Movies That Entertained Me In 2014

In no particular order...

The Theory of Everything
Top Five
Whiplash
Interstellar
Unbroken
Nightcrawler
Rosewater
Birdman
Dear White People
Fury
Tracks
Pride
Alive Inside
The One I Love
Calvary
Boyhood
Guardians of the Galaxy

Unbroken

What I liked:

• All the actors were great: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Takamasa Ishihara, Finn Wittrock, Jai Courtney, John Magaro, Luke Treadaway, and Ross Anderson.
• Angelina Jolie did a find job as director.
• The story is pretty remarkable and hard to believe that one person had to endure so many crazy events in one life time.
• I like Coldplay's song, Miracles, that plays in the credits.

Into The Woods

What I liked:

• What a very talented cast: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Huttlestone, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Tracey Ullman, Lilla Crawford, Billy Magnussen, Mackenzie Mauzy, Chris Pine, and Meryl Streep.
• Hearing Blunt and Pine sing was a surprising delight.
• The costumes were fantastic, especially Streep's blue ensemble. 
• I did like that not all of the stories had a happy ending.  It made it more true to life.

The Gambler

What I liked:

• Mark Wahlberg as an English Professor.  Too bad the movie wasn't about that.
• Brie Larson!
• Michael Kenneth Williams!

Big Eyes

What I liked:

• It's based on a true story.
• Amy Adams looked the part.
• Christoph Waltz was just the right amount of sleaze.
• It also starred Jason Schwartzman, Danny Huston, Terrence Stamp and Krysten Ritter.

Foxcatcher

What I liked:

• Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo all give wonderful performances.
• It's based on a true story.
• Hair, make up, and whoever made the prosthetics all did a fantastic job.

Wild

What I liked:

• It's based on a true story.
• Reese Witherspoon gives a great performance.
• Laura Dern is as lovely as ever.
• Thomas Sadoski!

The Imitation Game

What I liked:

• Benedict Cumberbatch gives a great performance.
• The supporting cast is wonderful: Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, and Mark Strong.
• It's based on a remarkable true story.
• It's interesting to know how much power they had in their hands at one point and how they choose who lived and who died.

Top Five

What I liked:

• It has a fantastic cast: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Andres Holm, Cedric the Entertainer, Brian Regan, Ben Vereen, Michael Che, Sherri Shepherd, Jay Pharoah, Hassan Johnson, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, Luis Guzman, and Kevin Hart.
• The cameos are awesome.  Don't want to spoil them here.
• Rock wrote and directed it.
• The story has something for everyone.  It's funny, romantic, gross, and interesting.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

What I liked:

• It's finally over!
• Thranduil on a moose is a pretty impressive sight.
• Great cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Hugo Weaving, Billy Connolly, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, and many many more.

The Wedding Ringer

What I liked:

• Josh Gad and Kevin Hart have good on screen chemistry.
• Olivia Thirlby is looking as lovely as ever.
• Cloris Leachman!
• Hurley!
• The crowd thought it was hilarious.

The Homesman

What I liked:

• It has a great cast: Hilary Swank, Tommy Lee Jones, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, William Fichtner, John Lithgow, Tim Blake Nelson, Hailee Steinbeld, and James Spader.
• Oh, and Meryl Streep.

The Theory of Everything

What I liked:

• Eddie Redmayne is perfect in this role.  He's the one to beat for the Oscar.  My only concern is that he might not be as popular as the other nominees and therefore might not get the votes...he better start schmoozing.
• Felicity Jones is wonderful.  She too should get a Oscar nomination.  This girl's star is on the rise.
• The story is so interesting, partly because it is true.  It also shows the human side of people.  Flaws and all.
• Hair, makeup, wardrobe,...it's all great.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

What I liked:

• It has the same great cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Clafin, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci, and Jeffrey Wright.
• The new blood is just as good: Julianne Moore, Mahershala Ali, Natalie Dormer, Evan Ross, Elden Jenson, and Sarita Choudhury.
• It's as entertaining as the previous films.

What I didn't like:

• Why can't Katniss be a strong, independent woman who can see the bigger picture?  Why is she just a pawn?
• RIP PSH.
• Why is this a Part 1?  I mean, I know why...it makes them more money.  It's just very annoying.

Grade: B-

Horrible Bosses 2

What I liked:

• Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day have great chemistry together.
• It's interesting to see Jennifer Aniston in a role like this.
• Chris Pine is a great addition to the cast.  He seemed really into it.
• Christoph Waltz!
• Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jonathan Banks, Lindsay Sloane, and Keegan-Michael Key also star.

Whiplash

What I liked:

• If J.K. Simmons doesn't get award nominations, I would be disappointed.
• Wouldn't be surprised if Miles Teller also received some nominations.
• Simmons and Teller are mesmerizing on screen.
• Paul Reiser!
• Obviously, the music is fantastic.
• The characters develop before your eyes.
• It's intense.

Rosewater

What I liked:

• Jon Stewart wrote the screenplay and directed it.  Yes, that Jon Stewart.
• Gael Garcia Bernal is wonderful.  
• It also stars Dimitri Leonidas, Haluk Bilginer, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Golshifteh Farahani, Claire Foy and Nasser Faris.
• It's based on the true story of Maziar Bahari.
• It takes an interesting look at the way technology/the internet play a role modern warfare.
• It showcases the importance of hope and freedom.

