The Best Movies and DVDs of 2016 (So Far)!

As I went back through all of the movie reviews I have written so far in 2016 to prepare for this post, I was struck by how many stinkers I actually paid money to go see.  Good thing you have me around to save you from that same fate!

But this post is not about the stinkers. 

This post is about movies I have seen in the theatre or on DVD in 2016 and that you should not miss. 

This post will also serve as a handy dandy list of must sees so that you don't have to go back and read all of my reviews for the year, though you are welcome to if you would like!

So let's get to it.

Here is a list of movies you will really enjoy or that will at least stretch your brain a bit  -- with my usual pithy and sometimes humorous comments.  Click on the title link and it will take you back to my original, full-length review.

Let me know what you think.





The Danish Girl (2016)

Haunting.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Ring, ring.  Is this Mr. Eddie Redmayne?  Oscar calling...again (He was nominated).





Carol (2016)

Rosy the Reviewer says...See it to be transported back to another time and for two great performances.







The Big Short (2016)

Rosy the Reviewer says...an important film that should be required viewing for all Americans.

Truth (2015)

Rosy the Reviewer says...a powerful docudrama every bit as good as "Spotlight."  It's enough to make you stop watching "60 Minutes!"

Room (2015)

Rosy the Reviewer says...Brie Larson's Best Actress Oscar was well-deserved, but this film is also Oscar worthy and needs to be seen.







Bridge of Spies (2015)

 

It's the quiet brilliance of Mark Rylance in his portrayal of Abel that is riveting.  No histrionics, no crying, no screaming, but you can't take your eyes off of him.  His Best Supporting Actor Oscar was well-deserved. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...This film's Oscar nomination for "Best Picture" was also well-deserved because it certainly was one of the best films of the year.





Nothing Left Unsaid (2016)

Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, share their lives with each other.

Rosy the Reviewer says...every mother and child should see this film and then make sure that "nothing is left unsaid."

Legend (2015)

Tom Hardy plays both Krays, the notorious twin brothers who ruled the London gangster scene in the 1960's.

Rosy the Reviewer says...any movie starring Tom Hardy is and adventure and worth seeing.







Jane Got a Gun (2016)

Rosy the Reviewer says...this one is a MUST SEE!  You will thank me.








Where to Invade Next (2015)

Rosy the Reviewer says...a brilliant, thought-provoking (and fun) film.  I loved it so much that I cried.  I can't believe it was not nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary.







Remember (2015)

Rosy the Reviewer says...Christopher Plummer's performance as an elderly man seeking revenge on the guard at Auschwitz who killed his family is astonishing. A movie that is a must-see and one you will never forget.







Son of Saul (2015)

Rosy the Reviewer says...this film is not only one of the best movies I have seen this year, but it's one of the best movies I HAVE EVER SEEN!  It won the Oscar last year for Best Foreign Language Film, which was well-deserved, but it could very well have won Best Picture.  An absolute Must-See!

 

That's it for this week!

 

Thanks for reading!

   

See you Tuesday for

 "Childhood Summers"

  

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Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.

Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). 

Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Once there, click on the link that says "Explore More" on the right side of the screen.  Scroll down to External Reviews and when you get to that page, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list.

NOTE:  On some entries, this has changed.  If you don't see "Explore More" on the right side of the screen, scroll down just below the description of the film in the middle of the page. Click where it says "Critics." Look for "Rosy the Reviewer" on the list.

Or if you are using a mobile device, look for "Critics Reviews." Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."

Why Movies Matter

When one spends a great deal of time doing a particular thing, it is only natural that one would question the importance of it.

You know, we all try to find meaning in life.  So it is no wonder that I question watching movies and writing about them as a meaningful way to spend my time.

But you know what?  It is. 

I wrote about how to "read a film," a couple of years ago.  In that post I talked about all of the elements that make a film great and how those elements help us enjoy films. I believe that understanding what goes into making a film enhances the enjoyment of it.  But that doesn't really constitute why movies matter.  It's much more visceral than that.


Here is why movies matter.



