Sunday, August 24, 2014

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.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

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.