Laggies

What I liked:

• The story is relatable in the sense that a lot of people don't know what they should be doing with their lives.
• What's not to love about Keira Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz or Sam Rockwell?
• The supporting cast includes Mark Webber, Ellie Kemper, Jeff Garlin, Gretchen Mol, Daniel Zovatto and Kaitlyn Dever.
• It has a good soundtrack.
• Best worst first dance ever?

Interstellar

What I liked:

• It was co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
• It is beautifully directed, choreographed, and shot.
• Matthew McConaughey is wonderful.
• Mackenzie Foy is adorable.
• The supporting cast is outstanding: John Lithgow, Timothée Chalamet, David Oyelowo, Bill Irwin, Anne Hathaway, David Gyasi, Michael Caine, Wes Bentley and Jessica Chastain.
• There are two other great supporting cast members but I think it is better that you are surprised when seeing them then finding out about them here.
• Hans Zimmer put together an amazing score. With that being said, the moments of compete silence were just as powerful.
• It is an interesting story.

Happy Birthday YHG!

The Young Hollywood Guide is four years old today!

Nightcrawler

What I liked:

• Jake Gyllenhaal gives his best performance yet.  His character is so charming yet creepy at the same time and Gyllenhaal does it flawlessly.
• The supporting cast is wonderful: Bill Paxton, Ann Cusak, Rene Russo, and Riz Ahmed.
• The story is interesting, twisted, and scary if true.

Birdman

What I liked:

• It's an interesting look at the life of a former Hollywood star.
• Michael Keaton is fantastic.
• It's nice to see Emma Stone play something a littler darker.
• Edward Norton!
• It also stars Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Andrea Risenborough, and Merritt Wever.
• The special effects are cool.

St. Vincent

What I liked:

• Bill Murray is great.
• It's nice to see Melissa McCarthy in a more serious role.
• Naomi Watts is highly entertaining.
• Jaeden Lieberher is adorable and talented.
• It also stars Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard, and Scott Adsit.

Dear White People

What I liked:

• It's well made by first time feature film writer/director Justin Simien and even more impressive that is was all shot in a month.
• The entire cast is great: Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P Bell, Brittany Curran, Justin Dobies, Marque Richardson, Dennis Haysbert, Peter Syvertsen, Brandon Alter, and Keith Meyers.
• Um, that's Dawn from Mad Men!
• It's smart.  It's witty.  It makes you think.  It makes you sad.  It makes you wonder why people just can't be people.
• There is a shout out to Banksy!

The Good Lie

What I liked:

• It sheds light on a sad and unfortunate story.
• It stars Reese Witherspoon, Corey Stoll, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, Kuoth Wiel, and Sarah Baker.
• The cinematography in the African scenes is well done.
• It pulls at your emotional heart strings.

Fury

What I liked:

• Spot on casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu.
• Brad Pitt still looks good.
• I was pleasantly surprised by Shia LaBeouf.  He should continue to pick roles like this and leave his Transformer days behind.
• Logan Lerman is fantastic.  He is very talented for being so young.
• Michael Pena and Jon Bernthal balance out the main cast.
• It also stars Jim Parrack, Bran William Henke, Kevin Vance, Jason Isaacs, Anamaria Marinca, Alicia von Rittberg and Scott Eastwood.
• The cinematography is beautiful even with it's difficult subject matter.
• The story is interesting, complicated, heart wrenching, and realistic. 
• The set design, hair/makeup, and costume design are authentic looking.

The Judge

What I liked:

• It has a solid cast: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Dax Shepard, Leighton Meester, Ken Howard, Balthazar Getty, David Krumholtz, Grace Zabriskie, Denis O'Hare, and Emma Tremblay.
• I liked seeing Shepard in a straight and narrow role.  
• Strong was impressive.

Alive Inside

What I liked:

• Music is a simple yet effective way to awaken people suffering from memory loss.
• "Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." - Plato
• Start making your playlists now!

Men, Women & Children

What I liked:

• It tells the hard truth about dangers of social media/the internet from a variety of perspectives.
• Parents of young kids and teens should watch this to be aware of what is out there.  It will probably scare you.
• The characters are well written and developed.
• The cast is amazing: Jennifer Garner, Ansel Elgort, Kaitlyn Denver, Adam Sandler, Rosemarie DeWitt, Judy Greer, Dean Norris, Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Crocicchia, Elena Kampouris, Will Peltz, David Denman, Travis Tope, Dennis Haysbert, and J.K. Simmons.  Oh, and Emma Thompson's voice!
• Elgort has to get some Rising Star of the Year Award at some Awards show this year.   Between this and The Fault In Our Stars...this kid is going places.

The Sax Man

What I liked:

• It's a great little film about a part of Cleveland.
• It sheds light on a person that most people literally just walk by. 
• There are some great shots of Cleveland.
  