Movies are enjoyable.
Well, most of them are anyway.  And that is why we like to go to the movies and watch them at home.  For 90 minutes or so, we are transported from our daily cares and stresses and allowed into a world we can only dream of.  We can be a soldier in the Civil War ("The Red Badge of Courage") or an adventurer like Indiana Jones or even "The Queen."  Woody Allen had fun exploring this issue of living another life through the movies to comic effect in his wonderful film "The Purple Rose of Cairo."

And you know what?  It's perfectly OK to take a break from reality and enjoy yourself.


Movies create memories.
In that earlier post, "Reading a Film," I spoke about the bonding time I enjoyed with my Dad watching movies.  He was an only child, probably a lonely one, and spent many days and nights at the movies.  Later in life, as a Dad, he took me with him to the movies as my Mother was not particularly interested.  Likewise, he and I would stay up late on the weekends and watch the late movie that would come on every night at 11:30 (remember those?). 

So I have wonderful memories of those nights with my Dad.  My Dad was a softie so when there was a particularly sad scene or happy scene, he would chuckle softly and take out his ever present handkerchief and wipe his eyes, but pretend he was wiping his forehead.

I also remember going to see "Gone With the Wind" for the first time with my Mother when I was five.  Whatever you may feel about "Gone With The Wind" and its stereotypes, it was a powerful film, especially for a 5-year-old.  After seeing that film, I declared I wanted to be an actress, not so much for the "art," but because I wanted to wear Scarlett's clothes (c'mon, I was 5)! 

Seeing it again when I was 12, it was more about kissing Clark Gable!

I also remember at that screening when I was 12, sitting in the theatre waiting for the movie to start and reading the last few pages of the 1037 pages of the book.

Movies create bonds.
We all have our favorite films, movies that particularly affected us either through laughter or shared experience.  When we love a film, we often want to savor it and share it. Think of "Star Wars" fans who dress up as their favorite characters to see the films or at conventions. People get together to bond over their love of that film.  Many a person dressed as Chewbacca has bonded with another dressed as R2D2. 

My daughter and her husband have a particular affinity for "There Will Be Blood" and love to say the lines to each other in Daniel Plainview's voice, Daniel Day-Lewis' character in the film. It's annoying as hell but they enjoy it and bond over it.

Movies explore the human condition.
I once had an argument of sorts with someone (actually an ex-husband which is probably why he's an ex) who said that reading fiction was a waste of time. I couldn't believe it because I felt I had learned so much about life from reading some of the great novels.  Movies are the same.  When we go to the movies we can experience lives that are not our own; we can empathize with people going through things we have never gone through.  And through that, we become better people when we are more understanding of others. 

Movies are cathartic.
Whether it's a two hanky film like "The Notebook" or an inspiring film like "The Theory of Everything," movies make you feel something and allow you to release your emotions.  Nothing like a good cry to get the emotional kinks out and refresh you to face another day of life.

Movies inspire.
I know when I saw my first movies, I was inspired to be an actress and devoted over ten years of my life to that pursuit.  Movies show us lives, jobs, and pursuits we could aspire to.  They also get us fired up about causes and call us to action. They inspire discussion and controversy, all important in a country that reveres free speech.  They remind us of some of our dark history and inspire us not to repeat it.  They inspire us to overcome adversity.  They inspire us to be our best selves.

Movies are meditative.
Since I have retired and decided that I wanted to fulfill my dream of being a movie critic, I have started going back to seeing movies in the theatre.

When movies started coming out on VHS and then DVD and then through all kinds of various media, it seemed there was no real reason to get dressed, comb your hair, and head out into the night to fork over $10-15 to see a movie.  Why do that when you can watch in the comfort of your own home?

But now I know the answer.

Because sitting alone in the dark, just you and the flickering screen, is a sort of meditation.  It is for me, anyway, literally, especially now that I am retired. When I go during the day, I am often the only one there.  For those few hours that I sit in the dark, I am alone with myself and the story.

Which takes me to the reason why you should see a film in the theatre.

It's one of the same reasons why people go to church or join clubs or attend a lecture.


Movies let you tap into the collective consciousness.
You get to be with your fellow humans, all of whom are enjoying the same thing as you.  Sitting in a theatre watching a comedy and hearing others laughing is far more fun than sitting at home laughing all by yourself.  It reminds you that your fellow humans are just like you...human.  And you are a part of that rich fabric (just ignore the kids running up and down the aisles and the person in front of you texting and the kid behind you kicking your seat).

