Replies?

I'm not sure who is reading this blog.  I have enjoyed putting these things together and thank my friend Sheryl Mcdonald for suggesting it.

I would like to encourage you to reply to my posts.  Agree with my review or think I'm nuts?  You won't hurt my feelings (unless you are Heather).  Drop a line and say what you think.

Winter's Bone- Rental

Winter's Bone

Most of you looking at this have probably never heard of this movie released in June of 2010.  Admittedly it has to win an award for worst name for a movie (even though it makes sense at the end of the film).  I see lots of movies and the only actor I had seen before was a guy named John Hawkes.  He was the grimy little guy in The Perfect Storm that smoked alot.  The girl that plays the lead is Jennifer Lawrence.   You may have never heard of her, but you will know her name one day (Royce's prediction).

The movie takes place in the back woods in the Ozark Mountains where many make their living by cooking drugs in small trailers.  Ree (Lawrence) is a 17 year old girl trying her best to take care of her younger brother and sister and her mother who has gone off the deep end. Mom never speaks- they never say why.  Dad is a total loser who has been arrested for drugs.  To bail himself out he puts up the family house and property. If he does not show in court next week the family will be out in the cold literally.  Ree makes it her duty to find him and convince him to show in court.  The locals are not happy about this and even some that call themselves family make the Sopranos look like nice guys.

The thing that makes this movie above average is the acting.  Which is funny since it's a bunch of no names and even several locals where the film was shot that was given parts.  They captured the feel of this cold place very well.

This movie is not for everyone.  It's on the rugged side and definitely brutal in parts.  I found myself admiring what this girl would do for her family and looking forward to seeing Ms. Lawrence act again.  She is coming out next summer in the new X-Men movie.  I enjoyed this film.

The Mechanic

The Mechanic

Rating 5 out of 10

Jason Statham movies are much alike.   Either is entertaining Transporter series or the idiotic Crank series.  A plot line you don't look at with a magnifying glass and lots of over the top action.  Some serious butt kicking.  This movie runs along the same lines even though it is a bit of a remake.  I am old enough to remember the 1972 version starring Charles Bronson.

In this movie Statham plays Arthur Bishop.  He is a Mechanic.  The code name for a high end hit man.  He  kills the bad guys no one else can get to.  He takes a younger hard headed hit man under his wing to show him the ropes.  They pull a few jobs together before the tides turn on them.  Lots of fighting, a couple car chases and things go boom.

If you want to watch less than two hours (barely 90 minutes) of mindless action you could do worse than this movie.  If you are looking for a plot that holds water or the deep meaning of life you should keep driving.

No Strings Attached

No Strings Attached

Rating 6.5 out of 10

I saw this movie mostly to spend time with the wife.  I don't see a group of guys getting together and one of them saying "you want to go see No Strings Attached?".  Still it was a mildly entertaining couple hours.  If you watch the commercial you pretty much get what you expect.

Natalie Portman plays a busy young doctor that has no time for a boyfriend she just wants to have sex.  No Strings Attached.  No courting, cuddling or any of that couples stuff.  Amazingly enough this young attractive female finds a male to agree to these terms.  Enter Ashton Kutcher.  The two met 15 years earlier in a summer camp and are reunited later in sunny Los Angeles.  He agrees to the terms but finds it hard not to become attached.  You can guess the rest.

The movie has funny parts yet not as many as I expected.  Most of which I had seen in the commercials several times.  You can't call Kutcher a good actor but he is entertaining.  Cassie enjoyed the naked butt shot he gives early in the movie.  Natalie Portman is a good actor no doubt.  She is pretty too even though she is so tiny she often looks like a little girl beside the much taller Kutcher.

If you are looking for a simple date movie with a couple likable lead actors and some decent supporting actors you could do worse than this one.  Obviously it's not for kids.  Crude at times but except for Kutcher's bare butt no nudity.  I was also glad it wasn't full of profanity.

Good Books

I have listened to two very good books lately.