Gone Girl

What I liked:

• I liked that Gillian Flynn did the screenplay.  Since she wrote the book, she would know best how to adjust it to fit in a film.
• It was directed by David Fincher.
• Ben Affleck is solid.
• Rosamund Pike is fantastic.
• The supporting cast is all great: Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, Missi Pyle, Casey Wilson, Lola Kirke, Boyd Holbrook and Sela Ward.
• Ward looks fantastic.

The Skeleton Twins

What I liked:

• Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader have so much chemistry together.  
• Hader is fantastic in what is more of a dramatic role for him.
• It also stars Boyd Holbrook, Ty Burrell, Luke Wilson and Joanna Gleason.

Pride

What I liked:

• It is an inspirational story that is well written and well told.
• It is based on a true story.
• The cast is wonderful: Ben Schnetzer, George MacKay, Monica Dolan, Andrew Scott, Joseph Gilgun, Faye Marsay, Freddie Fox, Chris Overton, Joshua Hill, Dominic West, Paddy Considine, Menna Trussler, Jessica Gunning, Imelda Stauton, Sophie Evans, Jack Baggs, Russell Tovey, and Bill Nighy.
• All of the set design, costume, and makeup are well done.
• It's funny, educational, and touching.

Tracks

What I liked:

• It's base on a true story.
• Mia Wasikowska is wonderful.
• Adam Driver lights up the screen whenever he is on.
• The cinematography is beautiful.

The Maze Runner

What I liked:

• Dylan O'Brien can hold his own as a leading man.
• It has a large supporting cast: Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Dexter Darden, Kaya Scodelario, Chris Sheffield, Joe Adler, and Patricia Clarkson.
• It's an imaginative story, entertaining and action packed.

Love is Strange

What I liked:

• John Lithgow and Alfred Molina are outstanding.
• It also stars Marisa Tomei, Cheyenne Jackson, Manny Perez, Christina Kirk, Charlie Tahan, Eric Tabach, and John Cullum.
• It has an interesting premise.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby

We are going to do things a little differently...just like they did.

What I did't like:

• The trailer is extremely deceiving.  I went in thinking that we would see her side/his side and that it was a modern day romantic tale.  Not the case.
• It wasn't until I got home that I found out that there are three versions on this film.  Two were allegedly released last year - Him and Her versions.  What I saw was Them.

• If you had never seen the trailer and went in cold to see this movie, you will probably think that it was well done, just very depressing.

This Is Where I Leave You

What I liked:

• It has one of the best casts of the year: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Drive, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard, Debra Monk, Abigail Spencer, and Ben Schwartz.
• Cade Lappin is super cute.
• Everyone had great chemistry on screen.
• Their lives are a messy and real.

The Drop

What I liked:

• Tom Hardy is mesmerizing on screen.  He's lovely to look at and a fantastic actor.
• This is James Gandolfini's last role.  
• Matthias Schoenaerts was a nice surprise.
• John Ortiz!
• It was an interesting story.

The One I Love

What I liked:

• The story is fun, interesting, intriguing, twisted, sad, and delightful.  It makes you think.
• Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss are wonderful as usual.  They have great chemistry on screen.
• Ted Danson!

If I Stay

What I liked:

• I think Chloe Grace Moretz is on of the best actresses of her generation.
• Jamie Blackley was great as Adam.
• It also starts Mireille Enos, Joshua Leonard, Liana Liberato, and Stacy Keach.
• The story flows pretty well even with the back and forth between time.

The Hundred-Foot Journey

What I liked:

• It's a cute story.
• Helen Mirren is wonderful.
• Manish Dayal and Charlotte Le Bon are both lovely to look at and really good actors.

The Trip to Italy

What I liked:

• It's a sequel to The Trip and follows the same rhythm, so if you like The Trip, you should like this.
• Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon have great chemistry.  
• The food looks good and sites are stunning.
• It's funny.  You wish you could eat with these guys at every meal.
• There's a nice shout out to Alanis Morissette.

Magic in the Moonlight

What I liked:

• Emma Stone is delightful.
• Colin Firth plays the part well.
• It has a wonderful supporting cast: Simon McBurney, Catherine McCormack, Eileen Atkins, Erica Leerhsen, Jeremy Shamos, Hamish Linklater, Marcia Gay Garden and Jacki Weaver.
• It was written and directed by Woody Allen.
• The set design, costumes, hair and make up were all great.
• The story is light and enjoyable.

What If

What I liked:

• Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan have great onscreen chemistry.
• Megan Park was perfectly cast as Chantry's sister.
• Adam Driver and Mackenzie Davis are great together.
• There are funny lines, mostly related to pop culture.
• It's a cute RomCom.

Calvary

What I liked:

• Brendan Gleeson is fantastic.
• The supporting characters are flawed, funny, and flagitious.
• The supporting cast is great: Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aiden Gillen, Dylan Moran, Isaach De Bankolé, M. Emmet Walsh, Killian Scott, Orla O'Rourke, David Wilmot, and Marie-Josée Croze.
• The story is dark and twisted.
• It makes you think about forgiveness.
  

