Much Needed Blog Update

Hello Loyal Reader(s)!

Seeing as how my last post and last review were months ago, it was certainly time to update you on the site’s status.

Here’s the deal: it’s not ending. Not a chance. I love movies too much, I love seeing them in theaters, ranking them, and writing about them. So this isn’t the end of Your Unqualified Review, but merely a long break that I’ve been taking.

Due to family issues, things I needed to take care of in my personal life, and moving to Philadelphia, I haven’t had much time at all to write anything I’ve wanted to, including movie reviews or updating this site at all. Also, there haven’t really been any movies I’ve been driven to see in 2013!

So, here’s to hoping the site gets completely updated soon enough, and that I make it out to the theaters for something good real, real soon! With the summer months approaching, I wouldn’t worry about it

- Aaron

My Final Top 10 of 2012!

Looking back at 2012, it actually turned out to be pretty decent. As usual, there’s some summer blockbusters in there (including the top spot), but movies that came out in the later months of the year ruled the list. Here is my top 10 list of movies I saw this past year:

1.  THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - review

2.  END OF WATCH - review

3.  SKYFALL - review

4.  ARGO - review

5.  SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK - review

6.  ZERO DARK THIRTY - review

7.  21 JUMP STREET - review

8.  LOOPER - review

9.  PROMETHEUS - review

10.  THIS IS 40 - review

 

Review: Zero Dark Thirty

The raid itself wasn’t the only tension filled, intriguing time of the film; the acting during the decade long manhunt for Bin Laden was terrific. (Columbia Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

I can only begin to imagine the difficulty in making a movie about a decade long manhunt for Osama Bin Laden. And furthermore, I can only begin to imagine the difficulty in creating a movie that elicits such strong emotion for so many reasons. Director Kathryn Bigelow put together a two and a half hour, astonishingly authentic feeling film about the last ten or so years, and the United States’ search for the most powerful terrorist in the world. With intense action, tremendous acting, and an extremely smart and well-done plot and story, Zero Dark Thirty is a pulse-pounding trip with one hell of an ending.

From the moment this movie came out, it was under constant fire, as senators and other military leaders were calling on Hollywood to take the film down because of the falsehoods shown in the torture scenes. There were accusations that other elements were untrue or partly true, and that they didn’t want the public to remember false information of what really happened. Now, I’ll never know exactly what happened to terror detainees, and neither will anyone else. That’s the kind of information that’s sealed and stored away for the rest of time. I, and everyone else, will also never, ever, know what the raid was exactly like. Sure, one of the Seal Team members published a book (which apparently he shouldn’t have), but who knows what’s distorted information and what isn’t?

What I can say is this – from what I was able to watch on the screen, and the intensity and abundance of information surrounding this manhunt, it came across as real, as true, and as gripping as can be. From that perspective alone, it was chilling during the torture scenes, as Bigelow and crew let it all go, creating uncomfortable and ferocious memorable moments. The acting as noted, was very, very good. Jessica Chastain, who oversaw so much of what happened leading up to the raid, was outstanding. She played each moment extremely well, reserved and haunted initially, and comfortable and exhausted as the movie progressed. There is a scene when she confronts her boss, played by Kyle Chandler, where she “earned” my belief that her Golden Globe win is justified.

As for the raid itself, all you really need to know is that it will leave you open-mouthed and wide-eyed for the entire last half hour of the movie. With ten years plus leading up to this moment, and everything witnessed in the film culminating with one event, it surely doesn’t disappoint. Tastefully done, not showing gruesome violence, but rather the tactical precision and tension of the Seal Team, it’s a wonder to watch. As was the case entirely with Zero Dark Thirty.

ZERO DARK THIRTY:    (out of 4)

Review: Django Unchained

Christoph Waltz gives yet another incredible performance in this bloody, fun ride from Tarantino. (The Weinstein Company/aceshowbiz.com)

I think I may have written this exact same sentiment a few years ago to begin a review: I’ve never been a big Tarantino fan at all. I wrote that to begin my review of Inglorious Basterds, which turned out to be so surprising that it became one of my favorite movies of the year. The classic Jews getting to kill Nazis over and over story…what’s not to like? Fast forward a few years later, and we have another vengeance or payback story, this time in the deep south of the U.S., as a slave and bounty hunter team up for quite the interesting ride.

Christoph Waltz, the “dentist” and bounty hunter, releases the slave Django, played by Jamie Foxx, and together they become a plantation killing duo. Traveling miles and miles to take down men with prices on their heads, and eventually realizing they have the opportunity to get Django’s wife back. It’s a fun, original story that I think nobody but Tarantino could piece together quite as well, but it does fall off a bit in the last half hour. Upon meeting Calvin Candie, played by DiCaprio, the movie becomes extremely entertaining. But once Candie is no longer part of the central story, the ending sort of tailed off in a less interesting and inspired way.

This bloody fun can be attributed to good storytelling, but the movie as a whole wasn’t quite as good as Basterds. There’s no doubt it was enjoyable, but it never captured me completely and cemented itself as a great film. With that said, as was the case in the last movie, the acting performances made this movie what it was. Waltz, already an Oscar winner, should have a fine chance at landing another statue, after this go around. Foxx was good, DiCaprio as usual was good, and the rest of the characters fell into place quite well. But I really can’t say enough about Christoph Waltz…the man is incredible. When he was on-screen, you’re completely captured and involved in everything little thing he says and does.

