Saving Mr. Banks

The story of Mary Poppins is arguably one of the most well-known and beloved children's stories of all time. Written by P.L. Travers in 1961, Mary Poppins ultimately had become more than just a character written on paper - she became family to Mrs. Travers. As the success of her books grew, offers of buying the film rights came rushing in. Mr. Walt Disney himself was one of the many suitors looking to adapt the story of Mary Poppins. For 20 years Mr. Disney pursued Mrs. Travers in an effort to fulfill a promise he made to his daughters that he would bring their favorite book to life. For 20 years Mrs. Travers resisted, fearful that her story would be ruined by needless embellishment on the big screen. Finally Mrs. Travers gave in to an offer from Walt Disney to bring her to Walt Disney Studios and oversee the process herself to bring her story to life the way she wanted. What followed was an experience neither of them would ever forget, as Walt Disney tried to closely follow Mrs. Travers' demands, while Mrs. Travers made sure her story was told correctly - ultimately opening up to Disney just how much Mary Poppins means to her.

Saving Mr. Banks is without a doubt one of the sweetest, and best feel-good movies of the year. A lot of films like these tend to make me roll my eyes at how obviously they want the audience to go "awww!" and wipe tears from their eyes. That was nowhere near the case here. It was sweet without being overbearing, charming without being insincere. Emma Thompson was perfectly cast as P.L. Travers, and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. At times I found myself wishing Mrs. Travers would just give in and let Walt Disney adapt her story, if only for the reason being that I've seen the end result and absolutely loved Disney's interpretation. After I saw Saving Mr. Banks with my family, we looked up Mrs. Travers history to learn more about her and the creation of Mary Poppins. A lot of what we learned was really interesting. Saving Mr. Banks is not on my top 5 favorites of the year, but is most definitely on my top 10 of the year. It is a must-see film that adults and teenagers will enjoy, especially those who remember seeing Disney's take on the classic tale.

American Hustle

Irving Rosenfeld is a devious con man. For years he's been dealing in forged art and a shady loan shark business, all while keeping a legit dry cleaning business as a front. His wife, Rosalyn, knows about his under the table dealings, but has quietly put up with it since he takes care of her and her son.

For a while, things go smoothly for Irving and Rosalyn until Irving has a chance encounter with a femme fatale named Sydney Prosser. Sydney and Irving engage in a sordid affair, and Sydney eventually encourages Irving to branch out in his loan shark business. Irving does so with Sydney as his partner. Things go well from there until they catch the attention of power-hungry FBI agent Richie DeMaso. DeMaso makes a deal with Irving and Sydney: help him make four busts in a FBI con scheme of their own, and they can walk free.

Nothing is quite as it seems in David O. Russell's cautionary tale based on a true story of the Abscam scandal in 1981. Abscam saw seven U.S. congressmen convicted on charges of bribery. In this elaborate retelling of the events, every single person involved on both sides of the scam has some sort of ulterior motive which drives them, often with disastrous results. Irving wants to provide for his family, especially his adopted son. Sydney wants Irving to herself and continue to live her life as a con artist. Agent Richie greatly desires power and the fame that comes with it. On the other side of the scam, New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito tries to find a way to create jobs for the citizens of his town. Each of these players in the con game have good intentions, however they fall into the trap of constantly making bad decisions to achieve their goals.

On the surface American Hustle looks like a slick, fun retelling of true events that in a convoluted way are reminiscent of the storyline of Ocean's 11 and it's two sequels. While that is partly a good description of American Hustle, it is also a cautionary tale of how desperate people can be when pushed to their breaking points. Seeing each of these people make such horrible decisions and face the consequences of those decisions is admittedly slightly depressing. The good thing, however, is David O. Russell does not paint their actions in a positive light and try to make excuses for them. Instead, he simply tells a story of how each of them got to that certain point of desperation. Unlike David's previous film, Silver Linings Playbook, the depressing factor actually helps the film instead of taking away from it. In Silver Linings, none of the characters seem repentant of their ways and there does not seem to be a satisfying "everything is going to be ok" kind of ending (that might have been the point for all I know, but for me it did not work). In American Hustle, each of the characters seemed genuinely wanting to change for the better. And that is what makes American Hustle worthwhile.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Last time we saw teenage demigod Percy Jackson, he was saving the world from another angry demigod who stole Zeus's lightning bolt to use as a weapon to destroy the world. In Sea of Monsters, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth are still training at Camp Half-Blood, a hidden wilderness refuge for demigods until they reach their full potential.  Things seem to be going well until a mechanical bull crashes through the force field protecting the camp and wreaks havoc among the campers. Percy and his friends subdue the bull, then find out that former friend-turned-enemy named Luke is back for revenge. It seems that Luke is still angry at his father Hermes for abandoning him, so he attempts to exact his vengeance on his father (and ultimately the world) by releasing the god Kronos from his imprisonment. Percy and his friends must summon every ounce of power and courage in them if they have any hope of stopping Luke from his plans of resurrecting Kronos.

For a movie based on a series of children's books, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters was actually pretty decent. I liked the first one, Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief, better; however Sea of Monsters was a good installment. What interested me about the first one was the engaging story, decent action, as well as a few positive messages and certain allegories I could not help noticing throughout the film. For instance, I found it pretty funny that they made Hollywood, of all places, the entrance to hell. I wondered if that was intentional, or if they just had to choose a location so they randomly chose Hollywood. In the book the entrance is through a recording studio in Los Angeles called Dead on Arrival. Gambling is seen as a detrimental vice. Several main characters are willing to risk their lives for each other and for the greater good. There were others, but I cannot think of anymore at the moment.

Unfortunately, all of the connections I made with The Lightning Thief were lost in Sea of Monsters. It felt like it did not have the sincerity and the heart that I found in The Lightning Thief. The story was way too predictable, and a subplot involving a long-lost half brother of Percy's who happens to be a cyclops was a little unnecessary in my opinion. I still enjoyed the film overall for what it's worth, and I realize this is a kid's flick based off a popular children's series so I wasn't expecting an Oscar-winning performance. That being said, it still could have been so much more entertaining. I found myself less engaged than I was in The Lightning Thief. I do hope they continue with the series because I hate it when a series is left unfinished, but I also hope that the next installment gets back to the spirit of the first film. If all else fails, then I might suggest doing what The Chronicles of Narnia did, which was wait a few years before coming out with the next film in the franchise. Otherwise I would go ahead and reboot the series completely. If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series and/or the first film adaptation, then you will most likely enjoy Sea of Monsters. Otherwise I would probably skip it.

Elysium

Late in the 21st century, the Earth has become drastically unfit to live on for some people due to a rising crime rate and pollution, among other things. A project was started by the world's elite to build a space station that orbits Earth called Elysium. This little haven is run by a ruthless head of security named Delacourt. Delacourt uses any means necessary (including actions which some might consider illegal) to ensure Elysium is not infiltrated by the inhabitants down on Earth.

