Hyde Park on Hudson Movie Review

Hyde Park on Hudson: Bill Murray playing president FDR in 1939 during King George VI visit to America is enough to peak anyone’s interest. We are not use to seeing Murray portray any nonfictional characters much less a president of the United States.  He did a wonderful job, but at times I still wanted him to be “Bill Murray” on screen more than I wanted to see him try to be FDR. The story is based on true events concerning the 1^st ever visit to America by a King and Queen of England. The stammering King George VI was here to gain U.S. support for World War II. FDR decided to have them out at his summer home in Hyde Park for a casual gathering. Having cocktails before dinner and serving hot dogs at a picnic was just a couple of controversial choices made by the president during their visit.  It might be looked at as trying to belittle the King and Queen or seen as a way to bring the countries together. This side of the story worked, however it was overshadowed by a storyline that did not. Laura Linney plays Daisy a distant cousin of FDR that actually goes on to have a love affair with him. She spends many days at the Hyde Park house while FDR is there. She is crushed to find out that she is not the only woman he is seeing. The film more or less celebrates the fact that FDR had affairs with multiple women.  That just felt wrong to me. Not to mention I thought Laura Linney’s character came off like a bump on a log. They should have focused much more on the King’s visit and less on the love affair.

Rythemovieguy’s Grade: 2 Jaws / C+  

If this movie had parents they would be The King's Speech & An Affair to Remember      

Silver Linings Playbook Review

Silver Linings Playbook: This is the best Dramedy of the Year! Bradley Cooper plays Pat, a guy who moves back in with his parents after finishing up a stint in a mental hospital. He needed help after going through a traumatic event with his wife, which more a less ended their marriage. He soon meets Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence who recently lost her husband in a car accident. Her Mental state is far from perfect as well. The two begin to gel as they work on a dance project together. Meanwhile his dad (Robert De Niro) is a die hard Philadelphia Eagles fan who works as a bookie throughout the football season; he also shows sign of OCD which complicates Pat’s home life. The film’s unique characters and brilliant writing supply some hilarious moments, such as a fight that breaks out at an Eagles' tailgate. The movie also has a soft side as we root for Pat and Tiffany to overcome their mental obstacles and find happiness in life. I cannot say enough good things about the cast – Best Ensemble of the year! Chris Tucker even pops up as Pat’s friend from the mental institution and gives a mellow yet amusing performance. David O. Russell who wrote & directed the movie did a wonderful job balancing the drama with the comedy. This one of the best movies of the year –

Rythemovieguy’s Grade: 4 Jaws / A-

If this movie had parents they would be: Rain Man & Strictly Ballroom         

Lincoln Movie Review

Lincoln: Sitting through Spielberg’s latest film brought me back to my days at Nazareth Academy – sitting in Mr. Jaglin’s History class, shooting spit balls over at Tim Allison. While this film is an amazing accomplishment from a historical point of view, I did not find it all that entertaining. Daniel Day Lewis does a phenomenal job as old Abe, he will no doubt receive his 5^th Oscar nomination for this performance.  He is not the only star in this film either. In fact every role seemed to have a big name behind it. Sally Fields shined as his wife Mary Todd.  Tommy Lee Jones meanwhile knocks it out of the park as Representative Thaddeus Stevens.  I felt his performance was on par with that of DDLs and his character is just as important to the story.  David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, and John Hawkes are all wonderful in their small roles as well. The story is not that of Lincoln’s life, but of the 3 weeks leading up to the passing of the 13^th amendment to abolish slavery. Much of the drama takes place inside the House of Representatives as they argue over the amendment.  The film’s biggest fault is that is does not take us out of the Washington gridlock to show us the current state of the Union and the impact the amendment will have. While I enjoyed the history refresher I cannot say this is one of the best movies of the year.  I would actually say skip it in the theater and see it on DVD some lazy Sunday.

