On DVD- Oblivion

Movie:   Oblivion
Major Actors: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Melissa Leo
Rating: PG-13
Best Audience: Teenagers and Adults

Review 

"Oblivion" takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth in which war with an alien nation and nuclear weapons have left the planet uninhabitable.  Tom Cruise's character is responsible for maintenance of defense drones.  However, he starts questioning his whole assignment. 

I actually adore Tom Cruise as an actor.  I've already said this to many people, but just like Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise is pretty crazy in real life but it doesn't make him any less of an awesome actor.

The plotline of "Oblivion" is at times hard to follow.  You start watching the movie thinking it will go a certain way--then the movie takes a huge turn and ends up not being what you thought it was AT ALL.   I actually liked the direction it took despite the fact I had to stop and take a moment to think about exactly what was happening.  Off the top of my head, I really felt like this film was channeling Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, and Total Recall.  If you enjoyed those type of futuristic sci-fi films, you would probably like this.

On DVD- Perks of Being a Wallflower

Movie:   Perks of Being a Wallflower
Major Actors: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Dylan McDermott, Kate Walsh, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd
Rating: PG-13
Best Audience:  Teenagers and young adults

Review:

There are so many things I love about this movie.  First of all, it is an adaptation of one of my favorite books. (by the same title).  Second of all, the director of the film is the author of the book, Stephen Chbosky!  It is such a rare occurrence that an author would even have the skill set to direct a film, but in this case, it worked quite well.  The fact that the book's author directed it made it one of the closest film adaptations to the book I've ever seen.  Nothing was left out or added.  It was perfect.

Another great thing about this movie is the casting.  Paul Rudd made an excellent English professor.  The teenagers in the film were not cliché representations of what adults believe teenagers are...they were real.  They reminded me of real people I went to high school with, as opposed to the fake, overly trendy 29 year olds you see in TV and movies that pretend to be teenagers. 

Really, you won't need to read the book to enjoy the film.  It is inspiring, funny, dark, and real.  A lot of people compare it to a modern version of "The Breakfast Club."  I think it actually goes much deeper than "The Breakfast Club."  However, it does similarly focus on the angst associated with "coming of age." 

On DVD - Safe Haven

Movie:   Safe Haven
Major Actors: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons
Rating: PG-13
Best Audience: Teenagers to Adults (especially women and date nights)

Review:

Safe Haven is the latest movie adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks book.  As far as Nicholas Sparks goes...I agree the Notebook is a good movie, however I have not liked ANY of the other movies made from his books (i.e. "The Last Song," "Nights in Rodanthe," and "Dear John").  They are usually sappy and predictable.

Unlike Sparks' other film adaptations, I felt as though the "love story" pat of the movie was secondary. This movie focuses on Julianne Hough's character, "Katie," and her journey to find a new beginning and get away from her abusive husband.  As a police officer, her husband has access to the means to locate her.   While trying to start over in a small southern town, she meets a widower (played by Josh Duhamel) with children.

The one criticism I have of this film is that the climax wasn't long enough.  The whole movie builds up to this conflict...and then the conflict only lasts about two minutes.  I wanted to see more of a struggle during this time, but it was just over so quickly.  Overall, this movie was definitely not bad.  It would be a great date night movie or girls night movie. 

On DVD - Admission

Movie:  Admission
Major Actors: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Nat Wolff
Rating: PG-13
Best Audience: Teenagers to Adults

Review:

I would have actually classified Admission as more of a drama than a comedy.  It has very little comedy in it.  The story is very predictable.  I guessed the "big twist" long before it was revealed.  Tina Fey's character is a college admissions worker for Princeton University.  Paul Rudd's character, who runs a private school, introduces her to student that is not typically Princeton material.  After connecting with a student, she bends the rules to try to get him into Princeton. 

The one thing I do like about this film is that it portrays an accurate depiction of the politics of academia.  I like what the movie reveals about the administrative side of universities.

All in all, this movie was just alright.  It wasn't great.  It wasn't even that funny.  I'm glad I waited to see it on video because I would have felt cheated to have spent $8 at the theatre to see it.  Once again, my major issue with this movie is its predictability.  Tina Fey can do much better.  So can Paul Rudd.