Max is a factory who just wants more than anything to get off Earth and make his way into Elysium. He even goes so far to promise a childhood friend named Frey that he'll take her up there someday. There's just one problem - Max is a career criminal. His record keeps him from earning the massive amount of cash to get his ticket into Elysium. So Max grudgingly turns from his life of crime and goes to work for a factory making robots. For awhile he seems to be doing well for himself, until one day when he gets in an accident at the factory resulting in Max taking in lethal doses of radiation. After the accident Max is told he only has five days to live. Trying to find an alternative, Max realizes that the only way to save himself is to return to his life of crime by breaking into Elysium and using their healthcare system.

If you have ever seen the first feature film by Neill Blomkamp titled District 9, then you should pretty much know what to expect from Elysium. Blomkamp does a fantastic job with Elysium of not only creating a great general sci-fi flick, but also inserting his own ideas about politics and human nature. I wasn't a big fan of District 9, so I was a little hesitant about seeing Elysium but surprisingly I greatly enjoyed it. Elysium isn't perfect though. Some of the fight scenes looked like it came straight out of a video game, and one or two scenes in particular looked like it was trying to imitate The Matrix. The more realistic action was better, though your typical R-rated graphic violence. Probably the most gruesome (yet slightly unbelievable) scene was when one character gets their face blown off by a grenade, somehow survives and then has their face reconstructed by a machine. It initially was quite jarring to see his face completely blown off.

Despite all that, I absolutely enjoyed seeing Matt Damon as Max, Jodie Foster as Delacourt, and Sharlto Copley as an evil mercenary used by Delacourt to hunt down Max. I also appreciated the fact that Elysium wasn't just a stereotypical sci-fi action flick, but actually had a deeper purpose. I would definitely recommend seeing Elysium if you're tired of seeing mindless action flicks that only care about violence, car chases and explosions. Since it is rated R, I want to caution parents before they let their kids see it. This is still a violent action movie with a lot of graphic violence and harsh language.

Lee Daniels' The Butler

For years, Cecil Gaines has quietly fought against racism and the stereotypes of African Americans in the shadows by serving as a boy on a plantation where he saw his father murdered in front of him, to ultimately serving seven Presidents as a butler in the White House later in life. His servant's heart and attitude gained him the opportunity to work for some of the most powerful men in the free world. His son Louis, on the other hand, is tired of standing by and tolerating how he is treated due to the color of his skin. Louis turns to more outspoken means of taking a stand against racism. He starts out doing rallies and sit-ins at diners as a way to protest. After being arrested multiple times for his "crimes" Louis falls in with the Black Panther movement. Cecil and his son become estranged because of their differences in opinion. It takes Cecil's wife Gloria nudging Cecil to mend the relationship years later before they overcome their issues and Louis finally begins to see just how much his father has done in his own way to fight racism while working as a butler in the White House.

Lee Daniels' The Butler is a powerful tale based on the true story of a man named Eugene Allen who stayed in the White House a few years longer than the fictional Cecil Gaines did. It is a movie that is sure to receive a bit of Oscar buzz. The Butler does take quite a few creative licenses involving Cecil Gaines and each of the Presidents he interacts with. However, what it changes for entertainment purposes does not take away from the core message of how one man stood in the face of adversity and from the shadows helped the movement to change the attitude towards racism. Forest Whitaker is perfectly cast as the fictional Cecil Gaines. Whitaker should be up for an Oscar for his portrayal of Cecil. It is not as jarring in its portrayal of harsh racism as 42 was earlier this year, but it still was effectively hard to watch at times. I would highly recommend moviegoers not miss this one.

2 Guns

DEA agent Bobby Trench has been working undercover for almost three years trying to nail a Mexican drug kingpin named Papi Greco. Time and time again it feels as if he gets close, but then Papi slips from his fingers once more. Trench's boss is getting a bit anxious to seal the deal, so he puts the pressure on Trench to work harder to bust Papi. Navy intelligence officer Marcus Stigman, on the other hand, is under pressure from his own superiors to pull off a heist of Papi's drug money, rumored to be around 3 million dollars. Neither of the two men are aware of their real motives - they each think the other is just a common criminal. What neither of them also realize is their superiors were lying about how much cash is in Papi's bank: there is really just over 43 million dollars. Trench and Stigman have to figure out the truth about why there's more money than expected while running from Papi's cartel and others who want them dead if they want to come out of the ordeal alive.

I went into 2 Guns thinking it was going to be a stereotypical R-rated action flick. What I didn't realize is it is actually an action COMEDY - and a hilarious one at that. I laughed even harder than I did watching The Heat. The camaraderie between Denzel Washington as Bobby Trench and Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Stigman was some of the best (and funniest) interaction I've seen in awhile. 2 Guns is one of the very few R-rated comedies that I feel like I can totally recommend without many reservations. The jokes do get a bit crude at times, but I still found it pretty hilarious. Wahlberg had some of the best lines throughout the film. The only thing I didn't like was the ending: it felt like it suffered from the same problems that RED 2 had, one of them being too many characters switching sides so much it was hard to keep track of who was good or bad. Despite that, 2 Guns still ended up being a great action comedy that I think most adults will enjoy (I don't recommend it for young kids as it is rated R, but for young adults 17+ I would recommend it).

Monsters University

For as long as he can remember, Mike Wazowski has dreamed of being the top scarer - a monster who creeps into children's rooms at night in order to elicit screams from them to power the monster world. He's worked hard since day one to fulfill his dream. He finally gets the chance of a lifetime by being accepted into Monsters University, the top scaring school for monsters. As he settles in to his new classes, he meets a big, blue, furry monster named Sulley. Sulley arrives at Monsters University hoping to live up to his family's name in the scarer business. The two college freshmen butt heads at first, as Sulley fits in with the 'cool' monsters, and Mike fits in with the misfits. As the year passes, they each have their problems: Sulley feels he doesn't have to study due to his family name and natural scariness, and Mike is told by the dean that he doesn't belong in the School of Scarers because he's not scary enough. As a result they are thrown out of the school until they see a shot at redemption - The Scare Games. To compete in the Games they must join a fraternity and build up a team that can take on the other fraternities in the Games. Unfortunately the only fraternity that will take them in is the Oozma Kappa, a fraternity of misfit monsters who seem less likely than Mike Wazowski to succeed in their goal of being a scarer. In a desperate attempt to help them out, Mike makes a wager with the dean: if they win the Games, they can be let back into Monsters University. If they lose, their whole team will be thrown out of the school. Mike, Sulley, and the rest of Oozma Kappa must work together if they have any chance of winning the Games and making it back into the school.

I loved Monster's, Inc. as a kid, it was (and still is today) one of my favorite Pixar movies. When I first heard that a sequel was being made I was surprised; I felt that the ending of Monster's, Inc. was a great ending and didn't need a sequel. After I heard that it was going to be a prequel, and not an actual sequel, I felt a bit better; I thought it would be interesting to see Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan as college students. I was right, the end result was fantastic. It was a joy to enter the world of monsters again. Monsters University is just as wonderful as Monster's, Inc. was about 12 years ago (hard to believe it's been that long). Go see it if and when you have the chance.

