Reel Talk with Laura

Divergent

I went to see this movie this weekend and being a lover of the books, I am always a little nervous going to see the adaptation of books that are turned into movies; especially when they are young adult books that gripped you from the moment that you read the first word. Thinking about let downs the Twilight franchise comes to mind quite a bit - it had the ability to be a great film. The Hunger Games did a bit better in my opinion. When going to see Divergent, I had really enjoyed reading the first book, so I had some pretty good expectations and in the same breath a little grace.

The movie begins with Shailene Woodley cast as our heroine, Trist (Beatrist) who gives a great narration at the beginning of the film to describe what the story is about. The movie takes place in the future and when you reach a certain age you are given a test to determine where you place is, where you fit in. There are characteristics that are labeled as five factions : Abnegation (selfless), Candor (honest), Amity (peaceful), Erudite ( intelligent), and Dauntless (brave). As a teenager, actually 16, you are given a test that will determine what faction (virtue) you will possess. You are born into one faction, but your results can tell you something different, as you are allowed to choose, too. However, once you make your choice you cannot go back. There are a select few that the test does not work on; they do not fit into just one faction. These are called Divergent and are a threat to the society and the way it is governed.

As the story progress we we watch as Trist takes the test and finds out that she is in fact Divergent. This must be kept a highly guarded secret. Trist cannot tell anyone, not even her parents. The more people that know, the more her life is in danger. At the choosing ceremony Trist chooses to be Dauntless, which means she must leave her parents and never look back; a task a little harder for Trist to swallow than anticipated. Her journey takes her to a place where she is taught how to be ruthless, to fight to the death to protect everything and everyone in the city, the role of the Dauntless faction. There Trist meets Four played by Theo James, a highly skilled and ruthless trainer. Four teaches Trist how to fight both mentally and physically and in some ways becomes her protector. A silent love story begins to unfold.

As Trist finds her way through the basic training her mentor Four begins to notice that she is different, not like the rest of his other trainees. When Four soon finds out that Trist is in fact Divergent, he finds his attraction to her is much deeper, as he also is Divergent. Together they form an alliance to make sure that neither one is ever found out. They both uncover that there is a secret plot to overthrow the government that is run by Abnegation.

Over the rest of the film we see relationships form, friendships end, and people sacrifice all they have ever known to do what is right. In my opinion it is a good movie that follows the book pretty closely since Veronica Roth, the writer, is also a producer on the film. Great acting, good directing (no awkward moments of over acting), and good cinematography combine for a disturbing portrayal of a future world. You can easily find your way without having read the books, as well. A good Saturday matinee, but I would save the evening money for another choice. 

Hi all, thanks so much for all your love. I am a little delayed with my posting due to now feeling well. I promise to have it up by Tuesday. Hope everyone had a great an restful weekend. See you soon!

The Devil Wears Prada

When I started to think about having vintage or the throw back Thursday, it was a chance for me to introduce you to something fun that you could spend a great weekend watching, as well as for myself to walk down memory lane. When I was thinking what to write about, I began to think of what was coming out this weekend and that brought me to Noah, a film that has a lot of “interesting” buzz around it. Then I thought about Russell Crowe which then led to his dismal performance in Les Miserables, and that lead me to Anne Hathaway and her brilliant performance as Fantine, and then that lead to...The Devil Wears Prada, one of my all time favorite Anne Hathaway films.

What girl hasn't wanted to be in the fashion industry? What young thriving young woman hasn't wanted to climb the corporate ladder of success? What person hasn't wanted to be the assistant to a powerful individual? Andy Sachs hasn't, that's who. Andy has moved to New York to be a writer, but job interview after job interview finds her still jobless. So she takes on a personal assistant position for the intimidating and devilish Miranda Presley, editor and chief of Runway Magazine, played by the extraordinary Meryl Streep. Andy, not one for being “up” on fashion trends, is perfectly content with her hair barely combed, wearing below the knee skirts, dark colored tights, baggy sweaters, and what can only be described as orthopedic shoes. Andy is the “second” assistant to Miranda, which means she is tasked with turning completely impossible tasks into reality, such as obtaining a copy of Harry Potter before release for Miranda's kids, finding the piece of paper that Miranda had in her hand the morning before, as well as being a human coat rack for Miranda. Emily, played by Emily Blunt, is Miranda's “first” assistant who attempts to advise Andy in her own ruthless way about how to do her job and stay out of the way. Stanley Tucci rounds out the group playing Nigel, Miranda's longest friend and fashion assistant.

