QUAD-Review: Because I'm Lazy

I'm gonna half-ass some of these - and by some I mean all.  Sorry to all two of my readers!

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Brad Bird, the celebrated director of Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille is making his live-action feature debut with the forth entry in the Tom Cruise spy movie series.  The film also marks a comeback for Cruise after some terrible numbers at the box office.  The story follows what's left of the IMF after they are framed for a terrorist plot; with a rag-tag team of four unique members, Tom Cruise has to drive, jump, and run intensely to clear their name and to abort a possible plan to destroy the world using nuclear missiles.

The story is pretty cookie-cutter but what makes this a great flick is some amazing action and great casting of the main "ghost protocol" team.  Co-starring with  Cruise is Jeremy Renner (Academy Award nominee for The Hurt Locker and soon-to-be Hawkeye in The Avengers), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead star/Hollywood's go-to British nerd), and Paula Patton (who you may remember as the teacher from Precious).  All have different personalities and all make the movie more entertaining.  But really, the action is where it's at and this film is a must-see for adrenaline junkies.  I don't want to give anything away (although the trailer shows pretty much every action set piece), but I'll just say that one scene literally gave me vertigo.

The film is not perfect at all; the "villains" in the film are generic and lifeless, and certain side characters that could have been interesting are underused, but when it comes to the gadgets, the guns, and the gratuitous amounts of action, it's hard to not enjoy MI:4.  What else could you want out of this movie?

Rating: B+

My Week with Marilyn:

It's entertaining to see Kenneth Branaugh scream as Lawrence Olivier and Michelle Williams is spot-on as Marilyn Monroe in this true story about a young man, aspiring to be in show business, who has a week-long affair with the legendary sex icon.  The portrait of Monroe is layered and interesting, and the time period is captured pretty well.  Some of the characters (like the role Emma Watson plays, aka Harry Potter's platonic friend) aren't given enough to do, but the central love story is well handled.  Entertaining for any Marilyn fans, or just anyone who likes a good drama.

Rating: B+




The Descendants:

George Clooney cries a lot in this story about a Hawaiian man whose wife gets in a boat accident, rendering her in a catatonic state.  The acting is really good, especially from Shailene Woodley, who I didn't recognize from anything, playing Clooney's daughter.  You can also tell this movie succeeds on some level because Matthew Lillard is playing an actual character and not just "that dude from Scream."  Plus there is a nice and disgusting body we get to look at for the nearly-dead wife (complete with white lip-crud). Despite what it had going for it, for my taste the film was a little too much of a downer.  It's still good, but expect the joy of believing Hawaii as a bright, sunny tourist destination to be sucked dry and ruined forever for you.

Rating: B


Young Adult:

Charlize Theron stars in the latest film directed and written by Juno alumni Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody.  The film to me was "The Wrestler" for not-yet-matured thirty-somethings.  It was very true-to-life, had some great writing, and packed some very powerful moments.  Patton Oswalt also brings in a surprisingly dramatic performance and I have nothing to complain about regarding this film (besides its overly comical marketing and just a few strange behavioral moments from Patrick Wilson).  No real loose ends, just a raw look at the facades people create.

Rating: A-