RED 2

Retired C.I.A. agent Frank Moses and his spy friends are back in the sequel to the 2010 smash hit RED. Frank, his girlfriend Sarah, and Marvin are blacklisted again when a document surfaces naming them as co-conspirators in a Cold War-era mission called Nightshade that involved a nuclear scientist, a nuke, and a plan to destroy the Soviet Union; and so they must go on the run from an onslaught of contract killers after them. In order to clear their names they must figure out why the information about Nightshade is being brought up after so many years, and who exactly was the one that leaked the information. Along the way they run into several old friends, including MI6 operative Victoria, a dangerous contract killer named Han Cho Bai, and a former flame of Frank's named Katja. Friendships are strained as all the players involved have ulterior motives regarding Nightshade. However, they all put aside their differences when they realize that the world is at risk from a nuclear explosion and possible war breaking out.

I absolutely loved the first RED, I thought it was a great blend of action and comedy. RED 2 is no different. The story does get a little confusing when most of the characters start switching sides more often than I could keep track, but it is still hilarious. I do wish Morgan Freeman could have returned in the second one, I loved his character in RED. Byung-hun Lee, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Anthony Hopkins were great additions to the cast, especially Hopkins and Lee, they had me laughing out loud quite a bit with some of the best lines. I still thought the first one had a better story and a few more laughs, but RED 2 was a great installment in the series. I'm actually hoping there is a RED 3. I've heard rumors that a third installment has been put in the works to be released by next year, so we'll see if this happens. For fans of the first RED, go see RED 2. You won't regret it.

The Great Gatsby

Based on the book by the same name, a young man named Nick Carraway's life is changed forever when he takes a job as a bond salesman and rents a house next to a large mansion owned by the mysterious reclusive man named Jay Gatsby. As Carraway gets to know his dashing, mysterious neighbor he finds out that Gatsby knew his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom, and that Gatsby and Daisy had been romantically involved several years prior. When Gatsby realizes that Nick is Daisy's cousin he tries to get Nick to secretly invite both him and Daisy to have tea at his house. Nick reluctantly agrees, and in doing so he sets off a series of events that will challenge the bond between both friends and family.

I'll be honest, I have never read the book, so I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I kind of had an idea on what to expect from listening to other people who had read the story talk about it. I was hoping that watching the movie would spark an interest in finally picking up the book and reading it for myself. Unfortunately, I ended up being extremely bored and almost walked out of the theater when I saw it. To be fair, it is visually stunning, filled with vibrant sets and dazzling imagery; the story however, is slow and plods along for longer than I felt it needed to be. I did enjoy the performances, particularly from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. I also liked the messages of how money is a fleeting thing and only lasts for a little while but love lasts forever. Besides the story, my only other complaint was the ending. I felt the ending was a little to, for lack of a better description, happy for me. From what I've heard of the story, it's a depressing cautionary tale about how one can try to fill their life with money and possessions but in the end will feel empty inside, and I didn't feel the movie portrayed that as well as it could have. So far I have heard nothing but great reviews, so maybe I need to read the book and then sit down and watch the movie again. For now though, I have to say I was disappointed in the result.

World War Z

It's kind of humbling when you realize that you are the last line of defense against a formidable disease spreading quickly across the planet, effectively turning anyone infected into the undead. Former U.N. special agent Gerry Lane has plenty of experience in dealing with natural disasters, but nothing could have prepared him for a zombie apocalypse of sorts. In order to figure out the disease's origins, he reluctantly leaves his wife and daughters in the care of some old friends from the U.S. government, and begins a trek across the globe and dive headfirst into the unknown in search of the disease's origins hoping to ultimately find a cure.

I don't know how my friends got me to see World War Z, I tend to stay away from any type of zombie apocalypse/horror film. For as long as I can remember I'm the kind of guy that gets freaked out pretty easily. That being said, (and I'm completely surprised I'm saying this) I really enjoyed World War Z. It ended up being more an action/adventure movie rather than horror. The story reminded me of 2007's I am Legend. WWZ was an action-packed, exciting adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. My only complaint was the ending seemed a little far-fetched to me. I have never read the book, so I can't compare on how close the movie follows the source material, but the movie itself is fantastic. For those of you who like zombie movies, you will most likely enjoy this one.

Pacific Rim

The year is 2020, and humanity has been in a battle for survival against constant attacks by gigantic beasts called Kaiju - the Japanese word for "monster". It seems a portal has opened up from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean into another realm where the Kaiju live. Humanity is on the brink of extinction until the Jaeger program is born. In the Jaeger program, large robots are built to fight back against the Kaiju. These Jaegers, as they're called, are piloted by two humans who are linked telepathically by something called the Drift. Once the two pilots' minds are linked in the Drift, they can control the Jaeger as one entity and use it to engage the Kaiju. The Jaeger program proves effective...for a few years. Eventually the Kaiju become faster, stronger, and ultimately smarter. As a result the Jaeger program is put on the back burner and an attempt to build giant walls strong enough to withstand attacks is made. One former Jaeger pilot named Marshal Stacker Pentacost still believes in the Jaeger program, so he makes one last ditch effort to save the Jaeger program by calling on the top Jaeger pilots and rebuilding four former Jaeger robots who had formerly been retired. One of the pilots Stacker calls upon is a man named Raleigh Beckett. At the beginning of the Jaeger program, Beckett and his brother Yancey proved to be two of the best pilots on the planet by defeating scores of Kaiju before Yancey is killed while battling a Kaiju. As a result, Beckett resolves never to step back into a Jaeger. At least, that's what he tells himself when Stacker comes knocking on his doorstep. It isn't until Stacker makes a strong case that Beckett agrees to step back into a Jaeger, and this time he is joined by a young, inexperienced pilot named Mako Mori. Together, with the help of several other pilots manning the other three Jaegers, Beckett and Mako dive headfirst into battle with the Kaiju to end the conflict once and for all.

When I first saw the ads for Pacific Rim, I thought it looked really stupid. I was honestly wondering why it wasn't called Godzilla: The Next Generation, or something similar, because it looked exactly like yet another Godzilla monster movie. In that regards, it met my expectations; it's pretty much a stereotypical humanity vs. monsters flick. It is however, tons better than most monster movies I've seen in recent years. Most seem to be only about how much destruction can one (or more) monster(s) make when attacking cities. Pacific Rim is thankfully more intelligent and more entertaining than most monster movies. It has its plot holes and other issues, but for the most part it is a lot of fun. I am also curious as to what Hollywood has against New York City, Los Angeles, and San Diego. It always seems to be those three cities that get destroyed, whether it's by a Godzilla-type of monster, alien invasion, or attacked by an evil villain. All in all, it turned out to be a decent monster movie that audiences will have a lot of fun watching.

The Lone Ranger

One would think that as a lawman (not to mention one from Texas) a person would be ok with the thought of handling guns and capturing criminals out in the Wild West. Then again, John Reid is not an ordinary lawman. He battles criminals and brings justice with words in a courthouse instead of bullets. He would rather be in the courtroom serving justice to criminals to the full extent of the law than out in the dangers of the Wild West. John's brother Dan, on the other hand, is the one who is a gun-toting, rough and tumble bounty hunter of sorts. Dan and his posse of Texas Rangers are bringing in a notorious cannibalistic evildoer named Butch Cavendish to be hanged in another town, but Cavendish escapes from the train transporting him to his execution. As a result Dan deputizes John and brings him along to recapture Cavendish and bring him to justice once and for all. Before their posse can accomplish this task they are ambushed by Cavendish's gang and left for dead. A lone Indian named Tonto stumbles upon the dead bodies and loots then buries them. While doing so, Tonto notices that a white stallion keeps going over to John Reid's grave and realizes that it is a spirit horse and it wants to bring John back from the grave. When John comes back to life and realizes what happens, he teams up with Tonto to go after Butch Cavendish and make him pay for his crimes once and for all.

