The One With Project Hail Mary

 

 

Chiff and I went to see Project Hail Mary tonight. And, it was a great movie....much better than I expected.

 The premise behind the movie is that the sun is being "devoured" by someone unknown source (later to be identified as an alien-like amoeba. Ryan Gosling (against his will) and two other astronauts set out into space to help determine the cause of the problem, as well as explore another  star where the amoeba's are not having success eating a star.

After being "frozen" in a sleep-like state, Ryan's character wakes up, but the other two astronauts don't. He has no full recollection when he awakes as to where he is or why he is in space. However, how he got there and his mission are slowly revealed during carefully crafted flashbacks that provide relief during tense moments.

Along the way, Ryan's character encounter's an alien species that is not quite like the carbon based life forms of earth. They slowly but surely interact and find a way to save each other and the suns.

Amazing movie!!! It was fantastic to watch. 

 

The One With Crime 101

 

 

Last night, we saw the Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry movie Crime 101. Overall, it was an interesting, methodical movie.

It tells the story of Chris Hemsworth's character, an unusual criminal who embarks on high price crimes along the 101 highway in California. His calling card is to rob from people who will be insured and make sure not to hurt anyone in the process.

Mark Ruffalo plays the detective trying to solve this puzzling case that his police force is trying to deny exists. Ruffalo is convinced that the crimes that have been committed all follow a pattern. He becomes so obsessed that it ruins his partnership, the faith the police force has in him, and his marriage.

 What unfolds is a slightly convoluted, but in the end, entertaining plot with these two characters intersect with Halle Berry in a series of events that actually helps all of them out while also hindering the people who are against them. 

Overall, I'd give it a B. Great acting and the return of Nick Nolte to a movie help propel a complicated plot.

The One With Wicked for Good

 

 

Today, we went to see the movie Wicked for Good...a sequel to Wicked.

While I am a Wizard of Oz fan, I was not a huge fan of this movie. I would give it a B. However - because it has a connection to the original 1939 movie - there were definitely a whole host of plot flaws here. First, some of the events that happened in the OG Wizard were absent from this one, from the ruby slippers going to Dorothy to the events unfolding over a long period of time, and the notion that the Scarecrow seems intent on stopping the Witch.  

Absent the plot flows, it did not seem to have the pizazz of the first movie from last year as well. It was not quite of a showstopper and the ending, though creative, was also predictable.  

I will say the acting was a little on the sloppy side as well. While I typically am a Ariana Grande fan, this performance was - YIKES. Way over the top to the point that her acting distracted me.  

So, while I like the premise and am always a fan of the original book, this just did not do it for me.

 

The One With Black Bag

 

 

Emmie, Kif, and I spent the evening at AMC Danvers watching the movie Black Bag. While I did not have it on my must see list, I did think it sounded interesting,particularly where it was a spy thriller.

 Ironically, it was not the type of spy thriller in the vain of James Bond, Jason Bourne, or No Way out. It was basically Bridge of Spies meets Twelve Angry Men with a solid focus on character development and a character driven plot.

 Essentially, there is not a lot of action - only plot development and dialogue. Intriguing, yes. But, not fully my cup of tea. Emmie liked it and Kiff was a fan.

Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10.

 

The One With Love Lies Bleeding

 

 

Today, was a divide and have fun day as Emmie and Bri went to Boston to see the Boston Ballet version of Cinderella. Kif and I ventured to Framingham AMC to see  Love Lies Bleeding. 

First and foremost, this was the first time we took Kif to the Framingham Theater. It brought back memories to me, which I shared with him - playing Area 51 with Prasad, waiting in line for Phantom Menace to start with people dressed up, and even seeing the Patriot there. 

Seeing Love Lies Bleeding is a new entry into my memories at the AMC. But, before I say something about the movie, it was fun to go to the theater because this is the first time I have been there since they did the Dine In theater. This is where they bring the food to you. That was pretty awesome!!!

The movie itself was pretty mediocre. Although entertaining - and a bit messed up in spots - it essentially told the story of a family business of selling weapons and drugs illegally, as well as problems that stem from it. The story line was a little ragged, though riveting in spots, but went a little overboard as roid rage took over one of the characters in an unbelievable way. This was followed by a jump the shark metaphor moment when two characters suddenly became giants (a moment which was alluded to by a Gulliver's Travel cartoon earlier in the movie).

Overall it was weird, but not bad. Emmie and Bri had a lot more fun we are told during their foray into Boston. But, it was a memorable day.

The One With the New Batman

 

Today, we went to the Methuen AMC (our local theater was too crowded) to see the latest installment of the Batman movie series starring Robert Pattinson.

I was not too sure what to expect. I have not seen too many of the more recent Batmans since the run of actors playing them continued to change. I did see Christian Bale in a portion of one and Ben Affleck in League of Justice. They both did okay, but I was not too sure what to expect.

However, I have to admit that I was more than impressed with the movie. In fact, it might be one of my top three favorites in the series (the other two being the first two Michael Keaton ones). Now, I must admit that Bri and I were late to the movie (Emmie and Kiff were already there). Bri was a little under the weather, but she was able to overcome it and we were able to get to the movie in time for the second half of it.

Normally, I might be confused, but the plot was clear and fluid and I was able to infer what had happened prior to it (with gaps I am sure). The acting was solid, the story line engaging, and the characters were appealing. There was the birth of so many interesting characters here, including Catwoman (played by Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet's daughter - and Aquaman's stepdaughter), Penguin, the Riddler, and - at the end - the Joker.

It definitely had a dark undertone, but none of the harsh DC Batman darkness that has prevailed most of the movies. This movie was great....and I am so glad we went.