The Reel Life of Real Life

Rating: R Genre: Drama Directed By: Alejandro González Iñárritu Written By: Nicolás Giacobone, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo Released: January 1 st , 2015 Runtime: 119 minutes Studio: Fox Searchlight Summary: Former cinema superhero Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is mounting an ambitious Broadway production that he hopes will breathe new life into his stagnant career. It's risky, but he hopes that his creative gamble will prove that he's a real artist and not just a washed-up movie star. As opening night approaches, a castmate is injured, forcing Riggan to hire an actor (Edward Norton) who is guaranteed to shake things up. Meanwhile, Riggan must deal with his girlfriend, daughter and ex-wife. Review: This is very unique and cleverly filmed. The whole one-take effect is incredibly well done and worth watching it for if nothing else. This after all is the “gimmick” of the whole film; the thing that makes i...

Rating: PG-13 Genre: Comedy, Romance Directed By: Will Gluck Written By: Bert V. Royal In Theatres: Oct 22 nd , 2010 Runtime: 92 minutes Studio: Sony Pictures/Screen Gems Summary: Prompted by her popular best friend to spill details of her boring weekend, Olive (Emma Stone), a clean-cut teen, decides to spice things up by telling a little lie about losing her virginity. When the high-school busybody (Amanda Bynes) overhears the conversation and spreads it all over campus, Olive is suddenly notorious but for the wrong reasons. Review: This is a great movie. I didn’t know what to expect after watching the trailer, but it went up in my estimations while I was watching it. Very entertaining with a different slant for the rom-com community.  Emma Stone is brilliant! She’s a fab actress in all her movies that I’ve seen, but this one is one of her best in my opinion. Her character is confident, sassy, and feisty, but all with a good heart at the ...

Rating: 15 Genre: Comedy, Drama, Teen Directed By: Amy Heckerling Written By: Cameron Crowe Released: August 13 th , 1982 Runtime: 90 minutes Studio: Universal Pictures Summary: Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a pretty, but inexperienced, teen interested in dating. Given advice by her uninhibited friend, Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates), Stacy gets trapped in a love triangle with nice guy Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) and his more assured buddy Mike Damone (Robert Romanus). Meanwhile, Stacy's classmate Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who lives for surfing and being stoned, faces off against Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), a strict teacher who has no time for the slacker's antics. Review: I’m at a loss for words when it comes to this film. On one hand it’s very good – it’s a conglomeration of 80s teen-movie madness. Who doesn’t enjoy that? On the other hand…Even though this is one of the first 80s teen movies that would come to mind if asked for one, I ...

Rating: R (for sexual content) Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance Directed By: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Written By: Guillaume Laurant, Jean-Pierre Jeunet Released: October 14 th , 2001 Runtime: 121 minutes Studio: Miramax Films Summary: "Amélie" is a fanciful comedy about a young woman who discretely orchestrates the lives of the people around her, creating a world exclusively of her own making. Shot in over 80 Parisian locations, acclaimed director Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Delicatessen"; "The City of Lost Children") invokes his incomparable visionary style to capture the exquisite charm and mystery of modern-day Paris through the eyes of a beautiful ingenue.  Review: The story itself starts off a bit sad, then becomes more bittersweet, until finally we become captivated with Amelie as a character and the film becomes extremely charming, and often quite amusing. I love the backbone of the story – this girl who didn’t have a very n...

Rating: PG Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family Directed By: Gore Verbinski Written By: John Logan Released: Mar 4, 2011  Runtime: 107 minutes Studio: Paramount Pictures Summary: A lizard (Johnny Depp) who has lived as a sheltered family pet finds himself in the grip of an identity crisis. Rango wonders how to stand out when it is his nature to blend in. When he accidentally winds up in a frontier town called Dirt, he takes the first step on a transformational journey as the town's new sheriff. Though at first Rango only role-plays, a series of thrilling situations and outrageous encounters force him to become a real hero. Review: I enjoyed the format of this film. We’ve got these sombrero-wearing lizards on the side-lines taking us through the course of Rango’s heroic tale. The ominous and constant foreshadowing of his “untimely death” ironically give the film a funny and energetic feel.  The humour is great. Th...

