ADAM 49m 091120  XX  Animated Christmas Movie Delivers all you'd hope for. Family fare. Choppy Animation

Closely based on the classic book, this is a quality Christmas movie, one which may become a recurring holiday favorite- IF people like the animation. I assume there's a non-3d version for tv.
3-D animation is highly detailed, and there are some fascinating camera angles, but the flow and movement of the animation in general just didn't feel right.

Jim Carey is the impetus of this film, and he carries it from start to finish. This movie has life and depth because of Carey's great talent.
Hopefully you'll like the animation/movement better than I did.

SIMILAR TO: The Charles Dickens Book              
BETTER THAN: Most Christmas movies!!!
I PREFER:               
IF YOU LIKE: Jim Carey, Christmas, 3D computer animation                      
GOOD VIEWING:  Christmas season at movies or at home     

A Serious Man

ADAM 49m 091109  XX drama The Ultimate Coen Brothers film!! Hopeless, happless, hilarious.

I strongly recommend you see "A Serious Man" IF you think you might like it. It delivers.  Simply the best "there is no message" movie out there. The film-makers have really hit their stride. The only kvetch is casting: the script is great but the characters don't quite completely fill the parts.

Watch the helpless, hopeless, hapless characters as their world falls apart around them. Aren't they a lot like us?  In "No Country" it was Law Enforcement protection, "Burn" was Government, this time it's Religion.  This time they happened to choose a moderate jewish community in the 1970's, a setting very similar to mine growing up. Now that I can ridicule.  "We're not laughing at jew, were laughing with jew."

SIMILAR TO: American Beauty (suburban), Burn After Reading (morons)
BETTER THAN: Burn After Reading
I PREFER:
IF YOU LIKE: Coen Brothers movies
GOOD VIEWING: whimsical times

Amelia

ADAM 49m 091112 XX historical drama Amelia Erhart story. Great film-making! Awards avalanche ahead.

You can't go wrong with this choice. A historical drama done right. The structure and timeline, writing and story are so good!  All technical aspects including acting are flawless. So perfect, this film could be nominated for every award it's eligible for!

The closest thing to imperfection was the number of extreme close-ups so extreme I attempted to count Amelia's freckles and came up with a different number every time. Also, at times, Hillary Swank looked so much like Matt Damon, I thought there should  a film with them about boy and girl identical twins.

SIMILAR TO:  Milk
BETTER THAN: Julie and Julia
I PREFER: Miss Potter
IF YOU LIKE:  Good movies
GOOD VIEWING: Anytime

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The Box

ADAM 49m 091113 XX terror Golden Rule gone crazy! Not bloody, Scary! Brainscrewing.

If you want to be scared without axes or chainsaws, and can handle a rather convoluted plot, see this. The acting is excellent, but the pacing/structure and film-making aspects could be better. Not for little children.

I like movies that make you reexamine, and I like movies with an evolutionary moral.
"The Box" is better than most scary movies which appeal to the limited emotions the american neanderthal.  "Do unto others as you would have them do to you. And for those who don't, there's karma."  Now there's a good message.

I saw this story on a tv episode of "the new Twilight Zone" called "Button, Button" in 1985 and I never forgot it.  A few years ago on the internet I found out there was a movie in the works based on the story (by Richard Matheson), and I couldn't wait to see it. This movie is the Twilight Zone episode plus an added hour of story. Total brainscrewing if you can hang on. "The Box" left me dazed.

SIMILAR TO: The Twilight Zone tv show
BETTER THAN: Bloody Gore terror
I PREFER: The Shining (most terrifying movie ever)
IF YOU LIKE: mental terror
GOOD VIEWING: watch without pausing, recover afterwards

The Boys Are Back

ADAM 49m 091027  XX tragedy Australian Indie is 0% bad, 0% remarkable. lifetime channel fare. ok for dvd  

"The Boys Are Back" is the so middle of the road, that if you see it when you're happy you'll feel sad, but if you're depressed you'll feel a little better.  I had to call it a tragedy, because it's not a comedy, and it's not a drama because it isn't dramatic.

A widowed Dad tries to raise his boy(s) in zany rural Australia.  The film shows many insights into fatherhood which the viewer may find interesting.  

Beautiful scenic landscape shots are the only technical aspects, from acting to sets, that are more than "okay to good".

SIMILAR TO: "Lifetime Channel"  
BETTER THAN: "Lifetime Channel"

I PREFER: Grace Is Gone

GOOD VIEWING: Tuesday afternoon DVD, or a depressing saturday night at the movies   

 Spanish  foreign film in spanish with subtitles. This is a foreign film with the obligatory weird camera angles and offbeat plot. If you like that, "Broken Embraces" should do.  For me, after seeing "Nine" the night before, "Broken Embraces" was another chance to experience of Penelope Cruz. To me this was 2 movies: when Penelope Cruz was onscreen and when she wasn't. 

Penelope Cruz is at the top skill-level of acting, the ability to control the screen with every word, or movement. Portraying exactly what the film needs, a great performance controls the screen, jumps off the screen. Penelope Cruz has done that 4 times in 2 years, VickyChristinaBarcelona, Elegy, Nine, and Broken Embraces in spanish. She is currently the world's top actress.

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Everybody's Fine

Simple, retired man's view of his relationships with his grown children, Probably poignant for older fathers. Intentionally unsophisticated. Long, Drawn Out. Slow. Not very dramatic.  Possibly poignant for older fathers.

