Movie Reviews!

It's been a long time since I've posted a movie review, but I seem to have seen a LOT lately, so I definitely want to tell you guys about them.

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

I had been really excited about seeing this movie ever since seeing the trailer before Drive. Elizabeth Olsen [who you may remember from The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley. She played the annoying little sister, Lizzie. Maybe she still does.] is really phenomenal in this film which happens to be, not her first, but her first big break at least. The film is based around Martha, a gal in her young twenties who we learn disappeared from her family for two years and was involved in a backwoods cult. Theft, murder, orgies and rape co-exist in this cult alongside slighty more normal cult activities like chores, gardening, and well, nudity. Martha almost completely loses her identity to the cult and somehow decides that she must get out. She calls her sister, who really is a kind of uptight bitch, but we'll cut her some slack because she and her husband take Martha into their home and try to understand where she has been and what has happened to her.

The scenes move fluidly from present time to flashbacks, so much so that sometimes you aren't sure which you are watching. It is a beautifully made film, albeit somewhat disturbing at times, and the acting was truly stellar. I do enjoy me some Olsen twins, but I think we can all agree that any acting that has been done in the recent past has been less than amazing, so I was somewhat skeptical of Elizabeth's skills. Trust me, this girl is legit. Acting is a craft to her, and it shows. I think she did a phenomenal job in this film. I do highly recommend it to everyone but I will say that I absolutely, 100% hated the ending. Hated. You'll see.

IDES OF MARCH

This past weekend, my local theatre was offering a double feature with Ides of March and Moneyball for the price of one movie. The only thing that I like more than cheap is Ryan Gosling, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, so how could I say no? I had really been wanting to see IOM for a long time and had just never gotten around to it. Waiting usually means that you're going to see a lot of reviews ad hear a lot of opinions before getting down to the business of actually watching the film. In this case, I actually heard few reviews, but the ones I did come across were not entirely favorable. A friend of mine told me "It was eh. You can rent it." and while she is one of my besties, I almost didn't believe her. Ryan Gosling and George Clooney eh?? You've got to be kidding me!

Well, she was kind of right. It's not that the movie isn't good, because it really, really is, it just happens to be kind of slow. The film seems borderline between wanting to seem kind of indie and dark and wanting to be a Hollywood blockbuster. I think the story kind of got lost in the idea of "what can this film be?" There isn't a great climax in the story and as a result, the finished product feels anti-climatic as a whole. I don't want to seem like a total doner on the film because I'm not at all sorry that I saw it, but my friend was right- watch this one from the comfort of your couch.

MONEYBALL

I have seen trailers and advertisements everywhere for what seems like years for this movie, but I never totally had an interest in seeing it. I'm not sure why because I am a sucker for an inspirational sports movie that is based on a true story, but it's probably because Brad Pitt really annoys me these days [call it the Angelina Jolie effect]. However, since I like cheap and free, I wasn't about to pass up ANY movie that was included in a double feature. As it turns out, I'm so glad that I saw this movie. I feel like it's unlikely that it will be an Oscar contender or anything like that, but as stated above, I'm a sucker for these types of films and I fell hard for this one. Brad Pitt did a great job playing the Oakland A's general manager and former baseball player Billy Beane, and Jonah Hill did a great job playing a nerd with a economics degree from Yale who just happens to be obsessed with baseball. This one would also be just as good from the comfort of your house, but I'd say its also worth the $10 to see it in theaters. It won't be there much longer though, so you better jump on it soon!

SUPER 8

Rented this one with the roomie the other night and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were a few things that I personally would've changed, but I don't really want to share them because it will kind of spoil the movie! Overall, a really great film, super action packed [it is Spielberg after all], and slightly scarier than either of us expected it to me. Rent it this weekend!