Flight (2012) - 8 stars out of 10

Flight (2012) - 8 stars out of 10

"Flight" has little to do with airplanes and everything to do with alcoholism.  Denzel Washington's portrayal of an alcoholic living in denial is chilling and raw.  While he is surrounded by good actors and a fresh script, this film is all about Denzel.  The progression of his alcoholic state from start to finish is nothing short of impressive.  Director Robert Zemeckis steps out of his comfort zone with this edgy drama.  Realistically, the only thing in this film that would indicate "Zemeckis" to me is his name on the closing credits and the choice of Alan Silvestri to write the film score.  To his credit, the film has some incredible moments, the least of which is the vivid portrayal of the plane crash.  That scene grew so intense and real that it brought me to tears as the flight attendant spoke into the black box.  Also, the camera angles during the mini bar scene blew me away.  John Goodman brings some much-needed comic relief, although I didn't appreciate drug usage being portrayed with such levity.  Don Cheadle was okay while Melissa Leo really stuck out during her limited 10 minutes of screen time.  "Flight" my not be the greatest drama out there but it is definitely worth watching and rewatching, particularly for Denzel's raw acting skill.

JFK - 10 stars out of 10

JFK - 10 stars out of 10

A thousand puzzle pieces come together to paint a perspective-altering image of the integrity of our American government, the power held by its officials, and what goes on behind the scenes.  The well-written roles in "JFK" played by Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Joe Pesci, Jay Sanders, Gary Oldman, Ed Asner, Wayne Knight, and Walter Matthau are all pulled together by Kevin Costner in a riveting performance.  Though my attention wandered due to the sheer length of the film (I could only get a hold of the special edition extended by 17 minutes), there is a driving intensity that makes the time fly by - particularly in the courtroom scene which lasts for over 1/2-hour but seems to be over in a snap.  You have to see this portrayal of one of our country's most significant tragedies brought to life.

ParaNorman - 4 stars out of 10

ParaNorman - 4 stars out of 10

"ParaNorman" was a let-down.  More than anything, this movie helped me appreciate how awesome "Frankenweenie" was.  Not only are the story and characters considerably less interesting, but the animation can't even compare.  It had so much jerkiness that it felt like a stop-motion picture from 15 years ago.  Probably the best visual aspect of the film was the CGI effects added to the zombies and that's not a compliment since we're talking about a stop-motion film.  The voice acting is fine but the story is very bland.  Well, the zombies chase the kids.  Then they chase the kids.  And then, oh!  They chase the kids some more.  This story doesn't have nearly as much depth as "Frankenweenie" and throws in unnecessary language (even though this is obviously intended for kids).  It wasn't even very funny.  Animation company Laika (who also created "Coraline") is like the equivalent of Don Bluth's films when compared to the Disney renaissance during the 90's.  It's good but it just can't compare to what others are doing in the same field.  I applaud any stop-motion film for the tedious effort that it takes to bring one of these films to life, but "ParaNorman" is just a disappointment when compared to Tim Burton's impressive output.

Trouble with the Curve - 7 stars out of 10

Trouble with the Curve - 7 stars out of 10

Clint Eastwood delivers another high-caliber performance in this unique father/daughter drama.  I don't know how many more movies Eastwood has in him but I hope that the number is large.  His chemistry with Amy Adams is there from the start as her large dreaming personality contrasts with his gruff exterior.  The biggest surprise of the film (though I don't know why I'm still surprised every time) is Justin Timberlake.  Any time that I see his name attached to a movie I think "gimmick," but he is legitimately an awesome actor and brings so much to this film.  I don't know if there is enough baseball action in the film for my taste but the baseball statistic challenges between Adams and Timberlake are awesome.  My largest complaint about the film is the story.  The concept has so much potential but I feel like something was missing.  "Trouble with the Curve" is not in my top 15 baseball movies of all time but I would see it again for the chemistry between its three lead characters and the incredibly satisfying final scene in the stadium.

Surrogates - 8 stars out of 10

Surrogates - 8 stars out of 10

This movie was so much better than I imagined it could be!  The artistic contrast between the humans and the surrogates was so cool.  I was really amazed at how perfect the skin and hair of the surrogates was, how their movements were very subtly robotic, and how "real" the humans looked in comparison!  I like that the humans weren't necessarily ugly - just average-looking and realistic in body proportion.  Though I don't often like Bruce Willis outside of the "Die Hard" franchise, I was really rooting for him in this movie.  P.S. Ving Rhames is incredible, as always.  As the movie progressed, I worried that the ending would be a letdown, but I feel that this ended just right.  I'd definitely see this movie again.

Going Overboard - 1 star out of 10

Going Overboard - 1 star out of 10

How could anybody, at any point in time, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, think that this movie was a good idea?  "Going Overboard" is so awful that you can't even call it bad.  You would have to invent a new term for this movie to explain the horrific stupidity contained within.  This is truly worse than watching an animal die a slow, painful death.  It has some of the worst dialogue that I have ever heard, maybe even worse that “Birdemic” and “The Room.”  For goodness sake, SOMEBODY BUILD A FOURTH WALL AND STOP ADAM SANDLER FROM TALKING TO ME!  This 90-minute commentary between Sandler and the audience is absurd with lines like "These guys don't have anything to do with the film but we just threw them in for variety."  I don't know who wrote the script or why they hired the worst cast of actors available (including Sandler) but this movie is painful.  "Happy Gilmore" and "Billy Madison" are two of my favorite comedies of all time but the stupid humor in this film is delivered so poorly that it is just nauseating.  Sandler's characters are always ridiculous and over-the-top (which makes them so memorable), but these ones are acted so unconvincingly that you just want to see them all go overboard with concrete shoes.  I have watched some awful movies in my day but somehow, this film is a strong candidate for the worst movie ever.

Argo - 8 stars out of 10

Argo - 8 stars out of 10

“Argo” is just an all-around great film.  There isn't any one thing that sets this film apart, except for that moment at the end of the film where you sit back and say "Wow."  The script has a nice pace and I love the visual appearance of the film.  Whatever filter was used on the cameras really makes it feel like watching stock footage from the 70's.  The costuming and make-up are great, particularly those epic mustaches.  While the acting was good, I was disappointed in the character development of the escapees.  I know that this story is about the set-up of the rescue mission but I cannot name a single escapee (or even tell them apart).  Ben Affleck is typically on my "bad" list but his performance was to-the-point and avoided going over the top.  Alan Arkin stood out as the movie producer, though I can think of other performances more deserving of an Oscar nomination.  I loved the idea of creating a fake movie as a front to extract these Americans but felt that there was not enough of it (considering the emphasis of the movie trailer).  Even though it isn't cinematic perfection, the final half-hour is an incredible emotional build as the danger compounds into an exhilarating finale.  Since I am not a history nerd, I'm thankful that this film brought these events to light and allowed me to experience this unique chapter of American history.  I don't anticipate "Argo" winning any Oscars (except for maybe Best Sound Mixing or Editing, just to make sure that it wins something) but it's an adrenaline rush that I would definitely see again.