Looper

     "Looper" is a movie about time travel.A Looper is a time travel assassin who terminates his assigned target when his target is transported from the future about 30 years into the past to a specific location.
     Joseph Gordon Levitt plays young Joe,the looper and Bruce Willis plays Joe 30 years into the future.
      When old Joe is transported to the past to be terminated by his young self,things get messy and the entire "looper" operation is threatened.
      The "looper" operation is violent to its core and they will kill anyone;even their own people.
      There is of course much more to the story as many characters interact the 2 Joe's.
       Leave the kids with the sitter.This one is really violent.
I give this movie a C+.

                                                    Julie

Hit and Run

     Dax Shepard wrote,directed,edited and starred in this action/comedy.It starts a bit slow as we are introduced to the small town life of "Charles Bronson"and his lover played by Kristin Bell.
      Things then morph into a road trip/chase to Los Angeles.An incredible entourage of quirky characters interact along the way.
      Eventually the love of the two main characters is confirmed in LA.The end.
Well I thought it was the end but now Dax Sheppard and Kristen Bell are married in real life.

Rock of Ages

       Rock of Ages is a fun movie with plenty of great music from the 80's.It succeeds because it does not take itself too seriously.
       The music starts immediately with "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger--and who is Sister Christian ? Well, in this movie it is Sherrie Christian,played by Julianne Hough.The story and music revolve around her adventures and misadventures in 1980's LA.
      There are plenty of quirky characters and situations to hang the songs on.Just enjoy the music and the silliness.If you like the music of the hair bands of the 80's,This will be a fun film to see.

                                                                                                                                          Julie

Movie Trivia - Casablanca

The scene at the airport at the end of "Casablanca" was filmed at the old Los Angeles Metropolitan Airport.

Upcoming Movie: J. Edgar

       Based on the life J. Edgar Hoover,director of the FBI from 1935 until his death in 1972,this movie is set for release in November.Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leonardo Di Caprio as J. Edgar Hoover,this movie will probably be an Academy Award contender in several categories.
       J. Edgar Hoover remained one one of the most powerful men in Washington throughout his career as FBI director.He is an enigma;credited on one hand with making the FBI a well respected and effective crime fighting agency while feared by many for his secret files on the politically powerful and other public figures of note.
     I think this will be one of the most interesting and powerful films of the year.
                                                                                                                              Julie

Sarah's Key

Directed by--Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Julia Jarmond--Kristin Scott-Thomas
Sarah (age 10)--Melusine Mayance
William Rainsferd--Aidan Quinn

     Let me start this review with a warning.If you are looking for an easy viewing movie for simple entertainment then this is not the one.This is a very serious movie about a little known aspect of the Holocaust and it has a number of disturbing scenes.Although the characters are fictional,the historical event within which the story occurs was not.
     This movie has a dual quest.Two time lines and two stories told in parallel, interlaced but related and ultimately blending to form the whole.
      Young Sarah,a ten year old Jewish girl,lives in Nazi occupied Paris in 1942 with her parents and younger brother.The French police, willingly cooperating with the Nazis it seems,start a purge and roundup of Jews in Paris.They are removed from their homes and sent to camps.Ultimately they meet the same tragic fate as so many other Jews in World War II.
     When the French police arrive at the home of Sarah's family,Sarah,intent on protecting her brother,locks him in a bedroom cupboard and keeps the key hidden.She is sure she will return witin three days to rescue him.Sarah's mother,reeling from the sudden arrival of the police,goes along with Sarah's lie.The French police have also lied,claiming the family will only be temporarily relocated for three days.
     The film moves to 2009,where Julia Jarmond,an American born journalist and her French husband,an ambitious businessman, live and work in Paris.Julia is researching the tragic event of 1942 that forcibly removed 70,000 Jews from Paris and sent them to their deaths.She intends to write an article for her publication about the event.
     The film shifts from the events of 1942 with Sarah;then back to Julia in 2009.The alternating story lines increasingly relate to each other,creating a complex montage of characters and events that reveal the fierce struggle of the two main characters of this film.Sarah's struggle to save her brother is symbolized by her key.Julia's struggle reveals her unequivocal devotion to the truth.
     About half of the film is in French so be prepared for English subtitles.
     Kristin Scott Thomas is wonderful as Julia and the young French actress,Melusine Mayance,is absolutely amazing as Sarah.The performance of all the cast members brilliantly contributes to this film.
     This is a very complex film,filled with irony and intense emotion.The conclusion of the film is stunning.Bring tissue.
     This film is rated PG-13.It could be really disturbing to some children.
     I give this film an A.
    
                                                                                           Julie
   

Formula for a good action movie

      "Rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guys, save the world" --an actual line from one of the Mummy movies of around 1999-2001;spoken by Brendan Fraser.If you think about it,practically every good action movie has these basic elements.