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This Is Why You Go to the Movies

8 Oct

The MartianWe’re here: It’s the fourth quarter of 2015, the time of year we wait for because it’s when most every movie that hits theaters is awards bait (or wants to be). Will they all live up to the hype? Not a chance. But when they do … that’s why you go to the movies.

Since my last collection of reviews, some very good movies have come out. One in particular was (literally) out of this world. And there were some disappointing ones too. So let’s not waste any time. Here are my brief thoughts on nine recent releases. As always, numbers refer to the total number of movies I’ve seen so far in 2015. Continue reading →

The Dog Days (and Dog Movies) of Summer Have Come and Gone

8 Sep

straight-outta-comptonLabor Day has come and gone, and thank God for that.

Not that I’m happy to see summer end. (Far from it.) But if we’re into September, then that means the really good movies are really close to hitting theaters (Black Mass is a week and a half away, for example).

Before we look forward, though, let’s look back on all the movies I’ve seen since my last movie reviews roundup blog post — some really good ones and some pretty awful ones too. As always, the numbers reflect the total number I’ve seen this year so far. Continue reading →

Hot Time, Summer at the Movies

31 Jul

Trainwreck-movieWe’re more than halfway through the summer, and while my pace has slowed (other aspects of my social life have taken priority in recent weeks), I still saw a good handful of movies during the month of July — bringing my grand total for the year so far to 40.

So, without further ado, here are movie reviews of everything I saw in the past month. Continue reading →

Halfway Through the Year, Some Great Movies to See

30 Jun

Inside-Out-MovieWhere has the year gone? I turned my head for a second and all of a sudden, we’re halfway done with 2015.

Six months in, it’s safe to say While We’re Young remains my favorite movie of 2015. But a couple releases in the past month have certainly earned themselves a place near the top of my list.

So let’s get to my monthly wrapup of movie reviews, shall we? Continue reading →

Summer’s Here, and So Are the Movies

1 Jun

entourage-movieSummer’s here, and the new movies are coming fast and furiously. (No, wait. That was April.) So here’s another wrap-up of all the movies I’ve seen in the past month, since I last posted a collection of mini reviews. Continue reading →

April Showered Us with More Movies

3 May

Avengers: Age of Ultron movie poster bannerIn 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 →

Eight Movies Were Enough for Me So Far This Year

1 Apr

hunting_ground_posterThe 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 →

Three Movies, Three Amazing Performances

26 Jan

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 →

The 2015 Happiness Project

5 Jan

balloon-smiley-faceIn 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 →

The Best Movies of 2014 Were Quite the Present

29 Dec
Photo credit: Fox Searchlight

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 →

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