Holiday Affair (1949)

3/5

Holiday Affair is a sentimental Hollywood holiday story with enough cute kids and Christmas cheer to pull at your heartstrings and make you swoon. Janet Leigh plays an indiscreet "comparison shopper" who gets caught by a kind and generous salesman named Steve (Mitchum) when she tries to return a toy train set the day after she buys it. Instead of turning her in, Steve gives her a pass and ends up getting fired. He quickly falls in love with her and her young son (Gebert), but soon discovers that she's already engaged to a perfectly adequate lawyer named Carl (Corey) with plans to get married several days later on New Year's.

The movie is fairly straightforward with a very simple premise: how will these two lovebirds end up together? But it challenges us to find a solution to the love triangle and it somehow surprises us with the only solution possible. It seems to hurdle toward an impossibility, but deftly twists around the curve at a steady pace. Just thinking about it makes me smile even now. It's not the best shot, the best edited, or the best acted movie of its day. Not even close. But its story has charm and its actors have electricity. And while it's an enjoyable enough holiday movie, I'm not sure it's good enough to make the yearly Christmas roster.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041473/

The Heat (2013)

4/5

The Heat tells the odd-couple story of an uptight FBI agent (Bullock) who is forced to work with a crude, plainclothes Boston cop (McCarthy) to take down a druglord. I had extremely low expectations going in, but I came away extremely impressed. I blame the trailers, which advertised it as a simplistic, family-friendly PG-13 cop movie starring Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock in silly situations and always-hilarious Melissa McCarthy telling tame jokes. It is not. It's a delightfully R-rated, profane, and ribald buddy comedy version of Bridesmaids, with some added action elements and even more irreverence. I loved it! Bullock and McCarthy have an incredible chemistry together that brings out the heart beneath the humor. I can give it no greater compliment than to say I laughed my heart out the whole time and enjoyed every minute of it. And I hope to see it again.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404463/

The Sunset Limited (2011)

3/5

Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited, as adapted by Tommy Lee Jones, is an interesting story. White (Jones) is a retired professor who attempts suicide by jumping in front of the titular train. Black (Jackson) is an ex-convict who rescues White from death and brings him back to his apartment. And that's where the movie begins, as they start to talk. It retells the age-old battle between cynicism and hope, atheism and religion. Everything up until the ending seems tried and true, an ancient cliché, but it brings it to a close in a way that seems novel and intriguing.

The cinematography is surprisingly inventive and entertaining, despite taking place in a single room in real time. The editing keeps the pacing tight and, as far as directing goes, Jones does an expert job. But the problem with the movie is that it's overly-talky. I wouldn't expect anything less from Cormac McCarthy, but it's a little excessive in a film. What reads well doesn't always screen well. That is really the problem with The Sunset Limited. Although his technical feats are much appreciated, I would have hoped Jones could have adapted it a little bit better.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1510938/

Monsters University (2013)

4/5

Monsters University, the prequel to Monsters Inc., is another impressive installment in Pixar's already phenomenal canon. It tells the story of the unlikely meeting between Mike Wazowski (Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (Goodman) in the scare academy. Like the best prequels, it deepens our love for each character, enriching their personalities and unveiling their motivations. We learn how they got to where they are today, what obstacles they had to overcome, what imperfections they had to live with, what prejudices they had to endure. They become more compelling than ever before and so we treasure our time with them.

The story and animation are both absolutely charming. The pacing is spot-on, shifting from comedy to excitement to sentiment with seeming ease. It is a delight to watch and it will leave you grinning with glee. Part of what makes Monsters University so good is how good Monsters Inc. is, knowing how it all ends. And now that we have Monsters University to enjoy, Monsters Inc. becomes that much better too!

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1453405/

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

4/5

Catching Fire, the second in Collins's dystopian series, delivers another extremely faithful adaptation. Like the book it's based on, Catching Fire is better than The Hunger Games. Ironically, watching this movie made me realize how bad the first one was. It probably deserved a 3/5, but I must have given it an extra 1 star because of my fondness for the book. Catching Fire, however, is more exciting and action-packed--with less of the morally-reprehensible kids-killing-kids storyline--than the first one. I probably would have enjoyed the movie even more if I weren't so tired going in, and I even nodded off a few times in the first half of the movie, but it maintained a perfectly tight pace in the second half.

The acting by all parties is surprisingly adept. Although by no means Oscar-worthy, Lawrence, Hutcherson, and Claflin all do their job at evoking emotions and making you care about them. You care not only that they survive the games but also that they satisfy their hearts' desires. The real treasure is the directing itself, which combines emotion, mystery, and action effortlessly. The script is taut and the editing lean. Although the runtime is well over 2 hours, it doesn't feel like there are any extraneous or wasted scenes (which litter the first one in an attempt to be "faithful" to the source material). It stands on its own as a good movie, independent of the phenomenon that is The Hunger Games. For anyone who enjoyed the books, this is an easy recommendation. I only wish the next one wasn't split into two parts.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951264/

Movie 43 (2013)

1/5

Movie 43 is an abomination of filmmaking. It is an offensive assault on the senses for 90 straight minutes. This thing--which I refuse to call a movie--is a collection of unrelated images and scenarios designed to disgust and disturb. It is the kind of thing created for reaction videos, with no inherent value. From neck testicles to cartoon cat masturbation fantasies, from parental abuse and incest to graphic leprechaun violence, from gratuitous nudity to yellowface surgery, there is no line it won't cross. I'm disappointed that so many quality actors have sullied their names by taking part in this evil transgression of cinema, this shameful plague of a thing. It makes me shudder just thinking about it. Ugh.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1333125/

About Time (2013)

4.9/5

About Time is billed as a romantic comedy in the same vein as Notting Hill and Love Actually (appropriately so, since they were all written and directed by Richard Curtis). And while it is a remarkably affecting and effective romantic comedy, it is so much more than that. Curtis spends equal amounts of time on romantic love and familial love, on joy and sorrow, on birth and death. It is a grand opera, with equal parts comedy and tragedy, but it never loses sight of the individual. It captures life's little moments, as experienced by a hopeless romantic, and lets us treasure them.

