Whalefall

This was an ok movie. It wouldn't have been as good at home. A scuba diver gets swallowed by a whale. The movie focuses on his survival and also past memories of his relationship with his dad. Josh Brolin plays the somewhat psychotic dad and he's the best thing about the movie adding in some necessary humor. It's nice to see Elisabeth Shue on the screen again.

Coyote vs. Acme

If you liked Who framed Roger Rabbit you might like this. It was entertaining and funny. Coyote sues Acme over their bad products. At first, the lawyer doesn't want to go through with the trial. Yet soon he sees the corruption that Acme lies about. It doesn't help that justice isn't what is on coyote's mind. It's getting the woodpecker. I never really cared for Looney Tunes yet I found myself liking the movie to my surprise. It was one of the better films I've watched this year in the theatre.

The Magic Faraway Tree

This was loosely based on Enid Blyton's series. I felt the same way I did about the books that this was just so so. I like how the movie goes over the family's life, something that the books didn't do. In this movie two parents and their three kids move to the country to start growing tomatoes. The kids miss their friends and technology and hate it at first. Eventually the kids find that there's a magical world nearby. More needed to be done about the villain in this movie. Andrew Garfield was the best thing in this movie. This movie did well in England but not the US.

The Heart of the Beast

The ending to this movie wasn't what I thought it was going to be. That alone pleased me. This is a movie about a veteran and his combat dog. It's about the friendship between them both and their journey through Alaska. It also shows how scary mother nature can be. If you like Jack London novels you might like this. I'm glad I watched in the theatre. This is the kind of movie I would have played on my phone during if I watched it at home. I feel that the movie not only respected dogs but the trials that veterans go through too. Brad Pitt did a good job.

The End of Oak Street

In this movie Jurassic Park meets 1980s suburbia. It was ok. Dinosaurs enter into a suburban neighborhood and the whole movie involves a family running from them. Beforehand the family had been experiencing problems particularly the mother who had been writing a secret book about the struggles of her marriage and parenthood. So if anything there is more of an appreciation for each other. The ending seems like a happy one but is more complex than it appears on the surface. Ewan McGregor (who played the husband) and Anne Hathaway did a great job.

Young Washington

This was just ok. I was surprised. It actually did well at the box office and I wouldn't expect a historical movie to do so. I guess there is a market for this time of movie. I think it was because the movie came out around July 4th. It was about George Washington before he became a president and The French and Indian War. It was made by Angel Studios which is more rigid than most studios like no nudity. I'm in support of their policies.

Disclosure Day

This isn't one of Spielberg's best. It went over the top by the end and my sister and I laughed at the end unintentionally. Still it was a movie that would have been less good had I not watched in the theatres. It's about a weather girl and a person who does cypersecurity. They have an extraterrestial connection. Soon they are on a mission to uncover alien life and most of it is a chase movie. Colin Firth plays the bad guy in this and he does a good job. However, this is really Emily Blunt's vehicle. Yet, most of the time only good performances are noticed by excellent movies.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

This was the worst movie I watched in the theatres this year. It was unnecessary. It didn't add anything to the original. It was just an excuse to make money and I forgot what happened in the movie the next day I watched it. Even a good cast needs a decent script.

Wildwood

This animated movie is getting a lot of praise. I thought it was ok. The plot reminded me too much of Labyrinth which I consider to be a superior movie because it was more entertaining. A girl's brother is kidnapped in a strange world. The girl and her friend enter the world to save him. They soon find it is controlled by an evil witch governess. The place is populated with talking animals and bandits. It's not just the girl. Many people have been wronged by the governess which concludes towards the end with a battle. It's PG-13. I think it wants to be a children's movie and not be one at the same time.

The Sheep Detectives

I thought this movie looked awful but then I saw good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm glad I didn't listen to what I initially thought and saw the movie for itself. This was one of the best films I watched in the movie theatre this year. It was funny, cute, and original. A shepherd (played by Hugh Jackman) reads mysteries all the time to his sheep. When he mysteriously dies they are on the case. You not only get to know the sheep you get to know about the eccentric people in the small town where the shepherd lived. Nicholas Galitzine, who played the good looking guy in Masters of the Universe, plays a dweeb here. He has quite a range. Emma Thompson stars and the voice actors include Bryan Cranston and Patrick Stewart.

