Movie Review: The Hunger Games

So...yes this is an old movie. I hadn't seen it yet, and with Catching Fire coming out this week I figured it was time.

Summary: In a futuristic world, there were 13 districts that rebelled against their rulers---only 12 survived.  And as a reminder of this rebellion, each district sends two teenagers to fight in the Hunger Games. Katniss is sent from her district to fight and figure out how to be the last one standing.  Her adventure takes her to the shiny capital were she is now an instant celebrity, and she has to put all that aside as she enters the arena to kill 23 other people.

What Did I Love?

• How true to the book it was.  I didn't feel like I had missed anything and it was actually cool to have a more third person perspective--it allowed them to explain some more things.

What Did I Hate?

• Peeta was acted well--but I wish they had done a little bit more with his costume so that he was a bit more attractive!!! I really still root for Gale because I really like Liam Hemsworth---like a lot.

I have heard good things about the sequel...can't wait to see it.

Movie Review: Something Borrowed

Recently I watched this movie for the first time....and it was actually not too shabby.

Summary: Two best friends are really complete opposites named Rachel and Darcy.  Rachel is the down to earth book-smart one, while Darcy is the crazy party animal.  Rachel introduces Darcy to a good friend of hers from law school--Dex. Darcy and Dex hit it off and end up engaged to each other..but what about Rachel's and Dex's inner appreciation to each other.  Does Rachel stop the wedding or let Darcy and Dex be happy?

What Did I Love?

• The honesty...yeah it is a romantic comedy, but it had a flavor of truth to it....the fact that two people would never admit to liking each other seemed really true

What Did I Hate?

• Not a huge fan of the Marcus character....he is a random friend that no one seems to know what to do with...and neither do I! But he is important to the ending.....

Bottom Line...I watched it off my DVR which was great...might buy it on $5 DVD bin but you're not missing out hugely with this--just a cute romantic comedy.

Sounds like there might be a sequel at some point
which I will probably watch eventually

Movie Review: Date Night

Last movie that I have watched recently, so last review for at least a little while. Of all three movies this was my least favorite.

Summary: Date Night is about a married couple whose relationship has become very kid driven and they aren't really romantic anymore.  They do this weekly date night but it ends up being just this stale boring thing.  A couple friend of theirs suddenly decides to separate and get a divorce.  They decide that they need to spice up date night.  The rest of the night becomes the movie, in which a case of mistaken identify, almost execution, corrupt officials, and police involvement.

What Did I Love?

• It was a decent plot line, and they kept us guessing well enough
• Funny one-liners
• Funny actors

What Did I Not Like?

• A very awkward scene in a stripper bar.....I would not watch this with children because of this scene...like I really wanted to fast forward

Bottom line....the awkward scene really kind of ruined it for me....so if you don't mind that then this movie would probably would be great for you

Movie Review: Safe Haven

I mentioned yesterday that I had lots of movie reviews for you guys.  This is another movie I watched this weekend--having finished the book.  (Check out that review here)

Thank you to
http://www.joreviews.com

Summary: The plot is basically the same as the book--there are some differences.  Katie escapes her abusive husband and runs away to a small town in North Carolina.  She meets Alex and his two kids, and she and Alex eventually start to date.  Her husband though does not give up looking for her, and eventually her past starts to catch up with her.


What Did I Love?

• I liked that they picked the leads they did...Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough did a great job.
• I also liked the girl they picked for the daughter--she was the right amount of cute :)

What Did I Hate?

• A key plot change in how Alex finds out about Katie's previous life and how the neighbor relationship shows up
• The son was too young
• The changes to Alex and Katie's overall relationship--I liked what they had in the book with the trust issues and this just changes that
• They should have given Josh Duhamel grey streaks

Bottom line: I might own it eventually, but if you watch it just recognize that the book is SO much better!

Movie Review: 42

So...yesterday I did not blog :( I had a very busy day and a very late night and wouldn't have been able to blog until after midnight this morning.  So I am writing two today---we are doing a 365 blog posts in a year to make up :)

This weekend I watched three different movies so we are going to do one of them reviewed today...this one is my favorite!

Summary: 42 is the recent movie that discusses how Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier of Major League Baseball.  We meet the people that supported him through it all: a reporter, his wife, and the owner of the Dodgers--Mr. Richie.  This was apparently all Mr. Richie's idea, which was interesting to me.  He suffered lack of support from fans, team members, and fellow baseball people.  He had to stand up strong against all the diversity.

What I Loved?

