MOVIE - The Upside

PG-13 (2:06)

Wide release 1/11/19

Viewed date at 1/14/19 at Carlisle 8 by myself
IMBd: 5.2/10

RT Critic: 39   Audience:  88
Critic's Consensus:  Preachy, manipulative, and frustratingly clichéd, The Upside showcases Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart's chemistry without ever taking full advantage of it.

Cag:  5/Loved it

Directed by Neil Burger

STXfilms

Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, Nicole Kidman, 

My comments:  A wonderful, feel-good movie, right up my alley.  Some serious, gritty material with a lot of good humor and a twinkle in the eye.  Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston together made a dynamic duo.  Paragliding, opera, Aretha Franklin, pulling yourself up the the bootstraps, that's what this movie is all about ... and so much more!

RT/ IMDb Summary  Inspired by a true story, The Upside is a heartfelt comedy about a recently paroled ex-convict (Kevin Hart) who strikes up an unusual and unlikely friendship with a paralyzed billionaire (Bryan Cranston). Directed by Neil Burger and written by Jon Hartmere, The Upside is based on the hit 2011 French film The Intouchables.

MOVIE - Instant Family

PG-13 (1:57)

Wide Release11/16/18

Viewed 12/18/18 at Carlisle RC with Ella
IMBd: 7.6/10

RT Critic: 82   Audience:  80
Critic's Consensus:  nstant Family may not quite capture the complexity of real-life adoption, but fittingly for the unconditional bond it honors, this flawed yet well-intentioned dramedy is ultimately worth the investment.

Cag: 5

Directed by Sean Anders

Paramount Pictures

Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, Margo Martindale

My comments:  A delightfully-cast retelling of a true story.  Rose Byrne and Mark Wahlberg have definite onscreen chemistry.  The two social workers are fantastic - and so, so funny, and the cast of other new foster parents are just wonderful.  I laughed a lot, came close to shedding a few tears - though my softy Ella sure did, happy tears.  A super feel-good movie that I would highly recommend.

RT/ IMDb Summary  When Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child but when they meet three siblings, including a rebellious 15 year old girl (Isabela Moner), they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must hilariously try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hopes of becoming a family. INSTANT FAMILY is inspired by the real events from the life of writer/director Sean Anders and also stars Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro and Margo Martindale.

MOVIE - Table 19

PG-13

Limited release 3/3/17

Viewed Friday, March 10, 2017
IMBd: 5.8/10

RT Critic:  23  Audience:  42
Critic's Consensus:  Table 19 is marginally more entertaining than actually sitting with a table full of strangers at a wedding -- although most screenings won't come with an open bar, which makes it a wash.

Cag: 1/Didn’t like it

Directed by Jeffrey Blitz

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, June Squibb

My comments:  What an incredible disappointment and waste of good talent.  What I thought would be a fun, funny movie was neither.  Everything fell flat.  I love Anna Kendrick, but this whole thing was just one big mess.  Not even funny.  Not funny at all.  Even what was supposed to be funny was not.  And although it seemed to be billed as a comedy, nope.  Yuck.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Ex-maid of honor Eloise- having been relieved of her duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text - decides to hold her head up high and attend her oldest friend's wedding anyway. She finds herself seated at the 'random' table in the back of the ballroom with a disparate group of strangers, most of whom should have known to just send regrets. As everyone's secrets are revealed, Eloise learns a thing or two from the denizens of Table 19. Friendships - and even a little romance - can happen under the most unlikely circumstances.

MOVIE - The Hollars

PG-13 (1:28)

Limited release 8/26/16

Viewed September 2016 somewhere in Tucson

RT Critic:  44  Audience:  58
Critic's Consensus:  The Hollar sgathers an impressive assortment of talented stars; unfortunately, it's all in service of a story that's been played out more effectively in countless other indie dramedies

Cag:  4
Directed by John Krasinski !!

Sony Pictures Classics

John Krasisnki, Anna Kendrick, Richard Jenkins, Margo Martindale

My comments:  I didn't take notes after watching this, and am writing this at least 100 movies later!  But I remember liking it a whole lot, and although it was sad, didn't feel too depressed afterwards, what you'd probably refer to as a dramady?    I also remember enjoying all the actors, some of my favorites.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  John Hollar, a struggling NYC artist is forced to navigate the small middle-American town he left behind when news of his mother's illness brings him home. Back in the house he grew up in, John is immediately swept up in the problems of his dysfunctional family, high school rival, and an over-eager ex-girlfriend as he faces impending fatherhood with his girlfriend in New York. From a script by Jim Strouse that is at turns hilarious and heartbreaking, John Krasinski's second feature is a poignant look at the bonds of family and friendship.