Farewells (aka Lydia ate the Apple)

When I was in my early 20's I watched this movie and gave it a 3 out of 5 on Amazon. I received an email saying they liked my review but asked why I gave it such a low rating. For the past twenty years I've wanted to watch it again. It stuck with me. After I rewatched it I went back to Amazon and edited it to a 4. It's an early movie from director Wojciech Has (who later made The Saragossa Manuscript). A man (Tadeusz Janczar) has a one night stand with a girl from a bar. However, it ends up changing both of their lives. After the war the guy has become penniless but the woman has married into wealth to spite him. Yet it is clear she loves him still and is very unhappy. Even though this makes a statement about the social classes, it has enough soap opera to make it more than just a statement movie. Janczar delivers a great Bogart like performance.

Forgotten Island

I wasn't planning on seeing this. The previews made it look so bad. Then I saw it had a good rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The previews picked the worst scenes in the movie. Sometimes you can't trust previews. This movie was original and kind of funky. It goes over Filipino mythology, something that I know nothing about. I like learning about different mythologies so I have to say it was worth watching for that alone. It was interesting. Two friends get stranded on an island but one of them has to make a plane the next day so that they can make it to college. But their friendship is tested on the island and so are their memories. I like how the movie goes over the value of friendships. I recommend Forgotten Island. It was different.

Michael

This was an entertaining movie about the life of Michael Jackson. It covers his life until the "Bad" tour. The allegiations against him aren't discussed since the movie focuses on his life before them. It's mostly about him trying to free himself from his abusive dad. It shows him from his Jackson 5 period and also focuses on his amazing success with Thriller. The movie is packed with music. Jaafar Jackson, Michael's nephew, did a great job playing the pop star. He should get nominated but I can see this unfortunately being overlooked. We'll see. I watched this in the theatre and I have to say it wouldn't have been as good at home. The critics hated it but I thought it was all right.

The Thief (La Voleuse)

Romy Schneider gives a good performance in an otherwise boring movie. It was based on a true story and written by Marguerite Duras who has done better work. It's about a woman who takes her biological child back. The foster family made the mistake of not officially adopting him so they really have nothing to say legally. But when the foster father stages a suicidal stunt what is Romy supposed to do. This stresses an awfully bad marriage between Romy and her husband. Will they be able to live with themselves? I would say you should only watch this if you're a fan of Romy.

Project Hail Mary

This was the best movie I've seen in the theatres this year. It was an intelligent science fiction film. It starred one of the most charismatic talented male stars in the movie world today Ryan Gosling. It's about a middle school teacher who is forced to go a journey to space. He gets amnesia along the way but things get better when he makes friends with an alien called Rocky. Their friendship is adorable and so is the ending. I hope this isn't forgotten when the Academy award nominations are made. Otherwise that would be a shame.

The Year my Voice Broke

This was one of my favorite movies as a teenager. I rewatched it after not seeing it for more than twenty years and it still held up. It's an Australian movie about a geeky boy who has a crush on an older blonde. She just sees him as a friend. She's interested in a petty criminal in town. Noah is the only character who is nice to her in this movie. The town sees her as a loose girl and that reputation gets worst when she gets pregnant. I bought a dvd from Australia. This movie should be more available than it is. It's out of print and really shouldn't be. It's one of my favorite coming of age movies.

Masters of the Universe

This was one of the worst reviewed movies of the year but I didn't think it was as bad as people said it was. It was a good popcorn movie. It took me a while to get interested as the movie began in Eternia but once it got to present day it was all ok. I thought the funniest parts were when Adam (He-Man) was in the human world and trying to get people to believe in his earliest memories of Eternia. Eventually he does make it back to Eternia mostly with the discovering of a sword he once owned. He saves the day against Skeletor. I could tell Jared Leto had a fun time playing the villain. There was room for a sequel. Not everything was resolved but that's not going to happen since the movie bombed.

The Hole in the Wall

This was a short precode. It was one of Claudette Colbert's first movies and the first that starred Edward G. Robinson as a gangster. It was just ok. It's about a girl falsely accused of theft who becomes a psychic. Edward G. Robinson is a gangster who gets involved with her but his association with her leads to his downfall.

Whistle down the wind

Hayley Mills stars as a child who believes the criminal hiding out in her barn is Jesus. Soon the other children believe it too. Meanwhile the adults in the movie are looking for the criminal who is kind of baffled at the attention the children are giving him. This was a pretty good movie. Hayley Mills was simply one of the best child actors ever. This was later made as an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

The Phantom of the Opera

This was an ok film version of The Phantom of the Opera. The problem is that it has too much opera. This is probably because the cast has Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster, who was one of the many actresses of her time trying to compete with Deanna Durbin. (She does a pretty good job as Christine.) The real winner in the movie is Claude Rains as the phantom though. He was such a great actor. It wasn't amazing but it was acceptable.