If you're wondering if this film adaptation stays true to the spirit of the old TV series, it does...for the last 10-15 minutes of the film. Otherwise instead of giving tribute to The Lone Ranger it completely undermines the canon of the legend of The Lone Ranger and turns him into a vigilante initially going for vengeance instead of strictly being an instrument of justice. The trailers make it seem like a fun movie that parents and older kids would love, but this is not the case. The Lone Ranger is a very dark, violent film that is not suitable for kids. It has it's issues such as the vigilante angle as previously mentioned, and the bad guy is not just a man with an evil scheme, but he's also a cannibal. The camera (through a reflection) catches him stabbing, cutting open and eating the heart out of a dead man. On top of the dark content the movie itself doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be a lighthearted action comedy, or a dark and gritty western; and the story is confusing with a few plot holes. It's received some high praise from several people, but to be honest I cannot see why this is the case. I cannot recommend anyone go see The Lone Ranger, especially if you're looking to remember the show.

After Earth

Set in the not too distant future, Earth's atmosphere has become too dangerous for humanity to remain on the planet. In a desperate attempt to save the population from extinction, they settle on a distant planet whose atmosphere is similar to Earth's, enabling them to live safely on the planet and hopefully thrive. Unfortunately they are soon face with another threat: a race of violent beasts called Ursa that attacked their settlements. Humanity lived in fear of the Ursa until one man named Cypher Raige was able to rid himself of any and all fear and single handedly kill any Ursa that threatened his people. A few years later, Cypher's son named Kitai tries to follow in his father's footsteps by enrolling in a military academy and becoming a general like his father. Kitai fails in his pursuit of a military career, so to help his son get over the pain of failure Cypher allows Kitai to accompany him on a mission to another planet. En route to their destination the ship gets caught in an asteroid field and is severely damaged as a result, forcing them to take refuge on a quarantined planet. The ship breaks apart during their landing, and all but Cypher and his son die in the crash. Cypher's leg is broken during the crash, so Cypher sends his son on a rescue mission to retrieve a distress beacon in the tail end of the ship over 100 kilometers away.

After Earth has an interesting concept, and I was looking forward to seeing it when I first heard about it. Part of what made me interested is Will Smith is one of my all time favorite actors. Unfortunately, I was ultimately bored with the whole movie. Not even Will Smith could help that fact for me. After Earth has been advertised as a science fiction/action flick, but there wasn't enough action sequences to keep me interested. As far as the acting goes, Will Smith's son Jaden is honestly not that great of an actor. I did like him in his first movie role in The Pursuit of Happyness, but ever since his acting has declined dramatically. Even Will Smith was bad in this one. I've never seen such robotic, almost emotionless acting from him. His character was supposed to be a tough, ready to fight type of character but he came off as just bland and not entertaining. This was one of those movies I had high hopes for but was extremely disappointed in. For me it wasn't even worth waiting to see it at the dollar theater.

Despicable Me 2

The dastardly villain-turned-good-guy Gru is back in the sequel to the lovable family flick Despicable Me. This time around he is trying to get accustomed to the idea of fatherhood with his three daughters (Margo, Edith, and Agnes) who we met in the first film. With the help of his "army" of yellow Minions, he takes care of his daughters the best way that he knows how. As he's trying to take care of his girls, he also tries to avoid a nosy neighbor attempting to be his matchmaker. One would think someone would look at this situation and say he's got enough on his plate already, but a secret organization called the Anti-Villain League is trying to recruit him to help them catch an unknown criminal who has stolen a dangerous serum that turns innocent creatures into devilish purple monsters (similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Gru resists at first, but at the urging of his daughters he agrees to assist in catching the criminal. Gru must infiltrate a local shopping mall with his new partner named Lucy Wilde from the AVL if he has any hope of finding the missing serum and catching the criminal responsible.

Back in 2010, Despicable Me arrived in theaters and won the hearts of kids and adults alike with its kid-friendly humor and its fantastic messages about the importance of a father figure in kids' lives. Now, three years later, this lovable sequel is just as humorous and filled with as many positive messages as its predecessor. The voice talents of Steve Carell as Gru, Kristen Wiig as Lucy, and Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher as Margo, Edith, and Agnes, respectively are all wonderfully top notch. Just like in the first Despicable Me, the Minions are the ones that steal the show here. Their Three Stooges style of humor is hilarious throughout the entire film. Parents and kids alike will greatly enjoy this one as much as the original. I personally liked the original better, but I still absolutely loved it.

The Heat

Special Agent Ashburn is a tough, by-the-book FBI agent who is up for a major promotion but only if she can catch a high-profile drug dealer who has never been identified except by a name: Julian. In order to catch Julian and stop the drug ring Ashburn must head to Boston and work with a street-wise cop named Mullins who prefers to work alone. Ashburn and Mullins butt heads and try to outdo each other until they realize that Mullins' brother is somehow involved, so they put aside their differences and work together to bring down the drug dealer and save Mullins' brother.

I'm usually not a fan of R-rated comedies, there are very few that I would recommend due to the comedic content being extremely crude and not all that funny. I would prefer comedies stayed in the same vein as early comedies such as The Princess Bride, Cool Runnings, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, or even more recent ones such as Hitch and Mr and Mrs Smith. The Heat doesn't shy away from the harsh language and vulgar jokes, but I did find myself busting out laughing more often than I would have originally thought I was going to. I went in mostly expecting to hate it, yet at the same time willing to give it a chance. That realization puts me in a difficult position because I would love to recommend The Heat, yet I feel like I should exercise a bit of caution in recommending this to people. Since it is rated R, and a lot of the content is pretty crude I would caution parents to preview it before they allow their kids to see it. For the rest, The Heat really is funnier than most R-rated comedies out there. If you can withstand a bit of crude humor then you will enjoy The Heat.

Man of Steel

On a distant planet called Krypton, a man named Jor-El attempts to plead with the leaders of his people to evacuate the planet due to its core turning volatile and making the planet a time bomb about to explode. When Jor-El fails to convince his leaders to evacuate he enacts a plan to evacuate his son to safety so at least their civilization is not completely annihilated. Before Jor-El is able to complete his mission, however, a ruthless Kryptonian General named Zod attacks the Kryptonian leaders in a coup to save the planet. Zod's coup fails to stop Jor-El from sending his son out among the stars and can't save the planet from exploding and as a result for his insubordination is sent to a place of limbo called the Phantom Zone. Jor-El's son's ship crashes in the field of an older couple by the names of Jonathan and Martha Kent in Kansas who raise the baby as their own. It isn't until Clark Kent is an adult that he begins to understand where he truly came from and the purpose for his being sent to Earth.

