Cindy Prascik's The Best and Worst and In-Betweens of 2014!

Dearest Blog, here we are at the end of another year. Some folks are saying it was a bad year for cinema, but I sure had a good time with it. Following are my top ten films of the year, along with assorted random thoughts.

Disclaimer: A movie's placement here will not necessarily be commensurate with its original Weasley rating. Some films fared better under repeat scrutiny, some worse, and some have not yet had the opportunity to do either. Kindly bear in mind, too, that I live in a little place that doesn't always get movies all that quickly. The chance to see Pride and Inherent Vice (which almost certainly would have made the list), Whiplash and Foxcatcher (which might have), and Boyhood (which, if we're being honest, never would have) has not yet presented itself.

And here...we...go...

My Best:

10. "You're only a monster if you behave like one."

I, Frankenstein

Shut up, okay? Just shut up. I know you hated it. I know everyone hated it. I had enough also-rans kicking around the final spot on my list that I easily could have saved face and left this one off, but, you know what? I love it. I loved it at the cinema, and I've loved it the 20+ times I've watched it since. I'm not saying it belongs on any awards shortlists, but the effects are solid, the story is different, Aaron Eckhart is great, and it has Bill Nighy...which almost earns it a spot regardless of any other factors. The movie knows what it is, doesn't pretend to be anything else, and lived up to my very high expectations. Someday I, Frankenstein will be a genuine cult classic. Remember I told you so!

9. "You were a movie star, remember?"

Birdman

Unlike number ten, my number nine is on pretty much everyone's best-of lists, and deservedly so. Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, and Emma Stone are extraordinary in a strange, fascinating little story with a frustratingly ambiguous, yet somehow perfectly suitable, ending. This one is sure to share more of its secrets upon repeat viewings...can't wait for the DVD!

8. "I will never ask you to do anything that I wouldn't do myself."

Nightcrawler

Is there anything more fun to watch than when Jake Gyllenhaal does creepy? Nightcrawler has Creepy Jake in spades, headlining the riveting tale of a freelance videographer who crosses the line between covering news and becoming part of it. How far would YOU go to reach your goals? Nightcrawler will leave you wondering.

7. "Tadashi is here."

Big Hero 6

I'm not sure what I can say to adequately express the awesomeness that is Big Hero 6, but I'll start with: it bumped The Lego Movie out of this list. The Lego Movie is definitely the more buzz-worthy of the two and will probably win all the "Best Animated Feature" awards, but, for my money, Big Hero 6 is more fun to watch, better to look at, and more memorable. It also hits a sincere note that The Lego Movie doesn't quite match. If we're being fair, The Lego Movie *was* one of those knocking around my number-ten spot, but it doesn't come close to Big Hero 6 in my heart.

6. "We are Groot."

Guardians of the Galaxy

It was really hard not to make this number-one on my list, harder still to choose just one quote from the year's most quotable movie. Ever since that first trailer blew up the Internet back in the spring, GOTG has been 2014's big news. A relatively unknown property that put its biggest stars in roles where their faces are never seen, the fact that this thing took off and became the year's highest-grossing domestic hit makes someone at Marvel look like a true genius. Toss in a terrific soundtrack filled with hummable 70s nuggets, and you've got one for the ages.

5. "Gotta be who you are in this world, right? No matter what."

The Equalizer

Alright, people, how this not on all the best-of lists?? The Equalizer is a perfect movie...or, at the very least, a perfect movie for me. It's not brain surgery, but it's smart, action packed, engaging from beginning to end, and boasts a fantastic cast featuring Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, Bill Pullman, my best gal Melissa Leo, plus another incomparable turn by the world's greatest leading man, Denzel Washington. What's not to like??

4. "Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?"

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Equal parts spy thriller and superhero yarn, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is so much more than it had to be. It's a layered story where almost nothing is quite what it seems, and Steve Rogers' unshakable morality is challenged at every turn. The cast is uniformly phenomenal, and the writing is so smart that even Honest Trailers had a hard time finding things to mock. In a year with no Batman, CATWS did a nice job filling the gap!

3. "The world is gonna hear that voice."

Jersey Boys

The big-screen version of Jersey Boys was met with a resounding ho-hum from critics, yet it was one of only two movies to earn a perfect nine Weasleys from me in 2014. It's got a great cast, a great story, and most importantly, a bunch of truly great songs that have stood the test of time. I saw it twice at the cinema, and both times every single person in a packed house walked out smiling and singing. If that's not the reason you make a movie, then I don't know what is.

