Who runs the world? Girls.

Suffragette is an excellent period piece about the struggle for suffrage for women in the UK. Director Sarah Gavron's third movie is definitely worth your time.

The star of this show is easily Carey Mulligan. Her role as the reluctant suffragette with a family is inspiring and well done. Her portrayal is in stark contrast to that of her husband played by Ben Whishaw. Helena Bonham Carter is pretty sweet too. Oh, and would you believe it, Meryl Streep is in this for like two seconds.

Do you like inspiring movies? Do you like female focused movies? Of course you do. Watch this.

This movie is a very solid 7/10.

I got 99 problems and my home is one

The financial crisis of 2008 was devastating to homeowners. 99 Homes is a tale about that devastation. Ramin Bahrani's movie showed on a very intimate level the pain of that crisis for one family, and the money that was made by some.

When did Andrew Garfield become a serious actor? I guess he was pretty good in The Social Network. Regardless, Andrew Garfield is great in this movie playing a dad trying to make things right for his son and mother. Unfortunately for his character he enters the employ of an extremely shady real estate agent played by Michael Shannon. Michael Shannon has been on fire recently, and his performance in this movie is pretty spectacular. Laura Dern is decent as Andrew Garfield's mom, but Noah Lomax is superb as Andrew Garfield's son.

This movie is well written, and well acted. I think that some people may not like it given the subject matter, but that is probably because the movie hits a little too close to home.

8/10 on most days, 7/10 on the others. Again, I should really just adopt half points.

In the land of wolves

Denis Villeneuve's Sicario is a dark and gripping drama about The War on Drugs. Spoiler alert, no one wins. Given Villeneuve's track record that shouldn't be a surprise.

Sicario follows the story of FBI hostage rescue agent Kate Macer (played masterfully by Emily Blunt) as she tries to get to the bottom of a brutal crime. She's joined in her endeavor by an aloof and comedic Josh Brolin playing some sort of DOD consultant, and a truly menacing, but oddly sweet, Benicio Del Toro. Macer seems in a little over her head, but she does have help from her partner Reggie, played by Daniel Kaluuya, who is equally in over his head. I wish there was more of Jeffrey Donovan in this movie who plays Josh Brolin's assistant or sorts. He was particularly flippant about the violence in the movie.

I haven't said much about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything. The movie grabs you from the first few minutes and doesn't let go until it is over. The cinematography is beautiful. Just go watch it.

This is a rock solid 9/10. Well worth your time.

Heart Warming

The internet has been teeming with Frozen references for some time now, references that I did not understand at all. I was finally able to correct this deficiency by seeing Frozen, and I am quite happy that I did. This movie is just as entertaining as you expect a Disney movie to be, but it also has some endearing qualities that may not be obvious on first blush.

The story follows the lives of two sisters who find themselves alone and needing to figure out how to get through life together. If that sentenced sounded a bit coded it is because it was to try and avoid spoilers. The characters that Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee managed to develop in the movie were memorable, and Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, and Jonathan Groff did their parts, but it was the way the story unfolded that was truly worth your time. One thing about Idina Menzel. If you haven't see John Travolta butcher her name do yourself a favor and watch it here. Good, now continue reading.

The prototypical Disney story has a damsel in some sort of distress being rescued by some prince charming. Seriously, that is like every movie except maybe The Lion King and Peter Pan. Some people find Disney sexist. If you want to explore that viewpoint even further here is a Youtube video with 100k+ views. What the creators of Frozen did is make the first Disney movie, I am aware of, where the female characters are almost exclusively responsible for saving the day. This is no small feat on their part and a bit of a cultural watershed moment. Does this portend a new future for Disney? Probably not entirely, but it is certainly progress.

There are multiple reasons to see Frozen; the music, the characters (especially Josh Gad's performance as Olaf the Snowman), and the groundbreaking story. I give it 8/10, would watch again fo sho.

Oh that? That was a gift from Van Gogh

Sometimes you watch a movie which you assume is going to be absolutely terrible, but are completely caught off guard. "The Man from Earth" is that type of movie. Put your preconceptions on hold for this one, and enjoy the ride.

