Epic Movie Post!

i.e., All the movies I've watched in 2014, so far

Mini update on life...The Days of WoW have finally come to a conclusion...it's nit-picking now to get more reputation and better gear.  It's a lot of grinding most of us don't want to do so we've all cancelled our subscriptions. So long, WoW! It's been a good 3-4 months of playing. Maybe when the next expansion comes out we'll go back to playing you. So, I suspect I'll be blogging more? Good time to look for more recipes too...Though, I've found I'm just looking at more nail polish. LoL I saved some the last few months and I went a little nuts this month on the polish because I did manage to save and have some "slush fund." I am buying more this month than the last 4 months combined, but far fewer at the rate I did last year. So...who knows, but it's great to do something "fun" with my money for once. I need to button down the hatches the next two months, though. And...look for a new job. Yes, I must do that.

Work is...interesting...So many things and nothing I can really say publicly. It's just been interesting, frustrating, and interesting. Most of it is completely out of my hands and I just go about my day-to-day work as best as I can without getting too frustrated or thinking too much on things.

I signed up for Covered California (aka, thanks Obamacare!). That was an interesting experience and continues to be an interesting experience...Signing up was easy once I found my Certification of Naturalization...(Really? I have a SSN. You need that?!) In the middle of signing up, though, I got this weird message about them not being able to confirm my citizen status AND whether I have insurance through an employer and having to send verification. I PDF'd the page and just finished my registration. Then I waited 2 weeks for stuff to show in the mail. It took Anthem Blue Cross 2 weeks to have a letter arrive to me! It was printed on the 5th and arrived the 14th. I signed up the 28th of March! Covered CA sent me a letter quicker than they did (arrived 5 business days earlier than Blue Cross). Since the letters...I have paid my initial payment to Blue Cross and scanned and electronically submitted my passport (Chris keeps telling me it's all a scam and they're trying to steal my identity and all my money...LoL). I *think* I don't have to call to tell them I don't have insurance through my employer (as the letter says to do) since I sent my passport, but I'm not 100% sure and will keep an eye out. I have the 90 day sign-up right now till I get all the paperwork settled. So, we'll see! It's been an experience. I've, so far, been the easiest sign-up of everyone I know, though. So...I guess I'm lucky? Random aside, when I submitted my passport, it said my case number was past 1,700,000...Isn't there like 8 million sign-ups total and I'm only on Covered CA...has almost every person had to submit verification? LoL

Anyway...Movies! Lots and lots and lots...35, to be exact. Oscar recap and last year recap when I finish watching all the Best Picture nominations (only 1 more - Her).

Fast & Furious 6 (Diesel, Walker, Johnson, etc) - Honestly, I've never watched a Fast & Furious film till this one...Don't know why, just haven't. Anyway, it was a good action film. It's pretty much what you would expect with a slight sad ending...We'll see what 7 brings with that ending. I will say it was kind of weird watching it given Walker had passed away just a little before I watched it. Grade: C+/B-

Thanks for Sharing (Ruffalo, Robbins, Paltrow) - Uhm...Hm. This is what I get for renting movies I have no idea what they're about. LoL Interesting film about addictions and how you deal with your addictions. It was also about the different TYPE of addictions. Sure, the "obvious" addictions were easy to see and easy to judge, but there are also different types of addictions that can have similar consequences even if they are less judged (e.g., Paltrow had an obsession with weight loss; another one had one with always being "available" at any time for his sponsors). Other than that, it's a little sad with an optimistic ending, but it's a little shallow on touching on the subject of addictions. Good acting, though. Grade: C-

The Family (De Niro, Pfeiffer, Agron, D'Leo) - Silly film from start to finish, which I assumed. I did like the message that family sticks together no matter what and they come first even if you all drive each other nuts. Mostly, it was nutty. Grade: C-

Lee Daniel's The Butler (Whitaker, Winfrey) - I think I expected it to be better. It wasn't bad or anything and I liked the history walk, but I didn't think it was amazing. I can kind of see why it was skipped for Best Picture or any Oscar nods. Compared to 12 Years a Slave or any of the others, the production value wasn't as crisp as you'd expect a Best Picture. Then again, the Oscars aren't always right, but still. It was also such a LONG span of time that it was really only highlighting certain things and the one it mostly focused on was the Civil Rights Movement and ends with Obama being elected. It was a little choppy in the storytelling because of the long span. It was well acted, though, and I liked it. I kind of liked the history walk and the emotional value of the movie, but it misses the fine-tuning to make it great. Grade: B