So movies are an important and powerful part of our existence.

I believe I am doing something meaningful and powerful by promoting films.

And if you doubt that power, remember this image - a two-year-old at his first movie.

Now you will have to excuse me, I am off to the movies!

Thanks for Reading!

See you Friday

for my review of the new movie 

"Straight Outta Compton" 

and

The Week in Reviews

(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)

and the latest on

My 1001 Movies I Must See Before

 I Die Project."

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, email it to your friends and LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer

My Top 10 Movie Scenes of All Time: An Invitation I Could Not Resist

Frank, a fellow alum of my alma mater, Kalamazoo College, who is also a Facebook friend and interested in my Friday movie reviews, invited me to come up with "my top ten movie scenes, not necessarily from a top movie."

Well, Frank, thanks for the invitation.  I will RSVP by saying I accept, but it has actually turned into a challenge because right away I came up with almost 20, so paring my list down to the top 10 was indeed a challenge.

And "my top 10" is the catchphrase rather than "best," because this is indeed a subjective list and no doubt there will be controversy. Already Hubby and I have argued about whether I should include Jack Nicholson - the scene in the restaurant in "Five Easy Pieces" or "Here's Johnny" from "The Shining" or "You can't handle the truth!" from "A Few Good Men."

Sorry, Hubby, I have my favorites and you have yours.

So what makes a memorable movie scene?

It's one that speaks to us directly.  It moves us. It makes us cry.  It makes us laugh. It's quotable.  We can't get it out of our minds.

So here they are, not in any particular order, but with my usual cheeky, though trenchant (I hope), comments.


And I invite YOUR comments and what YOU think are the top movie scenes of all time.

 




1. Gone with the Wind (1939) - Frankly my dear...




I read "Gone with the Wind" when I was 12 and I was still reading the last few pages sitting in the theatre as the lights went down and the movie began.  It's difficult to believe there was a time that if you didn't see the movie in the theatre when it came to town, it was lost forever.  No VHS tapes, no DVDs, you couldn't even expect it to turn up on TV.  Must be why I became so obsessed about seeing movies! 

I had actually seen "Gone with the Wind" with my mother when I was five.  I believe it was my first movie memory.  That's when I decided I wanted to be an actress.  No, I hate to say, I didn't want to be an actress at five because I wanted to pursue my art.  I wanted to wear those gorgeous dresses Vivian Leigh wore. 

But seeing "Gone with the Wind" at five is one thing; seeing it at 12 is another thing altogether. I was hooked.  I already thought Clark Gable was a handsome god.  I remember watching the film in the theatre and at the beginning of the movie when we first catch sight of him at the bottom of the stairs, women in the audience literally swooned (and I am using "literally" correctly), well, I did anyway, and when he told Scarlett he didn't give a damn, no matter how much of a bitch Scarlett really was, I wanted them to be together.  I cried my eyes out and made up a happy ending in my mind.  She would think about it tomorrow and being the smart, crafty bitch that she was, SHE WOULD GET HIM BACK!



2. Citizen Kane (1941) - Marriage montage




"A marriage like any other marriage" is how Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotton) described Charles Foster Kane's (Orson Welles) marriage.  Welles directed this film and captured the joy and desire of early marriage through its complete disassociation in a montage of less than four minutes. Brilliant.

"Citizen Kane" is one of my favorite films and is recognized for its many innovations. 

Can you believe "Citizen Kane" was nominated for Best Picture in 1942 and lost to "How Green Was My Valley?"  How green was my what?  Exactly.




3.  A Place in the Sun (1951)-
Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift love scene







I believe Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most beautiful women who ever lived.  Here she is 18 and at the height of her beauty.  Montgomery Clift was also a handsome guy who lost his looks after a horrendous car accident, ironically on his way home from Elizabeth's house.  Her line in this scene "Tell mama" is a classic and the close-ups are about as "juicy" as you can get.

 


4. Dumbo (1941) and his mother




Dumbo's mother didn't like the idea of being separated from her baby so she made a fuss and you know what happens to circus elephants who make a fuss. She was separated from her baby and locked up.  Dumbo is briefly reunited with her.