The movie is anchored by David Lee Smith's protrayal as a man who doesn't age. Smith's character, John Oldman, is a retiring professor who has a going away party with some of his university friends. The discussion eventually turns hypothetical about what a caveman would be like if they were alive today. Unbeknownst to his friends, John Oldman is in fact a caveman, and he is not that different from them.

This premise may seem absurd at first, but the actors manage to pull it off. You will recognize many of the B-movie actors that populate this film. People like Tony Todd, John Billingsley, and Ellen Crawford. The relationships between the actors seem genuine, and their surprise at the prospect that their friend is thousands of years old is believable and not hokey.

If you are able to put disbelief aside you will enjoy this movie. There is almost a Forrest Gump type story-line in this movie, because Oldman managed to be involved in some of history's most significant events. This movie really is great, and it tells a compelling story of humanity.

This is a solid 8/10, possibly a 9/10.

You Kill it We Clean it!

The users of IMDb have got it wrong when it comes to Sunshine Cleaners. This movie is not a 6.9, it is easily an 8. The pairing of Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as sisters, with Alan Arkin as their father, may not make much sense from a "they need to look alike" standpoint, but it is convincingly natural in practice. Christine Jeffs, in addition to directing this highly underrated movie, also directed a movie about Sylvia Plath aptly named "Sylvia." That movie starred Gwyneth Paltrow. I did not see that movie. Moving along.

This movie has an almost buddy cop feel to it. The story follows two sisters down on their luck who find success cleaning up crime scenes. Talk about an industry you don't think of. The dynamic between Blunt and Adams is very organic, and believable. Amy Adams character's son played by Jason Spevack put in an exceptional performance. Comedian Steve Zahn put forward a convincing dramatic turn as the philandering police officer.

The movie reminded me of Little Miss Sunshine. There are some dark undertones to the movie that I don't want to spoil, but they definitely add to the believability of the family interactions. Strife and sorrow can be very adhesive bonds. This is not a sad movie though. This is a very happy movie, but it is not your typical sugar coated Hollywood.

As I said, this is an 8/10, easily.

Gatsby! Gatsby! Not Gatsby.

Baz Luhrmann made The Great Gatsby exactly the way everyone should have expected him to make it. Did you see Romeo and Juliet? Moulin Rouge!? What was everyone expecting from this movie? If you were expecting something on the same level as the actual book then I completely understand your disappointment. If you went into this thinking "Hey, this is a Baz Luhrmann movie, I bet it will be visually over the top," then you probably enjoyed it, like I did.

The acting in this is not great. It isn't bad either. Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Carey Mulligan all mailed it in. Although, Ms. Mulligan may not have realized she was mailing it in. Leo and Tobey surely knew that was not their best performance. I really enjoyed two of the performances in this movie: Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan, and Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfsheim. Edgerton and Bachchan both were believable with just the right dose of over-the-top for their respective characters.

One more thing. I enjoyed the soundtrack. I think a lot of people didn't think it was a good fit for the story, but I thought it kept the tempo rather well, and was a nice background.

Overall, I'm happy I saw this movie. It's not great, but it is worth seeing. 7/10, which coincidentally is close to it's rating on IMDb.

The Road to the Top

Director Nick Ryan's first documentary The Summit is a gripping tale of the horrible tragedy on K2 in 2008. I should state up front that very shortly before seeing this movie I had read the fantastic book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. I think that may have influenced my viewing of the movie somewhat.

The Summit is a documentary, but it is one of those documentaries where you feel as though you don't know what happens at the end even though you do know what happens. The story follows the climbers from the beginning of the climb through to its tragic end and aftermath. You come away with an understanding of the passion that drives serious mountaineers, but also an idea of the terrible choices that people sometimes make on a mountain. That part was a bit difficult to understand. Why go on when things have gone so terribly wrong?

There were a couple of things about the documentary I did not enjoy. One, the movie claimed to be an exposition of some great mystery. From this I implied some sort of foul play, but the mystery was not really there in the documentary. My takeaway was that above 8000 meters things can get hazy and tragic. Two, I didn't really care for most of the actor reenactments of the events. Some were a bit too hokey. I should say that there were one or two that were very moving.

