Solo at the Movies: "The Night Before" at ArcLight Santa Monica

Theater Info:
ArcLight Santa Monica
395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 330, Santa Monica
Cost: $15.75 for a matinee showing

Movie Stats:
Released 2015 (USA & Canada on the same day)
American, in English
Director - Jonathan Levine
Stars - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie

Plot Summary:
One year, in an effort to cheer up Ethan (Gordon-Levitt), orphaned by the sudden death of his parents, his friends Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Mackie), spend Christmas Eve with him. Now, fourteen years later, the three men decide to finally end the tradition with one big last night out.

Warnings:
Blue language; drug use; mild violence; sexy times; brief female nudity (I think; honestly I can’t quite remember and the movie is too new for all of the warnings to be up on IMDB but I know it’s not full frontal).

Bad Stuff:
It’s not as funny as I’d hoped it would be. That’s not to say it wasn’t funny at all. There were some moments when I laughed a lot. However, I didn’t laugh nearly as much as I expected to.

There are some really weird moments. In a way, I’ve come to expect that from this type of movie but I’m not convinced that it’s necessary. I felt like the screenwriters took as many drugs as Isaac did (one of the plot lines in the film).

Good Stuff:
The underlying message - about friendship, love, change, and growing up - is very sweet.

I loved Michael Shannon as Mr. Green. Is there anything that man can’t do? He’s excellent.

It was nice to see female characters portrayed fairly well for once. The women were, by and large, strong, funny, intelligent, understanding, and supportive. I especially liked Isaac’s wife, Betsy (Jillian Bell).

The Verdict:
It was okay. When I first saw a trailer for it, I was interested because, hey, JGL, I love him. But it didn’t look very funny to me. Then the reviews started coming in and they were actually pretty good, so I thought I would give it a chance. I guess I should’ve listened to my gut. I didn’t hate it, but I wanted something more. I wanted to really laugh, the kind of laughing where your face hurts by the time you leave the theater. This didn’t do that for me, so I was disappointed. Maybe on a different day, in a different mood, it might have struck me funnier. I’m not trying to warn you away from it. I’m saying go into it with low expectations.

I give it 3.25 stars.

About ArcLight Santa Monica:
This theater is brand spanking new, opening up less than a week before my visit. It’s the first ArcLight I’ve ever been too, so I didn't know much about it. Given the cost of the ticket, I have to say that I expected more. The seats were nice enough, but they didn’t even recline. Everything was nice and new. Concessions were about the same as any other theater, but the portions were smaller. On the one hand, I think this is a good thing because standard movie theater portions are too large. However, if I’m getting a portion that’s a sane size, then I don’t think I should be paying the same price as the insane size. At the end of the day, I didn’t understand what the big deal was. Why pay nearly $16 for a ticket to a theater that wasn’t any nicer than some of the others I’ve been to recently? I’ll probably go back, however, since it’s the hot new theater in town and my friends will want to go.

Solo at the Movies: "Crimson Peak" at Cinemark 18 & XD

While I was deep in the trenches doing editing work on my latest book last month, I missed doing this series. I’ll try to catch up with two movies this month.

I’m issuing a general SPOILER ALERT for this review.

Theater Info:
Cinemark 18 & XD
6081 Center Drive, Los Angeles
Cost: $7.50 for an “early bird” showing (first show of the day, I guess)

Movie Stats:
Released 2015 (USA)
American & Canadian, in English
Director - Guillermo del Toro
Stars - Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam

Plot Summary:
When young, would-be author Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) meets the handsome, charming English baronet Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston), she’s swept into a world of mystery and danger. Chastain co-stars as Thomas’s sister, Lucille, and Hunnam as Edith’s childhood friend, Dr. Alan McMichael.

Warnings:
Minor blue language; sexy times; brief male nudity (butt only); graphic violence & gore.

Bad Stuff:
My main problem with horror/scary movies is that the characters are often forced to behave in incredibly stupid ways in order to further the plot. While this movie is refreshingly mostly-free of that, I had to wonder why the ghost of Edith’s mother, instead of issuing the vague warning “beware of Crimson Peak,” a name that Edith would never hear from Thomas’s mouth until it was far too late, she couldn’t have said, “hey, marry the hunky doctor who’s clearly in love with you instead of that handsome British guy you’ve known for a hot minute.” I suppose we wouldn’t have had a movie in that case though.

