Oswalt, William Petersen, T.J. Miller, Gillian Jacobs, Derek Luke, and Martin Sheen.
• Great music.  Vinyl records!
• There is a very lovely and romantic moment.
• I was very happy with the ending.

Moonrise Kingdom

What I liked:

• It has the perfect trailer.
• It's quirky, fun, and fancy free.
• Fantastic cast: Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel, and Bob Balaban.
• It was the first film for Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward.
• It was written and directed by Wes Anderson.
• Great music.

Brave

What I liked:

• It stars a curly haired girl! 
• It's not a love story.  There is no romance.
• It has the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Waters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, and John Ratzenberger.
• It's Pixar so the animation is outstanding.
• Merida is a strong willed, independent girl.
• Again with the archery!

What I didn't like:

• The trailer is misleading.  The main story line is about the relationship between the princess and the queen.  It's not really about Merida gaining her independence.
• The princess seems terribly young to be getting engaged in the first place.
• There are a lot of naked butts for a children's movie.
• There is no big song and dance number.
• There is action but I am not sure it is enough to hold a child's attention.

Grade: B-  

Rock of Ages

Glee + Burlesque + Chicago = Rock of Ages

What I liked:

• Tom Cruise plays intense really well.  He also did a good job singing.
• Diego Boneta has a nice voice.
• Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand played well off of each other.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones rocked it.
• Paul Giamatti!  
• Malin Akerman was great.  Who knew that she could sing?
• Will Forte, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston, T.J. Miller, Debbie Gibson, and Sebastian Back!
• A cameo by Constantine Maroulis, who starred in the Broadway version of Rock Of Ages.
• The pole dancers were amazing.
• The screenplay was written by Justin Theroux, Chris D'Arienzo, and Allan Loeb.
• Directed by Adam Shankman.
• It's a lot funnier than I would have thought.
• I liked the song mash-ups.

The Intouchables

What I liked:

• Great camera work and directing in the opening scene/title sequence.
• Fantastic acting by Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy.  Together they have wonderful chemistry.  A modern day odd-couple, their friendship seemed to develop right before our eyes.  Separately, Cluzet deserves a special kudos for being able to sit so still for so long.  Sy was so wonderful in this role that he won the César Award for Best Actor (the French version of the Oscars) beating out Jean Dujardin for The Artist.  (Sy was also the first actor of African descent to recieve this award.)
• The story has heart.  It's entertaining and amusing.  A real crowd pleaser.  
• It's based on a true story.
• The dialogue was believable and natural.
• The supporting cast was very good, including, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, and Clotilde Mollet.
• Great song selections.

That's My Boy

What I liked:

• Andy Samberg cleans up well.
• The supporting cast is eclectic: Susan Sarandon, Eva Amurri Martino, Leighton Meester, Vanilla Ice, James Caan, Milo Ventimiglia, Will Forte, Rachel Dratch, Nick Swardson, Luenell, Ciara, Todd Bridges, Ian Ziering, and Ana Gasteyer.
• Did I mention Vanilla Ice and Steve Sanders?!

People Like Us

What I liked:

• Wonderful cast: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, Jon Favreau, Mark Duplass, Philip Baker Hall, and Michael Hall D'Addario.
• Great dialogue, especially between Pine and Banks and Pine and Pfeiffer.
• It has an interesting story.  At times it is heartwarming and funny.
• I like how music was almost used as a character instead of just something that the audience hears.