You're Never Too Old To Be The Intern

"70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin." ~ IMDB

Rated PG-13

 Nancy Meyers makes movies just for me.  At least that's what I choose to believe.  I loved "Something's Got To Give" & "It's Complicated", so I was pretty sure I would like this movie.  What I didn't expect was to laugh hysterically - along with the entire audience - multiple times!

 I have to admit I wasn't blown away by Anne Hathaway. I kept feeling she wasn't that believable.  Give Reese Witherspoon or Jennifer Aniston this role, and now you have something. 

I was also bored with the character of Matt (Jules husband).  He was a real jerk & in real life - any strong woman would have kicked him to the curb.  

It was the interaction between Ben Whittaker (played by Robert De Niro) and the other three interns who stole the show IMO.  Adam Devine and Zack Pearlman – both were hilarious!

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie!  It was nice to see a film the whole family could enjoy. 

Interstellar....a disappointment

In the near future, Earth has been devastated by drought and famine, causing a scarcity in food and extreme changes in climate. When humanity is facing extinction, a mysterious rip in the space-time continuum is discovered, giving mankind the opportunity to widen its lifespan. A group of explorers must travel beyond our solar system in search of a planet that can sustain life. The crew of the Endurance are required to think bigger and go further than any human in history as they embark on an interstellar voyage into the unknown. Coop, the pilot of the Endurance, must decide between seeing his children again and the future of the human race. Written by Warren D'Souza

Rated PG13

The bad part of living in the middle of nowhere is having to drive about an hour to participate in a movie "experience" - meaning 3D/Imax stuff.  Since I am not a sci-fi fan, this doesn't usually present much of a problem. It's not like I needed IMAX to see Ben Affleck's package in Gone Girl...(wait maybe I did because I TOTALLY missed it)

Anyway - it took me a while to get to Interstellar because of my geographic challenges.  I was listening to all the advice about - YOU MUST SEE IT IN 3D etc.

Fast forward to a free Saturday and a willing date (daughter Tawni) and yesterday I found myself  all settled in at  the beautiful AMC Barrywoods IMAX Theater.

Maybe I am just not smart enough.  I didn't understand Inception - what made me think I would be able to follow Interstellar?   I just thought it was was too deep - I needed a notepad to keep track of everything.  

My apologies to everyone who is going on and on about this film - to all those folks who are buying the ticket that allows a person to see it as many times as they want. Seriously?  But Why?

I did enjoy all the previews in IMAX though - especially the Exodus God & Kings  trailer....so it wasn't a complete loss.

Turbine - 2011 - available @ Amazon & Netflix

As I sat down this morning to review "Mud"(Matthew McConaughey/Reese Witherspoon/Tye Sheridan), my mind kept wandering. It took me a few minutes, but I finally realized why. My affection for this movie stems from my passion for another little movie about life near another little river....and that movie is TURBINE.



There are many reasons I love Turbine. The main reason is this one:

I have known Mike Burg forever. We went to High School together - he now lives in New York City, I am still in Missouri. I live vicariously through him and his acting life; he comes to me for 'news from home'. It's a great relationship. Mike plays Darius Clemens Jr. in Turbine...

 

Turbine was shot in the countryside of Rock Port, Missouri where Mike and I grew up. The film tells the story of a New York couple - played by the gorgeous actors Isaak James and Anne Marie Nestor - and their move to the Midwest. Nick heads to rural America for a career in the wind turbine industry, Anne Marie goes along hoping to make a fresh start and start a family outside the confines of a big city. It doesn't take long for a wealthy local farmer (played with perfection by Burg) to become intriqued with the young couple.... it's a story of lust & deception & trying to outrun the demons in one's soul.

Here are the other reasons I love Turbine.

~ I am personally invested. You saw me in the trailer, handing Nick a ball cap. Mike blessed me beyond measure when he asked me to help scout locations for the movie. The cherry on top was a small role in the movie. It is one of the highlights of my life.

~ Nick and Sarah's cabin is actually a little shack along the banks of the Missouri River that Jay and I took care of and spent many, many weekends. It is (was) one of my favorite places in the world. The filming took place in the Spring of 2011. That summer, the Missouri River flooded and destroyed the cabin (not completely - but damn close). It will never be the same. I will forever be indebted to Turbine for capturing on film this magical little place.

