Movie Review: "American Hustle" (2013)

Movie: "American Hustle"
Director: David O. Russell
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 18 minutes

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Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a small time hustler with a wife named Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) and a girlfriend named Sydney (Amy Adams). When Irving and Sydney embark upon a loan scheme, they are caught in a sting operation and forced to help FBI agent Peter DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) arrest four people who commit fraud on his watch. DiMaso is overzealous, ambitious, and looking to make a name for himself. He suggests that the couple go after Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) and many other politicians who want to build Atlantic City from a mere pipe dream to a reality, and to restore New Jersey's economy. Things get a little out of hand when several things go awry: the mafia gets involved, Irving's crazy wife can't keep her mouth shut, and DiMaso's delusions of grandeur make him think he will be able to bring down all organized crime.

We have been excited about this movie for a very, very long time. When the first trailer came out, I was personally drawn to it because of the choice to use Led Zeppelin as the background song. Points right there, friends. Then, how the story looked...WOW! It looked so explosive. Let's just say we had pretty high expectations knowing both the cast as well as the director. We will say that while the trailers are slightly misleading, they don't take away from the fact that this is a damn fine movie. David O. Russell, well played, sir.

First off, we must talk about the acting in this film. It is freaking INCREDIBLE, and not just by one performer, but by ALL OF THEM. DAMN, son! Everyone: Renner as the slick mayor, Lawrence as the eccentric and nosy/know-it-all wife, Louis C.K. as the by-the-book boss, Cooper and that curly 'fro, Adams as a phony Brit, Bale as a fat con artist...SUPERB acting jobs by all of them! They are so good, so believable, and so engaging. Christian Bale is really dedicated to his craft, going from being twig thin in movies like "The Machinist" to gaining over 40 pounds for his role as Irving Rosenfeld here. METHOD!!! Amy Adams is flawless as usual as Sydney Prosser, and Jennifer Lawrence stuns as Rosalyn Rosenfeld. They are all so engaging and perfect for their roles.

The scene where both Adams and Lawrence are at the same club together and on-screen together for the first time....you can feel the glances they give one another burning holes in the back of your head. You can virtually see the claws come out as soon as their eyes meet. The scowls, the side-eyes, the lipstick! UGH, perhaps my favorite scene in the entire movie. Their hatred and anger for one another is so palpable! Bradley Cooper is perhaps the biggest surprise to us. We know he's capable of doing comedies, but I feel that he really stood out on his own in this movie, showing audiences that he is capable of more than just dick and fart jokes.

Now, we would be remiss if we didn't discuss the outfits, the scenery, the hair, and the 70's throwbacks. WOW. I can only imagine how long it would take someone to do their hair in the 70's! Everything looks pretty accurate and authentic, even the opening movie logo is era-specific. It seems like filmmakers really took their time to get it (mostly) right.

Finally, it's not completely what we expected. Sure, we knew the gist of it, but we expected much more violence, as the trailer alluded. It's more of a comedy than anything, with lots of drama, minimal violence, and some light nudity. David O'Russell is a fine filmmaker. He has that wonderment of originality about him, and we can't wait for many more movies from him in the future. Don't go into this movie expecting "Goodfellas," but expect it to be one you want to watch again!

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!!

Movie Review: "Nebraska" (2013)

Movie: "Nebraska"
Director: Alexander Payne
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

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Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is a lifetime drunk on a mission to get to from Billings, Montana where he lives to Lincoln, Nebraska to "collect his million dollars" that he won from a sweepstakes. His son David (Will Forte) informs him that the sweepstakes is a scam and that he didn't really win any money. After several attempts to walk to Nebraska only to be foiled by friends and family. David takes is upon himself to drive his father there in an effort to spend some time and connect with him and to "let him live out his little fantasy." On the way, they stop at his father's small Nebraska hometown and stay with relatives who become aware that Woody has "won millions." Everyone from the town begins to hit him up for money, and even after insisting that he didn't win anything, David is still hounded for dough as old debts get rehashed, and new stories come to light. David learns a lot about his father and mother and their past in the small town.

Not in a very, very long time have we seen a "true to life" movie as accurate as "Nebraska."

Bruce Dern is simply spectacular in this film. More than likely, he will be getting recognized for at least one of the many awards shows in the coming months. He plays that delusional, disconnected old man so well that it's hard to tell if he's acting or not. It's just fun to watch him on screen even though he's not a particularly interesting character. Will Forte really shines in this movie, too. All we know him from are SNL and various other comedies, and while this movie is funny, it's nice to see him in a more toned-down, less outrageous dramaedy. June Squibb also steals the show as Kate Grant...her foul, no-filtered mouth is so hilarious and unexpected that we found ourselves rolling with laughter. She was so brutally honest that it was sort of shocking!

There are a lot of scenes in this movie that not only stick out, but stick with you long after you've seen it. The one in particular that's so well done and very honest is the scene with all of Woody's brothers, who haven't seen each other in years, and they just......sit. They are just sitting in the living room, all the same way, all old and with their necks slightly sticking out, they are just watching TV, not saying very much to one another Catching up consisted of simple niceties to them, no complex conversation, simple one word answers. We have seen this happen in real life, and that's what makes it so perfect. It's simple, but real! People really do that, they really act like that, even after years...some people are just not conversationalists.

I love that this movie is in black and white. The choice by filmmakers to do this encapsulates the mundane life of one clueless man in all its bleakness. Woody is not an extraordinary person, he's just a fan of alcohol and thinks he struck it rich without having to do anything for it. He's very trusting and believes everything he hears, no matter what, without question, and yet still seems to know nothing. Also, the cinematography, while pretty much just long stretches of farmland, is extremely accurate and incredibly well-shot. Stunning all around.

There are some people who will not like this movie because they will say it is boring or slowly paced or too simple or overrated. We don't see that at all. In fact, this is probably in my top 10 favorite movies this year. It's so poignant and honest that to call it boring or overrated, to us, means you might not know anything about life as it really is in all its potential banality. This movie is almost poetic in its realness. Spectacular!

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!

