Jack the Giant Slayer

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor
Director: Bryan Singer

I feel like I can summarize my entire review into one paragraph, but for the sake of argument, I'm going to divulge into further detail. Jack the Giant Slayer makes for light entertainment. Sure, I might have caught it in a flight, making it one of the suitable choices of in-flight viewing. You're not missing out on anything if you don't finish it (although who likes leaving movies unfinished?), and the content is not heavy or something to think about. It's not even made to awe the viewer. To be honest, I don't even know why this was made; it produces a bad and unworkable premise to begin with.

Before Sunrise

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Director: Richard Linklater

I wanted to put the reviews for Before Sunrise and Before Sunset together in one post, but I don't think I will do justice to it, so doing it separately. After finding out that Before Midnight was going to hit the screens next week, it was impossible to watch that without knowing/rewatching the first two. Hence, my Before marathons. Before Sunrise introduces us to Jesse and Celine, two people who happened to meet each other on a train, and decided to spend one night together in Vienna before they had to leave, Jesse back to America and Celine going to Paris.

Trailer: The World's End


Capping off their trilogy by bringing it to the next level. British humor + sci-fi + action. I've only seen Hot Fuzz, and it was great. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are good actors, and they bring their game in making flicks like this. Hopefully this would not be a disappointment! 

Admission

Cast: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Gloria Reuben
Director: Paul Weitz

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are two of my favorite people in comedy. Paul Rudd has been making his rounds in the comedy genre, and while some of his movies weren't my favorite, his performance excels through and through. Tina Fey has this knack for writing and for delivering her lines. I've followed 30 Rock because of her. When she worked with Steve Carell and made Date Night, that spurned out gold. They're both good in their craft and they work well together. A Tina Fey and Paul Rudd movie should probably do the same. They're both great comedians and with the right story, this pairing can be gold. Unfortunately, that's not the case with Admissions.

Trailer: The Hobbit (The Desolation of Smaug)


I finished reading The Hobbit a couple of months ago (after seeing the first movie), and I have to ask them...how do they plan on stretching this? Is the dragon going to be killed in this installment? If so, what would happen to the third movie, scraps? Besides seeing Legolas, the elves have more of a role here than in the previous installment. The trailer brings something similar to the first, one action sequence after the other. Hopefully they conclude this entry with a bang, giving enough meat to the third movie and at the same time, not putting this movie to waste.

Warm Bodies

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton
Director: Jonathan Levine

Star-crossed lovers and zombie invasions aren't new. In fact, those story lines have been recycled for years. However put them together and you get Warm Bodies: an movie that does not gratify on originality, but its uniqueness to create a new angle on stories that seem to be set in stone. Starring somewhat unknown celebrities, it gets in the genre game and favorably makes it a hit. This could have been made with famous people and it would be a certified box office hit, but when made with two people easing their way into the industry, it was a gamble and it paid off. While it is not anywhere on my top favorite movies, Warm Bodies deserves a two thumbs up.

One Season Wonder: A Gifted Man

I'm trying out this new thing, in where I review shows that have only lasted up to a season. Hopefully if this works out well, this could be my blog's monthly feature. Last month my sister recommended that I watch A Gifted Man, so I spent my weeknights logging in medical episodes before I went to bed. While I found it to be entertaining, I thought it wasn't at par with other equally enjoyable medical shows such as House and Scrubs. Hit the jump for the review, but before you do, what do you think of this new feature-to-be?

Trailer: Blue Jasmine


It's been ages since I last saw Cate Blanchett in a movie (reprising her role in The Hobbit does not count), so this looks like a breath of different air in terms of her film choices. Written and directed by Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine is the story of a socialite's life spiraling down as she moves in with her sister in San Francisco. This looks like a light watch, nothing near Midnight in Paris, but still putting this on my watch list. It may star some underrated actors, but seeing their faces and names on an Allen film, is something refreshing as opposed to his typical cast list (with the exception of Baldwin). 

