Here’s the second half of the movies I’ve watched during the summer months. Hopefully, I will be returning to my regular blogging ways with more reviews coming at you at least somewhat steadily from here on out. What movies should I be sure to see this fall?
Colombiana (2011)
Colombiana had been on my list since before it was in theaters back in 2011 so even though it didn’t come out in 2014, this summer is when I watched it. I have had a soft spot for Zoe Saldana since Center Stage because how can you not love a dance movie anchored by a haunting Mandy Moore ballad (I Wanna Be With You). Zoe Saldana plays a woman who witnessed her parents murdered before her eyes. Since that day, she has dedicated herself to training for revenge. She becomes a highly skilled assassin so as you can probably guess, this movie is all about the ass kicking. As with pretty much all action movies, plot was secondary and I did not mind that at all. Though I found it amusing when they really tried to hammer the plot home. The bad guys in most action movies tend to be comically villainous and Colombiana did not disappoint. There was a CIA guy who was not just sketchy but oozing smarm. Of course, there was the not quite needed romantic subplot but I did like seeing the role reversal of a female kicking butt while the male love interested waited around for her to return. Colombiana was fun, fast-paced, and just a little bit ridiculous so really, it was just what I look for in an action movie.
About Alex (2014)
While watching this movie, I verified for myself that I love reunion movies. (I’m aware this makes it all the more ridiculous that I have still never seen The Big Chill.) This was a great cast of familiar, but not too familiar faces, including Aubrey Plaza, Max Greenfield (Schmidt from New Girl), Maggie Grace (Lost and Taken), Max Minghella (10 Years, another reunion movie that I enjoyed), Jane Levy (Suburgatory) and Jason Ritter (Parenthood). A close knit group of 6 friends from college are brought together in the wake of one’s suicide attempt. This movie looks at the intricacies of relationships and the betrayals, loyalties, and interactions that we form within them, both romantically and platonically. Of course, it also involves some blurring of the lines between romantic and platonic. This subject matter is endlessly fascinating to me so I ate it right up. Although, when I considered that this group of friends are actually quite mature and really have their sh*t together for a group of 27 year olds, it made me consider the nature of my own relationships. But I also thought it was such an oddly specific age for the group to be, especially since most of the actors are 30+. Overall, I enjoyed it and appreciated the effort to emphasize the current obsession with capturing moments in time in our modern social media world, instead of just being in the moment and enjoying things while they are happening, not just in retrospect.
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
Based on the YA novel by John Green, The Fault in Our Stars tells the story of two teenagers, Hazel (Shailene Woodley) and Gus (Ansel Engort) who fall in love after meeting at a cancer support group. The movie follows their meeting, courtship, and beautiful love story. Oh, and Hazel has terminal cancer and Gus is in remission… I have not read the book and after seeing the movie, I’m not sure I would even be able to see the words on the page through my tears. I have no cried this hard in quite a while. We’re talking full-on sobbing. Like, chest heaving, runny nose, sore throat, tears streaming down my face, loud crying. And it was oddly cathartic. There is something about Shailene Woodley that I find incredibly watchable. (Her “it” factor even compelled me to it through probably a dozen episodes of Secret Life of the American Teenager, even though I hated every minute of it and felt like it was a return to the days of forcing myself to sit through 7th Heaven for no good reason.)
I completely bought into Hazel and Gus’s love story because of the beautiful chemistry between Woodley and Engort. It made my heart ache. I appreciated how wonderfully supportive Hazel’s parents were of her and her ability to manage her emotions and decision-making. It was beautiful to see. Also, I was just happy to see Laura Dern and would like to see her more often.
Sidebar: There was an author’s assistant during a few scenes who looked like a red-headed Minka Kelly (FNL forever!). And I didn’t know beforehand that Mike Birbiglia was in it and immediately exclaimed aloud, “Birbigs!” when he popped up onscreen. This surprised me because not only was I unaware of my Mike Birbiglia fandom but I also didn’t know that I would jump right to such an overly familiar nickname for him.
I love that this movie was so successful at the box office but am crossing my fingers that this doesn’t prompt the need for a completely unnecessary sequel since it’s such a rarity to let something successful be a one-off these days. This is the kind of movie that provides a wonderful emotional cleanse, even if you didn’t know you needed one.
That Awkward Moment (2014)
I wanted to watch this movie when it came out earlier this year and just never got around to it. But watching it from the comfort of my couch on a day when I needed a laugh, this movie was exactly what I wanted it to be. It was a rom-com from the dude perspective. And it filled my bro quotient for the summer. It was funny. The three leads had good friend chemistry. Quick plot breakdown: Michael B. Jordan’s wife cheats on him and as an act of solidarity, his two friends Miles Teller and Zac Efron vow to remain single with him. Of course, this instantly leads to everyone getting in to romantic relationshps but going above and beyond what’s normal to hide it from each other. I love, love, love watching anything Michael B. Jordan acts in and am consistently growing in my appreciation for Miles Teller. I struggled with finding any likeability for Zac Efron’s character as I found him to be a soulless douchebag and several times thought to myself, “What. A. Dick.” I did not buy his sad reflections monologue, especially because his offending behaviour was 100% the result of his own idiocy. But I did get to see a fantastic slow motion group strut out of a disastrous Thanksgiving dinner event so I was happy. And there was a final outtake scene shown during the credits that was both surprising and hilarious. I played it back twice and found it just as funny each time. Also, as a result of this movie, I am now hoping and wishing for a buddy cop comedy or road trip comedy starring Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. I know they’re in the Fantastic Four reboot but that won’t really be a chance to see them letting loose. But Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller starring in an updated remake of Lethal Weapon? I would see that at midnight on opening night.
Think Like A Man Too (2014)
I enjoyed the first Think Like A Man much more than I would have anticipated. I enjoyed it so much that I watched it twice. So when trailers for the sequel were released and everyone was returning, I was excited. I mean, Gabrielle Union and Turtle from Entourage. That’s almost enough for me right there. But between the release of the first movie and the filming of this sequel, Kevin Hart’s profile skyrocketed and he became a huge star. Fantastic for him but not so great for this movie. The sequel clearly attempted to capitalize on Hart’s fame and focused more on his character than was necessary for this ensemble film. His character’s narration and many of his scenes were too over the top and there wasn’t enough focus on the ensemble players, which is too bad because that’s what I loved about the first film. Also, more Michael Ealy is always a good idea. Think Like A Man Too was predictable but not in an annoying way, except for Jenifer Lewis’s role as an overbearing, overly involved mother. She was waaaay too crazy to be funny. The ensemble cast from the first movie included 8 or so people which is more than enough to fill the screen time but this being a sequel, they decided to throw in even more people. Because I loved The OC, I will always root for Adam Brody but there was no need for him to join the ensemble in this film. Not because he wasn’t good in his role but because there were just too many people to focus on. However, I did find the movie to be fun enough to watch. Especially the group fight scene which made me laugh quite hard. Throw in a great shout out to Steve Harvey and a DeVoe cameo (as in Ronnie DeVoe from Bell Biv DeVoe) and I was satisfied.
Things I've Scene 