Django...the D is silent

Tarantino fans look out, the hits keep on coming! This guy is a pro when it comes to film making. I felt like this film had a little bit of everything. There is love, drama, action, comedy...everything rolled into one. From the soundtrack to the script it was an amazing film. But, like Tarantino said...the film would not come to life without the actors to make the characters what they were. Jaime Foxx plays Django, a slave who goes to work with a bounty hunter and eventually goes on a quest to free his wife from slavery. He not only gets his a scholarly education, but learns what he'll need to free his wife. Taught by the bounty hunter played by Christoph Waltz, the two make an unlikely yet effective team. They run in to all sorts of characters along the way....my favorite being the slaver Monseuir Calvin Candie played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The runtime is long but the movie doesn't feel long or drawn out in any way. I would highly recommend it. 4 Stars.

Lincoln...4 Stars

So I had to watch (or had the option to watch at least) this film for one of my classes this semester. I felt like it was a good opportunity to do one of my favorite things which is going to the movies and be able to spend time with my little brother in the process. Based on the title I thought the film would be a bit more encompassing of Lincoln's life, but I actually like the fact that it wasn't. It didn't seem to try and fit too much which it could have easily done. Instead the movie focuses on the last few months of Lincoln's life and his fight, sometimes with his own cabinet, for the passage of the 13th amendment to abolish slavery. Daniel Day-Lewis was Lincoln. He deserved every bit of the respect and love he got at the Oscars for his performance...BRAVO sir! I personally feel it should've won best picture as well. I'm not trying to take anything away from the rest of the star studded cast, but without Day-Lewis, there is no movie. I also thought that this was one of Tommy Lee Jones' best performances as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. The runtime is long, but worth it, it's a must see!

Captain America

This week we saw Captain America. I can't believe I waited so long to go watch it because it was really good. I would say a solid 2.5 stars (out of 4). I thought the story was good, and the characters played their parts well but I think some of the other movies of the summer were better. I'm not saying it was bad, just saying that in my opinion, there were others that were better (namely Thor and X-men). If you haven't seen it yet, I would definitely recommend watching it in theaters. I'm not going to give anything away, but stay until after the credits.

Super 8...My favorite of the summer so far... 4 Stars

To say that I am a JJ Abrams fan would be the understatement of the year. I have been so impressed with most of the projects he has been associated with over the years. I especially like the diversity of his work. Just in case you don't know, he worked with the tv shows: Lost, Alias, Felicity, and my personal favorite: Fringe. He has produced and written for movies such as: MI III (Great movie ruined by Tom Cruise's bad couch publicity), Star Trek (the newest one), and Cloverfield. Anytime I see his name associated with something I instantly get excited.

Super 8 was no exception. I loved the way they did the trailers for this film. There was so little given away that perspective audiences were forced to rely on the fact that JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg were on board for the project (and for Friday Night Lights fans that Kyle Chandler was in it). I read a lot about people's apprehension affecting the movie's money-making potential, but once the film hit theaters, people went to see it. The movie reviewed very well and is 82% fresh at rottentomatoes.com (a very solid number for a sci-fi film). Word of mouth carried the movie and made it very successful this summer. On to the review.

I heard some people compare it to The Goonies. While I liked the Goonies and I get the young-teen adventure likeness, Super 8 is not done justice by this comparison. I loved this film. I was extremely impressed with the unknown young actors that made up the main cast. While I didn't know them from anything else, their performances were real and believable. They made me care. The movie took me back to my childhood, where I loved cruising on my bike, hanging out with friends, and had a feeling of invincibility. This movie really appeals to a wide demographic. People who grew up in the 70's will love the throwback feel, people like me who loved their childhood will be reminded of years past, and even young audiences will be able to relate to the cast. Super 8 is more than a simple sci-fi. Rather the story tells of youth, innocence, love, forgiveness, and hope. This movie had me laughing, tearing up, and just feeling good. I can't recommend it enough.

As a side note, the kids in the movie are filming their own zombie movie which is hilarious! My favorite scene of Super 8 takes place when the young leading lady first goes through her lines as they are about to film her for the zombie flick. Her performance in this scene is truly breathtaking.

This is a great movie for the whole family (ages 10 and up). If you are trying to decide which summer movie to watch, choose my favorite, Super 8. You won't be disappointed.

ps. Make sure and stay for the extra after the credits (I didn't).

Movies... One of my favorite parts of summer

Living in Arizona where the temps regularly hit triple digits, any escape from the heat is welcomed. I have always loved movies, so the the chance to get out of the heat, relax, and watch a flick is a favorite pastime of mine. Having a young son and starting law school this past year has made watching movies a bit more challenging, but finishing my externship and the break from school has been nice. I finally have time to review some movies after this crazy year. I was excited to see so many of the movies this summer and overall I think the quality was up with a few exceptions. Stay tuned for my list of favorite movies this summer and their individual reviews.

Eat Pray Love

You have to read my post before I tell you how many stars...

I won't write any spoilers in my review, however, if you know me and we have any similarities in movie taste then I doubt you'll even want to watch this movie by the time you finish reading this. Very brief summary as follows: woman goes to sleep one night, decides she's unhappy because a medicine man in Bali told her she would be and then she goes on a "life journey" to find herself. Julia Roberts' wardrobe in the movie was more fitting of a street urchin in ______ <--insert name of third world country here, the plot was just kind of stupid which makes me wonder if Hollywood is really that desperate for ideas, and the acting was just very bland and lackluster. The only thing I actually liked was the images of the food when she was in Italy...it made me hungry and crave spaghetti. Long story short: don't waste your time. 1 star

The Blind Side 5 stars.

SO I expected this movie to be good... It was AMAZING! I loved it so much! I sat through it and cried and laughed. Michael Oher's story is so cool! I thought Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron did so good! This movie was inspiring! I highly recommend it to EVERYONE! even if you aren't a fan of sports, you will love it!