Movies of a Petite Aspie

Tye Sheridan and Lena Waite Director: Steven Spielberg Screenwriters: Zak Penn, Ernest Cline (author as well) Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Mark Rylance MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for  sequences of sci-fi action violence, bloody images, some suggestive material, partial nudity, and language Genres: Action, Adventure, Science-Fiction, Fantasy Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 75%   Clip: "The Prize Awaits" Ready Player One is, to sum up in two words, a "geek's dream."  And that is, honestly, a compliment, as I consider myself at least somewhat of a geek and adore pop culture and pop culture references.  (Why else would I have a blog?)  And Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg -- with whom you may be familiar -- has surely created an adaptation of Ernest Cline's best-selling science-fiction that is rampant with pop culture references.  I will admit that I have not read ...

Storm Reid & Levi Miller Director: Ava DuVernay Screenwriter: Jennifer Lee (based on the novel by Madeline L'Engle) Starring: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine MPAA Rating: Rated PG for thematic elements and some peril Genres: Action & Adventure, Drama, Kids & Family, Science-Fiction & Fantasy Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 42%   Clip: "This Is Wild" A Wrinkle in Time is disappointing in many ways yet I couldn't help but be entertained regardless.  Reese Witherspoon's Mrs. Whatsit says that she's "underwhelmed" with Storm Reid's Meg, and one could easily say the same about the film.  Madeline L'Engle's children's novel, on which the movie is based, is a difficult work to adapt for the big screen, although this is often the case with beloved classics such as this.  And, in the more-than-capable hands of Ava DuVernay ( Selma, 13t...

Shailene Woodley & Theo James Director: Neil Burger Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Zoe Kravitz, Jai Courtney Genre(s): Action/Adventure; Sci-fi DVD Release Date: August 5, 2014 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 41% Divergent is latest installment n the dystopian YA craze, based on the first book in Veronica Roth's best-selling series.  You know the formula: futuristic society, teenage heroine, hunky hero, etc.  Like the Jennifer Lawrence-starring Hunger Games franchise, Divergent features beating unbeatable odds in a more-than-slightly predictable manner.  The main characters are likable and strong, but flawed, which makes them relatable; in Divergent, Tris (Shailene Woodley) is even more relatable than Lawrence's Katniss, as she struggles early in the film when adjusting to her new lifestyle.   Divergent takes place in a distant future, in Chicago, when society is separated into different Factions, each representing a d...

Action/Adventure 1. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 2. Star Wars, Episode V - the Empire Strikes Back 3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowhsip of the Ring 5. Star Wars, Episode VI - Return of the Jedi 6. Raiders of the Lost Ark 7. Star Wars, Episode IV - A New Hope 8. Inception 9. Avatar 10. The Matrix Animated 1. Finding Nemo 2. Toy Story 3. WALL-E 4. The Lion King 5. Shrek 6. Beauty and the Beast 7. Toy Story 3 8. Lady and the Tramp 9. Bambi 10. The Incredibles Comedy 1. Father of the Bride 2. The Princess Bride 3. Shrek 4. Heaven Can Wait 5. The Breakfast Club 6. A Fish Called Wanda 7. Roman Holiday 8. The Incredibles 9. Some Like It Hot 10. The Graduate Drama 1. It's a Wonderful Life 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 3. Titanic 4. To Kill a Mockingbird 5. American Beauty 6. Schindler's List 7. The NeverEnding Story 8. The Green Mile 9. The Lord of the Rings: The Tw...

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...

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland Director: Lars von Trier Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgaard, Skellan Skarsgaard Genre(s): Drama, Science Fiction Theatrical Release Date: May 26, 2011 DVD Release Date: March 13, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77% Pleasant surprises, when in comes to movies, are often the best.  Although, I suppose you could not say outright that I was surprised that I loved Lars von Trier's fantasy/drama, Melancholia , after I had read Entertainment Weekly 's Lisa Schwartzbaum's raving review of the film.  But I had also heard those negative reviews, which are likely for just about every movie.  However, like Tree of Life , a similarly philosophical and innovative look and life and death, I found Melancholia to be utterly gorgeous.  However, unlike Tree of Life , Melancholia contains a discernible plot and is much easier to follow, though that is not primarily why I found it so f...

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Lenny Kravitz           Director: Gary Ross Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson Genre(s): Action, Science-Fiction/Fantasy Release Date: March 23, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87% Adapting a beloved, best-selling novel for the big screen is no easy task.  Many have failed, and when this occurs, legions of fans are upset.  Sub-plots and minor, fairly insignificant details are destined to be eliminated from the script, but fans expect the book's original themes, plot(s), and characters are intact.  Many who have loved Suzanne Collins' wonderful post-apocalyptic trilogy -- The Hunger Games , Catching Fire , and Mockingjay -- were anxious (myself included) to see if director Gary Ross' film adaption could live up to its hefty, meaningful source material.  Luckily, we can all breathe a sigh of a relief. Ross has become as successful as the...

Laurence Fishburne and Jennifer Ehle Director: Steven Soderbergh Stars: Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard Genre(s): Science Fiction, Thriller Release Date: September 9, 2011 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%   Contagion , director Steven Soderbergh's film about an airborne virus that spreads like a rapid pace, is partly an excuse for him to include as many Oscar nominees and winners as possible, and the trailers' depiction of it as a frighteningly scary film is more than slightly off.  It is no spoiler that Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow), a woman who returns from Hong Kong with a terrible, undefined sickness, becomes the first casualty of this mysterious virus.  Her husband (Matt Damon) takes every precaution to keep himself and his teenage daughter (Anna Jacoby-Heron) safe from the virus.  We also see Laurence Fishburne as a CDC deputy director intent on keeping the realities of the virus' spread quiet, Kate Winslet as a CDC ...

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not meant to be a prequel to the original Planet of the Apes movies (or the 2001 remake); it is a reboot, and the ending that occurs shortly after the credits start rolling assumes that more movies are to come. A brilliant young scientist, Will (James Franco), has concocted a serum named “ALZ-112,” with the “ALZ” prefix referring to its [supposed] ability to cure Alzheimer’s, which is a cause that is important to him because his father (John Lithgow) suffers from it.  After an experiment that goes awry, Will sneaks home the infant son of a deceased ape.  Will grows to love and care for the “little” guy, Caesar, who displays unusually high intelligence.  But when Caesar is sent to a shelter overcrowded with apes, he commences his plans to help his fellow primates escape the prison.   Much of the first act is spent on establishing the world, further theory that this is a hopeful relaunch of the franchise ....

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes The Change-Up The Whistleblower Magic Trip Bellflower

Cowboys & Aliens , director Jon Favreau’s latest high-budget venture, opens in a bleak but picturesque New Mexico landscape in the 1870’s, and a dazed cowboy (Daniel Craig) notices a peculiar electronic bracelet affixed to his wrist. He evidently cannot remember his name or anything else, and he soon wanders into a Western town inhabited by various folks, including a hardened Colonel (Harrison Ford), a mysterious beauty (Olivia Wilde), a frank preacher (M.C. Gainey), and a clueless saloon owner (Sam Rockwell). He discovers that his name is Jake Lonergan, and that he is wanted for a variety of terrible crimes, including murder. However, the threat of an invading alien spacecraft comes to the forefront, as friends and family members of the townspeople are captured by these bizarre creatures that they call “demons” – at that time, humans had yet to invent the term “aliens,” and the thought of another planet with living beings would never have crossed their minds. Lonerga...