Nightcrawler

          I'm trying to get back into the pattern that I happened to fall into in the past couple of weeks, and here's Nightcrawler coming out on Halloween. Nightcrawler was definitely worth the watch, and you can see the trailer here; although, the trailer gives you only a slight look into what really takes place during this film. Nightcrawlers are what they call the people in this movie that go out and try to get the shots that they can sell to news stations. This is what Louis Bloom becomes, and he happens to be very good at it.

          Nightcrawler was excellent, one of those movies, like the others on here, that I'd go out and see again. It's very dark and is accompanied by plenty of suspense, which I believe makes it great for Halloween.

Nightcrawler Poster. ComingSoon. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

          Summary:

          (Highlight the grey text boxes SPOILER with your mouse to see spoilers if you dare)

          I imagine I'll probably end up covering a lot from the summary because there's so much that I think is better not to know.

          Louis Bloom lives in L.A. and seems to be struggling to find work; we see almost instantly that he steals different things to then resell to make some money. As he is driving on the highway he comes upon a car accident where the police are trying to rescue the person inside. Right after Louis arrives at the scene to observe, a van pulls up with two cameramen trying to get shots of the scene that they can sell to the news stations. Soon after this event, Louis is out with his own camera and police scanner looking for a place he can get the best shots to sell. He quickly picks up the trade and learns that he has an excellent eye for the shocking shots that will keep people glued. With his success, he hires a man named Rick to help him during the night. As events unfold, we see that Louis is very different and willing to do things to get the perfect shot. It becomes very clear how far he is willing to go when we see the van from the very beginning in a collision right after we witness Louis tampering with it.

          At one point, Louis witnesses a home invasion that leaves three dead, and he even films the two men that committed the crime as they leave. Instead of giving the evidence to the police, Louis removes certain parts of the tapes and then sells the remaining footage to a news station while he sits on the evidence so he can use it at a better time. In the end of the movie, we are shown that Louis now has two vans instead of one car and his company is still going.

          Overall this is an excellent film. Louis is cutthroat and willing to do whatever it takes to move up. He is incredibly smart and takes everything into account when making a decision. There is obviously an entire movie worth of content that I left out of the summary, but I wanted to give an overview without giving everything away. If you still aren't very sure on whether to see the movie or not, take a look at the image below.

Quote From Jake Gyllenhaal's AMA on Reddit. 2014. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.

Lars and the Real Girl

          Lars and the Real Girl is a movie about Lars and a not so real girl. It's a look into this shy, awkward guys life. The movie shows us what Lars struggles with and it also shows us how much people care about this sweet guy. It's a great movie that is certainly worth some attention, and the trailer for it is here.

Lars and the Real Girl Poster. IMDb. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

          Summary:
          (Highlight the grey text boxes SPOILER with your mouse to see spoilers if you dare)

          As I said, Lars and the Real Girl is about Lars and a not so real girl. Lars seems to be a bit of a loner. He lives with his brother, Gus, and sister-in-law, Karin, but he lives in the furnished garage which is almost like an apartment. Don't get the wrong idea though, it's not like his brother and wife has banished him to the garage; they still try to invite him to eat with them and spend time with them, but Lars does his damnedest to avoid that. One night out of the blue, though, Lars tells Gus and Karin that he has a visitor and asks them if they could put her up in the house while she's there. Happy to see Lars with someone, they gladly agree before seeing who is really visiting Lars. Her name's Bianca and she doesn't speak much English, though to everyone else, she doesn't speak at all. That's because she's a doll that Lars ordered online. Most people probably wouldn't brag about having a doll that's quite like this one, let alone start dating it, but to Lars, Bianca is very real and seems to be filling a very big hole in his life.

          Early on, people are obviously a little wary and confused, but thanks to a few amazing people, Bianca becomes a regular person in the town with a life and friends, all because they care so much for Lars. As the time passes, Bianca becomes very sick and soon passes herself. Thanks to her though, Lars is able to overcome some very real hurdles in his life.

          Lars and the Real Girl is an excellent movie; it makes you want to live in a town like that one. There's humor in this movie, and while it doesn't come from one liners and such like in the other movies, it's more situational and seen in the people's expressions or reactions. It's definitely a movie worth checking out, that brings a nice, happy story to us.