Man of Steel is the highly anticipated reboot of the Superman franchise that has been rumored to be the beginning of DC Comics' goal of introducing the Justice League to the big screen. While Man of Steel is quite possibly one of the best Superman films to date, it does have some pretty major flaws. It felt like the story was rushed at times so the audience didn't get a fair chance to really get to know any of the characters. The classic romantic relationship between Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane is barely touched upon, reduced to little more than an onscreen kiss near the end of the movie. Man of Steel also completely lost a chance to show the audience Clark Kent trying out his abilities when he first figured out he was different everyone else. The one thing I disliked the most was the way in which the story kept jumping from between the past and the present showing Clark as an adult and a kid. It was hard to keep track of what was a flashback and what was the present.

I did love Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman and Michael Shannon as General Zod. I felt they both had a great chemistry onscreen. Amy Adams as Lois Lane was great also, but I felt her character could have been developed a bit more than the story allowed. I absolutely loved Russell Crowe as Jor-El, he had some of the most memorable lines in the movie.

"You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders." If you know anything about the Superman legend, then you have also probably heard the comparison between Superman and Jesus Christ. It has never truly been a perfect comparison, but one can't help but see the similarities. Man of Steel is filled to the brim with spiritual content that can't help but make Superman out to be a savior of sorts. Superman willingly and peacefully surrenders himself to the government to build trust between him and the rest of humanity; he takes the time in the heat of battle to help out a fallen soldier or move an innocent bystander to a safer place. When Clark Kent is torn between surrendering himself to the government or not, he takes refuge in a church and discusses his predicament to the priest there. The priest advises him to take a leap of faith in deciding his next move.

Man of Steel is not a perfect film by any means, but it is solid enough to keep fans of Superman happy and casual movie goers also entertained. It is worth seeing at least once or twice. I personally can't wait to see where this story gets taken to next and whether there really is going to be a Justice League film in the near future.

Fast & Furious 6

Dominic "Dom" Toretto, Brian O'Conner, and the rest of their group of adrenaline junkies/international criminals have traded in their fast-paced lifestyle and settled down in Rio de Janeiro. They're all enjoying retirement until out of the blue Luke Hobbs, the federal agent that has been chasing them, catches up to them. Instead of arresting and turning them in, however, Hobbs give Dom a proposition - help Hobbs catch a former Special Ops officer named Owen Shaw who has gone rogue trying to build a high tech bomb with the ability to wipe out an entire country's communications. As leverage for their help, Hobbs drops an even bigger bomb (metaphorically speaking) - Letty, Dom's former girlfriend, is alive and working for Hobbs. Dom feels he has to find out for himself if Letty is still alive so he, along with the rest of his team, agrees to help Hobbs catch Shaw.

Fans of the Fast and Furious franchise who might be worried the series might be losing steam need not worry anymore. Fast and Furious 6 is still a high octane thrill ride that is well worth the price of admission. It doesn't quite beat Fast Five as the best in the series, but it comes pretty darn close. The one thing I've loved about the Fast and Furious franchise (besides the really cool fast cars) is the theme of family is consistent throughout the franchise. It is still the case here. Dom feels it's his duty to go after Letty and bring her back home where she belongs. Even when she initially rebuffs him he still pursues her in the hopes of her returning to her roots. Dom emphasizes that "you don't turn your back on family, even when they do."

The things I haven't liked about the series (and is frequently the case here) is the over-the-top stunts that don't really seem humanly possible to attempt. Probably the biggest moment that had me going "how is that possible?" is a stunt where Dom's group is on the highway and out of the blue two characters jump from opposite sides of a bridge off the roof of their cars and safely land on top of another car before either of them were smashed by a tank. There's another scene shown in the trailer where several cars take down a 747 by shooting cables onto the wings and attach the cables to their cars to bring it down.

Despite the many elaborate stunts that shouldn't be humanly possible, Fast 6 is a fantastic thrill ride with a positive message about family that is sure to make fans of the series happy and ready for the next (and final) installment.

Star Trek Into Darkness

The last time that we saw Captain James T. Kirk and his crew aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise they were attempting to halt an assault by Romulans from the future for a supposed act of war by Spock. This time around, Captain Kirk and his crew are on a peaceful observation mission at an unknown world to study the primitive people there. As they are in the process of gathering data they discover a volcano which will destroy the planet and its inhabitants once it erupts. Kirk makes a decision to break the Prime Directive and make their presence known so they can save the planet. Once the volcano is safely made dormant the ship returns to Federation headquarters. Captain Kirk is promptly reprimanded for his actions against his orders and is demoted while his crew is disbanded and assigned to other ships. Before Kirk can properly say goodbye to his crew, however, an explosion rocks the Federation headquarters killing many high ranking officers - including Kirk's mentor Captain Pike. Kirk angrily offers up his ship's services to track down and take out the fugitive responsible: a man named John Harrison. Unfortunately Harrison has taken refuge on the one place in which the Federation is not allowed to enter - the Klingon home world of Kronos. Kirk must secretly travel to Kronos and capture John Harrison if he wishes to bring justice for his fallen comrades without igniting a war against the Klingons.

I'm not a die hard "Trekkie", though I did enjoy watching the Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation series as a kid. I'm more of a Star Wars fan than anything. I also honestly wasn't all that impressed with the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie; I liked it but wasn't completely blown away. All that said, however, Star Trek Into Darkness shattered my expectations. I loved it. The action sequences were completely breathtaking despite the fact that the attacks on the Federation headquarters briefly brought up memories of past terrorist attacks on American soil such as 9/11 and the most recent bombings. The sarcastic banter between the main characters on the Enterprise can get pretty hilarious. My favorite thing about Star Trek 2 is the positive messages about standing up for your beliefs, discerning what is right vs. wrong and also putting the needs of others ahead of yourself. Not very many films nowadays seem to have such blatant messages they are trying to get across to viewers; most of the time viewers have to dig deep to find even a small piece of the message(s). Rarely do I look forward to a sequel so much, but in this case I hope there is a Star Trek 3. I'm also looking forward to see what J. J. Abrams does with the Star Wars franchise.

Iron Man 3

Does the suit make the man or does the man make the suit? Such a question has been haunting Tony ever since the attack on New York in The Avengers. He's unable to sleep, and when he does he has recurring nightmares. He also begins to have panic attacks. The only time that he feels safe and sound is when he's in his garage tinkering away at his suits. Of course in doing so he alienates himself from his friends and the one person he cares about the most - Pepper Potts. She pleads with him to let his suits go, but he can't. It takes a terror greater than any Tony Stark has ever faced before in the form of an unknown terrorist who calls himself The Mandarin for him to shrug off his doubt and insecurities and answer once and for all: Does the suit make the man or does the man make the suit?

Iron Man 3 is an action-packed adventure that is a lot of fun, hilarious at times, but at the same time a bit disappointing. The action is insane and thrilling, yet the story itself is full of holes; it didn't explain very well how some characters fit in, had some pretty predictable twists, and the one twist that should have been a complete shocker ended up being a cheap ploy to keep the story afloat. The only things that saved the movie for me was the humor, the action, Ben Kingsley's character and of course Mr. Tony Stark himself. Even though Iron Man 3 is the worst in the trilogy it still ended up being pretty entertaining.

