Contraband

Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best--running contraband--to settle Andy's debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills. Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and sons become their target.

I am still not sure how to feel about this movie. It was definitely a decent watch but I felt disappointed because of the amount of action that was advertised. The movie was more of a drama/intrigue type of movie than an action movie. Yet there really were not any curves you don't see coming so that kind of took away from that.

I would lukewarmly recommend this movie. It is a decent watch and I still can't wrap my head around Mark Wahlberg having become a legit actor. But I think I had higher expectations for it.

11-11-11

After the tragic death of his wife and child, famed American author Joseph Crone travels from the United States to Barcelona, Spain to reunite with his enstranged brother Samuel and dying father, Richard. However, fate has a different plan for Joseph as his life becomes plagued with strange happenings, and the constant sightings of the number 11. Curiosity quickly turns to obsession, and Joseph soon realizes that this number holds a horrific meaning not only to himself but possibly to all of religion. Isolated in a foreign country with only the support of his companion, Sadie, Joseph soon realizes that 11/11/11 is more than just a date, it's a WARNING!

This movie didn't really have any legitamite actors in it. The only guys I recognized played a cop in Final Destination 2. I'm not sure if this is going to be one of those same release in theaters and at home or not but it felt like one of those. Regardless, the movie was surprisingly good for a while. Lots of cheesy scary movie jumps. No excessive gore or anything like that and they kept you pretty interested in how it was progressing. I don't want to say that the ending ruined it but it did get a little over the top with the "spirits/creatures" and I was felt like they kind of lost me although the twist ending brought me back somewhat.

I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out. Its not a must see by any means but it was short enough and watchable enough for me.

Mission: Impoosible - Ghost Protocol

This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization's name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this.

This was a very entertaining popcorn movie. Lots of action. Lots of build up. Fun characters. Cool technology. There really isn't too much to go in to detail here. The movie's goal was to entertain and I was pretty much entertained from beginning to end even though I find Tom Cruise pretty annoying. Mission accomplished . . . . . . pun intended.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out. Movies like this are why action movies were started. Its just a fun ride.

Shame

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control.

This was a textbook artsy character drama.  I liked it at parts and then was kind of feeling disturbed watching it at others.  Honestly, I think that is what the director was going for so I guess he did a good job.  Michael Fassbender really has evolved into an awesome actor over the last year or so. 

I would somewhat recommend this movie to people.  Again - it's super artsy and there is a lot of sex and a weird brother/sister dynamic so there is definite awkward feeling moments for the viewer.

The Darkest Hour

The Darkest Hour is the story of five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack.

Holy giant turd!!! This started out like a somewhat decent alien attack type movie with one cool effect. I repeat - ONE - cool effect. It was somewhat watchable. However, about halfway through instead of just having the people get killed off one by one as they try to find an escape, they decided to add new characters as the movie went along. Words do no justice to how more off the wall these people got. First there was a Russian girl whose only point in the movie was to be angry when she was called a kid. Then there was the mad scientist who somehow during the five days that had past since the alien invasion managed to turn his apartment into a farraday coge surrounding it with metal wiring and what not and created a microwave gun that looked a hell of a lot like the guns from Ghostbusters. After those guys they ran in to the metal shielded army led by General Key Vest. No joke - it was all keys. This guy had a vest that was pretty much made of 7,000 keys. That's like extreme janitoring. The movie just downward spiralled in to a giant mess that the only source of enjoyment was making fun of how bad it was.

I wouldn't recommend even someone I hate seeing this. It's absolutely horrible. Unless you love the new Key Vest style from Russia. Then it's awesome.

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady is a surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the first and only female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. One of the 20th century's most famous and influential women, Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male dominated world.

This is one of those great autobiographical performanes. Meryl Streep is great as Margaret Thatcher. However, there isn't much more substance besides that. At least there wasn't for me. Maybe history buffs would be much more in to it. What I watched was a prominent historical figure going over the events of her life while trying to come to grips with her husband no longer being alive.

I would lukewarmly recommend this movie to people solely for Meryl Streep's performance. Outside of that, the movie is just kind of there.

War Horse

From director Steven Spielberg comes War Horse. Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets; British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land.

This was a really great, emotional ride of a movie. It sounds ridiculous to say this – but the horse (Joey) performed so well that you pretty much find yourself rooting and caring for him from beginning to end. Honestly, I cared more about the horse than the humans. There was a scene in here with the horse in such physical peril that I thought I was going to puke and could barely watch. Any animal lover will identify with this story and love it as much as I did. If you don’t – you have no heart!!!

I would definitely recommend people checking this out. I was beyond pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it from beginning to end.

We Bought A Zoo

Cameron Crowe directs this true story about a single dad who decides his family needs a fresh start, so he and his two children move to the most unlikely of places: a zoo. With the help of an eclectic staff, and with many misadventures along the way, the family works to return the dilapidated zoo to its former wonder and glory.

This was a fun movie. Granted, it was the definition of heartstring pulling, but I expected that going in and was able to enjoy it. The dynamics between the dad and the two kids were very realistic and you find yourself caring about their journey enough to be okay with the purposeful emotional punches.

I would recommend people checking this out. It’s actually a really good, non-animated family movie at the best time of year for something like that.