Rating: R (terror/violence.) Genre: Comedy, Horror, Kids & Family Directed By: Peter Jackson Written By: Frances Walsh, Peter Jackson In Theatres: Jul 19, 1996 Runtime: 110 minutes Studio: Universal Summary:  Once an architect, Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) now passes himself off as an exorcist of evil spirits. To bolster his facade, he claims his "special" gift is the result of a car accident that killed his wife. But what he does not count on is more people dying in the small town where he lives. As he tries to piece together the supernatural mystery of these killings, he falls in love with the wife (Trini Alvarado) of one of the victims and deals with a crazy FBI agent (Jeffrey Combs). Review:  This movie is fine. It starts off very light-hearted, fun and even though it was directed by Peter Jackson, it reminded me a bit of a Tim Burton film. Maybe it was the lively energy of the fantasy/horror elements. This was Peter Jackson’s first...

Rating: PG-13 Genre: Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance Directed By: Tim Burton Written By: Caroline Thompson, Tim Burton In Theatres: Dec 7 th , 1990 Runtime: 100 minutes Studio: 20th Century Fox Summary: A scientist (Vincent Price) builds an animated human being -- the gentle Edward (Johnny Depp). The scientist dies before he can finish assembling Edward, though, leaving the young man with a freakish appearance accentuated by the scissor blades he has instead of hands. Loving suburban saleswoman Peg (Dianne Wiest) discovers Edward and takes him home, where he falls for Peg's teen daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder). However, despite his kindness and artistic talent, Edward's hands make him an outcast. Review: I really like this film. It’s incredibly sweet and as Tim Burton films are, very quirky and imaginative. Edward Scissorhands as a character, is a dote. Not being accustomed to being around other people, his innocence is quite cut...

Rating: R:18 Genre: Drama, War Directed By: Brian DePalma Written By: David Rabe Runtime: 109 minutes Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Summary: Private. Max Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) is stationed in Vietnam under Sergeant. Tony Meserve (Sean Penn). Though Meserve saves Eriksson's life during battle, the two men clash when the callous senior officer orders the abduction of Than Thi Oanh (Thuy Thu Le), a young Vietnamese woman, to be used as a sex slave. When Eriksson refuses to take part in the abuse of Oanh, tensions between him, Meserve and the rest of the unit rise. Review: This is an incredibly tough film to watch. But an equally powerful one that’s well worth doing so. This is not for the faint-hearted!! The event(s) which take place are crude, vulgar and barbaric. They're not nice. There is no sugar coating it. As a rule, I shy away from war films. It’s the one genre I can’t watch. And given how brutal this one is, it’s a t...

Rating: G Genre: Animation, Kids & Family Directed By: David Hand, Samuel Armstrong, Bill Roberts, James Algar, Graham Heid, Paul Satterfield, David D. Hand, Norman Wright, Perce Pearce Written By: Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Chuck Couch, Ralph Wright, Melvin Shaw Runtime: 69 minutes Studio: RKO Radio Pictures Summary: In a classic Disney animation, a fawn named Bambi joins his new friends, a young rabbit named Thumper and a skunk kit named Flower in happily exploring the woods. Bambi is captivated with a young doe named Faline, and he learns from his doting mother and his father – the Great Prince of the Forest – that besides the delights of the forest, there is danger in open meadows where hunters can see them. Though fear and tragedy touch Bambi's life, another spring brings renewal. Review: This movie, for the most part of it, is so cute!! Bambi is a dote, and the rabbits are adorable, if not a bit cheeky! As Bambi learns what’s what and who’...

Rating: R:18 Genre: Horror, Romance Directed By: Aaron Scott Moorhead, Justin Benson Written By: Justin Benson, Aaron Scott Moorhead In Theatres: May 22 nd , 2015 Runtime: 109 minutes Studio: Drafthouse Films Summary: An aimless young man (Lou Taylor Pucci) takes an impromptu trip to Italy and becomes involved with an alluring genetics student (Nadia Hilker) who harbors a transformative secret. Review: Don't hate me, but I found this film to be...meh.  This reminds me a little of the film “Before Sunrise”, crossed with “Let The Right One In”, crossed with a more sinister version of “Teen Wolf” or something along those lines. But not half as good as either of those films. This one, while it has a cute enough love story, takes SO long to get going. They dilly dally far too much in the beginning trying to develop the lead character so we have his background before he meets the girl, but it doesn’t work, because, at least to me, he wasn’t al...