In the month since I last posted a bunch of mini-reviews, I’ve seen seven more movies. So, rather than wait till the end of the quarter again, I wanted to post them now … while you can still act on my recommendations.
(Note: The numbers before each one reflect the number of movies I’ve seen so far this year.) Continue reading
The year is already a quarter over, so before we get too far down the road, I thought I’d share some brief reviews of the eight movies I’ve seen so far.
For the record, this list only includes 2015 releases — which is to say, it doesn’t include any 2014 awards-eligible movie that didn’t open in Boston until after New Year’s, but that I may have seen in this calendar year. (If I included those movies here, the total would probably be closer to 15. Just for the record.) For reviews of any late-releasing 2014 movies I saw, you can read this blog post or revisit my 2014 top-10 list.
The first quarter is usually a bad time for movies, but there was one great film among those I saw, and chances are good you’ll hear about it again when I rank my favorites of the year in December.
Here are the movies, in order of my seeing them. Continue reading
We’ve all heard the cliché that there aren’t any good movie roles anymore for women of a certain age.
In fact, yesterday, a Boston Globe article about Julianne Moore led with that very thought.
Well, three year-end movies — each of which finally received national release this past weekend — provide more than ample evidence to the contrary.
In the films, Jennifer Aniston (Cake), Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), and Moore herself (Still Alice) play women who are challenged physically, emotionally, and financially, and these actresses set great examples for those in the younger generation who may worry about their future career prospects.
Are the movies worth seeing? Here are some brief reviews. Continue reading
In 2014, I was happy, and I’m committed to being happy in 2015 too.
So in an effort to demonstrate that every day has at least one thing to smile about (even the so-called bad days), I’ve decided to steal an idea from my friend Christoph Trappe, who spent the entire year last year posting happy thoughts, memories, or moments in one running blog post that he updated daily. It was a great way to show gratitude and remember what made each day so special for him.
That idea, like so many other good ideas, came from Twitter — specifically, a fellow tweeter named Krista, who did a similar thing in 2013. So you might say I’m now continuing the chain. Maybe next year somebody else will follow my lead.
Here’s the plan: For the next year, at the end of every day, I’m going to write down something that made me happy, whether that’s something I did, something I ate, something somebody said, a music lyric or line of movie dialogue that resonated with me, a tweet, or something else. It’s just that simple. Doesn’t have to be a big thing, just something that made me smile.
With apologies (and all due respect) to Gretchen Rubin, I’m calling this blog post my “2015 Happiness Project.” Think of it as a digital “rememberlutions jar,” a way to make sure I’m doing everything on my 2015 to-do list, or, in a way, an abbreviated version of the journals I used to keep when I was in high school. And please, check back here often to see what’s making me smile all year long.
Here we go. Continue reading
Photo Credit: Fox Searchlight
The thing about movie trailers — great as they are — is that they get us focused on movies still to come, when what’s currently playing at the multiplex (maybe even on the screen right in front of you) is worthy of attention too. It’s kind of an ironic shame if you like this sort of thing.
That’s especially true now because in 2014, there was plenty to see. There was, for example, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill satirizing ridiculous sequels in 22 Jump Street. Chadwick Boseman bringing James Brown back to life in Get On Up. Matt Damon making a surprise cameo appearance in Interstellar. Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen grappling over who feels more “Agony” in Into the Woods. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader lip-syncing to Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” in The Skeleton Twins. And of course, Groot getting down to the Jackson 5 in Guardians of the Galaxy.
And then there were the movies themselves. If trailers are about future movies, the movies this year served as quite the present. (Sorry.)
So, before we turn to 2015, a year in which we’ll see Jurassic World, a new Star Wars, and even a dramatic version of the Oscar-winning documentary Man on Wire (a.k.a. Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk), among other things, allow me to look back on the films that made going to the movies so much fun this year.