• All of it!
• Absolutely loved Harrison Ford!! He acted so very well in this movie.
• The story....they really wrote a great movie.
• I learned a lot...and I hope it's all true :)

What I Did Not Like?

• That the Internet told me that the end bio things were wrong :(
• It dragged occasionally and had the typical end with all the music and slow motion and the clapping

Bottom Line: I want to own it!!

Thank you Wikipedia

Movie Review: Thirteen Days

Currently in my US History/Government class we are talking about the Kennedy Administration. Last week, I told you about great resources to use with the Bay of Pigs.  After teaching Bay of Pigs, I switch to the Cuban Missile Crisis and I show this clip from Thirteen Days. Until today I hadn't actually seen the movie, and I will start showing it to my class tomorrow.

So I thought I would do a movie review....

Summary: Kenny O'Donnell serves as special assistant to the president when the intelligence community realizes that there are missiles being built by the Soviet Union in Cuba.  They realize that these missiles can hit 1,000 miles away--and Cuba is only 90 miles away.  These missiles will be operational in 12-14 days, so this is not a good thing for the U.S.  They have to decide whether to do an air strike and then invade.  Secretary of Defense McNamara suggests doing a blockade, like a quarantine--which buys them some time.  What will the President do and how do we end up avoiding war?

What I Loved:

• I loved how much history you could just tell is in this---now it is still a dramatic representation. Apparently Kenny O'Donnell is not that big of a character in real-life, but I think that helps
• It really examines how a president makes a decision and the amount of people that really weight in on this 
• If you didn't live in the 1960s, you cannot really completely comprehend the fear that we had about going to war again....with the Soviet Union. This movie really puts that into perspective

What I Didn't Like:

• Kevin Costner's accent--heck everyone's Boston accents--holy crap awful!! Like there were moments where I wondered if we suddenly switched to British accents and there were moments where the same actor would pronounce the same word two different ways
• The acting overall was kind of lame...but not horrible
• They would go into black and white to color sometimes....at points it made sense but at other points it made no sense.

Bottom Line: I am excited to see what my students think and I definetely recommend it to history teachers and geeks everywhere!

Movie Review: We Bought a Zoo

This movie came out in 2011 starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.  Brian and I had wanted to see this movie for a while, and we finally got a chance to.  So here is the run down!

Summary: After the death of his wife, Benjamin and his two kids need a fresh start.  Benjamin goes house hunting and ends up finding the perfect house.  Well almost perfect...there is a zoo on the property that you have to buy if you want the house.  So, Benjamin jumps in head first.  The zoo needs a lot of help, so they spend a lot of time and money trying to fix it up and their lives.  Will they make it?  You should watch the movie to find out.

What I Loved?

• It is a really really sweet story!! And I love how it is based on a true story!
• They picked a great actor for the son....he really could be Matt Damon a lot younger
• The daughter is ADORABLE! They wrote her really well and she delivered the lines perfectly.

What I Hated?

• Had a lot of characters that they only partially developed...it would have been nice if they had done more with all of them
• Not much else...it is a pretty good movie!!!

So bottom line...Great movie! Totally find it and buy it!

From Wikipedia!

Movie Review: The Terminal

So this is what I watched tonight...should have been grading but oh well! This movie came out in 2004 starring Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stanley Tucci.  Seriously with that list of stars it will be a good movie.  And it was directed by Steven Spielberg! So now we're even more set.....and yes it was a great movie!

So summary....Tom Hanks plays a man from an Eastern European country. When he arrives in NYC, his passport is denied.  While he was in the air his country was overthrown and his country no longer existed.  He was literally a man without a country (reminds me of a certain current event right now).  So he waits until his country is recognized by the U.S. Where does he do this? In the airport.

What Did I Love?

• The story line is awesome!
• The writing was tremendous.  It was very witty--there were so many moments where I was laughing out loud.
• The acting was great too!  Tom Hanks' accent is awesome and Stanley Tucci plays a great "bad guy"

What Did I Hate?

• Umm....I can't think of anything!

Bottom Line: Buy it, find it, if you haven't seen it you need too!

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/diego-luna/images/930597/title/diego-luna-terminal-screencap

Movie Review: Premium Rush

So this isn't one that has just come out, but an older one.  Premium Rush came out in 2012 and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  He plays a bike messenger who is assigned a tricky delivery.  He doesn't know that the package he is carrying is worth a lot to many different people.  So everyone wants to have it.  And then there is the drama that life just creates all around him.

So what did I love?

• They did a really nice job with the graphics 
• I have a greater respect for people who live in New York City...seriously, I don't think I could live there!
• Cute love story
• Okay so lets be honest ladies, he is attractive...so that doesn't hurt.

