Change Your Image
victoriasimon86
Amadeus
Indochine
Little Women(remake)
Gladiator
Dead Poet's Society
You can find me on aim: dramamama86
School Ties
Jane Eyre (TV - A&E 1997)
Lady Jane
Hable con Ella
Mar Adentro
Reviews
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Girl on Fire Delivers Again
Catching Fire (2013) Katniss played by Lawrence delivers again as everyone's favorite heroine. She is a favorite heroine by keeping it classy and true never overdoing it, ever. It's just right. She doesn't sexualize herself or pull that act that so many females in lead roles pull. Her strength, conviction and kindness make her the Katniss we love. Her costumes will blow you away as well as how the costumes compliment her mood or vibe in the scene. Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth do not disappoint in this continued love triangle. Woody Harrelson with his dry and biting humor nails Haymitch again. The scenes are so compact and so much is happening, I really give credit to the writers. The weirdest thing is that some scenes felt like they left my brain where I imagined them and were on screen exactly as I pictured them after reading the book. Everyone is so true to their characters including Finnick, Beety, Johanna and of course Cinna. If you love the HG trilogy then this is a must see. If you love pretty scenes, great actors and a good story, it is also a must see. I'll check both of those and add that I can't get enough of Jennifer Lawrence right now on screen. The theater was full of girls in Junior High and that makes me happy because Katniss and JLaw are exactly what these girls need to be looking up too. Look out, JLaw is the wrecking ball on more than one parade, thank goodness!
Lola Versus (2012)
refreshing indie rom com
Lola Versus (2012) Greta Gerwig stars as the unlikely heroine in this indie Rom Com. I know that people know her from other comedies but this was my introduction to her. Lola is a quirky and naive 29 year old who thinks her life is right where it needs to be apartment in the city with fiancée, graduate school, great friends, supportive parents and even though she is also selfish, you grow to like her. When her fiancée dumps her out of the blue you feel for her. Her two sidekick best friends are the most predictable part of this unorthodox movie providing the love triangle aspect. The best thing about this movie is Lola's insight. What she learns and how she transforms. I saw it over a week ago and I still cant get it out of my head.
Lawless (2012)
fun and entertaining
Lawless (2012) Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf play two out of the three bootlegging brothers in the country side of Virginia during Prohibition. This is a violent film and since we have Chicago cops involved everything is guns, murder and gore. I don't usually love violent films but it was entertaining. Guy Pierce is as creepy and low as ever as the obsessive and sadistic Chicago fed. Gary Oldman also gives us his crazy antics that he was known for in his earlier days and has an amazing make-up job. Jessica Chastain plays one of two female roles and provides color to an otherwise drab and dirty backdrop. Mia Wasikowska plays the other female role as the innocent but witty romantic interest of Shia LaBeouf's character. I like the movie because Tom Hardy and Shia are really gearing up serious manliness here. They are fearless. Tom Hardy's character is quiet and private until you mess with him. Shia is brave and cocky and wont let anyone or anything get in his way when he decides to make deals with the family moonshine that could cost him his life at every turn. Also, who doesn't want to see chemistry between Chastain and Hardy??? We go along for the ride and everyone is happy when good prevails over evil in the end.
The Constant Gardener (2005)
A Winner All Around
The Constant Gardener (2005) Ralph Fiennes plays the unassuming, quiet diplomat that falls in love with a beautiful activist. (Rachel Weiss) She seduces him and ends up in Africa with him to do Amnesty work. This woman is a die hard activist who doesn't care about who she is up against or what the consequence is as long as she has the power and ability to do her work and let the truth that she has discovered be known. She cannot and will not desist because she wants to save people. This movie is heart wrenching and the soundtrack breathtaking. It doesn't matter that it isn't a true story because in any news story on TV, if you read between the lines, the same things are happening all over the world. Justin (Fiennes) embarks on a journey that is as passionate as his wife is fierce. He gets to a point where he knows there is no going back and he is so dignified and soft in his demeanor and behavior even after all that he has seen and done that it allows you to watch and feel the sweet homage that he pays to his wife. An excellent cast all around, excellent script based on a novel by the same title and an excellent source for thought and evaluation.