2. "Will you follow me...one last time?"

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

I'm honest enough to understand that I see the Hobbit franchise through Rose (Cotton)-colored glasses. The Battle of the Five Armies doesn't match the original LOTR trilogy, but it's a far better film than its predecessor, and I'm pleased to say I was in love with it from my first screening. I look forward to hundreds more. Thanks, Peter Jackson, for the ride of a lifetime.

1. "I think forgiveness has been highly underrated."

Calvary

As it turns out, the year's best movie is one you probably didn't see if you live on my side of the pond. Brendan Gleeson turns in the finest performance of 2014 as a Catholic priest given a week to set his house in order after his life is threatened in the confessional. Calvary is a grim movie with a great heart and a surprising number of truly funny moments. (Graveyard humor, to be sure, but hilarious nonetheless.) The locations are magnificent, the cast is impeccable, and Calvary is untouchable as the best movie of 2014.

My Almosts:

The Lego Movie

A truly fun family movie that provided my only Batman fix of the year!

Expendables 3

Well, of course. It is MY list, isn't it?

The Boxtrolls

Lovely animation with a decidedly dark feel, perfectly spooky entertainment for the whole family.

Edge of Tomorrow

A smart, surprisingly fun sci-fi outing featuring fantastic turns by Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.

Gone Girl

A twisting, turning, expertly executed yarn that keeps you guessing right to the very end.

My Most Pleasant Surprises:

Robocop

Fans of the original had plenty of complaints about this remake, but I found it extremely entertaining. Bonus points for bringing one-hit wonder Focus' hit Hocus Pocus to a whole new generation...in digital surround-sound! Double-bonus points for being the more watchable of Gary Oldman's two dubious screen outings this year.

Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Both big, dumb fun that I enjoyed immensely. Transformers is way too long, but it's also the worldwide top money-maker of 2014, so take that, critics.

John Wick

Super action from start to finish, gorgeous cinematography, and Keanu Reeves. Win.

The Purge: Anarchy

What an upgrade from the original! Frank Grillo is Hollywood's new number-one badass.

And the number-one "That Wasn't as Bad as I Expected" film of 2014: Divergent
Literally every single review of this movie included some expression of that sentiment. We all might as well have said, "Hey, it's no Hunger Games, but at least it's not Twilight, either!!"

My Biggest Disappointments:

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Andrew Garfield is such a perfect Spidey...won't someone please write him a good movie?

How to Train Your Dragon 2

The first HTTYD is one of my top films of all time. The sequel was rumoured to be even better, but it left me completely flat. I warmed to it a bit on second viewing, but, still, I expected to love this so much more than I do.

The Book of Life

This should have been awesome. All the pieces add up to awesome. It is decidedly not awesome.

My Worst:

Winter's Tale

Does anything scream "great movie" more than Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe in the leads? Well, apparently not always.

Transcendence

It was a very bad year for Johnny Depp.

Noah

It was a very bad year for Russell Crowe.

Exodus

It was a very bad year for the Bible.

Wild

I haven't been this bored since Your Highness.

Random Thoughts:

If you were going to see Unbroken, rent or buy The Railway Man instead.

Six years after The Dark Knight, how is it that two of the year's best-reviewed titles (by critics and fans alike)--Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy--will not be considered in any of the major Best Picture races simply because they are genre films??

Is Bradley Cooper eligible for a Best Supporting Actor nod for Guardians of the Galaxy? His "I didn't ask to be torn apart..." speech is the best acting I saw all year.

Luke Evans and Aidan Turner, you are going to be big, big stars. Please always stay as awesome as you are right now.

So, that's my year-end wrap for 2014. Kindly discuss in the comments if you're so inclined!
2015 is already shaping up to be a great year at the movies, so I'll hope to see everyone at the Highlands Marquee Cinemas!

Until next time....Cindy Prascik

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of The Theory of Everything, Unbroken, Into the Woods, Wild, and The Gambler

Dearest Blog, over the past four days, I've mainlined the five new releases offered by my cinema this week. Herein I offer brief (for me) takes on all of them.

Spoiler level here will be mild, limited to things you'll have learnt from the trailers.

First on the agenda: The Theory of Everything.

The Theory of Everything follows the brilliant physicist Stephen Hawking's life as seen through his relationship with the former Jane Wilde.

Well, dear reader(s), I'll be honest: Theory of Everything isn't the snooze-fest I expected. It's slow, for sure, but I wasn't bored. Positives include extraordinary performances all 'round, a surprising number of funny moments, and (fangirl alert!) Harry Lloyd and Charlie Cox in the same movie.