So what did I hate?

• It really had NO plot line! There is enough of a plot line to call it a movie, but seriously this was not a very complex plot at all.
• It is flashback, flashforward...and they give you the time that the scene is starting with and you have to pay attention!!

Bottom line...do NOT pay for this movie.  Get it for free..we watched it off a cable movie channel..that we have for free for a couple of days.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/movies/premium-rush-starring-joseph-gordon-levitt.html?_r=0

Movie Review: Inside North Korea

http://www.amazon.com/Inside-North-Korea/dp/B004HFKPOK

So I was thinking about something to review today and I wanted to share what we have been doing in class recently.  So not only is this a great movie review but it is also a great lesson plan idea for when you want an easy day.  This movie is done by National Geographic.  This follows Lisa Ling into North Korea as she films a documentary about a Nepal eye surgeon. He is going to heal 1,000 people of cataracts.  While they are there, they can film the culture around them.

So why do I like showing it in class? It is a great visual for the students of what North Korea is like.  They have trouble understanding the US tension with them and concern we have about the nuclear threats until they see this video.  They also have trouble understanding the truce between North and South and the DMZ.  If you don't show anything else from this movie except the clip of them at the DMZ then that would be worth it.  You can really understand what it is like there.

http://torrentbutler.eu/51376-national-geographic-inside-north-korea

Concerns to have as a teacher: So as always, every good teacher should preview the movie/clip they are showing in their class because you know your students best! But the biggest concern that I have had every time I show this video is creating a prejudice against the people of North Korea.  I emphasize with the students that we don't know how much choice the people of North Korea have so they might not really "hate" us.  I also emphasize difference of culture and though we view them as "strange"/"odd", they might find us strange and odd too. So we talk about accepting diversity when we watch this movie.

Another thing to keep in mind too is that this movie is now dated.  It was created before the death of Kim Jong Il, and his son is now the third dictator of the country--Kim Jong Un.  (Not to be confused with Kim Il Sung the original dictator) Getting this straight in your head and student's is also really helpful for when watching.

While Watching: I usually have a set of nine questions that I wrote for my students to answer.  They get a lot out of just watching and asking questions so sometimes I have them just respond to the film at different points too with questions and statements.  It is about an hour long so great for a classroom but usually we end up watching in about an hour and a half because I pause and clarify things, answer questions, and ask questions.

Oh p.s. I first just showed this to my US History classes because of the Korean War in US History class.  However, I recently showed it in all of classes with the World History spin with communism, Government spin of foreign policy, and World Geography spin of the theme place/region.  Overall,  it is a great way to connect current events with history too.

W is for While You Were Sleeping

One of my favorite movies is While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock (as Lucy) does a great job acting in this movie.  I love how we can totally get on her side the whole movie! You are rooting for Lucy to get the Peter (Peter Gallagher) character because she so wants him at the beginning.  But as soon as she meets Jack and we start to understand that Jack (Bill Pullman) really likes Lucy, we start rooting for Jack to steal Lucy.  Lucy is wanting to be apart of a family so much but she can't stand to tell the truth.  If you haven't seen this classic you are truly missing out! It has a great happily ever after...which to me makes it a great movie.  

It also has some greats in the movie world...like Peter Boyle (from Everybody Loves Raymond), Glynis Johns (from Mary Poppins), and Jack Warden (from All the President's Men and 12 Angry Men). 

Favorite Quotes:

Lucy: I'm having an affair. I like Jack.

Jerry: Who's Jack?

Lucy: Peter's brother.

Jerry: So?

Lucy: So he thinks I'm engaged.

Jerry: To who?

Lucy: To Peter.

Jerry: Lucy, I really don't have time for this.

Lucy: No, you have to tell me what to do.

Jerry: Tell the truth.

Lucy: If I tell Jack I lied to his family he will *never* speak to me again. And Ox and Midge and Mary and Saul.

Jerry: Saul? Who's Saul?

Lucy: The next door neighbor. But you know what? Actually, he knows.

Jerry: Lucy, you are born into a family. You do not join them like you do the marines.

Lucy: So what should I do?

Jerry: Pull the plug.

Lucy: You're sick.

Jerry: I'm sick? You're cheating on a vegetable.

Lucy: Peter once asked me when I fell in love with Jack. And I told him, "It was while you were sleeping."

Ashley: Peter Callahan is engaged to me. I object to this wedding!

Priest: Get in line.

Ashley's husband: And I object to your objection.

