2012 movies 4-6

Lets start this blog off with a short explanation. I watch movies. I watch 100 movies a year that I haven't seen before. These can be old or new, I only count the one's I haven't seen. I rate them. 0-5. 0= terrible 5=fantastic. I also choose to rant here and there on things. So, there's the Gist, feel free to read my earlier blogs, comment often, suggest movies and otherwise share your thoughts. So on with the movies.

(4) The Woman in Black (2012)

This was the first movie that Anne and I went to see in theater for the year. We picked this one for several reasons. We watched the trailer because Daniel Radcliffe was in it. Naturally, we like him from some of his previous work. Potter mostly. So this one intrigued us a good deal. We also probably would have watched this without Radcliffe, because we love our horror flicks. This one looked like one of the better ones. Occasional we miss one in the theater, but we wanted to grab this one. I posted the trailer below for you, so that you can see why we were so interested in seeing this. The house is majestic, the portrayed story eerie and the scares legitimate.  So did the movie hold up to the Trailer? Indeed, it did not only that, but it blew my expectations away. The plot was well thought, written and played out.  As far as horror movies goes, most of the time the plot isn't well done. It's cheap scares, scary monsters, and straight forward plots, nothing shocking unless it's a typical "The good guy is a bad guy, and the bad guy is the good guy" type. This plot didn't really give you anything cheesy in way of plot. It didn't give you any super monsters.
What it did give you was a solid ghost story from start to finish, A creepy town, A creepier townspeople, A crazy plot in general when involving the townspeople's children. The House and it's grounds was it's very own character and it was an important character. The townsmen where terrified of it, for good reason. The house wasn't always accessible and it was pristine. It was a classic home with a ghastly chill to it. The grounds were terrific Anne mentioned later how she would love to live in a house like this one day, without the ghosts and stuff. If you like Horror Films, suspense films or just films with a good story line I think you will like this one. Radcliffe is a believable hero in this one and his supporting cast lends itself to the story. Some of the scenes are unforgettable and every actor/actress gives themselves to this movie and that doesn't always happen, sometimes you get a few people that are giving a half effort or a even no effort. Sometimes great actors give bad performances. This one is special its flow is fluid and feels natural. The movie is one of the best I have seen and definitely the best of the year so far. 5 out of 5. Flawless.


Every year Anne and I prep for the Oscars by watching as many of the Oscar films as we can. This year, we had just moved and hadn't been able to get our Internet turned on. Which is the only way we could get a few of the movies, because they were out of the theater and not yet on DVD. So, if you can't catch something in theater. You can't get it on DVD, exactly what do you do in order to watch the films. You do what you can. Then you miss some. We were able to get some of them and weren't able to get to some of the others. For instance we weren't able to get the Movie of the Year Winner "The Artist." At this point We still havn't seen it. It's on the list. The next few are all Oscar Nominee's for one thing or another. We watched this year with my Mom and Dad. They bought so many snacks that I am still suffering from the junk food overdose, such a fun time. The first movie we watched.

(5) Moneyball (2011)

This movie was the first choice, because I had first choice. I really wanted to see this. If you have read my blogs before you then know that I have a certain feeling about Pitts work. Lets look at his track record. 12 monkeys, Seven, Benjamin Button, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, etc. He has been in some of the greats, and he has done great. As he ages he gets much better. This is the first movie of his we watched this weekend. He has two. This one and The Tree of Life. This movie is the one that I will obviously speak on. I like Baseball. I like Baseball a lot. This movie is a Baseball movie. I recognized the players, I liked the subtle hints and the historic accuracy. It focused on how the game was changed from a game of performers to a game of numbers. It sounds boring, but they made it exciting by adding a lot of Flare and suspense. For the first time in my life I was duped into cheering against history. However, History typically wins. I enjoyed this it was appropriately suspenseful and deserved the credit it was given. The relationship between Hill and Pitt was well done. It carried the movie. The frustration consistently given throughout was brilliantly represented from not only the main characters but the scouts as well, some of the best parts of the movie were when the traditional scouts rebelled against  the new radical movement. This movie carried it's own weight and was as good as everyone had said it was 4.9 out of 5.

(6) Midnight in Paris (2011)

This movie I have to rant a little before I get into this. This is a Woody Allen movie. Woody Allen is a special director. The reason I say this is that either you are in the mood for a Woody Allen film and you therefore enjoy it or your not in the mood and you therefore won't enjoy it. Allen films are also either you really like them or you really don't. Allen films aren't a normal film he typically tries to say a few things throughout and he tries to build the story in stages. I have seen a bunch of his movies. He puts out typically one a year. My first one of his was "The Purple Rose of Cairo" It was ok and it didn't stand out to me "Mighty Aphrodite" was a little better, but it didn't really stand out. His movies don't stand out to me as good or bad and either you like them or you don't. So I wanted to give that little Woody Allen disclaimer, I'm not pretending that I have seen so very many of his films that I am an expert, on the contrary, I haven't seen enough of his films to say that I like him as a director. This is something I feel that I must rectify. I do think that I have seen enough of his films to know that I don't look forward to seeing one of his films. I hope this changes as I get more of his films watched. So if you are a Woody Allen fan, I am sorry if you are turned away from this, but honestly I want to like his stuff, I just haven't found that film of his that knocks me down. That being said, Let me chat about "Midnight in Paris." Owen Wilson I typically like. Rachel McAdams I typically like. I didn't like Either of them in this film. I didn't like their characters, I didn't like their characters relationship, I didn't like their friends. I didn't like any of the chemistry between them, which is weird, because I was looking forward to their chemistry. Why, because it was SUPER strong SOOO Strong in "The Wedding Crashers." Which was a raunchy comedy. Funny. Great. Best I have ever seen Vince Vaughn, but it was a silly comedy. Wilson and McAdams had great Chemistry in that, here not so much. The story had potential. Lots of Potential. Plus, anytime you throw in Marion Cotillard, I will watch, because she is awesome. I liked the story line. It was intriguing and interesting, I liked the premise. I really thought Corey Stoll knocked out the Earnest Hemingway character. I liked this overall story. I however, did not care for the majority of the turns and the side love story. It wasn't put together well. It didn't have a very good flow and it went way too long. It just dragged in the middle. Then they doubled down the road of time and It made my interest sway. This movie for me had the potential to be my private favorite for the Oscar Win, it didn't deliver in places where I thought it should have. It just didn't have it. Predictable. Just not what I expected and once again it didn't really stand out. That's what happens with Allen's films for me. It's a shame. I really want to like them, but i don't think they stand out for me. Lets hope I find that Allen film that changes that for me. 2.4 out of 5.



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