Snitch

Based on a true story, Snitch portrays the events in which a father named John Matthews went undercover to bust up a drug ring in order to have his son Jason's prison sentence for drug possession reduced. Jason is in prison due to making a poor choice of allowing a friend of his to ship a package of pills to Jason's house so that he can make some money off of it. As a result he is busted by the DEA and given 10 years in prison - the minimum for a drug possession charge. The district attorney's office tries to make a deal with Jason by asking him to help them bust some of his friends who might be dealing drugs and in return have his sentence reduced. Jason refuses, but his dad begs the D.A. to allow him to be the one to help them make the busts. As John goes undercover he soon realizes that he might be in over his head. He meets up with a high-level thug named Juan Carlos 'El Topo' Pintera in the hopes of getting enough evidence to bust him and reduce his son's sentence.

Snitch is advertised as an action flick, but it's more than that (and not in a good way). As far as the action goes it's not really all that exciting, just a bunch of random sequences of car chases, shootouts, and fist fights. The story itself is more of a criticism on the harshness of the laws regarding drug possession and the government's willingness to pull out all the stops to end the "war on drugs". The audience is supposed to feel pity towards John and his son in this situation - never mind the fact that it's Jason's stupidity in his decision making which put him in this situation. The editing in the film is a little weird too. Most films have soundtracks that are exciting and loud whenever an action sequence is taking place. That isn't the case with Snitch. It had a weird, slow and almost eerie tone during these sequences that personally didn't make sense. Overall the movie was decent, but nothing too special. It's probably better as a rental/date night type of flick than one to see on the big screen.

Oz the Great and Powerful

Set a few years before the events of The Wizard of Oz, Oscar Diggs is a seedy magician (or rather, a con man) who makes a living traveling in a rundown carnival show. He has a knack for charming any audience, especially the ladies. Oscar is the kind of man that the song The Wanderer by Dion talks about. He charms his way into people's lives and then when he gets to close he moves on to the next town to find some new people to con. You see, the girls he meets want him to be a good man and settle down for once; but that's not the life for him. He doesn't want to be a good man - he wants to be a GREAT one. One that people will remember for his wealth and stature.

All of that changes one stormy day when he runs into a jealous beau of one of the girls he seduced. As he's running from the man he hops into a hot air balloon and gets caught up into a strong gust of wind which carries him into a huge tornado. He gets knocked out during the storm and when he wakes up he finds himself in a strange, yet colorful place. A place filled with ruby flowers, an emerald city, witches and little animated China dolls. A land called Oz. Oscar eventually meets a beautiful young lady by the name of Theodora who informs him that the people of Oz have been waiting a long time for him. It seems there is a prophecy that a great wizard will one day arrive in the land of Oz to rid them of a terrible witch that has been terrorizing them. She tells him (much to his delight) that all the riches of Oz are his...but he must first rid Oz of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Oz the Great and Powerful starts off a bit slower than I would have liked, but once it gets past the first 20 minutes or so it picks up steam and becomes a fantastic thrill ride for fans of the original Wizard of Oz. I saw it in 3D, and while I'm not a huge fan of 3D, it was one of the very few movies I would recommend seeing in 3D. Oz does a great job of not only connecting the dots from this prequel to the original, but also of being a great stand-alone film. I loved James Franco in the role of Oscar Diggs. My only complaints were the beginning was a bit slow for me, and the China doll character seemed a bit too much of a whiny brat. I didn't hate her character but I felt she could have been created somewhat nicer. Oz is a great little film that will make kids of all ages (and even parents who loved the original) want to take another trip down the yellow brick road.

Olympus Has Fallen

Mike Banning is a broken man. A former Secret Service agent, he now sits behind a desk piled with documents at the U.S. Treasury Department. Almost two years prior, Banning failed to protect the First Lady when their car slid off a bridge into an icy river, resulting in her death. He's been carrying the weight of this guilt hoping for the chance to redeem himself and regain his position as one of the President's protectors. His feelings of guilt have taken a toll on his job and his marriage.

The redemption that Banning longs for comes in the form of an opportunity to save the President and his son. A small North Korean rebel faction has infiltrated the White House by way of deception; they make the President think they are a South Korean delegation to discuss the possibility of North Korea becoming a viable threat. The President and his cabinet are taken hostage, and after exhausting every possible way of saving them the government turns to the one man who could save them and stop the terrorists from releasing nuclear missiles: Mike Banning.

For a movie that has a plot that's been done over and over again, Olympus Has Fallen is pretty darn entertaining. Olympus has more of a believable plot than most action films of this nature where a "lone ranger" of sorts is left to save the day. The violence does get a little painful to watch at times - I had to personally look away when Banning takes a knife and shoves it up into a terrorist's chin, among other graphic scenes. Despite this, however, I still had a lot of fun. Gerard Butler is pretty fantastic as the gung-ho hero. Olympus Has Fallen is one of the better movies of this genre out there. 

It's A Good Day to Die Hard

In the fifth installment of the Die Hard series Bruce Willis returns as John McClane, a rough around the edges cop on the verge of retirement from the New York City police force when he gets a call from Russia informing him of the arrest of his son Jack McClane. He doesn't know what exactly he can do to get his son out of trouble, but he feels like he has to do something so he hops on a plane to Moscow to see his son and assess the situation. No sooner does he land and make his way to the courthouse when a couple of car bombs go off and masked gunmen storm the courthouse. John is unsure of what is going on, but one thing is for certain: he switches into action-hero mode and charges into the courthouse to look for his son. John spots his son escape from the courthouse with another prisoner and goes after him, trying to stop the gunmen who are also in pursuit of his son along the way. John must track his son if he wants to figure out why there are people after him and the other prisoner with him.

I'm a huge Bruce Willis fan and a Die Hard fan, but even I have to wonder if this series has run its course. It's A Good Day to Die Hard doesn't even try to take itself seriously. It tries to be more of a tribute to the 80's action flicks with larger-than-life heroes who will stop at nothing until justice is served no matter the cost. In doing so it defies logic with unbelievable stunts which would kill any normal person but does minimal damage to our hero. I wasn't expecting a smart thriller that would keep me guessing, or had any resemblance of a good plot in general and that is exactly what I got. Die Hard 5 is good but seriously dumb fun. It's more of an action-comedy rather than a straight-up action flick. I sincerely hope this is the last we've seen of John McClane. I don't even want this series rebooted. It should take a hint from its name and die a slow, hard death. 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

The sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra picks up where the first one left off with Cobra Commander being incarcerated along with his right hand man Destro. Duke (whom we met in the original) is a part of a G.I. Joe outfit stationed in the middle of the Sahara desert under the command of a man named Roadblock. This outfit is prepared for anything, any assignment that their Commander in Chief has for them...

...well, almost anything. The Joe's aren't prepared for a sudden attack on their desert base which destroys the base and kills almost everyone there except for a few survivors who managed to hide in a well. As they survey the carnage they realize their country has betrayed and abandoned them in the desert. They must find a way back stateside if they have any hope of figuring out why their own government has betrayed them and if the Cobra organization has anything to do with it.