Those concerns aside this is a good documentary that tells an interesting story. The people interviewed seemed very frank in how they answered questions, and it didn't appear that anyone was trying to do some salvage job, or rewrite history. If you have any instance in mountaineering, or general adventure, you would probably enjoy this documentary.

6/10, but maybe 7/10 when I'm feeling very Tenzing Norgay

Let's Dance

I'm not sure what I expected from Silver Linings Playbook. David Russell really put together a very good film. Even a great movie, but not a super movie, or super great if you will.

This movie is very Bradley Cooper driven. His character is completely incapable of accepting reality, and yet at the same time is not oblivious to reality. There are strong performances from Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, and most impressively, Chris Tucker. I think that my two favorite performances in this movie were Chris Tucker's and John Ortiz's. Ortiz's portrayal of Cooper's buddy overwhelmed in his marriage was fantastic. This is not to discount Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro. They both were exceptional in their roles. In fact, I think Jennifer Lawrence was more convincing than Bradley Cooper. There was a palpable sense of vulnerability in her character.

This is one of those movies where you watch it and you have your fair share of "What, is going on?" moments, but at the end you are very happy that you watched it. The story is sad. Bradley Cooper's situation is depressing, but the response of those around him is truly uplifting.

I don't think this movie should have been nominated for Best Picture (I can think of another movie that should have taken its slot), but it was a great movie.

9/10, this is a really good movie, a great movie. You will be happy you watched it.

AS YOU WISH!!!

At its core, The Princess Bride really is a love story. Sure, there is a ton of comedic gold, and the narrator can be jarring, but ultimately this is about Westley and Buttercup. This movie is as witty as they come, and equally memorable, but at the end of the day it is all about "Toooooo bllllluuuuuuuuuffffffff."

True love is the motivation for our principal actors, Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, respectively Westley and Buttercup. Speaking of actors who never became as big as they probably should have, this was hands down André René Roussimoff's greatest film role. Yes, he was only in five films, but so what? The guy was great in this particular movie, and how dare you denigrate his memory.

Now that I think about it, the narrator, aka Grandpa, (played masterfully by Peter Falk) really adds a lot to the film. Initially, you are kind of like "come on," but later in the movie he adds an element of suspense. In reality, all of the pieces in this narrative play a useful and enjoyable role. Miracle Max played by Billy Crystal and his wife Valerie played by Carol Kane, are such a welcome addition, and really when you think about how little they occupy the screen it is a rather outsized addition. Of course there is also Fezzik and Inigo's boss Vizzini deftly portrayed by Wallace Shawn. Full disclosure, I had to look up his character's name, because I'm pretty sure it is never mentioned in the movie. Maybe during the game of wits.

This movie belongs in the definitive collection of American films. The film has a little bit of everything for everyone. You can't go wrong watching this. Even if you aren't in a movie mood I guarantee if you force yourself to start watching it you will be happy with your decision.

10/10 will watch an innumerable amount of times in my life

Fake Movie, Real Acting

Argo is a very good movie. Ben Affleck manages to continue directing engaging, and gripping films. I would have never guessed that from the guy in the southie tuxedo in Good Will Hunting, but it is the current reality.

For those that don't know, Argo is based on the Iran Hostage Crisis, and specifically the Canadian Caper. This isn't required knowledge to enjoy the movie, but it helps you with context. I went into the movie knowing a little about these historical events and it didn't ruin my movie experience.

I think that John Goodman's performance in this movie sticks out above all the others. For some reason I totally bought him as the Hollywood insider, injected enough into the industry, but detached enough that he would have the freedom to indulge his inner patriot and help the CIA. Also, I really liked the main revolutionary guard that holds them up at the airport, I think the actor is Bahram Khosraviani. It was a small role, but I thought he nailed it.

It's kind of odd to try to analyze the movie, because it is based on actual events, so I can't really complain about a bunch of plot points. However, not all of the facts are known about the event, and as such I do think that the way that they portrayed things was well done. I didn't feel like they made the scenes too Hollywood. I guess you could quibble about the bazaar scene, or the escape from the embassy, but that seems a little extreme to me. The ending was for sure a little dramatic, and I read that the former Canadian ambassador was a bit miffed that Canada's role was not played up to its actual level, but other than that I think the movie was pretty compelling.

