Movie Monday - 1/6/2014

Here are the most recent movies I've seen:

Inside Llewyn Davis, starring Oscar Isaac as Llewyn, is the Coen Brothers latest offering.  The movie is set in New York City in 1961 and follows a week in the life of Llewyn, a struggling folk singer.  He's good, but apparently not great.  He's kind of a mopey guy and I thought it was kind of a mopey movie.  Also starring in this film are Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver and John Goodman.  It was alright.

I was a little girl when I saw Mary Poppins in the theater.  I remember that I loved it. Saving Mr. Banks is based on the back-story of how the filming of Mary Poppins came to be. Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney and Emma Thompson plays P.L. Travers, the author of the popular novels chronicling the adventures of the magical nanny.  Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Kathy Baker, Rachel Griffiths, and Colin Ferrell also star in this movie.  It was very good.

Jasmine and Ginger are very opposite sisters in Blue Jasmine.  Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), a wealthy New York socialite, comes into hard times when her marriage and lifestyle fall apart.  She is taken in by Ginger (Sally Hawkins), her financially struggling adopted sister.  Through flashbacks, we find out about Jasmine's previous life as she tries to put together a new one.  Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay and Bobby Cannavale also star in this latest Woody Allen offering.  The acting was really, really good - especially Blanchett, as she portrayed a woman struggling to keep it together.  Overall, it was alright.

The Way, Way Back is a coming of age story of a 14 year old boy - Duncan (Liam James).  He is spending the summer with his mother (Toni Collette) and her jerk of a boyfriend (Steve Carell) at his beach house.  The adults carry on as if they were on a vacation by themselves, leaving Duncan to his own devices.  He finds solace working at the local water park and is befriended by the manager, Owen (Sam Rockwell).  Allison Janney and Maya Rudolph also star in this sweet movie.  It was good.

The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies of all time - even though the darn flying monkeys used to scare the bejeezus out of me - and continue to creep me out to this day.  Oz, The Great and Powerful was based on the L. Frank Baum novels. It tells how Oscar "Oz" Diggs (James Franco), a small time magician in Kansas, flees a jealous husband in a hot air balloon and ends up in the Land of Oz.  Theodora (Mila Kunis) - a witch - finds him and believes Oz to be the prophesied wizard who will restore order in the land by destroying the Wicked Witch who killed the King of Oz.  Her sister Glinda (Michelle Williams) is believed by all to be the Wicked Witch, but the other sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz), is the real culprit.  Zach Braff also stars in this fanciful prequel to the beloved 1939 film.  I really liked it.

Matthew McConaughey stars in Mud, about a fugitive trying to reunite with his long-time love Juniper (Reece Witherspoon).  It seems that he has spent his live trying to save her from herself, and the most recent adventure ended in murder.  He is hiding out on a small island on the Mississippi River.  Two young boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), come across his hiding place.  Soon, Mud has them getting parts for him to fix an old boat so he can get away.  Ellis has problems of his own - his parents are divorcing and he is in love with a girl that doesn't seem to know that he is alive.  MM did a mighty fine acting job.  Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson, Ray McKinnon, Michael Shannon and Joe Don Baker also star in this movie. It was really good.

MK out.