Movie Review: "Out of the Furnace" (2013)

Movie: "Out of the Furnace"
Director: Scott Cooper
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes

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Rodney Baze Jr. (Casey Affleck) is an ex-military man who has dug himself into a large gambling debt, borrowed largely from John Petty (Willen Dafoe). Rodney's older brother Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has always tried to get him to with at the local mill with him on a more stable path in life. When Russell ends up in jail, Rodney has turned to unsanctioned, back-alley, no holds barred fighting for money. After Russell gets out of jail, Rodney is looking for one final payday to settle his debts and asks John to set up a fight in the hills of Jersey, put on by Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson), a ruthless drug addict redneck who has violence in his veins. When Rodney goes missing, it's up to Russell and their uncle Red (Sam Shepard) to uncover the truth.

The trailer for this movie has us really excited to see it. When we got to actually watch it, we were a bit disappointed. It's not a bad movie, but it's just not exactly how we pictured it. Nothing in this movie stands out to us as spectacular. It's a pretty simple revenge flick, wrought with violence and drugs. It is shot in a very artful manner, which is neither here nor there.

It seems like an accurate portrayal of some places in America, but Rodney and Russell seemed more well-off than others...at least they had a house. I feel like this movie tried really hard to push Rodney's character as a sympathetic one, but we felt worse for Russell, to be honest...he was always having to clean up after his younger brother's messes and suffered because of it. He worked an honest living at the mill and went to jail for a freak accident, and when he got out, he was tested to his breaking point. Even when Rodney was missing, Russell was still chasing after him and we really got no indication that Rodney felt the same way about Russell as his brother did about him. The mutual love didn't seem to be there. The only time Rodney's character seemed impassioned about anything is when he screams at Russell about serving in the US military and how his country hadn't done anything for him when he was willing to risk it all for America...otherwise, he sort of seemed like a brat throughout the movie.

This is the perfect example of a "how far would you go to _______" picture, but it's not executed as well as, say, "Prisoners," which came out earlier this year. The performances are the best part of the movie. Woody Harrelson is the perfect hillbilly meth-head. Christian Bale is always good. Casey Affleck, eh. Sam Shepard is always good. Zoe Saldana, eh...
AND WTF are you thinking, picking Forest Whitaker over Christian Bale?? GURL, YOU WAIT, DAMN IT, YOU WAIT.

My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 53%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

Movie Review: "Holiday Special" Bonus!!

BELATED MERRY CHRISTMAS, FRIENDS!!!!!
We hope each and every one of you had a very merry Christmas filled with love, joy, and laughter!

As a holiday treat, please enjoy our reviews of the classic Christmas Holiday Specials!

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Movie: "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!"
Director: Chuck Jones and Bill Washam
Year: 1966
Rating: UR
Running Time: 26 minutes

The Who's down in Whoville love Christmas, but the Grinch (Boris Karloff, BOW) who lives up on Mt. Crumpit hates it and everything that goes along with it. He comes up with a fiendish scheme to steal Christmas from the Who's, everything from their decorations to their Christmas feasts. Along the way, he discovers things about himself that he did not know, and possibly even the true reason of Christmas.

Attention, fine readers: JIM CARREY IS NOT THE GRINCH.

This is the greatest animated Christmas short EVER and should be on not just everyone's annual Christmastime watch list, but everyone's LIFETIME watch list. It so perfectly portrays the true meaning of Christmas in just one line: "maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." If we are able to teach our niece and nephew one thing over the course of their lifetimes, it would be this lesson. Christmas isn't about gifts and boxes and packages, it's about the feeling inside your heart, how it makes you feel, and about the love you give to one another as human beings. From the songs to the animation, everything about this cartoon is just so, so good, especially Max! Boris Karloff is king. This short needs no more explanation as to its greatness! :)

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100% (AS IT SHOULD)
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY!!!
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Movie: "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
Director: Bill Melendez
Year: 1965
Rating: TV-G
Running Time: 25 minutes

Charlie Brown finds himself depressed during the holidays due to the commercialization of Christmas. He is offered by Lucy to direct the annual Christmas play. He uses the opportunity to direct the play as an chance to find the true meaning of Christmas. 

This animated classic comes in close second as my favorite Christmas short. It's just quintessential! We watch this each and every year, without fail. So many of the points Charlie Brown makes are more and more relevant today with Christmas overtaking Thanksgiving and even Halloween, more recently. No matter what, we must all strive to find the beauty in the holidays and realize that it's not about stuff and items and things, but about togetherness and love and warmth and peace on earth and good will towards men and not stepping on each others necks for an XBOX!!! The best!

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY!!!
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Movie: "Frosty the Snowman"
Director: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Year: 1969
Rating: TV-G
Running Time: 25 minutes

After a bad magician throws away his magic hat, it is picked up by a group of children who place it on their snowman's head, causing it to come to life. Frosty is born! After the magician discovers that his hat is magic, he wants to get it back from Frosty, which would mean he would cease to be alive. In order to keep Frosty alive, the kids must get Frosty back to the North Pole, and Karen (June Foray) travels with him, so long as she'll be home in time for supper.

This is our least favorite Christmas short. For a movie based on a song, it seems like they could have come up with something better than they did. It's not a very good plot, the magician is just annoying and not relevant to Christmas. Many parts seem random and unnecessary. Karen having to be home by supper? LOLWUT. I know, too much analyzing, but we just don't care for this and it just doesn't hold up as a classic for us very much. Sure, it shows the power of friendship and love, but it just falls flat for us and could be seen as sort of traumatizing to some! That being said, it still wouldn't be Christmas without watching this, even if it's not our favorite.

My Rating: 5.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 73%
Do we recommend this movie: Eh. It's not our favorite Christmas short.
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Movie: "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
Director: Larry Roemer
Year: 1964
Rating: TV-G
Running Time: 47 minutes

Rudolph (Billie Mae Richards) was born with a red nose that glowed. In order to hide his "character flaw," his father instructs him to hide it as best he can. A few years pass, and Rudolph is eligible to play in the reindeer games. His nose cover falls off, and everyone discovers that he is different. Meanwhile, Hermey (Paul Soles) is an elf who doesn't want to make toys, instead, he wants to be a dentist. Both ostracized, the misfits Hermey and Rudolph find each other and run away, hoping to find a place where they will fit in. Along the way, they meet tons of new friends who are also different. Once they are gone, others learn a valuable lesson about acceptance.

