tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56295752024-03-19T06:38:27.339-05:00Sometime Mad Ramblings of Day to Day LifeI may not consistently publish - but when I do.....Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-47695715154785081372012-01-16T12:01:00.000-06:002012-01-16T12:01:40.895-06:00The Best of 2011My apologies dear readers! With the holidays and my actual work schedule, I have been lacking in pulling my weekly review together. I hope I haven’t lost too many of you in the silence. I hope to make that all up to you with this week’s feature, which is more of a list of recommendations than anything else!
A few weeks ago, I published my 2012 Oscar Previews; a list of films that I thought would Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-38004386509301652372011-11-24T12:35:00.000-06:002011-11-24T12:35:01.595-06:00‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1’ – Breaking Yawn more like it…I will openly admit that I am neither a 'Team Edward' fan nor a 'Team Jacob' fan. I really could care less and I suspect only those that actually care would appreciate this film, and this film series. I have not been a fan of the 'Twilight Saga', at least the films. For the most part, they have been wooden, boring and very poorly acted. Basically, it is a 50 minute movie that has been stretched 2Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-72936772378991114612011-11-17T13:55:00.002-06:002011-11-17T13:55:52.781-06:00‘J. Edgar’ – Not Eastwood’s best, but still outstanding..As flawed human beings, our very emotional make-up is about being remembered. For some, it is as simple as wanting people to remember us as a ‘nice guy’ or ‘a beautiful woman’. For others, it is about the legacy they want to leave, it is about the adoration and for those of us doing the actual remembering; it is about all of the shades of grey in the middle.
Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-31957158854297798312011-11-11T10:08:00.001-06:002011-11-11T10:08:53.935-06:00It’s Oscar Season!
This is the time of year that the studios roll out their
Oscar contenders; oh sure, there will be some trite junk for sure (you can’t
pay me to go see ‘Jack and Jill’), but for the most part, the upcoming slate of
Oscar bound pictures is one of the strongest I have seen in some time. Sorry Twiheads,
the new ‘Twilight’ movie did not make the list – when I do my clunker list,
maybe then! So, hereBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-39442810616484841802011-10-20T12:17:00.002-05:002011-10-20T12:17:30.154-05:00Boo! Top 10 Horror Films for Halloween
A great horror film will live with you for a long time – it
will survive the ever increasing desensitized viewers that are currently awash
in blood and gore. A great horror film will strike you at a core level that
cannot be touched like any other; they will make you squirm in your seat, they
will make you turn the lights on because you see movement in the dark shadows
and they will (sometimes)Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-15824997100630588062011-10-14T11:41:00.002-05:002011-10-14T11:41:35.504-05:00‘Ides of March’ – Tired of politics yet?
George Clooney’s ‘Ides of March’ is supposed to be a
political thriller. But, in order to be that, it must be thrilling to begin
with. More a stump speech for Clooney’s obvious political views, ‘The Ides of
March’, while filled with solid performances, simply fails to live up to what a
political thriller should be. If you want a taunt political thriller, rent ‘The
Candidate’ the 1972 film with Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-50502681488215808202011-10-07T13:19:00.000-05:002011-10-07T13:19:19.077-05:00‘50/50’ – Hits the mark and beats the odds!
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (‘Inception’) is the nice guy Adam
Lerner in the very moving ‘50/50’. Levitt
is turning into a deeply powerful actor, presenting a performance that is touching,
funny and very moving; the nuance he brings to his characters relay a strength
and maturity not found in most actors of his generation. As Adam Lerner, we are
treated to his finest performance to date.