OK.  I need a minute.

Thanks. I can't watch this without losing it. One of the great all-time mother-child moments.




5.  The Way We Were (1973) -
The last scene





Again, give me a minute. 

Katie (Barbra Streisand) and Hubbell (Robert Redford) meet by chance some years after their divorce.  He is with a woman and Katie, now remarried, invites Hubbell and her to come for a drink, but he declines.  Their meeting again is bittersweet.  Hubbell seems content and Katie has remained true to her political causes. But there is a subtle acknowledgement that Hubbell will never have anyone in his life who believed in him as much as Katie did. When Katie brushes the hair out of his eyes, there is a fleeting memory of "the way they were." 

Ok, hand me a hanky please. This last scene in the film is a real tear-jerker, anyway, but add that iconic theme song and...give me another hanky!




6. Easy Rider (1969) - The Last Scene




It was Christmas break, senior year in college.  My roommate had invited me to spend Christmas with her and her family in Oregon.  I'm not sure I even knew that much about this film before seeing it, but we went to see it at the local theatre there.  I know that I let out a huge scream in the movie theatre and my popcorn went flying when the redneck shot Dennis Hopper. That film illustrated the huge gap between the youth culture and what had gone before and many of us Baby Boomers were never the same after (this film also brought Jack Nicholson to the forefront).


7. Taxi Driver (1976) - You Talkin' to me?




Many critics feel this film is one of the greatest films ever made. Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a unstable Vietnam War veteran who drives a taxi at night. Director Scorsese captures the grittiness of New York City at night and shows Bickles' unraveling in this short iconic scene. Ever since, how many of us have stood in front of the mirror saying "You talkin' to me?"  C'mon, you know you have.  Admit it.


8.  Psycho - The Shower Scene





This is when Hitchcock REALLY started scaring us! Taking a shower has never been the same since!  I have to lock the bathroom door when I take a shower and never take a shower when I am home alone.


9.  No Way Out (1987) - Limo Scene

This scene was so hot I couldn't even find it on YouTube. Suffice it to say...this is when I decided that Kevin Costner was going to be my next husband.

10. Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972) -
Woody Allen as a sperm.







This movie is classic Woody humor. 

I couldn't decide between this scene or "The Fool and the Queen" where Woody plays a court jester in medieval times trying to bed the queen.  He gets impatient and says to her "Before you know it, the Renaissance will be here and we will all be painting."  For some reason, I thought that plus Woody in a jester costume shaking a little jester rattle that looked just like him, glasses and all, was so funny.  However, couldn't find that scene on YouTube so will go with this one, which is equally as funny.  A sperm in training with glasses?  How funny is that? 
 

OK, I know I already have 10 but after you see this clip, you will see that it sometimes has to go to 11.



11.  This is Spinal Tap (1982)-
it goes to 11.



I could have chosen any number of scenes from this hilarious pseudo-documentary about a rock band, but I can't tell you how many times Hubby and I say "it goes to 11," so I had to pick this one. 

If you haven't seen this film it's a must.  It nails the rock band ethos as well as the documentary film genre so well that I remember a couple of friends came home from the film saying they didn't like it.  They didn't think a rock band would really act like that.  They thought it was real!

It also started the whole Christopher Guest satire films ("Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," etc.)


Well, if I had to pick ten (or if it goes to 11), those are my picks.  I am sure they are controversial and you have your own.  If so, share them here.  Let's get a discussion going!

 

Thanks for Reading!

 

See you Friday

for my review of the new movie 

 

"The Age of Adeline" 

and

 

The Week in Reviews

 

(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)

and the latest on

"My 1001 Movies I Must See Before

 I Die Project."

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, email it to your friends and LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer

Movies You Will Never See on an Airplane and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "The Fault in our Stars," steer you away from some less than entertaining DVDs - "Pompeii," "Adult World" and "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" and review a book that will make you at least 10% happier.  Trust me.]

But First

Summer is upon us.  And that is typically the time we make our airline reservations and head out on a wonderful  vacation.

 

Ah, airline travel.  What happened?

 

It used to be cause for dressing up and getting the celebrity treatment.

