movie review

So I really love movies, and I'm extremely opinionated, I don't know why I haven't done this before.

Inspired by the Oscars tonight, and having nothing to do during the red carpet coverage, here's a review of some films I saw last year. PS I'm picking the first ten movies that come to mind or else this would go on forevs.

Two words: Ryan Gosling. 

He played a a very nice gentleman who violently mauled a few people for a lady's honor and safety. 

Though the plot may not be too complex, a there were still a few surprises that keep you on the edge of your seat. I love Carrie Mulligan in everything but she was especially darling as a mother. I left the movie with two thoughts, don't ever get Ryan Gosling angry and I need a silk members only jacket. B+

Though there's a lack of dialogue, this movie blew me away. In this silent film about a 1920s actor, I could not get enough of the leading man', Jean Dujardin's facial expressions. I've been going through an old-school movie phase and this film really hit the spot. You can tell that it's a well made film, every detail accounted for. It's got all the emotions to ride, and who doesn't love a French tap dancer? A

JT, I love you. You make rad music, you dance like the smoothest of operators and you're friggin hilarious, but really? You made this movie? I mean it had its moments, i.e. JT shirtless, JT beating people up. The film has true potential to be an entertaining story of a revolt against society, but unfortunately the writing was lacking. The script made me cringe. And there is no way in H-E-double hockey sticks Amanda Siegfried could actually run for that long in those heels. D

Now I didn't read the book, which I heard is fantastic, but I thought it was pretty great. I laughed, I cringed, I cried and I left the theater speaking in a southern accent. Now I know that Emma Stone's character is supposed to be a little homely, but really that wig was awful. It could have been done a bit better. This film was both a poignant and heart warming tale about racial injustice and relationships, which is a tough combo to master. A -

I cried the last thirty minutes of this movie. I clearly don't handle possibly fatal medical conditions well. I thought that there was a tad too much unwarranted profanity for my taste. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays his adorably nerdy, shy, quirky self.  The more I see Anna Kendrick in films (she plays JGT's nearly certified therapist) the more I like her. I think she will do great things. This film did a good job of hitting all the right emotions, making it feel like this is a real story that happened to a guy you know. B+

I might be biased because I already have this pretty steady relationship with art, but this was my favorite movie this year. I thought the concept of Owen Wilson going back and meeting all the greats from the Golden Age in Paris was pretty inspired. All the characters he meets are spot on to how I would imagine they would be in real life. Hemingway, spot on. Dali, spot on. The film is a true Parisian experience, way to go Woody Allen. A+

I laughed so loud it echoed in the theater. I thought that Steve Carrel and Ryan Gosling made a great comedy duo. Witty delivery. The main story is a classic get the girl back plot with a superb make over sequence,  and it has a great side story of brand new romance with the always outstanding Emma Stone. It may not be the next great masterpiece but it was fun and entertaining and Ryan Gosling takes his shirt off. A

Hey guess what? I see everything Ryan Gosling is in. This intense political drama made me think that George Clooney should actually run for president. Though it was a movie about politics I didn't leave thinking it was a giant political statement shoved down my throat. The drama of the story wasn't too over the top and the suits were gorgeous. B

This movie was the Valentine's Day of non-romantic comedies. Seriously everyone was in, and they were all dying. This scary almost-too-realistic story about a pandemic keeps the viewer in the story by leaving the how-the-F-did-this-all-start till the very end. Besides Jude Law's added snaggle-tooth and occasional slow moving plot it was a good watch. B-

After reading all four novels and the first book of short stories, I find this Sherlock series to be even better than previously thought. The script and character portrayal are exactly like Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. The fast paced wit and action packed adventures suck you into the story. The cinematography is pretty breathing taking, the variation of camera speed and the dark dreary London filter. A

Can you tell I don't really like writing about movies I don't like. But I watched several dozen movies this year, feel free to ask me about more of them.