Movie Review: Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles

In honor of the long, and I mean LONG, awaited sequel now out in theaters, let’s take a look back at one of Pixar’s best feature films of all time (that might just be my opinion, but if you agree awesome.) Released in 2004 this Academy Award winning animated feature took audiences on a ride with a family dealing with their problems, oh yeah and they are superheroes. If you haven’t seen The Incredibles here is a massive spoiler alert. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

After years of damage caused by superheroes, or supers, finally cause the public to turn against them, the government issues a relocation program for supers to fully accept their secret identities. Two married supers, Bob Parr aka the super strong Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and Helen Parr aka the flexible Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) seem to have adjusted well to a normal life with their three children: the shy and invisible Violet (Sarah Vowell), the super-fast Dash (Spencer Fox) and the normal baby Jack-Jack. Bob does love his family, but after 15 years he longs for his glory days being a super; often going out as a vigilante with his best friend Lucius Best aka the ice powered Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). One day Bob receives a message from a beautiful woman named Mirage (Elizabeth Peña) offering the chance to become Mr. Incredible again and provide for his family. He jumps at the chance, but eventually realizes he is a part of a bigger and more sinister plot. The person behind it, a man at one time called Buddy Pine now the smart and vengeful Syndrome (Jason Lee) who wants to rid the world of supers, either by killing or by rendering the term useless. Helen, after a visit with family friend, super costume designer and sassy Edna Mode (director Brad Bird) realizes what has happened to her husband and joins him, along with Violet and Dash in stopping Syndrome.

This is one of my family’s favorite Pixar films, which if you’ve been following this blog probably doesn’t surprise you. The action, comedy, family dynamic, writing and voice acting for The Incredibles is exactly like the film title says. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Spencer Fox and Sarah Vowell are amazing as the Parr family as their characters develop, grow and kick butt. Jason Lee is fantastic as the villain Syndrome; my opinion one of the best Pixar and Disney bad guys. My favorite characters to listen to are Samuel L. Jackson as Frozone (who doesn’t love the whole sequence with Frozone and his off-screen wife) and Brad Bird as Edna Mode (NO CAPES)! However if I have to say what my favorite thing about The Incredibles is, it might be how the film makers took traits in an everyday family and turned them into the powers. A dad, usually the patriarch, has to be the strongest member, mom has to be flexible running the house and kids, teen girls usually feel invisible and pre-teen boys are full of energy and run around. They made everyone in The Incredibles relatable in some way to the audience which helped the success of this wonderful animated film. Of course after a nearly 14 year wait Incredibles 2 has finally come to theaters, and I know my family will be in line to watch it as soon as we possibly can. If once again you have not seen The Incredibles I would put it on the must see list immediately. It is truly an incredible film (sorry, not sorry.)

TV Movie Review: Brian’s Song

If you were to ask any critic what is the greatest television movie of all time, there is a good chance they will say Brian’s Song. Premiering on ABC in their Movie of the Week specials in 1971, this true story film received widespread acclaim by critics and viewers alike, calling it not only a fantastic TV film, but one of the best sports movies of all time. I finally watched it about a year ago, and despite knowing what was going to happen I still shed tears. Spoilers ahead as always (and only because it is unavoidable.) I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

The new Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) arrives to team practice and quickly gets into a friendly rivalry with a fellow player and running back Brian Piccolo (James Caan). The two become roommates, back then was unheard of, and eventually become friends. Sayers helps Piccolo with his game when he struggles and when Sayers goes down with an injury Piccolo helps him out with a weight machine. The two soon become more like brothers than friends as they play football and have families. However when Piccolo becomes a fullback and his performance on the field begins to falter, it is obvious that something is wrong. It is soon revealed by Coach George Halas (Jack Warden) that Brian has terminal cancer, specifically embryonal cell carcinoma. Sayers does what he can to make Brian feel better, but sadly Brian passes away at the age of 26. Sayers encourages their teammates and families to remember Brian not for how he died, but for how he lived.