Honestly, the ghosts, as much as I enjoyed them, seemed rather superfluous to the rest of the story. I feel that the character of Edith was smart enough to figure out what was going on without the ghosts’ help.

Hunnam’s accent was so distracting. In his first scene, I was like, “Ah, they’re letting him use his natural accent,” but no, he ended up sounding sort-of-American, sort-of-something else the whole film. I’ve heard him do a passable American accent, so I’m not sure what was up with that.

Good Stuff:
Okay, so they may have been superfluous, but holy crap, those ghosts looked very cool and they were SO creepy. I liked them a lot.

This cast was rock solid. Everyone was extremely good (even Hunnam, if you ignore the accent problem). I was very pleasantly surprised to see Jim Beaver (as Edith’s dad, Carter), who I’ve loved since his days as Bobby on Supernatural, and Burn Gorman (as private investigator Mr. Holly), who cemented his place in my heart when he was Owen on Torchwood. I think the acting gold star probably goes to Chastain, though. She was terrifying.

Visually, it’s stunning.

I loved that the men were so bad at saving Edith that she had to save herself (and Alan). It was quite gratifying.

The Verdict:
As I said, I typically don’t go for scary movies because they tend to be dumb. I was drawn to this one because of Hiddleston, and because it looked pretty (both the cast and the cinematography). Some friends who’d seen it mentioned online that they didn’t find it satisfactory. Perhaps this is why I wasn’t expecting much going in, and why I ended up liking it a lot more than I anticipated. To be sure, it’s not groundbreaking, and it’s fairly cliche. I knew what every plot twist was going to be before it happened. Regardless, it kept me entertained for two hours. I think the cast, and the visuals, really carry it. If it had been done less impeccably, it probably would’ve fallen flat. But it was impeccably done - I expect nothing less from del Toro - and so I rather enjoyed it.

I give it 4 stars.

About Cinemark 18 & XD:
Just off the 405, it’s easy to get to, the parking was easy to find, and that parking wasn’t as expensive as I was expecting, although I was annoyed that I saw no signs anywhere that listed the price (with partial validation, my slightly over 4 hours there cost me $5.00). The theater is quite large, with numerous screens, and for the most part it was clean and nice. However, the employees were rather surly. Also, my particular screening room wasn’t very nice. In fact, there was broken caution tape that had apparently cordoned off one row at one point in time (if the row is now usable, why not remove the tape?) and the seat directly in front of mine (not the same row as the one with the caution tape) was clearly broken, listing to one side. Overall, it was a mostly pleasant experience, but with plenty of nicer theaters closer to me, I doubt I’ll be going back.

Solo at the Movies: "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." at Cinemark Playa Vista

Theater Info:

Cinemark Playa Vista and XD

12746 W. Jefferson Blvd., Playa Vista

Cost: $9.50 for a matinee showing

Movie Stats:

Released 2015 (Spain)

American & British, in English (also Russian, German, & Italian, most of it translated, some of it not)

Director - Guy Ritchie

Stars - Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander

Plot Summary:

When a nuclear scientist goes missing, CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Hammer) are forced to team up together to stop a shadowy criminal organization from using the man’s knowledge to build weapons. Vikander co-stars as Gaby Teller, the missing scientist’s daughter.

Warnings:

Very mild blue language; violence (including torture); very brief female nudity (side boob only); heavily implied sexy times.

Bad Stuff:

The pacing is really strange. For example, did we really need to know about the bullying that the crazed torturer endured in his childhood? Couldn’t they have saved the stupid sob story and given us some more action instead? Also, that torture scene was way too long. I’m not saying that because it made me uncomfortable (it didn’t). I’ve seen far worse torture scenes. It was simply too long.

Speaking of action scenes, they’re sort of nonexistent. As in, a lot of the action happened off-screen or in a montage (except for chase scenes). You don’t really see Napoleon or Illya beat anyone up; it’s just implied that they have. I get that it’s not a James Bond movie, and I’m pretty sure it was a stylistic choice by the director (who also cowrote the script), but I found myself wondering if Cavill & Hammer suck at fighting and that’s why it was lacking.

