Movies of a Petite Aspie

Quvenzhané Wallis Director: Benh Zeitlin Stars: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly, Lowell Landes Genre(s): Drama; Fantasy DVD Release Date: December 4, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 8 6% 30-year-old director Benh Zeitlin's post-apocalyptic drama, Bea sts of the Southern Wild , has been nominated for multiple Oscar , and is one of the most critically-acclaimed movies of 2012.  Yet, it was not nearly as terrific as I had thought (or hoped) it would be.  I can certainly comp rehend why the film ha s been so lauded, but I would be hard-pressed to say that I agree.   I really did not know what to expect prior to watching it; I knew that it was some sort of fantastical drama involving natural disasters, and that is true.  I had hoped that there w ould be much more to the apocalyptic element of the story, but there was no t.   It is difficult to identify the year in which the film takes place, but we can ascertain that it is someti...

Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman   Director: Tom Hooper Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried Genre(s): Musical; Drama; Romance Release Date: December 25, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70% As Tom Hooper proved with his Oscar-winning film, The King's Speech , he is a very talented filmmaker.  His latest venture, the movie based on the hit musical Les Miserables , is ambitious -- to say the least.  I think he suceeds, for the most part.  Of course, I didn't see the film until after having read varying opinions about the movie: some, like Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwartzbaum , loathed it; others, like Dallas Morning News' Joy Tipping , loved it.  All of the people I had personally spoken about the movie had said, "It's great; you'll love it."  And, I suppose, opon further contemplation, I concur -- but I would not go so far as to say that it is perfect, because few films truly are. Going to see an epic movie...

Keira Knightley Director: Joe Wright Stars: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Johnson, Kelly Macdonald Genre(s): Drama; Romance Release Date: September 7, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62% Keira Knightley certainly has changed since her Oscar-nominated role in Pride and Prejudice , and in the past eight years she has starred in terrible movies, terrific movies, and everything in-between.  She is still undeniably gorgeous and talented, yet perhaps her poised British grandeur has lost its effect.  It is, therefore, not surprising that she was given the title role in Anna Karenina , her latest film with frequent collaborator, director Joe Weight; she has a knack for playing historical -- both true and fictionalized -- women from years past.  As it turns out, that knack does nothing to elevate Wright's disappointing version of Tolstoy's classic romance novel.  Anna Karenina takes place during the 19th century, and Knightley plays a young mother who is ...

Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman Director: Wes Anderson Stars: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton Genre(s): Comedy; Drama; Romance DVD Release Date: October 26, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% Typically, when you see that a certain film has a 94 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, you assume that movie will be fantastic; you expect it to wow you.  But Wes Anderson's latest, Moonrise Kingdom , is just...okay.  There is really nothing particularly innovative about the movie.  There's nothing particularly interesting about the movie, nothing that makes you want to brag about it to your friends.  However, it is not terrible either, which makes it all the more disappointing, because it could have been so much more than mediocre. Moonrise Kingdom has the feel of a comedy, but there are few -- if any -- laugh-out-loud moments.  Additionally, it is occasionally difficult to discern when one is meant to laugh; moments that ma...

Suraj Sharma Director: Ang Lee Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu Genre(s): Science Fiction, Drama, Action/Adventure Release Date: November 21, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89% In Life of Pi , Oscar-winning director Ang Lee ( Brokeback Mountain ) proves that he is one of the most gifted filmmakers in Hollywood.  That is not to say that his latest endeavor, one of the few recent 3D flicks that was actually filmed in 3D [as opposed to converted to 3D in post-production], is a "masterpiece" -- that one word implies so much.  Visually, it is a masterpiece, and I did not regret spending a few dollars more for the added experienced of that third dimension.  The rest of the film is not perfect, to be sure, but Lee takes what was deemed an "unfilmable" novel and makes it into a profound, entertaining, and at times heart-wrenching epic film. Life of Pi is meant to be a family film, and it probably does appeal to children; yet, it pushes t...