On his 21st birthday, Tim (Gleeson) is told by his father (Nighy) that he has the ability to travel back in time. After a chance meeting with Mary (McAdams), he believes he has found true love. But he later undoes the entire encounter by accident when trying to fix another friend's problem. And so he begins to understand the true nature and the dramatic consequences of his newfound power.

Domhnall Gleeson is absolutely astonishing, bringing an instant charm and vulnerability to the screen. He is the beating heart of the movie and he knocks it out of the park. Rachel McAdams is, most surprisingly, the frumpiest she's ever been in a movie--and she plays it extraordinarily well. I cannot think of a more comforting or attractive version of her than in this movie. Nighy shows his veteran chops, being both stoic and drained, loving and firm. His life story is written in his small actions, his posture, his tone. The cast has an extraordinary chemistry that is nearly impossible to replicate. This movie must have been as magical to make as it feels to watch.

About Time is a whirlwind of emotion. It yanks at the heartstrings in just the right amounts, without feeling melodramatic or manipulative. There is a rare humanity that ebbs beneath every scene and fills the movie with empathy. This is about love, about growing up, about changing but being true to yourself. There are some sappy parts, for sure, and parts that defy the movie's own time travel logic, but they never hamper your enjoyment of the film. It's a movie made for the gut, not the head, and it hits its mark perfectly. About Time is a special movie and one that I plan on enjoying again and again.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194499/

Iron Man 3 (2013)

4/5

Iron Man 3 was better than I thought it would be. After my disappointment with the second one, I was worried that this one would be even worse. Luckily, it managed to elicit enough thrills and laughs during its 2-hour runtime to keep a smile on my face. The pacing had enough momentum to keep me intrigued and on the edge of my seat. The action was well-filmed, keeping us involved in what was happening but far enough away so we could actually tell what was going on. And the characters were... well, they were comic book characters, let's be honest. They're not all that complex or developed, and they're not meant to be. But it's easy to accept. I think my least favorite part of the movie was the heinous voice-over that bookended the film. Although it kind of felt like the stylings of a comic book, it was wholly unnecessary in a movie. All in all, not the worst of the bunch, but definitely not as fresh and exciting as the first one. It's a no-brainer if you enjoy the series already, but it lacks much of the creativity and innovation that made this superhero series so engaging in the first place.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1300854/

Mud (2012)

4/5

Mud is essentially a coming-of-age tale hidden within a character study wrapped in a crime thriller. One fateful morning, Ellis (Sheridan) and Neckbone (Lofland) meet a mysterious stranger with crosses under his boots and a gun tucked into his pants who calls himself Mud (McConaughey). Ellis cautiously helps Mud get food and supplies so that he can flee the people chasing him, but soon finds himself getting in way over his head. As the danger mounts and he gets deeper and deeper into trouble, Ellis discovers that Mud may not be who he thinks he is.

Mud is a uniquely American movie, although not because of its setting or vernacular. It projects universal ideas, but does it with an American ethos and sensibility: the loneliness of rejection, the guilt of parents' divorce, the hurt of being lied to. It echoes an honesty and authenticity that is rare in modern film, but it's ultimately unsatisfying. The resolution at the end, while exciting and stimulating, feels a little barebones. It supplants emotional truth with a gunfight, it forgoes maturation and change for a protection borne of necessity, and it wraps up way too many threads into what ends up being one very eventful night for our protagonist. But it tries so hard to be something so good that it is hard not to give it credit. It's a wonderful film with big ideas that doesn't quite meet its own lofty ambitions.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/

Captain Phillips (2013)

4.9/5

Paul Greengrass's Captain Phillips is a superbly-crafted thriller. Based on a true story (similar to his previous work United 93), it somehow manages to keep you in suspense, on the edge of your seat in anticipation, uncertain of its conclusion. The movie follows the titular character, in a stellar turn by Tom Hanks, as his boat gets attacked by Somali pirates. I won't give away any more details in the hopes that you get to enjoy all the surprises from the very beginning, but suffice it to say the entire 2 hours are enthralling. You will exit the theater with white knuckles from gripping the armrests so hard.

Owning the Shakicam documentary-style footage (which I tend not to be a fan of in general), Greengrass provides an authentic texture to his film. It put us in the action without making us nauseated. And nothing feels staged or scripted (except for the car ride in the first 5 minutes of the movie). We are swept along, in seeming real-time, as the terrifying, bewildering events unfold. Hanks gives a spectacular performance, running the gamut of emotions, allowing us insight into his ingenuity, courage, and humanity. Although we only see his character for several hours, we understand his whole being, every aspect of what makes him the man that he is. That is no small feat, but Hanks makes it seem natural, expected, easy.

I watched the closing credits still reeling, vividly aware of the magic that had been created on screen and shared with the world. I was awash with sundry sensations: relief, pride, anger, hope. It took me several minutes for my pulse to normalize, to digest everything I had just witnessed. And I remained in awe even after that, because it is simply that good. Captain Phillips is a stunning example of why we go to the movies.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109/