Let's Be Cops

What I liked:

• Nick Miller and Coach pretend to be cops!
• Damon Wayans Jr. has some great dancing skills.
• Rob Riggle!
• Nina Dobrev is easy on the eyes.
• It also stars James D'Arcy, Keegan-Michael Key, Andy Garcia and Jonathan Lajoie (Taco!).
• It's funny in a college humor kinda way.

Boyhood

What I liked:

• It opens to a Coldplay song and the soundtrack just gets better from there.
• It's the story of a boy from age 5 to age 18 and it was filmed in "real time" over 12 years with the same cast.  It's wonderful to see everyone age, naturally, without a makeup artist or special effects.
• Ellar Coltrane is fantastic as Mason.  To think that he started this film at such a young age, without acting experience, and with such a time commitment is pretty impressive.  
• Kudos to Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke for also agreeing to such a commitment and for seeing the beauty in it.
• Lorelei Linklater played the bratty sister very well.
• It was written and directed by Richard Linklater.
• The pop culture references from the early 2000's through 2012 are great.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

What I liked:

• Chris Pratt is awesome!  I am glad that people are finally noticing him now.
• Zoe Saldana kicks butt.
• Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper do some great voice over work.
• Groot and Rocket are adorable and funny.
• It also stars Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Djimon Hounsou, Karen Gillan, John C. Reily, Glen Close, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Gunn.
• It was directed and co-written by James Gunn.
• It's funny, entertaining, and action packed.
• Fantastic soundtrack.  Pina Colada, anyone?
• The special effects are amazing.
• Some outstanding looking aliens were created.
• Kirk!
• Stay through the credits for a cute little clip with a special cameo.
  

Dolphin Tale 2

What I liked:

• The dolphins are cute.
• It's pretty kid friendly.
• I like the message about how it's ok to have a disability.
• The special effects are pretty good.
• It has the same cast from Dolphin Tale.
  

A Most Wanted Man

What I liked:

• It is bittersweet to see Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his last roles.  He was so talented.  RIP.
• It has a strong cast: Grigoriy Dobrygin, Daniel Bruhl, Homayoun Ershadi, Nina Hoss, Mehdi Dehbi, Vicky Krieps, Kostja Ulmann, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, and Robin Wright.
• It's a simple spy movie.

Get On Up

What I liked:

• Another great performance from Chadwick Boseman.  He looked comfortable on stage and showed off some nice dance moves.
• It was directed by Tate Taylor who also directed The Help.  You will see some of his Help stars make appearances in this film.
• There are two stand out performances in a large supporting cast: Brandon Smith as Little Richard and Jill Scott as DeeDee Brown.  When Smith was on screen, you couldn't take your eyes off him.  He stole the scene that he was in with Boseman so much so that you started to wish that you were seeing a Little Richard movie instead of a James Brown one.  And Scott was on fire.  She just emotes emotion when on screen.
• It also stars: Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Lennie James, Fred Melamed, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Josh Hopkins, Tika Sumpter, Aunjanue Ellis, Tariq Trotter, Aloe Blacc, Keith Robinson, Atkins Estimond, John Bengamin Hickey and Allison Janney. 
• James Brown had an interesting life for sure.

Lucy

What I liked:

• Scarlett Johansson kicks ass as Lucy.  If we never get a Black Widow movie, at least we will have this.
• This is Morgan Freeman's third movie where he talks about dolphins.
• The supporting cast is great: Min-sik Choi, Amr Waked, Pilou Asbaek, and Analeigh Tipton.
• The story is interesting and imaginative.
• I liked the use of old National Geographic type footage to prove a point.
• The special effects were good.

Life Itself

What I liked:

• It's an entertaining documentary about the life of film critic, Roger Ebert.
• There are some great interviews with Ebert, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Chaz Ebert, Ramin Bahrani, and Gene Siskel.
• The footage of Siskel and Ebert is priceless.

Wish I Was Here

What I liked:

• Zach Braff co-wrote it, directed it, and stars in it.
• Braff got most of the money to make this film from a little over 46,000 of you/Kickstarter.
• It's a lovely story about life, love, and dreams.
• This is Kate Hudson's best performance since Almost Famous.
• Joey King and Pierce Gagnon are adorable.
• Mandy Patinkin is just delightful.
• It also stars Alexander Chaplin, Josh Gad, Ashley Greene, Donald Faison, Michael Weston, and Jim Parsons.
• Cameos by Stanley, Uncle Phil, and Tom/Dr. Zeltzer.
• It's a Turk and JD reunion!
• Of course, it has a great soundtrack.
• SoCal makes for a lovely backdrop.
• Game of Thrones pillow talk.

Sex Tape

What I liked:

• Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel have great on screen chemistry.
• It's cute and funny.
• The kids (Giselle Eisenberg and Sebastian Hedges Thomas) are adorable.
• Ellie Kemper and Rob Corddry make for good best friends.
• Rob Lowe's character is super interesting.
• Nat Faxon!
• The soundtrack is full of variety.
• The Disney references are hysterical.  

Snowpiercer

What I liked:

• It's dark, twisty, disturbing, fascinating, funny, haunting, creative and entertaining.
• The writing, acting, hair/makeup, costumes, special effects, cinematography...are all wonderful.
• Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton are fantastic.
• Great supporting cast: Kang-ho Song, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Ah-sung Ko, Alison Pill, Luke Pasqualino, Vlad Ivanov, and Emma Levie.
• There are a couple of scenes that made me squirm.
• There is an interesting environmental undertone.
• Evan's beard is impressive.