Ok I know I gave away the ending, but don’t say I did not warn you in the beginning. Watching the friendship between Gale and Brian is still beautiful to watch. The two started off as rivals, it wasn’t forced that the two would become brothers by outside parties and even in the end Gale kept Brian alive in his heart. Billy Dee Williams and James Caan were perfect together, as were the rest of the cast, writing, cinematography and direction of the film. I can honestly say watching the scene were Gale first hears about Brian’s diagnosis as well as the speech is absolutely heartbreaking, I had seen that scene before I watched the movie and the look on Gale’s face gets me every time. The final moments of the film where we watch what may have been Gale’s final moments with Brian, as well as the narrator telling the audience what happened after Brian’s death, are some of the finest moments in an already amazing film. Brian’s Song won four out of the eight Emmys it was nominated for, including best supporting actor for Warden, single program, cinematography and the writing while Caan and Williams were nominated for their parts, as well as a nomination for best miniseries or television film at the Golden Globes. It was remade in 2001 with Sean Maher and Mekhi Phiffer as Brian and Sayers, but that is for another day (a very long wait on Netflix DVD so I’m hoping I can catch this stream wise soon). If you can find the original Brian’s song, whether it is DVD, streaming or on TV, I HIGHLY recommend watching it. Be prepared to have your heart broken, tears flowing and a box or two of tissues gone by the end of the film.

Movie Review: Shrek 2

I’m sure we can all agree that nine times out of 10 sequels to popular and great movies are not usually great. Sometimes the original writers don’t come back, actors leave or something happens to make it bad. In the case of the 2004 sequel to the DreamWorks franchise that takes fairy-tales and changes it this was the exact opposite. I think those who watched the Shrek movies can all agree that this is the better sequel. Spoilers ahead as usual. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

After coming back from their honeymoon Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) get an invitation by Fiona’s parents to come and meet them at the kingdom of Far Far Away (designed to look like Hollywood) to celebrate their marriage; Donkey (Eddie Murphy) joins them on their journey. However Fiona’s parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews) were not aware that Fiona and Shrek are ogres and do not take it well; Harold in particular is angry and he and Shrek get into a huge fight at dinner leaving Fiona in tears and Shrek believing his marriage is in trouble. There are two people who are angrier than Harold and they are The Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her son Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) as they made a deal with Harold for Charming to marry Fiona in exchange for his own happy ending. Harold sends Shrek and Donkey on a hunting trip where they come across the assassin he hired, the legendary Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). Puss cannot kill Shrek and Shrek, believing a potion in Fairy Godmother’s workshop can help him regain Fiona’s love and the king’s blessing, lets Puss tag along with him and Donkey on his quest (much to Donkey’s dismay). However it may do more harm than good when the Fairy Godmother catches on to their plan. Other characters that return are Gingy, Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, the pigs and mice, as well as the debut of characters viewers have come to love including Captain Hook and the ugly stepsister Doris (Larry King).

I believe that this is not only the best of the Shrek sequels, but in my opinion this is one of the best animated sequels of all time. From the writing to the animation to the voice casting; it was spot on amazing. All the characters we loved from the first film came back better than ever. Those who made their debut in this film quickly fit in with the quirky crew, perhaps none more so than Puss in Boots. Antonio Banderas was absolutely perfect as the lovable feline; I do not even want to think about who could have been Puss. John Cleese and Julie Andrews were fabulous as Harold and Lillian with Harold redeeming himself in the end in my eyes. While I firmly believe Lord Farquaad is the best villain in the Shrek franchise the Fairy Godmother came very close to topping him; Jennifer Saunders is fantastic as well. Charming really plays off the spoiled mama’s boy well (hats off to Rupert Everett), but as far as being a villain goes he is not exactly top notch but that is for the next film. Sadly the Shrek films kinda went down after this one, with the departure of Andrew Adamson as the director, but those are for another day. In the meantime if you liked Shrek and haven’t seen Shrek 2 then I would highly recommend it.

Movie Review: Disney’s Newsies The Broadway Musical

For those who can’t get to New York for the Broadway experience many shows film productions (hopefully with the original cast) to give audiences an amazing experience, and this one can be found on Netflix streaming (as of the date of this blog so beware). Based on the Disney 1992 film, as well as the actual 1899 newsboys strike, this show under the Disney name premiered on Broadway in 2012 after a run at the legendary Papermill Playhouse the previous year and was a huge success. The show ran for two years, winning the Tony for Best Choreography and Best Original Score while nominated for six others including Best book, leading actor and musical, before going out on national tour. In 2017 a production was filmed in Los Angeles with much of the original cast coming back and was released in theaters. I had seen the Broadway version of Newsies just after a couple of the original cast members had left, but nonetheless loved it; the guy who played the lead Corey Cott is one of my Broadway crushes and highly recommend watching him live if given the chance. However when I heard about this there was no way me and my theater loving mother were going to miss out on this especially since we are huge fans of Jeremy Jordan who rocketed to super-stardom after this role. Spoilers ahead as usual. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

