The Silent House
IMDB: Trapped inside her family’s lakeside retreat, a young woman finds she is unable to contact the outside world as events become increasingly ominous in and around the house.
I wanted to like this because I really admire Elizabeth Olson’s work. But – sad to say – it’s pretty bad. I’m always quite forgiving when it comes to horror movies. I enjoy watching them and it’s difficult to find good ones.
There’s an interesting premise in this movie – but – it’s just not elaborated on enough. If you want to watch 90 minutes of someone creeping around in a house and being terrified every so often – then this is the movie for you.
There’s just too much that’s annoying about it. There are inconsistencies that are clearly visible in clothing, blood etc. There’s a random character who shows up twice and is never explained at all. Just not quite clover enough to pull off its main premise.
The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey
IMDB: A younger and more reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out on an “unexpected journey” to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of Dwarves to reclaim a their stolen mountain home from a dragon named Smaug.
I’ve read quite a few negative reviews for this film. I’m not sure why. It is – in fact – what it is. It’s the Hobbit. No, it’s not “Lord of the Rings” – but that was an entirely different story with an entirely different audience. “The Hobbit” is a different creature and I loved it.
Martin Freeman is lovely as Bilbo – he captured many of the mannerisms of Ian Holm in LOTR and that made it easy to believe he was the younger version of the hobbit.
The Dwarves surprised me. I loved them! Although they had strayed quite far from the representation of Dwarves in LOTR – I liked them. They were amusing, brave and all the actors were doing a damn great job.
Flight
IMDB: An airline pilot saves a flight from crashing, but an investigation into the malfunctions reveals something troubling.
Washington is always great. He just is. Is this movie great? I’m not so sure. It’s got an interesting plot – the premise is a good one.
It makes one wonder about people’s abilities and how aware we are of what we’re capable of. It certainly glorifies alcohol and drug use. All the “Cool” characters in the movie are comical AND involved with some kind of substance. It felt too long.
John Goodman pulls off another great performance as the “drug dealer”. He’s amusing as all hell, but again, I’m not sure that drug dealers need to be presented in quite this lovable a manner.
Lincoln
IMDB: As the Civil War continues to rage, America’s president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.
This is a remarkable film. I know it’s not factual, in fact, there are some things that are just plain wrong. What it does well, is capture the time, the excitement and the passion of the people involved. As my husband said…. “There are a lot of people acting the SHIT out of this movie.” I concur.
Daniel Day Lewis is flawless. He brings to life a character and makes him absolutely real. It’s quite remarkable how easy it is to forget who is behind the character. Had I not known going into the film that he was in it – I’m not sure it would have ever occurred to me.
James Spader is hilarious. He has surprisingly good comic timing. His role may have been small but I would think something amiss if he wasn’t considered for a “best supporting actor” nomination come award time.
Lovely Molly
IMDB: Newlywed Molly moves into her deceased father’s house in the countryside, where painful memories soon begin to haunt her.
Well acted. Suitably creepy. It’s a good story with a solid cast of actors. To say I enjoyed this would be wrong – it’s a great movie though. Frankly, I was a little uncomfortable throughout a lot of it. If you’re like me and love the horror genre then this one is worth watching.
At its most basic, this is a possession film although it’s left open-ended enough that there’s plenty of room for interpretation. I checked out the boards on IMDB after seeing the film and there was quite a bit of speculation about the plot.
Standout performance by Gretchen Lodge.
Related articles
- Quiz: Which ‘Hobbit’ Character Are You? (moviesblog.mtv.com)
Kinzie Things 