SIP Movie Review Blog

We have a winner. The 2011 movie of the year is...
The Help, starring Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland), Viola Davis (Doubt, Knight and Day), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village, Spiderman), Octavia Spencer (Spiderman, Seven Pounds), Jessica Chastain (Tree of Life, The Debt), Allison Janney (American Beauty, Juno), Cicely Tyson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Sounder), Sissy Spacek (Carrie, Coal Miner’s Daughter), and Mary Steenburgen (The Proposal, Step Brothers). Actually a lot more, just named the ones who were prominent and I know of. So here’s the story, based on a novel by Kathryn Stockett. Emma Stone plays Skeeter, a recent college grad who comes home to start a career, hoping to be a writer. She is armed with a rejection letter from a New York publisher (run by Mary Steenburgen), and a can-do attitude. She comes back to Jackson Mississippi, gets on the staff of the local paper as the “how to clean things” columnist.  More

Just saw a much advertised movie that was good, not great.  Cowboys and Aliens stars Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace), Harrison Ford  (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars), Buck Taylor (old timey cowboy from Gunsmoke, Wild Wild West), Olivia Wilde (Tron:Legacy, Next Three Days), Sam Rockwell (Green Mile, Iron Man 2), Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood), Keith Carradine (Southern Comfort, Long Riders).  This was a star stacked movie, just didn’t open up any new doors. More

Now, we have just seen the final edition in the most highly publicized, longest running series on the earth. I am referring to Harry Potter, the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. It stars a lot of the same folks: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione), Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix), Alan Rickman (Snape), and finally Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort-one whose name we do not speak!).  More

Just saw a movie that is the third in a very successful series, Transformers, Dark of the Moon. It stars lots of folks from the first two: Shia Lebeouf (Sam), Kevin Dunn and Julie White (his parents), Josh Duhamel (from TV’s Las Vegas), and returning as the conspiracy theory expert, John Turturro. We also have newbies: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Victoria’s Secret Model taking the place of Megan Fox), Patric Dempsey (from TV’s Gray’s Anatomy), Francis McDormand (Fargo, Burn After Reading), John Malkovich (Con Air, Burn After Reading), and Ken Jeong (Hangover 1 & 2).  More

Finally a decent movie, actually an outstanding movie. One to start the summer with, I’m referring to Super 8, starring a gaggle of youth who are putting together a home movie. Joel Courtney (brand new) leads off as the hero, so to speak. We also have Ryan lee (Trick or Treat, Shorts) as a pyromaniac, Zach Mills (Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium) a movie set assistant, Riley Griffiths (new) the movie producer, Gabriel Basso (Alabama Moon, The Big C) the leading man in the home movie, and Elle Fanning (Yes, Dakota’s sister, has been in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Déjà vu) as the leading lady in the home movie. We also have some adults, Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, King Kong), Ron Eldard (Blackhawk Down, House of Sand and Fog) and Joel McKinnon Miller (Big Love, Men in Black 2).  More

Just saw a movie that surprised us in how much fun it was, Thor, starring Chris Helmsworth (Star Trek, A Perfect Getaway), Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Star Wars 111), Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Human Stain), Stellen Skarsgard (Mamma Mia, Pirates of the Caribbean), Kat Dennings (40 Year Old Virgin, House Bunny), Clark Gregg (Iron Man, New Adventures of Old Christine-Christine’s ex hubby), Rene Russo (ransom, Thomas Crown Affair), Colm Feore (Chicago, Face/Off). lots of big names, so we had to see it.  More

First up, Hangover II This is a cruder, more in-your-face movie than the original. And the stakes are higher, you are thousands of miles from home, and in a city that can chew you up and spit you out, Bangkok. So we have Justin Bertha (Hangover, National Treasure), who got locked up on the roof of a casino in Vegas, and still got married in the first Hangover. Bradley Cooper (Limitless, The A Team), one of the best men from the H1. Ed Helms (Hangover, The Office), another of the best men, who has ditched his fiancé from H1, and managed to get engaged to a stunning Asian girl. Zach Galifianakis (Hangover, Up In the Air), who was clueless in H1 and accidently drugged the bachelor party. Ken Jeong (Knocked Up, Pineapple Express), plays the same wealthy Asian character he played in H1. We also had Mike Tyson in a cameo, but not really part of the movie. More

Just saw an excellent movie, Soul Surfer, starting AnnaSophia Robb (from Denver!, Bridge to Terabithia, Jumper), Dennis Quaid (Day After Tomorrow, Frequency), Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets, Twister), Carrie Underwood (music legend, CMA winner, lots of movie sound tracks), Ross Thomas (Beyond the Break, What’s Bugging Seth?), Lorraine Nicholson-yes, Jack’s daughter (Something’s Got to Give, Click), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, Meet the Spartans), and Craig T. Nelson (The Proposal, Blades of Glory). Whew.  More

In my quest to review all the movies nominated for academy awards this year, we are at 127 Hours, starring James Franco (Spiderman 1, 2, 3), Kate Mara (Shooter, Iron Man 2), Amber Tamblyn (The Ring, Sisterhood of Traveling Pants), Treat Williams (What Happens in Vegas, The Hideout), and Kate Burton (Stay, Max Payne). This is based on the true story of Aron Ralston, a avid climber and hiker, who was hiking alone and was trapped by a falling boulder.  More

One more award winning movie to review, The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Shooter), Christian Bale (Batman Begins, Terminator Salvation), Amy Adams (Enchanted, Catch Me If You Can), Melissa Leo (21 Grams, Everybody’s Fine), Jack McGee (Crash, 21), and Mickey O’Keefe (real life sergeant for Lowell Police Dept, actually mentor to Mickey Ward the boxer). We saw this thinking it would be another Rocky (Hello Adrian!), but no, it is much more. We see a full range of family dynamics in the movie, and it is perfectly cast.  More