Good acting. Deniro is one of the greats. A few too many close-up reaction shots. A couple of interesting scenes make you wonder "why couldn't they have done more of this"?  Instead this film basically comes off as a made for tv movie (perhaps for the hallmark channel) with some actors too big for made for tv movies. 

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Fabulous Mr Fox

ADAM 49m 091110 XX cartoon adventure  fast hi-def cartoon okay for the family.

Urbane adventure cartooon  George Clooney stars in a story originally by the great Roald Dahl. Entertaining, good pacing, not too heavy. Okay for families.

Advanced, highly-detailed, animated talking animals. Family and community humor (human and animal) mixed in with fast-paced slapstick action.
Early on, Clooney sounds like a man reading lines from a script, not a cartoon fox. Luckily it gets better.  Okay for theater or rental.

SIMILAR TO: Madagascar 2
BETTER THAN: Bolt
I PREFER: The Busy World of Richard Scarry
IF YOU LIKE: Clooney, Innovative Anthropomorphic Animation
GOOD VIEWING: theater or HD television

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The Hurt Locker

ADAM 49m 091118 XX war movie  Nonjudgemental contemporary observation of Iraq War and soldiers

Great example of an at-War Movie, The Hurt Locker is more of observation than a statement. It's the least sanctimonious War Movie I can remember, and I believe it can be enjoyed by both pro and anti-war people. Tense drawn-out action scenes and many aspects of a soldier's experience seem realistic (movie-wise). May or may not be thought provoking depending on the viewer.

Potential nominations for many awards. Acting is absolutely great from the 3 main characters, especially #3. Writing is excellent, as are sets. I can't stand the "shaky camera style" of film-making, but I was able get through it. The movie definitely gains momentum in its 2 hour tour. Some, but not too much violence, blood or guts.

BETTER THAN: Pro- or Anti- War Movies
IF YOU LIKE: understated War Movies
GOOD VIEWING: time to spend

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A romp for gals 50+, with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin chasing Merl Streep.
It's Complicated is kind of typical, but excellent for couples, groups, gals.
Often, relationship dramas with 3 superstars don't quite work out, but the acting is great, every actor every scene.

Fine for casual dvd viewing.
 

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ADAM 49m 091110 XX farce comedy Wacky Clooney. Iraq war gags, poignant. slow spots Okay for DVD

Men Who Stare at Goats is a buddy comedy set in the middle of wartime Iraq. 
Wacky. Entertaining, with some poignant messages on the war and humorous observations on modern life.

George Clooney is seemless and handsome. Iraq War gags and "New Age" jokes abound. Zany madcap® humor is attempted. Unfortunately, there are some slow spots making this an at-home movie, not a theater movie.

Lighting and makeup are very good. I was going to say many technical aspects were average until I saw on the credits, and the assistant directing unit did a great job.

SIMILAR TO:  W,  Charlie Wilson's War
BETTER THAN: District 9
I PREFER: Role Models (contemporary wit), W (political)
IF YOU LIKE: Edgy humor tv shows, political humor,  Clooney
GOOD VIEWING: DVD rental, cable

N------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  New Moon 

Bland, immaterial film. A kind of comfortable experience, but not a movie to go back to multiple times. Basically a semi-intereting story about a teenage girl and her 2 relationships. One guy's is a vampire, one guy's a werewolf. Not high drama. No sexuality whatsoever. Vampires with no biting!  Computer-animated werewolves look terrible!

Not a bad film, but all aspects behind the camera are average. Twilight 2: "New Moon" does not have top-notch, high-end production values like Harry Potter, another kid's sequel machine.  Great for kids parties, practically rated G. Ok to skip.

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ADAM 49m 091118 XX art film Possible movie of the year. Sad, Great Film-making. Big Awards Ahead.

Your best choice for heavy drama. Precious is a classic american film, gritty and heartbreaking.  Extremely sad, may linger with you for a while. Harsh! Some of the lines feel like a punch in the stomach. Violence is portrayed exactly the way it should be in a movie. Go alone if you don't want anybody to see you cry.

Precious is my early leader for Best Director, Best Writer, Best Picture, and Best Editor awards.  Also potential Best Actress award for the actress who played Precious.

SIMILAR TO: The Wrsstler (gritty). Slumdog Millionaire (harsh), Revolutionary  Road (devastatingly sad)
BETTER THAN: Slumdog Millionaire
IF YOU LIKE: Sad, hard hitting drama
GOOD VIEWING: alone, daytime empty theater

The Princess and the Frog

  cartoon musical    Wildly entertaining Disneyanna!  Big fun. See it!!

The Princess and The Frog delivers. Its a hilarious, fun, innocent adventure punctuated by stylish musical numbers. I laughed uproariously at Louis, Mama, and especially Raymond the firefly, who I'd nominate for a best supporting actor award.

Worthy of a place on the top Disney shelf.  The acting is perfect!  Good music, sound, animation, story, dialog, editing, pacing. The big color-pattern scenes should be seen on a movie theater screen. Good for dvd as well. Kids, adults, parties, anytime.

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Up In The Air

 An existentialist examination of contemporary american business practices. Trenchant, contemporary, well acted. Frequent flier fare: airports, airplanes, hotels, conferences. The one hitch is the flagrant product placement for a hotel and an airline. The logos appear so many times eventually you just say, "I know, I know."

Clooney now makes 2 or 3 movies a year. The Clooney character usually has a few excellent scenes and a lot of mugging. Of his last 7, "Up In The Air" is the first movies where his performance is Clooney AND great actor.  Nice writing, film-making, editing, artistic direction. It feels like it's supposed to.

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