Good Stuff:

The soundtrack is perfect.

Everything about it is gorgeous. The leads are all ridiculously good-looking. The clothes are amazing. I want to own everything that both Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki (as the Italian, Victoria) wore. The cinematography is exquisite. Never have I wanted so badly to visit Italy.

It has some very funny moments. My favorite was when Napoleon and Illya, two very 1960s era manly men, argued over women’s clothing. Illya, through clenched teeth: “It doesn’t have to match!” Me: ROFL.

The Verdict:

I liked it a lot. Because of the pacing issues, it felt a little long (it’s slightly less than two hours) and I found the lack of fight scenes a bit puzzling. Other than that, I thought it was pretty enjoyable. It’s sleek and stylish, exactly what you’d expect from a Guy Ritchie film. The story was pretty solid, if a bit cliche, and all of the performances were decent. As an aside, this is the third movie I’ve seen this year starring Vikander, and I have to say that I’ve developed a bit of a crush. I think I may have reached the “I’d watch anything with her in it” point. She sure exploded onto the scene rather suddenly, didn’t she? As to this movie, if you're looking for something fun, light-hearted, and mod, you should check it out.

I give it 4 stars.

About Cinemark Playa Vista:

When trying to find a nearby theater I hadn’t yet visited, I discovered this one. “I didn’t know there was a theater in Playa Vista,” I thought to myself. When I looked it up, the Google image showed a building under construction. “Must be an old photo,” I thought. That was a false assumption. While the cinema is finished, most of the shopping complex that it’s in is still under construction. There’s not much signage yet, so I was a bit confused and wandered around a little until I found the cinema (while construction guys stared at me without offering assistance). On the bright side, it looks like they’re going to charge for parking in their structure, but don’t have that set up yet, so I got to park for free. I appreciated that, since the theater was rather expensive. I’ve been in theaters just as nice or nicer and paid far less. Also, it was absolutely frigid in there. It’s been pretty hot here lately, so I was wearing a dress but brought a sweater. Still, I was so cold that I had to curl my legs up onto my seat so I could fully cover them with the skirt of my dress. Needless to say, I wasn’t a big fan of this cinema. I probably won’t be going back.

Solo at the Movies: "Inside Out" at AMC Loews Broadway 4

And I’m caught up!

Theater Info:

AMC Loews Broadway 4

1315 3rd St. Promenade, Santa Monica

Cost: $6.49 for a matinee showing

Movie Stats:

Released 2015 (France)

American, in English

Director - Pete Docter & Ronaldo Del Carmen

Stars - Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, and many more (including Bill Hader; weird that both of my solo movies this month included him)

Plot Summary:

A look inside the life of Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), a young girl struggling with her family’s move from Minnesota to San Francisco, through the eyes of her emotions, most prominently Joy (Poehler) and Sadness (Smith). Kind co-stars as Bing Bong, Riley’s childhood imaginary friend. (Hader voices the emotion Fear.)

Warnings:

Minor violence (but it’s cartoonish, for obvious reasons).

Bad Stuff:

[SPOILER I GUESS]

I didn’t really care for how stereotypical the inside of Mom (Diane Lane) and Dad’s (Kyle MacLachlan) heads were. Mom was a lady’s talk show like "The View" and Dad’s was a war room. Gender stereotypes are so funny! (sarcasm)

[SPOILER]

Good Stuff:

A lot of it is very funny, including some surprisingly snappy dialogue. I think the following exchange (obviously aimed at the adults in the audience) was my favorite:

Fear: “Maybe it was a bear?”

Disgust: “There are no bears in San Francisco.”

Anger: “I saw a really hairy guy, he looked like a bear.”

Cue me dissolving into laughter. By the way, Louis Black as Anger? Inspired choice.

I liked the key message that all of our emotions are important to maintaining a healthy mental state.

I thought all the voice acting was really great. I feel sad for the voice actors of the world, because in recent years studios have moved to using film/TV actors for a lot of those parts, and most of them don’t have as much range as the voice actors. However, except for Black, whose voice I would know anywhere, I didn’t immediately recognize the voices of any of the actors in this, and got a few nice surprises when I watched the credits roll.*

The Verdict:

I have to admit that I had no intention of ever seeing this, despite being assured by multiple people that it was very good. “It will make you cry!”, one friend made the mistake of telling me, which is what turned me off (even though I was assured that it was a “good” cry). It just so happened that, on a day break from writing, I needed to charge the car, and decided to watch a movie at this specific theater while I was at it. The only movie playing during that particular time frame was this one.