 

Not anymore.

 

Now you are lucky if you don't end up in the last row of the plane with your head resting on the restroom wall, a screaming toddler in the row ahead of you and a service dog peeing on your leg.

 

The days of using your frequent flyer miles to upgrade to business class are long gone and you can only hope to put your headphones on and watch a couple of movies and forget how cramped you are and that your seatmate has B.O.

 

Speaking of movies on airplanes. 

 

Did you ever notice that you never see movies about airplane accidents when you are traveling on a plane?

 

That is on purpose.

The airline industry may not be sensitive to your comfort needs anymore, but they certainly don't want to show you a movie that might make you stop flying for fear of an accident or worse, your running up and down the aisle yelling "We are going to  crash." 

They leave that to the pilots.

 

If they only knew that some of the movies dedicated to scaring you out of flying are really, really fun, thanks to the overacting of the stars and some really, really good quotes.

 

Let me take you back:

 

 

Snakes on a Plane (2006)

 

 

 

The title is literal.  There are literally snakes on this plane placed there to kill a witness being flown to testify against a mob boss.  Samuel L. Jackson is the FBI Agent who must take on these snakes having hissy fits.

 

See it for Jackson's immortal line: 

(If you are easily offended cover your eyes and ears and move to the sanitized version under the video - but you would be missing a classic movie moment)

"Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane! "

Too good!

 

 

 

 

If your sensibilities are offended by our hero's words here is the edited version as seen on TV, which is equally as funny, though it makes no sense whatsoever:

 

"Enough is enough! I have had it with these monkey fighting snakes on this Monday through Friday plane!"



 

 

Air Force One (1997)
 

 

 

Hijackers seize Air Force One carrying the President and his family and the President must come to the rescue.

 

Who can forget Harrison Ford, as the President, saying to the hijacker (Gary Oldman) in true Presidential fashion straight from the Harrison Ford Gritted Teeth School of Acting as he is beating the crap out of him:  "GET - OFF - MY - PLANE!" 



 Classic!

 

Con Air (1997)

 

 

The prisoners in a prisoner transport plane seize control of the plane.

 

 "Put the bunny back in the box."

 

 

 Classic Nicholas Cage.

Flight (2012)

 

 

If the pilot is going to be drunk, you want him to be a good driver.

"Now, an initial report shows you had alcohol in your system at a level of point-two-four. Now in the good ol' US of A, one of the most lenient drunk driving countries in the world, you go to jail for driving with anything above point oh-eight. And by driving, I mean a car. "

But if he can do this drunk and high, what can he do sober?
 

 

 Hah!

 

Airplane (1980)

 

 

The flight crew gets sick and a former pilot is asked to help fly the plane.  Unfortunately, the former pilot is afraid to fly.  The classic comedy film.

 

Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?

Ted Striker:  Surely you can't be serious.

Rumack: I am serious...and don't call me Shirley.

 

 

This is a comedy, but do you really want to watch this while actually flying in a plane?  Brings up too many "what ifs," don't you think?

What movies do you NOT want to see while flying?

 

Now on to 
 The Week in Reviews

 

***In Theatres Now***

 

 

 The Fault in Our Stars

 

 

Two teens suffering from cancer, Hazel (Shailene Woodley)  and Gus (Ansel Elgort), meet at a cancer support group and fall in love.

Hazel has thyroid cancer and has to take an oxygen tank with her everywhere while Gus has had a leg removed after his bout with cancer.  They bond over their mutual wit and Hazel's favorite book, "An Imperial Affliction," written by an author who has become a recluse in Amsterdam.  Hazel feels the book describes how she feels about her cancer but she wants closure as to the ending of the book - it's ends mid-sentence.  Gus tracks down the author, Peter Van Houten, (Willem Defoe) and arranges for them to travel to Amsterdam to meet him so that Hazel can finally get some answers about the book from the author himself.

Based on the young adult bestselling book of the same name by John Green (The title is inspired from Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, in which Cassius says to Brutus: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings"), it's an unsentimental story of teens and their families dealing with cancer.  Green wanted to show cancer patients as people with all of the same desires and foibles as the rest of us, not some strange species. We see the anguish the parents suffer (Laura Dern and Sam Trammell  - he's from "True Blood" fame - as the most perfect parents I have ever seen), and how Hazel feels responsible for their anguish, something cancer patients, especially young ones, must struggle with.  Young people don't want to upset their parents and dying would be the ultimate pain.

