Lincoln

Steven Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

This was a movie that is a reminder just how good of a director Steven Spielberg is. Forgotten at this point for the most part with all the talk about the new class of directors that churn out movie awesomeness, Spielberg has put forth a historical biopic without any of his usual special effects and what not that can make even the most not interested in history peeps (like myself) riveted by the story being played out on the screen. And Daniel Day-Lewis completely equals his director's awesomeness with his performance. The man is pure gold as an actor. It seemed as if Lincoln himself was alive and back on screen.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out. Premium acting and directing are on display and this is easily one of the best movies of the year.

Parental Guidance

Old school grandfather Artie (Billy Crystal), who is accustomed to calling the shots, meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife Diane (Bette Midler) agree to babysit their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents (Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott) go away for work. But when 21st century problems collide with Artie and Diane's old school methods of tough rules, lots of love and old-fashioned games, it's learning to bend, and not holding your ground, that binds a family together.

This was a very cute family holiday movie. Could there have been more laughs? Absolutely. Was it completely formula across the aboard? Of course it was. Do you still enjoy the movie from start to end. Yes!!! Well - at least I did. Very much. I miss movies like this that bring the whole family together on many levels and are simple and touching.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out. It makes you laugh and cry and leave the theater happy.

Killing Them Softly

Killing Them Softly follows professional enforcer, Jackie Cogan (Pitt), who investigates a heist that occurs during a high stakes, mob-protected, poker game.

The movie is actually only worth that short synopsis. This movie was basically two things. A LOT of talking. And then a lot of hipster, gangster cleanup type stuff. This movie felt like it was trying too hard to be hip/cool. Kind of like Snatch or RocknRolla. There was the dark designs and the non-stop dialogue. There was Brad Pitt looking like a bada$$ cleaner. The look was definitely there, but the substance was pretty much non-existent.

I wouldn't recommend people wasting their time with this. Its pretty much one of those movies that is just there and looks good appearance wise but that is about it.

The Collection

When Elena's (Emma Fitzpatrick) friends take her to a secret party at an undisclosed location, she never imagined she would become the latest victim of The Collector, a psychopathic killer. The Collector kidnaps and transports her to an abandoned hotel he's transformed into his own private maze of torture and death. Upon learning of his daughter's disappearance, Elena's wealthy father (Christopher McDonald) hires a group of mercenaries to retrieve her from the vicious grips of The Collector. These mercenaries coerce Arkin (Josh Stewart), the only man to have escaped the wrath of this heinous monster, to lead them through the gruesome labyrinth. Now, Arkin finds himself fighting for his own life in order to save Elena.

This was a sequel to a quietly released horror movie a couple years back called The Collector. For some reason they didn't even bother advertising it as a sequel even though it literally picked up where the last one left off. Much like the first one - this is basically another version of the Saw franchise movies. Crazy killer hunts and tortures people for unknown reason . . . . lots of gore . . . . no real story. One huge positive - they wasted no time bothering with an story development whatsoever. It just took right off and was over an hour and fifteen minutes later.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering to check this out. Unless you are a huge fan of the Saw franchise. Then you might like this movie.

Les Miserables

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Mis�rables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption - a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

I loved this movie. I have grown to be a bigger fan of musicals over the years. Thank you, Moulin Rouge! I had seen this play on broadway many many years ago. I sort of remembered the story and tried to keep my expectations in check because I had heard such great things about it. However, they completely met and exceeded my expectations and all of the good word the movie had gotten. I loved that it was a total musical with barely any normal spoken dialogue. I loved even more how the actors were legitimately singing at that moment instead of lip syncing to a previous recording. I loved the cast (especially Anne Hathaway and the new girl that played Eponie). This was easily my favorite non-comic book related movie of the year.

I would absolutely recommend this movie to everyone. It was a masterpiece.

This Is 40

Judd Apatow brings audiences This Is 40, an original comedy that expands upon the story of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) from the blockbuster hit "Knocked Up" as we see first-hand how they are dealing with their current state of life.

Once again - Judd Apatow has disappointed me. I know that most people find his movies to be hysterical, but outside of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The 40 Year Old Virgin, I have never found his movies to be that funny. I was kind of excited about this one because these two characters were definitely my favorite part of Knocked Up. There were some good laughs in this but they were kept too far apart. It was frustrating because I would start to laugh and get into it and then it would seperate the two main characters into their seperate waa waa waa that wasn't nearly as funny as when they were together.

I wouldn't really recommend people checking this out. Strike that. I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out. It's not terrible but it could have been sooooooooo much funnier.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

This is a tough one to review. Do I do it as a stand alone movie or part of the Lord Of The Rings world? I was very entertained and loved the movie very much. It was too long and I'm still trying to wrap my head around how The Hobbit (one book) is going to be three movies with a running time of almost 3 hours each? But it is a very entertaining fantasy world story done by Peter Jackson. You really can't go wrong with that. Is it Lord Of The Rings level? HELL NO!!! Not even close. This movie might crack my top ten of the year . . . . . barely. The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was a top 3 (if not number one overall) every year.

I would definitely recommend people checking it out. It's great story/character development - although a little slower than needed. It is a great movie. It's just not Lord Of The Rings worthy.

Zero Dark Thirty

For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty reunites the team of director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) for the story of history's greatest manhunt for the world's most dangerous man.

This movie was like one of those very intense episodes of Homeland. There was a LOT of talky talky and political back and forth that led up to one of the most intense scenes I've ever seen. When the elite squad actually went on their mission, I was pretty much sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time. It just seemed so surreal. It really showed/captured all the different emotions involved in this piece of history . . . . . . especially the main actresses face at the very end after it was all over and the pilot asking her what she would like to do now.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out. This is exceptional writing, acting and directing.