Andy has a great group of people around her including her long time boyfriend Nate, Adrien Grenier, who is trying to make it in the food industry as a chef. She has some great friends, too as well as parents who come to visit her once she takes the position as Miranda's assistant and realize how demanding her job is and realize the sacrifices that their daughter is making to be successful.

As Andy tries to navigate her way though this extremely uncharted territory, Nigel takes her under his wing. He takes Andy to the coveted “closet”, the sample closet, full of shoes, dresses, purses, scarves, jewelry, and did I mention...shoes!! This is where we see Andy begin to adapt to her new role. Through a chain of events instead of Emily going to Paris Fashion Weeks, Andy goes with Miranda and becomes her number One. Slowly Andy becomes more and more comfortable to leave the “old” Andy behind and embrace the “new” Andy. She becomes involved with a man in Paris while still in a relationship with Nate. She backstabs the only person who has somewhat become her friend in order to get to Paris. At the end of the film there is a poignant moment between Andy and Miranda, when Andy finds out that Miranda has sold out Nigel in order to keep her job at Runway. She tells Andy, “ I never thought I would say this, Andrea, but really, I see a great deal of myself in you. You can see beyond what people want and what they need and choose for yourself.” Andy responds, “ I don't think I'm like that. I couldn't do what you did to Nigel, Miranda. I couldn't do something like that.” When Miranda says“ You already did. To Emily”, this is the moment Andy realizes that she has completely sold out to be something that she swore she never would.

It's a great story and film which also won Meryl Streep a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Miranda Presley. I am sure that you'll fall in love with this film. I won't give you everything if you haven't seen it; you'll have to watch it to find out what happens. The film is worth it for the beautiful shoes and clothes alone and of course, Paris. It's a great way to spend a Friday evening or Saturday with a glass of wine.

The Muppets Most Wanted

I remember seeing the Muppets when I was a child; I believe my first Muppet movie was The Muppets Take Manhattan. Soon after that I fell deeply in love with The Muppets Christmas Carol. Since then I have grown up and really forgotten about them. I didn't see the recent release of The Muppets from 2011 with Amy Adams and Jason Segel but in my mind thought it was for adults with children. After seeing all the press about the new muppet film, I thought that I would give it a try and see what all the fuss is about. I am so happy I did. It was the best 112 minutes I have spent in a while - laugh out loud funny.

The opening scene sets up the story that the Muppets are making a sequel - cue the first song and dance of the film. Kermit getting the news from the studio along with Fozzie Bear who is extremely excited and trying to pitch a whole bunch of ideas to Kermit along with Gonzo, and of course the beautiful Ms. Piggy insisting that she sing a least 5 solo songs a night. We are quickly introduced to Dominic played by Rickey Gervais and soon find out he is indeed a bad guy.

If you have seen any of the marketing for this film, you are quite aware that there is a bad Kermit, Constantine, who switches places with our true Kermit and tries to take over the world by using our wonderful and beloved muppets. As the Muppets embark on a world tour to promote their comeback, they visit some very interesting places where certain possessions can be “stolen” conveniently. They travel to Russia (where Constantine takes the place of Kermit), Madrid, and London. Our sweet Kermit is mistaken for Constantine and put into the Gulag in Germany.

The film does a great job switching back from the 3 central story lines: the first being Constantine and The Muppets on their world tour; secondly Kermit being held prisoner in the Gulag in Germany; and lastly the CIA and Interpool trying to figure out who is stealing priceless artifacts. Just as you are getting invested in one, it switches to another so you don't get bored and are continually entertained. With our Muppets being the main characters, there is a pretty good amount of human love as well.

