Killing Them Softly (2012)

Killing Them Softly (2012)

Directed by: Andrew Dominik
Screenplay by: Andrew Dominik

Genre: Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 97 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Theater

In America you're on your own.

[IMDb]

Comments: Halfway through Killing Them Softly, I really wasn't sure what I was watching. I thought many of the scenes were amazing, but as a collective the entire film was disjointed. As the credits rolled, I still felt the movie was a bit uneven, but I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy the hell out of it.

I'm really surprised Killing Them Softly was even shown in my theater, as I can't see the general film-going public (that's going only because Brad Pitt's name is on the poster) will really enjoy this movie. (My theater laughs at the idea of getting anything remotely independent.) I was reminded a lot of the George Clooney's The American, a film that I'm sure many went to see for Clooney alone only to find one of the most anti-mainstream films to get such a wide distribution. The American and Killing Them Softly are certainly different, but I felt the overall vibe was similar between them. And for what it's worth, I thought The American was fantastic.

Anyway, back to the task at hand. Killing Them Softly is surely going to divide critics and the public in general. The political commentary feels a bit forced at times, and there's a certain character that ends up being mostly irrelevant to the rest of the film. But the performances are great (James Gandolfini and Scoot McNairy being my favorite), the look is awesome, and despite my issues with the script and its unevenness I felt that Andrew Dominik's direction was pretty good. If you're interested, I'd definitely recommend Killing Them Softly. Just be aware what you're getting yourself into.

From Russia with Love (1963)

From Russia with Love (1963)

Directed by: Terence Young
Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum

Genre: Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 115 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

The world's masters of murder pull out all the stops to destroy Agent
  007!

[IMDb]

Comments: From Russia with Love, the direct sequel to Dr. No, is one of the more highly regarded films in the James Bond franchise. And while I certainly enjoyed myself, I felt that it lacked that certain charm that other Bond films have. Despite the stupendous fight scene on the train, I just never found From Russia with Love as enjoyable as the other Connery films I've seen before (namely Dr. No and Goldfinger). Plus, the ending was about as anticlimactic as possible. Bond versus a 65-year-old woman? It's a miracle he made it out alive...

Dr. No (1962)

Dr. No (1962)

Directed by: Terence Young
Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely
  Mather

Genre: Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 110 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

Now... meet the most extraordinary gentleman spy in all fiction!

[IMDb]

Comments: I just watched Dr. No about a month ago when I was anticipating the release of Skyfall. I had hoped to watch a few more Bond films, but I never got around to it unfortunately. Now, I have no excuse as thanks to Amazon's Black Friday sale I own all twenty-two James Bond films on Blu-ray. Naturally, I'm planning on watching all of them in order, but I had to revisit Dr. No first in its restored and pristine glory. It looks great in HD, and is such a fun movie. Sure, the film feels a bit dated at times, but it's such an iconic picture that it's easy to ignore. And Ursula Andress...

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan

Genre: Action | Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 165 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

The legend ends.

[IMDb]

Comments: I was pretty excited to check out The Dark Knight Rises for the first time since I saw it in theaters. And damn, if it isn't still freaking awesome. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Does it hold a candle to the first two films? In my opinion, no. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the hell out of myself, to the point where I got that giddy feeling when I popped in the Blu-ray. Speaking of which, Bane sounds so fucking cool even though he's about ten times louder than any other character in the film. Neighbors be damned!

Look, The Dark Knight Rises certainly has its issues, and I can honestly see why some people have real problems with it. But for me, it's an amazing film and an awesome way to end the trilogy. Movies like this make it easy to overlook the smaller stuff. Haters be damned too!

Wendy and Lucy (2008)

Wendy and Lucy (2008)

Directed by: Kelly Reichardt
Screenplay by: Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond

Genre: Drama
Running Time: 80 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

On the long road, friendship is everything.

[IMDb]

Comments: I dug this.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
Screenplay by: Derek Connolly

Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 86 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Rental DVD - Family Video

Take the trip.