I'll start out by saying that I'm probably one of the few who actually liked the original G.I. Joe despite it's plot being strewn with holes throughout and stereotypical good wins in the end type of predictability. I liked the chemistry between the main characters and the special effects were pretty decent. I also liked the fact that it felt almost believable. I could believe that it was possible for us to have the type of technology found in the first G.I. Joe. It focused more on the story than on the special effects. The second one on the other hand, focuses way more on special effects and takes any ounce of believability and drop kicks it out the window. I also hated the fact that only three or four of the original characters returned for the sequel. I was hoping for the entire team to return. I honestly was a little bored with G.I. Joe 2. The first one was good but dumb fun, and I had hoped the second could deliver the same level of fun but it wasn't meant to be. I did enjoy it a little bit, but it was nowhere near as enjoyable as the first one. I'd say this is one to wait until it comes out on DVD and rent it instead of seeing it in theaters or buying it.

42

The year was 1945 and America, along with the rest of the Allied Powers, celebrated the end of World War II due to a victory over the Axis Powers of Germany and Japan. As one conflict came to an end on the international stage, however, a new battle had reared its ugly head at home. That battle was racism. It had been almost 100 years since Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all slaves in America and ended the Civil War and yet segregation was still rampant throughout the country. There were still feelings of intolerance among the white community against the African American community. African Americans had to endure the fact that everything was separate - from bathrooms, seats in a restaurant, to even having to sit at the back of a bus or train. They also had to endure threats against them and sometimes even actual assaults.

This segregation had seeped into every aspect of American culture, even into sports. In Major League Baseball, for instance, African Americans were delegated to a separate league from the whites. It had been this way until a man named Branch Rickey decided enough was enough. Rickey wanted to break the unspoken color barrier and bring an African American player to the big leagues and play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rickey's search for the perfect player to break this barrier brought him to a young, tough player by the name of Jackie Robinson.

42 is a harsh and powerful look at the effects of racism and brings to the forefront a dark blemish in America's history. I've seen several movies portraying this time period such as The Help, The Great Debaters, and Django Unchained to name a few; ones that tried to show the effects of racism and segregation. None of these movies prepared me for a stark, honest portrayal of the racism that went on during that time. This felt more real than I've ever experienced which consequently makes 42 a very tough film to watch. That being said, I firmly believe that 42 absolutely needs to be seen. My favorite part in the film is where Jackie is talking to Branch Rickey about signing up for the Dodgers, and he honestly asks him: "You want a player who has the guts to fight back?" and Rickey answers him: "No. I want a player who has the guts NOT to fight back." It's easy to want to "fight fire with fire" so to speak, but it takes a bigger person to stand in the face of adversity and not do anything in return but take the blows dealt them. I left the theater with a greater respect for Jackie Robinson than I had before. I do believe audience members with young children need to exercise caution before taking them to see 42 - due to the harshness of the portrayal of racism this is one movie where I don't recommend children under the age of at least 13, maybe even 15 see it. For those parents who do let their kids see it,  I urge them to talk with their kids both before and after the film to hopefully help them understand the gravity of the situation back then.

Silver Linings Playbook

Pat really loves his wife Nikki. So when one day he walks in on his wife in the shower with a random guy, he lets his emotions get the best of him and beats the guy to within an inch of his life. This results in a sentence of an eight month stay at a psych ward and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Once Pat is released he goes on a mission to win back his wife and continue the life they had before the incident. Along the way he meets a woman named Tiffany who is just as damaged as he is. Tiffany's husband died in a car wreck that she feels personally responsible for, and so she falls into a depression that involves sleeping with every one of her co-workers. As Pat and Tiffany get to know each other, their relationship goes from awkward friendship to something much deeper.

Pat's father, Pat Sr. on the other hand, doesn't like this budding relationship because it means that Pat won't spend time watching the Philadelphia Eagles (or in other words with his father) and cheer them on to the Super Bowl. Senior feels that the only way to express his love for his son and to spend time with him is to sit down and watch the Eagles. When Pat Jr. spends time with Tiffany to get ready for a a dance competition, Senior feels betrayed. It isn't until the day of the competition that Pat realizes that every time his dad sent him off to a game and said "I believe in you!", or sat him down on the sofa to watch the game with him he was really saying "I love you".

Silver Linings Playbook is a harsh look at the effects of mental illness, not only of the individual diagnosed, but also of the family and friends of that individual. As we get to know Pat we see the underlying issues he has to deal with concerning his family. He has a father who has never outright said "I love you", an overbearing mother, and a brother who seems to be the only one who has ever really cared for him. Pat's one true friend is a fellow patient named Danny whom he met while being admitted to the psych ward. Also, while Pat's family comes to terms with his illness and tries to cope with it, the film never really gives a satisfying "everything is going to be ok" kind of ending. Pat and his father patch their relationship, but it's built around the superstition that Pat is a good luck charm of sorts for his father involving the Philadelphia Eagles. It doesn't feel like a true father-son relationship. Pat's relationship with Tiffany has it's problems too, concerning the fact that both of them are fragile and they are mistrusting of each other throughout the entire film. I don't believe real life is all rainbows, sunshine and roses, it has its struggles; however, I wish that Silver Linings had ended on a lighter note. I walked away from it feeling a little depressed. It had its moments that had me laughing out loud, but overall this is a depressing film. I want to recommend it, it was really well done, but I'm not entirely sure I can recommend it.

Lincoln

The year is 1865 and the United States of America has been involved for the last four years in the bloodiest conflict in its short history: the Civil War. Both the Confederate States and the Union are exhausted and ready to end the war and enter into a time of peace. To reach an agreement for peace, however, is not an easy task. The South wishes for slavery to be continued if they are to be let back into the States, while President Lincoln and the Union wishes for slavery to be abolished. While President Abraham Lincoln tries to persuade the South to surrender and be let back into the states, he also tries to get a new amendment passed in Congress: the 13th Amendment in the hopes to kill two birds with one stone.

Lincoln is without a doubt a masterpiece. Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing as President Lincoln. When I first saw pictures of him in character before the film arrived in theaters, I had to do a double-take because I was totally taken off guard at how much he looked like the 16th President. The film is a bit slow at times, especially during the scenes where Congress is arguing about whether or not to pass the 13th Amendment, but despite that the entire film is phenomenal. It was interesting to see a different side of President Lincoln. Whenever you hear about him in a history book or on the History Channel you almost always only hear about his time as President and never about his family life. Lincoln shows us his devotion to his family in the midst of all his political troubles. The film also suggests that President Lincoln resorted to not-so-honest methods of passing the 13th Amendment: he hires a few lobbyists to persuade Congressmen to vote in favor (although he forbids them to outright bribe the voters with money).

I'm not normally a historical fiction kind of guy when it comes to films, but Lincoln is one of the best historically based films I've seen in recent years. I wouldn't be surprised if Daniel Day-Lewis was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the 16th President.

Life of Pi

Pi Patel is on his way to Canada with his family and a group of zoo animals to make a new life in North America when a storm rocks the ship they are traveling on and makes it capsize. At first Pi rescues several of the animals and places them on a life raft with him: an orangutan named Orange Juice, a hyena, a zebra and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. One by one the animals die off until only Richard Parker and Pi are left on the raft. Pi Patel must learn to control the tiger and also find water, food and shelter if they are to survive their ordeal.