Tina Fey plays Nadya, the Gulag warden that has a secret love for Kermit, Rickey Gervais  (mentioned above) as Dominic, and Ty Burrell plays Jean Pierre, the Interpool agent assigned to find the thief. Additionally, there are a multitude of cameo appearances including Tony Bennett, Hugh Boneville , Zack Galaifnaki s, Salma Hayek , Tom Hiddleston, Ray Liotta
, Fran Langella, and Celine Dion, who plays Ms. Piggy's fairy godmother.

This is a great film, full of fun, laughter, music, and mostly pure entertainment, a great time for kids and adults alike. If you are like me and have forgotten about the Muppets, take this time to re-visit your childhood and be thoroughly entertained.

“ 2 Frogs, 1 Pig, epic Mayhem.”

         

Rated: PG ( for some mild action)

  

 

Mean Girls

In honor of The Muppets Movie being released this weekend, I thought it only fitting to pay tribute to one of its stars, the one and only Tina Fey. Now I start by saying this is a film that I had not seen until pretty recently. I had a few friends that would repeatedly quote it so I finally broke down to see what all the fuss was about . Tina Fey wrote, and starred in the film, along side Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Lindsey Caplan, and several SNL alum, Amy Poehler, Anna Gasteyer, and Tim Meadows.

The plot line surrounds Lindsey Lohan's character, Cady, which because of the spelling gets made fun of quite a lot. She moves from Africa with her family and is enrolled in public school for the first time in her life. Spending most of her life being homeschooled, she doesn't know where to begin when interacting with people/ kids her age at all. So when on her first day of school she is given a quick overview of the who is who at the school and her soon to be friends Janice (Caplan) and Damien (Daniel Franzese).

There a different cliques, such as the geeks, nerds, junkies, jocks, stoners, and the unavoidable popular kids, known in this movie as the Plastics. A three girl group made up of Regina George (McAdams) Gretchen Wieners ( Chabert) and Karen Smith ( Seyfried). You know these girls, we all went to school with them. They consider themselves the elite, above everyone else.

Tina Fey plays Ms. Norbury a teacher that you can't help but love. She is the awkward yet still cares about each one of her students. Having just come back from what seems to be a horrible summer break, she has the hilarious and uncomfortable affection of Mr.Duvall played by the funny Tim Meadows. Amy Poehler rounds out this cast as playing Regina's mother: a mother too concerned with being her daughter's friend than an actual mother.

We watch as Cady becomes part of the Plastics, a prank that she sets into motion with her friends Janice and Damien because they want to know what it's like to be in the “inner” circle. But when Cady falls for Aaron Samuels ( Jonathan Bennett) Regina's ex-boyfriend, things get a little hairy. What started out as a fun game turns into a full blown out plot to take down the Plastics, but without realizing it, Cady has in fact become one of them, abandoning her first friends, letting her parents down, and acting out towards her teachers. She has transformed into a superficial and heartless person.

A movie filled with great one liners: “If you're from Africa, why are you white?”, “Oh hi, did you want to buy some drugs?” and of course “That's so fetch.”. I will say that I really liked this movie, although at times it was extremely painful, since I can remember some of those exact moments happening to me in high school. It makes you really want to root for Lindsey Lohan to get better and get back to acting. It's a great movie to watch over the weekend and laugh and cringe at the same time. If anything it may take you back to wanting to look through your old year books. I know I did.

Rated PG-13 

Monuments Men

I went to see this movie a few weeks ago and have been thinking about writing this review. I was struck by a number of things and wanted to make sure I got it right when talking about it. So often we hear about war, the lives that are sacrificed and the horrible conditions, among other things. The picture that this film paints is very different from other war films. It's about what makes up people's history and culture: beautiful pieces of art work collected and preserved during World War II.