Tammy

What I liked:

• It was written by Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone.
• Falcone directed it.
• McCarthy starred in it.
• The supporting cast is great: Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Allison Janney, Mark Duplass, Gary Cole, Nat Faxon, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, Dan Aykroyd, and Sarah Baker.
• Duplass could not be more adorable.
• I liked that Tammy was a realistic character and just a little bit over the top.
• Kathy Bates dancing!

Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon

What I liked:

• This is a highly entertaining documentary on the life of Shep Gordon.  He's lived one hell of a life as a manager for musicians, actors and chefs.
• The interviews are fantastic and funny.
• It was directed by Mike Myers.
• It's nice to see one of the good guys getting some recognition.
  

Ida

What I liked:

• Agata Trzebuchowska is great.  She can say a lot without saying anything.
• Agata Kulesza is equally wonderful.
• There are a couple of nice twists.
• Beautiful cinematography.

22 Jump Street

What I liked:

• 22 is just as good as 21.
• Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have the bromance of the decade.  Great chemistry together.
• The inside hollywood jokes are funny.
• It also stars Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Wyatt Russell, Amber Stevens, Jillian Bell, The Lucas Brothers, Queen Latifa, Anna Faris, Bill Hader, Dave Franco, Patton Oswalt, Rob Riggle, Seth Rogen, and Marc Evan Jackson.
• Stay through the credits for some funny extras.
• It's just ridiculous fun.

The Fault In Our Stars

What I liked:

• It is based on the best selling book by John Green.
• Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are wonderful.
• It also stars Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe, Lotte Verbeek, and Mike Birbiglia.
• It has a lovely yet heartbreaking story.

Edge of Tomorrow

What I liked:

• This was a good role for Tom Cruise.
• Emily Blunt looked fantastic.  I loved that her character kicked ass.
• It also stars Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way, Kick Gurry, Franz Drameh, Dragomir Mrsic, and Charlotte Riley.
• The story was well told and action packed.

Begin Again

What I liked:

• It was written and directed by John Carney (Once).
• Keira Knightley is lovely.  Who knew that she could sing?
• Mark Ruffalo was his usual down on his luck, lovable guy.
• James Corden was adorable.
• Hailee Steinfeld was great.
• It also stars Cee lo Green, Mos Def, and Catherine Keener.
• Adam Levine has a lovely voice.
• It's a delightful story about new beginnings.
• Wonderful music throughout.  The soundtrack should do well.

Jersey Boys

What I liked:

• It's based on the true story of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons.
• John Lloyd Young was a good Frankie Valli.
• Christopher Walken!
• I liked Erich Bergen and Michael Lomenda.  They were very comfortable acting and singing.
• The music is good.

Only Lovers Left Alive

What I Liked:

• It stars the talented Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston.
• Swinton and Hiddleston have great chemistry together.
• Anton Yelchin, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt and Jeffrey Wright co-star.
• Even vampires understand how we will one day have wars over water.
• I liked the story.  It was smart, funny and interesting.

A Million Ways To Die In The West

What I liked:

• It is the brain child of triple threat (Actor, Writer, and Director) Seth MacFarlane.
• Charlize Theron is lovely and talented.
• Kudos to Amanda Seyfried for letting them make fun of her.
• Giovanni Ribisi plays weird so well.
• It also stars Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sarah Silverman.
• Cameos by Mr. Belding, Ewan McGregor, Doc Brown, Gilbert Gottfried,, Django, and Ryan Reynolds.
• It's funny and entertaining if you like MacFarlane's sense of humor.

Disney's Maleficent

What I liked:

• This role was made for Angelina Jolie.
• The special effects are good.
• Isobelle Molloy is beautiful.
• It also stars Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Brenton Thwaites.

Chef

What I liked:

• Triple Threat (Actor, Writer, and Director), Jon Favreau, is fantastic.
• Great chemistry between Favreau and John Leguizamo.
• Emjay Anthony makes for a good son.
• It also stars Sofia Vergara, Bobby Cannavale, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Amy Sedaris, Robert Downey Jr., and Oliver Platt.
• The music compliments it very well.
• Delightful shots of food.
• The story is lighthearted but also heartfelt.
• Loved the way that they used social media and how they explained it.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

What I liked:

• It has an incredible cast: Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, James MacAvoy, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Evan Peters, Famke Janseen, James Marsden, Kelsey Grammer, Iam McKellen, and Patrick Stewart.
• The special effects are good.

Godzilla

What I liked:

• It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, and Victor Rasuk.
• The special effects are good.
• It wasn't as cheesey as I thought it would be.

FED UP

What I liked

• It's very though provoking.  
• "Soda: The Cigarette of the 21st Century"
• Great interviews and infographics.
• It raises a lot of good questions.

