Midnight in Paris

Midnight In Paris: Woody Allen's 44th feature film is a true charmer! Owen Wilson plays Gil, a writer who is engaged to Inez (Rachel McAdams). They are in Paris with her Family for some vacation. Gil Loves Paris, but longs to go back to the 1920s when the city was the vibrant artistic capitol of the world. Low and behold when Gil goes out for a walk alone, at midnight he is transported back in time. He is able to meet such young artists that were in Paris in the 20s such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter and Salvador Dali (played hysterically by Adrian Brody). Each day he comes back to present time and spends the day with his wife. The city of Paris looks fabulous in the movie - The opening sequence reminded me of the way Allen showed New York in his 1979 masterpiece Manhattan. Owen Wilson delivers Woody's lines perfectly - it is easy to see the Allen character in him, but at the same time he makes it all his own. This is not so much a love story as it is a tale of appreciation for a golden age of art. I could not help think that one day we will look back at this time in cinema as a golden age of the art form. A time when legends such as Scorsese, Spielberg, Coppola, and Woody Allen made films that stuck with us for generations....

Rythemovieguy's Grade: B

If this movie had parents they would be: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Before Sunrise

Tron Legacy on Blu-Ray

Tron: Legacy on Blu-Ray: 28 years after the original pushed the visual boundaries of film, the second installment shows up on Blu-ray aiming to do the same. In the digital effects age we live in, this is a rather lofty goal. However, I think they accomplished that goal – this is one Awesome looking movie! Not only is this eye candy from start to finish, but Tron Legacy will also give your home theater sound system a work out. Now the question is did they give us a story with enough substance to keep up with the dazzling sounds and visuals? Sadly the answer is No. Sam Flynn, the son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) goes looking for him in the digital world, which has now evolved as it tried to become a utopia of sorts. The speed bikes are back as is Jeff Bridges, who comes off as “The Dude” stuck in a video game….the only thing he was missing was a white Russian. Once reunited, the mission becomes trying to get out of the digital world. The story fails to give us a reason to care about the characters and that reduces the joy of the main action sequences near the end. That said this is still a movie to have some fun with, it is a real treat for your eyes and ears……..just not so much for the brain.

2.5 Jaws / C+

2010 top 10 !!!!

Better late than never - I apologize for the lack of reviews over the past year, however it was not from a lack of movie watching. My concentration has been on my podcast - CinemaJaw (A weekly podcast where I give all my reviews and more). I still went out to the theater and spun DVDs just as much if not more than I always do. Yesterday we posted the latest episode of CinemaJaw which was a celebration of the year in film - 2010. We cover our top 10 lists - explaining why we liked each film, pick our worst movie of the year, play trivia and more. Give it a listen when you have time or download it at itunes. As for my favorite films from 2010, I have listed them below and as always I have included a second opinion. Jen,who I am lucky to enjoy all these movies with, has her top 10 listed as well. Enjoy and check out the Jaw - http://cinemajaw.com/wordpress/

10) Rabbit Hole

9) The Kings Speech

8) The Social Network

7) True Grit

6) The Ghost Writer

5) The Fighter

4) Blue Valentine

3) Inception

2) 127 Hours

1) Black Swan

A Second opinion - Jen's top 10

10) Catfish

9) Temple Grandin

8) True Grit

7) 127 Hours

6) Black Swan

5) The Social Network

4) The King's Speech

3) Rabbit Hole

2) The Fighter

1) Inception