The Joy Luck Club


*This entry is part of a mini-feature, High School Nostalgia: books-turned-movies that were discussed during my high school years.
Cast:  Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, Tamlyn Tomita
Director: Wayne Wang

The book is thick but well written and quite entertaining. A book about mothers and daughters, it transitions to their experiences, back in China and now in America, and how they try to bridge cultures and teach each others the ways of another. I liked this book, I did. It wasn't my favorite high school reading but because of its wonderful message (and it does make for light reading), I have read it a couple of times. This movie, on the other hand, while it did reach out the message of the book, failed to hit the mark that the book was trying to leave the readers with. I felt that half of it was unattached, with the other half expressing much of the emotion and sorrow that the book was trying to define.

Trailer: Filth


How can this year not be the year of James McAvoy? He's already released two flicks this year, and here's a trailer for his latest endeavor. The man is on demand! Not to mention he still has the second installment of X-Men under his belt. I didn't understand where the plot was going based on the trailer alone, so I did a bit of reading about it.
A bipolar, bigoted junkie cop manipulates and hallucinates his way through the festive season in a bid to secure promotion and win back his wife and daughter. - IMDB
Okay...? Well, based on the trailer, he looks like he fits the role. Hopefully the movie turns out fine as well.

What to Expect when You're Expecting

This is my entry to the 5 obstructions blogathon. For more details, click here.
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks
Director: Kirk Jones

What to Expect When You're Expecting gives us two things that Hollywood has spawning up as of recent: book adaptations and ensemble casts. Loosely based on the titular book, the movie shows the lives of five women and their respective partners, and the different experiences they undergo as individuals and as couples, as they prepare for the arrival of their child. Similar movies depict some kind of conflict, mostly between the couple, but all in all, there are happy endings. 

The movie is not all thumbs up, but I liked the characters of Anna Kendrick and Elizabeth Banks, most of all. I like how the plot decided to choose Kendrick's character to undergo that tragic experience because it was really life-changing. I think that's an experience that all wannabe mothers/moms in the making/mothers in general wouldn't want to happen, and the scene enough felt devastating. I thought that among all the plots, it was Elizabeth Banks' story line that felt un-movie-like, that most of it felt realistic. Pregnancy is not all happy times, but it was only her character who had the guts to call out what she really felt. Also a plus for this movie is the ever awesome Rebel Wilson (loved that she got paired up with Banks, they have good working chemistry), and the brief appearance of Megan Mullally. 

If you're up for a no-brainer with A-List stars, or to see familiar faces, this movie might be a good choice.

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For the record, you're not missing anything even if you don't see this. Just go read the book instead (if you're an expecting mother, and if it really is helpful for pregnancies).

May Round Up


New movies seen: 3
Rewinds: 3
Total: 6

And there goes the end of my somewhat blogging hiatus. Nothing much happened this month, besides work and the trip that I've been longing to have. The only big thing that happened to me tv/movie-wise is that I am now a recent convert of The Office and Parks and Rec. Besides that, I have started watching Game of Thrones to the prodding of my cousins, and partly because of the recaps I've been reading. I have stopped watching it, however, because I have started to read the books, therefore gaining more clarity in terms of who the characters are. So, enough of my rambling and now the links (that I have managed to save up before I disappeared from my screen). 

Links
For the fans of Wes Anderson, Jessica from The Playlist writes about the best of Wes Anderson's commercials. Also coming from the same site, Drew talks about Leonardo Di Caprio's movies about doomed romances.

Because I am a recent fan, Ellie Kemper's The Office album from Vulture. Also, an alphabet of conversations.

Linking all of Alex's lists (either from And So It Begins... or Movie Mezzanine) at once! Top 10 Soderbergh films, english speaking flicks that need subtitles, parent-child acting combos.

Last entry from The Playlist: Style or Substance?

Behind the scene photos from Jeff Bridges.

What's next for June?
More posts, hopefully.