The Railway Man

What I liked:

• It's based on a real events that happened during World War II.
• Great acting by Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeremy Irvine, Sam Reid, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Neighbors

What I liked:

• Zac Efron is easy on the eyes.
• Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne were funny.
• Ike Barinholz!
• Great supporting cast: Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Carla Gallo.
• The girls that played Stella were adorable.
• There are a lot of great cameos in the history of the fraternity.  Keep your eyes peeled.
• It's funny.
• The scene outside of Abercrombie was great.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

What I liked:

• Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are adorable.
• Dane DeHaan plays bad very well.  I just wish someone would put him and Leo in a movie together as brothers.  DeHaan is a mini Leo!
• Felicity Jones!
• An almost unrecognizable Paul Giamatti.
• B.J. Novak!

Obvious Child

What I liked:

• It's real.  It's raw.  It's honest.
• Jenny Slate is fantastic.
• Jake Lacy is adorable and charming.
• Fabulous supporting cast: Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, David Cross, Richard Kind, and Polly Draper.
• It's a dark comedy.

Million Dollar Arm

What I liked:

• It based on a true story.
• Jon Hamm!
• Lake Bell plays a strong, modern, woman.  
• Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal are wonderful.
• It also has Aasif Mandvi, Alan Arkin, and Bill Paxton.

The Other Woman

What I liked:

• It's a good chick flick.
• This should do for Leslie Mann what Bridesmaids did for Melissa McCarthy.  She's spot on.
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau owns his scenes.  There is no evidence of the Kingslayer.
• Cameron Diaz, Kate Upton, Taylor Kinney, Don Johnson and Nicki Minaj are all great.
• I enjoyed the soundtrack.

Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier

What I liked:

• It was filmed in Cleveland.  There are great shots with our lovely city in the background as well as scenes at Tower City, The Cleveland Museum of Art and Lakeview Cemetery.  You can find all the locations here.
• It has a great cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grilo, Emily Van Camp, Haley Atwell, Toby Jones, Garry Shandling and of course, Stan Lee.
• Abed!
• There is a lot more action in this film than the first one.  You still need to watch the first one though, as a lot of story lines are carried over.
• Stay through the credits for extra scenes.
• There is a lot of humor sprinkled in.
• The Black Widow was awesome and needs her own movie.

Dom Hemingway

What I liked:

• It's a wild and crazy ride.
• Jude Law doesn't hold back.
• Richard E. Grant is fantastic.  Hands down, my favorite part (no pun intended).
• Emilia Clarke!
• The set design is fun and well done.

To Be Takei

What I liked:

• George Takei has had an interesting life...more so than I even knew.
• I liked the way that they weaved together the stories of his past and present.
• It shed light on a part of history that I did not know much about, if anything: Japanese American internment.
• It's funny and heartbreaking.
• They talk about Takei's success on Facebook.
• It talks about his advocacy for gay rights.

Belle

What I liked:

• It has a strong cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Reid, Tom Felton, Sarah Gadon, Matthew Goode, James Norton, Miranda Richardson, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson and Penelope Wilton.
• It was based on a true story.

Antarctica: A Year on Ice

What I liked:

• It's an interesting story.  Who would want to live on Antarctica in the winter, without the sun, and with no way out?
• The cinematography is amazing.
• The interviews are interesting.  You get a real feel for who these people are.
• It makes you grateful for some of the little things: fresh produce, sunlight, the seasons, and grass beneath your feet.

Happiness

What I liked:

• The film had potential.
• The idea behind it is interesting.
• The cinematography was beautiful.
  

Slingshot

What I liked:

• This is a very interesting documentary, not only on the importance of clean water for the entire world but it also about Dean Kamen, the inventor of the segway, the importance of science in kids lives, and the significance of women in the engineering field.
• Coca-Cola is trying to give back.
• It stresses that even in America, our water is not the best and will get worse.

Draft Day

What I liked:

• It was filmed in Cleveland. 
• The Cleveland Browns are a major character.
• There are lots of great shots of the city.
• Kevin Costner played the GM very well.
• It co-starred: Patrick St. Esprit, Chi McBride, Jennifer Garner, Chadwick Boseman, Terry Crews, Arian Foster, Frank Langella, Denis Leary, Wade Williams, Josh Pence, Ellen Burstyn, Brad William Henke, Tom Welling, and Roseanna Arquette, Sam Elliott.
• Cameos by Jim Brown and Bernie Kosar.
• Real Browns players: T.J. Ward, D'Qwell Jackson and Phil Taylor.
• The story is decent.

Bluebird

What I liked:

• Amazing cast: Amy Morton, John Slattery, Louisa Krause, Emily Meade, Margo Martindale, and Adam Driver.
• The acting was fantastic.

The Human Experiment

What I liked:

• This film is a must see.  It talks about the dangers of toxins in our bodies in a way that you can understand and is not too overwhelming.  
• There are great stories from all different types of people.
• The website has lots of easy suggestions on how to get rid of toxins in our everyday life.

Monk with a Camera

http://www.traileraddict.com/monk-with-a-camera/trailer 


 What I liked:

• It's a fascinating story.  
• It has great pictures and film from the past to help understand Nicholas Vreeland's journey and choices.
• There are appearances by The Dalai Lama and Richard Gere.
• The animation is really good.

Grantham & Rose

What I liked:

• It's great to see Marla Gibbs still acting and looking great! #227
• Tessa Thompson was good. 