Of the more than 60 movies I saw in 2014, these were my favorites. Continue reading
There’s a scene early in John Carney’s new movie Begin Again where the two main characters are discussing the concept of authenticity in the music business.
Gretta (Keira Knightley) suggests that Bob Dylan is an artist who stands up to her lofty standards. “That’s the most cultivated artist you could have thought of!” Dan (Mark Ruffalo) shoots back, arguing that Dylan’s image is totally manufactured, with a look that changes every decade.
So Gretta changes course and suggests Randy Newman is the most authentic artist of all time. Even Dan has to admit she’s right: Newman has never tried to be a star. He’s just done his own thing for years, without kowtowing to the audience.
The discussion underlines the differences between this latest release, and Carney’s last U.S.–released film, the instant classic Once. In that one, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova play two broken-hearted musicians who come together on the streets of Dublin and heal themselves through the power of music. It’s a subtle, sweet, small miracle of a film, one that features great songs (one of which won an Oscar for Best Original Song) and performances that are earnest, fragile, and heartfelt. It’s totally authentic. (Hell, Hansard and Irglova even fell in love while making it.)
If it ain’t broke, why fix it, right? No wonder Carney here tells a very similar music-heals-all story Continue reading
2013 was the year Hollywood decided to blow up the White House — not once, but twice.
The year that Johnny Depp’s over-the-top character schtick totally and irreparably jumped the shark.
The year James Franco’s best performance was in a movie about Spring Break depravity, not the Wizard of Oz prequel — or even the movie where he played himself (a version of himself, anyway).
And the year even Bruce Willis didn’t seem to enjoy being a part of yet another Die Hard movie.
Yawn.
So you’d be forgiven if you thought 2013 was a bad year for the movies.
But you’d be wrong.
This was, in fact, one of the best movie years in recent memory, as Hollywood treated us to a bounty of impressive releases. The best of those grappled with important issues, such as racism, the economic climate, what it takes to survive (and thrive), and how tenuous our connections to each other are. They didn’t provide easy answers or soft commentary, but through a variety of storytelling methods and production values, they entertained us, and in some cases, even inspired us to change our ways.
Of the 66 films I saw this year (!!!), what were the ones that in some cases, literally made me want to stand up and cheer? Here’s my list (with links to my reviews, where they exist). Continue reading
Christmas isn’t until next week (!!), but Hollywood is already giving out the presents — in the form of some big movies hitting theaters or going wide this weekend.
Because time is tight, given the shorter holiday season, I’m wrapping my own gift for you here: Six reviews in one blog post.
That’s right … six. Read on for my reviews of American Hustle, Inside Llewyn Davis, Anchorman 2, and Saving Mr. Banks, plus two others as a bonus.
Enjoy! Continue reading
I had the great fortune of interviewing many actors, actresses, musicians, authors, and other celebs during the seven and a half years I worked for Continental magazine. (Yes, the inflight magazine of the late Continental Airlines.)
One of the coolest people I had the chance to speak with was Dennis Farina, who passed away earlier today in Arizona.
Dennis is, of course, best known for his performances in such films as Get Shorty, Heat, Out of Sight, and Saving Private Ryan, and on TV shows like Law & Order, Crime Story, Luck, and, most recently, New Girl, where his tough guy persona was often used to great comic effect.
When I talked with Dennis in 2005, he was promoting the HBO TV movie Empire Falls. We talked about how his 18 years as a Chicago cop informed his acting career and the performances he gave. Continue reading
The 2010 movie RED was a bit of a surprise, with its unlikely cast of Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich starring alongside Bruce Willis as action heroes.
It grossed more than $90 million in the United States and more than $186.5 million worldwide, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).
But do you know anyone who actually saw it? I don’t. Which leads me to ask this question …
Who, exactly, asked for a sequel?
Having seen the new film, I have to say I’m less concerned with the answer than with making sure more people I know check it out. Continue reading
Martin's Musings 