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-45331937191100433372011-09-27T16:03:00.000-05:002011-09-27T16:03:15.512-05:00‘Moneyball’ – A near perfect pitch…‘Moneyball’ is based on the true story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), a once promising baseball prodigy who found himself a better manager than player. Managing a team with a rather small budget, Beane’s Oakland A’s seem trapped to becoming a club system for the bigger pay rolled teams. After losing several key players in the 2001 season to New York and Boston, Beane Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-86488842084930604022011-09-27T13:32:00.002-05:002011-09-27T13:32:51.521-05:00‘Killer Elite’ – Passable action flick…
‘Killer Elite’, the new Jason Statham (The Transporter, pick
a number) action flick, starts out with the tag line that reads: ‘Based on a
true story’, hmmmmm. The ‘true story’ is
the 1991 novel by Sir Ranulph Fiennes , ‘The Feather Men’; a novel where the claim
of truth has shrouded the book since it was published. In reality, it is just
another steroid pumped action film with the clever Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-14268692682642613012011-09-19T13:27:00.000-05:002011-09-19T13:27:34.265-05:00‘Drive’ – relentless thriller!
‘Film Noir: A style
or genre of motion picture marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace.
The term was originally applied to American thriller or detective films made in
1944 – 54’ – Dictionary.com
Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Drive’ delivers a powerhouse of film
noir with art house qualities and just enough of mass market appeal to make a
nearly perfect movie. With a nice homage to theBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-26684423534551970782011-09-15T13:45:00.000-05:002011-09-15T13:45:42.314-05:00‘Contagion’ – infectious thriller!The mark of a true horror story is the impact it leaves on you after you have left the theater. With ‘Contagion’, you will never look at a person coughing into their hand before they shake yours the same way again. A simple thing as a bowl of peanuts on a bar will never hold the same appeal and the need for hand sanitizer will never be as strong as you walk from the theater wincing as the person Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-11221154212464346742011-09-07T08:04:00.000-05:002011-09-07T08:04:06.632-05:00The Worst is Yet to Come!I see a lot of movies – practically every one that comes out. Due to the nature of this publication (the New Lenox Patriot, for my Blog readers), I try to weed out the films that I think will NOT be around by the time the article is published. Every once in awhile, more than one movie makes that distinction and I am left to give a sour review to a film that, mercifully, will not be around when Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-51693036215283259252011-09-01T15:59:00.002-05:002011-09-01T15:59:41.255-05:00'Our Idiot Brother' - Charming & Sweet; 'Columbiana' - Ugh‘Our Idiot Brother’ feels like an art house, independent film, but filled with several big name stars it has a very mainstream quality to it and that is what ultimately makes it a winner. It is the quality of the acting and the stars that bring what would be a run of the mill, almost sitcom like film to life.
Paul Rudd (‘Anchorman’) is Ned, a naïve and trusting hippie organic farmer who is stillBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-81867570232843402452011-08-20T17:16:00.000-05:002011-08-20T17:16:45.803-05:00'One Day' - A sweet, compelling look at love and lost time....'One Day', is a story about unrequited love; it is the story of 'the one' that is always just an arms length away, of 'the one' that is seemingly always trapped in a relationship that is either fatally doomed or restricted by a love that is there but never filled with passion. It is a story of memories and regret, the recognition that 'the one' can be as close as your best friend who has loved Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-50498298211242583922011-08-12T14:39:00.000-05:002011-08-12T14:39:13.921-05:00‘The Help’ A solid, wonderful film‘The Help’ is a film about three very different yet extraordinary women in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s; arguably one of the most racial charged times in our history. However ‘The Help’ chooses to be a safe film about a very emotionally charged subject, as it glazes over the more racial charged issues; which is fine as the performance of the actors far outweighs any attempt to Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-2532969186123719152011-08-12T12:10:00.002-05:002011-08-12T12:10:51.135-05:00‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Go ape for it!The original ‘Planet of the Apes’ films were never really about apes – they were morality plays about man’s own inhumanity to man. At the time the original was made, 1968, the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam War and racism was still the common practice of the day. A marooned Charlton Heston discovers what it is like to silenced (he was shot in the throat if you recall), and treated as Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-27077924858772701722011-08-12T12:02:00.002-05:002011-08-12T12:02:55.862-05:00‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Good summer fun!How serious can you take a film titled ‘Cowboys & Aliens’? It almost reminds one of ‘Snakes on a Plane’, as far as silly titles go – as far as fun at the movies goes, ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ delivers on the promise of a very good time. I mean it is already front loaded with James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), toss in some aliens (no matter how stock and cliché) along with Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-86517350913831407052011-07-30T11:41:00.000-05:002011-07-30T11:41:01.568-05:00‘Crazy, Stupid, Love.’ Not really crazy, but sweet and endearing.I am a hopeless romantic, I admit it. I like romance movies; I enjoy music that makes you feel and sometimes even makes you cry. I believe in the power of love and the strength of feelings that another person can bring out in you. I believe that we can’t pretend to know if and when it will happen; or if it even will happen; but I know, I believe, that everyone (if they are open to it) has that Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-9847899532615617052011-07-29T10:07:00.000-05:002011-07-29T10:07:46.610-05:00‘Captain America’ True blue fun!Captain America first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1941, a true propaganda piece in the efforts to rid the world of Adolph Hitler. At that time, Marvel Comics had only been around since 1939, so it is a true testament to the character of Captain America that 70 years later he is still just as vibrant and full of life as he has ever been. Portrayed in various forms, from quick movie serials to Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-84146526000314757272011-07-21T13:20:00.000-05:002011-07-21T13:20:28.438-05:00‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ – The long kiss goodbye!I am betting that by the time this makes the paper – you will have seen ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’; nearly the entire globe has seen it, pushing it to an astounding $220 million in ticket sales as of this writing (July 21st). So, this review is really a testament to the sheer weight of producing 8 films, all of equal if not greater than the one before it, quality. Consider theBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-40139638668873011012011-07-07T12:06:00.000-05:002011-07-07T12:06:14.424-05:00‘Beginners’, ‘Larry Crowne’ & Transformers’ – 2 out of 3 ain’t bad!It was a busy week at the movies! A long holiday week-end with one blockbuster opening, enough for two articles, but in keeping with the timing of the box office and the timing of The Patriot, I am going to try another extended version of Unscripted!
First up: ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’; Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky is back as the human friend of the Transformers, a robotic race of aliens Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-12834926152508966932011-06-30T16:03:00.000-05:002011-06-30T16:03:05.527-05:00‘Bad Teacher’ – Even worse movie!‘Bad Teacher’, is the latest comedy from director Jake Kasdan; his last comedy ‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox’ story was brilliant; however, that may have been due to the sheer comedic genius of John C. Reilly. With ‘Bad Teacher’ he earns a resounding failing grade with a flop of a comedy on a mammoth scale.
The previews are all the best bits and lines; I would recommend a quick YouTube of the Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-54754508693507589212011-06-24T14:12:00.000-05:002011-06-24T14:12:35.277-05:00‘Green Lantern’ – In this case, green does not mean go!Generally green means ‘go’, we learn this from an early age – in the case of the horrid disappointment ‘Green Lantern’ – green means run-away!
‘Green Lantern’ was one of the many favorite comic book characters that I had growing up. After all, what’s not to love? Everyday guy gains incredible power through the use of a ring, with which he gets to prove his heartfelt bravery each and every dayBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-5237901981243654402011-06-14T10:14:00.002-05:002011-06-14T10:14:56.884-05:00‘Super 8’ – Super filmmaking!I’ve always been a movie nut; I practically grew up in a movie theater! As a young man, my best friend Steve and I would sneak from theater to theater; we would start our day at the early 10:00 AM show and end it somewhere around 10:00 PM (our local theater had 4 screens) assuming we didn’t get caught and kicked out for the day! This was back in the days when movies were not the big budget Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5629575.post-75883252930559463662011-06-09T08:59:00.000-05:002011-06-09T08:59:22.418-05:00‘X-Men: First Class’ – First class story telling for a first class film!How do you reboot a stagnant franchise? You go back to the beginning and start over of course! Director Matthew Vaughn does just that and in grand fashion with a stable of unknown, energetic stars with ‘X-Men: First Class’.
After the sloppy and disjointed ‘X-Men: Last Stand’ and the very disappointing ‘Wolverine’, Vaughn has reignited the excitement and interest in the series, he has given the Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08344736984060060777noreply@blogger.com0New Lenox, IL 60451, USA41.5129436 -87.943283741.4599921 -88.0085567 41.5658951 -87.87801069999999