MOVIE - Danny Collins

R (1:46)

Wide Release 4/11/2015 - but very difficult to find

Viewed on April 30, 2015, while I played hooky from work on my birthday

RT Critic: 78   Audience:   82

Cag:  6/Awesome  

Directed by Dan Fogelman

Bleecker Street Films

Based on the book by

Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Plummer

My comments:  I think I've found a new favorite here.  The members of the cast were all terrific names and did a splendid job, especially Bobby Cannavale.   There was heart, there was humor, there was battling demons and addictions, there was sickness and health, there was family and the lack of it, and there was a whole lot of John Lennon.  Most of the music was his, and the turning point in the life of this aging rocker was a long-lost letter from him.  I was really into it. I just love the way the story was told, unfolded, a little bit of something for everyone!

RT Summary:  Al Pacino stars as aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins, who can't give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a second act. 

MOVIE - Begin Again

R (1:41)
Limited Release 6/7-27/14
Viewed Sunday, 7/13/14 in Harrisburg at the Midtown Theater
RT Critic: 82  Audience: 87
cag:  4.5 I loved some of it and I liked some of it and I was disenchanted with a bit of it....
Directed by John Carney (who also wrote it0
The Weinstein Company

Keira Knightly, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine (who does a great job!! heart, heart....

My comments:  This was a wonderful movie.  The acting was great, the music was super, and watching these three actors was a complete delight.  I love the idea of an album of music being recorded on the streets on New York, and wonder if there is actually some sort of video or cd release that goes along with this. So what disenchanted me?  Although the ending was probably what might have happened in "real life," it just left me completely unsettled....especially what happened with Mark Ruffalo's character.....

RT Summary:  The latest film from writer-director John Carney (ONCE), BEGIN AGAIN is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn forthe better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.

MOVIE - August: Osage County

R (2:10)

Wide release 12/25/2013

Viewed 1/28/2014 with Sheila & Connie - El Con

RT Critic: 65   Audience:  72

Cag: 5/ I ended up thinking it was quite an exceptional movie - both story AND acting

Directed by John Wells

The Weinstein Company

Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, Abigail Breslin, Margo Martindale, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulrooney

My comments:  This is the story of the most dysfunctional of dysfunctional families.  I've decided I have a very (VERY) dark sense of humor, because this is another movie that when I started looking at it for the humor, I loved it.  Yup, it's a pretty dark story.  People dig themselves up out of a crappy childhood or they burrow themselves deeper.  This story contains a little of both.  And it's the kind of story that keeps adding layers after layer of "What the F?"  The lineup of actors was amazing, and the acting itself was, too.  I've got to give it to Meryl Streep - she doesn't care what she looks like or what kind of a woman she portrays, she gives it her all and her all is always unbelievably believable.  So I didn't even walk away from this could-have-been dark story with a cloud of darkness.  I enjoyed it very much, and I'm really glad I went to see it.  I loved it.

Reviews:  AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest (actually, Oklahoma plains, which I don't really consider midwest) house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. Letts' play made its Broadway debut in December 2007 after premiering at Chicago's legendary Steppenwolf Theatre earlier that year. It continued with a successful international run

MOVIE - Don Jon

R (1:30)

Wide release 9/27/2013

Viewed at El Con, alone

RT Critic: 83  Audience: 70

Cag: 5/Loved it - I've changed it from 4.5/Liked it a lot (or even more than a lot)

Written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Relativity Media

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johanssen, Julianne Moore

My comments:  Yup, I liked this one a lot.  I'm writing this a few weeks after seeing the movie, and I still remember details...details of the relationship between the two protagonists, the weekly Sunday dinners around the dinner table when Jon visits his parents and younger sister, and the relationship that you watch grow between Gordon-Levitt's character and Julianne Moore's character.  Even the fact that Jon only attends night classes because his girlfriend "requires" him to and he is somewhat successful adds to the dimension of his personality.  I love the way the story...and the character's individual stories....unfolded.  This was a really good one. And although pornography is the startling centerpiece of the movie, when I think back on what really made me think had nothing to do with that.....