Solid movie which was an easy choice for Best Picture, 8/10, will see again

An Uncomfortable Reality

The Savages is a good movie. I won't go so far as to say it is a great movie, but it touches on all the hallmarks of a quality dramatic film: tension, relationships, uncertainty, relatability, redemption, and closure. I can understand why there was considerable buzz around this movie when it came out. Tamara Jenkin's movie deals with an all too common reality here in the United States, what a family is to do with a loved one as they pass beyond the point of being able to care for themselves.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Laura Linney play a convincing brother and sister pair that have to figure out what to do with their father, Lenny. Although not exactly stated in the movie, the viewer is correct to assume that Lenny was an abusive father. There are frequent references to this throughout the film. Despite this strike against Lenny, his character is still highly sympathetic. The movie is difficult to watch sometimes because of Lenny's inability to cope with situations as well as the multiple indignities he suffers. Speaking of Lenny, the actor who plays him, Philip Bosco, did a very convincing job. He manages to slip in and out of lucidity in a very natural manner.

I could have used a little more background information on the family dynamic as a whole, specifically how their mother fit into the equation. Did she die young? Did she run away? Was she even more abusive than Lenny? The two kids hadn't spoken with their father in a long time when all of the action of the film starts occurring, but we aren't given much of a window into what the characters were like before their current time. I get that the kids are neurotic, and intelligent, but ultimately a little messed up, but it doesn't feel entirely organic, or justified. Perhaps that is my own biases coming into play.

I think that my favorite character in the movie may have ended up being the attendant Jimmy at the nursing home, played by Gbenga Akinnagbe. Jimmy is one of the few characters developed in the movie that seems relatively normal. He is audience to the final moments of the Savage family, and there isn't much he can do to avoid that, but he takes it in stride.

The movie was a pretty realistic, at least I think, portrayal of our nursing home culture. The movie moves slowly at times, but so does life. As if to accentuate that slowness, the movie makes ample use of dramatic pauses, awkward situations, and emotion to bring you in. I don't know if I would watch the movie again by choice. I'm not sure I would turn the channel if it came on tv, but at times it seemed just a little too real.

8/10, glad I watched it, but may not see again.

A Lonely and Secret World

I re-watched The Good Shepherd and I must say that it is far darker than I remember. I can't help but feeling quite sorry for Edward. The life that he eventually lives can't be what the budding young poet had in mind. There really is nothing happy about the movie. The movie is not only dark from a thematic standpoint, but it is also just dark in general.

I remember the first time I watched the movie I was enthralled with the story it told about the CIA. This time around I was much more interested in the story of Edward. The movie is in part about the CIA, but really it is about the rise of, and compromising of, Matt Damon's character. He dutifully does as he is asked throughout the movie, but then he goes and has his dalliances throughout the film. He is a very flawed character, but I found him a very compelling character. He is obviously pained as he goes through his life, but he rarely shows it on his face.

The movie did a good job of pacing that I don't recall from my first viewing. It is a long movie, but it does cover a lot of ground. The story it tells, if you are a fan of Cold War history, is one that will keep you connected to the film. The supporting cast is excellent, although I thought Angelina Jolie's character was a little off. I think they should have cast someone a little less va voom, and a little more conservative.

This is Robert De Niro's film (he directed it) because his character takes the cake. His lines are full of gems about the nature of the CIA. Although he was obviously a bigot, he was the only character who showed concern for the agencies place in American society. The movie ends with Lee Pace's character Richard Haye's calling Damon the "heart and soul" of the agency. That was almost exactly what De Niro advised a young Edward against happening.

I should mention something about Edward's son. The dynamic between the two is fairly straightforward: Edward, the distant father; Edward, Jr., the starving for approval son. What is interesting to me is that Edward does sacrifice his son's happiness because of his commitment to a higher duty than his family. Yet another tragic layer to an already tragic figure.

Good movie. A bit confusing at times, but I would watch it again for sure.

7/10, already own it, gonna watch it again.