On the negative side, the movie tackles even the worst moments of what's surely been a sometimes-very-difficult life with a fairy-tale gloss, and (like 42 before it), its primary message seems to be that this extraordinary human being would be nothing without his devout and loving wife.

Not discounting the value of a quality spouse, but the movie really hits you over the head with it...though it *is* based on a book by the ex-Mrs. Hawking, so there you have it.

The Theory of Everything runs 123 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some thematic elements and suggestive material."

While it was better than I anticipated, I still don't consider it a fair contender in the Best Picture races.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Theory of Everything gets five.

Next up was Angelina Jolie's "based on a true story," Unbroken.

After his plane crashes during a WWII rescue mission, former US Olympian Louis Zamperini endures years of abuse in a Japanese POW camp.

This is a story well worth hearing, and it's a crime Unbroken does such a poor job telling it. From the first trailer, this reeked of awards desperation, crying out for nominations it doesn't half deserve.

A bloated runtime means that every single piece drags on too long. What should be the movie's most heartbreaking or inspiring moments are over-zealously wrung into eye-rolling territory, and the blandly competent performances are sadly well suited to this exercise in disappointment.

Unbroken clocks in at a painful 137 minutes and is rated PG13 for "war violence including intense sequences of brutality, and for brief language."

A plodding bore that manages to hit false notes with all its important moments, of a possible nine Weasleys, Unbroken gets two.

Third in my lineup was the musical Into the Woods.

A childless couple enters into an arrangement with a witch to end a curse placed on their family.

While attempting to keep up their end of the bargain, they encounter many-a famous fairy tale figure.

In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I'll admit that, while I love musicals, Into the Woods is not a favorite. I looked forward to the movie version due to some appealing casting, but I wasn't nearly as interested as if, say, someone would bring Taboo to the big screen. (Hint, hint...)

Sometimes it's a little too easy to forget how horrible and genuinely disturbing fairy tales can be. Into the Woods carries a dark tone throughout, and, if ever you're thinking, "Surely they wouldn't...???" well, yes, they probably would.

Pluses include Meryl Streep (do I even need to say that?), Emily Blunt (who has been fantastic at pretty opposite ends of the movie spectrum in 2014), Johnny Depp's Rum Tum Tugger-like Big Bad Wolf, the delightful James Corden, and Daniel Huttlestone, who proves the best part of this movie, as he previously did with Les Miserables.

Scenery and costumes are gorgeous, and there are some terrific laugh-out-loud moments, mostly courtesy of Chris Pine's Prince Charming. (If ever a man were born to play a handsome prince, it's gotta be Chris Pine.) Negatives are super-annoying and repetitive songs (yeah, I said it), the always-over-earnest Anna Kendrick, and Lilla Crawford, who offers the most blood-curdling onscreen screech since Hermione got caught in the Whomping Willow.

Into the Woods overstays its welcome, and, while I enjoyed much of it, by the end I was worn out and more than ready for it to be over.

Into the Woods runs 124 minutes and is rated PG for "thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material."

As this year's movie musicals go, for me it's a poor second to Jersey Boys. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Into the Woods gets five.

The penultimate entry in my weekend movie-fest was Wild.

A woman who has made rather a mess of her life hopes to make things better by taking a solo hike of over 1,000 miles. Clearly said woman has never heard of Oreos.

Anyone reading this likely knows Wild is the sort of movie that makes me want to hit myself in the face repeatedly with a frying pan.

I hadn't ruled out the possibility of a pleasant surprise, but...

If we're being honest, Wild might as well have been called "Please Give Reese Witherspoon Another Oscar." It's not really about anything more than that, and the good news is Witherspoon is fantastic.

In further happy developments, there are actually two or three scenes that *aren't* mind-numbingly boring, and a couple great tunes are thrown in for good measure. It even gets bonus points for brief appearances by W. Earl Brown and Kevin Rankin. The bad news is the movie is otherwise filled with "inspiring" shots of Reese looking at the sky and at the water and at the mountains, and such annoyingly pretentious statements as, "I was never even in the driver's seat of my own life." (By all means, GET in the driver's seat and do a Thelma & Louise, please and thank you.)

The movie feels about a hundred hours long, and would be well served by Gravity's lesson: If your film doesn't have a lot going on and exists solely to show off a performance, an effect, a new technology, whatever, bring it in at 90 minutes. *I* would have been well served by my own lesson:

If you walk into a movie and there are only women in the audience, it's clearly awful and you should get out while you can!