~ I met some wonderful people, such as this beauty, Miss Eva James, who co-produced this movie. I really, really like her. I really do.

~Lastly, Rick DeBuhr, who plays the trucker in the movie, was killed in a motorcycle accident a few months after the movie premiered. While I have also known Rick my whole life, I didn't know him on a very personal level. But my heart tells me that being in this movie was also a highlight for him.

You can rent Turbine on Netflix or purchase it from Amazon.  You will especially enjoy the movie if you are from the midwest - the scenery and backdrop are brutally honest.

I promise to get around and review MUD in the next couple of days....but I wanted to share this little gem, since somehow I hadn't thought to until today.

Cheers!

Follow me on twitter @take2review

 

 





My Review of 42

Long before we ever knew of Hank Aaron or  Ken Griffey, Jr.  there was Jackie Robinson.

Any baseball fan knows who Jackie was - the first African-American to play Major League Baseball, but very few can understand exactly WHAT he was. Until now.   Chadwick Boseman - whose resemblence to Jackie Robinson is uncanny - delivers an award winning performance.  His ability to show all facets of this incredible man was spot on.  Minority, Athlete, Lover, Father, Teacher, Forgiver.  It's raw emotion - which is my cup of tea when it comes to great movies.

You don't have to be a baseball fan to fall in love with this movie.  It's mostly a movie about how much the human spirit can endure - at times, I felt sick to my stomach with the epitaphs he had to endure.  This prideful man - always impeccably dressed and absolutely gorgeous (you know me - it's all about the eye candy) - was constantly tested.  He faced more ridicule and injustice than any person should have too - always turning the other check.  It's hard to say if he would have stayed so focused, if not for the promise he made to his manager, Branch Rickey:

"Jackie Robinson: You want a player who doesn't have the guts to fight back?

Branch Rickey: No. I want a player who's got the guts *not* to fight back.

Jackie Robinson: You give me a uniform, you give me a number on my back, I'll give you the guts. "

Branch Rickey was a man of great morals who believed the game of baseball - as well as the America it represented- should offer opportunities to people with talent - no matter the color of their skin.  He was 65 years old when he met Jackie Robinson and put it all on the line.  I fell in love with this man.  But I wasn't in love with Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey.  There was just something that was off for me - I can't put my finger on it.  (Side note - my husband; a HUGE baseball fan, thought Ford was SPOT ON.  He knows the story of Branch Rickey - so if Jay says he did a great job, than who am I to argue?)

Lastly, this movie was a love story.    Nicole Beharie plays the love of Jackie's life, Rachel.  Nicole mentioned in an interview how thrilled she was to be able to consult with Rachel Robinson during the making of this film.  She is convinced, as is everyone who actually knew the couple - that this was a story of "WE" not "I".  They truly faced this journey together - she was his biggest fan, his counselor, his lover and his best friend.  She was a very beautiful, very strong woman who continues to work towards the greater good.  She is quoted as saying "I want young people to know you can go through terrible times, but if you form strong relationships...you can make a difference."   Great stuff.

This strong cast also included one of my favorite actors, Lucas Black (of Slingblade fame); TR Knight (Grey's Anatomy) and Andre Holland who plays the African American baseball writer hired by Rickey to guide Jackie through his newfound fame.   One of my favorite lines is delivered by Holland, I can't remember it exactly but it goes something like this:  "You aren't the only one with something at stake here.  Haven't you ever wondered why I sit in stands with my typewriter in my lap instead of sitting in the press box?"

Jackie Robinson is the heart and soul of Baseball, of America, of tolerance and change.  We should all take a page from his book, a book that "42" does a fine job of sharing with us all.

Date Night With My Momma - The Sapphires

The who?  That's what I said when I got the screening invite to watch The Sapphires...  

This movie wasn't on my radar, but it looked like a better option than sitting at home on a Monday night. 

Once I watched the trailer and realized the event was about a mile from my Mom's house, it was a no-brainer to invite her along.  She is a push-over for feel good movies especially if they are from the 60's and include good music. 

Me and my momma: we had a blast! 

Check out the trailer: 

It doesn't take you long to understand why this movie received a ten minute standing ovation at last year's Cannes Film Festival. 