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Lerman, Daddario, Jackson, etc) - I was REALLY disappointed in the first one. I expected more from it, especially since Chris Columbus was directing it and Percy is so similar to Harry Potter. He, in my opinion, killed the movie franchise with the terrible rendition of the movie compared to the book series. Sure, you'll never make something true to it, but you can at least OWN your differences or make it faithful as possible. I felt like it was sloppy. Anyway, I was both hesitant and happy the 2nd one was being made. Fortunately, I felt it was better than the first just by a HAIR. Unfortunately, it was still terrible. Disappointing because the series is so good... Grade: D

Prisoners (Jackman, Gyllenhaal) - Funny enough, I actually couldn't remember the end of the film at first. I had to read a synopsis to remember! I remembered everything till the last 40 minutes. At any rate, it's a well acted film and really gets into the emotional turmoil of losing your child. It's like it's a psycho-thriller, but more like a suspense-thriller without the gore or action. It's all emotional based while Jackman is trying to find his child and, in the process, they uncover a mystery. I enjoyed the film and the acting. It also brought up an interesting morale point about the things you'd do to get your child back. Grade: B

Captain Phillips (Hanks, Abdi) - Enjoyable. It's intense almost the entire way through, though. I thought I was going to pass out from the tension! With that said, I thought the acting was good and for a biopic, it was good. I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the wide populace, but I'm glad I watched it. Grade: B+

Blue Jasmine (Blanchett, Baldwin, Hawkins) - Another movie I rented on a whim before I really knew what it was about. Not my favorite Woody Allen film, but I think it's fantastically acted in by Blanchett. I think everyone else did a good job too, but Blanchett did a really good job. Her character was absolutely nuts, though. LoL I think that's partly what made Blanchett's acting job even better. It's a little depressing of a film, but somehow works given it's Woody Allen and the story. With that said, because it is a little heavy and depressing, it's definitely not a film I agree with from a critic standpoint of adoring it. I liked it well enough and watching Blanchett was worth the watch alone, but the story is just a little sad (in the pitiful kind of way). Grade: C+

Don Jon (Gordon-Levitt, Johansson) - Well, it definitely deserves its rating, but I like Gordon-Levitt and Johansson was in it so I was curious. My co-worker had seen it before me and had warned me it was a movie you didn't watch loud so I was prepared for that. Really, it's not a movie you'd watch loud at all and most people I know wouldn't want to watch it either, but I thought Gordon-Levitt did a pretty good directing job! With that said, the story was a little weird with Julianne Moore and the twist it took with her, Gordon-Levitt, and Johansson. I didn't see that initially and the way it ended was both kind of sweet and weird. LoL Glad I saw it, don't need to ever see it again. Grade: C

Rush (Hemsworth, Bruhl) - The car scenes in the movie are really good. Not sure what I was expecting, but the car race scenes are good. I thought the acting was good. I thought Hemsworth and Bruhl fit Hunt and Lauda right for their roles. Makes you feel bad about Lauda and doesn't really endear you to Hunt, but...that's the way the film painted the picture. As I said, if nothing else, you watch this film for the car races because they were excellently done. Grade: B

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - Eh. I was "eh" on the first one and I'm "eh" on the 2nd one. The first one was better than the 2nd. The 2nd didn't have the same emotional tone to it with Flint to make it into a morale story in the end. I don't know, I didn't like it as much. Though, the cute food animals are really fun to see! Grade: C

Runner Runner (Affleck, Timberlake) - Honestly, I watched this to see if Affleck could do well in a film he didn't direct. Yeah, this basically confirmed to me I hope he directs Batman vs Superman or his acting job is going to be TERRIBLE. I didn't even like Timberlake in this...He was too "green" in the film for me and coupled with Affleck, it just turned into a bad movie. The plot was terrible too. Course, maybe it was the plot that made them so terrible? I don't know, but I didn't enjoy the film, which is a shame since it had an interesting premise and a decent (well, if you consider Affleck's directed and acted in films). Grade: D