Thank goodness for that, because this is a really great movie. It’s fresh and different. I thought that it had a lot of very innovative ideas. In addition to being quite funny, it’s also touching. My friend was right, it made me cry, but in a good way. This is the kind of movie that I can see myself owning and watching multiple times, perhaps even once a year, it’s that good. It’s probably out of theaters in most places, but when it comes around on DVD, you should rent it.

I give it 4.5 stars.

About AMC Loews Broadway 4:

Well, this seems to be a theme with LA movie theaters. This one is pretty “meh” on the outside and very nice on the inside, probably newly renovated. I assume it once held only 4 screens, but it has double that now. My screen (#1) was small but had very cushy recliner seats. You can park in one of downtown SM’s plentiful parking garages. The first 1.5 hours are free. The next hour after that is only $1, but then it goes up pretty quickly after that, so it’s best to not park there for longer than 3-4 hours. I thought concessions was a bit exorbitant, but they do have the magic soda machines. That may be the first time I’ve seen them here. One weird thing that I didn’t like about this theater is that the stalls in the bathroom are very tiny. I’m a pretty small woman and I barely squeezed into one - the door nearly hits the toilet when you open it - so I can’t imagine how someone larger than me manages it.

*My husband has an absolutely uncanny ability to recognize voices. I'm sure if he'd been with me, he would have known them all.

Solo at the Movies: "Trainwreck" at AMC Marina Marketplace 6

I’m still behind after skipping this project in June. Perhaps August will be the month where I catch up by doing two!

Theater Info:

AMC Marina Marketplace 6

4335 Glencoe Ave, Marina del Rey

Cost: $6.30 for a matinee showing

Movie Stats:

Released 2015 (USA)

American, in English (a small amount of mostly translated Mandarin)

Director - Judd Apatow

Stars - Amy Schumer, Bill Hader

Plot Summary:

Commitment phobic Amy (Schumer) finds her life turned upside when she meets Dr. Aaron Conners (Hader), a man she actually develops feelings for.

Warnings:

Lots of blue language; fairly graphic sexy times; male nudity (butt only); minor drug use; some gore (surgery related).

Bad Stuff:

It’s way too long.

The character of Amy isn’t very likable, and it’s not because she’s a commitment phobe who likes to have a lot of sex. She’s simply not a very nice person, and the film doesn’t spend a lot of time trying to redeem her. In the end, it was difficult to root for her or to feel like she got what she deserved.

It’s really not that funny.

Good Stuff:

A lot of the secondary characters are great. I got my biggest laughs from Amy’s boss, Dianna (holy crap it’s Tilda Swinton I didn’t even recognize her), from Amy’s sort-of-boyfriend Steven (John Cena; who knew he had great comedic timing), and from Aaron’s friend LeBron James (actually LeBron James), who’s hilariously awkward and sort of creepy.

There’s a sweetness to it that I wasn’t expecting but rather enjoyed.

While I might not have done a lot of LOLing, I did spend most of the film feeling amused.

The Verdict:

It’s okay. I found both “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” far funnier. I went to see this because the last movie I saw for this project was so oppressively serious. I wanted to mix it up a bit. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite tickle my funny bone in the way I wanted it to. I was mildly entertained for a couple of hours, but it’s not something I would ever watch again. I wouldn’t even recommend it to someone else. All in all, I was disappointed.

I give it 3 stars.

About AMC Marina Marketplace 6:

I had no idea that this movie house existed. It’s rather weird because it’s quite literally just across the street from Marina’s other movie house, the dine-in theater where I saw Kingsman. You would never guess that it’s there because it’s in the middle of one of those flat strip malls. When I looked it up, I sort of felt like someone was pulling my leg. “Really?” I thought. “There’s a movie theater in there?” At any rate, like a lot of movie houses around here, it seems recently renovated because it’s really nice on the inside. The whole “getting my ticket” portion of the morning took a lot longer than it should have. Other than that, I had a pleasant experience. In my particular theater, the very cushy seats were rockers. Oh, and the parking is both free and plentiful. Bonus!