Le Week-end

What I liked:

• Lindsay Duncan and Jim Broadbent play a realistic couple.
• Jeff Goldblum!
• The characters are delightful and flawed.  
• The story is funny and sad.  

Life's A Breeze

What I liked:

• Fionnula Flanagan was wonderful.
• Kelly Thornton was great and shows real talent for such a young age.
• It's a cute story.
• If this little town has that much garbage in it's landfills, how much do you think your city has?

The Congress

What I liked:

• The first half of this film is a futuristic and harsh look at the realities of Hollywood.  It makes film studios look bad, particularly Paramount.  
• Kudos to Robin Wright for taking this role that challenges the system.
• It co-stars Harvey Keitel, Paul Giamatti, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Danny Huston, and Sami Gayle.
• Jon Hamm's voice.
• "Tom Cruise"
• The second half of this film is a futuristic and harsh look at society.
• The animation is very good.  You can tell that they were having fun with it by the images that they show.   

Mood Indigo

What I liked:

• This may be one of the most visually creative films that I have ever seen.  Nothing is "normal" in this film.  
• Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou are charming.
• Omar Sy has an infectious smile.
• It also stars Gad Elmaleh, Aissa Maiga, and Charlotte Le Bon.

Beyond the Walls

What I liked:

• It is an interesting topic.  What do murals stand for?  What is the story behind them?  How much thought and planning goes into making one?
• They showed different murals and stories from all over the world.

Waltz for Monica

What I liked:

• It's based on the life on the world famous Swedish jazz singer, Monica Zetterlund.
• Edda Magnason, who plays Monica, is stunning.  She looks like a combination of Julianne Hough and Alice Eve.  She is also a fantastic singer.
• The music was wonderful.
• Hair, makeup, and costumes were lovely.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

What I liked:

• It's a Wes Anderson film so it's delightfully quirky.
• Ralph Fiennes was highly entertaining.
• Jude Law has a lovely voice.
• Hair and makeup on Tilda Swinton alone was amazing let alone what they did to the rest of the cast.  I would not be surprised if they received an Oscar nomination for this.
• Loved Saoirse Ronan's accent.
• Tony Revolori was great.
• The rest of the cast was charming: F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Léa Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, Larry Pine, Fisher Stevens, and Bob Balaban. 
• Loved the use of light and color.

Divergent

What I liked:

• Shailene Woodley was very good.  Her character is complex but still has a nice innocence to her.
• I enjoyed Miles Teller.  He doesn't play an easy character to like.
• Kate Winslet is fantastic.  Nice to see her play evil.
• It also stars Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, Tony Goldwyn, Maggie Q, and Mekhi Phifer.
• The opening shot of a war torn Chicago is chilling.  It looks so real.
• The soundtrack is good.
• There was no love triangle.

Muppets Most Wanted

What I liked:

• It stars Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey.
• Lots of cameos: Tony Bennett, Hugh Bonneville, Jemaine Clement, Sean Combs, Rob Corddry, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Zach Galifianakis, Josh Groban, Salma Hayek, Tom Hiddleston, Toby Jones, Frank Langella, Ray Liotta, James McAvoy, Chloe Grace Moretz, Usher, Saoirse Ronan, Russell Tovey, Danny Trejo, Stanley Tucci, and Christoph Waltz.
• I enjoyed the opening number.

Bad Words

What I liked:

• This was Jason Bateman's directorial debut.  He seemed to like pointing the camera at the light to get a halo effect.  Everything else was status quo.
• Kathryn Hahn in a lead female role!
• Rohan Chand is adorable.
• It also stars Philip Baker Hall, Allison Janney, Ben Falcone, and Steve Witting.
• There are some funny parts.

In Secret

What I liked:

• Elizabeth Olsen is just stunning.  And a very fine actress.
• Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton, and Jessica Lange were all great.
• The first half of the story was good.

2014 Academy Awards

• Do not love the stage design right now.
• Can't decide if that Liza dig was hilarious or mean. #Hilarious
• I think Ellen looks too much like a sparkly pirate.
• "Boy, is he pretty." -Ellen on Jared Leto.
• Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club
• Shocked that they are not playing Leto off with the music.
• I am ok with Jim Carey's blue jacket.
• Pharrell lost the shorts but brought back the hat!
• I dig this song.
• I do not care for the video playing in the background.
• Shake it Meryl!
• Why was Jamie Foxx on stage?

Live Blogging the Red Carpet for the 2014 Academy Awards

• Love Viola Davis' emerald greed Escada dress.
• I like Kristen Chenoweth's new short hair do.
• I like Liza Minnelli's blue streaked hair.
• I like Anna Kendrick and Olivia Wilde's black dresses and beautiful up do's.
• I am disappointed in Amy Adam's choice.  I expected a little more pizzazz for her.
• Ryan Seacrest's interview of Barkhad Abdi is painful to listen to.
• I have no words for Pharrell's shorts.  I guess it's better than that ridiculous hat.
• I am surprised by Lupita Nyong'o's ice blue gown.  It's pretty but I expected her choice to have more structure.