Guardians of the Galaxy

          I know that this is out of my usual pattern of movies, but it's playing on campus, so I thought I'd put it in. Whether you've noticed or not, I've been trying to do a movie that is lesser known, at least to me, and a new release each week. Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't fall under either of those categories, (it shouldn't, it seemed quite big) but like I said, it's on campus, so I figured I'd talk about it if anyone was trying to decide whether to go or not.

          Guardians of the Galaxy is a MARVEL movie, so that means it was adapted from a comic book. Like all of the other MARVEL movies, Stan Lee makes his appearance and it is really a very good movie. There's plenty of laughs throughout with a healthy dose of action, and some sad moments. You can watch the trailer here and then go check out the full movie at the Union.

Guardians of the Galaxy Poster 2. 2014. ComingSoon. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.

          Summary:

          (Highlight the grey text boxes SPOILER with your mouse to see spoilers if you dare)

          In the beginning of the movie we see Peter Quill, as a child, get abducted by a space ship right after the passing of his mother. We see him again some years later on a foreign planet where Peter is searching for an object that someone is very interested in buying. Peter has become a Ravager in his new life; searching for and selling stuff to very interested buyers. This time though, Peter's target has some very extreme and secret powers that some might want to get their hands on. One in particular is named Ronan the Accuser. Ronan has been holding some grudges and when he finally gets his chance to take his revenge, it becomes up to Peter and the rest of The Guardians to stop him from achieving his goal.

          Guardians of the Galaxy is a very good movie with a great story. The humor is fantastic and the action is packed. It really is a fun movie to go see, especially since it's right here on campus and free. So go give it a shot, and I doubt you'll regret it.

Fury

          As I said before, it has been a very long time since I've seen a movie where people have actually stood up in the theater and clapped, but, again, this is a movie where I expected that to happen. While Fury might not be set on a single true story, it definitely gives the feel and impression of a story that has really happened; the movie is actually based on a number of accounts from people that actually participated in tanks during World War II. The trailer for Fury is here, but the trailer doesn't give the overall feel of the movie. I was lucky enough to be able to see the very first showing of this movie, and it was entirely worth it.

Fury Poster. Yahoo. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

          Summary:

          (Highlight the grey text boxes SPOILER with your mouse to see spoilers if you dare)

          Set during World War II, Fury follows the crew of a tank they named "Fury" as they work their way through the missions they are given and, at the same time, the war. Early on, what may seen as a mere child, Norman is sent to replace a fallen member of the tank "Fury." Norman's actual training for the war has been as a typist and it becomes obviously apparent that he has had no real experience in battle. We are able to watch Norman as he quickly changes into something that is unfamiliar to the Norman we see in the beginning of the film. In the end, "Fury" is left as the only defense against a company of SS German soldiers, and we get a glimpse at the humanity that still survives during wars.

          Overall, Fury is an incredible movie that I found myself gripped to the entire time. It does an amazing job of showing the transformation of a soldier during the war, or more accurately, any war. We are able to see Norman as he enters the worst part of the war, and we can witness his transformation that happens over what we may believe to be only a few days. Everyone knows, "War is Hell," but I believe that this film does one hell of a job of really showing us that. If you get a chance and you enjoy war movies, Fury is a film that you do not want to miss, even if you don't particularly love war movies.

Stuck In Love

          Stuck In Love sounds like what it is. The poster says, "A story about first loves and second chances," and there is really not too much trickery or twists to this movie. You could broadly classify this movie as a romantic comedy, and you wouldn't be wrong in doing that, but that isn't all there is to Stuck In Love. The trailer for it is here, and from the beginning of it you can tell that it's unique.

Stuck In Love Poster. IMDb. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

          Summary:
          (Highlight the grey text boxes SPOILER with your mouse to see spoilers if you dare)

          Stuck In Love centers around the Borgens family; a father, Bill, daughter, Samantha, son, Rusty, and ex-wife, Erica. The first three are writers, or writers in the making, with the father being successful, having published some books and garnered respect as an author. The daughter is in college, and as we learn in the beginning, she is getting her first book published; something that would be a huge moment in anyone's life. Rusty is still in high school and a massive fan of Steven King. Some jealousy shows when it is learned that Samantha is getting her book published under the same people that publish Mr. King, but all in all, everyone is happy for Sam. As for Erica, she and Bill are divorced, and while Bill has been holding on to hope for two years, she has remarried.