Solo at the Movies: "Testament of Youth" at Royal Laemmle

Note: For a variety of reasons, I missed doing a post for this series in June. My plan is to double up this month.

Theater Info:

Royal Laemmle Theater

11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles

Cost: $8.00 for a matinee showing

Movie Stats:

Released 2014 (UK)

British, in English (some non-translated German)

Director - James Kent

Stars - Alicia Vikander, Taron Egerton, Kit Harington, Colin Morgan

Plot Summary:

Based on the book of the same name, Vera Brittain’s (Vikander) memoir of love and loss during WWI. Egerton co-stars as Vera’s brother, Edward; Harington as her love interest, Roland; and Morgan as their friend, Victor.

Warnings:
Extreme gore (all violence is off-screen; viewers just get to see the aftermath).

Bad Stuff:

This is not an opinion I share, but I could see where someone would find it slow and boring. (Personally, despite all the action, I found “Jurassic World” way more dull than this film.)

Good Stuff:

The cast is so phenomenal that it’s difficult to single out even just one or two of them. Vikander was amazing. I spent the whole movie thinking, “She looks familiar,” and was absolutely stunned when I looked her up and finally realized she’s the AI in “Ex Machina” (where she was also amazing). I was equally stunned after spending the whole movie trying to place Egerton to realize that it was Eggsy from “Kingsman.” Everything about him in this, including the way he carried himself and the way he spoke, was so completely different from his role in Kingsman that I honestly didn’t realize it was him. I also give serious props to Harington, who I always disliked as John Snow in “Game of Thrones.” I’d never seen him in anything other than GOT, so respect to him for winning me over here. Lastly, I’m giving a special shout out to Hayley Atwell (as nurse Hope), who is such a chameleon in every role that I didn’t recognize her even though I absolutely love her (she also made a surprise-to-me appearance in “Cinderella”).

The cinematography is stunning.

After the movie ended, one of the women next to me turned to her friend and said, “That was a really beautiful movie.” And it was, in every way imaginable. The people, the scenery, the costumes, the story, all of it is incredibly beautiful. In a way, that beauty is terrible, because it makes the film all that much more painful, but it’s still beautiful nonetheless.

The Verdict:

I knew very little about it going in. I wanted to check out the Royal Laemmle, so I looked up what was playing there. I was unfamiliar with all the films, but they all had good ratings, so I chose the one that sounded most interesting to me. I knew only that it starred Vikander (whose name I didn’t recognize) and Harington and that it was about WWI.

This is a film that will punch you repeatedly, ruthlessly, and unapologetically right in the feels. I’ve hardly ever left a movie feeling so gutted. Knowing that it was based on a true story made it even worse. Let me tell you, there was a lot of sniffling going on in that theater, and it wasn’t all coming from me. If that’s not your kind of thing, then you’ll probably want to avoid this one. If you do, however, you’ll be missing out on a really great film. It’s written by an avowed pacifist who experienced the horrors of war firsthand (as a nurse) and felt its terrible wrath over and over again. It’s not supposed to make you feel good. It’s supposed to make you hurt, and it’s supposed to make you think twice about what the point of war is. It does both of those things very capably. Vera’s story is one that hopefully very few of us will find familiar, but I think it’s one that anyone could imagine happening to them. If you can imagine it, then you’ll definitely want to avoid it. That was her message in life, and I think it’s great that this film continues to carry her message forward, long after she’s gone.

I give the movie 4.75 stars.

About Royal Laemmle Theater:

Another theater that looks dubious on the outside but is great on the inside. Not sure when it was renovated - seems recent - but everything looks brand new: clean, sleek, and modern. The theater I was in was small, but the seats were very comfortable. There’s no parking lot. I walked there this time (it’s just over 2 miles from my place), but I’m familiar with the neighborhood, so I can tell you that there’s free street parking south of SM Blvd, as long as you’re willing to walk a few blocks. The only weird thing about this place is that there appears to be some kind of labor dispute going on. I drove by a few months ago and saw the protestors out front, but then I sort of forgot about it. When I went to the theater today, there were no protestors. However, they were there by the time I left, so I guess the dispute is still ongoing. I have no idea what it’s all about. The protestors made no attempt to talk to me, and I didn’t read their signs. My patronage of the theater is in no way a show of support (or a declaration of lack of support) for either side of the dispute.