Rudolph is about tolerance for those who are different and accepting people for who they are. It's actually quite deep when you think about it, and is much more than a Christmas special. We like the stop-motion animation style used in this short, it's classic to us. It's extremely quotable, too, and I often find myself saying silly phrases in this short year-round. Santa is a complete dick in this movie, though! This is a timeless classic that espouses great values in the end, which will be beneficial to children of all ages!

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!!!

Oscar Movie Review: "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)

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Movie: "It's a Wonderful Life"
Year Nominated: 1947
Director: Frank Capra
Rating: PG
Running Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

George Bailey (James Stewart) is contemplating suicide on Christmas eve. Clarence (Henry Travers), an angel, is sent to Earth to save George, and for a chance to get his wings. Clarence is shown not only all of George's major accomplishments, but all of his failed dreams, too. In order to save George's life, Clarence shows him what the world would be like if he was never born.

This is the best classic Christmas movie ever. In fact, it's one of the best movies ever. Period. No arguing. It is definitely in my top 10 favorites of all time, for sure.

The casting is perfect and the acting is just superb. The chemistry between James Stewart and Donna Reed is so believable, their love story so true. You feel empathy, as well as sympathy, for George and his plight, a small-town dreamer who succumbs to the pressures of life and is stuck in his hometown without a thing to show for it...or so he thinks! GAH! I cry every damn time I watch this movie. Lionel Barrymore shines as Henry Potter, and "sentimental hogwash" is one of the greatest movie lines of all time. Everyone in this movie is necessary and all of the characters mesh well together in the grand scheme of the movie. The story, while fantastical, is grand and well told. It's a fantastic movie to watch on Christmas Eve.

This is the quintessential "makes you think about your life and how your life affects others" type of movie. It will make you realize how great your life really is, even if you get down and don't think so. Frank Capra's beautiful direction is wonderful and holds up even today almost 70 years later. A MUST SEE, no matter how old you are!

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY EMPHATICALLY YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Movie Review: "A Christmas Story" (1983)

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Movie: "A Christmas Story"
Director: Bob Clark
Year: 1983
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Ralphie (Peter Billingsly) tells the story of the year he received his greatest Christmas present, his "Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time." Ralphie hinted to his mother, father, teacher, and Santa Claus about how badly he wanted this BB gun, and each time was met with the response "No, you'll shoot your eye out!" 

This is by far one of the greatest Christmas movies in existence! In fact, it is such a classic that TBS runs a 24-hour marathon of it each and every Christmas day. You can't beat that! The narration over this movie is so fantastically hilarious and over-dramatic that it is met with many, many laughs. It is a great peek into life in the 1940's. Peter Billingsly is adorable as Ralphie, and he has that sweet, childlike innocence that is also so devilish at the same time. His fantasy sequences are spectacular. While it is uproariously hilarious, it has quite a bit of sentimentality to it and is quite touching at times.

It has so many iconic scenes: Santa booting Ralphie down the slide, Flick (Scott Schwartz) getting his tongue stuck to the frozen pole, Randy (Ian Petrella) not being able to put his arms down because he is bundled in so many layers for the cold weather, the fight with Scut Farkus (Zach Ward), and the leg lamp....oh boy, that leg lamp! I want one for our living room!!

Everything about this movie is iconic and fabulous and fun. This is classic family Christmas, folks, one of, if not the best!

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Movie Review: "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992)

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Movie: "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
Director: Chris Columbus
Year: 1992
Rating: PG
Running Time: 2 hours

Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) and his family are on their way to another family vacation exactly one year after Kevin was left home alone. This time, he gets lost in the airport and winds up in New York City with only his dad's wallet and his TalkBoy. Kevin secures a hotel room but arouses suspicion from a concierge worker (Tim Curry) and bell boy named Cedric (Rob Schnider). Kevin makes his way around the Big Apple, visiting tourist attractions and toy stores alike, but little does he know that the Wet Bandits Marv (Daniel Stern) and Harry (Joe Pesci) have broken out of prison and are planning to rip off a toy store on Christmas eve. Kevin must put a stop to their plan and, once and for all, put the Wet Bandits away for good.

This movie is definitely not as good as the first installment, but it's still a decent Christmas movie. A lot of the plot is simply rehashed and put into a different setting, but this time with even more dangerous booby traps, IE: STAPLES TO THE SKULL AND NUTS. It also seems to be more cartoonish, and Marv even briefly turns into a skeleton while being electrocuted. There's a lot more "mugging" to the camera by the characters involved and it all seems very try-hard.

Plus, can we talk about how completely insanely irresponsible it is of Kevin's parents to misplace him exactly one year after he was left home alone? Good lord, someone take that kid away from his parents since they clearly don't have his best interests at heart. No amount of love at the end of the movie could repair the damage done from being stuck ALONE in one of the largest metropolitan cities in the freakin' world.

That being said, it does have some good Christmasy themes to it, the same as the first, really. Plus, this one has Tim Curry, another flawless human being. He could be The Grinch in real life, look at that smile!

My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 24%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

Movie Review: "The Polar Express" (2004)

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Movie: "The Polar Express"
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Year: 2004
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

When a young boy starts to doubt the existence of Santa Claus, he is visited by a magic train called The Polar Express. Its function is to take doubtful children to the North Pole to meet Santa and to help them believe in the magic of Christmas once more.

This movie does a great job explaining the true spirit of believing in the notion of Christmas. The message it sends is an important one and we like it very much. Tom Hanks does the voices for most of the adult characters in the film, as well as Hero Boy. You really can't go wrong with Tom Hanks in any capacity. The animation is that weird CGI where people are made to look very realistic, but still seem fake, which makes them slightly creepy looking. This movie is a very fun cartoon and the entire part on the train is treacherous yet adventurous! There are a couple of really spectacular songs in this movie, the one sung by Billy and Hero Girl called "When Christmas Comes to Town," as well as "Believe" by Josh Groban over the end credits. That's really what audiences should take away from this movie: the spirit of the holiday is within yourself as long as we allow ourselves to enjoy it and remember to believe. Great fun family Christmas movie!

