The Grey

“Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.”

Directed by Jon Carnahan

2012

Viewed February 2012

This movie follows a group of Alaskan oil drillers who’s plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness. There are seven survivors and they have to try and find a town or some sort of shelter before freezing to death or being attacked by wolves. It sounds really dumb, and I definitely was not expecting much, but I really did end up enjoying it. The biggest complaint that I have is that they are in the Alaskan wilderness in the middle of a blizzard, they all have a hoodie and a parka on, but none of them are wearing their hoods. They all have hats, but I know that when I’m super cold I put on my hat AND my hood for optimum warmth, plus the hood keeps blowing snow off of your neck… There also were plenty of parts that made me jump (even some that you could see coming, but it still made me jump… lame.) and it was just an entertaining movie. B- 

The Adventures of TIntin

"Failed. There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. A hopeless souse. Don't you ever say it of yourself. You send out the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. Don't you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There's something you need to know about failure, Tintin. You can never let it defeat you."

Directed by Steven Spielberg

2011

Viewed January 2012

I loved the Tintin books when I was growing up. My mom would take us to the library every week and every week one of us would inevitably come home with a Tintin book or two. For those not familiar with Tintin, he is a reporter with a dog named Snowy who comes along on his adventures. Together they solve many a mystery and very often unknowingly stumble right in the middle of trouble. This movie is a pretty perfect adaptation of the books. It is a combination of a few of the books, but it has all of the elements of the Tintin world including the dimwitted police officers Thompson and Thomson, action and adventure, Captain Haddock, the smartest little white dog, Snowy, and even minor characters such as Mrs Finch and Bianca Castiafiore. The storyline is that Tintin purchases a model ship that holds part of a secret map to a treasure. Tintin is kidnapped and brought onto a ship headed to steal another part of the map. He meets the ship's captain, Haddock, who is also being held against his will by his first mate and mutinous crew as well as the mastermind Professor Sakharine. Tintin, Snowy and Haddock need to escape the ship and reach the ship's destination first to stop the theft. This movie is jam packed with action and I really really loved the animation. It really was this nerd girl's Tintin dreams come true...A

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love."

 

Directed by David Yates

2011

Viewed July 2011

This was a wonderful ending to such a great series. Its been awhile since I've read the book, and I think it basically follows most of the major points, but it does take some liberties as well. But keeping the book out of it, I still think that this was a really great movie. Harry, Ron and Hermione have battled Voldemort and his forces of evil for 8 movies, and here, in the 8th and final film, it all comes to a head and there is a final battle. Oh how these characters (and the actors who played them) have grown. We have watched them for the last 10 years and it's definitely sad to say goodbye. I got so into HP 7.2 and when the characters had triumphs I wanted to cheer for them. Neville had a big scene and I just wanted to jump up and clap for him because he's come so far from being that dopey, comical chubby kid and turned into a brave young man willing to stand up to The Dark Lord himself and fight for what he believes. This movie is not quite perfect, there were a few scenes that felt cheesy (mainly the "19 years later" part that was horrible in the book as well). Overall this movie was exciting, fun and it did not feel like I had been sitting there for 2 hours and 10 minutes! A-

127 Hours

"I chose this. I chose all this. This rock... This rock has been waiting for me my entire life."

Directed by Danny Boyle

2010

Date Viewed: May 13, 2011

I put off seeing this movie because it sounded just so boring. Its the true story of Aron Ralston who went canyoneering and got his arm caught under a boulder. Really? an hour and a half of watching a guy be stuck? That sounds so boring! Too bad Danny Boyle is an awesome director! This movie was very far from boring! Aron's present is mixed with his past and with his hallucinations in a very interesting way. James Franco was fantastic as Aron and definitely deserved the Oscar nom that he got for this role. I know that I heard this a thousand times before finally caving, but seriously, listen to me, go rent this movie! It's really really good! A

Stand By Me

Stand By Me in less than 20 words:

Goonies like adventure with less fantasy but more adult themes. A classic coming of age movie. A