Review by Amber
When two young lovers flee their homes in a tiny New England town to start a new life, the island is turned inside out with the search to find them. Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, and shot in Wes Anderson’s signature quirky style, this 2013 Oscar- and Golden Globe- nominated movie is a sweet story about love, family, and finding a place to belong. Continue Reading
Review by Tres
I saw a Thursday showing of Ant-Man.
I did not go into the theater expecting a lot; but rather, always excited to see a superhero movie. (I don’t want the debate of hero or not since he doesn’t have special powers, but rather a special suit.) The biggest thing I had to brace myself for was Paul Rudd: Superhero.
Review by Elliott
Dr. Horrible – A lot of guys ignore the laugh and that’s about standards. I mean, if you’re gonna get into the Evil League of Evil, you have to have a memorable laugh. What, do you think Bad Horse didn’t work on his whinny? His terrible death-whinny?
Intro
So I’m sort of cheating this week, since this technically is not a movie, but that’s ok. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (DHSAB) was created as a short online video series during the writers strike of 2008. I heard about it a long time ago, but never looked into it until about 2 months ago, while writing my review of Stardust. In fact I was about half way through Stardust, when I found the it on Youtube. Needless to say it was 45 min later before I started watching Stardust again.
DHSAB was created by Joss Whedon (Avengers, Buffy, Firefly) and his brothers Zack and Jed. It’s part musical, part comedy, and all awesome! It was released online as three 14 minute episodes. The Whedon brothers goal was to create an inexpensive but high quality show in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike. The strike is long over, but you can still watch it online for free. Here’s a link to it on Youtube: DHSAB. Continue Reading
Review by Amber
Director/writer/producer Joss Whedon has become known and beloved through a number of action-packed movies and television series, including the Avengers movies, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. But in his 2012 adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Whedon applies his unique vision and a more subtle approach to one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies (sans superheroes and vampires).
I’m going to start by saying, this isn’t my favorite animated film. It’s not a Frozen or Beauty and the Beast level.
However, it is a good movie and worth seeing. With a busy schedule we were unable to get to the theaters right away, so many of our readers that plan to see it probably already have. However, I will still do my best to not put spoilers into the review.
Review by Amber
What do you wish for? Love? Money? Adventure? We make all sorts of wishes, great and small—sometimes without even thinking. What would happen if we actually got everything we wished for? While Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods is, on the surface, a musical mash-up of Grimm fairy tales, it is an intricate story full of trials, tribulations, and self-discovery.
Review by Nate
Sam Atwell has a problem. His scholarship has expired and he has accrued $9,000 in outstanding tuition fees. To make matters worse, he only has three weeks to come up with the money or he won’t graduate college; and if he doesn’t graduate college he won’t be able to get into law school. Sam’s career goals are quickly disappearing down the drain.
Review by Amber
Judd Altman is having a bad week. He first discovers that his wife has been cheating on him—with his boss—for the past year. Soon after, his sister calls to tell him that his father has passed away. Now he must return to his childhood home in order to attend the funeral service and mourn with his family. Based on the novel by Jonathan Tropper, who adapted his work for the screen, This is Where I Leave You is a story of love, loss, and a highly dysfunctional family.
Review by Tres
I wanted to take a look at a movie that I mentioned when the lovely Lauren Bacall passed: The Mirror Has Two Faces.
It’s an older movie, true. 1996
The actors aren’t ones we see in lead roles much anymore. Barbara Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, and Mimi Rogers.
It’s not a big budget film: budget was only 42 million (gulp).
It’s wasn’t a blockbuster success: opening weekend gross $12.2 million.
HOWEVER, the movie endures and continues to be rented and purchased throughout the world; literally translated into many languages. What causes it to continue to be an active buy and viewed movie after nearly 20 years?
Review by Amber
First off, I have to confess that I’m a little biased. I love Woody Allen. If a movie is written and/or directed by Woody Allen, I will go see it, and probably love it. Combine that with my love of Paris, and this film could almost do no wrong. Midnight in Paris is the story of a wide-eyed optimist, Gil Pender (played by Owen Wilson), who has settled for what is easy and convenient, but dreams of something more. With a quirky touch of magical realism, as only Woody Allen can achieve, Gil is transported from present-day Paris to different romantic eras that were high points in art and culture. Continue Reading
