The Descendants

This is one of the Oscar nominees for best male for George Clooney. While he does a good performance in the movie as well as Shailene Woodley the story fell somewhat short for me. We're going on a journey with George Clooney who is the descendant of a Hawaiian queen and the white lawyer she married. He's inherited a large amount of land in Kauai and the decision must be made to keep, sell, and who to sell to. While he makes this huge decision his wife is in the hospital on life support. We find out through out the movie some secrets the wife had been keeping and he can now no longer resolve or discuss them with her. It's an emotional roller coaster. You go through hating and loving all the characters at given points in the story which I suppose is good for character development. They portray Shailene's character in the preview to be some huge fuck-up drug addict which in the reality of the story is that they barely touch on it. It seems it used to be a problem but clearly no longer is. Maybe the fact that she's the main character on secret life of the american teenager influenced how much of that was allotted in the movie. The wife cheated on George Clooney and we're trying to find him through out the film so that he can say his "goodbyes" and Clooney can basically meet him and find out the deal. The saddest part is that turns out the guy was using her for sex and she'd been in love and planning to leave Clooney, he now has to live knowing these facts even after her death. Maybe I disliked the story because it revolved around cheating/lying and death, 3 subjects that are sure to upset all and make for an oscar nominated performance, mission accomplished. Is it worth watching? Probably, but only if your in the proper mood. Expect to cry and be upset most the movie.
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The top 10 movies of 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2
What more do I need to say? This is the highest grossing franchise to date. We laughed, we cried, we feared, we rejoiced, you name it, we felt it. We watched these kids grow up for the past 10 years and it was a bitter sweet feeling to see it end. Epic conclusion to an epic set of films. We finally come to find what happens in the battle between Voldemort and Harry Potter, and if good really does overcome evil. I found myself crying countless times through out the film, even at non sad parts just because it was so good! It made me sad to know this would be the last time I could be surprised and thrilled by our favorite little threesome.

The Muppets
What an amazing reboot to another franchise that is dear to my heart. This is something I remember fondly from my childhood and unfortunately after Jim Henson passed we felt a little hole in our hearts from the attempts they tried to make at the films such as Letters from Santa. I tip my hat to Jason Segel for taking back the characters to where they were meant to be. I feared this would be more about him and Amy Adams but it wasn't. The focus was the Muppets and getting the audience to fall in love with them again and steal the hearts of a new generation of children. You laughed you cried and you left SO HAPPY! I heart countless times "you would have to have no soul to have not enjoyed the Muppets" I look forward to future endeavors they will have and the wonderful writing, production, and songs that Jason Segel brought to us.

X-Men First Class
What a fun origins story. We finally come to understand the dynamic between all the characters in the films we've already viewed. They have always hinted at how things used to be and how they came to be now, but we finally get to see how it all panned out. We grow a soft spot for many of the "villains" and understand what brought them to be as such. It has a wink at the previous movies as well with cameos from characters such as wolverine and mystiques transformation into Rebecca Romijn "would you rather me be older." Visually fantastic and even throws a fun little twist into what we don't know about the cuban missile crisis. Also making me decide the Kevin Bacon should have a German Mustache ALWAYS.

The Artist
Such a brilliant film. It's the first black and white silent film since the late 1920's. After nearly 100 years someone took the leap to try something that used to be so familiar and is now so foreign to most. The crowning jewel was it didn't taint the working formula with modern advances. It still felt like it was truly made in the 1920's-30's. The actors were all cast perfectly as well, no need to worry in, did they choose this person because of their popularity, these actors were made for their roles. I left feeling delighted and inspired. It was quirky, fun, the music was even perfect. I could not have been more pleased with this film.

Midnight in Paris
A fun twist to a movie. Owen wilson and Rachel McAdams travel to paris and once the clock strikes midnight Owen gets picked up by a car and arrives in 1920's Paris with all the who's who of the time. So much fun. How accurate the portrayals of the celebrities is unknown but it was still fun. You got to go to a bar and spend time with Cole Porter, Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway and Pablo Picasso to name a few. The moral of the story was the time before you will always be "the golden age" and maybe we should appreciate where we are now instead of focusing on what could have been.

