We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes

If you want to have a spooky good time at the movies, I suggest you check out The Crazies. What makes The Crazies work so well is its realistic approach. There isn't over the top acting or any unnecessary plot twists or rampant monsters running around. It has a good, solid story at its core, plenty of gore and is a fun example of survival and the drastic means people will take to achieve that goal.

I finally saw The Last Station this weekend, which means I can fully enjoy The Oscars next weekend having seen every single nominated performance (and every picture minus A Serious Man, which I have zero interest in). The Last Station centers around the last year in Leo Tolstoy's life and the tumultuous, but loving relationships he shares with his family. I enjoyed this film quite a bit. It had a wonderful cast (Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, James McAvoy) and had great moments of humor to balance the dramatic tone.

Shutter Island

What's great about Shutter Island is how closely it followed the book. It didn't leave you wishing Scorsese and Co. hadn't done this or changed that. I think it's the loyalty to the book that made me like the movie even more. Shutter Island is a fun psychological thriller that was always engrossing. It's tense and entertaining and is filled with great performances.

Hungry Like the Wolf

Finally a weekend with two movies worth seeing. The long delayed revamp The Wolfman finally made it into theaters this weekend and it wasn't half bad! In fact, it was actually kind of scary. The good, entertaining kind of scary. I'd say the only drawback to this film was the story. It was too simplistic. The filmmakers really could have spent more time on the lore and mythology of wolfmen and developed a history. I very much enjoyed the other elements of the film - the art direction and special effects, especially. In contrast to my arguments regarding The Edge of Darkness, the violence in The Wolfman was pretty extreme, but it served a purpose and was entertaining.

Taking a complete 180 degree turn in tone takes us to the ensemble comedy Valentine's Day. I liked this movie about the same as The Wolfman and actually think it had the same drawback - a weak storyline at times. I thought Valentine's Day started out a little wobbly, but it gained some nice momentum as it progressed. There were quite a few bright spots - Anne Hathaway and Taylor Swift (believe me, I'm as shocked as you are) are a couple that come to mind. And the Pretty Woman-esque outtake with Julia Roberts at the end was great.

Dear John

Dear John,
While you're hot and super nice to look at, I so wish that you were a better actor. You can cry and show emotion, but it always comes off as flat and just...bad. Maybe if you moved your face a little more it would help. I could see poor Savannah trying so hard and just pleading for some kind of reciprocation and chemistry from you during your scenes together. I don't think your story was particularly bad, it just wasn't overwhelmingly great. I will say that I thought it was super sweet and I did like the storyline involving your dad. Maybe just work on your acting a bit.

I'll see you soon then.
The Q

YES!

Academy Award nominee Sandra Bullock. I like the sound of that!