Small Apartments

Something I often do is find any and all films certain actors/actresses are in and watch them. It just so happened that this movie had both Rebel Wilson and Juno Temple in it and I love both of them. I want to say that those two made this film worth watching, but they did not.

This is a strange movie, with a strange main character. Most people would recognize him as Rebel Wilson's brother from Bridesmaids. There are definitely funny parts to this movie, however I am not sure I would actually classify it as a comedy. By the way the film is done and the odd script the movie seems comparable to Indie films. Don't get me wrong, I do like some Indie films. 

The message at the end of this movie is touching but I'm not sure the rest of the movie is worth watching to get to that point. Sorry everyone, this is another skip it movie.

The Paperboy

This movie... what do I even say about this movie? Being blunt, the best part about this film is Zac Efron for whatever reason seems to be in his underwear a lot. I'm not sure if Nicole Kidman has anything to be proud about by being in this film. On several occasions I thought Kidman was Lindsay Lohan and not the good Lindsay we fell in love with in Parent Trap. 

The ending is horrible. I'm just going to put that out there. Really, the movie as a whole is pretty horrible. It was barely bearable to finish the movie, but I am one of those people that once I start a movie, I have to finish it.

This movie definitely falls under the skip it category, sorry Efron seeing you in your underwear is just not enough.

Won't Back Down

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis, wow! I really enjoy movies that are based on true stories, I know I know we can all argue about just how true they are, but none the less I like them. This movie is definitely a feel-good movie.

The story is about a mom incredibly frustrated by the fact that her daughter is not getting the help in school that she needs. The little girl is clearly frustrated and it becomes known that it is because of finances and location that she attends the school. 

There are several heart-wrenching scenes throughout the film which further pushes the mom to seek help and resources. The last scene of the movie is definitely the best and is really what makes the movie. 

This is a wonderful movie and definitely is a reminder of the kind of love a mother can have for her child. In my opinion, it is definitely worth renting.

The Amazing Spider-Man

This movie was fantastic! I've watched a lot of so-so movies in the last couple of weeks but this was definitely not one of them. The funny thing is I've had this movie for months from Netflix and I've been hesitant to watch because although I like superhero movies, I don't love them. Well, this was hands down one of the best ones I have seen. Andrew Garfield is extremely entertaining and lovable as Spider-Man and Peter Parker.

I have never been one to read comic books and I saw Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire. Initially, I caught myself being extremely confused by the differences and half wanted to know what the actual story in the comic books was, then I became caught up in the movie. 

The whole reason I wanted to watch this movie is because I am a huge fan of Emma Stone, but ironically enough I ended up enjoying Garfield just as much as Stone. This is a movie that I feel like the whole family could enjoy together, with the exception of really little kids and even they might be okay to watch. You know, as long as a parent explains the creepy lizard isn't real! :) 

Had I not been so hesitant to see this movie I would definitely say it is theater worthy, but since I missed out, everyone should rent this movie!

The Air I Breathe

Apparently a reoccurring theme in the movies I've been watching is when multiple characters stories all end up intersecting by the end of the film. The story here focuses on four emotions that all humans feel: love, pleasure, sadness, and joy. If the director would not have labeled the emotions throughout the movie, I would have missed the point. My favorite part of this movie was the end. Partly because it was over but also because of what happens with Sarah Michelle Gellar's character. Out of all of the stories the two stories that I liked best were those of Gellar and Bacon.

Something I do often with my friends and family is describe a movie by explaining whether I would pay full price in the theater, see it in a dollar theater, rent it, or skip it. For me, this film fell into the skip it category, but for some I could understand why they would rent it.

I believe my initial interest in this movie was the fact that Emile Hirsch is in it. However, while he did a good job his contribution to the movie was minimal and could almost border on unnecessary.

Side Effects

As someone who is training to be a therapist it was hard to overlook some of the glaring obvious issues with this movie. However, I will try to get past the fact that no release of information was signed by the client for her current psychiatrist to speak to her past psychiatrist.

Moving right along, if you see the movie and you are in this world as well you will come to understand as I did why it did not really matter anyway. Between dual-relationships, lies, murder, and "side effects" you will be swept into the story just as I was. Initially I was concerned that this would be a movie showing all of the side effects of medication that can actually help individuals when used correctly, meds such as SSRIs and so on. I was quickly set straight however in that the story is so much more. Rooney Mara as Emily Taylor was, what's the right word? Interesting... Now, I know she is best known in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but I have not yet seen that film. So, although she is in movies that I have seen I did not recognize her. That's not a bad thing, I'm becoming more and more a fan of people who are not in every movie. I struggled to believe Mara's character until the very end which I guess is what was most important. 

Overall, I really liked this movie and Jude Law of course does an amazing job. At one point I think the audience is lead to worry that he is losing it, but because of how hard he is trying you continue to be on his side. Zeta-Jones also does a fabulous job, especially in the case of the big twist which all of a sudden explains everything! Well done cast on a movie that stayed interesting and was not a repeat of something already out there.

Safe Haven

Before you begin reading I'm going to let you know that this review contains spoilers. Nicholas Sparks definitely has a talent for romantic tales. I appreciated the fact that this story has a dark side to it. Now, I know most of you, like me, know that Sparks includes some sort of darkness to all of his love stories, but I felt like this one was more real. Julianne Hough did a wonderful job throughout the movie as did Josh Duhamel. However, for me the star who stole the show was Mimi Kirkland, the adorable little girl. The love that builds between Hough and Duhamel is expected but Hough and Kirkland took their character expectations to a whole new level. I do not want to leave out the little boy who also did a good job, however I felt like his story was a little excluded. Now, that's the positives of the film.

For the negatives, let's start with the title. Haven literally translates to mean a place of safety. Break that down and the title is Safe Place of Safety. I'm not sure if Sparks anticipated that not many of his moviegoers were smart enough to put that together or if he just thought a one word title wasn't good enough, but none-the-less the title is not a fabulous one. Next, the story line is very cute, which was expected. However, it went a step too far leaving much of the audience asking what just happened, and not in a good way. Spoiler follows here: At the end of the film it is revealed that Jo the nice friend next door who seems to know everything without ever being told is fictional in the mind of Hough's character. In fact she is the ghost(?) of Duhamel's wife who has passed away. There is a beautiful situation throughout the movie having to do with letters that Jo had written while she was alive to her family members. However, it is within these letters that it is revealed who Jo was and I think in that reveal many people will no longer be on board with the film. This huge reveal of who the wife/mother was, was unnecessary and I would have enjoyed the film much more had that part been left out.

I do want to include that Tierney played by David Lyons did a wonderful job of being incredibly creepy which is what his role called for.