Fun Size- A couple of teens go out on Halloween night and lose the little brother. Cute story, kind of a Hangover with kids. I liked it but didn't love it. Victoria Justice from the Disney channel starred as the geeky, unpopular girl, which was just not believable. Chelsea Handler as a single mom dating a college kid, definitely more believable. Great message about bullying and accepting people for who they are. 3 stars.
End of Watch- I will watch anything with Jake Gyllenhaal, I mean anything! He is sexy and adorable at the same time. This was a different kind of cop movie, shot in a documentary style, which a generally don't like but it was tolerable. Good action, good tension with the bad guys, a mexican drug cartel. Don't expect any happy endings here, Disney movie it is not. But the ending was satisfying and sobering. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy a good drama, which we occasionally do. Bonus, Anna Kendrick was in this for a bit, and we just love her right now! 3 Stars
Ice Age: Continental Drift - Sometimes movie franchises go a little far with the sequels; anyone remember Land Before Time 10?! Ice Age has done the multiple thing well. Dave and I went to see the second movie on one of our first dates, so they are kind of special to us. Anyway, Continental Drift starts with the the breaking up of "Pangea" and the forming of the continents, but the gang gets lost at sea and taken in by some pirates. Very cute movie, they always seem to impress us. Also, a big bonus for me is that I love good voice casting, and some of my favorite actors made appearances, like Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones, Rebel Wilson and Aziz Ansari. Great Movie! 4 Stars
Rock of Ages- Here's the thing. I wasn't expecting much because I hadn't heard good things, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this rock musical. Was in award winning? No, but it was perfect for what it was, a musical of 80's rock. I loved all of the music, and the cast was fantastic. Julianne Hough is always great, and as much as I dislike Tom Cruise, he was perfect as a strung out rock star. A few times I laughed out loud, like when the are trying to decide if it's worst to end up a stripper or in a boy band, and unanimously decide that a boy band is worse :) I could see how this movie isn't for every one, but we really liked it, probably me more than Dave. 4 stars.
Skyfall- My husband is a huge Bond fan, and this is one that we made a date to see opening weekend, and it did not disappoint! I bought it for Dave for Valentines Day, ( I know, super romantic) and it was just as good the second time. Adele's Skyfall is the most perfect Bond anthem, you hear and are automatically transported into a Bond story. After a surprising beginning, the movie jumped into the usual 007 action and ridiculous bad guys plot. I did like the play between Bond getting older, and technology getting younger and smarter. I really feel Skyfall is the beginning of a whole new Bond generation, with the introduction of some replacement characters, and some iconic ones. Also, they go to Scotland, which is beautiful and breathtaking, and just so Scottish. Overall, great cars, great scenery, GREAT villain in Javier Bardem, great song. 5 stars.
Wreck It Ralph- This was one that we really wanted to see in theaters, it just never happened, so Dave got it for his birthday. Are you seeing a pattern here? It is the story of a video game "bad guy" who feels under appreciated in his own game and goes looking to be the hero in another game. If you are a 90's video game nerd like we are, then you'll love all of the references in this movie. There are also a lot of Disney references and characters hidden throughout, a fact that we found out when we had to pause. Pausing takes you to a special behind the scenes nerd fact-a-palooza hosted by Chris Hardwick. Again, great voices in this one too, including Mindy Kaling, and Jane Lynch, who can do no wrong in my eyes. AJ loved the video game music in the beginning, he was dancing like crazy. My husband loved everything about it, and I would definitely recommend it! 5stars.
So, there's a glimpse of what we've seen lately, next time I'll review some of my favorite under rated movies.