Going into Life of Pi I didn't know what to expect. The previews made it seem like it was basically a remake of Castaway with a Bengal tiger. Life of Pi is much more than that. It is a deep philosophical and almost spiritual film which focuses its attention on the importance of faith and believing that you can accomplish anything. The film never goes so far as to say which religion or belief system to follow; it has a more Universalist feel to it. Pi himself says that he is a Hindu, Muslim and a Christian. The film itself is absolutely breathtaking. My favorite scene is about halfway through when it is night time and Pi meets a humpback whale. The whale is feeding on a group of krill and out of the blue leaps over the boat that Pi and Richard Parker are seated in. I have never been a big fan of 3D, but I saw Life of Pi in 3D and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen onscreen since Avatar. Some people may or may not get turned off from the spiritual and philosophical content, but I highly recommend it.

Argo

It's 1980 and tensions are high in Iran as protesters are furious over their former leader taking asylum in America. The citizens want their leader to be returned to Iran so that he can stand trial for perceived crimes against the nation. As tempers start flaring many protesters begin to make their way to the American embassy to take everyone there hostage. During the takeover six embassy employees make an escape and take refuge in the home of the Canadian embassador. The American government must find a way to get into Iran and extract the six embassy workers unnoticed. Ideas are thrown around until one man named Tony Mendez comes up with an idea: make a fake movie and have the six people pose as a film crew with Mendez as their agent. It's not the best idea ever, but everyone agrees that "...this is the best bad idea we have by far". And so Tony Mendez makes his way into the middle of a war zone to bring back the American citizens alive.

Argo is a rare movie which has received nothing but great reviews that for once I completely agree with critics. Even though I kind of figured out they would get out of Iran alive since this is based on a true story, Argo still had tense moments that had me on edge for the majority of the film wondering if they really were going to make it. Ben Affleck shines as Tony Mendez and also as the director. I've yet to see a movie with Ben Affleck I haven't liked. John Goodman and Alan Arkin were great as the comedic relief with Goodman as the make-up artist and Arkin as the producer. I ended up seeing Argo at least 2-3 times I liked it so much. I will most likely get it when it comes out on DVD. It was another of my favorites for the year.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Peter Jackson brings us back into Middle-earth about 60 years prior to the event of The Fellowship of the Ring where we meet Bilbo Baggins as a young Hobbit living a quiet life in the Shire. That tranquility is shattered when an unexpected visit from a certain well-known wizard named Gandalf leads Bilbo on the adventure of his life. Bilbo is recruited by Gandalf to assist 13 dwarves on their quest to take back their homeland in Erebore, now called the Lonely Mountain, from a dragon named Smaug. It is on this journey that fate is set in motion to ultimately lead to the finding of the Ring and the re-emergence of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings.

When I heard that they were making The Hobbit into a movie I was ecstatic because it is one of my favorite books. My happiness waned a little when I heard it was being turned into a trilogy instead of just a two-part deal. The book is so short that I didn't think there was enough that Peter Jackson could stretch out into three parts. I felt a little better when I heard later that Jackson had inserted parts of The Silmarillion into the film. The result is a fantastic thrill ride that is sure to make die hard fans of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings happy. Peter Jackson even got several people who were involved with the original trilogy to come back for the prequel: Frodo, Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond, Galadriel, the older version of Bilbo, and of course Gollum/Smeagol. Overall I was happy with Peter Jackson for returning to Middle-earth and recreating the same atmosphere as the original trilogy. Some have expressed concern that The Hobbit is more kid friendly, so it lost some of its appeal. That argument is somewhat crazy because if you know anything about the book then you'll know that the book itself is more light hearted than the original trilogy and also geared more towards kids. In that regards Peter Jackson stays true to the nature of the book. The movie does feel a little stretched at times due to the (almost) three hour length, but it's worth every second. I can't wait until the next two parts come out.

Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher is a ghost. He has no credit card, no identification and no cell phone. There is no possible way for anyone to track him unless he wants to be found. So when a man named James Barr is accused of murdering five people and asks for Reacher, the police are at a loss of how to contact him. Then out of the blue Jack shows up and as a result the prosecutor tries to hire him as a consultant. This attempt raises another issue: Jack Reacher believes that Barr is without a doubt guilty because of his violent past. Jack agrees to help thinking it'll be an open-and-shut case. However, as he digs deeper into the murders, he uncovers a mystery that will prove to be lethal for everyone involved.

Jack Reacher is a brutal action-filled movie that at times is a little painful to watch. I am actually a bit surprised that it didn't get an R rating. The first ten minutes alone might be disturbing for some viewers who may have flashbacks of recent events in the news such as the Sandy Hook Elementary murders. Reacher is a man with nothing to lose, and he shows little to no mercy when it comes to bringing certain people to justice (or at least his form of justice). I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good action flick with a good story and a couple decent twists. Tom Cruise as the title character is a near perfect fit. Seeing him in this movie reminded me why he is one of my favorite actors.

That being said, I would also recommend people exercise caution before taking their kids to see this. Because of the brutality of some of the scenes it may or may not be detrimental for kids to see Jack Reacher. I honestly would recommend kids under the age of 15 to not see it, but it is entirely up to the parents.

Les Miserables

The worldwide phenomenon known as Les Miserables is brought to the big screen for the second time in a musical adventure telling the story of love, forgiveness, and mercy among the residents of France. Jean Valjean is a former convict who was thrown into prison for stealing some bread to give to a little boy. After Valjean is released he tries to find work among the towns in the area, but no one offers any assistance to the ex-convict. Instead they shun him and even at times physically abuse him. Fortunately Valjean eventually comes across a priest who has pity on him and offers Valjean food, water and a place to rest for the night. Despite the priest's kindness towards him, Valjean returns to his stealing nature and swipes some silver items from the priest. He is soon caught and brought back to the priest to return the silver and then be taken back into prison. It is at this point in which Valjean has the concept of forgiveness and grace revealed to him. The priest not only tells the authorities that he had given Valjean the silver, but that he had forgotten the most important pieces. When the authorities leave the priest he tells Valjean that he must use the silver given to him to become an honest man. Wrought with grief over what he had done, Valjean vows to make a difference not only in his own life, but in the lives of others around him. He rips up his parole papers and sets out on a journey of redemption.

I had really high hopes for Les Miserables because it is one of my top three favorite musicals ever, however after watching it with my family I felt a little disappointed with the result. For starters Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe were not very good singers; some of the others did ok from a staying on key standpoint, but they lacked the power behind the voice to do their parts justice. I felt like the passion of the resistance and the pain of losing one's loved ones was virtually non-existant save for Anne Hathaway as Fantine and a 12 year old kid who becomes a vital part of the revolution. I almost wondered if the director went for popular actors to draw people in instead of getting performers who could act AND sing. Anne Hathaway's song near the beginning of the musical was phenomenal - if she doesn't at the very least get an Academy Award nomination for her part then something is wrong with whoever votes on the Academy Awards. She deserves it. Unfortunately, for me her amazing voice was not enough for me to care for the film as a whole. I was expecting to feel pain at Fantine's situation, anger at the death of a couple of characters, and get a feeling of sympathy towards the revolutionaries. Those feelings were not apparently meant to be, because I left the theater feeling nothing. This was the most disappointing thing about Les Miserables.