          With a little push from his dad, Rusty goes looking for some life experiences; one of those coming in the form of the girl he's had his eye on in class. Samantha takes a different path. Having bore witness to her parents divorce, she avoids relationships and dating all together and instead looks only for company that she can cut loose in the morning. Throughout the movie, Bill fights a battle with whether to move on or to keep his promise to his wife, because as we come to find out, she waited for him.

          I think that there is something in Stuck In Love that every person that watches it can relate to. Whether it's heartbreak, fear, uncertainty or anything else, everyone can probably see something familiar at some point. Stuck In Love is light, with a lot of comedy placed throughout, but it also carries a heavier side to it. Overall, it's a great movie that I believe is definitely worth a watch. Some or most might be put off by the story being centered around these few characters' relationships, but as I said, that's not all that the movie has to offer; don't let that stop you.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

          I'm willing to bet that most everyone knows the title "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" and some might even remember reading the book. Well there's good news for all those people out there that don't like reading the books and just wait for the movies to come out: it's a movie now! So if you told your parents, "Heck naw," and refused to read the book when you were a wee little baby, you can finally go see the movie and find out the story that you've waited your whole life to watch.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Poster. Wikipedia. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.

          Summary:

          (Highlight the grey text boxes SPOILER with your mouse to see spoilers if you dare)

          I'm sure everyone has had one of those days; those days where it feels like everything says, "You seem like you've been having a good time lately, so here, have some of this." For Alexander, every day feels like one of those days, while it seems like everyone around him gets along perfectly. Tomorrow is Alexander's birthday and today he just had enough, so for his birthday wish, he wants everyone else to know what it's like to have one of those days; and what do you know, his wish came true.

          Now, there's not much that I could spoil for you in this movie unless I explained every way that everything went wrong on Alexander's birthday, but where's the fun in that? Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a fun movie to go see. You might go with family or you might just want to see something to lift your spirits, but whatever the case, this movie will cheer you up.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

          At first glance, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil might look like another horror flick, where murderers run amok and whittle a group of people down, person by person; but take a closer look. You can watch the trailer here, and even through the short trailer you'll see that it isn't really what it seems like. If you had to sum it up into one sentence you might say that it's the opposite of all the other movies that involve college kids and a couple of hillbilly looking guys.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil Poster. 2011. IMDb. Web. 8 Oct. 2014.

          Summary:

          (Highlight the grey text boxes SPOILER with your mouse to see spoilers if you dare)

          Tucker and Dale are just two misunderstood hillbillies looking to get away for a bit, and they finally have a place to get away to: their new vacation home. At the same time that Tucker and Dale are taking their vacation, a group of college kids decide to take a camping trip in the woods. As you can see from the poster Dale isn't an ugly guy, he's just.. different. The problem is Dale psychs himself out, and gets pretty nervous around the ladies. The first time that the hillbillies and college kids really meet is at a gas station, where Dale does his best to strike up conversation with a very pretty college girl named Allison. Because of the aforementioned psyching, Dale comes off just a bit creepy to these college kids; they react like he might be deranged or something, (weird right? He looks like such a nice guy on the poster.) Later on, while the college kids decide to go swimming, Tucker and Dale are fishing in the same lake, and save Allison when she almost dies. Tucker yells to the rest of the kids that they've got their friend, and the kids think that Allison is being kidnapped. Things begin to go downhill fast when the college kids start accidentally killing themselves while trying to rescue Allison from Tucker and Dale.

          In my own opinion, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is a great movie. It has plenty of one liners, "Are you okay?" along with the chaos caused by some oblivious people on both sides of the action. Granted, the movie gets somewhat bloody, which you don't really get from the trailer, but if you were to find a more mature trailer, which there are, you may see what I'm talking about. If you can make it past the blood or if blood simply does not bother you, and enjoy the movie for the humor it really has, it'll be worth it.