Most Recent Movie You Watched

maggie b. · Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 2252

Snoww White and the Huntsman

C+

Liked but didn't love this adaptation of the classic fariytale. It was interesting to see that true loves kiss came from a character I did not expect.

maggie b.
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Susan/DC · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 1598

Argo -- the story of how the six Americans who escaped from the American Embassy in Tehran when it was taken over in 1979 were rescued and got out of Iran. Went with some friends and we all loved it. It's funny and, even though you know how it turns out, we still were on the edge of our seats at the end. Of course, then we all Googled to see which parts were true and which were enhanced for dramatic effect, but it didn't affect my opinion of the film as great entertainment. Ben Affleck does a VG job as both actor and director, and Alan Alda and John Goodman are a hoot as two Hollywood characters who help create believability for the cover story.

Lizzie · Joined: 12 May 2010 Posts: 53 Location: Northeast Georgia

Thanks for the review of ARGO. My husband and I want to see it. That said, we live in a university town and going to the movies is an adventure in it's self.
The movie goers come fully wired. They are texting, have their IPhones, Ipads talking. laughing, just like they are in their dorm rooms watching Netflix. So it has to be a really great movie to venture out.

I think we are going to give it a try.
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maggie b. · Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 2252

Wreck It Ralph
B+

A great little feel good family film about a "bad" guy who is actually no such thing. As he tries to solve his own problems he becomes embroiled in the difficulties of another and soon learns what true friendship is all about.

maggie b.
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She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain. - Louisa May Alcott

Susan/DC · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 1598

"Searching for Sugarman"

This documentary is about an American singer from the early 1970s. Rodriguez was a singer/songwriter who was critically acclaimed but whose records didn't sell in the US. Somehow his records got to South Africa, however, and his songs became popular there. His protest songs, in particular, became the background music for some members of the anti-apartheid movement. Rodriguez seemed to fall off the edge of the earth and there were all kinds of stories about how he'd committed suicide at one of his concerts. In the late 1990s a SA journalist tried to find out the truth about the man and what had happened to him. This film tells what happened next. It's a fascinating story about a man I'd never heard of but who apparently was a hero to those who knew and loved his music. One of my son's friends recommended it to me, and I'm very glad I saw it.

maggie b. · Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 2252

Breaking Dawn Part 2
Grade: A-

A friend and I left the theater talking of seeing it again. The tale of the beginning of Bella and Edward's eternity. Some surprise twists make this one a little different from the book and well worth watching.

maggie b.
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She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain. - Louisa May Alcott

Niftybergin · Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 1066

Breaking Dawn part 2: A-
Looking forward to seeing it again!

Lincoln: B+
Fascinating storyline, amazing actors and amazing acting. But it's slow-moving and non-stop talking. (Someone in our audience fell asleep - and started snoring - twice.) The talking is flowery oration, much of it old-fashioned. One of my friends made the comment that she wished they'd had subtitles. Smile

xina · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 6627 Location: minneapolis

Breaking Dawn part 2...the ending, is surprising and outstanding. Stick around for the ending credits set to Christine Perri, A Thousand Years. Lovely.
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Susan/DC · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 1598

"Anna Karenina"
This is not exactly an unknown story and there are already several movie and TV versions, so the director had to do something to make it feel fresh. He did it by setting it in a theatre, and scene changes are often just that, with the scenery changing around the actors. It is highly stylized and at times creates a sense of artificiality which may not work for everyone, but it did work for me. The society depicted is quite artificial (in one scene someone says about Anna that if she had broken the law she could be forgiven, but she had broken the rules and that was unforgiveable). The costumes and jewelry are sumptuous.

Niftybergin · Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 1066

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK: A

It's a shame that this movie is not getting more traffic, because it is great! It's so much funnier than I expected it to be. Yes, there are some un-funny parts -- the characters are dealing with mental illness -- but honestly, it's a film with heart, about redemption and starting over. It has laugh-out-loud funny parts throughout the movie, but the final bit near the end had me laughing so hard I think I bruised a rib. Great movie!

maggie b. · Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 2252

The Hobbit Part 1

An in-depth look at the unexpected journey that changed the fate of Middle Earth. Outstanding performances by Martin Freemen and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield.

I liked it, my oldest son who went to the midnight show with me absolutely loved it.

maggie b.
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She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain. - Louisa May Alcott

Kristie(J) · Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 1:31 pm Post subject:

Went to see Les Miserable yesterday with my sisters. When the movie ended all you could hear was sniffing. I've seen the broadway musical a number of times so I sang along with many of the songs - silently of course so as not to stun fellow movie goers with my brilliant singing.

I quite enjoyed the film. It cleared up the confusion of the barricade I always kind of wondered about.

Of particular note was Anne Hathaway as Fantine. She was incredibly moving in her part.

LinnieGayl · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 752

Lincoln -- A. I cried off-and-on throughout. This touched me deeply.
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robiform · Joined: 04 Apr 2007 Posts: 242 Location: Florida

I saw "Les Miserables" yesterday; I was lucky enough to see the Broadway production only a few months after it opened, so most of the original cast was still performing in it. I really loved the show, and so when I saw that a movie version was on the way (with Hugh Jackman in the lead role!), I literally counted the days until the movie opened.

It was well worth the 25-year wait: the production values were spectacular, and I liked the fact that the actors actually sang their roles (as opposed to the usual lip-synching in movie musicals). Best performances were by Anne Hathaway, Samantha Barks (a terrific Eponine!), Eddie Redmayne (I had seen him in "The Pillars of the Earth", but I had no idea he could sing!), and of course, the lovely and talented Hugh Jackman! (Full disclosure: I waited by the stage door nine years ago while he was starring in "The Boy from Oz". He's as great looking in person as he is on the screen, and very accommodating to fans!)

As for Russell Crowe, whom I've been a fan of ever since "L.A. Confidential", he's a good singer, but I always think of Javert as having a baritone voice. Crowe has a higher singing voice than a baritone, and there were times where you could tell how hard he was working to hit those notes. At any rate, he was OK in the role, as were Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the Thernadiers.

And yes, I was very tempted to sing along (especially during "Do You Hear the People Sing?"), but I wanted to be a considerate member of the audience!

Now, there's something to think about--you know how some theaters have "sing along" showings of movies like "The Sound of Music"? Perhaps some enterprising theater manager could do something similar with "Les Miserables"!!
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Susan/DC · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 1598

Les Miserables -- I'm probably one of the few who'd never seen the play or read the book, so even though I knew it was about Jean Valjean, who went to prison for stealing bread, and a police inspector named Javert who tracked him mercilessly, I knew nothing else about the plot. I enjoyed it, although my husband, who had seen the play, liked the play better because he found it easier to suspend disbelief in the theater.

A Royal Affair -- this one is based on a true story. Mads Mikkelsen plays a German doctor who comes to the royal Danish court as both the best friend of the king and the eventual lover of the queen. He is brought down by enemies in the court who do not like that he encourages the king to pass laws embodying Enlightenment ideas of freedom and justice (such as banning the slave trade in Danish colonies). Sad but beautifully acted and the costumes and settings are gorgeous. Mikkelsen is wonderful and compelling (you understand why the queen fell in love with him), as are Alicia Vikander (she's Kitty in Anna Karenina) and Mikkel Folsgaard as the mad king are enormously touching.