Jack Kelly (Jordan) is a newspaper delivery boy with a shady past living in New York City along with several other young men in the same profession including his best friend Crutchie (Andrew Keenan-Bolger) who has a limp. Jack hates New York and often dreams of heading out west, specifically to Santa Fe. When buying their papers for the day Jack and Crutchie meet Davey (Ben Fankhauser) and his younger brother Les (Ethan Steiner) who unlike the other Newsies have a family, but need the work. Jack agrees to help them out, for a small portion and introduces them to his friend Medda Larkin (Aisha De Haas) a woman who owns a theater and often hires Jack to paint beautiful backdrops for her shows. Jack also meets Katherine Plumber (Kara Lindsay) a reporter for the New York Sun looking to break out of the society pages and soon becomes smitten with her. The next day New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer (Steve Blanchard) announced that the price for the Newsies has gone up from fifty to sixty cents which in turn will force them to sell more papers in order to earn the same as before. Outraged Jack, along with Davey, Crutchie, Les and the other Newsies organize a strike with Katherine covering it. However Jack must decide if this is worth it after police show up along with the corrupt and evil warden of the local juvenile center and the protest ends badly. About as far as I should go without giving away the rest of the show.

Let me start off by saying how amazing this musical is. From the writing, acting and especially the choreography, Newsies is an absolutely fabulous show. For anyone that says guys can’t dance and/or do musicals show them this (there is at least one more example but that is another day). To give you just a small idea of how incredible the dancing is picture this: in the climatic number the guys are dancing on very thin newspaper pages and not slipping (for the record do not try it unless you want to break something or fall on your rear end).

Moving on, the acting was just as good as I remembered the show, even with a couple of different actors than in the show I saw. I actually saw Jeremy Jordan in a Broadway production of West Side Story as Tony about two years before he became Jack Kelly. Between this and a movie he did also in 2012 (which I plan on reviewing at a later date) I knew he looked familiar; then I heard him sing and it came back to me. Having just missed him in the original Broadway show I had to see him in the role that launched his career and let’s just say he was nominated for the Tony for a good reason. I am so happy that he has had so much success, not just on Broadway but on television shows such as Smash and Supergirl because he is so talented. Of course every great lead needs a just as good cast and this one doesn’t disappoint. Keenan-Bolger, Fankhauser, Steiner and the other Newsies are amazing singers, actors and dancers and I hope to continue watching them on Broadway. Lindsay is great as Katherine with fantastic vocals and facial expressions as I remembered from the show. I do not think I saw Blanchard as Pulitzer nor Haas as Larkin in the show, but they were still very good to watch.

I cannot forget about the great soundtrack with so many songs that will either have you belting (probably badly), tapping your foot (or trying to recreate the dance) or feeling goosebumps going up and down your arm and/or spine. The first song I want to talk about is the last song before intermission “Santa Fe” which Jordan does brilliantly (as did Cott when I watched the show) as he laments what happened at the protest and vowing to soon leave New York; it takes a lot to deliver the emotion of Kelly as well as maintain the notes. One of the most popular songs is called “Seize the Day” which is the big climatic number in the first act involving the dancing on newspapers; between that and the angelic singing I saw why this number is talked about more than the others. One of my favorite numbers is “Something to Believe In” where Jack and Katherine declare their love for one another despite some huge bumps. Other songs I recommend listening to are “Carrying the Banner”, “That’s Rich”, “The World Will Know”, “Watch What Happens” “King of New York” and “Once and For All”. Once again Newsies: The Broadway Musical is still on Netflix streaming as of this date, but I do not know how long it will be there. Until that date seize the day (so not sorry I did that) and watch this unbelievable musical.