Closed Circuit (Bana, Hall) - Doesn't bode well for my opinion of this film if I only vaguely remember it...Something about a conspiracy and someone is trying to kill off everyone who knows about it. Eh. I do remember the movie itself was put together well, but the plot was not thrilling at all and you need a thrilling film for a conspiracy film! Grade: D

Riddick (Diesel) - I really liked Riddick. I've seen the last Riddick film, but I don't remember it well. This one had some really interesting stages. It started off as a survival film, then went to a horror, and then went to an action film. Unfortunately, for me, the end was probably the lamest of the entire movie. I liked the survival part because it was interesting (even if I knew the jackal was going to die and I told myself from the minute he gets the pup to not get attached). I liked the "horror" part because it was suspenseful and fun to see Riddick toy with the bounty hunters who were trying to capture/kill him and Riddick was ghosting in and out to take them out and try to get off the planet alive. The end was the action scene where they all needed to work together to get away and it was just...meh. It wasn't terrible, but nothing new. Grade: C+/B-

All is Lost (Redford) - I knew Redford was the only person in the entire film, but I had no idea there was almost NO talking in the film at all! With that said, it made me think of Castaway with the minimal talking, but the powerful acting kept you enthralled despite it. I will say, Redford had a TERRIBLE boating trip and made me never want to get onto a boat that's smaller than a really, really big yacht and, given recent events, cruise ships aren't even a done deal! Anyway, it was a superb acting job by Redford and everything that went wrong pretty much went wrong for him (kind of like Gravity, but at sea?). Not a film for everyone to watch because it is rather plodding and not a lot happens except him getting thrashed by mother nature, but it's amazing acting by him. Grade: B

Ender's Game (Butterfield, Ford) - I will preface this with saying I did NOT read the book, though the movie makes me want to read it. I had no idea about the end either. How in the world have I never known the ending to Ender's Game after all the books I sold and all the people I know who like it? At any rate, that surprised me and completely spun the entire movie into a different perspective, which is why I think I need to read it. With that said, it's an okay film. It's, again, one of those movies where you can tell they're trying to make a good based-on-a-book movie, but don't quite get there. I can't say how bad it is compared to the book and I can't compare it to other based-on-a-book movies either since I can't do that initial comparison. As a sci-fi movie on its own, it's only okay. It has its moments (I liked the adult cast) and the end was interesting, but it was only okay. Grade: C

Nebraska (Dern, Forte, Squibb) - At first, I wasn't enjoying the film. I thought it was slow and I didn't like Forte's acting. Then, you get towards the middle of it and you start to understand Forte's character and the acting was spot on. It's just Forte's character has such a dull life that he's, in ways, unlikeable because there's no "life" there. Dern is amazing and so is Squibb, though. The simplicity of the entire film is actually quite amazing and the end is touching. There's something endearing about it that I enjoyed.  Grade: B

Dallas Buyers Club (McConaughey, Garner) - Having watched parts of And the Band Played On and watching this, it's an interesting perspective on AIDS. I enjoyed it with its ups and downs and I think McConaughey did an excellent job in the film. I thought all the acting was good with Leto being my 2nd favorite. The movie wasn't just about AIDS, but mostly about our resilience and will to live. Grade: A

About Time (Gleeson, McAdams, Nighy) - I don't think a "time" related movie ever has a non-sad scene in it...I think it's because that's one thing we always want if we can time travel is to have a completely happy life and that's just not possible. Not to say About Time was overly depressing or had a really unexpected sad scene, but the "sad scenes" are always emotional in time movies because you can never change them. With that said, I liked the film. I thought it was cute. It's basic and, of course, has issues, but it was kind of cute how in the begging Gleeson is trying to get McAdams to notice him and all the changes he does from there. I liked the end message about living life each day to the fullest and appreciating the struggles with the happy times and, even though he technically could repeat days, he finally lived each day as if he couldn't repeat it. Grade: C+

Inside Llewyn Davis (Isaac, Mulligan, Timberlake) - Hard to describe this film...It's a Coen Brothers film, but it's kind of sad (in a poking fun manner) and also poking fun and also...I don't know. It's just different than anything I've watched recently. I'm not sure I fully appreciated it, to be honest. It's just not my type of film and it sort of meanders around this plot and Llewyn Davis isn't exactly likeable, but, at the same time, it's because he is so "lost" and stuck inside his issues? Hard to describe...I kind of felt like it was a waste to watch, but it was also different to watch. Confusing, but because it was so weird for me...it's going to get a low score. Grade: D