The film is based on a true story about a platoon that is tasked with rescuing art work that has been stolen by the German army at Hitler's demand. Seven men are given this task by FDR - to go behind enemy lines and find these treasures. The art work had been confiscated from museums to home collections, pieces that include the Mona Lisa, the Madonna and Child, and several other works of art. As the war is coming to a close these men must go into very dangerous places, knowing Hitler has given the order to destroy everything if something were to happen to him or if the Nazis lose the war. So they are running against the clock.

George Clooney,  Matt Damon, Bill Murry, John Goodman, Jean, Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville ,and Bob Balaban are the seven Monuments Men. They are in no way skilled military men, but rather museum directors, curators, and art historians. In order for them to be “enlisted” into the military they must attend basic training, and that in itself is hysterical. But these are men that love art and risk everything to get it back to the rightful owners. Cate Blanchett rounds out a very male driven cast, playing Clare Simon, a woman working in a office run by the German army but part of the resistance.

The screen play written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov (Argo) is decent; I would have enjoyed a little more character development. Were this supposed to be driven around the characters and the sacrifice they made, I am not completely invested in any of the characters.They are really one dimensional and to be honest don't leave any lasting impression. The acting is good, you would expect no less. Not a lot is shown of the German army / Nazis and when they are on screen they are portrayed more laughable then soldiers. This is a story that has a lot of heart and sacrifice that could have been told a little better. It's a movie worth seeing, just not in the theater. 

My Rating:

 

Rated: PG-13  

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Let's take a trip back to 2002 to a hot summer in mid-July. I remember hearing about this movie from friends and media but never went to the theater to see it. Then one Friday afternoon I went to Blockbuster, yes a movie rental store for those of you wondering, and saw this movie on the shelf under new releases. I thought why not. I remember liking it when I got it home to watch. Soon after that I made a major move to a city far away from all friends and family and found myself a little homesick. To my delight, one afternoon I received a small package from home that included a few movies, one of them being My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Ah, the comfort of seeing something that was familiar. Not too long ago I was at my gym and this movie was playing in the background. I was pleasantly surprised at the moments I found funny this time, maybe because I am older, but I have found a new love once again.

The movie begins with Toula Portokalos played by Nia Vardalos, sitting in a car with her father as they are on their way to work at the diner that the family owns called Dancing Zorba's. Toula is a 30 year old Greek woman who is not married and not having babies, much to her family's dismay. She is self described as going through a “phase”, dresses frumpy, no make-up, and at times looks as though she has given up on the world. Her father Gus Portokalos, Michael Constantine, is what I can only think a traditional Greek father would be - very protective, at times a little overbearing, and believing that Windex can cure just about everything. Toula's mother, Maria Potokalos, Lainie Kazan ( Beaches) is also a typical Greek mother - always making sure everyone is taken care of, cleaning everything in sight, and always has the answer to everything. They are a close tight family with an uncle and aunt that are hilarious as well as 27 first cousins. Toula wants more out of life: she does not want to get married and be the normal one in her family. She has the desire to learn, to be independent, to explore the world, and find love with someone. After convincing her father that it would be a good idea for her to go to school to learn computers so that she can help the business, she takes a job at her aunt's travel agency.

While there she meets Ian Miller, John Corbett ( Sex and the City , Raising Helen) a vegetarian, high school teacher. He is an only child and comes from a rather small and simple family. He is nothing like Toula and she likes that. She likes the time to be still with him. They soon fall in love and get engaged. This is not happy news to Toula's family be any means; her father feels completely disrespected, believing that Ian should have come to him to even ask to date his daughter. What ensues next is a hilarious chain of events of Ian attempting to earn the respect and the tolerance of Toula's father and family. Because Toula is Greek, in order to marry her and the marriage be recognized by the church and her family, Ian must convert to Greek Orthodox. Ian is willing because of his love for Toula. Toula asks him “Why, why do you love me?” His response, “ Because, I came alive when I met you.” If you don't love John Corbett, watch this film and you will.