Movie Review: Dirty Dancing

If you were to look up summer romance in a movie dictionary it would probably show a poster of this movie. Released in 1987 Dirty Dancing was as big of a hit back then as it is now being the first movie to sell a million copies when it was released on home video. With a matching hit soundtrack (while not considered a musical) Dirty Dancing is widely regarded as a must watch for young adults and I would not argue with it. Spoilers ahead as usual. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

Taking place the summer of 1963 the Houseman family, Dr. Jake (Jerry Orbach), Marjorie (Kelly Bishop), Lisa (Jane Brucker) and Francis aka Baby (Jennifer Grey) are spending their vacation at Kellerman’s, a beautiful resort up in the Catskill Mountains. Baby wants to study economics in underdeveloped countries and go into the Peace Corps when she graduates high school while her parents want her to enjoy her summer like her sister who has already developed feelings for Robbie Gould (Max Cantor) a womanizing waiter. Meanwhile Baby develops a fascination for the dancing instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) and soon a mutual attraction forms. When Johnny’s partner Penny Johnson (Cynthia Rhodes) becomes pregnant by Robbie and he refuses to help her “take care of it”, Baby agrees to become Johnny’s partner for a dance routine. The two soon fall in love, but when they come back Penny is in deep trouble. Baby gets her father and he manages to save Penny; however he forbids Baby from seeing Johnny again, forcing the two young lovers to hide their relationship. About as far as I should go, but the ending is very famous.

I have seen this movie listed not only as one of the movies you have to watch before you die, but as one of the most popular films of all time, regardless of the decade. If people were not familiar with Jennifer Grey or Patrick Swayze prior to this movie they were after. It was hard after the movie for both Grey and Swayze to escape the Dirty Dancing spotlight; in fact Swayze had a string of “bad” films and did not receive any recognition until “Ghost”. Jerry Orbach and Kelly Bishop were already huge Broadway stars and thankfully this film helped launch more mainstream careers. The rest of the cast does a remarkable job as well. The writing is very spot on (who hasn’t said “Nobody puts Baby in a corner”) as is the choreography by the legendary Kenny Ortega. Of course I cannot forget about the amazing soundtrack, featuring many hits from the 60’s as well as a few originals including “She’s Like The Wind” by Patrick Swayze, “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen and finally the most famous of them all, the Golden Globe, Oscar and Grammy winning song “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life” which I’m positive has put a lot of people in the hospital for trying to recreate that scene. This is one of my favorite films I have seen over the past few years and before someone asks no I did not watch the live ABC version last year nor was I even tempted to. There are certain movies I felt should not ever be remade and this was one of them; thankfully it seemed I made the right decision. If you have yet to watch Dirty Dancing, I implore you to watch the original version. While it may or may not be the time of your life (not sorry I did that), it is definitely a classic must watch.

Movie Review: Shrek

As I stated in a previous blog DreamWorks Animation has become very close to topping Disney when it comes to animated movies, and this 2001 film arguably is the one that started that talk. Based very loosely on the beloved 1990 fairy tale book, but mostly parodies other stories as well as poke some fun at its competition, Shrek became a big household name and showed that maybe fairy tales have the story just a little wrong. If for some reason you haven’t seen this movie spoiler alert. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

Shrek (Mike Myers) is an ogre living in a swamp and is very content with being alone (he scares off villagers attempting to hunt him just to stay that way.) One day Shrek’s swamp becomes too crowded with fairy tale creatures such as Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), The Three Little Pigs (Cameron as well), the Big Bad Wolf (Aron Warner) and a talking Donkey (Eddie Murphy) after they are forced to leave the kingdom of Duloc by the greedy and short Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) who wants to be rid of the “freaks” in his kingdom. Lord Farquaad decides to become king, but in order to do so he needs to marry a queen. Thanks to the Magic Mirror (Chris Miller) he chooses the seemingly perfect Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), but doesn’t want to actually go and rescue her from her tower guarded by a fire breathing dragon. Angered by the unexpected company Shrek and Donkey (who is the only one willing to go with him) travel to Duloc to speak to Lord Farquaad. He agrees to give Shrek his swamp back, but only if Shrek goes and rescues Princess Fiona. Shrek and Donkey do so, much to Fiona’s chagrin disrupting her perfect fairy tale ending she’s been dreaming off. However as the travel back to Duloc Shrek and Fiona discover they actually have a lot more in common than originally thought. About as far as I should go without spoiling the rest of the movies.