Paranormal activity 3
What most may see as a silly series filled with hoaxy paranormals I have fallen in love with. The fact that all have been filmed on hand cameras and leave just enough shadow of a doubt that you go home feeling your home and the spirits with in will turn on you at any time. Why would you want to loose sleep and be scared shitless? I have no idea but for some reason I keep coming back for more. The best part about this series was how they all tied together. Each installment made the one prior to it make more sense and unease you more about why what happened before is now so clear. If you were to un-jumble the order of which they were released, it chronologically would be, Paranormal Activity 3-kids, Paranormal activity 2-Kristi's story which partially overlaps with Paranormal Activity 1-Katys story. We finally learn what they keep referring to when they said "remember what happened when we were kids?" "we promised never to talk about that" and HOLY SHIT was it a doozy. We find out "Toby" has been the source of these shenanigans since day 1 and just wont leave them alone. The scary aspect of this is that the ghost isn't just the house. You can't move and get rid of it, it goes where you go. Brilliant series in the fact that each one makes you fear the one before it more.

Crazy Stupid Love
What a fun lighthearted ROM-COM. One of those where you just want everyone to stop being silly and figure out a way to make it work and let love conquer all. The dynamic between Ryan Gossling and Emma stone is adorable and frothy where you find yourself saying to Ryans character, stop playing the field, you found the girl of your dreams, accept it. Also screaming for Julianne Moore to realize the huge mistake she's made in leaving Steve Carrel. There's also a fun twist at the end that no one would have ever expected. I loved it. It wasn't too cheesy, it wasn't too silly, it was just the right about of ROM and COM.

Scream 4
HOLY SHIT was I excited for this movie! I grew up watching Scream and it was the perfect amount of time to have passed to make a new installment. Rumors of this being the first in a new trilogy makes me giddy. The rules have changed with the advances in technology. Now everything has to be filmed and the gore has definitely been taken up a notch. I suppose the public has been desensitized from what used to be extreme because in this one there was a brutal stabbing that left intestines sprawled from the girl to the bed. Of course a twist ending and no one knowing who will survive and not. All main characters returned and as for the rule changes all were fair game to bite the dust. So pleased with them keeping to essentially the original formula with modern updates. An untainted franchise that will hopefully live on for many years to come. Continuing to bring a satire of itself to the current teen generations.

Sucker Punch
As for the Story on this, I still don't really know what it was. But to see some cool CGI girl kick-ass-ery with a good soundtrack then this is it. There was a story with in a story, with in a story, that they kept abandoning one story for the other with out clear transition. The battles were epic and completely unrealistic and it really was an excuse for a handful of attractive women to wear skimpy outfits and fight non-exhistant graphic enemies but man was it enjoyable for what it was. It also went to a place no one has gone before so it was completely un-expected. Will anyone else go back there? Probably not but it's good at face value.

Drive
Another movie that was really unexpected. Even after the fact month later I don't really know how to feel about it. Great soundtrack and Ryan Gossling was attractive as always and a silk jacket that sparked a craze so large that even at it's $200 cost it's backordered for months. Ryan Gossling barely spoke, in fact most the characters barely spoke. We had no background story on Gossling's character either. While my description may sound as if I wasn't a fan of it, these criticism are what made it different from all the other ones in the box office and make me appreciate it for what it is. BRUTAL murdering out of nowhere as well which is always an interesting surprise.
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The Artist

BRILLIANT! Perhaps I am bias as I have always been a fan of old movie-black and white and silent included but this film was truly amazing. I was curious how it would translate doing a silent film with current actors/technology/settings but it was executed perfectly. This was honestly one of the best films I have seen, period. The story of a big time silent movie actor (George Valentin) who by happen stance meets a woman(Peppy Miller) and helps put her in a film as background. She slowly climbs her way to the top and becomes America's sweetheart of the talkies. All the while George can't adapt to the transition between silent films and talkies and all the while his life falls apart. He makes a movie he finances that bombs in the box office, loses all his money in the stock market crash and his wife leaves him. We follow how Peppy tries to help him with out his knowledge and his pride continually runs himself into the ground. He hits rock bottom when he almost burns alive in his apartment, then after recovering realizes everything Peppy has done and tries to put a bullet in his head. She finds him just in time to save him (in more ways then one) and wraps up with him performing in a talkie starring George Valentin and Peppy Miller and hearing his voice for the first time. There is a scene in the middle where he has a nightmare and you only hear sound effects of everything around him-still no speech. Aside from the nightmare and the final scene where they wrap the take by transitioning into sound the entire film is true to being silent. It goes to prove that all you need is a good story to have a brilliant movie. It was memorable, delightful, saddening, nostalgic, and truly inspiring. It makes you feel there is hope in an industry that has been recycling old movies and producing films such as transformers 3 where there is absolutely no story. Bravo to the people who took the courage to make a movie in a genre most people these days have never seen before, and showing the world what made those movies brilliant to begin with. I STRONGLY encourage watching this film.
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The Adventures of Tin Tin

