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»January Movie Round Up
I cannot believe it is already February, it feels like it was New Years Eve three days ago. I guess only one month gone... so that is my excuse for posting/sharing my main goal for 2010 this late.
In 2010, I wish to step outside my comfort zone a little and get out in the world more. I mean it in the literal sense but also, to just experience more, to experience new things. For example, (and what today's post is sort of about) instead of reading and watching the old standbys, I'm going to try to read and watch more, different, and/or new things. For me, even that is a small step outside my comfort zone and I figure, if I can do something small like that, I can work myself up to bigger changes.
Among the other ideas I have for posts this year that will help me accomplish my goal, here is one of them. My plan is to showcase the movies I watched for the first time during the month, at the end of each month. I will continue my list of Movies Watched throughout the year as well. Here is January's movie round up.
Proceed with caution, I suppose. I don't think I say anything too spoiler-y, though. I'm sorry if I do... don't hate me.
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Written & Directed by James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez
Summary: Set in the year 2154, humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on the lush moon Pandora in the Alpha Centauri star system. The mining colony's expansion threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na'vi—a sentient humanoid species which is indigenous to Pandora. The film's title refers to the genetically engineered Na'vi bodies used by several human characters to interact with the natives of Pandora.
Comments: I went to the 3D version already feeling sick and let me tell you, the 3D did not help matters. I stayed, I enjoyed the story and the message, and it was a beautiful piece of film even if I did feel horribly ill the entire time. It is quite lengthy but I think it is a film worth seeing (and probably again, especially in my case), no matter what kind of movies you like.
 Terminator Salvation
Directed by: McG
Written by: John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard
Summary: After Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor struggles to keep the machines from finishing the job. Set in 2018, the film focuses on the war between humanity and Skynet — a departure from the previous installments, which were set between 1984 and 2004 and used time travel as a key plot element.
Comments: I have never seen the previous Terminator movies but Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin are awesome as usual. It is very much an an action movie so in that sense, it was pretty good.
 17 Again
Directed by: Burr Steers
Written by: Jason Filardi, Keenan Donahue
Starring: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Sterling Knight, Michelle Trachtenberg, Matthew Perry
Summary: About a guy whose life didn't quite turn out how he wanted it to and wishes he could go back to high school and change it. He wakes up one day and is seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.
Comments: I don't have a lot to say about this one, I was just curious about it. I don't like the Disney channel slew of "teen" actors but overall, I thought Zac Efron did a good job. It made me laugh a few times but I did not think the dance number near the start of the film as strictly necessary.
 Revolutionary Road
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Written by: Richard Yates (novel), Justin Haythe (screenplay)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon, Richard Easton, Jay O. Sanders, Kathy Bates
Summary: A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.
Comments: A fairly slow moving story, not a movie I would normally watch, nor is it one I would watch again. Kate and Leo together again, fabulous acting on both accounts. It left me feeling a little horrified and sad.
 Never Back Down
Directed by: Jeff Wadlow
Written by: Chris Hauty
Starring: Sean Faris, Cam Gigandet, Djimon Hounsou, Amber Heard, Evan Peters
Summary:At his new high school, a rebellious teen is lured into an underground fight club, where he finds a mentor in a mixed martial arts veteran.
Comments: I'd seen bits and pieces of this movie so many times but I never saw the whole thing. The message is kind of skewed (if you're an angry kid, work out your problems with aggression? okay, odd) but it was entertainingly cheesy.
 Brothers
Directed by: Jim Sheridan
Written by: David Benioff
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman
Summary: A young man comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.
Comments: I'm not really a fan of Tobey Maguire but I thought he did a really good job in this... he was a haunting kind of creepy and he pulled it off. Small appearance by Carey Mulligan, so that was a yay! And I always love Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal so I liked it. The subject matter is fairly heavy.
 One Week
Written & Directed by: Michael McGowan
Starring: Joshua Jackson, Liane Balaban, Campbell Scott
Summary: Ben Tyler has been diagnosed with cancer. Requiring immediate treatment, he instead decides to take a motorcycle trip from Toronto through the Canadian prairies to Vancouver Island. Along the way, he meets several people that help him reevaluate his relationship with his fiancée Samantha, his job and his dream of becoming a writer.
Comments: Interesting little Canadian movie... makes you examine your life sort of a flick. Entertaining, sad, and thought provoking. As a Canadian, I enjoyed it. Very visually breathtaking.
 Adam
Written & Directed by: Max Mayer
Starring: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison
Summary: The film follows the relationship between a young man named Adam with Asperger syndrome and the woman of his dreams, Beth.
Comments: I saw a preview on my (500) Days of Summer DVD for this and wanted to see it immediately! It just looked so good. And it didn't disappoint. It reminded me a little of one of my favourite movies, Dedication, but it was still uniquely it's own. Hugh Dancy was brilliant. Peter Gallagher will always be known as Eyebrows in my mind. I really enjoyed the story and character development in the title character.
 The Haunting in Connecticut
Directed by: Peter Cornwell
Written by: Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe
Starring: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew, Martin Donovan, Erik J. Berg, John Bluethner
Summary:After a family is forced to relocate for their son's health, they begin experiencing supernatural behavior in their new home, which turns out to be a former mortuary.
Comments: I hate scary movies so I have no idea how I got roped into watching this one, but I had a strange curiousity about it anyhow so whatever. I may have been looking at spoilers while I watched so I'm sure the effect of the movie was lost on me but I really can't stand the jumping out at you stuff. It was interesting nonetheless. Also, I wish Kyle Gallner would be cast as something other than than a creepy character, he is extremely talented.
 How to Be
Written & Directed by: Oliver Irving
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Rebecca Pidgeon, Jeremy Hardy, Powell Jones
Summary: A young man having an existential crisis convinces a Canadian self-help guru to come to London and become his personal life coach.
Comments: Robert Pattinson is talented, I don't care what you say. His character was so great, I totally understood and identified with him. I really enjoyed this, it was both funny and sad and anyone who loves Robert will love the creepy vast amounts of on set video footage on the DVD special features.
 Zombieland
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Written by: Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Summary: Survivors of a zombie apocalypse take an extended road trip in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies, following a set of "rules" designed to keep them alive where others have failed, killing zombies in a variety of creative ways while trying to "enjoy the little things" in a ruined world.
Comments: Zombie hilarity. Love it.
Couples Retreat
Directed by: Peter Billingsley
Written by: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Dana Fox
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Faizon Love, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kali Hawk
Summary: A comedy centered around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. While one of the couples is there to work on the marriage, the others fail to realize that participation in the resort's therapy sessions is not optional.
Comments: I love Kristen Bell and Jason Bateman, but I didn't really like the movie. I didn't really find it funny and although the setting is gorgeous, the rest of the movie was lacking.
Sources: Google Image Search, Wikipedia, IMDb
02 Feb 2010
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