Being a fan of fairy tales when I was a kid, and still sort of am today I loved this movie. It took fairy tales that I knew, but twisted it and changed it. Normally I do not like change when it comes to stories I treasure, but I did not mind this at all. It was nice for the monster, which is not really in this case, to get the happy ending and even to see what goes beyond The End, but those are for another day. The voice acting and writing was so perfect to the point where I could not even imagine anyone else voicing Shrek, Donkey or Fiona other than Myers, Murphy and Diaz. I absolutely love the characters. Shrek is so funny, Donkey is a great friend (even when you want him to shut up) Fiona is not your typical princess which I loved immediately about her and Farquaad in my opinion has yet to be topped as the best villain in the franchise. I would even call Shrek a must see regardless of you love for animation. Three sequels followed Shrek, four if you count a spin off, multiple holiday specials and for a brief period a run on Broadway. I believe you can find the Broadway version on Netflix, but I could be wrong; I’m sure it is available somewhere. Shrek is a fantastic non-Disney animated movie and if you have yet to watch it I highly recommend it.

Classic Movie Review: West Side Story

Haven’t done a classic film review in some time and this one definitely fits the bill. Based on the 1957 musical and inspired by the famous Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, this 1961 musical is one of the most successful not just musicals but movies of all time; it still holds the record for most Academy Awards wins for a musical. If for some reason you haven’t watched West Side Story a spoiler alert is being issued. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

In 1957 Manhattan two gangs run the streets, the American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. The Jets leader Riff Lorton (Russ Tamblyn with Tucker Smith providing the singing voice for two songs) decides to challenge the Sharks leader Bernardo Nunez (George Chakiris who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this part) to a rumble at the upcoming dance. Riff insists his best friend Tony Wyzek (Richard Beymer with Jimmy Bryant as the singing voice) who left the Jets and has an honest job at a drug store join the Jets at the dance. Tony doesn’t want to, but after he says he feels something important will happen to him agrees to go. Meanwhile on the Sharks side Bernardo’s little sister Maria Nunez (Natalie Wood with Marni Nixon as the singing voice) talks with her best friend and the girlfriend of Bernardo Anita Palacio (Rita Moreno who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for this part) that she does not like the man Bernardo brought to America for her to marry Chino (Jose DeVega). At the dance the gangs refuse to dance with the other. Tony and Maria look at each other from across the dance floor and instantly fall in love. Bernardo warns Tony to stay away from his sister as he agrees to a rumble with Riff. Tony and Maria plan to run away together, but their respective gangs may tear the new couple apart. I probably shouldn’t say any more but considering the material this was inspired by I’m sure it is not hard to figure out.

This is without a doubt one amazing musical is many ways. From the acting, writing, cinematography, songs; OK basically all. Don’t believe me, check out this fact. West Side Story was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10. Two of them were for acting as already stated, the other eight were for best cinematography, sound, music, film editing, costume, art direction, director and of course the biggest of them all Best Picture (it was nominated for best adapted screenplay and I can’t argue with the one that won). While Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood were not nominated they were absolutely fantastic as the star crossed pair of Tony and Maria; they are often listed as one of the best couples of 1960 movies and musicals which shows how much chemistry they had as well as the incredible writing. George Chakiris and Rita Moreno are also adorable as Bernardo and Anita but they definitely earned their Oscars for their parts. The rest of the cast is just as good, but there is so much more than just the acting and writing. West Side Story has also been listed on five of the American Film Institute 100 Years lists: 100 movies, and the revived list, three songs on the 100 songs, 100 Passions and finally Greatest Movie Musicals.

The songs in West Side Story have gone down as not only some of the best Steven Sondheim numbers, but some of the best songs in musicals (film or Broadway). Here are some standouts: “Something’s Coming” by Tony before he goes to the dance, “Maria” by Tony shortly after he has met and fallen for Maria, “Tonight” by Maria and Tony confessing their love, and then later on a quintet with the Jets, Sharks, Anita, Maria and Tony as they get ready for the rumble, “America” by Anita, Bernardo and other members of the Sharks talking about the good and bad things about living in America for them, “I Feel Pretty” Maria’s number where she is happy to run off with Tony, “Somewhere” Tony and Maria’s somber duet planning to find their place where they can be together, “Cool” the Jets song after the rumble where talks of revenge begin to form and finally “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love” Maria and Anita’s number after Anita catches Maria with Tony. There are more songs, but these are the ones any musical fan knows.