This movie lacked direction and a clear story line. While enjoyable and visually stunning I continually lost interest through out the film. You were on a treasure hunt to find a ship, which you later discover carried a mysterious cargo which turns out to be wondrous treasure. While I thought this would be like a CGI Indiana Jones, it turned out to be more like National Treasure. One clue lead to another clue which lead to another clue and never ended. Even in the end they found a handful of treasure and a clue to find the rest. The sidekick sailor character to Tin Tin even gives up part of the time. If the characters in the movie are losing interest I DEFINITELY am as an audience. I feel as if this may have been due to collaboration issues. Perhaps Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson just couldn't agree on all aspects and flipped a coin as to the best option. I expected more than what it was. It's too adult for a kid to get and too drawn out for an adult to care. Save your money, wait for it to be put on Neflix.
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Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol

Hmm... as far as a franchise goes this one has been successful. When it comes to watching Tom Cruise do action packed fetes you would never normally see, he takes the cake. He escapes from a Russian prison with the help of a team, then breaks into the Cremline to steal tapes or something or other, before he has to trick a head hunter and nuclear extremist to both giving up the goods with neither being the wiser. This is all topped off by a fight scene in a high tech parking garage. It's exactly what you'd expect it to be. While all looking very cool it lacked in story and a clear villain-which I've hence decided to be nuclear war.  The main villain was completely forgettable, had no real background story or dialogue. It was an excuse for Tom Cruise to take his shirt off and perform extreme stunts. If you have time to kill and thats what your into, by all means watch it. If you're looking for an in depth and emotion investing story-look elsewhere.
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Apollo 18

WOW! Lets keep this short and simple, do not waste your time. This is a made to look real documentary style flick. It feels like they tried to take Blair witch to a syfy changing your idea of history place. Apparently on our final mission to the moon that no one knows about NASA was experimenting on humans to see the effects space monsters. Guess what? the 3 astronauts die, 2 from what is best described as space spiders and the 3rd from a crash from infected space man #2. Oh did I mention said space spiders are actually space rocks? They basically transform to become scarab like spiders. The kicker was that they put a little text at the end saying what they told the public and families of how they "really died" and that all the space rocks brought back to earth between all the previous missions have either "disappeared or been stollen." This is by far one of the worst movies I've ever watched and the most upsetting part is that a good portion of people who saw the preview or the movie believe this actually happened.

Crazy Stupid Love

Here is a fantastic film that will likely go under the radar despite it's extensive advertising.
It's a classic case of boy meets girl, girl falls out of love, man tries to win girl back.
Steve Carrel has been married to Julianne Moore when you discover she has cheated on him and wants a divorce. He moves out into an apt while Julianne Moore gets to keep the house with their teenage son and elementary school daughter. He then goes to meet a friend at a bar to only discover that the friend has taken "sides" with the wife and now has no wife, no house, barely see's his kids AND now has no friends. Drowning away his sorrows at the bar a handsome womanizing gentleman (Ryan Gossling) takes Steve under his wing and teaches him how to be a new man. Of course this involves a frothy montage of a makeover. After finding his manhood again, sleeping with multiple women you see that he's clearly not happy. You also are slowly discovering that Ryan Gossling isn't all that happy with his detached womanizing either.
This is where Emma Stone comes into play. She's been randomly thrown in throughout the movie but you cant quite figure out why, her and Gossling met at the very beginning then she went off into her own little side story. After Stone gets blown off by boyfriend (Josh Grobin) who she thought was going to propose she happens to go to the exact bar that Gossling is at and asks him to take her home. Instead of having meaningless sex they spend the night talking and falling in love. You then find out that Gossling has taken the leap to being in a full fledged relationship and is on his way to meet Emma Stones mother.
Steve Carrel has also decided to do a blowout last effort to win his wife back by building and setting up a mini golf course in the backyard of their house. This is where its revealed that Emma Stone and Ryan Gossling were coming to meet Julianne Moore-the mother-apparently their oldest child and cause for young marraige that had been purposely omitted until the perfect moment. Steve Carrel FLIPS when he finds out that the man who taught him how to pick up chicks is the one being brought home with his daughter when conveniently David Lindhogen ,the man Julianne Moore cheated on Carrel with.(Kevin Bacon) shows up and all hell breaks loose.
Theres also been a side story of the baby sitter being in love with Carrel the whole time-the daughter of the friend who "broke up with him" in the beginning and some nudey pictures come into play and friend is also thrown into the all out brawl. The cops arrive, everyone gets broken up and all feelings are left a little raw.
It ends with Stone and Gossling happily together, and Carrel saying he will never give up trying to get Moore back. It's not a happy ending per-say but a realistic one.
Loved this movie and encourage all to see.