Movie Tarts: May 2011

IT'S SUMMER TIME!!!  And that means SUMMER MOVIES!

So unfortunately, I'm late posting this and I have already seen two May movies: Something Borrowed and Thor.  As a result, this post will not be unbiased.  Darn.

My most anticipated movie of May 2011 is: Hesher (05/13) - Hmmm...let me see, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, Rainn Wilson and Natalie Portman?  I'm in!  This grudgy, sad story looks awesome.  Lots of broken glass, a long-haired rocker JGL, and a dorky, sweet NP make me foam at the mouth.  (Not really, but I wish.)





My second most anticipated movie of May 2011 is: The Tree of Life (05/27) - I'm still on the fence about this one.  The director has done some hit-and-miss work, but it does star Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.  I'm going to hope for the best because if it is good, it is going to be very, very good. 



The Beaver (05/06) - Mel Gibson is doing something a little different this time.  It's not epic or heroic.  It's bizarrely endearing.  Mel is a husband/dad who is losing it (all), and in an attempt to cope, he communicates through a puppet beaver.  Yes, I said that.



There Be Dragons (05/06) - Ok so I honestly can't remember anything about this movie except the fact that I remember seeing the trailer and getting mildly-to-moderately excited.  It reminded me of Dragonheart. 



Thor (05/06) - If you're like me and think the trailers for this movie looked like they were trying to deter people from seeing this movie, then you need to pull out your calendar and pick a day and write in "See Thor!"  This movie was surprisingly not sucky.  It was kind of fun.  Even enjoyable.  Who cares that is was only made for the sole purpose of being able to make The Avengers?  Personally, I can't wait to see Robert Downey Jr. make fun of Thor and his hammer.



Something Borrowed (05/06) - Rom Com...chick flick...ugh.  As far as these kinds of movies goes, this was not the worst.  As an avid Office fan, it was made bearable by Jim (John Krasinski).  Without the half dozen scenes with him, I might not have made it through the movie.




Everything Must Go (05/13) - Here you go selective-Will Ferrell fans that only like serious WF from movies like Stranger Than Fiction.  This movie is about a guy who loses everything and decides to do a yard sale and start over.  It might be better if you just watch the trailer.  The story is more dramatic than we I just described.



Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (05/20) - I will see this eventually, and I tell you right now, I will not enjoy it.  I hate when crap it strung-out.  It's way worse than just one or two loads of crap.

(If you want to see the trailer, go find it yourself)

The Hangover Part II (05/27) - This looks really good.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (05/27) - I love Dreamworks animated movies, but sometimes I get the feeling they only spend time and money on movies that require a forced sequel.  I loved the first KFP, so hopefully this one produces.

Movie Tarts: March 2011

The start of 2011 was pretty weak for movies, but it is getting better.  March has some good movies that, I think, could have done well during the summer movie craze.  It is refreshing to have some decent movies during these cold, winter months.

My most anticipated movie of March 2001 is:  The Adjustment Bureau (03/04) - This looks really good.  Matt Damon and Emily Blunt mesh well together and hopefully the story meshing well together in this movie. 



My second most anticipated movie of March 2011 is:  Cracks (03/18) - This movie looks like a quality psychological thrill.  I do not know much about it besides what the trailer shows, but the trailer does make me very excited about the movie.  I recommend watching it.

CLICK HERE FOR TRAILER

Rango (03/04) - Johnny Depp as a desert lizard?  Why not??  As the years and movies go by, it becomes more and more apparent that Johnny Depp can do no wrong.  Rango seems like a cute animated story that will appeal to children and adults at the same like.  Like Pixar movies.  If nothing else, the visual effects look amazing.  That alone would get me to the theaters.



Battle: Los Angeles (03/11) - It begins - The Year of the Alien.  It was ninjas for while, and then it was pirates.  Now it is aliens.  Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking, The Dark Knight) stars in an action/thriller about aliens attacking Los Angeles.  The trailer gives it a feel of a Deep Impact meets Cloverfield (minus the jarring cinematography).  I'm not sure how good this will end up being.



Jane Eyre (03/11) -I'm not sure what this movie is about.  Jane Austin meets Phantom of the Opera (minus the music) meets Atonement?  Maybe?



Paul (03/18) - Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Seth Rogen.  I hope this mixes well.  It looks a little sillier than most of Simon Pegg's movies, but it might work.



Win Win (03/18) - I would dismiss this feel-good movie if it didn't have the great Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan (Holly from The Office). 



Limitless (03/18) - Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro?  A movie about a guy with ultra-human abilities? I'm in. 



Peep World (03/25) - The cast of this movie is the best of any this month.  Michael Hall (Dexter), Sarah Silverman (lots of stuff), Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), and Rainn Wilson (The Office and My Super Ex-Girlfriend) are a family with a book out about them.  And they don't like it.