I have heard that Steven Spielberg is doing a remake of the movie and it is supposedly open casting. I won’t lie and say when I heard about this I was a little worried as I love this story (both the movie and the musical which I saw in 2009). However I know Spielberg has way more hits than misses so my concern is not as big, I just hope we have a great cast and writing; I do not know if it will be as good as this one, but I cannot wait to see it. Regardless if you are a musical fan or if you love great movies West Side Story has to be on anyone’s must watch list; I promise you will fall in love just as fast as Tony and Maria with West Side Story.

Movie Review: Sense and Sensibility

I do not know why but sometimes when I watch a periodic film my thoughts are: were people really like this? The short version is yes, although maybe it is not as bad but I did not live back then so who knows. Anyway, this 1995 periodic drama based on the beloved Jane Austin novel stayed as true as it could to the 1811 novel, which helped that Emma Thompson (who was convinced to be the lead) wrote the script. It is still regarded as one of the best adaptions of Austin’s work and I would never argue with that. Spoilers ahead as usual. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

Just before he dies Mr. Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) asks his son from his first marriage John Dashwood (James Fleet) to take care and provide for his second family: his wife Mrs. Dashwood (Gemma Jones) and their three daughters: Elinor (Thompson, nominated for her part), Marianne (Kate Winslet, nominated for her part) and Margaret (Emilie Francois) as they will not inherit anything after Mr. Dashwood’s death. However John’s manipulative wife Fanny (Harriet Walter) convinces her husband to break his word to his father and not help his half-sisters. They almost immediately move into the Dashwood home forcing the girls to find a new home. Fanny has her brother Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) move in as well. Edward and Elinor form a friendship and it seems that something more could have happened. However Fanny informs Mrs. Dashwood that Edward will be disinherited if he does not marry someone important. Having had enough Mrs. Dashwood takes her daughters and moves into a cottage provided by her cousin Sir John Middleton (Robert Hardy) and his mother in-law the ever scheming and energetic Mrs. Jennings (Elizabeth Spriggs). The Dashwood ladies also meet Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman), a longtime friend of Sir John who falls for Marianne the moment he sees her; however she does not reciprocate his feelings as he is too old. After a walk in the rain has Marianne taking a tumble she meets John Willoughby (Greg Wise) a very charming gentleman she quickly falls for and makes no attempt to hide it, much to Colonel Brandon’s chagrin (in more ways than one). Mrs. Jennings invites her daughter Charlotte (Imelda Staunton), son-in-law Mr. Palmer (Hugh Laurie) and cousin Lucy Steele (Imogen Stubbs) to visit where Lucy confides to Elinor her secret relationship with Edward, much to Elinor’s heartbreak but agrees to stay quiet. The elder Dashwood sisters soon have to find a way to handle their heartbreaks. About as far as I should go without giving away the rest of the movie.

I was amazed when I watched the film for the first time at not only how well it was written, but the acting. Emma Thompson is incredible as Elinor and she wrote a wonderful script; which did not surprise me when I read she won the Oscar for her screenplay (so far the only person to win Oscars for acting and writing) This was not Kate Winslet’s first film, however she gained a lot more attention with her role as the woman with her heart on her sleeve Marianne. Hugh Grant was amazing as Edward, I know a lot of Jane Austin fans thought he was “too handsome” for the part (which I almost laugh at but I have not read the book yet so what do I know), but apparently Thompson had Grant in mind when she was writing the script. Rickman is adorable as Col. Brandon, one of his most memorable roles outside the Harry Potter films. I loved the rest of the cast as well, with a special shout out to Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs. Jennings, a character I almost wish would stop meddling, but it is so entertaining. I would call Sense and Sensibility a must see if you love periodic, drama or romantic films or any of the actors in this movies. Even if you are not it’s still a very cute movie and a great adaption of Jane Austin’s work.

Movie Review: Avengers: Infinity War

The latest movie in the Marvel Cinematic universe honestly left me with more questions than answers. It took me four days before I finally watched the movie, and somehow I managed to avoid spoilers so my friend and I were left in total shock and awe. I think my head is still wrapping around what I saw. As this is still in theaters at the date of this blog I am going to be as careful as possible, but just in case spoiler alert. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