But it's also a story of first love between two exceptional young people and that is the strength of this film.  Woodley and Elgort make an appealing couple and you are rooting for them.

The film is mostly true to the book and captures the relationship between Hazel and Gus, but stumbles with the side story of meeting author Van Houten, who turns out to be a loutish drunk with no interest in answering Hazel's questions about his book.  He plays a key role at the end of both the film and the book, but the film is not able to capture his significance which watered down what should have been a more dramatic end piece.

The Amsterdam locations were fantastic and as an added bonus for me personally, they actually stayed in the same hotel we stayed in the last time we were in Amsterdam (Amsterdam American Hotel, which I highly recommend, by the way).

And I am a sucker for films that glorify reading, especially teens being influenced by books.

We already know that Shailene Woodley is an acting wunderkind, but the wonder here is Ansel Elgort, who played Woodley's brother in "Divergent."  He glows on screen, and I predict is going to be the next big thing. Every time the camera hovered over him the teenage girls in the audience swooned.  So did I. Move over, Chris Hemsworth.  My loyalty to you as my favorite young, hunky actor might be shifting.

Rosy the Reviewer says...I judge comedies on whether or not I laugh, and I judge tearjerkers on whether or not I cry.  I was moved, but I didn't cry, but from the sniffling I heard from the teenage girls who filled the theatre, it's a hit.

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

And Some You Should Be Glad You Did

(I see the bad ones so you don't have to)

 

Pompeii (2014)

 

 

A slave turned gladiator finds himself fighting for his life not only against other gladiators but a volcano.

 

Kit Harington (who you may recognize from "Game of Thrones") as Milo and Emily Browning as Cassia are the only good things about this movie.  They are lovely to look at, their acting is fine and they make engaging characters, but the script and production values here are terrible and let them down.  And Kiefer Sutherland as the bad guy, Corvus.  Oy vey.  I haven't seen one dimensional acting like that since Captain Hook in the Disney version of "Peter Pan."

 

This movie was available in 3-D, so I wonder if that would have saved it, but not sure 3D can save bad special effects, such as exploding fire pots standing in for a volcano erupting.  It looked like a bad magic act on "America's Got Talent." It was cheesy and not scary at all.

 

Are we supposed to believe a person can outrun a tsunami?  Are we supposed to believe that our hero beat up 10 other gladiators without breaking a sweat, but almost gets killed in a slap down with an aging Keifer Sutherland?  It was that kind of movie.  I can suspend disbelief, but not all brain function entirely.

 

And whatever happened to the whole thing with Pompei where the volcanic ash came down so quickly everyone was stopped in their tracks - whole families were found frozen around their dinner tables, etc?  Well, not here.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says... I can't really compare this to anything, because I haven't seen a movie this bad in quite some time.  But if forced to, think of it as a really bad "Towering Inferno."  It's bloody awful and has earned a place on my "Worst Films of 2014" list.

 

Adult World (2013)

 

Amy (Emma Roberts) fancies herself a great poet and is obsessed with poet Rat Billings (John Cusack), but just out of college, she can't find a job except in a sex shop called "Adult World."

"Adult World" is pretty obviously a metaphor for the adulthood that Amy needs to grow into. She lives at home, can't find a job and doesn't really want one.  She just wants to be a great poet like her idol, Rat Billings.  Through disappointments and the unmasking of her hero, she is able to do that but it is slow going. 

This is the second movie I have seen this week where a young woman glorifies a writer and is disillusioned by the reality.  See "The Fault in Our Stars" for a similar story line (see my review above). 

Emma Roberts, Eric's daughter and Julia's niece, who also stars in "American Horror Story,"  is an appealing actress but her character in this film is not.  Amy is annoying so it's difficult to get into her journey to adulthood.

Evan Peters, who plays Alex, Amy's co-worker, also stars with Roberts in "American Horror Story" and is an appealing young actor we will  be seeing more of.