Shame (2011)
Micheal Fassbender at his Best
Shame (2011) This movie is valuable because of the acting, not because of the plot or anything else. Brendan (Michael Fassbender, X-Men First Class, Prometheus, Jane Eyre) is a good looking, sharply dressed, 30- something, single man who lives and works in Manhattan. As soon as the movie starts, your view of Brendan is obscene and it should be. Brendan is a troubled man who is tortured by a constant need for sex. He has an upscale apartment, job and appearance but it is all a mask hiding a deep, dark shameful life behind the facade. Brendan can go on this way because no one knows about his double life. It isn't until his equally troubled sister crashes his living space and moves in with him that he feels like his privacy is violated and like he is caged on top of his troubles. It is as if her moving in forces him to see how disturbed he is and forces him to confront it because his routine is abruptly shaken and he knows no way of coping. He is inept in dealing with people and forming any type of meaningful relationship. He is so mean to his sister who is clingy and needy (his opposite with behavior) that at time you might think he is still playing the robot in Prometheus, even then he was polite. Carey Mulligan plays his sister and we never know what troubled childhood made them into the screw-ups that they become as adults. The movie doesn't even give you an answer or an ending, it just says, "here's the life of a sick man who realizes that he is dying inside and full of moral repugnance. He could be anyone." The two actors excel here and as an audience you need to be prepared to be disgusted at times for the sake of great acting.
Coco avant Chanel (2009)
Cuckoo for Coco
Besides being intrigued by the humble beginnings of fashion icon Coco Chanel, Audrey Tatou is this movie. We are used to seeing her as the bubbly shy introvert in Amelie but there is more to her, so much more. We also see that in her film, A Very Long Engagement. Her facial expressions are so great that she would have also been awesome for the film the Artist. Women watching this film can totally relate to her character no matter how famous the person she portrays is. She is fearless as a young Coco and does not even blink at the notion of anyone disagreeing with her at all.
I like this film for what it does in a feminist light. At a time when women were never taken seriously, she just shows up and gets her agenda on. It never proves easy but it gets done. She knows that men are key to her business pursuits and she knows how to get what she wants. She is too savvy of her world and her surroundings and too hardened by life's misfortunes for the love that unexpectedly finds her. She would have rather lived without the added trouble of falling in love, a roadblock to her practical no nonsense lifestyle. This film shows austere and plain on the face and attire of an otherwise chic and glamorous actress. The shame is that critics knock the movie because of her shocking change. I feel like saying she is gorgeous no matter what and as I take a Coco stance, I say, "Who needs them?"
Easy Virtue (2008)
Easy Virtue: Easy to Like
This comedy set in a WWI backdrop also has an orchestra soundtrack highlighting era greats like Cole Porter. (Aptly named the "Easy Virtue" Orchestra) Jessica Biel in any movie is enough to draw an audience based on eye candy alone. Add platinum blonde, an excellent English supporting cast and outfits courtesy of the film's costume collaborators and you have yourself a witty, wild and all-consuming two hours of fun. When Laritta, a young American Grand Prix winner from Detroit meets an even younger English aristocrat, John Whitaker (Ben Barnes)sparks fly as fiercely as Laritta's driving. The two marry and when Laritta meets John's well to do family in the English countryside, the encounter is anything but pleasant. Little does Laritta know that Mrs. Whitaker (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her daughter sidekicks will do anything to have her disappear. What is this gold digging American harlot doing impersonating as a member of my family? She is everything that they are not: lively, seductive, brazen and they hate her for it. Laritta is a match for Mrs Whitaker as they both deftly plot the other's social demise. Laritta is the "siren" leading John to his death and Mrs. Whitaker is Medusa turning all that is beating flesh to stone. One man turned stone is her estranged husband played by Colin Firth. A war vet who has lost his direction and purpose after becoming a failure. He is the dark horse who provides an aside as Shakespeare's character's often do every now and then to put things into perspective. The film climaxes with an ending that you will not soon forget.
The Tree of Life (2011)
The Tree of Life: Big Bang to the End of Time
The Tree of Life (2011) This is a strange film filled with a handful of Hollywood elite actors. It's hard to follow where the movie is going and what it is trying to tell us. If you do not like deep movies that make you think, change the channel. I can say that it is extremely ambitious because it tries to capture humanity, biology and the history of our universe from the big bang until the supposed end of time. We get flashbacks of the past and fast forwards to the present day. We get that Sean Penn is at work in a US city with skyscrapers. He is remembering his childhood with his two brothers and his parents (Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt) in a 1940's suburban neighborhood. We observe the personal moments and lives of these family members and we constantly review philosophical questions about good vs evil in our minds as this film unfolds. We see the afterlife, we see the tricks that our memories play on us and we see forgiveness. If you have ever seen The Fountain with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz it also has a philosophical feel. I also get a feeling of time flying the way I did when I saw the Green Mile with Tom Hanks and the late Michael Clarke-Duncan. Watching this movie is like being educated on your day off from school. It's a must see for Movie intellectuals.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Silver Lining Golden Message
I have no idea how Jennifer Lawrence was when she played the heroine for a generation of Hunger Games obsessed teens. I do know, however, that she scored a massive touchdown in this film, Silver Lining's Playbook. I hope that she is taking her Oscar everywhere because boy did she deserve it. Hat's off to Mr. Bradley Cooper who I admittedly underestimated as your classic Hollywood pretty face. Bradley Cooper shines and delivers like no one else. The chemistry between Lawrence and Cooper sucks you in and you laugh the whole way through because you realize that these things could happen to anyone. Robert DeNiro is so genuine and so funny as the head of his household that sometimes you feel like an eavesdropper in their house and in their life as you go scene through scene. The question is, "Are these two knuckleheads not all there?" The answer is, "Yes, they are a bit off and it's okay because they are honest and they stick to what matters most." If you want to get fancy, the psychological portrayals are accurate and the in your face approach is refreshing especially if you were under the impression that a Pretty Womanesque Romcom was what you signed up for in the first place.