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 56%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "Philomena" (2013)

Movie: "Philomena"
Director: Stephen Frears
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

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Inspired by the unbelievable true story of one Irish woman's pursuit to find the son that was taken from her when she was 15. Philomena (Judi Dench) is a young Catholic girl living in a convent who got pregnant out of wedlock. After giving birth, she was required by the convent to sign a paper that would give up custody of her son at any time. In order to make up for her sins, she was required to work off her penance for many years. One day, her son Anthony was adopted by an American family and she never saw him again. Decades later, a disgraced political journalist named Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) is forced to write a human interest story, something that he considered beneath him, in order to get a job. He learns of Philomena and her situation and reluctantly begins digging. As more facts become revealed, Martin learns there may be a little bit more to the story and that he may also have a personal connection to it. Together, they travel to America in order to search for the truth about Philomena's long lost son.

We knew little about this movie going into it and both really liked it a lot. The character of Philomena has a trusting innocence about her. She believes people at face value, people who tell her they are doing things in her best interest when clearly they aren't. Her devotion to her religion plays a large part in her naivete, as well as the fact that she is not a well-traveled person. This film is spectacularly acted by not just Judi Dench, but by Steve Coogan as well. His character of Martin is the antithesis of Philomena: he despises religion, he's analytical, he is hardened by the world, and he is not very trusting. He's also not particularly friendly, either. They are thrown together by the universe and they manage to help one another out in many ways. Their on-screen chemistry is really wonderful together. Given the subject matter, it is a lot funnier than we expected. It is interesting to note that Coogan wrote the screenplay as well as produced this film.

If you came across this story, as Coogan's character did, and you have the means, you realize that this is the type of story that truly needs to be told. People should know stuff like this happened at some point in history because it was so horrific. Not only that, but it was commonplace many decades ago! Can you imagine? This movie manages to tell the story about a very serious subject matter and somehow finds a way to do it entertainingly. It's the perfect balance of heartbreaking drama and sarcastic wit.

It seems like an underdog of a movie with so many big hitters coming out in the last month of 2013, but we hope it gets the recognition it so very much deserves.

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "Scrooged" (1988)

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Movie: "Scrooged"
Director: Richard Donner
Year: 1988
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is the youngest president in the history of television. All he cares about is ratings and his work. He doesn't give a damn about the people who work for him and is willing to step on anyone and everyone's neck to get his way. He has no personal relationships outside of work, letting his one true love Claire (Karen Allen) slip away 15 years ago because he chose his job over happiness with her. While preparing to shoot a live version of "A Christmas Carol/Scrooge," Frank himself is visited by his own would-be Marley, his old boss Lew Hayward (John Forsythe), who informs Frank that is he continues his ways, he will wind up doomed just as Lew is. Lew lets Frank know that he will be visited by three ghosts, who will hopefully help him change his ways.

"Scrooged" is another Christmas classic to us, and one that we would miss if we didn't watch it yearly. It's a great modernized take on "A Christmas Carol," which has so any different versions that to include a humorous one is almost needed! The opening scene of the film where we get a glimpse of the IBC holiday TV programming, as well as Bill Murray's character Frank Cross' take on a promotion for the live-action Christmas production is one of the most hilarious scenes in the film! They started the movie off strong with that scene! Bill Murray is just so good as the Scrooge character. His sarcasm and sometimes dry delivery make for a hilarious performance. Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present is also quite enjoyable. Her sadistic fairy type of ghost is really funny! The creativeness with all the ghosts is very well thought out, as well as the makeup work for the character of Lew. The emotional scene at the end of the movie is also really nice and brings the entire message of the "Scrooge" production to a conclusion. Overall, another funny Christmas movie that we love watching!

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 66%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Oscar Movie Review: "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947)

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Movie: "Miracle on 34th Street"
Director: George Seaton
Year Nominated: 1948
Rating: G
Running Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) is a divorced mother and works in upper management at Macy's. She is a firm believer in telling her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) the truth about Christmas and not letting her head get filled with silly fantasies. When the Macy's Day parade's Santa Claus actor shows up drunk on the job, a random old man named Kris (Edmund Gwenn) reports the drunkard to Doris, and actually fills in during the parade.  He is so good at being Santa that he gets a job as the Macy's mall Santa, but there's just one catch: Kris, who gives his full name as Kris Kringle, truly believes he is Santa Claus. He is eventually forced to stand trial to prove he's not crazy and that he is actually Santa Claus.

This is a classic that has been around for almost 70 years. It still hasn't lost its touch. It straddles the fine line between questioning what you think you know and what you really want to believe. This film boasts excellent performances by all the main actors: Maureen O'Hara, who does a brilliant job as the brutally honest mother, Natalie Wood as the sort of cold and logic-driven child who seems like she's a lot older than she really is, and Edmund Gwenn, who gives such a good performance you find yourself still wanting to believe that Santa Claus is real. The story itself does what many Christmas movies try to do, to bring people back to the magic and wonderment of Christmas that they had as a kid. We believe it does just that.

The DVD gives us the option to play it in color or in black and white, but we just can't seem to bring ourselves to view it in color. Black and white forever!!!

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Movie Review: "Die Hard" (1988)

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Movie: "Die Hard"
Director: John McTiernan
Year: 1988
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

New York City police officer John McClane is flying to Los Angeles for Christmas to see his wife and kids for Christmas. During her company Christmas party, a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber, siege Nakatomi Plaza and take all of the employees hostage. It's up to John, who evades capture, to save the day and bring the terrorists to their knees.

Die Hard?? I thought this was Christmas movie week???

Well folks, several lists include this fine piece of artistic beauty as one of the top 10 best Christmas movies, if not the best one movie of all time. While this is not your average Christmas movie wrought with Santa Claus, reindeer, and presents, it is most certainly and undeniably a Christmas movie!

It is such a great action movie, and one of my particular favorites. It's not unrealistic to the point of being body-bending, but it has its moments of action hilarity. Bruce Willis' delivery of the many one-liners in the film is perfect. His sarcastic, dry attitude works so well for McClane's character. John McClane was also a nice change in the 80's from the superhuman action heroes, the Sly Stallone's and Arnold's, who were musclebound and larger than life. Bruce Willis is an every-man and could be anyone walking down the street. He may not have any special gifts or superhuman abilities, but he rises to the challenge.

Then of course, there's Alan Rickman. Sexy, devilishly handsome, suave, badass, PERFECT Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. Is there nothing the man can't do well? Hans Gruber is one of the greatest movie villains of all time. He's cold, detached, calculating, ruthless, and intelligent, to boot. While he's physically not the most imposing character out there, his utter lack of remorse for anything he does and willingness to kill without a second though makes him scary as hell. Rickman, too, rises to the challenge, especially considering he was a British theater actor and relative unknown before this film. Willis and Rickman are the perfect opposites: the wealthy white-collar criminal versus the blue-collar average-joe cop.

