Noah (2014)

Noah IMDb

Okay, so I'm not into biblical movies or movies inspired from biblical stories. The only reason I saw this was because of director Darren Aronofsky.  I love half of his movies so I gave this one a shot.  Now that I said that, I feel much better.  I didn't like this movie.  There were some okay moments but I'm not into these types of stories.  I know this has to be a lot different than the biblical version but I'm not into this mythology.   Even though this isn't the same type of movie, every once in a while, I'll be in the mood for a Roman and Greek Epic, but that's rare.  Man, I sound snobby.  Somebody shoot me!  Anyways, I gave this a chance and that's about it.  People are cruel here but I guess that's the message.

I wouldn't recommend this but I do recommend these works from the same director:

The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream, and Black Swan.

The Book of Life (2014)

The Book of Life IMDb

Took my little man to see another great Animation this year.  This was awesome, especially the first hour.  Then as soon as Ice Cube's voice is heard, it goes downhill from there.  I love me a nice romantic and funny love story.  Yes, behind this gore loving and revenge film addict, there's a soft spot.  And coming from a Mexican background, I couldn't help but appreciate all the cultural references on here.  We are some emotional fucking people, I'll tell you.  So, I love the story here except where it became a little too much towards the end. Still, it was entertaining.  Love the music covers on here also.  

"Play with your heart" and love conquers all kind of story.   Worth checking out.

And since the trailer referenced churros, well, it's only right to sneak some in.  There were two churro references.  And for the record, my son Nathan loved the movie.  That counts.

Western Wednesday: The Last Gun

 The Last Gun IMDb

Decided to watch a spaghetti western for my last Western Wednesday.  This one here was okay.  Lots of boring moments but the story was okay.  I like that we were introduced to the bad guys first.  Our actual main hero doesn't show up until almost halfway through.  Our hero is a masked guy who tries to help the Sheriff protect a shipment containing gold.  We find out who the masked guy is at the end which was disappointing.  

There, my last western wasn't entertaining but I did it.  Saw 12 westerns this year.  I'll put them from most favorite to least favorite at the end of the year.  Time to spark up a cigar!

German Trailer:

Jersey Boys (2014)

 Jersey Boys IMDb

Love me some good old fashioned oldies.  This movie is about The Four Seasons band and their rise to fame.  They're the ones that sing: Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, and Walk Like a Man.  Directed by Clint Eastwood.  While I did like most of the story and the music, I felt that there were some unnecessary moments.  I guess it was the style they were going for.  The narration got kind of annoying after a bit as well.  But, for the most part, I was entertained with this biopic.  Lots of ups and downs in the music business.  Lots of struggle and lost friendships.

It was worth checking out at Redbox.  I personally wouldn't buy it.  Now, I gotta download lots of Four Seasons songs I've never heard of.

Cashback

Cashback IMDb

Oh Netflix.  I haven't seen a movie on Netflix since....I don't know, a while.  Anyways, decided to go with this artsy drama about a guy who has insomnia due to a heartbreak.  To kill time during his insomnia, he works overnight at a grocery store.  Over time, he has the power in his head to freeze time.   While there was some pretty cool moments on here, the story was a bit unoriginal.  Of course, when you're broken hearted, you will find a moment where you let go.  There are tons of movies out there like that.  I mean, it's not easy letting go.  But, we all know that we let go at some point.  There is a scene on here that pisses me off.  Our main guy has finally moved on.  He is finally sleeping.  Then, at a party, his ex-girlfriend shows up.  She now wants him back.  Big surprise.  He's no longer interested.  Where was she when he was crying and not able to sleep for weeks?  She didn't care about that.  The moment that pissed me off was that our main guy's new date saw the ex-girlfriend making a move on the guy but it looked like the guy was enjoying it (which he was not).  His new date leaves the party.  That happens a lot in movies.  The grocery store scenes were okay.  

You're not missing anything special with this movie.  Other heartbreak/moving on movies to see that are a lot better:  Swingers, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and maybe Glory Daze, oh, 500 Days of Summer.

Maleficent (2014)

Maleficent IMDb

This was okay to see.  A decent take on the Sleeping Beauty story.  I was told by a friend I recently met that this was her favorite movie this year.  Well, I wouldn't put this in my top favorites.  Hell, I wouldn't even want to buy it, but for what it was, it was okay.  Nothing special.  There was some okay wizard and magical moments but a lot of CGI ruins most of the magic. I liked the set up to this but after one third of the way, I lost interest.  Maybe it's not my thing.  So, moving on.  

I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a Harry Potter fan or something (maybe you'll enjoy it).  To each his own.

Zatoichi Night: Zatoichi's Vengeance

Zatoichi's Vengeance IMDb

This is very emotional for me.  It is the last Zatoichi Night of this year.  As tears roll down, I realized I still have 12 more Zatoichi movies to go to finish the box set.  So this isn't a goodbye.  No, I'm not having Zatoichi Night no more.  I'll try to knock the rest of the Zatoichi movies one month.  This movie right here has one of my favorite words in the title: Vengeance. Oh yeah, motherfuckers!  I'm sipping on my Wild Turkey and coke as I'm writing this, so bear with me.  Shit, I lost my train of thought.  I can't believe this is the last one this year.  I already said that.  Actually, this monthly special was overall okay.  I mean, all these movies are practically the same.  There are few differences in the stories but they still feel a bit repetitive.  This movie starts with a battle scene at the beginning.  And kudos for another battle scene that happens later where things were a bit different for our blind swordsman.  I'm talking about the scene where Zatoichi battles these 5 or 6 guys and then a bunch of drummers purposely surround him so he can't hear his enemies near him.  He still kicks ass.  The rest is the usual. Zatoichi saving another town from corrupted yakuzas.   Not bad.

Not among my favorites in the series but still okay.  At the end of the year, I will put all the movies I've seen for Zatoichi Night from most favorite to least favorite.