The Hunger Games- 
I came to this party late.  Seems many of my friends have already read this book released in 2008.  This is the first in a trio of books that can be read and enjoyed by adults and teenagers alike.

In what I believe is in the future in what is left of North America there is a country of Panem.  The center capitol is surrounded by twelve districts.  The rulers are very harsh and rigid.  Once a year they have a lottery in each district where a boy and girl between the age of 12-18 is chosen to go to the capitol and do a fight to the death.  There can only be one person left alive at the end.

The book is well written and fast paced.  The deaths and violence are a very small part of the book and handled tastefully. The characters are well developed starting with our star Katniss Everdeen.  She is a 16 year old girl that is taught how to hunt by her late father and those skills help her in the games.

I am just starting on Catching Fire, the second book in the series.  I have read where The Hunger Games is being made into a movie to be released next year.  I highly recommend this book to all readers.


Day By Day Armageddon-
I can see where this book would not appeal to all readers.  Still I suggest you not dismiss the book and the second in the series Beyond Exile from the word zombies.

Our main character is an Air Force officer/pilot just outside San Antonio, Tx when rumors of a bad disease going around China and now invading the US cause him to start making survival plans.  The disease it turns out causes the dead to come back to life in a zombie state.  When a living human is bit from an infected zombie it turns that person into a zombie.  The snowball effect causes zombies to quickly outnumber the living nearly a million to one.

The book is written as the officer keeping a journal of what was going.  This is less a book about zombies than a good book that happens to have zombies in it.  The main character has to relocate and picks up human survivors along the way.  Eventually they get a grasp of how bad the situation is and start trying to create a new world as our old way of life is gone forever.

Day by Day does end too abruptly but luckily the second book, Beyond Exile, picks up where the first book leaves off.  If you liked the popular tv show the Walking Dead on AMC at all you will love this book.

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet  -- Rating 5 out of 10

I admit I am not a Seth Rogen fan.  Never thought he was funny and think he is less funny since he got skinny.  Why did I go to this movie then?  I had no plans to see this movie but was going out with Rocky (13) and Stacy (21) and that was the only movie that fit our time schedule.  Had low expectations and that's pretty much what I got.

Rogen plays Britt Reid.  A spoiled rich kid.  His dad owns/runs the big newspaper in LA.  Upon his untimely death he decides to become a crime fighter with the help of his dad's mechanic and maker of the best coffee, Kato.  They do battle against the big crime boss Chudnofsky who is played by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz.  Waltz plays the scary crime boss as a goofy over the top man that wants to be known as a scary guy.  Throw in some eye candy and you have Cameron Diaz.  The secretary who ends up being the brain of the bunch.

If you are a big Seth Rogen fan and want to see a goofy movie that does not take itself or anyone in it seriously- this is your movie.  I remember the original tv show with the side kick Kato being played by Bruce Lee.  Not terrible but nothing I would want to see again.

btw, Rocky loved it.  Thought it was very funny.  Stacy liked it only slightly better than I did.

Top ten movies of 1990

I have all my top ten lists going back to 1985.  Here is my top ten/worst ten for 1990.  Overall a pretty good year for movies.  Most of these I'd watch again on dvd or if they showed up on HBO.  I'm sure many would put Goodfella's higher on the list.  I never was a big fan.

1) Presumed Innocent--- Even though this was not a great year for movies, this movie would make my top ten in any year!  This movie has a great plot, makes you think, and the acting is great.  Harrison Ford is GREAT.  Bonnie Bedelia is  Great. Raul Julia is the best he has been.  Good movie from start to finish. This is one movie that WAS as good as the book.           

2) Dances with Wolves--- One of the last movies I saw in 1990, but definitely one of the best.  I stayed away from this movie when it first came out because of the 3 hour length, but I never once looked at my watch. It was very well paced, you never once wished something would happen. Kevin Costner is great at acting and directing.           

3) Hunt for Red October--- I saw this movie several times iin 1990. This is a very good movie and almost as good as the book.  I have always liked Sean Connery and he is very good as the Russian Sub commander.  Alec Baldwin does very well  as the CIA agent dragged into the mess.  Another good movie that makes you think!           