Amazing movie that holds up well today. Plus, Argyle and Carl Winslow, how can you go wrong!!

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Movie Review: "Elf" (2003)

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Movie: "Elf"
Director: Jon Favreau
Year: 2003
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

When a orphaned baby sneaks into Santa's gift sack, he is accidentally taken to the North Pole. Once there, seeing that the child has no parents, he is given to Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) to be raised as his own. Buddy (Will Ferrell) grows to be 6 foot 3 very rapidly, but is still oblivious to the fact that he is adopted and is not actually an elf. He starts to realize he is different, and when he overhears some of the elves talking about the fact that he is a human, Buddy decides to go to New York to find his father. Before leaving, Buddy is informed that his father never knew that he existed and worst of all, is on the Naughty List! He travels to New York to connect with his family, but quickly realizes he is out of place there, too. He stumbles upon a job opportunity at Gimbal's where he meets Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), the girl he falls in love with. Buddy must find a way to get close to his father Walter (James Caan), who believes he is insane, and find a way to acclimate himself to living in the Big Apple while finding his true identity.

This is a very silly and fun modern Christmas movie! Will Ferrell does the toned-down PG version of himself as Buddy the elf, just with more manic, sugar-ridden fervor. He does that same kind of humor he did on SNL and in the majority of his movies, except with no cussing and with no ass shots. You can say the same thing about James Caan almost, he plays a very toned-down PG rated version of himself (IE: no f-bombs, no guns, no hookers, etc), complete with his mafioso twang. He plays such a good scrooge character. Mary Steenburgen is only there to be Caan's voice of reason throughout the film, who turns him from an anti-Buddy humbug to an elf-loving singer! YEEEE!!! Supporting roles from Bob Newhart, Faizon Love, and Peter Dinklage are also very humorous and a welcomed treat.

When we first saw this movie, we didn't know how we felt about it. It has sort of grown on us over the years, and while it's not the best modern-day Christmas movie, we do look forward to watching it every year. The ending is, by far, the best part, inspiring the childlike wonderment of the holidays in even the oldest adults. Actually, there are a lot of good lessons to be learned from this movie. It really warms your heart and makes you appreciate the sentiment of Christmas. The ride to get there is quirky, silly, and often times over-the-top, but it's still pretty fun, though we can see how and why people wouldn't care for this movie. You really have to be able to stand Will Ferrell in starring roles to dig it. Some of the humor gives us so much secondhand embarrassment that it's almost cringe-worthy, and yet I still want to try spaghetti with syrup.......maybe another day!

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 84%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "Love Actually" (2003)

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Movie: "Love Actually"
Director: Richard Curtis
Year: 2003
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

A series of interconnected love stories centered around the weeks leading up to Christmas in Britain.

...you know, when it comes down to it, there's nothing less romantic than philandering husbands and girlfriends, fat jokes, funerals, and lobsters.

...and yet, I feel compelled, every single year, like clockwork, to watch this damn movie.
Why?
Because, that's why.

If you can get past the often arrogant and shallow characters and their equally ridiculous expectations for and about love, "Love Actually" is genuinely a decent rom-com. Sure, it is a sappy collection of interconnected romance stories, but it also shows the different sides and stages of love, too. Sometimes, the scenarios are not handled with the most grace by the characters themselves (a la cheating Alan Rickman, HE WOULD NEVER), but isn't that what love is all about? Love isn't always happy and sunshine and roses...sometimes love hurts, and this movie does a great job of showing the evolution of romance, from the pining stages to the more grim deadly ones. Christmas is a great reason to tell the people you love how you feel, and this movie captures that sentiment. Christmas often feels like it takes a back-seat to the romance aspect of the film, but it is definitely there the whole time.

Filmmakers don't have a whole lot of time for deep character development since there are so many different people involved here, so it all feels sort of crammed together at times. However, when you take a step back, this movie really does a spectacular job of intertwining the stories together, which a lot of films attempt but often fail at. Weaving it around Christmas also ensures that it will be enjoyed semi-regularly, if you're like us and watch your Christmas movies yearly.

And the cast, oh boy, the cast! Everyone is in this movie, from Emma Thompson to Martin Freeman, tons of the finest British actors and actresses give great performances, and that's another reason for this film's success. If it had been all Z-list actors, no one would give a damn, but with its huge star-power, "Love Actually" is able to excel. All-in-all, it's a feel-good Christmas-centred movie with a lot of laughs, some tears, and a whole love of love.

The only thing this movie needed more of was Mr. Bean!

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 63%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "Home Alone" (1990)

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Movie: "Home Alone"
Director: Chris Columbus
Year: 1990
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes

Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is an unruly 8 year old who feels he is being dumped on by his family. After being sent to bed in the attic early the day before a family Christmas trip to Paris, he wishes that he didn't have a family and that they would all just disappear. When he wakes up the next morning, he goes downstairs to find that no one is there. He believes they have disappeared, but they have really just gone for Paris and left him behind on accident. Two small-time, bumbling criminals named Harry Lime (Joe Pesci) and Marv Merchants (Daniel Stern) have been casing the neighborhood waiting for the families to leave their houses on vacation so they can rob them. Assuming the McCallister is empty, the two repeatedly attempt to break in, only to be foiled by Kevin time and time again. Meanwhile, realizing Kevin is absent, Kevin's mom Kate (Catherine O'Hara) immediately tries to make it back to Chicago, only to be foiled by bad weather, no available seats on planes, etc. She will stop at nothing to get home to her son before Christmas day.

John Hughes loves to watch things go wrong in the movies he writes.

This is a family film we both watched growing up and really enjoy, even though now as adults we see that it is wrought with violence and non-family related themes (LOL), most of which probably wouldn't fly today in a PG movie.

This is Macaulay Culkin's most famous role, and though he did films after this, this is what he's known for the most. He's perfect as Kevin, the bratty little twerp-turned-house defender. His character sort of makes a 180 during the film, realizing that family is actually important and that's what matters most, even if they are a pain in the ass sometimes. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are the biggest sources of comedy in the film. Their plight as buglers is hilarious. Joe Pesci was reduced to grumbling to cover his f-bombs and apparently it was the only way to stop him from cussing on set.

