50/50

50/50 is about a young guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is paranoid, and has a fear of driving because it's the fifth leading cause of fatalities, and is suddenly struck with cancer in his back.  He and his family are in complete and total shock, as I'm sure is often the case, and are unsure of how exactly to deal with the situation.  The story lays out his ups and downs and all the friends he meets along the way.

Adding some flavor to the story are some interesting characters including a girlfriend, played by Bryce Dallas-Howard, who doesn't know whether to stay or go, a neurotic mother (Anjelica Houston), a cooky but loyal friend (Seth Rogan) and an intriguing therapist (Anna Kendrick).  All of the actors do a stupendous job in their roles and I was even impressed by Bryce Dallas-Howard who I am normally not a fan.

While the idea of this movie seems depressing, I fully enjoyed it.  50/50 is extremely well told and though out.  This film really tells a story that I'm sure is the case for many who get hit by major traumatic events at a young age as many feel invincible prior to something like this happening.  I will share that I have not had cancer nor anyone close to me so it probably doesn't hit home like it might to many others.  Either way I would recommend checking this one out!

Midnight in Paris

First of all just let me say that my wife and I are going to Paris soon. We've never been, so we wanted to see some of the sights a little early through this film.  While we didn't know a tremendous amount about the movie we had a general idea of the story line.  Also, full disclosure, I'm not a fan of Owen Wilson.

Midnight in Paris ventures into the dramatic comedy territory.  I will say this area is a little out of my comfort zone because dramatic comedies tend to get a little dark for my taste.   The film is the story of an engaged couple who come to Paris for a vacation with their family.  When they arrive the two start to distance themselves from each other by their likes and dislikes.  During nightly walks, Gil (Owen Wilson) stumbles upon an amazing part of Paris that he falls in love with.  It's a blast from the past that captures his imagination and he feels Paris is perfect for him.

Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Marion Cotillard are the stars of the movie and all are tremendous.  While I'm not a fan of Wilson (except in Behind Enemy Lines) his style fits well in this film.  One thing was impressive though, McAdams does a fantastic job of making you hate her with a passion.  Appearances are also made by Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Michael Sheen, and the wife of French President Nicolas Sarcozy, Carla Bruni.

Midnight in Paris was a very good movie which I would recommend checking out, especially if you enjoy the scenery of Paris.  Acting was superb, story was well-told and interesting, music was very good, and surprisingly the ending was nice.

Safe House

Safe House is the story of two CIA agents.  One, played by Denzel Washington, is a senior NOC who has supposedly gone rogue, until now when they have brought him to a safe house.  The other, Ryan Reynolds, plays the safe house "keeper" who is very green and has no idea what he's in for when his new guest arrives.  A very wild ride ensues.

Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington are outstanding in this movie.  While seeing Washington not cleaned up was odd, it fit well in the movie.  While the main stars of the movie are Reynolds and Washington, there is a very strong supporting cast.  This group includes Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, and Sam Shepard.  This, in my opinion, is where the cast really shines.

Safe House is a fantastic movie.  The action moments will keep you on the edge of your seat.  I would compare this movie to The Bourne Identity, and yes I realize this is very high praise.  The cinematography is very similar to Bourne and the story progression follows a similar path.  I would highly recommend anyone who enjoyed the Bourne series check this one out!

One Day

My wife and I saw this one on Valentines Day, so we were both in the right mood to see a sappy love story.  I was hopeful because I've always been impressed with Anne Hathaway's acting chops.  Honestly, the movie looked kind of cute so I dove in.

One Day follows a couple on their life's journey on one particular date in their lives over a period of 22 years.  Sometimes the couple is together, sometimes not, but it is very interesting to see their development from college graduation to full blown adulthood.  There are some very interesting side stories that keep the plot going.  There are some characters in the film that either shouldn't have existed or needed some additional fleshing out.

Anne Hathaway is again very impressive in One Day with a sometimes mousy appearance while at other times looking stunning.  Her overall performance is not as strong as in other films such as Devil Wears Prada, but frankly she just isn't asked to do as much.  The rest of the cast, while mostly no names, still does a very nice job.  Jim Sturgess, who plays Hathaway's love interest, does a good job but I can't help feeling like a stronger actor would have played this role a little better and strengthened the overall movie.

For a sappy movie to see on Valentines Day, I really enjoyed it.  The story is nice and fun throughout but I will say I hated the ending.  I'll probably give it a three out of five on Netflix.  If you're looking for a sappy one, I'd recommend One Day.

The Change-Up

The Change-Up is a comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman.  I saw the trailer and reviews prior to renting this one and figured there was no way this could be good but my wife wanted to see it, so here I went!

The movie is another body swapping flick.  Bateman plays a married man with three kids who is overly burdened with work and family life.  Reynolds, of course, plays a single playboy who sleeps with anything that moves and has basically no responsibilities to speak of.  When the two finally get to hang out they make a wish and end up swapping bodies.  The story is very predictable and weak because of that.

As I stated the film stars Reynolds and Bateman but also has a strong supporting cast that features Olivia Wilde, Leslie Mann, and Alan Arkin.  As always Bateman and Reynolds put on strong acting performances, though not either one's best.  Though these two do not have a huge role I tend to think the best actor in this one is Leslie Mann.  She provides some of the few humorous parts in the whole film.

Overall The Change-Up is a pretty awful movie with a few humorous parts.  I did laugh out loud during one kitchen scene but that was really about it.  I feel like I've seen about five of these body switching movies and I'm really tired of it.  I would never recommend this movie to anyone.

Margin Call

I knew this was a movie about the stock market and that it had a pretty impressive cast but other than that I wasn't sure what to make of the trailer.  I dove into this one head first and unfortunately found myself in a pile of...

Margin Call is a fictional movie loosely based on the 2008 stock market collapse.  The story follows a fictional trading institution run by filthy rich ridiculous characters.  It takes you through how this company caused the market collapse and ultimately collapsed themselves.  The story is very poorly told.  It's very difficult to follow the story and sometimes they dumb it down so much that the story doesn't even make sense.

The cast of Margin Call is where the film shines.  Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Stanley Tucci, and Zachary Quinto are the stars of the film.  While the cast is very impressive not many of them have great individual performances except maybe Quinto and Irons.

Please for your own good skip this one.  This story is weak, the acting is meh, and it's just a poor movie in general.  Honestly, I wish I had never even seen this.  I really like stock market movies but this one is awful.  Don't waste your time!