2012 Argo, Hitchcock, and Anna Karenina

2012 Argo, Hitchcock, and Anna Karenina

Right now there are so many interesting movies in the theaters.  With small kids, it's not easy to go out to see movies, so I usually wait for them to be released on Netflix, but lately I have been making an effort to get out there and see some on the big screen.

Here are some brief reviews of the movies that I have seen:

2012 Argo

"You need somebody who's a somebody to put their name on it.  Somebody respectable.  With credits.  Who you can trust with classified information.  Who will produce a fake movie.  For free."

"Sir, if these people can read or add, pretty soon they're gonna figure out they're six short of a full deck.  It's winter, you can't afford to wait around until spring so it's nice enough to take a bike ride.  The only way out of that city is the airport.  You build new cover identities for 'em, you send in a Moses, he takes them out on a commercial flight."

Amazing.  Nail bitingly tense from start to finish.  It's about the Iran hostage crisis at the American Embassy, and focuses on a small group of six people that escaped the Embassy to hide out at the home of the Canadian Ambassador and his wife.  Ben Affleck directed the movie and stars as the CIA agent sent in to get the group out of Iran before they are discovered and likely killed.  He does this by pretending to be making a movie, with the six people pretending to be members of the film crew.  The movie played with history a bit to make it more exciting, and it was a good choice -it made for a gripping film.  Seriously, I felt like I needed a drink after seeing this movie, and I don't drink.  They also managed to work in some humor to break up the tension a bit -just a bit.  Tyler also loved it.  A terrific movie all around.

2012 Hitchcock

Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock.

Hitchcock: I will never find a Hitchcock blonde as beautiful as you.
Alma: Oh, Hitch. I've waited thirty years to hear you say that.
Hitchcock: That, my dear, is why they call me the Master of Suspense.

James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates).

A good movie, but not a great one.  Anthony Hopkins did a very good job, and captured Hitchcock's mannerisms well.  The guy that played Anthony Perkins (James D'Arcy) was spot on.  His fidgety nature, his voice, everything.  I was a little distracted by the color of Scarlett Johansson's wig, I have to admit.  It looked unnatural.  I would have preferred that the movie focus less on the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma (played well by Helen Mirren), and more on the making of Psycho.  Normally, I like to see relationships being explored, but in this case, I was far more interested in Psycho than the two lead characters.  In addition, Hitchcock frequently hallucinates conversations between himself and Ed Gein, the murderer who inspired Norman Bates, and these hallucinations were never explained.  I thought they should have either explained what that was about, or not included it at all.

2012 Anna Karenina

Keira Knightley as Anna Karenina.  I love her necklace.

Alexei Karenin: I must warn you about something!
Anna Karenina: Warn me?
Alexei Karenin: You may, by indiscretion, give the world occasion to talk about you.

I did not enjoy this movie.  I had heard that most of the movie took place on a stage, and I had a hard time picturing how that would look, but it quickly became clear once it started, and I didn't like it.  It was weird and made me dizzy.  I felt like the director was trying to be like Baz Luhrmann, but failing.  Within five minutes I could tell the movie was not going to be for me.  The acting was good, but the way the movie was made was so distracting I couldn't enjoy it.  Not to mention, the story was depressing, though I already knew how it would end -it's based on a book, so it really can't be blamed for the ending.  I did enjoy the costumes a lot -particularly Keira Knightley's jewelry (there was one necklace that I fell in love with).  I think I could easily have cut out about an hour's worth of material to make the movie more watchable without losing anything of real value.  Question (if anybody reading this knows the answer): Why is it Anna Karenina and Alexei Karenin?  Why doesn't he get an A at the end of his name?

Shots on the stage -A horse race, Kitty amongst fake scenery clouds, Jude Law as Alexei Karenin.

Les Miserables.

I am hoping to be able to see Silver Linings Playbook this Thursday with my mom and sis, Lincoln possibly this weekend with Tyler, The Hobbit Friday with Amanda and Alan as a double-date if I can arrange baby sitting, and most of all, I would like to sneak out for a few hours on Christmas to see Les Miserables with my dad, stepmom, grandma and grandpa.  Les Miserables is the most excited I have been about a movie since The Hunger Games.  It looks absolutely amazing.  My only concern is that I may get my hopes too high and set myself up for a let-down.

Other movies that I would like to see if I get the chance: Oz: The Great and Powerful (should be released March of 2013), Hyde Park on Hudson (releasing this week), The Great Gatsby (coming out Christmas Day), Zero Dark Thirty, The Life of Pi, and The Impossible.