Rotten Tomatoes:  Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to "pull" a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn't compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) is a bright, beautiful, good old fashioned girl. Raised on romantic Hollywood movies, she's determined to find her Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset. Wrestling with good old fashioned expectations of the opposite sex, Jon and Barbara struggle against a media culture full of false fantasies to try and find true intimacy in this unexpected comedy written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

MOVIE - The Spectacular Now

R (1:35)

Limited release 8-2-2013

El Con 9-6-13

RT Critic: 91 Audience: 85

Cag: 5 Loved it 

Directed by James Ponsoldt

Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Fandango Summary:   Tim Tharp's unsentimental tale of adolescent frustration comes to the screen in this comedy-drama following the story of a sociable high-school senior whose self-delusion shattered by his emerging friendship with an unpopular classmate. Sutter Keely is one of the most popular kids in his class. Outgoing and fun-loving, he's completely oblivious as to what awaits him beyond high school. Lately, however, his drinking has started to become a problem. So when Sutter's girlfriend breaks things off, he reaches for the bottle without hesitation. Awakening in the grass under the gaze of studious, practical-minded sci-fi nerd Aimee Finicky, he isn't quite sure how he got into such a predicament. Over time, however, the two teens who couldn't be any more different on the surface realize they have more in common than either ever suspected..

My comments:  I thought this was a particularly good movie. Miles Teller reminded me greatly of John Cusack....and Shailene Woodley pulled off her part beautifully.  This was a really believable story - and even with all the drinking and self-doubt, I left the movie feeling optimistic.  I'd see it again.  It wasn't fluff.

Movie - Love is All You Need

R (1:40)
Limited Release 5/3/13

Viewed on Tuesday, 7/9/13 At Reel Pizza (in Bar Harbor) with Fran

RT Critic: 75 Audience: 61

Cag:  3/Liked it
Some subtitles for Danish and Italian

Directed by Susan Bier

Sony Pictures Classics

Actors: Pierce Brosnan

Summary from Google: "Philip, an Englishman living in Denmark, is a lonely, middle-aged widower and estranged single father. Ida is a Danish hairdresser, recuperating from a long bout of illness, who's just been left by her husband for a younger woman, Tilde. The fates of these two bruised souls are about to intertwine, as they embark for a trip to Italy to attend the wedding of Patrick and Astrid, Philip's son and Ida's daughter."

My comments:  This was a sweet, predictable movie, very enjoyable to watch.  Pierce Brosnan was a cutie and the Danish (perhaps?) actress that played the lead was wonderful to watch.  There were some good laughs and some very sad moments, too.  I certainly would not have reacted to everything that happened in the way the Ida did, so it has given me many moments since watching to reflect.   And any movie at Reel Pizza is fun!

MOVIE - Robot and Frank

PG-13 (1:30)
Limited opening 8/17/12 (NY 8/24/12 (LA)
I saw it at El Con on Thursday, 9-20-12
RT Crit:  89 Audience:  86
cag: It was okay, had a stellar cast (2.5)
Director:  Jake Shreier
Samuel Goldwyn Films

Frank Langela, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler

This is set in the "near future." Worried about his father's encroaching dementia/Alzheimers, a son gives him a robot to help him with chores, keeping a schedule, and life in general.  The father, Frank Langela, doesn't think he needs help, but quickly becomes "friends" with the robot.  The kicker, the thing that isn't shown in any of the previews of the movie is (SPOILER ALERT) that Frank's past included a stint in prison for robbery, and he's still really good at that particular craft.  So together, they plan
 a heist.

Super cast.  Nice setting, small town America.  Depressing probabilities for our future. Libraries no longer needed .Aging.  Two things that I don't want to think about at all.

The ending was flat, dull, boring, lacking creativity.  Made a somewhat decent move go downhill fast.

MOVIE - People Like Us

released 6/29/2012
Century Gateway 12 (Kolb Cheap Theater)
Monday, 8/13/12
PG-13 (1:55)
Critics: 57  Audience: 69
I liked it a lot, it had heart...
Director:  Alex Kurtzman
Dreamworks Pictures
Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer

When Sam's father dies, he reluctantly returns home.  In order to fulfill his father's final wishes, again reluctantly, he discovers a secret family unbeknownst to him.  He becomes friendly with them - without identifying himself.  When we're introduced to Sam he's a fast-talking, big-time salesman who is always in and out of hot water, sort of on-the-edge and loving it, but this new information about his father really throws him for a loop.

I really liked this movie.  I've never been particularly impressed with Chris Pine, but he did a super job with this role, as did the young man playing his nephew, Elizabeth Banks, and Michelle Pfeiffer, who played his mom.

"Inspired by true events."

MOVIE - Crazy, Stupid, Love

Funny and thought-provoking and sometimes even sad....
Released 7-29-11
PG-13 (1:57)
Sunday 8-7-11 at El Con alone
RT: 75%  cag: 86%
Director:  John Requa & Glenn Ficarra
Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marissa Tomei, Kevin Bacon

I saw this last night and found myself waking up during the night thinking about it - that doesn't often happen.  I really enjoyed the movie and would have rated it higher, but it contained one of my very biggest pet peeves when it comes to movies.  Usually coming at or near the end (it did) the protagonist stops a large gathering (he did) and makes an announcement or speech (yup) that would never, ever happen in "real life."  It helped the movie cruise into an excellent adieu, they'd set it up by showcasing some of the 13-year-old son's antics, but still had me rolling my eyes.