4) Misery--- Best movie I never want to see again!  Cathy Bates does an excellent job as the crazy woman that finds her favorite author after a bad car wreck. James Cann plays the author that is abused and nearly killed.  Very suspenseful.  Rob Reiner cant make a bad movie!           

5) Kindergarten Cop--- Arnold S. makes my top ten/worst ten list nearly every year. Either he has a very good movie or a very bad one.  This is a Very enjoyable movie.  He really is becoming a good actor, not just a bunch of muscle.  He does well at the tough guy and the softy that plays with the little kids.             

6) Die Hard II--- This movie was not nearly as good as Die Hard, but still one of the better movies of 1990.  I had this rated higher until I saw it the second time and picked the movies apart. I hope Bruce Willis can make a good movie  that dosent have Die in the title. He hasn't so far.  Bonnie Bedelia is always great.           

7) Ghost--- Without a doubt a female type movie, but  enjoyable none the less.  The best movie Whopie Goldberg has ever made.  Demi Moore has looked better (very short hair now) but did okay.  Patrick Swezey plays his part very well.           

8) Pretty Woman--- Another female movie.  This movie was very predictable, but also very good.  I'm glad Richard Gere made another good movie.  Julia Roberts has been good in  every movie she has made.           

9) Tremors--- Just your basic fun movie.  Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon are very funny as the county bumpkins that run across some big worms that tunnel underground and eat people and things.            

10) Predator 2--- In alot of years this would not make the top ten.  It's a good basic action adventure.  This time   Danny Glover kills the Aliens instead of Arnie.  Some decent   acting and you are on the edge of your seat for most of the  movie.             

Honorable mention           

1) Goodfellas--- Good mafia movie, but no Godfather.     

2) Memphis Belle--- Good war movie, but you      

3) Home Alone--- Cute, but wore thin toward the end.     

4) Quick Change---Bill Murry and Gena Davis are very funny      

Royce's Worst Ten 1990

Funny how many of these I don't even remember!

Worst Movies of 1990                 

1) Jacobs Ladder--- A movie about a guy dying in surgery at Vietnam dreams how the next eight years of his life might  have been. Is it real or a dream. It's a very bad, hard to       follow movie.             

2) Blue Steel--- Jamie Lee Curtis stars in this very stupid cop movie.  A guy picks up the murder weapon from the  crime scene and starts killing people. Naturally she starts      :to date the guy and cant figure out which way is up.  The  bad guy has more lives than Jason.           

3) Robocop 2--- If this had been one tenth as good as the first one it would not have made my worst ten list.  This was just a poorly made movie with a bad plot. I don't look      8for Peter Weller to be a big star in the movies to come.           

4) Miami Blues--- I only saw this movie because I like  Alec Baldwin and Fred Ward.  It turned out to be completely pointless and bored me to tears.           

5) Death Warrant--- Come on Claude Van Dame, we know you have a great karate chop, but why can't you pick a decent  movie to star in?  Claude gets beat into hamburger meat   until the end of the movie and then kills the bad guy. Clever, huh?           

6) Darkman--- This movie had some potential, but it fell to pieces as it went along. How can a tall thin man put on  another face and become a shorter fat man? Why is he called      Darkman?  His face is supposed to last longer at night, yet  $he does everything in the day light.           

7) Bird on a Wire--- Mel and Goldie you should be  ashamed. I really like both of them, but this movie was  really dumb.  I'm glad I didn't pay full price to see it!           

8) Rocky V--- Yo Adrian, why did I make another movie?   There may be Rocky movies up to twenty but this is the last    one I'll see!            

9) Another 48 Hrs.--- Another rip off sequel for 1990.    This movie completely  copies the first one and dosent do it  very well. Eddie Murphy looks fat and Nick Nolte makes his       first bad movie.            

10) The Godfather III--- There were worse movies in 1990,  (but I expected so much out of this one.          