2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards

• I loved the Mia Farrow joke.  Way to go Patton Oswalt.
• Loving Laura Dern's strawberry blonde hair.
• Best First Screenplay: Bob Nelson for Nebraska.
• You should see Lake Bell's In a Word and JGL's Don Jon if you haven't.
• Best Supporting Male: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club.
• This was a tough category.  Michael Fassbender was fantastic in 12 Years.  Will Forte was great in Nebraska.  And Keith Stanfield was amazing in Short Term 12.
• Take away Jared's scarf and he totally looks like Jordan Catalano. #MSCL
• Best First Feature: Fruitvale Station.

The Monuments Men

What I liked:

• It has a great cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Gohn Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban and Dimitri Leonidas.
• It is a very interesting part of history that hasn't been talked about much.
• It has moments where it gets really deep and it is clear why these guys did what they did.

That Awkward Moment

What I liked:

• Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordan have great chemistry together.
• Imogen Poots and Mackenzie Davis are lovely and talented ladies.
• The story tries to describe relationships from a guy's perspective.
• The party scene had everyone laughing.
• Stay through the credits for a nod to The Wire.

Labor Day

What I liked:

• I love Kate Winslet.
• Gattlin Griffith did a nice job.
• Clark Gregg!
• Dawson!

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

What I liked:

• Chris Pine is nice to look at and he can act.
• It also stars Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, and Kenneth Branagh.

Lone Survivor

What I liked:

• Based on true events.
• Written and directed by Peter Berg.
• Great cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, and Jerry Ferrara.
• It's very well done.
• It shows multiple sides of the story.
• The real Marcus Luttrell makes a cameo.

2014 Oscar Nominations

The 2014 Oscar Nominations came out today.  Here are my initial thoughts:

• Of course I was wishing for a miracle and that Short Term 12 would get some love.  It did not.
• The Butler was shut out again.
• I think Joaquin Phoenix should have been nominated for Her.
• Not a lot of love for Inside Llewyn Davis which was a critic favorite.
• There are no real surprises in major categories.  Maybe Sally Hawkins for Best Supporting Actress?
• A lot of the categories are really a close race:
• Best Actress: Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, or Sandra Bullock?
• Best Actor: Leo vs Matthew
• Best Picture: American Hustle vs 12 Years vs Gravity vs Wolf of Wall Street
• Jackass gets a nomination for Makeup and Hairstyling!
• The Hunger Games Catching Fire does not get nominated for Makeup and Hairstyling or Costume Design which is a shame.

For a complete list of nominations click here.

Live Blogging the 2014 Golden Globes

• Amy and Tina look lovely.
• Great Gravity joke #Clooney.
• "I am the Captain now!"
• Best Supporting Actress Film: Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle.
• I would have voted for Julia Roberts or June Squibb.
• Best Supporting Actress TV: Jacqueline Bisset for Dancing on the Edge
• She looks completely shocked.  #SoAmI
• Why aren't they playing her off?
• Dancing on the Edge has a fantastic cast.  I should check this out.
• Best Mini-Series or TV Movie: Behind the Candelabra
• Naomi Watt's dress was practically see through.
• Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie: Elizabeth Moss for Top of the Lake #NotForPeggyOlsen
• It's been 20 minutes since Amy and Tina have been on.  #Boo
• Paula Patton...that is a hot mess of a dress.

Live Blogging the Red Carpet for The 2014 Golden Globes

Here we go...

• Not a fan of Zooey Deschanel 's dress however matronly dresses are in.  
• Giuliana Rancic's hair looks great.
• Loving Margot Robbie's white jeweled dress.
• Michelle Dockery looks nice.  It's weird to see Lady Mary smiling.
• Lelsie Mann looks lovely in black.
• Sarah Hyland's eyebrows are distracting.  Cute hair and dress though.
• Sleek hair is in.
• LOVE Aubrey Plaza's necklace.
• Love Lupita Nyong'o's red Ralph Lauren sleek dress.
• Melissa Rauch looks great in a form fitting yellow dress.
• Lena Dunham does not look great in a form fitting yellow dress.  I like her in that color but the dress is a hot mess.
• Love Zosia Manet's new bob and black and white dress.
• Do not love Allison Williams' back and white dress.

Her

What I liked:

• It was written and directed by Spike Jonze.
• Joaquin Phoenix is amazing.  His facial expressions are so in tune with his character.
• This story takes place in the future and the future looks pretty cool.  The video games that they have are awesome.  Perfect Mom is hysterical.
• The story of Theodore is honest, real, and natural.
• Relationships are relationships.  It doesn't matter if it is with an operating system or a human or an animal.  It is what it is.
• It is a beautiful emotional journey.
• Scarlet Johansson's voice work is wonderful.
• Amy Adams is perfect as Amy.
• It also stars Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara, Matt Letscher, Olivia Wilde, and Portia Doubleday.
• I love the way they used color and natural light.
• The costume design is interesting.  High waisted pants make a comeback!
• Fabulous soundtrack.
• Watch the credits to find out who the voice of Sexy Kitten is.

About Last Night

What I liked:

• It stars Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall and Joy Bryant.
• Bryan Callen!
• It shows how different types of relationships work for different types of people.