Many quotes and one liners have come from this film, “Yes, inside the lump was my twin.”; “ There are two kinds of people, Greek and everyone else.”; “ It's done, they fell in love.” This is story about finding yourself, being yourself, and not being afraid to take the adventure. It's about family and the love that you have for them, even if they are crazy. You know that they will always be there, and that is all one needs at the end of the day. It's a funny film with heart, soul, and hope. Maria says a beautiful line in the movie that is one of my favorites, “I gave you life so that you could go live it.” Isn't that beautiful? The best part is that this is a true story. It tells how Nia meet her husband with a little creative liberty. So go watch it this weekend. I dare you not to fall in love with the story. It will make you love your family a little bit more. “Love is here to stay, and so is her family.”

Rated: PG

Non-Stop

I went to see this movie tonight not having extremely high expectations. I was under the impression that it was a typical Liam Neeson film, you know the kind, action packed and to the point: about 143 minutes of adrenaline pushing, fighting scenes, gun firing, and typical “that cannot happen” moments. Where the film wasn't unpredictable, it did have its moments that left me a little surprised.

The film starts off with Bill Marks, Neeson's character, sitting in his parked car pouring what seems to be whisky into a paper cup as he stares at his phone. As the phone goes off we hear only Marks side of the conversation that seems to be very cryptic, but we are not given much information at the time. We see Marks make his way through the airport and security. He encounters the usual people that make unnecessary conversation while waiting for their flights, asking where he is headed. He cuts in front a man who takes too long and is on his phone while going through security. Little does he know that every person he encounters will play a role in the events about to unfold.

As Marks makes his way on to the plane we soon find out that he is in fact the air marshall (you will also know this if you have seen any of the trailers). Not long into the flight he receives text messages on his phone, supposedly a secured line. The messages begin with general questions about the flight and how the texter obtained the phone number. Then they take a drastic change; Marks is informed that unless 150 million dollars is transferred to a particular account number, a passenger on the flight will die every 20 minutes.

Marks has a unlikely confidant Jen Summers, played by Julianne Moore, who has managed to talk her way into sitting next to him because she demands a window seat. He also knows one of the flight attendants, Nancy, played by Michelle Dockery (Downton Abby). Both of these characters play a vital role, as they are the only people that Marks can trust. With a series of events, everyone is made to believe that the aircraft has been highjacked and is being held for ransom by a terrorist. However, as the audience knows there is a bigger villain at work here, everyone else in the film believes that the highjacker is in fact Marks. We learn that Marks is an alcoholic (which we kind of put together already)who lost his daughter at the tender age of 8 due to a battle with cancer, and has been divorced and basically has nothing left to lose . All signs point to Marks as being the culprit.

It's a pretty good film if you are looking for action and suspense. Like I said before, it is pretty predictable, but it's kind of fun to see Lady Mary in a different type of role (Michelle Dockery) and it could be a fun Saturday afternoon film. Also in the cast is Lupita Nyong'o, Scott McNairy (12 Years a Slave, Argo), Omar Metwally ( Rendition, Munich) among others. Neeson delivers a good performance with kicking butt & taking names, and never breaking a sweat as he engages in multiple knife fights. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Unknown (another Neeson film), it brings non-stop action, gets to the point quickly and tells a pretty good story. I would say a matinee for sure. 

My Rating: 

        

Violence

         

 

 Rated: PG-13

A thank you!!

Hello to all of my wonderful followers. I have just celebrated a month that I have been live with my blog. I hope that you all have enjoyed it and learned about some pretty fabulous movies. I wanted to take a moment to say thank you, let you know about some changes, and some exciting things on the horizon.

So first things first. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Every view that I have had has meant the world to me. Every time you log on to my blog, every time you share it with your friends, and every time you take the time to read the words that I have written makes my dream a little more attainable. There are no words that can convey accurately what it means to me. The support along the way thus far has been amazing and eye opening. I have a dream and it is valid!

Secondly, I will be changing the time I upload new reviews. Going forward, I will upload a movie that I have seen over the weekend, the new release, on Monday. Then Thursday I will upload a vintage film review or a “throw back Thursday” review. My hope is that having the new movie review will give you an option to see that film sometime during the week or the following weekend. Thursday throwback will give you something to watch/rent over the weekend.