The film does a very good job of building up hatred and resentment towards Kevin in the beginning of the movie. Many fabulous lines come out of the first 20 minutes, our favorite being "I wouldn't let you sleep in my room if you were growing on my ass!," said by Buzz (Devin Ratray), Kevin's older brother. It builds up and allows Kevin to not be sad that they are gone. He does everything I would have done if I was left home alone, from eating copious amounts of ice cream to watching R-rated movies, from jumping on my parent's bed to getting into things I shouldn't...it was a dream to watch as a kid, and a nightmare to think about as an adult. The movie gets crazier and crazier, but always maintains its heart, John Hughes' staple movie making ploy. It's fun and funny to watch and is a (newer) Christmas classic.

My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 54%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989)

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Movie: "Christmas Vacation"
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Year: 1989
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants nothing more than to have a wonderful family Christmas at his home. He is the last true family man. He builds things up in his head on how he wants them to be and sets standards so high that no one could possibly meet them. This leads to a tendency to overdo things, which often leads to disaster. From obnoxious feuding family and uninvited guests to a turkey as dry as the Sahara, from snobby next door neighbors to imported Italian twinkle lights that just won't shine, Clark tries very hard to keep a positive attitude about Christmas and does his best to make sure everyone is happy.

John Hughes wrote this movie, and he likes to watch things go wrong.

"Christmas Vacation" has become a classic over the last 24 years....holy crap, this movie came out 24 years ago?!?!?!?!?! It's still freaking hilarious today, each and every time we watch it. A lot of people talk down about Chevy Chase, but he certainly is funny in this movie, and if you can separate him as a person from his role, you will enjoy this movie more. The comedy is a lot like every Chevy Chase role, brief undercuttings of sarcastic comments that no one was truly meant to hear. It's clumsy and slapstick, and he can convey a lot with just the simplest expressions. Chase can also play a straight-man to Randy Quaid's even more ridiculous cousin Eddie.

Though over-the-top, Clark's expectation mirrors that of many people's during the holidays, ourselves included! People often try their best and set unrealistic goals for themselves and expect people to react a certain way but are often let down when things don't go the way they planned. It happens to everyone, it's just part of life. Christmas is hectic and we totally understand where he is coming from when he just wants his family to have a nice, fun family Christmas.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 63%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES, it's classic Christmas hilarity!

Movie Review: "Arthur Christmas" (2011)

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Movie: "Arthur Christmas"
Director: Sarah Smith & Barry Cook
Year: 2011
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

Arthur (James McAvoy) is one of Santa's sons. He works in the letters department at the North Pole, where he reads and responds to all of the letters written to Santa from kids around the world. Steve (Hugh Laurie), Arthur's older brother and next in line to fill the role of Santa Claus, is in charge of helping his father with operations during Christmas eve's missions to deliver presents to children. Steve is very no-nonsense and isn't about having a whimsical Christmas, taking a very statistical and rigid approach to the holiday. He is more about efficiency than anything else. Arthur, on the other hand, loves the magic of Christmas, from his goofy reindeer slippers to his bad Christmas sweater, if it's Christmas themed, Arthur loves it. He is a true believer in the spirit of Christmas and has tremendous amounts of faith in Santa Claus, his father. After another presumed successful Christmas, it turns out that one child was forgotten in the chaos and will not be receiving a present. With the help of Grandsanta (Bill Nighy), Arthur makes it his mission to hand-deliver the gift, a shiny new bicycle to a little girl in England, at any cost.

This animated movie is extremely adorable and very funny, too! It's another one of those films where your mouth hurts at the end of it because you smiled so much while it was playing. It's extremely heartwarming and reminds audiences that Christmas is about heart and soul more than anything else. At the end of the day, Christmas is about making other people happy and going out of your way to do so, even if it inconveniences you. It's about having a happy time with the ones you love.

The actors and actresses who did the voices for this movie really fit well with their characters and you believe them all. We love the way this movie shows the generational differences between each Santa Claus, as well as the differences between Arthur and his brother Steve. Grandsanta laments about how in his day he was able to do the entire Christmas eve delivery in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, while his son and Steve use a high-tech sleigh called the S-1, which boasts a cloaking device to ensure that Santa is not seen by the children of the world...it's more like a spaceship, not a sleigh. This is an updated take on a Christmas story that isn't done poorly. I foresee this becoming a Christmas staple in our home!

(It's funny to note that Playstation console name was dropped a few times in this movie because Sony Animation Studios made this film. Just another instance of us noticing product placement, and we're getting quite good at it!)

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "Homefront" (2013)

Movie: "Homefront"
Director: Gary Fleder
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

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Former undercover DEA agent Phil Broker (Jason Statham) and his daughter Maddy (Izabela Vidovic) have just moved to small rural town in the south. Broker is trying to get away from it all after his last job, where he posed as a biker to take out a meth-dealing motorcycle gang. After a sting-gone-wrong, the leader of the gang Danny T's (Chuck Zito) son is killed. After an altercation at Maddy's school between her and another young boy, where she punched him in the face after being bullied, the kid's crazy tweaker mother Cassie (Kate Bosworth) asks her brother Gator (James Franco) to scare Broker and his daughter a little bit. Gator is a small time meth cooker and doesn't enjoy competition. Gator breaks into Broker's house and discovers his secret past. He offers up this information to Danny T for free with the help of Sheryl Marie Mott (Winona Ryder), his business partner and friend with benefits, in exchange for distribution of his drugs so he can strike it rich. Danny T puts a hit out on Broker and all hell breaks loose in their small town.

...We want Jason Statham to be our dad.

FINALLY a Jason Statham action movie we didn't hate!!!

When you go to see a Jason Statham movie with a screenplay written by Rambo (which we didn't know until we were watching the credits), you pretty much know what to expect. You're not getting Shakespeare, you're not getting "Schindler's List." You're getting a movie where people get kicked in the head or punched with gasoline pumps. You're getting "BOOM, HEADSHOTS!!!!" and lots of loud, fiery explosions. If you expect more than that, for shame.

