A funny boy-meets-girl movie that primarily takes place over the course of a full day. Without giving too much away, it’s about two women striking up a conversation with one of them unwittingly becoming a matchmaker. The consequences are hilarious and lead to a bunch of amusing scenes. The movie stars Simon Pegg, who plays a 40-year-old man trying to reconcile his feelings of loss over his divorce, and Lake Bell, who plays a socially awkward 34-year-old woman. She’s become cynical about romance because of compounded past hurts.
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movie review
Dragon Blade (a movie review)
This is an epic film with emotional tugs, a good storyline, and martial arts and swordplay action aplenty. The movie is inspired by true events during the Han Dynasty in China, although to what extent history actually evolved as depicted is unclear. However, it makes for a good story about an elite corps of Roman soldiers led by General Lucius, played by John Cusack, traveling through a popular trade route of that era. Known as the Silk Road, the area is protected by a small group of Asian pacifists led by Huo An, played by Jackie Chan. Both Lucius and Huo An cross paths and start out as adversaries. As they spar one-on-one in the desert, a fast-moving sandstorm forces Lucius to accept Huo An’s offer to stop fighting and agree to his invitation to stay at the city Huo An is in the midst of rebuilding.
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Bone Tomahawk (a movie review)
This is a Western film with some graphic scenes and dialogue that make you think it’s from that golden era. The pace feels right and the acting is great from the likes of Kurt Russell, the town sheriff; Patrick Wilson, a husband hobbled from an accident; Robert Jenkins, the deputy back-up; and Matthew Fox, a man you wouldn’t expect had so many Indian kills.
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The End of the Tour (a movie review)
I didn’t read the non-fiction book, Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, on which this movie is based, but The End of The Tour is an enjoyable film that stars Jason Segel as the legendary author David Foster Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg as journalist and fellow writer David Lipsky. The movie begins in 2008 with Lipsky receiving disturbing news about Wallace. I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with either or both of these writers, but I don’t want to spoil anything. So, let’s just say the news Lipsky receives has him thinking back to his experience interviewing Wallace 12 years previously.
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American Heist (a movie review)
The acting is good by Adrien Brody, who plays big brother Frankie to Hayden Christensen’s James/Jimmy, but the lines and story could be better. The movie is about two brothers with conflicting goals. Frankie, who just gets released from prison after 10 years of serving, has to pay a favor that requires stealing from a bank. As much as Frankie keeps declaring his love for his brother, he gets James involved in the heist. Continue reading
Good Kill (a movie review)
This is a look at the frustrated and conflicted life of a pilot, played by Ethan Hawke, who sits thousands of miles from war in a station in the Las Vegas desert. He works out of an over-sized metal box which inside looks like a cockpit. He works with a co-pilot and their job is to control drones that target selected sites, persons, or groups, depending what their intel tells them to do. A good kill is when they hit efficiently and quickly strike the enemy. Continue reading
Just Before I Go (a movie review)
I didn’t pay attention to the credits until after the movie is over; only then did I see that Courtney Cox of Friends’ fame is the director. Her former husband, David Arquette, plays a small role here as a father of five children and a husband to a woman, who temporarily loses herself with the movie’s main character, Ted Morgan, played by Seann William Scott. Continue reading
Love & Mercy (a movie review)
This is one of the better biopics I’ve seen. I’ve always enjoyed the Beach Boys’ tunes, but I didn’t realize how Brian Wilson’s genius was an important influencing factor for much of the music industry’s ingenuity for late ‘60s and early ‘70s rock and roll. In fact, there’s a strong case to be made that Brian Wilson’s greatness is right up there alongside John and Sir Paul of the Beatles. Uh-oh. I will now step back to talking about the film, Love & Mercy. Well edited and well produced. You get a good feel for how Brian Wilson spirals down and tries to make sense of what’s going on in his head. Continue reading
Cinderella (a movie review)
This take on the fairy tale classic is directed by Kenneth Branagh, with Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother. Although there have been so many versions of Cinderella out there, this additional Disney-produced film is still wonderful. I like fairy tales in general. I’ve read practically all of them, including those retold in various ways from different countries. They do say something about our human nature, the universal need to romanticize a good story, and — at least for a little while — escape from reality. Continue reading
Out of the Dark (a movie review)
This is a haunting tale about an American couple with a five-year-old daughter who becomes mysteriously ill. The movie begins with the family driving through a small Colombian town to visit with the wife’s father, who has a long-established paper mill business there. The father, played by Stephen Rea, suddenly needs help running the business, so his daughter, played by Julia Stiles, takes her husband (played by Scott Speedman) and their daughter abroad to help out. Not too long after they settle into a large country estate owned by the father, strange things start happening, beginning with their daughter who gets into a little accident and then becomes sick. Meanwhile, deformed looking children dart here and there during the night as the parents hear strange noises. The film is a “ghoul movie” because ghoulish looking children will suddenly pop up during creepy moments. It is somewhat reminiscent of the horror movie, The Ring.
At the end of the story, just before all the credits, there is reference to a site that invites you to learn more about real-life hauntings: takepart.com. Going to this site before watching the movie might be a spoiler, but do check it out.
Karina Pinella 
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