I will also be adding a rating scale. I will rank the movie on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being highly unlikely, not very good, would not see this again; to 5 highly likely, absolutely wonderful, would buy this film. I will also rate Violence, Language, Nudity and Sex, with the same scale.

The third and final exciting moment, I will be launching my website in the very near future. I have purchased the domain www.reeltalkwithlaura.com. I will be completing work on it this month and hope to go live very soon. You can actually go to the site to see it's very cool “Coming Soon” message.

So there it is in a nutshell. I am super excited for the next part of this journey. I hope you all are, too. If you have any feedback or if there is a particular film that you would like me to review, maybe one you would like to see but are not sure you want to commit to just yet, let me know. I'll watch it for you. So stay tuned - it's going to be really exciting. I'll see you at the theater.

12 Years a Slave

This is my second favorite of film the year, so far. It's a story based on true events about a man who is born free and then through horrible circumstances is sold into slavery and for 12 years must makes the decision to survive the cards that he has been dealt. The film is told through the eyes and voice of Solomon Northup.

Solomon Norhtup ( Chiwetel Ejiofor) is born in New York City in 1800's as a free man. He is a skilled musician and craftsman who meets two seemingly nice gentlemen who offer him a job playing his fiddle for a two week engagement in Washington D.C. Solomon accepts their offer and embarks on a journey that will forever change his life. After playing he spends an evening with both gentlemen and has a little too much to drink and can't really remember what happens after that. He soon wakes with the very confusing reality of being chained to a dirty concrete floor when two men walk in and accuse him of being a “run away” from Georgia. Solomon professes that he is a free man and his name is Solomon Northup, but they believe him to be Platt, a slave.

Solomon soon finds himself aboard a boat bound for New Orleans in the dead of night. After being beaten several times for his “lack of respect” he is soon sold to a plantation owner William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch). We believe Master Ford to be a kind gentleman who soon takes a liking to Solomon and gives him a fiddle. However, Master Ford's plantation manager John Tibeats does not feel the same way.Tibeats and Solomon have a huge fight and Solomon ends up beating Tibeats. Seeking retribution, Tibeats and his friends attempt to hang Solomon. When he is left there for hours until Master Ford can return and cut him down, he tried to plead his case that he is a free man. Knowing that Solomon is not safe at the plantation anymore, Ford transfers the debt and ownership of Solomon to Edwin Epps.

Epps (Michael Fassbender) believes that it is his right to do whatever he chooses to his “property” - his plantation, his cotton fields, and his slaves. He beats them, whips them, verbally abuses them, and humiliates them more times than you can count. Epps takes a liking to Patsey ( Lupita Nyong'o ) who is extremely hard working, picking 500 pounds of cotton every day - more than any man. Epps especially likes her late at night when he gets drunk and proceeds to rape Patsey. His wife Mistress Epps (Sarah Paulson) does not take to kindly to this either. Mistress Epps views herself as higher bred than anyone around and has a distinct hate for Patsey, whom she abuses by throwing glass bottles and cutting her face. When Patsey takes an unapproved trip to get soap to wash with from Mistress Epps she suffers a lashing so brutal it is extremely hard to watch on screen.

Solomon begins to build a gazebo with a Canadian laborer named Bass (Brad Pitt) who believes everything is wrong with slavery. Bass gives a rather compelling argument that slaves are not property that they are people, God's people, and there will be a reckoning and price to pay when actions must be accounted for. When Solomon finds himself alone he is convinced by Bass to tell his story. Solomon makes one last effort to ask for help to write back to the north and ask for someone that can verify that he is indeed a free man. Bass tells Solomon the he is fearful of the consequences if he writes this letter, but also knows that it is his duty to do what he can.

To see how Solomon's story turns out you'll have to go see the film. I encourage you to do so while it's still in theaters. The performances are amazing. Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor deliver in every respect and the rest of the cast is truly brilliant. It is an epically heartbreaking story of ones man's journey and courage to not just survive, but in fact to live.