Identity Thief & Oscar Talk

Well first I would like to chime in on the Oscars that aired this past Sunday. Here were some of the winners:

 Anne Hathaway won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Les Misérables

Christoph Waltz won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Django Unchained

Best Director went to Ang Lee, for Life of Pi

The AMAZING Jennifer Lawrence one Best Actress in a Lead role for Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor is a Lead Role for Lincoln

And Picture of the Year went to… ARGO OF COURSE!

I have to say that I agree with all the chosen winners.  They were all amazing films and well deserved.  I was most excited for Jennifer Lawrence, because if you haven’t noticed, I’m a HUGE fan.  She was simply adorable the way she fell on stage walking up to receive her Oscar.

But, onto todays review!

Last night I decided to see “Identity Thief”, which stars Melissa McCarthy, alongside Jason Bateman, John Favreau, and Amanda Peet.  Jason plays Sandy Bigelow Patterson, a modest account rep who lives in Denver, Colorado with his pregnant wife (Peet) and their two young daughters.  He works for a company where the top dogs get all the rewards, and the real workers get nothing.  He and a group of coworkers are tired of it and decide to take their clients and start their own branch together.  Sandy will be making triple the amount he is being paid now. 

All seems to be going perfectly until Sandy gets pulled into the police station because he is being accused for missing his court date for a truck load of charges.  Sandy insists that there must be a mistake and the police pull a mug shot of the person they are looking for.  This is when they discover that the “Sandy Bigelow Patterson” they are really looking for… is a woman.  It’s clear that this woman (McCarthy) has stolen the REAL Sandy’s identity, and has also been maxing out his credit cards.  They police also learn that because of this woman, Sandy’s name was used to buy drugs from a dangerous criminal.  Unfortunately the police can't do anything unless the identity thief was standing right there with them.  Sandy gets an idea. 

Earlier, Sandy had received a call from a women’s salon saying that he has an appointment on Friday in Florida.  He was confused at first, but after discovering that this identity thief was from Florida, he realizes that he can find her on his own.  Sandy decides that he will go down to Florida and bring her back to Denver where she can talk to his new boss, and clear his name— since he is at risk of being fired for all of these false charges. 

But Melissa McCarthy’s character is anything BUT cooperative.  This trip turns out to be more than Sandy bargained for as he tries everything to make sure that this woman returns back to Denver with him. 

In my books, the movie was okay.  I usually enjoy Jason Batemans sarcastic remarks, and Melissa McCarthy’s outrageous behaviour, but I really wasn’t overly impressed with this flick.  I found it to be a cheap attempt at being a comedic film.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the actors, but I wish it had been better.  Let’s just say, I wish I had saved my money and waited until it came out on DVD…

But regardless, here is a trailer for the film and a clip of charming Jennifer Lawrence talking about her Oscar experience.

Jennifer Lawrence and the Oscars
Identity Thief

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Warm Bodies

So this week I saw “Warm Bodies”, which was a very unusual film.

It stars Nicholas Hoult, who is also starring in the upcoming adventure/fantasy film, “Jack the Giant Slayer”.  He plays “R” who is a very uncommon zombie.  The film is set sometime in the future after there has been a huge zombie epidemic, where the remaining humans are fighting for survival.  But unlike “The Walking Dead”, this movie has some cute humour to it by adding a funny twist on a classic love story.  During one of his zombie escapades, R meets Julie who is a human survivor, and he saves her from an attack.  This is very strange because zombies don’t have thoughts or emotions, and it doesn’t take Julie long to discover that R isn’t like the rest of the zombies she’s encountered.  She spends some time with him, and he shields her from the dangers outside, and they begin to form a special relationship.  R increasingly becomes more human, and it seems to have awoken something human inside of a lot of other zombies.  R and Julie believe that they may have discovered a cure to this epidemic, but they need to convince her father— who is kind of like a commander in chief to the zombie battle on the human side.

I’ll admit that this film is a little weird, but it touches base on some more important values, such as love, human connection, and hope.  There was a lady sitting in front of me who repeatedly kept commenting on how “silly” this film was.  Yes, it may be a little out there, but I think that’s what makes it good.  It’s quirky, original, and I can’t compare it to any other movie I have seen before.  I would recommend you all give it a shot and see this movie!  Maybe it doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, but you may surprise yourselves!

Here is a four minute clip from the beginning of the movie! It’s pretty funny!

Oh and be sure to check out the 85th Academy Awards, this Sunday on ABC at 7pm! Hosted by Seth MacFarlane!

 

Warm Bodies Clip

Oscar Promo

Silver Linings Playbook

In light of “Bell Let’s Talk Day” (which raised $4.8 million for mental health), and Oscar season, I thought I would give my entry on David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook”.  This touching film has made Oscar history by becoming the first movie in 31 years to receive nominations in all acting categories.  Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver).  The film is also nominated for Best Picture, Director (David O. Russell), Adapted Screenplay, and Film Editing.  In addition, the amazing Jennifer Lawrence won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical.  Needless to say, this is a definite must see film.

 The film follows Pat Solitano (Cooper), who now finds himself living back with his mother and father after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain.  He is suffering from Bipolar Disorder which so many Canadians are battling through today.  He lost his house, his teaching job, and his wife.  Pat is determined to follow the road of recovery; rebuild his life and get his wife back.  Pat then meets Tiffany (Lawrence), who is also sorting through her own problems.  Tiffany knows Pat’s wife and offers to help him reconnect with her.  That is only if he'll do something very important for her in return— enter into a dance competition with her.  Pat reluctantly agrees to Tiffany’s proposition and a surprisingly unlikely bond begins to form between the two of them.

There is a huge stigma surrounding mental illnesses in North America.  This often is the reason why people ignore their problems and don’t seek treatment.  I think this film does a great job a showcasing this misunderstood illness, and they demonstrate that it is possible to find your silver lining along with the help of family, friends and inner strength.

Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to tune into the 85^th Academy Awards, February 24^th 2013, at 7pm on ABC.

Silver Linings Playbook