Wild runs 115 minutes and is rated R for "sexual content, nudity, drug use, and language."

If I had to say something nice about Wild, I'd say El Condor Pasa is a great old song I don't hear nearly often enough.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Wild gets three.

The final movie on my long-weekend docket was The Gambler.

Mark Wahlberg stars as a college professor deep in gambling debt.

It will surprise no one who has ever read this blog that The Gambler was my favorite of the five new movies I saw over the weekend.

Mark Wahlberg is pretty terrific in the lead, carrying the movie mostly on his own despite some solid supporting performances from Jessica Lange and Michael Kenneth Williams.

The film expertly maintains tension throughout, though--not understanding cards myself--I felt like I was late getting the gist whenever that final card was laid down.

Did he win? Did he lose?

I didn't know until I saw which direction the chips got pushed!! If I have one complaint with The Gambler, it's that John Goodman has more shirtless screentime than Mark Wahlberg.

Who thought THAT was a good idea?

However, the film makes up for it by giving us Brainy Mark Wahlberg In Glasses. Mmm...

The Gambler clocks in at 111 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout, and some sexuality/nudity."

It feels a lot like one of those forgettable late winter releases, but The Gambler is still an entertaining couple hours of cinema.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Gambler gets six.

Random lessons learned from over 15 hours spent at the movies this weekend:

Seeing the new Star Wars trailer on a big screen is far more moving than fake Oscar-bait emotion.

Advertisements for the coming season of Downton Abbey play like a summer disaster flick.

If you were thinking of seeing any of the five movies mentioned above, go see The Hobbit again instead.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is already my favorite movie of 2015.

Until next time....

Here's a photo of Charlie Cox. You're welcome.

Cindy Prascik's Review of Calvary

Dearest Blog, over the long holiday weekend, I finally, FINALLY got to see a movie to which I've been looking forward for nearly all of 2014: Calvary.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing that isn't divulged by the trailers.

After being threatened in the confessional, a priest in a small Irish town has a week to decide how to address the situation.

Well, dear reader(s), what can I say except Calvary proved more than worth the wait. The whole Internet has not the capacity to hold all the good things I have to say about this movie, so I'll try to hit the high points and keep this short...or...you know...short for me.

Calvary is headlined by Brendan Gleeson, and, if you think you've seen the performance of the year from Eddie Redmayne or Jake Gyllenhaal or Michael Keaton, well, roll all those up into one and you might get halfway to Gleeson's work in Calvary.

He is magnificent as a good man caught in an unspeakably bad situation, and his interactions with his parishioners swing from hilarious to heartbreaking without missing a beat. Solid turns by Chris O'Dowd, Dylan Moran, Aidan Gillen, David Wilmot, and especially Kelly Reilly round out a cast that never hits a sour note.

Peacefully beautiful Irish locations seem at odds with shocking actions and words. The film's grim mood is broken by laugh-out-loud moments; it's serious as a heart attack, but never miserable. The movie manages to show faith as a good thing, without ever being preachy, and acknowledges horrors perpetrated by Catholic clergy while always maintaining THIS priest as a good and strong, if complicated, man.

Though it's hardly action packed, there is not a single dull moment as Calvary keeps its secret right up to an unsettling and strangely hopeful ending.

Calvary clocks in at 102 minutes and is rated R for "sexual references, language, brief strong violence, and some drug use."

Though it never earned a wide-release in the US, Calvary is now available on BluRay, digital download, and VOD.

DO NOT MISS IT.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Calvary gets all nine and wants Arthur and Molly to have a few more kids.

Until next time


What they said.

MOVIE REVIEW: INTO THE WOODS

Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods is adapted in this musical from director Rob Marshall and Walt Disney Studios. Inspired by a choice selection of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, this plot centers on a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) who incur the wrath of a witch (Meryl Streep) while attempting to start a family. Subsequently cursed by the vengeful hag, the hapless couple find their fates linked with those of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick),Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy) and Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) of Jack and the Beanstalk. Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, and Lucy Punch co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Rob Marshall 

Cast: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine

Release Date: Dec 25, 2014

 

Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Some Suggestive Material and Fantasy Action and Peril

Runtime: 2 hr. 4 min.