Dave Lovelace is an alcoholic emcee (played convincingly by Chris O'Dowd) who meets four Aboroginal girls from Australia singing country music.  Even though the girls come from extremely humble surroundings; even though they face racism and hatred every day of their lives, they have this determination and absolute belief they are destined to be stars. When they see a newspaper ad seeking "musical acts to entertain the troops in Vietnam", they enlist Dave to help them get there.



One of my favorite scenes; Dave teaching the girls how to put a little soul in their serenade: (about 1:30 into this clip)

There are quite a few laughs and a handful of scary moments.  The scenes shot in Vietnam were beautiful; the vulnerability of the girls very believable.

I think you will be quite surprised by the ending - I know I was.  I think you will find yourself dancing in your seat - I know for sure Mom was.

No,  its not a blockbuster, but it is a fun, uplifting little film.

Olympus Has Fallen..and so have I...for Gerard Butler

Whether you want an action movie (think Die Hard) or you simply like eye candy (Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Dylan McDermott are totally delicious), this movie won’t disappoint.

Director Fuqua (Training Day et al) doesn’t waste any time bringing the viewer to the edge of their seat – within 10 minutes we are rooting for Special Agent Mike Banning (Butler).  Forced to make a life or death decision for the President of the United States, he knows his own life will never be the same.

Fast forward a year, Banning watches something so horrific unfold outside his “desk job” window he can hardly believe his eyes. He suddenly becomes “the best hope we’ve got” at taking back the White House and freeing the President who has been kidnapped by terrorists – hundred sof them, who were hiding in plain sight. Walking and working among the landscape of Washington DC, completely unnoticed.  His chance for atonement was our darkest hour.

I stared in shock as I watched tourists become terrorists and trash trucks explode.  I couldn’t help but think “could this really happen?”  Because Olympus was shot over a year ago, it seemed surreal to watch the White House crumble at the hands of North Korean terrorists.  That hit a little too close to home in our current political environment.

Lots of carnage & fantastic special effects abound.  

Gerard Butler carries the movie with all the self sacrifice you would expect from  a true Secret Service Agent.

Olympus makes you proud to be an American.   No one shouts patriotism louder than Oscar winner Melissa Leo as our Secretary of Defense, who says “The Pledge of Allegiance” as she is being dragged through the dead bodies of her colleagues.

The only criticism I have is the casting of Morgan Freeman as Speaker of the House.  He seemed too old and too tired.  I wish Fuqua would have brought Denzel Washington along for the ride.  

I felt a little skittish walking to the car when it ended.  I nervously avoided strangers, actually wondering if someone was about to pull out an assault rifle.  In other words, I found the movie pretty believable.

Intense

Brutal

Worth It

I give this a 7 out of a 10 (I don't like silly jokes in the middle of a terrorist takeover, and I really REALLY dislike seeing people stabbed in the eyeball)

The Perks of a Movie that Feels like Home



 

The Perks of Being A Wallflower - 2012

 

 

I recall seeing previews for Perks when it was tossed around during Awards season.  I thought it sounded like  Pretty in Pink circa 2012.  A coming of age movie, an age I had outgrown many, many years ago. 

 

Boy was I wrong.

 

 

I still keep secrets buried deep under my laughter and silliness.  Maybe MY STORY was the reason this movie hit so close to home. 

 

Or maybe HER STORY made this so surreal.  She is my Charlie.  My Patrick.  My Brad.  My Hero.  We will never stop trying.  This - this most difficult job. 

I sobbed the deep sobs of a Mother who is failing her child.

 

There is a consistent feeling throughout the movie – that feeling when your heart is right at the top of your throat.  And if you make a peep,  your entire soul will pour out onto the floor.  That feeling of impending doom….something really, really bad is about to happen and there is nothing you can do to stop it. 

 I thought “if Charlie were real..", but isn’t he?  Don’t we all know a Charlie?  Or at least think we do?    If Charlie were real – he would be the bravest, greatest young man on the planet.  And no one would ever know.  No one would ever take the time – or the risk - to know him.

 

When the movie ended and the music went silent, I was sad to see them go. As I watched the credits fade, it was my deepest wish they all would find not only the love they felt they deserved, but the love all misfit toys deserve.  The love of one really good friend.