Les Misérables (2012)
Les Miz
Les Miserables 2012: If you haven't seen Les Miserables on Broadway then you might be confused as you travel through this world of loud and gut wrenching song. This movie is not for people who do not like drama and long movies. Anne Hathaway won an Oscar for her role in this but you will not see her for long. She pretty much sings a very famous song and looks like a beggar with a bad pixie cut. She goes through nearly every human emotion in one song and pulls it off. Hugh Jackman as "24601"earns every cent he earned for doing this movie. He literally sings until he has nothing left in him. This movie was for eager Hollywood actors who didn't want to leave it for the pros. All things considered, they did a great job. Russell Crowe had a hard time because his singing usually comes with a guitar, a band and some bad ass on the side. I liked his portrayal of Javert despite his apparent struggle to hold a note every now and again. I loved the musical so I am very biased. Other than Jackman who would have gotten the Oscar if it wasn't for Your Highness Mr. Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln; Eponine and Marius steal the show. Sasha Baren Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter and Amanda Seyfried close up the gap for Who's Who in this musical powerhouse and do not disappoint.
Django Unchained (2012)
Django unchained
Django Unchained: Critically acclaimed Director Quentin Tarantino does not leave the eager movie goer disappointed with his lasted work. Tarantino's mark on cinema began two decades ago with an indelible style that cannot be matched. Whether you are a fan or not, this man roots for the underdog. With Inglorious Basterds we got revenge for Nazi crime and cruelty. Well done and undoubtedly Tarantino with an in-depth, unapologetic and unorthodox view of bravery, heroism and violence. At times, Tarantino's gory goes too far but we tolerate it because we admire the stretch for the sake of his story. Django is no different in its fantasy for the underdog approach. When the Django gets loose there is no stopping him and we are all there shouting "Yee haw, go get 'em". Jamie Fox becomes our new version of a cowboy as he prepares to save his damsel in distress. We are sucked into Django's journey and are introduced to amusing and quirky folks along the way. This includes the wickedly perfect Stephen played by Sam Jackson, the colorful Master sleazy played by an unrecognizable DiCaprio among others. Best of all however is the impeccable Christoph Waltz. Hats off to you sir who played the brazen mentor defying conventions of the era with quick wit and an even quicker gun.
Mildred Pierce (2011)
Mildred Pierce
Mildred Pierce HBO 2011: This does have some spoilers. Kate Winslet delivers an honest performance full of anxiety, passion, heartbreak and guts. She plays a woman ahead of her time and without apology - a character full of contradictions who gets what she wants. While the miniseries is long, it shows the delicate ups and downs of a single mother effected by the Great Depression. She is forced to get a job as a waitress, fearing her daughter's disapproval. Her younger daughter dies early in the film. I cannot say that Mildred was as heartbroken by that as she is endlessly throughout the film for being a constant disappointment to her daughter Veda. Veda, played like a perfect tennis opponent by Evan Rachel Wood is a performance not to be missed. Mildred ends up owning a corporation, making the dough, thriving after a divorce and losing it all quickly just to please an ungrateful and blatantly spiteful daughter. Guy Pierce spices things up as Mildred's lover and plays his famous coward role (Count of Monte Cristo, the Kings Speech) like a charm. This one is a surprise though and you have to watch to get to that gaping reaction towards the end of the film. (like you had all throughout Memento) Like all HBO movies and shows, your cable bill every month is worth the superb casting. Also true to HBO, this miniseries is a great snap shot of how it was for how it is now and something we can learn from as we get through the last four years of tough economic times. Though Mildred is considered to be a heroine, what I praise most is the fact that I did not agree with her most of the time, rather I was curious to ride the stock market rises and slumps of her journey.