Genres: Music/Performing Arts, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Into the Woods is this year’s entry into the big budget musicals and it fairly solid success.  Rob Marshall, who directed one of my favorite movie musicals Chicago, delivers an energetic film that just enjoyable to watch and listen to.  James Corden and Emily Blunt anchor the film with the latter showing off some impressive pipes.  They share an adorable sort of chemistry together and really bring the film together on multiple levels.  Meryl Streep energetic performance as the witch shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.  Anna Kendrick and a hilarious Chris Pine make for a fun Cinderella and Prince Charming.  Lilla Crawford leaves a solid impression as a head strong Red Riding Hood.  Her encounter with Johnny Depp’s Big Bad Wolf is by far the film’s most subversive segment.  Into the Woods has great energy while we’re running through the mash up of the fairytales but then we hit the 3^rd act where the film comes to a grinding halt.  It’s not horrible by any stretch but it doesn’t have the energy of the first 2 acts as we move from the fairytales to the story’s finale.  A bit of trimming on the film adaptation would have done wonders.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE GAMBLER

In this remake of the James Caan 1974 vehicle The Gambler, an English professor (Mark Wahlberg) who is also a compulsive gambler finds that the only people who will have anything to do with him are those to whom he owes money. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Rupert Wyatt     

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Jessica Lange, John Goodman, Emory Cohen

 Release Date: Dec 25, 2014     

Rated R for some Sexuality/Nudity and Language Throughout     

Runtime: 1 hr. 51 min.     

Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller     

Review:

The Gambler is a film that’s trying very hard to be something special.  Rupert Wyatt gives the film a glossy sheen, driving it through its narrative with noticeable energy.  Mark Walhberg is doing his best Christian Bale impression by losing a massive amount of weight and looking generally disheveled.  John Goodman does excellent work in a supporting role as Mafioso.  Typically all this would make for an excellent film but the results here are mixed.  I respect Walhberg’s attempts to take his craft seriously but he’s seriously miscast here as the worlds most aggressive English professor.  He gives it his best try but it doesn’t work, it’s just never believable.  It’s always good to see Brie Larson get some work but she’s saddled with a nonsensical love interest role.  We’re told she’s a genius early on but her actions throughout the rest of the film tell us otherwise. John Goodman does give us an excellent supporting turn, creating an extremely intimidating character in limited scenes.  All in all The Gambler feels like a missed opportunity because there seems to be a better film in there somewhere.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES

Peter Jackson takes cues from the appendices of The Lord of the Rings to expand New Line Cinema's Hobbit adaptation with this third film completing the epic tale of Bilbo Baggins, as played by Martin Freeman. The story opens to find the vengeful dragon Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) decimating the peaceful hamlet of Laketown as Bilbo, Thorin (Richard Armitage) and the rest of the dwarves lay claim to the Lonely Mountain. But their celebration is short-lived as Thorin grows obsessed with finding the Arkenstone. Meanwhile, Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and Saruman (Christopher Lee) battle the Nazgul in an attempt to free Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and get some unexpected help from eccentric wizard Radagast (Sylvester McCoy). Unfortunately for all involved the struggle has only just begun, because as armies of dwarves, elves, orcs, humans and goblins converge at the base of the Lonely Mountain, the fight for the future of Middle Earth begins. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Peter Jackson 

Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom

Release Date: Dec 17, 2014

Rated PG-13 for Intense Fantasy Action, Frightening Images and Intense Fantasy Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 24 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

The final entry in The Hobbit trilogy finally pays off all the set up from the sometimes laborious previous entries.  Jackson has proven time and again that he’s a master of marvelous mayhem on an epic scale. After wrapping up the storyline from the 2^nd film, which should have be the previous entries finale, the film moves judiciously through some plot points setting up the final battle(s).  This film is the leanest of all of Jackson’s Tolkien films with a steady sense of momentum throughout.  Once the film’s battle sequences begin, they don’t stop for nearly an hour and a half.  It’s a dizzying run through every sort of battle you’ve ever seen.  The finale set in the ice and snow is the most impressive of the entire film which also packs the biggest emotional punch.  The actors have all settled into their roles by this point and each delivers strong performances with Luke Evans and Martin Freeman being the biggest standouts.  Evangeline Lilly gets a rather large chuck of screen time which is baffling since the character is not in the books and she’s saddled with a clichéd love story.  Unlike the other trilogy capper, this one doesn’t wear on too much but that’s not to say it doesn’t overstay its welcome.  Battle fatigue, even when they wonderfully crafted, starts to set in after a while.  At the very least it’s not filled with endless false endings like Return of the King, instead we get a nice send off with an aged Bilbo taking us back to the start of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

B