 Dishonorable mention           

1) Pacific Heights--- With this cast this should have  been so much better     

2) Total Recall--- One good movie this year for Arnold,  one disappointment.      

3) Revenge--- Same thing for Kevin Costner. One good movie, one bad one.      

Season of the Witch

Rating 5 out of 10

I'm not sure what hold Nicolas Cage has on me.  He has made movies I really liked (Con Air, The Rock, Matchstick Men and World Trade Center to name a few), but has made three stinkers for every good movie (Bad Lieutenant is as bad as it gets).  He still gives me enough hope to lay down my bucks for a this movie.  Season of the Witch is neither great nor terrible.  Average is the best I can say for it.

After years of fighting the non believers for the Church Behmen and Felson (Cage and the always likable Ron Perlman) walk away disillusioned. They are mostly forced into taking a young girl believed to be a witch causing plague across the land to a far away to the Monks to cast the evil out of her.  Behmen is not sure the girl is a witch and vows to defend her until proven guilty.

The movie has enough action and WAY too much shaky cam.  If you like this type of movie catch this on the early show and you won't regret it.  Waiting for rental is not a bad idea either.

Country Strong

Rating 5 out of 10

I like Country music and was hoping this movie was getting hammered by the critics because they did not. While I didn't think it was a bad movie I didn't think it was a good movie either.  I will say the other three I was with liked it alot more than I did.

The movie starts with Country music legend Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow) in rehab where we find she is no stranger.  A guy that works in the hospital is a good looking Country crooner (Garrett Hedlund) who bonds with Canter during her stay. Her driven husband (Tim McGraw) takes her out of rehab a month early to start a new tour that will hopefully mend fences from her drunken escapades.  She demands the crooner be her opening act.  Throw in a hot young female artist (Leighton Meester) who is trying to take the top spot.   You can guess most of the story from there.

I will admit I am not entertained by stories of lovable alcoholics who waste their talents because they can't say no.  Acting is generally very good.  Never been a Paltrow fan but she does well here.  Hedlund and Meester steal the show for what they can in my opinion.  They both sing well enough I wonder if that is really them singing.

I would wait and rent if you are a big Country music fan or have to see everything Paltrow puts out.

Books

I feel like I'm all over the map in what kind of books I like.

-I like autobiographies.  Everyone from Steve Martin to Larry King to Steve Jobs to Alan Alda to Eric Clapton to sports stars like Ted Williams, Joe Torre, Babe Ruth and Yogi Berra. Clint Eastwood's book was very good as was Paul Newman's.  I admit I listened to Oprah's book for as long as I could.  Patrick Swayze's book brought back lots of memories. Ted Turners book was very interesting and showed me another side to him. George W. Bushes new book Decision Points is good. Even if you don't agree with his politics he tackles the biggest decisions he had to make and explains in great detail why he made them. The Gene Simmons from Kiss book also gives you an entertaining look at the long tongued singer.

-I like the butt kicking books too along the Jack Bauer vein.  Love the Vince Flynn series with Mitch Rapp.  Flynn wrote on the tv show 24 and his character is alot like Jack.  I like the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child even though he tends to get wordy.

- I like alot of the older authors like Stuart Woods and John Grisham.  Sadly I can't remember the last good book Grisham put out.  I love Jon Krakauer's books.  He wrote Into Thin Air (one of my favorite books) and Into the Wild. I liked alot of Patricia Cornwell's books but for some reason her later books have not been very good.

- I like books on History too.  Seems I didn't listen much in History class at Anacoco High.  Now I find things like what happened in the Korean War or what a joke the picture of the soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima was.  Flags of our Fathers is a great book that tells the tale of the four guys that were just running telephone cable to the top of the mountain and asked to carry up a big flag and how all the publicity effected their lives. Where Men Win Glory is an interesting book that explains alot on what is going on in Afghanistan and how it links to Pat Tillman (the man that walked away from a million dollar football contract to enlist in the Army).  The Coldest Winter is a great book on the Korean War that starts off saying if it were not for the tv show MASH most Americans would never know we were in that war.