Rythemovieguy's Grade: 2.75 Jaws / B-

If this movie had parents they would be: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter & Mr. Smith Goes to Washington    

Flight Movie Review

 Flight: Denzel Washington gives a very emotional performance in the first live action film in 12 years from director Robert Zemeckis.  Denzel Plays Whip Whitaker, an airline pilot with a drinking problem. When his plane malfunctions during flight he miraculously saves the plane and most everyone on board with a rough crash landing. However before he can be proclaimed a hero an investigation on the crash is conducted. This could turn the spotlight from heroism to his drug and drinking problems. The story is really about substance abuse and the challenges a person must overcome to deal with it. How many lies can the conscious take? Washington’s performance as the troubled soul is extremely strong. The ending of the film is emotionally powerful mainly because of Denzel’s acting. And Speaking of acting – Don Cheadle is great here as the lawyer defending Denzel during the investigation. Also John Goodman pops up as his drug buddy.  He only has 2 scenes in the film, but both had the audience rolling with laughter. Meanwhile Zemeckis gives us another memorable movie plane crash (who could forget the scary scene with Tom Hanks in Cast Away). I appreciated the fresh take on substance abuse, the idea of a man under the influence still being heroic at times made for an interesting plot. Don’t wait to see this one on a plane...

Rythemovieguy's  Grade: 3.5 Jaws / B+ 

If this movie had parents they would be: Leaving Las Vegas & Airplane  

The Sessions Movie Review

The Sessions: John Hawkes and Helen Hunt star in the true story of Mark O’Brien, a man who lost the ability to control his body muscles due to polio. He was basically paralyzed from the neck down, however he did still have feeling throughout his entire body. Most of the day he lived in an iron lung which helped him to breathe, only being able to stay out on his own for 3 hours a day. At age 36 he meets a sex surrogate and loses his virginity. The Sex Surrogate is played by Helen Hunt, who at age 49 courageously bares it all a couple of times on screen. John Hawkes meanwhile pours in a tremendous performance as Mark O’Brien, he basically has to convey all his feelings with just his facial expressions because for most of the movie he is laying on a bed under covers . I would be shocked if he does not get an Oscar nomination for this. Although the subject matter is on the sad side, the movie has plenty of humor. Some of the funniest scenes involve William H Macy who plays a priest that Mark confides all his sexual experience too. The chemistry between Hunt and Hawkes brings some heavy emotion to the story – see this one for the performances alone!

 Rythemovieguy's Grade: 3 Jaws / B

If this movie had parents they would be: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly & American Pie

Cloud Atlas Review

Cloud Atlas: “Everything is connected” – This is the main theme in this ambitious new film from Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski. The story spans thousands of years over six different storylines. The large cast, including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent all play multiple characters throughout the film. Tom Hanks (6 different roles) for instance, plays characters whose soul makes a complete cycle from killer to hero. Other big ideas are introduced, such as how an act of kindness can have a ripple effect that can change lives for hundreds of years. We are treated to many different genres, from drama to comedy to mystery to sci-fi; this is truly an epic film. Although there are some clear crossovers between the storylines, for the most part they stand alone. It is the themes that crossover and connect in different ways. I found the cinematography to be downright gorgeous at points. I also loved the score, it is big, beautiful, and connects with the emotions of the movie perfectly. The Wachowskis explained in a Q&A after the screening how they adopted this complex book from David Mitchell to the big screen. One of the big changes was interlacing all the storylines together, whereas the book sticks with 1 storyline at a time. I have to compliment them on how well the movie flowed; it was easy to follow and kept each storyline on the same pace. This is not a film that has a definitive conclusion, instead it offers big ideas and grand themes that you can reflect on for hours after the screening. See it in the theater, open your mind, and enjoy.

(RytheMovieGuy with Lana Wachowski). After the screening Lana also explained that the three directors worked as a unit. Instead of each directing certain segments, they worked as a team directing the movie as a whole. (The DGA made them put credits at the end to the contrary).

Rythemovieguy's Grade: 3.5 Jaws / B+

If This movie had parents they would be: Babel & Solaris

Argo Review

Argo: Ben Affleck makes it 3 for 3 on his directing efforts. In Fact Argo is his best film to date as a director. The Movie is based on a true story; In 1979 With the Iranian revolution at its peak, students and militants stormed the US Embassy in Tehran taking 52 Americans hostage. However 6 US Diplomats did escape the Embassy during the raid and they took refuge at the Canadian embassy. Figuring away to get these 6 Americans out of Iran proved difficult. The Idea the CIA rolled with was to send in CIA agent Tony Mendez (Affleck) posing as a Canadian film producer. He would meet up with the 6 American diplomats and have them all pose as a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a new Sci-Fi film titled: Argo. Giving them all Canadian passports and identities, not to mention setting up the movie with a studio, securing a budget and having actors reading for parts to make the film look legit in case there was any inquiring by Iran was all part of the plan. This is one tense ride, the kind of story that will have you on the edge of your seat a few times. It all starts with one heck of a scary opening scene inside the Embassy. From there, the story is engrossing and easy to follow. The style and look of the film are perfect.  We are also treated to some humor, thanks to John Goodman and Alan Arkin who are involved in the Hollywood studio behind Argo. This is one of the year’s best films – Don’t Miss it.

