Guardians of the Galaxy
We've been talking about movies for 20 years. We've been talking about discussing them on the Internet for almost that long. Two opinionated women have fun talking movies.
The point-of-view of The Lone Ranger may be confusing at the start. We start off in the early thirties at a Wild West show, obviously in San Francisco as you can see the Golden Gate Bridge being constructed in the background. A young boy dressed in western garb complete with mask is eyeing the wild west scenarios when he comes across "The Noble Indian in his Native Habitat." It's Tonto, and, as we look past the hundreds of wrinkles piled on one another, Johnny Depp.
There are two Hitchcock films out there -- this is the one with the outstanding cast but weirdly constructed story.
I really like Family Guy, but I don't particularly care for Peter Griffin. I love Stewie and Brian, but Peter goes over my line for decency. Not just over. Puke-fest over.
I first met Karl Urban about 15 years ago, when he was a virtually unknown actor from New Zealand. I soon found out, though, that the guy took chances on stage. I saw him do impressions, mostly of Elvis, and strip down to his shorts. Just to entertain us.
If you read all the news about The Hobbit, Peter Jackson's take on a small children's tale, you'll know that much has been added to the book to make it a trilogy. Yes, we're in The Lord of the Rings territory now, with the capabilities of expanded versions and 3D trolls and... oops, no spoilers, eh?
There's something quite special about discovering a small film, a movie that none of your friends have mentioned, whose ads don't blow away the newspaper pages. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those films. I must say, however, I've read many a quick review, which has told me this is definitely a film to see. There's even some veiled Oscar talk. Small films like this don't get their actors nominated, but this brilliant screenplay (by Stephen Chbosky, based on a novel by Chbosky) might force a second look. And, as to the acting, it's really superb. The Academy might reconsider its guidelines. We first see Charlie when he's about to go to high school for the first time. You learn almost immediately that Charlie hasn't been to school because he's been in a hospital. Knowing no one, this introvert goes about trying to find his way through the hell of high school, and tries to make friends. With a little bit of effort on his part, he finds one in Patrick (Ezra Miller), and through Patrick's connections, Sam (the all-grown-up-Hermione from Harry Potter, Emma Watson). One of the great parts about this film is that we follow all three characters, not just Charlie, and each has moments that reveal. Most of these moments are quite painful but quite real. You may recognize yourself in one of these lives. A nice little perk is the appearance, albeit short, of Paul Rudd as one of Charlie's teachers. Thumb's up.
I saw my first James Bond movie in 1962. Every Saturday I would go to the Village Theatre in Coronado for the matinee, never having any idea what was showing. I would just go, get my Flicks and a Coke, and sit down. I saw a lot of turkeys, as you can imagine, but I also saw some gems like Wizard of Oz ("What?! A black and white movie?!) and Dr. No. Skyfall is as good as those early Bond films, if not better. And better than the first two Craig Bond films, if I may. Casino Royale was awfully good, showing us a young, untried Bond killing his first spy. Quantum of Solace was as much a mystery as the title. Skyfall, although its title is a mystery, is a perfect gem, and the meaning of the title is eventually revealed. Our Bond is self-assured in this third version, although he still has his issues. He apparently has an orphan issue, as this movie reveals, and it's through his relationship with M (played stunningly by Judi Dench) that we learn about this. M has a few issues, too, and it's great fun to get a tease of her history with MI6. Javier Bardem is our laughing hero this time, and although he's quite colorful (and rather persistent), he's kind of a retread of so many other villains in, if not Bond history, comic book history. In fact, think Joker Light and you'll be there. I highly recommend Skyfall. It's not only entertaining, it will stay with you days if not weeks later. Thumb's up.