Archive for December, 2012

Movie Review: Silver Linings Playbook

Dec 26, 2012 movies and tv

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper

I’d heard a lot of good things about Silver Linings Playbook, and I was pleasantly surprised that it lived up to most of the hype.

Based on the novel by Matthew Quick, the story centers around Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper), who has just been released from a mental institution. His break-down was brought on by catching his wife cheating on him, and when he gets out, he discovers not only does she not want to talk to him, but he’s also lost his job and house.

He has no choice but to move in with his parents (Jacki Weaver and a delightful Robert De Niro). Soon after, he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), the sister-in-law of a friend, who also has spent time in a mental hospital.

The love story that results is equal parts drama and comedy, and is delightfully unconventional and even slightly messy.

Cooper does a good job as the center of this movie, but it’s his scenes with Lawrence that really make the movie. She delivers a powerful performance and practically steals every scene she’s in.

If you’re looking for a heart-warming character-driven movie, Silver Linings Playbook is a well-crafted film worth seeing.

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Movie Review: Jack Reacher

Dec 22, 2012 movies and tv

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Tom Cruise is Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher is Tom Cruise doing what he does best in movies: high-energy fights, exciting action sequences, and snappy dialog. And that’s ok, because that’s just what makes this movie so good.

Reacher, a character from a series of books by author Lee Child, is a former military cop who has been living off the grid. After an ex-sniper is accused of opening fire on a crowd of people, Reacher shows up in Pittsburgh to find the truth.

There’s very little back story, at first. You learn about Reacher and how he fits into all of this as the film goes along, but in this film, it works.

He’s assisted by the ex-sniper’s defense attorney (Rosamund Pike), who happens to be the daughter of the prosecuting D.A. (Richard Jenkins). He also makes friends with an ex-Marine who now owns a shooting range, played wonderfully by Robert Duvall, that helps him solve the case.

Jack Reacher is a no-frills action thriller, and it’s a great one. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre, it just does it really well.

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