Life Of Pi

Director Ang Lee creates a groundbreaking movie event about a young man who survives a tragic disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While marooned on a lifeboat, he forms an amazing and unexpected connection with the ship's only other survivor -- a fearsome Bengal tiger.

This was one of the more amazing visual movies I've ever seen. I didn't see it in 3D but really wish that I had. It's very rare that a movie can consist mostly of a man and a tiger on a boat and keep you as captivated as this movie does. The narration was done very well and complimented the unspoken relationship growing between the boy and the tiger.

I didn't expect much because I usually think that Ang Lee is one of those overrated critically acclaimed directors. However, I was wrong. This was a great movie. And I would definitely recommend people checking this out.

Rise Of The Guardians

Rise of the Guardians is a magical adventure that tells the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost - legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children everywhere.

This was a cute and enjoyable movie taking known characters and giving them an extra twist of being guardians to children. The voices were good (although Santa with a Russian accent was a little weird) and the story progressed fast enough that any adults going with their kids are not wanting to scream.

I would lukewarmly recommend this movie to people. It's not bad. It's not great. It is watchable and enjoyable but there are actually better options out there for parents to take their kids too.

Hitchcock

Based on the book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho" by Stephen Rebello, Hitchcock is a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife and partner Alma Reville. The film takes place during the making of Hitchcock's seminal movie "Psycho."

This was a movie that was built mostly around the performances of Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. Both of them did great, but there really wasn't much substance to the film or the story besides there biographical performances. The movie ended up just kind of being there.

I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out. It isn't a must see by any means. The performances were good and there were some moments that the film was great but overall it was just kind of blah.

This Must Be The Place

Cheyenne is a former rock star. At 50, he still dresses 'Goth' and lives in Dublin off his royalties. The death of his father, with whom he wasn't on speaking terms, brings him back to New York. He discovers his father had an obsession: to seek revenge for a humiliation he had suffered. Cheyenne decides to pick up where his father left off, and starts a journey, at his own pace, across America. 

This was a very strange movie.  Look at Sean Penn in the poster.  His character is as weird as he looks.  There are some good laughs - especially when he is interacting with Frances McDormand.  And you do get into his voyage.  But it's pretty much just watching a very strange characters weird voyage.

I wouldn't somewhat recommend people watching this.  It's not a must see by any means but it's not a bad movie either.

Wreck-It Ralph

Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix (voice of Jack McBrayer), the "good guy" star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides he's tired of playing the role of a bad guy. He takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he's got what it takes to be a hero. On his quest, he meets the tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch) from the first-person action game Hero's Duty. But it's the feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) from the candy-coated cart racing game, Sugar Rush, whose world is threatened when Ralph accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade. Will Ralph realize his dream and save the day before it's too late?

This movie was alot of fun. I have been disappointed for the most part by animated movies recently. There are few movies that I enjoy more than animated movies that the kids can enjoy and the parents can enjoy just as much. I had very high hopes for this movie and they definitely met them. The story was great and does for video games what Toy Story did for toys in my opninon. Knowing most of the characters and games just made it that much more enjoyable. This is easily Disney's best non-Pixar animated movie in a while.

I would definitely recommend people checking this one out. Kids will love it. The adults taking them will love it. The movie totally met my very high expectations.

Red Dawn

In Red Dawn, an American city awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky. Shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.

For the record - the original Red Dawn was not a great movie in terms of quality. It was however a cult classic for me. So this was one of the million remakes that Hollywood has churned out the last couple of years that made me cringe at the thought of it. So I went in to this movie braced for an intense amount of pain. And to be honest - it wasn't that bad. Whoa. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't good at all, but it wasn't that bad. The part that killed it the most was how atrocious the kid that used to be the fat guy from Drake & Josh was. If that part was an actor with the tiniest shred of acting ability, this movie probably would have been much more digestible. But since every scene had his face looking like Rocky Balboa talking to Adrienne, it just got so beyond annoying every time he was on screen.

I would absolutely not recommend anyone bothering with this one. I went into it with garbage expectations so I deemed the garbage acceptable . . . . . .for garbage.

Playing For Keeps

Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Dennis Quaid star in Playing For Keeps, a romantic comedy about a charming, down-on-his luck former soccer star (Butler) who returns home to put his life back together. Looking for a way to rebuild his relationship with his son, he gets roped into coaching the boy�s soccer team. But his attempts to finally become an "adult" are met with hilarious challenges from the attractive "soccer moms" who pursue him at every turn.

This was a decent but kind of pointless watch. Good characters - but possibly too many of them thrown in to the world of relationships and parenting. It was a little muddled at times but I wasn't bored out of my mind watching it or thinking of other things I could be doing.

Would I recommend it? No. Not because it was bad but at this time of year when there are so many other things that you could be doing - why bother with this? Wait for cable.

Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is the final installment in the franchise and is based on the fourth novel in author Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series. Do you really need more of a synopsis on this one?

The franchise is over. I can go in to great detail reviewing this or I could just save my time. If you love the franchise, you have seen it or will. If you don't - you won't. I read the books and saw the movies. This one was much more tolerable that Part 1 of Breaking Dawn and I was glad that they did a twist at the end that gives much more satisfaction (and a pretty big laugh after realizing it) then the last book did.

Like I said - if you are going to go - you will. If you are not - you won't. No reason for me to recommend whether or not you should.