But what is with John Cusack these days?  Here he is chewing the scenery as the poet Amy is obsessed with and acting like he would want to be anywhere  but in this movie.  Likewise, what was he doing in "Grand Piano," which I reviewed last week?  Can't he headline a film anymore?  What happened to the guy we loved in "High Fidelity" and "Being John Malcovich?"  I am glad he is working, but he seems to have lost the ability to choose good movies and roles.

 Rosy the Reviewer says...I love films with books and writers as the storyline, but I can't recommend this one.  "The Fault in our Stars" did it better.

 

Jack Ryan:  Shadow Recruit (2014)

 

 

Jack Ryan is back as a young covert CIA analyst who uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.

I am starting to get a complex about spy and espionage movies.  I never seem to know what's going on.  Am I not smart enough to follow these intricate plots?  Well, maybe not, but something else to consider is maybe the script and the movie just aren't very good.  And that is the problem here.

Chris Pine plays a young version of Jack Ryan, a Tom Clancy character who has been played in the past by Alec Baldwin ("The Hunt for Red October"), Harrison Ford ("Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger") and Ben Affleck ("Sum of all Fears"), and he is handsome and convincing.  I have no problem with him or my always and forever crush Kevin Costner as William Harper, a CIA guy who pulls our hero from his job as as CIA financial analyst into a full-blown CIA operative. 

Keira Knightly is also OK acting wise, but I find her pretty only when she keeps her mouth closed.  When she opens her mouth, there is something about her teeth that makes her look like a Simpsons character (I don't think I have ever gotten over her version of hysteria in "A Dangerous Method (2011)" where she played it almost entirely with her mouth open in a silent scream.  Speaking of which, she did actually look like Edvard Munch's "The Scream.")

In addition to the meandering plot, there are also some other issues such as the scene where Jack takes out a huge bodyguard.  I had to ask myself:  Jack was a financial analyst for the CIA before being pulled into this caper.  When did he get the basic training to be a bad ass killer of someone three times his size? 

But all minor details if the film was any good and it wasn't. 

Kenneth Branagh, who directed and also starred as the villain is indeed a baddy.  But it would be nice if some of these villains would be more than one dimensional cartoon characters.  Think Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List."  Now there was a villain.  He was three dimensional, had feelings, but still did evil.  And as for Branagh, did you ever notice he has no lips?

Rosy the Reviewer says...Love Chris Pine and Kevin Costner.  The film not so much.  See it if it's a slow night and you absolutely have a craving for Jack Ryan.  Otherwise, you haven't missed anything.

 

 

***Book of the Week***

 

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works - A True Story by Dan Harris (2014)
 

 

 

Dan Harris is the co-anchor of Nightline and the weekend editions of Good Morning America and regularly reports for 20/20.  After a massive panic attack on air, he decided his high powered career and lifestyle choices needed a tune-up, so he started investigating meditation.

 

I posted a blog recently on how meditation has helped me and now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.  Just kidding.  But it's fun to see how even the highly successful need to tune in to their true selves and practice mindfulness to appreciate what it means to be truly alive.

 

He says, "Mindfulness is an inborn trait, a birthright.  It is...what makes us human...We can do more than just think; we also have the power simply to be aware of things--without judgment, without ego...You can be mindful of the pressure in your bladder telling you it's time to pee, but [then] you think about whether the frequency of your urination means you're getting old and need a prostate exam.  There's a difference between the raw sensations we experience and the mental spinning we do in reaction to said stimuli."

 

He goes on to talk about his stint in a meditation retreat and shares an acronym for practicing mindfulness:  RAIN. Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Non-Identification.  Basically you acknowledge or recognize a feeling or thought, you allow it or just let it be.  Then you check out how it's making your body feel and then you see that, for example, you are experiencing anger but your anger does not make you an angry person.  It is a fleeting state of mind (similar to the Siberian North Railroad mnemonic I talked about in my meditation blog: Stop, Breathe, Notice, Reflect, Respond - good steps for dealing with stress and triggers).

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...This is a funny memoir as well as an aha moment for Harris, and if you are interested in meditation and mindfulness, it is an easy start and might just be an aha moment for you.

 

 

That's it for this week.

 

See you Tuesday

where I admit I was wrong about something.

 

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