Mary Callaghan: Who's that?

Peter: Ashley's husband.

Midge Callaghan: You proposed to a married woman?

Peter: Yes. And I'm in a coma when my brother makes a play for my- sort of my fiancée

Movie Review: Street Angel

The original movie poster from Wikipedia 

I am taking class through Coursera right now about film history. We watch movies that reflect a change in Hollywood.  This one was called Street Angel.  It was made in 1928--so it is a silent movie. However, it was made at the beginning of the world of talkies so it actually had the music come with it because it was synced to it.  The professor warned us that it was an emotional movie...and he wasn't kidding.

The movie starts with a girl whose mother is dying. She needs money for her mom's prescriptions, and she just can't get it.  So she decides to try to be a prostitute.  However, she is not having any luck getting a guy to pick her up.  So she tries to steal money from someone instead, but she gets caught and sentenced to a year in prison.  She runs away and goes back to her mom, who has actually now died.  She joins a circus troupe and lives for at least a little while away from the police.  She meets a boy and they fall in love--despite her fighting it.  They move back to her original city, and she lives in fear of the police for a long time. I won't spoil the end...but you should really watch it to find out if they get to stay together.

A great still from imdb.com

The best parts of this movie: the acting is incredible--the expressions that they can portray really is a lost art in Hollywood today. And it is really well written.  I don't think I have anything to really say that they could have done differently...I am really use to the faster paced of today's Hollywood movies.  It is only about an hour and 45 minute movie but it felt a lot longer than that.

Movie Review: Les Miserables

So this week Brian and I got to see two movies in the theaters this week (see my review on Lincoln on Wednesday). We went and saw Les Miserables on Thursday---yes it comes out in a little over a month on DVD but again small town theaters don't get movies that fast.  This one I know for sure she wasn't allowed to get for a long time--and a lot of people were frustrated. Because we knew it would be good...and it was..but it wasn't

What did I love?

• Anne Hathaway's performance was superb. She really put a lot of emotion into her singing and was one of the best singers in the movie.
• Marius, played by Eddie Redmayne, was the best Marius I have ever seen!  He sang everything beautifully.
• Eponine was awesome...but I knew that--Samantha Banks always does a great job

What did I not like?

• Sacha Baron Cohen made sense for the part on paper...but he really can't sing--and yes the Innkeeper's part isn't really written to sing...but it is suppose to be more sung than talked--and there is a part in the movie in which he said "Whatever" like we were in 2012--come on!
• Hugh Jackman did a great job overall...but during "Bring Him Home" my vocal cords were hurting--as I'm sure his were too...I wish they had done something about that
• And again Russell Crowe overall did a great job...but he kind of ruined the soliloquy he has near the beginning  about the stars--though I am very partial to the Javert from the 25th anniversary edition

Overall, I had low expectations before the movie actually came out and then when I couldn't see it and couldn't see it and heard everybody loving it my expectations went WAY too high I think.  I would own it...it is not the best I have ever seen but it is better than nothing--I will see it live any day.

Not a great video....it is def taped in a theatre...but this is my favorite "Stars" rendition by Norm Lewis (though not from the 25th anniversary edition)

Movie Review: Lincoln

I am doing a review of this movie because I just saw it tonight...yes tonight about three months since it came out because it only came to our little town two weeks ago.  That is the sad thing about living in a small town--we don't get the movies with everyone else sometimes because the theater owner can't get them.  From what I understand they (being the people with the power to sell the movie) will occasionally not allow the owner buy the movie because they want the bigger audience.  However that is the nice thing about living in a small town and going to the movies--you have your pick of seats.

So what did I love about Lincoln?

• The writing--Of course you knew I would talk about the writing.  This screenplay was superbly written and I enjoyed the way the lines were phrased...which brings me to 
• The acting--Good lines fall flat on bad acting.  This was a beautifully acted movie--I especially loved Tommy Lee Jones.  He made Stevens come alive!
• The scenery and costumers--Very well done!

What did I not like?

• Well I have been avoiding the articles about all of the historical inaccuracies--and to a certain extent I figured there were some.  But the more shocking revelation toward the end (which I will not spoil for those who haven't seen this) shouldn't have been believed by anyone with historical knowledge and I wouldn't be surprised if that has been the recent hubbub. So even though it makes for a good story..I think it ruins the feel-good part of the whole movie instead of helping it (which I'm sure was the intention).

Anyway this is short and quick because its late and I'm tired..but what did you think of it? Would you show it in your classroom?  I might do it on a freebie day but not as apart of class.