For funny books no author makes me laugh like Rick Reilly.  His books Who's Your Caddy?, Hate Mail from  Cheerleaders and Sports from Hell had me laughing out loud.  I thought Candy Girl by Diablo Cody was a funny story of a woman that decides to be a stripper for a year and write a book about it.

To link my interests I also like books that I know are being made into movies.  Prince of Tides is one of my all time favorite books.  Good movie too.  I've listened to the first three of the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer.  Will listen to the forth when the movie gets closer.  Time Traveler's Wife was good but very different from movie.  Same with PS I Love You.   How Starbucks Saved My Life is a good book about an older man who loses his high paying job and is forced to work at Starbucks and realizes what is truly important in life.  It's being made into a movie with Tom Hanks.

Any comments?

Name change

I did a minor change to the name of my blog.  

I didn't want people to think I was an one dimensional person and all I ever do is watch movies.  I watch TV too!  : >  I like books alot too.  Don't like to read them.  I listen to them on my iPod. I joined a club at www.audible.com where I can download two books a month.  I listen to them when I drive or walking the dog.  Lucy gets her exercise when I get a good book going.  

Please feel free to leave suggestions for books you have read that I might like.  

2010 movies

I saw 60 movies in 2010.  That is above average total for me.  My work was slow so I had more time on my hands to go.

Usually when I do my top ten lists my #1 movie is an easy pick.  In 2008 that movie was Avatar.  I saw many movies I liked but none that knocked my socks off.  My top list could be rearranged in any order and work fine with me.  When I rank my movies I don't necessarily place by which is the BEST movie. Best script or effects.  I rank by how much I'd want to see that movie again.  Some great movies like Inception might rate higher but I can't bring myself to watch it again.  Good movie but very long.

If you have a top ten or even a top five feel free to post it in the comment section.  Agree or disagree with my ratings?  Post it.  I can take it.

Top ten movies of 2010

1-            True Grit

A very good movie not just Western.  Maybe not my normal #1 movie but still very good.  Acting was first rate. Little girl stole the show.

2-            The Social Network

This is a good movie on how Facebook got started.  The script is witty and well written. Entertaining even if you don’t do the Facebook thing.

3-            The Kings Speech

Just a wonderful film. Not usually my type of movie but very glad I saw it.  Didn’t want it to end.

4-            Karate Kid

A good remake of a classic.  Jackie Chan is perfect as the old kung fu master.  Interesting placing it in China.

5-            The Town

Ben Affleck is building a good resume of movies.  Lots of action on the mean streets of Boston.

6-            Knight and Day

This movie deserved much better at the box office.  I think Tom Cruise’s antics are hurting him.  He and Cameron Diaz  are both good and the action is great.  Good rental if you haven’t seen it.

7-            127 Hours

I think many avoided this movie about a young man while hiking along gets his arm caught under a bolder and after nearly five days (127 hrs) has to cut his arm off or die because it would be gory.  It is not.  Everything is tastefully done.  Good movie.

8-            Salt

Another movie that deserved better at box office.  I think most are as sick of Angelina Jolie as I am. Yet this movie is well worth watching. Probably better on a big screen but good rental too.

9-            Inception

This is a good movie that made my head hurt.  I had to quit trying to follow everything and just absorb it.  Visuals are incredible.

10-        How to Train Your Dragon

There were some good animated films in 2010 and this was the best.   Funny and nicely animated. 

Honorable Mention

1-            Shutter Island

Interesting that it was an hour after I left the theater before I realized what really happened. 

2-            Clash of the Titans

Didn’t see the 3D version.  Action was good. Good remake of a movie I liked back in the 80s.

3-            The Fighter

Good story telling of a real boxer in Boston and his rise from poverty.

4-            Megamind/ Despicable Me/Tangled

All three are good animated films you don’t need to be a kid to enjoy.

5-            The Expendables

Okay the guys are 63 years old and the plot is paper thin.  Still lots of butt kicking and fun to watch.

