Book & Film Film 1: My faves for the holidays

So, over the holidays, I watched a bunch of movies, and I am going to give my unsolicited (although not so VERY unsolicited, as you are reading this, aren't you? Just saying. Ha) opinion on each one. And so, in order of the ones I liked least to the one I liked the most.

5. COURAGEOUS
Without a doubt, this was hands down the worst movie I watched. Thank goodness it wasn't done big screen, else something inside me and my wallet would have died. This could possibly be the worst movie I watched this year. (seeing as this is not the year I watched Death Race. *makes gun hand, blows brains out*) (gosh, that is violent, even for me. How about, *presses stop on dvd player and goes to find a book*) It was about 4 cops making it out in the big bad world, how they relate to their families, their friends and their work all with a solid Jesus foundation. I'm sure it looked good on script. Or in conceptual stages. But for me, it tanked on the screen. The Jesus, great as he is, was way too obvious, the script was weak, the comic relief was too far between each incident, the speeches were long (although that DOES happen quite a bit in Jesus movies, have you noticed? Which is fine, and I think, the point. The word cannot just be communicated in a swift, witty delivery. Can it?) Bottom line, my favorite Jesus movies still remain kina Megiddo vibes. Ah, high school...this movie gets, like, a 1.

4. A bit of a tie here. For the first time, I watched SMOKING ACES. It put me to sleep in the first half, but as we got towards the end, I rather appreciated the story. Smoking Aces is about a bunch of assassins trying to kill one man, who is being protected by the FBI in a penthouse at a Las Vegas casino. It annoyed me, but then they threw in fun eye candy like Common and Alicia Keys, and Ryan Reynolds,so. Still not better than Snatch, IMHO, but still pretty darn good once you get the gist of the plot. The action for me was boring - anyone can hold a gun and shoot it, and unless the gore is necessary (think Spartacus, but a little less) I do not get the point...but there was this one chick who had this gun? You guy. It was about a 3 and a half.

Speaking of Greek/Roman folk...ok, nah, speaking of gore, I also watched IMMORTALS. In 2D, though, thankfully, because Westgate has such crap 3D and I'm not a fan of 3D movies (Disney really needs to calm down with the 'bringing back the classics' bullshit). The movie was interesting, no doubt, as were the fights. Great casting with the protagonist (Henry Cavill), a peasant who has to save his village - and indeed, his world - by stopping the re-awakening of the Titans (who are locked away...somewhere) in a war against the gods. But I was annoyed at quite a few bits, like the incorrect depiction of the Greek gods. Ok, maybe that is the only thing I was annoyed at. The plot was interesting (not nearly as convoluted as Smoking Aces, though) and Mickey Rourke was so very excellent. That man is a fantastic bad guy. I quite liked the end as well. 3 and a half as well.

And then, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4: GHOST PROTOCOL. OMG! For anyone who thought that Tom Cruise doesn't have it, they are so very wrong. He still has it. All of it. And more. This is a movie about a mission they have to go on without any assistance from their agency (IMF). Dude (ol' Tommy boy) was swinging from the tallest building in the world that he climbed using suction cups. There is this CAR...(it was clearly a BMW movie, btw) And the chick from Jumping the Broom (which I thought was extremely fluffy and badly acted) totes came through. The chick fight was fantastic! SIMON PEGG!! I am SO EXCITED that he is part of the team. At the beginning I was pretty skeptical about yet ANOTHER MI (although I LOVED the first 3), but I am so glad I watched it. It's action-packed from beginning to end. Sometimes you lose the plot, but come on. Who really cares? :D 3 and a half.

1. SHERLOCK HOLMES: GAME OF SHADOWS
*squeals*
4 stars. I love me some Downey Jr. See? There is a future after drug addiction. Hehe. Game of Shadows picks up where the last one left off; the villain is still Dr. James Moriarty. I was surprised at the very first plot twist, but hey. Holmes is trying to stop Moriarty from starting a world war, basically. We are introduced to new and amusing characters, such as Sherlock Holmes' brother - hilarious chap. The train chase was great! The disguises were so funny. Watson's wedding was very...yeah. The gypsy is very realistic, and believable. We still see classic Holmes, like him thinking through/seeing each fight in his mind, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. I loved the action, because it was unique. I loved the acting. I loved the plot and its twists. The only reason I am not giving it a 5 is...actually, I am not quite sure. It was really good. Go see it. Now.

Happy New Year!

tSN