Lone Survivor

          I don't know how many of you might have heard the story of Marcus Luttrell, but if you have, you'll already have some knowledge of this movie. Marcus Luttrell was part of a SEAL Team that was attacked while deployed on a mission. There were four men in the team including Luttrell, and he was the only survivor of the mission. When a helicopter was sent in to evacuate Luttrell and the rest of his team, those on board also lost their lives, which made this one of the largest losses of life in SEAL history.

          The movie Lone Survivor does an excellent job of capturing what Marcus and the men around him went through during that battle. As someone who has read the book, the two have many similarities, yet there are some differences as there always would be. One of the main reasons I'm doing this movie is because it is playing on campus this weekend, and also, Marcus Luttrell will be visiting our campus to speak this coming Wednesday, which is something that I personally believe will be very interesting.

 

          The trailer can be found here.

Lone Survivor Poster. Wikipedia. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.

          Summary:

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

          Marcus Luttrell was part of a four man SEAL Team that was tasked with the identification and capture of a Taliban leader. Luttrell's team's job was to carry out reconnaissance on the area and the leader, and identify him. During the mission, a few goat herders stumble upon Luttrell and his team. The four men debate on whether or not to let the herders live, because living could jeopardize their mission. The men decide to allow the goat herders to leave and relocate to continue the mission. After some time, the SEAL team is found by Taliban fighters, and a deadly battle follows. The three men in Marcus' squad lose their lives along with all those that were aboard a helicopter that was sent to evacuate the team. Marcus ends up surviving because of the actions of a few men when they find him in the mountains. These men take him to their small town and protect him until he is able to be rescued and returned to a base.

          I didn't tag anything with spoilers because this movie is based on a true story. I feel like the information could be found easily enough, but I also feel like, even if you don't see the movie, it's an incredible story that some may want to know.

Goats

          Goats is about goats; not really, only a little bit. What the movie is really about is Ellis Whitman, his growing up and his family that, like everyone's, has some quirks. It's a very good movie and it really shows struggles that some people have to go through; struggles that may seem insignificant compared to the larger world and other peoples' problems. You can see the trailer for Goats here.

Goats Poster. IMDb. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.

          Summary:

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

          Coming soon.

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.