The Counselor (Fassbender, Cruz, Diaz, Bardem) - So, honestly, Diaz's supposedly really terrible scene wasn't "as" terrible as I expected it to be considering who her character was, but it was still kind of weird. At the same time, that's her character and Bardem's character makes a point that the action WAS weird. As an actress, though, I'd feel kind of bad for her having to do the scene, but it wasn't as bad as some reviews, in my opinion. With that said, this was a depressing film at the end, but I liked the cast. Unfortunately, for it being an action-thriller or whatever, it was lacking ALL around in the plot, which is a huge shame given the cast. It wasn't an exciting plot given what was happening... Grade: D

The Lego Movie - What a cute film. I liked the older jokes for the older audience. I liked the animation. I liked the message. I liked it all around, BUT...the end bothered me, for whatever reason. I liked the message, don't get me wrong, but something didn't jive with me... Grade: A-

300: Rise of an Empire (Stapleton, Green) - Perfect example of a sex scene that is totally not needed. I mean, it was needed to a point, but it went longer than needed. Then again, it didn't really go anywhere too...It did make for all the "jokes" in the movie later on too, which was kind of funny, but...Eh. Sadly for me, I watched 300 AFTER Rise of an Empire so I lost some nuances in the film, but I thought it was okay even if it was gory. I do think the story was lacking some, though... Grade: C

300 (Butler) - 300 is a lot better than Rise of an Empire, even if it's probably gorier than Rise of an Empire. Butler is perfect in this role. Grade: B

The Wolf of Wall Street (DiCaprio, Hill) - So glad I didn't watch this in theater...was going to until I found out how long it was (3 hours!) and any movie longer than The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug does not deserve to watched in theater, especially as it's not an action film. Sex, drugs, profanity, and money...that's the movie in 4 words. :P I didn't particularly like DiCaprio's acting job in this, but I think it's because I felt like it was the playboy version of Gatsby. Hill wasn't bad, but it felt more like his adult-comedy films, which kind of baffles me on his Oscar nod. Granted, the films are WILDLY different, but still. Granted, Wolf of Wall Street is to never take itself seriously at any point...With that said...The quaaludes scene was HILARIOUS. Oh my gosh...Now that was definitely something you don't see DiCaprio do and Hill was just as hilarious. It was seriously funny and completely ridiculous, but I think it saved the film for me. Grade: C+

12 Years a Slave (Ejiofor, Fassbender, Nyong'o) - What a well acted, directed, and produced film. It's quality all the way through. It's not always fun to watch (whipping scenes make me cringe just remembering them), but it's an excellent film. Ejiofor and Nyong'o were great, but it was also great seeing Fassbender, Pitt, and Cumberbatch excel also. It does show a truly atrocious time in our history, but it's done so well. Grade: A

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Ferrell) - Didn't see the first one, decided to watch the 2nd. Silly, but that's what you expect. Had an unexpectantly nice ending about family that I wasn't prepared for. Of course, it's buried underneath a lot of silliness (the end epic scene is...random LoL), but it's there. It was okay as an adult comedy movie, though. I've seen better. Grade: C-

August: Osage County (Streep, Roberts) - Riveting acting performances by Streep and Roberts. I mean, for the most part, the movie doesn't take place many places and there's nothing to really watch other than the actors so the performances had to be even stronger and they were. My only real problem with the movie is it's rather heavy and MAN they are a HIGHLY dysfunctional group, let alone family! So, the story kind of brought down the entire experience because I kept going, "Are they nuts?" Or "Is she nuts?" "They're nuts!" throughout the movie, but the acting is really good. I suppose if the story was a little happier or had more to it, the movie would have been better. Grade: C/B (C overall; B for the sheer acting power)

Out of the Furnace (Bale, Affleck) - This would be Casey Affleck, younger brother to Ben Affleck and not Ben, who acted in this film. I wished this film had more to it, is what I left feeling. The acting is great, but I felt like most of the cast was wasted. The story was heavy and sad too. I don't know. It didn't jive with me. Grade: C-

