I cannot say that The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is an excellent movie. But I can say that it was a wonderful pleasure to watch. Sure, it’s contrived and predictable and not deep enough. But it’s also gentle and sweet and full of love and life. It’s not as fresh as the first, as…
Go see the Oscar-nominated live action short films! What a delightful two hours, watching five separate films, varying in length between about 14 and 45 minutes. Jacksonvillians, they’re playing at SunRay for the next week, and given that you can get yummy food and beer and wine there all while supporting local small business, what…
Anything that could have been funny was, as is too often the case, overplayed in trailers. The rest failed to hold either my attention or any desire to stay awake. The acting seemed phoned in with a forced script, pretty much just completing the call to get that next paycheck. This is unfortunate, though, as…
Wish I Was Here is a nice enough movie even if too predictable. It’s surface-good, and there are some great moments and quality, subtle commentaries on issues, but there’s just not enough underneath that can elevate it higher to being more than just good enough. Kate Hudson was less cute than normal, maybe trying to…
The Hundred-Foot Journey is a delightfully charming film that brought warmth and smiles. It’s cliché, sure, but it’s done with enough heart that I wasn’t bothered by the repeated-time-and-again story in the least. And Helen Mirren, of course, shines, from haughty to heartwarmingly enchanting. As a student of cooking, as a person who nurtures through…
I expected a predictable premise with plenty of Hollywood sap, a familiar plot, and a feel-good ending. I think with another cast, that might be all that St. Vincent did, fading quickly into the background of bigger, better, deeper movies. But this cast works together so beautifully, each also shining individually, that St. Vincent also…
If you’ve followed my movie musings for any length of time, you too are surely surprised to find this one on my page. Admittedly, I saw it a few weeks ago, completely forgetting to add it to this list. But I should stay true to my self-imposed guidelines of what I include here (movies seen…
Chef cooks up a delicious treat in this light, heartwarming summer flick. I laughed heartily. I snorted loudly (thank goodness I was with a friend neither offended nor embarrassed by my loud expression of funny). And I cried. Yes, the tears flowed unexpectedly at one point, but that just shows the warmth of this film.…
I am tempted to say the musical score was my favorite part of this film, but is hardly fair to the rest of it, which was a hilariously clever and raunchy romp through the dangers of the old west. A Million Ways to Die in the West (it really does focus on all the ways…
At the end of Grand Budapest Hotel, I wanted to clap my hands in delight. Indeed—delight best sums up how I felt about the film. It was a fun, quirky, witty romp along a tale of eccentric antics, fabulously entertaining in spite of the darker thread of the war coming to Europe. Having that pending…
Saving Mr. Banks does exactly what was expected: it entertains, it makes you reminisce fondly over a beloved movie, it allows you to tap your toe, it brings tears to your eyes, and it leaves you smiling. But underneath the showy layers of the Disney Corporation’s securing the rights to make Mary Poppins lies a…
I didn’t plan to see Last Vegas, but when a friend asked at 7:20 pm if I wanted to go see a movie that night, we picked what was showing. Among what was available and what both of us were willing and in a mood to see, we walked into the theater to see Last…
Enough Said was a joy to see. The film displays a beautifully sweet honesty with its look at dating during midlife. The insecurities, the excitement, the laugher, the discoveries, and the ability to have fun, pure fun, with another, no matter your age—these things come together to create a feeling that it was more like,…
The World’s End, to me, wraps up a summer of Apocalyptic-themed and “coming-of-age” movies quite nicely by blending the two genres. You’re probably saying, “But isn’t The World’s End about a lot of middle-aged men? How can this be coming-of-age?” I reply, “Who said everyone comes of age in their late teens? Sometimes it takes…
Too many big comedies with trailers shown for months before the movie’s release reveal too many, if not all, of the truly laugh-out-loud moments. And yet sometimes, something looks funny enough—with enough talent—that I’m willing to take that risk. My gamble paid off as, thankfully, We’re the Millers does not fall into that camp. Although…