6-            Burlesque

If you like the singing and dancing movies this is a good one.  

Worst Ten movies of 2010

Worst ten

1-            The Other Guys

This movie was just stupid from start to finish.  Like scratching on a chalkboard for me.

2-            The American

George Clooney sitting in a hotel room looking sad and frustrated.  Marketed as an action thriller but it has almost no action nor is it thrilling.

3-            Hot Tub Time Machine

Some people LOVED this movie.  I don’t get it.  Not funny at all. 

4-            Legion

Seems God is tired of our crap and is sending evil angels down to kill everyone. One angel decides to stand up to God and the evil angels by somehow saving a pregnant waitress.  Believe it or not it’s even more stupid than it sounds.

5-            Robin Hood

Was hoping for another Gladiator.  Nope. This one was slow and boring. Action seemed like a very low budget film.

6-            Grown Ups

There was maybe five good jokes in this movie and they played them over and over and over. 

7-            She’s Out of My League

Just wasn’t funny and they decided to drop F-bombs right and left. 

8-            Resident Evil 3D

This movie just made no sense.  Even for a video game.

9-            Going the Distance

Had a good cast with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.  No chemistry.  Bad movie.

10-        Piranha 3D

I know, I’m as shocked as you are that this wasn’t a great movie!

Should have been better

1-            Faster

2-            A- Team

3-            Red

4-            The Bounty Hunter

5-            Tron

The Kings Speech

Rating 8 out of 10

I know what you are thinking here.  Either I have never heard of this movie or I bet it's boring.  That's probably what I would be thinking.  I don't usually go for the old England movies dealing with Kings and Queens and those that talk funny.  I have in the past thought Colin Firth was an over-actor but have been impressed with Geoffrey Rush.

The movie takes place in the 1930s when the King of England is dying.  The oldest son is unfit to be king as he marries an American woman who is twice divorced.  This leaves his younger brother who has had a dreadful stammer since childhood. This is at a time when radio is becoming popular and being able to atleast give a speech is a must.  He tries everyone until he is referred to Lionel Logue (Rush) who is off beat in his methods and not intimidated in the least by the Dukes title or position.

The movie quickly becomes a buddy film as the two become friends.  Many funny parts as the Duke is not used to being talked to in such a way. Your heart aches for him as he stutters thru his attempts at speeches and the embarrassment he and his family feels.

This builds to the first speech he must give as king is declaring war on Germany and Hitler.  The country is in great need of a leader they can get behind.  At the end of the movie people in my packed theater cheered.  I was right there with them.

This movie isn't playing on 3000 screens like many of the big name movies, but is well worth the search.  I predict either Firth or Rush will win the Oscar.

top ten on the way

I have one more movie I want to see before finalizing my top ten/ worst ten list.  Hopefully it ends up on the Top list.

Silence of the Lambs- Behind the scenes

I love those shows on E and others that show the behind the scenes on big movies and tv shows.  I saw a show on one of my favorite old films Silence of the Lambs.  It's hard to picture anyone else playing Hannibal Lecter other than Anthony Hopkins or someone else playing Clarice Starling than Jodie Foster.

The first person to buy the rights to the Thomas Harris book of the same name was Gene Hackman.  He turned it into a movie with intent of playing Hannibal himself.  Deep into casting Hackman's daughter talked him out of the part saying it would be too dark for him and hurt his career.  Some of the actors that were offered the part and turned it down were Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Patrick Stewart (bald guy from X-Men movies) and even Louis Gossett Jr.  No one wanted to play the evil Lecter.

The director saw Anthony Hopkins in the Elephant Man nine years before and wanted him to play the part.  The problem was he had several big flops in between and had given up on acting in the US (doing plays in London).  The producers wanted Jodie Foster for Clarice but the director didn't think she could handle it.  He instead wanted Michelle Pfeiffer and then Meg Ryan for the part.  Needing to get the production started they compromised with Hopkins and Foster.

Interesting...