The Adjustment Bureau

Is there free will? This is an interesting take on the question. If you don't follow "the plan" then there is a whole team of adjusters giving you a bump, or a nudge, or spilling coffee on you to make you look the other way so you don't see that one thing that will change your life path. Reminiscent of Sliding Doors where one innocent decision will drastically affect your life, here we get to watch as those decisions are "helped along". Unfortunately, our protagonist (Matt Damon) doesn't take to the nudging, even when he is confronted with the truth of how things work. Can you fight destiny? Well, Damon fights and I won't spoil the film by telling you if he his successful. But I will say that after all is said and done, this film raises quite a few great discussion points about the nature of God and how God might/might not interact in this world.
3 stars (out of 5)

Red

This is the movie that I was hoping The Expendables would be. Bruce Willis stars as an ex-CIA black-operative designated RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) who is trying to transition into "regular life". He is pulled back into the business with a civilian woman he just met for the first time and resorts to getting help from his fellow RED colleagues (Mirren, Malkovich, and Freeman). This film is witty, fully tongue-in-cheek, and bordering on slapstick. But fortunately, it never crosses the line into slapstick and is just a fun adventure-thriller built on quirky characters. Quite fun.
4 stars (out of 5)

The Ides of March

I am not literate enough to recognize that this was a Julius Caesar reference which would have foreshadowed the entire story until after I saw the film. Even so, I feel like I knew the story as it developed. No surprises. Is that a commentary on the current political scene, or the current film? Clooney plays a presidential candidate running in his primary. We get the behind the scenes look with Gosling and Hoffman as friendly and then not-so-friendly members of his campaign leadership. Of course there is scandal and intrigue. Casting is excellent and this film is worth watching just to see Clooney, Hoffman, Gosling and the always good Giamatti do their snarling and flirting in a political war. But in the end I was largly unsatisfied, feeling flat and uninspired on the way out the door.
3 stars (out of 5)

The Expendables

This is a classic summer action film with not much plot, not much acting and lots of explosions. The plot goes something like: A bunch of ex-military mercenaries hire out their services, they get a job that is against their morals, they still do the job but in a way that causes more explosions and makes them look like they care. In this case, the hook for the film is that in stars many of the big action names of the past decade (Stallone, Statham, Rourke, etc.). With Stallone as the lead, it becomes obvious how old he is. There are a couple scenes of him running where it is clear that he can barely run. I probably would have given this a higher rating had I actually seen it in the summer where it belongs, but now, it gets
2 stars (out of 5)

Weekend

Billed as the gay version of Linklater's Before Sunrise, we are introduced to Russell and Glen as a couple of young gay men who hook up randomly at a bar one night. Over the course of the weekend, the one night stand turns into a bit more as conversations and meetings continue to happen. The two men get to know each other and actually become interested in each other, finding out where they agree and disagree on a variety of topics. Be warned that the film is not rated, so we are shown significant episodes of both sex and drug use. The sex is important to the film, showing how the men navigate a relationship in which physicality and emotion are both important and both a bit scary. The drug use is frankly, disappointing. It seems to suggest that being high is necessary to reach the level of vulnerability required for true relationship. After seeing the film, I was wondering what the result would be if the film was played with a man-woman relationship, with the woman playing either the Russell or the Glen role. Effectively 3 different films would result and the hetero versions would both utilize built in stereotypes to poor effect. Instead, I think the film as produced avoids the stereotypes of relationship to allow the relationships to actually develop on screen.
4 stars (out of 5)

50/50

Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are a couple of actors that I will see anywhere. Rogen is not playing a new character (he plays the same goofy guy in all films), but he plays it so well that he is a joy to watch. These two actors play Kyle and Adam, best friends and co-workers at the Seattle NPR station. Adam is tidy, on time, not much fun and is diagnosed with cancer. Kyle is all party and working as hard as he can to get laid. How these two traverse the messed-up world of cancer treatment and all the difficulties that get thrown in their path is well played. We see some of the over-the-top antics of Kyle and yet don't feel like they are out of place. The friends and interactions all along the way seem plausible and real, giving insight into the struggle of Adam's fight and of those who surround him. Any real portrayal of cancer can't be a comedy, but this is a very well done mixture of light and heavy, leaving us with a sense of hope and faith in our friends.
4 stars (out of 5)

Queen to Play

Helene is a wife and mother in this French drama who works as a cleaning lady for a local hotel as well as for individuals. When she sees a couple of hotel guests enjoying a game of chess, she finds their enjoyment of the game reveals a romance that is missing in her life. When she discovers that another of her clients (Kevin Kline) also plays, she convinces him to teach her the game. Helene plays with a determination and belief that quality play in and of itself a romantic endeavor. Well played and while not a speedy film, probably like chess the pacing is part of the enjoyment of the experience.
4 stars (out of 5)