After nearly six years Thanos (Josh Brolin) has finally emerged to collect the six Infinity stones (power, space, reality, soul, time and mind). However if he thinks it is going to be easy he has a big fight ahead of him. In his way are members of the broken up Avengers: in New York the recently engaged to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downy Jr.), Bruce Banner aka the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) after he crash landed on Earth, Peter Parker aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Stephan Strange aka Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), along with his assistant Wong (Benedict Wong). They end up taking their fight with some of Thanos’s children into space, expect for Banner who manages to contact a few friends: Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Sam Wilson aka Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson) and Vision (Paul Bettany). After they realize what Thanos is after and one of the stones happens to be in Vision’s head this section of the Avengers, along with James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine (Don Cheadle) travels to the nation of Wakanda to find a way to safely remove and destroy the stone. They get some help with King T’Challa aka Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Shuri (Letitia White) M’Baku (Winston Duke) and Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier/White Wolf (Sebastian Stan). Meanwhile out in space Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki (Tom Hiddelston) and Heimdall (Idris Elba) have an encounter with Thanos that leaves many dead, but help soon arrives in the form of The Guardians of the Galaxy: Peter Quill aka Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). About as far as I should go without spoiling the movie, but as always stay until the very end.

Infinity War is a very good superhero movie. Everyone is at their absolute best in this movie, the writing and special effects were so good and overall this is an absolute must watch if you are a superhero fan. Obviously there are a few films you have to watch before you get to this film, but this is something I had to remind myself at the end of the movie: this is only part 1, part 2 is coming out next year. I know a story came out from the producers saying that nothing is going to get fixed, but I am almost positive they are just teasing. I promise you guys will love Infinity Wars.

Movie Review: Skyfall

Now we are getting into the Bonds I began to like once I caught up with the rest of the series. This 2012 Bond film has also been seen on many top 10 Best Bond films of all time (admittedly not high probably 6 or 7 tops). Skyfall is in my opinion the best performances of not just Daniel Craig, but of Dame Judi Dench and without question one of the best villains in the Bond franchise in a long time. Because it is unavoidable, spoiler alert. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

James Bond (Daniel Craig) and field agent he later learns is named Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) are after a mercenary, Patrice (Ola Rapace) who has stolen files of the real names of undercover agents. Bond and Patrice fight on top of a train and M (Judi Dench) orders Moneypenny to take a shot. She hits Bond instead and Patrice escapes; Bond is assumed to be dead. A few months later M is being pressured into retiring by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, but then MI6 gets hacked and the headquarters blows up, not before M receives a message taunting her. Bond returns to help M and despite his failing physical and psychological tests, M clears him for duty. After receiving gadgets from the new Q (Ben Whishaw) Bond sets out to discover who is after M. With a little help from a woman named Severine (Berenice Lim Marlohe) Bond soon meets the man responsible: Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a man from M’s past she disavowed after he hacked the Chinese government without her permission and was taken prisoner. Bond takes him prisoner, but soon realizes that was what he wanted; however he escaped before Bond catches on. Bond takes M to Skyfall, his parents’ house in the Scottish Highlands, but tells Q to leave a trail for Silva to follow, ready to end this. Bond, M and the Skyfall keeper Kincade (Albert Finney) fight off Silva and his men, Bond eventually killing Silva, but M is wounded in the fight and dies in Bond’s arms. At the end of the film Bond returns to the field, Moneypenny becomes a secretary and Mallory becomes the new M.

As far as Bond films go this is one of my favorites. Everything from the writing, acting, action and some very incredible cinematography was just perfect. Daniel Craig really shined as 007 in this movie, I’m glad we got Moneypenny and Q in here after a lengthy absence, and while Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw are good they do not hold a candle to the likes of Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewellyn respectively. For me at least two performances really stand out from the movie and that is Javier Bardem as Silva and Judi Dench as M. While Le Chiffre was a fantastic villain in Casino Royale he wasn’t the main bad guy which is why Silva for me is the best Bond villain in the Daniel Craig Bond franchise. He is not only scary, but is wicked smart and is willing to do whatever it takes to kill M, no matter who is in his way. While Judi Dench has been M for many years it was her final turn as the character where I thought she did her best work; while M was always a big player in the franchise we hadn’t really know much about the character or had a movie focus on someone other than Bond until Skyfall. I was a little sad when she died, but I think Mallory will do a good job with the role of M but that is a story for another day. On a final note while I haven’t mentioned the songs in the other films I did like them however I LOVE “Skyfall” by Adele; it also won the Oscar for Best Original Song. I think if you like the Bond franchise or are just starting out then put Skyfall on the must watch list right now.