"Even though some of you are pretty thin, you all have fat hearts and that's what matters."

2012 is over and I have finally gotten around to completing my list of favorite movies from the past twelve months. These are not necessarily the movies that are going to win any awards, but they were the ones that entertained me the most:

The Avengers
If you are at all surprised that this is on my list, then you clearly do not know me that well or read my blog at all. I adore Joss Whedon and everything he does and this movie just proved that, if you let him do his thing, magic happens. Expectations were very high for this movie and I definitely think the cast and the story exceeded those expectations, at least for me. I just hope that the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot actually gets turned into a full series, mostly because it brings Agent Coulson back to life, but also because it will be awesome.

Argo
Ben Affleck showed us he was a great writer/director with The Town and Argo proved once again that he continues to be a triple-threat. I enjoyed this movie not only because it was well-written, directed and acted, but also because I learned about a piece of U.S. history that was not well-known. I was not actually alive during the Iran Hostage Crisis, but even my mother does not remember the story of these six fugitives coming home. (And if you know my mother, that is a rarity because she remembers EVERYTHING.) However, even if you do not care for the historical aspects, it is still a great, high energy story. I particularly enjoyed the characters played by Alan Arkin and John Goodman and their tagline: Argo fuck yourself! 

Pitch Perfect
I was really excited to see this movie before it was released. I am a pretty big a capella nerd and the cast is also filled with actors that I love: Brittany Snow, Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson and Elizabeth Banks, to name a few. It is hilariously funny and smart and it is definitely a must-see. I saw it twice in theaters, bought the blu ray for myself for Christmas and have already watched it two more times.

"...And then shawarma after."

My original plan was to see The Avengers on Sunday. However, after sitting in front of my computer at work all day Friday and reading the multitude of comments on Twitter about how good the movie was, I decided that I needed to see it Friday night. Then, because it was SO GOOD, I saw it again on Sunday :o)

Don't worry, I will warn you before I get to the spoilery bits.....

When Loki teams up with an unexpected army, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D) Director Nick Fury must bring together a group of super humans to defend the Earth. This team consists of Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America, Thor, Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Clint Barton/Hawkeye. After working out their differences with each other first, they then have to figure out how to defeat Loki.

The acting in this movie was all-around fantastic. There was not a weak link in the group, but it was really the supporting roles that stood out to me the most. We know from previous Marvel films that Clark Gregg is a great Agent Phil Coulson, but he was especially fantastic in The Avengers. Although he was not in a majority of scenes, he had his share of hilarious lines. I was also especially impressed with Cobie Smulders, who plays Agent Maria Hill. I love her on How I Met Your Mother, but she kicked a lot of ass in this movie...literally. I was also excited to see other Whedonverse actors Alexis Denisof, Ashley Johnson and Enver Gjokaj.

Of course, it would not be The Avengers without the Avengers themselves. We have seen Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston in their roles as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Loki respectively and they all continue to be fantastic. However, this is the first time Mark Ruffalo played the role of The Hulk. I did not actually see the previous Hulk movies (mostly because they did not get very good reviews) but I thought Ruffalo was a welcome addition to the team.

And now on to the more spoilery parts of my review. If you do not want anything ruined then I suggest you STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.

For those that have already seen the movie, please continue....

"Let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something."

The two major movies that are being released this weekend are: The Avengers and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

In The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a group of British retirees go on a trip to India to stay in, what they believe is, a newly restored hotel. The hotel turns out to be not quite as luxurious as the advertisement leads them to believe, but eventually its charm begins to grow on them. This movie stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup and Dev Patel.

Trailer #1
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at MOVIECLIPS.com

The Avengers is a team of super humans who have been brought together by the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D) Director Nick Fury to defend the Earth from Loki and his army. This teams consists of Tony Stark aka Iron Man, Steve Rogers aka Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner aka The Hulk, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow and Clint Barton aka Hawkeye. This movie stars Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Gwyneth Paltrow and the voice of Paul Bettany.