Ry’s Grade: 4 Jaws / A-

If this movie had parents they would be: Wag The Dog & Munich

Looper Review

Looper: Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a younger Bruce Willis in this latest Time Travel film from director Rian Johnson. Set in 2044 Levitt plays a Looper, a person who assassinates people sent back in time from the future. There is a need for this because in the future, people are “tagged” and tougher to just get rid of by the mob without getting caught. This is until the future mob sends back the older version of him to kill – thus closing his Loop. However the older version of himself (Willis) has a plan for traveling back in time and escapes getting killed. That is just the beginning of this complex story. Together they figure out why a person named the rainmaker is trying to close all the loops 20 years into the future. The film introduces some exciting new ideas about time travel, such as burning something onto your arm so your future self gets the message. Levitt meanwhile does a great job of acting like a younger Bruce Willis – mimicking his facial expressions and attitude.  Throw some fun action sequences into the mix and you have one of the better time travel movies in recent years. As with any time travel movie you will be thinking about the plot for a couple days after. I liked this one a lot –

Ry’s Grade: 3.5 Jaws / B+

If this movie had Parents, They would be: Terminator & Blade Runner

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Review

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, and the always underrated Kristin Scott Thomas star in this quirky film about salmon fishing and dare I say …faith. A very wealthy Sheik has a dream of bringing the pastime of salmon fishing to his people in Yemen. The plan gets helped along when the Press secretary for the Prime Minister of Great Britain is looking for a positive story from the middle east. She is looking to combat the negative bombing stories that are normally in the news. Emily Blunt plays Harriet, a representative of the sheik who hires a fisheries expert - played Ewan McGregor, to help the Sheik realize his dream. McGregor’s character thinks the plan is rubbish at first glance. After spending time with the Sheik and Harriet he slowly begins to believe in the idea. Of course Blunt & McGregor strike up a romantic relationship along the way( This is a romantic comedy, not fishing documentary). The script is fun….lighthearted and silly, yet at the same time has some more serious themes swimming upstream. I do feel there were too many lose ends at the end of the movie to give it a proper ending. As a result the conclusion is choppy and a bit rushed. That said I love the creativeness of the story and Kristin Scott Thomas’s performance is hilarious!

Rythemovieguy’s grade 2.5 Jaws / B -

If this movie had Parents: Field of Dreams & A River Runs Through it.

Rythemovieguy's Top 10 of 2011

2011 has come to a close.....it may not have been the strongest year for movies, but it did have its share of "must see films." We saw the end of Harry Potter, another Hangover, giant transformers destroy Chicago, and some Bridesmaids crap in their dresses. Yet it is a silent black & white film that is stealing the spotlight late in the year. Movies really do offer something for everyone. Below I have listed my Top 10 Movies of the Year and like always I was lucky to see them all with my "best half" - so I have included Jen's list below mine...as a second opinion is always good to have.

10) The Descendants - A Difficult story to tell, but George Clooney's performance makes it work.

9) The Help - It is meant to be a little lighter on the subject matter, yet it still packs a powerful punch.

8) The Tree Of Life - The Most Ambitious film in the past 30 years.

7) Martha Marcy May Marlene - The hidden Olsen sister "Elizabeth" stars in a movie that will stick with you long after you see it.

6) Beginners - The Best movie about love this year!

5) Drive - The most stylized movie of the year is a fun ride!

4) War Horse - Seeing all the different lives the horse touched worked for me.

3) Warrior - Cliche? Yes.....but ultimately this is a story about family that had me cheering in the aisle.

2) The Artist - Refreshing to see a simple story told in such a creative way.

1) Shame - The Best movie of the year tackles a difficult subject matter with grace. Michael Fassbender is brilliant as is the cinematography and the score.

Jen's Top 10 -

10) Martha Marcy May Marlene

9) Midnight In Paris

8) Beginners

7) The Debt

6) The Artist

5) A Dangerous Method

4) The Help

3) Jane Eyre

2) Shame

1) Warrior

Honorable mention of both Ry & Jen: 50/50

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