Cal Weaver (Carrell), a happily married 40-something, is told by his wife that she's slept with a co-worker and wants a divorce.  He moves into an apartment and spends his evenings drinking and sulking in a high-end bar where he is observed by swathe man-about-town Jacob (Ryan Gossling), who takes him under his wing and gives him a complete (and much needed) makeover.  Voila!

Marissa Tomei steals the show in the two and a half scenes that she's in.  What a terrific actress!

Of course all comes out right in the end and there's a wonderful twist that has been kept secret in the trailers and reviews of the movie (YAY!!!)  Ryan Gossling is super hunky (Steve Carrell's not so bad, himself!) and Emma Stone is ADORABLE...as usual...she's become one of my very favorite actresses.  Lots and lots of cool male attire to drool over.  Fun....but sad, too.....

MOVIE - Julie and Julia

Wonderful movie - almost perfect!
Released Aug. 7, 2009
PG-13 (I'm not sure why....) (2:03)
Nov. 25, 2009 at Crossroads with Fran
RT: 74% cag 96%
Director: Nora Ephron
Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stnely Tucci, Chris Messina

Nora Ephron took two memoirs and wove them together. Beautifully. Then Meryl Streep BECAME Julia Child. What a performance! ! ! ! ! Superb doesn't cover it. She was incredible. Believable. Lovely. Special.

Amy Adams' Julie Powell, unhappy to have moved to a tiny apartment above a pizza shop inQueens and with her cubicle-telephone job taking calls concerning the World Trade Center, takes on a personal challenge. She loves to cook. She adores Julia Child, so decides to make every single recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. In one year. 365 days. And....to blog about it all.

The movie weaves Julie's story - with its many ups and downs AND her super-supportive husband with Julia's story - with its ups and downs and HER super-supportive husband (go Stanley Tucci!) beautifully, beautifully. Two hours and three minutes (with five or six previews beforehand) is a long time to sit, but I could have doubled that. Just plain fun.

MOVIE - Adventureland

A smart, untrivialized comedy/drama
Viewed Friday 5/15 at Crossroads
Comedy/Drama (R) 1:47
Released 4/3/09
RT: 89% cag 70%
Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Reynolds
Director: Greg Mottola

In 1980's Pittsburgh, a recent college grad finds that his parents can't help him pay for his much-anticipated European summer, so he has to go to work at a local cheezy fun park. There he works on various "games" (not even the more desired "rides"), making the acquaintance of a various assortment of new friends - including Kristen Stewart, who plays a very interesting, very real role as a messed-up college student. Stewart and Eisenberg don't seem to have much in the way of sparks (Eisenberg feels too youngish for a college grad, too), but other than that.....a very enjoyable movie.

MOVIE - Sunshine Cleaning

Loved it - a lot
Viewed: Monday, April 27 at El Con
Rotten Tomato: 71% Mine: 95%
EW: B- Mine: A (Its beginning to appear that I disagree with EW a lot)
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Released: 3-13-09
R (1:42)
Directed by Christine Jeffs (she also directed Little Miss Sunshine)
Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Steve Zahn, Alan Arkin

Rose Norkowski (Amy Adams) has an eight-year old son, low self-esteem, a bumbling screw-up sister (Emily Blunt), a dad who tries all sorts of get-rich-quick schemes (Alan Arkin), and a mom who committed suicide when she and Nora were young. Add to that an affair with her now-married high school boyfriend (Steve Zahn) and a cleaning job that brings in very little income, plop it all in the middle of Albuquerque, NM, and you have the basis for this movie. There were so many layers to peel through, and I loved every one of them. The relationship between the two sisters was really the crux of the whole movie, and Adams and Blunt did mighty magnificent jobs. Such acting!

Zahn's character is a cop, and while investigating a suicide he hears how much the cleaning company charges for bloody, smelly, yucky clean-ups. He convinces Rose to try her hand at this sort of clean up and removal. The gross jobs they get are part funny, part very serious, and Rose and Nora get better and better at it until Nora screws up once again and burns down one of their jobs. Without insurance, they are sunk.

Clever, happy ending. Cute kid. A new love interest -a really interesting one. Layers and layers. Totally enjoyable, real characters with a great storyline. A new favorite.

Hey, this is my 250th post since I started blogging in August. Pretty cool.