Solo at the Movies: "San Andreas" at AMC Century City 15

Theater Info:

AMC Century City 15

10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles

Cost: $14.29 for a 3D matinee showing

Movie Stats:

Released 2015 (UK)

American, in English

Director - Brad Peyton

Stars - Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Giamatti

Plot Summary:

When a “swarm” of large earthquakes hits California, rescue pilot Ray (Johnson) struggles to save both his daughter Blake (Daddario) and his estranged wife Emma (Gugino). Giamatti co-stars as Cal Tech seismologist Lawrence.

Warnings:

Lots of violence; a small amount of blue language.

Bad Stuff:

Ioan Gruffudd (as Emma’s boyfriend Daniel) uses an American accent so atrocious it’s distracting. Did you ever see that Buffy episode where Spike, who’s British, pretends to be American and his accent is ridiculous? That’s exactly how Daniel sounded. (On the bright side, I have newfound respect for the accent work of James Marsters, who played Spike and is American.)

Ray is a total Mary Sue. He can fly a helicopter! And an airplane! He knows how to tandem parachute! He can hotwire a car! Seriously, there was nothing he couldn’t do and he was never wrong, not once, the whole film.

The 3D was terrible. I wish I’d seen it in 2D because it added absolutely nothing to it.

Good Stuff:

I liked that the violence wasn’t, for the most part, gory. I’m not opposed to gore per se, but it was kind of nice to watch a violent film without spending any of it cringing. Virtually none of the death was even in-your-face.

It was refreshing that neither of the women were damsels in distress. Not only did they get themselves out of several jams, they occasionally saved the men as well. Except for Ray, obviously. Ray didn’t need any saving.

It has absolutely everything you’re looking for in a disaster movie, including violence, daring rescues, fudging of physics, pseudoscience, the sniveling weasel/coward who gets his comeuppance, lots of cleavage/wet, clingy clothes, romance, and a family in turmoil that’s united by the trauma. Really, the only thing it was missing was the snappy one-liners (well, there was at least one).

The Verdict:

Real talk here. This movie is as cliche as it gets. There’s nothing new or groundbreaking in it. It’s not going to move you. Within a week, you’ll probably forget you ever watched it. But isn’t that the point? Sometimes you just need a little mindless escapism. I happen to love disaster movies. I love them in the same way that I love rom coms. I know how they’re going to turn out. Bad stuff happens. Danger, destruction, drama, death. Then, in the end, the hero (and most likely his/her loved ones) make it out safely and live happily ever after. What’s not to like about that?

So I have to admit that I enjoyed “San Andreas” tremendously. Objectively, I recognize that it’s not a good film. However, it is a good disaster film. I found it very satisfying.*

I give it 4 stars.

About AMC Century City 15:

I saw one movie there before, on one of the smaller screens, and had a good experience. This time, I was in one of the larger rooms on opening day of a big action film, so I had a great experience. The seats are not only large, comfortable, and reclining, they’re rumble chairs! That was a nice surprise. Since it’s in a mall, the parking is plentiful, although you have to pay for it and it can get a little expensive. The theater has validation machines, but they’re only on one floor (the bottom) and the ticket taker gave me the third degree when I came down from the top floor and asked to validate my parking ticket, which was slightly annoying but I understand it’s his job. Since I was there for less than 3 hours, my parking was free, but if you’re there longer than 3, you have to pay even with validation. 

*In case you’re wondering, I don’t love ALL disaster films. I’ve seen many bad ones. “The Day After Tomorrow” comes immediately to mind. “The Core” - holy crap, that movie is an abomination. “Volcano,” ugh, although it was so ridiculous it made me laugh. You can definitely screw up this genre.