Trailer #2
The Avengers at MOVIECLIPS.com

I am very interested in seeing both of these movies. Marigold Hotel has a fantastic cast and looks really funny, and both have been getting great reviews. I am trying not to let my expectations for The Avengers get too high, but I am very excited about it and will definitely go this weekend.

Also in limited release is: LOL, First Position, The Perfect Family, Last Call at the Oasis, A Little Bit of Heaven, Mother's Day and Meeting Evil.

xoxo
c
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Summer Movie Preview 2012

It's that time of year again! I have received my favorite issue of Entertainment Weekly! Their Summer Movie Preview has arrived and it just makes me excited for all the fun movies that come out this time of year. It also means that my favorite season is just around the corner. So here it is, my list of movies that I am most excited about coming out in the next few months.
May
4   - The Avengers (Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo)
     - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy)
18 - Battleship (Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker)
     - Hysteria (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce, Rupert Everett)





If it gets good reviews, I may also see Dark Shadows (5/11) and What to Expect When You're Expecting (5/18).

"There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than that."

I enjoyed Captain America: The First Avenger a lot. I was not sure going into it that I would like it because the initial reviews were not that stellar, but it really was quite entertaining. I would not say it was the best movie of the summer, but it is definitely worth seeing.

There are a few spoilers here, so I advise you to proceed with caution.

The first thing that stood out to me in the movie was that it was funnier than I expected it to be. There is very little humor in any of the trailers, but there is a lot of humor in the film. I am not saying it is a comedy, but there are some great one liners. I do not know why I was so surprised by this, but I was, and I it was one of the things that made me like this film as much as I did.

"You know, for a crazy homeless person, he's pretty cut."

I thought that Thor was a lot of fun. Going into it, I did not realize how much of the movie would take place in his home realm, Asgard. The trailers make it seem like it would be mostly about his time on Earth, but I would say it is split pretty evenly between the two realms. The mythology of the character is interesting, for those of us who have not read the comics, and at no point was I confused about what was going on. Sometimes with the origin stories, the film makers try to cram too much information into the film and it muddles the storyline, but I did not find that with Thor.

The special effects were excellent and the realm of Asgard was pretty awesome looking. I kind of wish that I could live there. And while I did end up seeing it in 3-D, I do not think it is necessary. Although, I never really think 3-D is necessary, and certainly not IMAX 3-D. I do not feel that 3-D really adds anything to the experience, except that you have to wear annoying, bulky, plastic glasses for two hours.

Chris Hemsworth is very nice to look at, especially shirtless. It is also nice to see that he can do more than just crash a Federation starship into a Romulan mining vessel. He did a very good job carrying the entire movie and I look forward to seeing him in other projects. However, I do have to say that Vincent D'Onofrio will always be Thor in my heart :o)

In terms of the rest of the cast, everyone else's performances were on par with what you would expect from them. Kat Dennings stood out to me because she is hilarious and Tom Hiddleston was also excellent as Thor's brother, Loki. As with the Iron Man movies, make sure you stay until the very end of the credits for your Nick Fury cameo. 

If you like action movies, or even if you just like hot guys, then I would highly recommend seeing this movie. It is entertaining throughout and definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

xoxo
c


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"I have learned that you make your own happiness...

...that part of going for what you want means losing something else.  And when the stakes are high, the losses can be that much greater."
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The two movies I am most looking forward to that are opening this weekend are Thor and Something Borrowed.

Thor is based on the comic books written by Stan Lee and produced by Marvel Comics. He is cast out of his own realm by his father to be sent to live on Earth.and taught humility. He lands without his hammer, the source of his power, and can only retrieve it by proving himself worthy enough. Thor is played by Chris Hemsworth, who you may remember as George Kirk from the latest Star Trek movie. I have never read any of the comics, but if it is anything like the previous two Iron Man movies, Thor is sure to be highly entertaining. It will be followed by another Marvel character, Captain America, later this summer and both will appear in The Avengers in 2012.

