A Bag of Hammers (2011) What do you do when life hands you lemons? Everyone knows the answer to that question. How about when you’re handed “A Bag of Hammers”? Really, what can you make from hammers? This small drama about two slacker/thieves living in LA. gives you one possible poignant solution. Satisfied with their life of petty crime these two man/boys are forced to deal with their troubled past in order to prevent the same misery from repeating…
Looper (2012) One of my favorite movies from last year, which I just re-watched after buying the DVD. I enjoyed it just as much the second time. You will probably want to see this if you like action/drama/romance movies with a little time travel mixed in to setup the story. It tackles the big questions like fate vs free will and nature vs nurture. And in the smaller scope it tackles the importance and outcome of making sacrifices. I don’t…
Side Effects (2013) What starts as an interesting psychological drama soon progresses into a very suspenseful who-did-what-to-whom story. It has psychiatrists, insider trading, shock treatments. husbands, wives, yachts, courtrooms, lawyers, prisons, detectives, sleep walking, sex, murder, and enough anti-depressants to put down a small army. Staring Jude Law and Rooney Mara and directed by Steven Soderbergh, Rated R for nudity and violence. [rating=3] Sam
Beautiful Creatures (2013) Adapted from the novel, tells the story of Lena Duchannes as she approaches her 16th birthday. Lena was born into a family of castors, which is the politically correct term for witches, who either follow the dark or the light. Men in their family can overcome their natures, but the women find out which side they are on at 16. I’ve met a few girls who turned evil at that age, but later turned back to the light….
The tagline says it all “He’s still dead, but he’s getting warmer”. This is the first romantic comedy about the ultimate in mixed relationships: Zombie boy / Living girl. To say her dad is zombie intolerant is an understatement. He is, in classic drama movie setup, the head of the post apocalypse government and in charge of killing all zombies. I know what you’re thinking, “Is there any metaphorical meaning and substance beneath this light fluffy rom/com?” There is indeed. There are male/female analogies and a…
Rebecca (1940) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, staring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Have you every been haunted by a ghost? How about an idea? Have you ever lived in the shadow of someone bigger than life? True to the concept the poor mousy bride in this story is never named. She is just referred to as “Mrs. de Winter. The titular character refers to the late Mrs. de Winter whose past is too grand and sophisticated for the new young bride to compete…
Fetching Code (2005) If you could change the past what would you do? Would you tell JFK to stay out of convertibles? Maybe you would do something a little less grand like close your windows before it rains. This movie is about changing something in between. A young man gains the ability to time travel in order to save his girl, just when she needs it most. But even if you could change the past, what would you do? Where would…
Take two 14 year old boys, a boat stuck in a tree, a fugitive hiding on an island in the middle of the Mississippi river, mix them together and what do you get? Not sure? What if you add in a trashy girlfriend? Still not sure? How about rich ex-father-in-law bent on revenge? Sound awful? Not even close. You get a gritty story about friendship, life, and the importance of the choices we make. The story centers around and hangs on these two…
Kon-Tiki (2012) Kon-Tiki is the classic tale of a young (mad) scientist out to prove his theory; in spite of the fact that all the established older scientists just know he is wrong. This is a nicely paced drama, with good acting, direction, visuals, about a man with convictions. I watched this at the Drexel the other day with MovieBuddyKevin and we both really enjoyed it. It was a nice blending of a drama and a documentary. [rating=3] Kon-Tiki Trailer Sam