The Book Thief (Nelisse, Rush, Watson) - Emily Watson, not Emma Watson. Another based-on-a-book movie I need to read the book. To be fair, The Book Thief has been on my radar to read since it was originally released in 2005 (I had been working at Borders by the time it was released). It's always been well received for all the years I worked there and it was one of those books I would even recommend to people, even though I hadn't read it. I always heard it was sad, though, and now I can understand why! I knew it wasn't going to be happy (Germany during WWII), but I didn't know the ending either. With that said, I enjoyed it. It is a little long and it does plod along, but I liked all the actors and the story it told. It is a little weak in the telling of WWII, but it's also supposed to be based on a YA novel. I liked it Grade: B

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Evans, Jackson, Johansson, Redford) - What a good movie...I saw it twice in its opening weekend and would actually see it a 3rd time in theater. There are problems with the film, but, for the most part, it was a solid film. Chris didn't like it as much as the first one and I'm still skeptical (even after all this time) whether I liked it better than the first one or not. It's got a lot of good action scenes, which I appreciated. The conspiracy angle was kind of interesting too. I think the 3rd CA will be interesting and it'll be really interesting to see if they, er, follow the comics through Avengers 3 and beyond (sorry, no spoilers!). The movie also gets you excited for Avengers 2. So, I liked it! Can't wait to buy it on DVD. LoL I like CA more than the Thor franchise and I think they're going more places with CA than Thor right now. Considering the lack of summer movies I want to see, this might be my favorite action film all year... Grade: A

Veronica Mars (Bell, Dohring) - Thank goodness they simultaneously released it on iTunes and Amazon! It wasn't showing anywhere near us and I wanted to see it so I rented it on Amazon. :) Would have rented it on iTunes, but I can't watch it on my TV. So...Amazon it was. Funny aside...Amazon actually refunded me the cost of the rental a day later. We have a 2nd router set up in the living room because the PlayStation gets a really weak signal without it next to it, especially if the Internet is being used by everyone on their computers. So, in the daytime, I watched it with no one around so it streamed fine. Later, I decided to rewatch it after Chris was home because I had a 24-hour limit, but it kept failing on the stream so I gave up. Turns out, the router in the living room came unplugged and that's why it was dropping out. Well, Amazon emailed the refund saying we had "poor playback" and they were sorry for the bad service and refunded the money...LoL Wasn't their fault and I had already watched it all the way through once, but apparently they didn't know it failed on the 2nd watch. :P Anyway, I liked the movie. Unfortunately, I think anyone who was NOT a fan of the TV show would be confused...It tries to make up all the references and leave some in for the fans, but I think it would just be confusing for someone who hadn't watch the TV show. With that said, I'm glad they did it and I hope they do another one! Grade: A (probably more like a B-/C+ if I was realistic)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fiennes, Revolori) - I enjoyed it! I think it's my favorite from Wes Anderson that I've seen (only the 3rd one so Moonrise Kingdom or Fantastic Mr. Fox). It's a cute film that is stylized in a special way to convey the message it wants to. There's something in the film that is both innocent and complex. Perhaps it's because you have the age gap between Zero and Gustave, but it works. I also liked the mystery that was woven through it. The movie is also silly in its ways, but it's well done. It is kind of funny how the story is a story without a story...I really like it, though. Grade: A

Philomenia (Dench, Coogan) - Wow...this does not paint the Irish Catholic nuns back in the 50's in a good light...With that said, I thought Dench and Coogan did an excellent acting job. I thought the story was well told too and Dench's character was a hoot. It is a sad story, but a story that is important to tell. I had idea about it! Makes you want to look it up in further details. Good movie. Grade: A

Homefront (Statham, Franco) - Somehow I seem to watch a movie and never realize Franco is in it! I think the last movie I watched knowing he was in it before I started watching it was Oz the Great and Powerful (unless I watched Spring Breakers after it...). Anyway, your typical action film. It wasn't terrible, but wasn't fantastic either. It had a lot of shooting, blowing up, chases, etc. Kind of the typical film you'd expect with Statham starring in it and Stallone writing (based on a book). Grade: C

With that...I am all caught up with my movie reviews! Woohoo!