Solo at the Movies: "Kill Me Three Times" at Landmark's Nuart Theater

Theater Info:

Landmark’s Nuart Theater

11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles

Cost: $9.00 for a matinee showing

Movie Stats:

Released 2014 (Canada)

Australian & American, in English

Director - Kriv Stenders

Stars - Simon Pegg, Alice Braga, Luke Hemsworth, Teresa Palmer and others

Plot Summary:

When professional hit-man Charlie Wolfe (Pegg) is hired to follow Alice (Braga), whose husband suspects her of cheating, he unwittingly becomes embroiled in a complicated and murderous insurance plot. Hemsworth co-stars as Dylan, the local gas station owner, and Palmer as Lucy, Alice’s sister-in-law.

Warnings:

Graphic violence; lots of blue language (the first word of the movie is an f-bomb); brief female nudity (breasts and butt only); relatively graphic sexy times.

Bad Stuff:

For the type of movie it is, I thought it was a little boring. I expected it to be faster paced.

I didn’t think that it did the “out of order timeline” thing especially well.

The happy tone of the ending didn’t feel right to me.

Good Stuff:

I love watching Simon Pegg play badass characters. I’m not sure why; maybe because he often plays goofballs and/or hapless, lovable schlubs. That makes it more entertaining when he plays out-of-type.

It had some very funny moments, especially if you have a dark sense of humor.

The cinematography was surprisingly great.

The Verdict:

I went to see this because Simon Pegg is in it. I’m a big fan, so I make an effort to see his films (looking at his IMDB, I see that I’ve missed quite a few). While this is not one of my favorites of his, I thought it was okay. You won’t hear me wax poetic about it (like "Shaun of the Dead") but you won’t hear me say that I wish I could forget I ever saw it (like "Mission Impossible III," which I only watched for him and then he was barely in it). It kept me fairly entertained for an hour and a half. I wouldn’t say there are any bad performances, and I thought the story was fairly tight. The insurance scam was a bit complex, but it made sense. I just wish the film had a bit more oomph.

I give it 3.5 stars.

About Landmark’s Nuart Theater:

This place isn’t much to look at from the outside. Frankly, it looks old and rundown, and I was “looking forward” to finding old seats and sticky floors when I got inside. What a pleasant relief it was to be wrong! It’s completely renovated on the inside. It’s actually really quite nice, one of the nicest theaters I’ve been in in a long time. There’s only one screen. The room is large, the seats are cushy, and the rows are surprisingly wide. I think that was my favorite part. Even though I’m short, I often leave movie theaters with aching knees because the seats are just too close together. That wasn’t a problem here. The biggest downside to this theater is parking. It doesn’t have its own lot, and the street meters are hour only, so you have to find neighborhood parking if you’re going before 6 p.m. Luckily for me, I’m familiar with the neighborhood and knew where to easily find a spot. I had to walk a few blocks, which isn’t a problem for me, but a lot of LA people seem to hate that.

Solo at the Movies: "Cinderella" at AMC 7

Theater Info:

AMC Santa Monica 7

1310 3rd St, Santa Monica

Cost: $7.29 for a matinee showing

Movie Stats:

Released 2015 (Germany)

American, in English

Director - Kenneth Branagh

Stars - Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter

Plot Summary:

It’s the fairytale story “Cinderella.” Surely you’re already familiar with it. James stars as Cinderella, Blanchett as her evil stepmother, Madden as the prince, and Carter as the fairy godmother.

Warnings:

None.

Bad Stuff:

It’s as saccharine sweet of a movie as you’ll ever see. It’s a bit much.

In the concluding scene of the “hunt for the wearer of the glass slipper,” there was a twist that was so convenient that I actually rolled my eyes.

[SPOILER sort of]

There really aren’t any consequences for the bad guys.

[SPOILER]

Good Stuff:

The costumes were fantastic. In fact, it was seeing the costumes in the trailer that made me want to see this film.

As overly sweet as it was, it was still cute, light-hearted, and fun. It was immensely entertaining.

I don’t think there was a weak performance in the lot. Kudos to the make-up department for making Madden (who most folks know as Rob Stark on “Game of Thrones”) completely unrecognizable. And kudos to the casting people for including Hayley Atwell (of “Agent Carter” fame) as Cinderella’s mother.

The Verdict:

Honestly, there’s not a lot to say about it. This movie doesn’t add anything new to the tale, although I don’t think that was its intent. It’s a simple retelling, and in that, it does a very good job. It’s PG enough for kids while at the same time it’s entertaining enough for adults. It’s cute and touching, it’s visually stunning,  all the actors are very likable, and, as fairytales often do, it has an appropriately happy ending. I really enjoyed it.