 

DJANGO UNCHAINED:    (out of 4)

Review: This is 40

Paul Rudd and co. gave a good performance in Judd Apatow’s latest look on life. (Universal Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

Well, I had been waiting for this movie for a long time, and as a loyal Judd Apatow fan, I can say that it was much better than Funny People, wasn’t as good as Knocked Up or 40 Year Old Virgin, and didn’t quite meet the expectations I had. Now granted, my expectations were pretty lofty, but perhaps the running time was a bit long, and maybe there wasn’t enough humor throughout. With that said, this was a good (but not great) comedy/drama from one of my favorite directors and cast of characters out there.

The movie centered around the lovely and dysfunctional couple of Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann that we were introduced to back in Knocked Up. You remember, the wife barging in on a fantasy baseball live draft, crying because he went to see Spider-Man 3 by himself? For the brief moments they were on-screen in Knocked Up, they were more funny than anything else. But given a movie completely dedicated to their marriage, their children, and their lives, everything became a little less funny and a lot more realistic and sort of sad. I wouldn’t even say that this is a comedy (although I guess you have to put it in some category), and more a real-life look at the strains of a relationship and the bumps on the road as you grow older. It was moving at times, and the characters were such large personalities and fun personalities at times, that you can’t help but care what happens.

Now I shouldn’t make the mistake of saying there’s no humor in this movie, because that’s quite untrue. While it was far less funny than Knocked Up, and didn’t have nearly as many laughs per minute, there was still an abundance of laugh-out-loud scenes. A movie with Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy, Albert Brooks, Chris O’Down and more? Yup, that means you’re going to be laughing. I’d have to say that one of the biggest surprises, a very pleasant one at that, were Iris and Maude Apatow as the two girls of Rudd and Mann. All grown up, sort of, since their last on-screen appearance, they add a cute but very honest humor to This is 40.

 

THIS IS 40: 

 

 (out of 4)

 

 

Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Wonderful effects and scenery couldn’t make up for a plot lacking in substance, or characters you don’t quite care about. (Warner Bros/aceshowbiz.com)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a masterpiece not solely because of the jaw-dropping effects and scenery, but because of the story and the characters that wrapped you up and drew you in with wonder and excitement. The movies developed people you cared about and were intrigued by, and a plot that managed to keep you on the edge of your seat (despite knowing the ending) for three years as they hit theaters one by one. The first of the prequels - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey looks as magical as Lord of the Rings did. But it lacked just about everything else that made the original trilogy so special.

To focus on the positives first: the scenery is once again, magnificent. The effects are once again, quite awesome. It’s not a huge surprise the budget is reported close to $200 million. I had no problem being in awe of dragons and dwarf cities and everything in between. The Shire, even though its only seen for a brief while in this movie, is such a contrast from other parts of the movie that it stands out as even more beautiful. The action scenes as well, were extraordinary.

But that’s where it stopped for me. That’s where the magic ended, unfortunately. There wasn’t a single character in this movie that I cared about, became invested in, or liked a great deal. That’s not to say they were bad or stupid characters, but there’s no Aragorn, no Frodo or Sam, and others which you really learned to love (or hate) in the other films. The plot was a huge problem as well. And while I know the books were apparently written as children’s stories (and yes, I have the cartoon version of the Hobbit somewhere on VHS), it just sort of fell flat for me. With Lord of the Rings, there was an end goal, there was something or somewhere you knew of that had to be done or had to be reached. This movie kind of just went on, and on, and…..on. For about an hour too long.

It’s quite a shame that this first Hobbit movie didn’t come close to meeting my expectations or the (high) standards set by its predecessors. But, knowing its a trilogy of its own, I can hope that the movies do progressively get better.

 

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY:   (out of 4)

Review: Silver Linings Playbook

Outstanding acting performances by Cooper and Lawrence, among others, made this Philly story a wonderful hit. (The Weinstein Company’s/aceshowbiz.com)

I never thought a movie centered in Philadelphia, with a lot of it based around the Philadelphia Eagles, would turn out to as heartwarming and rewarding as Silver Linings Playbook turned out to be. Let’s face it: my hometown doesn’t get a good rep. That aside, this story of two people each struggling with mental illness issues, coming together and finding family and happiness through immense struggle and grief, was truly enjoyable.

The biggest and best part of the movie was the acting, much like it was in David O. Russell’s last incredible picture “The Fighter”, which also centered around a dysfunctional family. What struck me as incredible in this one was the lead – Bradley Cooper. Not really known for “acting” as much as just being in movies as the good-looking one, he delivered a shockingly good performance of a young man with undiagnosed bi-polar disorder. Cast alongside Jennifer Lawrence, who was amazing in her own right, and the legend Robert De Niro who threw in an Oscar nomination caliber performance (his best in…years?) as well.

Mental illness is a touchy and tricky subject to make a movie around, but this film ultimately succeeded. It had its repetitious moments, and ones that perhaps lost my complete interest for a bit, but the acting, the intensity, and a tremendous ending brought everything full circle in the best of ways.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK:     (out of 4)