On DVD- The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Movie:  The Incredibly Burt Wonderstone
Major Actors: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin
Rating: PG-13
Best Audience: Teenagers, young adults

Review:

This movie was not great--it wasn't even that good.  You probably saw the funniest parts in the previews.  One of the saddest things is that this movie has an EXCELLENT cast.  A great cast in a bad movie.  I feel as though they were all misplaced. 

The purpose of this film was to make a statement about how magicians/magic shows have changed over the years.  The problem with that message is that nobody in real life cares about magic shows or magicians.  Even if you enjoy a good magic show every once in a while, it's a novelty that does not affect your everyday life.  Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi parodied Siegfried and Roy.  Jim Carrey's character was a parody of Criss Angel (Mindfreak).  They are basically saying that Criss Angel's brand of magic is nothing more than shock-value.  In my opinion, all magic shows are for entertainment or shock value anyways. 

Other than the pointless "message" of this film, the comedy wasn't that great either.  If you enjoy immature humor, you may like this movie. 

The Conjuring

Movie:  The Conjuring
Major Actors: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston
Rating: R
Best Audience: Adults who exhibit bladder control

Review:

There is a lot to say about this movie.  First things first, I did not expect to see it on opening weekend.  I was going to see RIPD with my Movie Buddy and someone got the time wrong (not pointing fingers...).  So I had thought about seeing the Conjuring eventually; plus it was the only thing playing at that time.  I had only seen some teaser trailers for it, so did not know what to expect.

Director James Wan has scared me to death in the past with Saw, Dead Silence, and Insidious.  His latest movie, "The Conjuring" is a clear attempt to bring to horror movie genre back its golden age:  the 70's.  This is not for the mere fact that the film is set in the 70's.  It is also the style and feel of the movie.

Ed and Lorraine Warren were paranormal investigators, best known for investigating the Amityville Horror.  This is how Wan is able to show off the coveted phrase "Based on a True Story."  This phrase is thrown around far too casually in horror movies.  I think it is because a horror movie will do a better job at scaring you if you believe it could actually happen.  The movie is based on a couple of the real-life cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren.  Ed Warren (played by Patrick Wilson, who was also in Insidious) was a demonologist, that looked at these paranormal cases with a Christian point of view.  Lorraine Warren (played by Vera Farmiga, who currently stars in Bates Motel) was a trance medium. 

I believe as a horror film, this movie does have a lot of originality.  Oh, I know....you have seen a lot of the plot before:  "A family moves into an old home and weird things start happening."  There is so much more to it than that.  First of all, the movie follows two families:  the family being tortured by the strange occurences, as well as the Warren family.  Second of all, the movie also contains a couple other of the Warren's cases.  I believe it is original, not because it presents something new...but because it combines so many elements.  This film has witches, ghosts, demons, and human killers.  Usually a horror movie only has one of those.  I mean, it even has an evil doll!

The fright is real.  It was exhausting, actually.  The thrills just come one after another.  I actually felt physically exhausted from the sheer terror I was experiencing.  Hands down, this was the scariest movie I've ever seen in my life.  People in the theatre weren't just screaming, they were shreiking. 

I kind of want to see it again because I had to cover my eyes on a lot of parts.  So now I want to see the parts I was too chicken to experience the first time.

Despicable Me 2

Movie:  Despicable Me 2
Major Actor: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong, Nasim Pedrad
Rating: PG
Best Audience: Children age 2 to adults.

Review:

This is really a movie you can enjoy along with your children.  It is very funny.  In the movie, Steve Carell returns as Gru, a former villain.  Kristen Wiig's character, Lucy, recruits Gru to go undercover to try to find a new notorious villain since Gru has experience with his own past as a brilliant villainous mastermind.

This movie has excellent casting.  Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig actually manage to have on-screen chemistry, despite the fact all their acting was done in a recording studio.  I was shocked that Russell Brand played Dr. Nefario.  I mean, Brand is British...but not that kind of British.  He changes his voice completely.  Wonderful acting.

My favorite parts of the movie involved Gru (Carell) trying to keep his daughter away from a smooth-talking Latino teenager.  Hilarity ensued.