I give it 4 stars.

About AMC Santa Monica 7:

To be honest, I’d been to this theater a couple of times before and wasn’t impressed. Located in the heart of downtown Santa Monica (right on the Promenade), it was old and rundown and you have to pay for parking, there’s no way around it unless you take a cab or public transit. However, it’s currently under renovation. They’re turning it into a dine-in theater, which pleases me since it’s much closer to where I live than the one in Marina. Only two of the screens are currently open, but they’ve already been renovated, so I got the cushy seats at the cheap price, which was nice. I’m looking forward to more shows at this place in the future!

Solo at the Movies: "Kingsman" at AMC Dine-In

Theater Info:

AMC Dine-In Theater Marina 6

13455 Maxella Ave, Marina Del Rey

Cost: $12.79 for an 12 p.m. matinee showing

Movie Stats:

Released 2014 (USA)*

British, in English (some Swedish, both translated and not, and some Arabic that I can’t remember if it was translated or not)

Director - Matthew Vaughn

Stars - Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Taron Egerton

Plot Summary:

British Secret Service agent Harry “Galahad” Hart (Firth), and his protege “Eggsy” Unwin (Egerton), take on American billionaire Valentine (Jackson), who is bent on causing worldwide destruction.

Warnings:

Blue language; extreme violence; brief female nudity (butt only); very explicit reference to sexy times, although no actual sexy times.

Bad Stuff:

The references to sex toward the end were very jarring. There’s not the barest mention of sex nearly the whole film, not even a minor love story, and then, bam, out of nowhere they’re talking about [SPOILER] doing anal [SPOILER] and I’m like, “Where the heck did that come from?” I don’t mind sex in movies, but it felt so out of place in relation to the rest of the film that it actually made me uncomfortable.

I thought it was weird that the movie singled out Obama (although they never say it’s him, it’s clearly meant to be him) as the only world leader shown to be shady. It’s certainly implied that other leaders are, but the way that it was done made me feel like someone involved in the film has a beef with him, which, once again, felt out of place and also, in my opinion, inappropriate in a movie like this. (As I’m typing this, I’ve come up with a theory about it. You can ask me in the comments if you want to know.)

Good Stuff:

All of the acting is great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Firth do a bad job, but he seemed like he really enjoyed himself making this, and it was nice to see him play an action hero. Jackson was definitely out of type, playing a total goofball, which was funny and he was good at it.  Egerton was the breakout star though. I was very impressed with his accent work, especially after discovering that he’s Welsh.

It was surprisingly deep, posing a lot of interesting questions about wealth, class, and right-to-life, but not in a way that felt preachy.

It was so much fun!

The Verdict:

The thing that surprised me the most about it is how violent it is. I’ve seen plenty of violent films, but for some reason I just wasn’t expecting this high level of violence for this particular film. It made a lot more sense later, after I discovered that Vaughn also directed “Kick-Ass” (It was a definite “Ohhhhh!” moment). At any rate, I wouldn’t say it was off-putting for me, just surprising. Regardless, I enjoyed the heck out of it. It was way more fun than any Bond movie I’ve ever slogged through. Loved all the actors, loved the story line, loved the action, loved how clever it was. The only thing I didn’t love was the ending.

I give it 4 stars.

About AMC Dine-In Theater Marina 6:

I like this movie house. Located inside Villa Marina (a shopping complex), the parking is plentiful and free. The service is okay. The seats are comfortable (and they recline). I went once before and may or may not have gotten a touch of food poisoning from my meal. This time, I had a burger and it was great (I can hear Samuel L. Jackson in my head saying, “Mmmm, that IS a tasty burger!”). Of course, because it’s a dine-in theater, the tickets are expensive, but I feel that the food is fairly priced. I’ve spent nearly as much on just popcorn and a soda before, so getting a burger and fries for that price instead is great by me. I would definitely go back, although probably for a date night rather than alone. 

*According to IMDB, this movie was first released in 2014 at the U.S.'s Butt-Numb-a-Thon festival, which was a detail too hilarious for me to not mention in my review. However, its worldwide release was in 2015.