I think that "Homefront" is the most substantial role Jason Statham has ever had as far as back-story and depth go. We appreciate that the action isn't so over-the-top like in his previous roles, but it's still pretty heavy. It didn't seem ridiculously fake or CGI, the explosions and gunfights seemed real. One note: it did seem like it was trying to capitalize on the success of "Breaking Bad," a bit.

The only thing that had me puzzled, and it's completely arbitrary, is how he, a student's father, asked the school psychologist to plan his daughter's birthday party outside of school? This screams conflict of interest, DAVID! Rachelle Lefevre is clearly only there as a love interest in the movie, but this plot point goes nowhere. Why do movies employ people if their roles go nowhere?! It makes no sense and seems like a waste of money and pisses us off.

That being said, this movie is entertaining, fairly interesting, and a bit captivating! We didn't roll our eyes once during the film, so I'd say that is an improvement.

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 38%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

Movie Review: "12 Years a Slave" (2013)

Movie: "12 Years a Slave"
Director: Steven McQueen
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 14 minutes

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A free black man named Soloman Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is living with his wife and two children in upstate New York when he is duped by some business associates and is subsequently kidnapped and forced into slavery for 12 years. He repeatedly professes his freedom, which falls on deaf ears. He is transferred from plantation to plantation and is forced to hide his status, talents, and education for fear that he will be reprimanded. He spends the majority of his "incarceration" on Edwin Epps' (Michael Fassbender) plantation; Epps is an unruly drunken taskmaster who fancies himself as a breaker of the spirits of the people he "owns." Epps' wife (Sarah Paulson) is equally as merciless and horrible, and specifically (and jealously) goes after Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o), a slave who has caught her husband's eye. Soloman does everything he can to survive, to hang on to what little hope he has left, and to find a way to get out of the hell where he finds himself.

This film is absolutely, without a doubt one of the best films we have seen all year. It is heart-wrenching to imagine and gut-wrenching to watch, but it is important for films like this to be made and shown in order to help us as a nation, and as a world, learn from the mistakes of our past.

With that being said, "12 Years a Slave" is beautifully executed and expertly crafted by director Steve McQueen. Every single part of the film needed to be there, from the overtly violent torture scenes to scenes where the slaves are forced to do otherwise asinine tasks like dancing or going to the market...each scene shows a different form of power that white plantation owners had and executed over their "property." That is where we were as a nation not all that long ago, and it is frightening to imagine, distressing to relive, and humbling and embarrassing to see played out so well on-screen.

We don't remember learning this history from school, about free men like Solomon Northup who were kidnapped and forced into slavery...we didn't learn about that, and that is embarrassing, too. It is such stain on our history. It makes us look at current human rights issues we face as a country today, and in 100 years when people look back on us in history, it will come down to the same question: what side of history are you on?

Chiwetel Ejiofor is absolutely stunning in this movie...it's hard to describe how good he is. Every word he speaks, every lash he takes, every emotion he has, we felt everything he felt. My jaw dropped several times throughout the film, and the tears just kept flowing in streams of raw emotion, so much so that my throat hurt after we were through watching this. We'd be surprised as hell if he doesn't at least get a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars this years. Michael Fassbender is equally as incredible, though his character is despicable and horrid and you hate him so much, he acts fantastically. Even the supporting actors in this film like Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Paul Dano, who only share the screen with Ejiofor for short periods of time, do well in their roles.

Though this movie is a tough subject to watch, it is definitely a must-see.

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Movie Review: "Delivery Man" (2013)

Movie: "Delivery Man"
Director: Ken Scott
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes

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David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn) is an underachiever and an all-around unreliable person. He works at his dad's meat shop as a delivery man, but constantly slacks off and gets sidetracked from his duties. He doesn't call his girlfriend Emma (Colbie Smulders) and often disappears because he is too busy. David finds out Emma is pregnant and reacts poorly. He also has a large amount of debt, which is being held over his head by someone who wants to "drown him." One day, he returns home to find a lawyer standing in his living room. This lawyer was hired by a fertility clinic where David donated in the 90's. The lawyer informs David that he is biological father of 533 children, and 142 are going to sue to find out his identity. With the help of Brett (Chris Pratt), who happens to be a very bad attorney, David must fight to conceal his identity but curiosity and the knowledge of him as a soon-to-be father drives him to want to get to know his "kids." He has to decide his fate one way or the other.

You know, I think I've discovered something. It seems as if society tells us to hate Vince Vaughn. Every single time we go into a Vince Vaughn movie, I almost have this predisposed notion that it will automatically suck simply because he is in it.

Well you know what, America? I DON'T hate Vince Vaughn. I don't love him, but I certainly don't hate him. I think he's a likable goofball, and while he's not exactly the most attractive or most diverse actor on the planet, he carries himself alright in leading roles. He does alright with what he's given. It's pretty much the same lovable goofball performance every single movie, but I still can't and won't hate Vince Vaughn, damn it. Vince Vaughn just always plays Vince Vaughn.

That being said, this movie is okay. It's a remake of a French film called "Starbuck," and seems as if it was remade solely for one purpose: because there is this notion that Americans won't take the time to watch a French (or any other) language film. I mean, the first 30 minutes of this movie are almost exactly a word-for-word remake. They could have basically just dubbed the French version and called it a day. Once we got to a point in the movie where we no longer compared the two films to one another, I feel like it got funnier and I feel like I personally liked it more than I would have otherwise.

The acting isn't really spectacular. Like we said, he's the same freakin' person in every movie. Chris Pratt is a push-over, and his lines felt read verbatim as opposed to acted out for the big screen. There are only a few times in the movies where we felt the slightest bit of passion regarding what he was saying. But, again, you have another actor who isn't terrible diverse...Chris Pratt will always be Andy Dwyer from "Park and Recreation" to me: another lovable goofball type who comes off as a bit dimwitted. The only person who gave a little bit of flare to their role was Andrzej Blumenfeld, who plays Vince Vaughn's father.

The movie relies 98% on its heartfelt ending. There's is no doubt in anyone's mind, even the people in the audience watching this movie, how it's going to end. I mean, you can pretty much watch the trailer for this movie and figure out how it's going to end from there. The only part you don't really see coming from the trailer is that Emma is pregnant, and that is discussed in the first 10 minutes of the movie. While the ending is cute, it's not really enough to call this a work of art. It's alright, and if someone wanted to watch it on TV or DVD, I might watch it again, but don't hold your breath for any sort of award winning performance, a good plot, a deep script, stellar acting, or off-the-rails story line. It's pretty much your average American remake of an otherwise okay French film. There's not even that much of a difference between the two versions that make its remake justifiable in any sense of the word. Meh, meh, mehhmity, meh meh meh.