Movies I'm NOT excited to see:


The Lincoln Lawyer (03/18) - Matthew McConaughey ruins every movie he's in.

Sucker Punch (03/25) - From the cover, Sucker Punch seems to have everything a guy would want in a movie, but I am not really excited to see it.  It is just too much.  It looks like it tries too hard.  I might be wrong (and I hope I am), but unless this movie brings a great story to the screen, I will not be excited.

Red Riding Hood (03/11) - Amanda Seyfriend has yet to be in a movie that's impressed me, (Mean Girls was funny, but that's her best movie) and I do not think Red Riding Hood will be any different.  Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke does another melo-dramatic, werewolf fantasy movie.  At first the trailer seemed okay, but when I heard Amanda Seyfriend say "Oh what big eyes you have," I almost threw up.  I'm about 80% sure this movie is going to suck.

Movie Tarts: December 2010

The last month of the year and the it looks like, movie-wise, it's going out with a punch.  There are some potentially amazing movies this Christmas season.

My Most Anticipated Movie this December is: True Grit - Ethan and Joel Coen are at it again.  This looks just as good as their other greats: Fargo, No Country For Old Men, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Burn After Reading, Raising Arizona, and many others. (12/24)

My Second My Anticipated Movie this December is: Tron: Legacy - It is here! Finally! Listen up nerds, Tron is back!  (12/17)

Black Swan - My friend Kristin Mann told me about this movie a while ago, and as weird as it looked, I can't get over the feeling that it is going to be great.  Not only is Darren Aronofsky directing it, but Natalie Portman has some redemption in this movie and Mila Kunis has some creditability in this movie. (12/3)

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale - I just don't understand....WTF?  I want to see it just to figure it out. (12/3)

The Tourist - So this movie is basically Knight and Day with a little Salt.  The dynamic of both Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in the same movie makes it worth seeing in the end. (12/10)

The Tempest - From the director of Across the Universe (one of my favs), comes this intriguing film.  Knowing the style that I'm stepping into helps when I see this, but regardless, it should impress.  This is based off of Shakespeare's The Tempest and should resemble Romeo + Juliet. (12/10)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of Dawn Treader - I never read the books past the first one, but I am excited about this film.  I hope it can redeem the series because of the awfulness of the last one. (12/10)

The Company Men - The premier of this film was pushed back from September until December 10, 2010.  See my thoughts about it back in September.

The Fighter - Mark Wahlberg is about to be the new Rocky Balboa.  Everyone get ready for lots and lots of Rocky jokes directed at Mark Wahlberg, but ignore them and see this movie for what it is and not how much it's like Rocky.  Because it's not. (12/10)

How Do You Do - This looks like a cute, witty movie because of the poweful cast: Paul Rudd, Reese Whitherspoon, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson.  I'm definitely looking forward to it.  I hope the trailer isn't the best part. (12/17)

Rabbit Hole - This looks like a real tear jerker.  It looks to be based on a great, award-winning play and on a true story WITH actors like Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart.  (12/17)

Little Fockers - I don't know why we have sequels.  Most of the time they are garbage.  I hope this isn't one of those times.  But it probably is.  Dang it. (12/24)

Gulliver's Travels - Starring Jack Black.  So it's not going to be a seriously good movie, but it might be worth some laughs.  Interesting note: Hud from Cloverfield and Jason Segel from How I Met Your Mother are in it. (12/24)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

I saw Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street last night, and I liked it. I'm not crazy about it and I probably won't ever see it again, but it was definitely worth seeing once.

I went into the theaters knowing only that it was a musical (not thrilled about btw), was the most gory movie Johnny Depp has done so far, that Tim Burton was directing it, and that Helena Bonham Carter was in it.

All good reasons to see it, but if you know me, then you probably know I have a bad habit of always pointing out what I don't like in movies. I liked this movie (not a lot, but enough). I thought only 40% of the songs were good. I thought it was too slow. I felt like they tried to create build-up toward the first victim, but it took forever. And, I didn't like the rushing through the alleys CGI scene. It made me dizzy and I never feel that way during a movie.

What was good was the acting. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, the two guys from Harry Potter (Snape and Wormtail), the two young boys and, of course, Borat were excellent. The visuals were great; the costumes were great. The story was brilliant! Two of the songs have been stuck in my head all day (in a good kind of way). The movie dripped of Tim Burton's style and that's always a good thing.

Overall, I liked the movie enough to recommend others to see it once. It's definitely a musical. Don't let the non-typical-musical cast fool you. It's also very gory, so keep the kids away. They'll look like Moses twenty years from now because they'll all have shaving complexes. Sweeney Todd will sit somewhere near the bottom of Tim Burton's all-time top 5 or 10 movies, but how can you not see a movie about a demonic, murdering, and singing barber played by Johnny Depp? Come on.