[IMDb]

Comments: The last of my $1 rentals was without a doubt my most anticipated, Safety Not Guaranteed. In all fairness, this was due to my recent infatuation with Aubrey Plaza after slamming through four seasons of Parks and Recreation. And even though her character is somewhat similar (which wasn't necessarily a bad thing for me), I still found that Safety Not Guaranteed to be a rewarding movie, even if it didn't quite meet my admittedly high expectations (due to the number of positive reviews I've read here). Overall, Safety Not Guaranteed is a fun little flick that despite its similarities to other low budget indie films still finds its own niche, and for that alone the movie is certainly worth a look.

The Campaign (2012)

The Campaign (2012)

Directed by: Jay Roach
Screenplay by: Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell

Genre: Comedy
Running Time: 85 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Rental DVD - Family Video

May the best loser win.

[IMDb]

Comments: I honestly believe that Zach Galifianakis has the ability to be a great actor; one of those talents that transcends the comedy genre and goes on to more prominent and serious work. But I get worried when I see him in mediocre fare like Due Date, The Hangover Part II, and now, The Campaign. I don't want to see Galifianakis continue to churn out retread after retread like his co-star in the film, Will Ferrell, or even someone like Adam Sandler. Break from the mold, Zach!

I won't lie, I did find The Campaign to be pretty funny at times, but the longer the film went on the more I just wanted it to be over. Will Ferrell plays the exact same character he's played in 20 other movies, and despite the quality of supporting actors (Dan Aykroyd, John Lithgow, and Brian Cox), there's really not a lot to see here. This was another of my $1 rentals, and while I'm glad I finally got to see The Campaign, I feel like I only got $.50 worth.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

Directed by: Lorene Scafaria
Screenplay by: Lorene Scafaria

Genre: Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 101 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Rental DVD - Family Video

Nice knowing you.

[IMDb]

Comments: I'm a sucker for a good romantic film, and while Seeking a Friend for the End of the World isn't the best movie, it certainly won me over. Most of that is due to the leads, who despite their 23-year age difference, really had me intrigued in their budding romance (normally I would've just thought that it was creepy). There's a host a known actors in bit parts as well, and seeing familiar faces certainly helped in my enjoyment of the film. It certainly wasn't a bad way to spend $1. (I love cheap rentals!)

Life of Pi (2012)

Life of Pi (2012)

Directed by: Ang Lee
Screenplay by: David Magee

Genre: Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
Running Time: 127 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Viewed: Theater (3D)

Believe the unbelievable.

[IMDb]

Comments: I didn't have a great interest in catching Life of Pi, but it was one of those films where curiosity got the better of me. I had read some intriguing reviews (both here and from critics) that talked about how much they enjoyed the film, so I decided I needed to check it out. (It also looked like one of those movies that would benefit from being seen on the big screen, even though I don't particularly care for 3D.)

Life of Pi was both enchanting and frustrating for me. Ang Lee's direction and the overall look of the movie was spot-on. In addition, there were some truly great emotional scenes that reeled me in and had me totally invested in Life of Pi.

Unfortunately, all of those amazing scenes took place on the boat with Pi and the wonderfully named tiger, Richard Parker. Every time Ang Lee transitioned to present day and showed an older Pi speaking with a writer, my interest level lowered quite a bit. Combined with an overlong introduction, and an interesting, but somewhat saddening ending, I found that my love of Life of Pi started and ended with a fantastic story of a human and a tiger on a boat.

I still recommend checking the movie out though. Despite the faith-heavy dialogue (I'm not particularly religious) and a few other quibbles, I certainly wasn't upset with my decision to see Life of Pi this afternoon. The visuals and cinematography make it worth watching on the big screen.

Also, I'm going to start selling tiger-taming kits with some chum, a whistle, and a stick. If Life of Pi teaches us anything, it's that you too can make friends with your very own tiger!