My Rating: 5.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 36%
Do we recommend this movie: Meh.

Oscar Movie Review: "The Goodbye Girl" (1977)

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Oscar Movie: "The Goodbye Girl"
Year Nominated: 1977
Director: Herbert Ross
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) is a mother and ex-dancers living in New York. She has just been dumped by her not-yet-divorced, live-in actor boyfriend, who ran off to Italy to take a role in a movie. Before he leaving her high and dry, her boyfriend had sublet their apartment without telling her. In the middle of a rainy night, Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss) knocks on the door and demands answers as to why she is there. Paula and Elliot come to an agreement that they will share the apartment, so long as they stayed out of each other's way. Paula automatically hates Elliot for two reasons: 1) he knows her ex-boyfriend, and 2) he is an actor. The two must find a way to live together, along with Paula's daughter Lucy (Quinn Cummings), without killing one another.

What an adorable and hilariously sarcastic movie! This was a real treat to watch. I feel like I smiled the entire time it was playing. Richard Dreyfuss won Best Actor for the role of Elliot in this film, and he deserved it. He is all over the map with this role! He's perfect as a quirky actor who tries to live a healthy lifestyle full of supplements, meditation, and guitar playing. He does an equally stellar job as the actor who has just found the role of his lifetime in Richard III, but is forced to portray him as an effeminate, crippled homosexual. Marsha Mason does a brilliant job as the jaded, bitter, actor-hating Paula. They worked extremely well together and you believe their chemistry, something that is so often lacking in modern romance movies. Quinn Cummings does a very good job as Lucy, a wise-beyond-her-years smart-ass 10 year old.

It's definitely wrought with sarcastic humor, so be in the mood for that type of film. Every character has a snarky attitude, but this creates, in our opinion, a fun movie to watch and enjoy. Sure, the one-liners and romance can get pretty cheesy and may seem outdated for some, but for all intents and purposes, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and a movie we would have missed had we not been on an Oscars Quest. I am glad we found this gem, and want to own it on DVD.

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" (1987)

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Movie: "Planes, Trains & Automobiles"
Director: John Hughes
Year: 1987
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Neal Page (Steve Martin) just wants to get home to see his family for Thanksgiving. The universe doesn't seem to want to make this happen for him. He is foiled at every turn, from missing cabs to delayed and re-routed flights, from no available rental cars to trains breaking down, he just can't seem to catch a break. With all this going on, he has become to unwilling partner of Del Griffith (John Candy), an overly friendly but extremely annoying travel companion. Del just wants to be friends with Neal and to help him find his way home, but often seems to do more damage than good. Neal would rather be rid of Del and go it alone, if it wasn't for him actually needing Del's help from time to time.

It's just not Thanksgiving without this movie. In fact, there really aren't that many movies revolving around Thanksgiving, like so many other things in life which have been consumed by Christmas.

This is one of the funniest movies to come out of the 80's. The dynamic between Steve Martin and John Candy is nothing short of brilliant. Two fine comedic actors doing what they do best is just twice the fun! The scene where Steve Martin drops the f-bomb about 20 times is just so, so good, and truly encapsulates what all of us are thinking at some point in our lives. Isn't it just a secret fantasy of yours to unload a barrage of f-bombs at someone?? No??? Okay...disregard then! ;)

Each and every thing that goes wrong gets equally as funny and outrageous as the movie progresses. This is not just a silly comedy, though, it also has massive amounts of heart. You truly feel bad for Del and for his life, but you also want to strangle him because is such a pain in the ass! And you really want to strangle Neal, too, because he just doesn't seem to see that Del only wants to help. This film does an amazing job of connecting its characters with the audience because these characters are so well developed that you actually feel for them and feel their pain.

This is one movie I reeeeeeeeeeeeally hope Hollywood doesn't attempt to remake because it's basically perfect the way it is. There is so much tenderness and love and soul and hilarity in this movie that it would be truly tragic if it were remade and changed. STAY AWAY, HOLLYWOOD.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Netflix Instant Queue Movie Review: "The Twilight Samurai" ("Tasogare Seibei") (2002)

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Movie: "The Twilight Samurai"
Director: Yoji Yamada
Year: 2002
Rating: NR
Running Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes

Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada) is a poor, low-level samurai whose wife has recently passed away. He must take care of his mother, who is very old and senile. In addition, he also has two young daughters he must care for, too. He works as the counter of dried fish, and every day after work, his fellow samurai ask him to drink or play games with them. He always declines because he must be home before dark so he can care for his daughters. This has garnered him the nickname 'Twilight.' An old childhood friend named Tomoe (Rie Miyazawa) comes to visit Seibei. He has always been infatuated with her, but because he is a low ranking samurai, he has always felt as if she is too high ranking for him to pursue. Seibei defends Tomoe one night against her drunk, abusive ex-husband, who challenges Seibei to a duel. The next day, instead of fighting with an actual sword, he uses a wooden practice sword, which is no better than a stick. After defeating Tomoe's ex-husband, he is ordered by his master to fight a battle to the death against a samurai who has been disobedient.

This is a unique take on a samurai film. Viewers are often exposed to the more glamorous side of the life of a samurai, but this is a humbling portrayal which delves into the ranks of the samurai. Most of these types of films are full of stylized sword fighting, and numerous action scenes which shows the samurai in a more majestic form. These films also tend to focus on the Bushido aspect the samurai life, that being a warrior is their primary goal and desire. Seibei never had the want or ambition to be a warrior, only that he wants to do his job counting fish and take care of his family relatively unscathed. This film focuses largely on the love story between Seibei and Tomoe, which subsequently revolves around the class system of the samurai. Towards the end of the film, viewers get to see one of the most realistic sword fight, not stylized in any way, and you're not going to see gushing blood, heads being lopped off, or people performing physically impossible feats...no super high jumps, no floating around, no majesty, just realism and what a sword fight may actually look like. Overall, it's a good foreign film to see if you want to shy away from the highly unrealistic samurai movies.

My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 99%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!