Trailer #2
Thor at MOVIECLIPS.com

Something Borrowed is based on the book of the same name by Emily Giffin. On the night of her 30th birthday, Rachel has a few too many drinks and ends up sleeping with her best friend's fiancee. At first she tries to forget about the fling, but soon realizes that she has feelings for this guy. Rachel struggles with figuring out if she should be with the man she loves or stand aside and watch him marry the best friend who has always taken the spotlight from her. Rachel is played by Ginnifer Goodwin and best friend, Darcy, is played by Kate Hudson. I am not expecting anything other than the typical stupid romantic comedy, but sometimes those can be fun too :o)

Trailer #2
Something Borrowed at MOVIECLIPS.com

While I will probably see both of these movies, regardless of what the reviews say, they currently stand on opposite ends of the spectrum on Rotten Tomatoes. Thor is at 84% and Something Borrowed is at 15%.

Other movies opening this weekend include: The Beaver, Jumping the Broom, Hobo With A Shotgun and Last Night

xoxo

c

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Christina: There’s a club. The Dead Dads Club and you can’t be in it until you’re in it....

You can try to understand, you can sympathize, but until you feel that loss… My dad died when I was nine. George, I’m really sorry you had to join the club
George: I…I don’t know how to…exist in a world where my dad doesn’t
Christina: Yeah that never really changes
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I finally saw Iron Man 2 and it was just as awesome as the first movie. Do not expect it to win any Academy Awards, but for a comic book movie and a sequel, it was completely entertaining and just what I needed right now. I do love Robert Downey Jr and I cannot wait for The Avengers movie, especially now that it also involves Joss Whedon :o)

Other summer movies I am looking forward to are MacGruber, The A-Team and Toy Story 3. I will see Sex and the City 2 and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but am not expecting anything spectacular, considering the previous films were not that good. I also might see Dinner for Schmucks, The Switch and Eat, Pray, Love depending on the reviews.

I still have not watched Rachel Getting Married. This time it is mostly because there have just been other things that I have wanted to watch more. I have had the disc from Netflix since January, so I should probably get on that. Most of my TV shows have ended this week, so I should have lot of free time coming soon. I promise I will watch it and get back to you!

I also just watched The Messenger with Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson, which was an excellent film. I meant to see it when it was in theaters but it did not play at very many and it got lost among all the other Oscar nominated movies that I was seeing. Being a Casualty Notification Officer must be the hardest job in the military. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to have to tell family members that their loved one has died and I have tons of respect for the men and women that do it. The movie was human and artful and also had something to say, but was not political. It was more about loss and how different people deal with that loss. It is about the people that have to do the thing that nobody wants to do, but the job that has to be done. I know I say this a lot, but everyone seriously needs to see this movie.

With Cool Hand Luke, it took me a little while to get into the movie, because it is very slow moving. However, after adjusting to the meandering nature, I really enjoyed it and totally understand why it is considered such a classic. I also now understand the "shake that bush" reference from A Perfect Getaway :o)

I am still watching Deadwood and am in the middle of season two. It is still awesome and I cannot wait to see what happens, but I do not think I would have watched it when it was on TV. I just do not think I would have appreciated it as much I do right now. So I guess it is good that I did not try to watch it then because I am loving it now.

In current TV news, I loved the finales of Private Practice (even though it made me sob), The Vampire Diaries, Parenthood, NCIS: Los Angeles and Brothers & Sisters. The Good Wife and Grey's Anatomy were phenomenal. How I Met Your Mother was funny, but kind of lame in terms of a finale. NCIS was mostly confusing and I thought could have been better considering the full season build-up, but is always good. And I could care less about the series finales of Lost or 24, as I did not watch either show. This summer I am looking forward to new seasons of Mad Men, Dark Blue and White Collar.

Since I was in Montauk for my brother's wedding this past weekend (I have a sister now, yay!) I did not see MacGruber opening weekend, like I had hoped, but it is on my to-do list for the next week.

xoxo
c

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