Hotel Transylvania - Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg

The Gist

Hotel Transylvania
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In 1895, Count Dracula built a hotel, to keep his daughter Mavis, and other monsters, safe from the humans who hate monsters. Fast forward to present day, and his hotel is always packed full, and no human has ever entered. Surrounded by a creepy forest and graveyard, the monsters have been safe from human pitchforks and angry mobs. On Mavis' 118th birthday, she wants to go out and see the world. Dracula just wants to keep her safe. And then Jonathan, a real live human, walks into the hotel lobby. Mavis thinks he's fascinating, Dracula thinks he's dangerous, and if the other monsters knew he was a human, there would be chaos. What's a vampire to do when what he's always feared most turns out to be not quite as bad as he thought?

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Run Time: 91 minutes
Rating: PG
I love animated movies. Seriously. Give me green tights and call me Peter Pan, because I am never growing up. There's something about them that, when done right, is magical. They can make anyone find their inner child. Hotel Transylvania is no exception. The storyline is pretty clever. The idea of monsters being afraid of humans has, I'm sure, been done before, but I think the idea of putting them all in a big hotel is original. A monster vacation spot, the way humans flock to sunny islands for vacation. All the monsters come to Hotel Transylvania.
Along these same lines, the script is very well written. The dialogue is funny and witty, but also moving and emotional at times. It does a good job of running the emotional spectrum. It's realistically funny too, in the way that what the characters say isn't anything unbelievable, like being too witty or too clueless. It sounds natural. When Dracula talks to Frankenstein, or Wayne the werewolf, or Murray the mummy, or even Griffin the invisible man, it's evident that they're close friends, and have been for a while. They have that easygoing, slightly mocking way of speaking to each other that I know I have with my best friends. What I didn't expect was the way Jonathan's relationships developed through the movie, not just with Mavis, but with Dracula. Jonathan falls for Mavis, so of course his relationship with her will play out as a bit of a romance, and his lines portray him to be the slightly awkward young man that we can see he is. But before watching the movie, I didn't expect Jonathan and Dracula to become as close as they do. I figured most of their interactions would be yelling, and Jonathan would spend more time with Mavis. On the contrary, he spends equal time with both vampires, and his relationship with Dracula gets deep, complicated, and close, very fast. They're basically bros. It was really nice to see, and I thought it was done spectacularly.
The voice acting was great too. Adam Sandler was the only one I could tell right away, and that's only because they have him sing in the beginning. For the most part, I didn't know who anyone was, and maybe that's because I was drawn into the story, but it was a good thing. I watched the movie a second time, knowing who voiced what character, and it made the movie a different experience. The characters were colored by my opinions of their voice actors. Some I love, some I hate, and the characters changed. That's the problem with animated movies, I think, so I'd recommend watching it without knowing who's who.
It was animated really well. Everything just looked interesting, and a little unexpected. Frankenstein was blue, the mummy was fat, the zombies weren't very corpse-like, and the human looked quirky, with his bright red hair. The colors were eye-catching, even with the amount of black in it for the vampires. I think that's part of the contrast, the very colorful Jonathan coming into the lives of the two vampires who only wear black.
This movie hits on some big themes. Wanting to explore the world, death of a loved one, soul mates. It's way more intense than I thought it would be, but it doesn't come off that way. On the surface, it's a lighthearted kids movie. Nothing too scary or too inappropriate. Just fun. With a big musical number in the end, complete with crazy vampire-human rapping. But there are some great messages in here too. I laughed, I...well I didn't cry, but I made a sad face. I laughed some more. Animated movies should do that. Get you laughing and leave you with a positive message. This one does, and I think it has a better love story than any princess movie.
Real Teen Rating ~ A+: If you haven't seen this movie you are a deprived soul!

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind- Jim Carey and Kate Winslet

The Gist

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
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Joel and Clementine meet by chance someday and fall in love, their relationship ends up being true and real. Like every relationship though they have their issues, but in their case they can erase each other from their memories. What would you do if you could erase your memory of someone forever? Would you do it?

Real Teen Reviews
Reviewed by: Shorewhisperer
Run Time: 108 minutes
Rating: R

Before I watched this movie I was skeptical. I'm not usually a big indie fan but in this case I fell in love with the entire movie. All I knew about this movie was that the cinematography was amazing and that they had won an Oscar for an original screenplay. So I started watching it and what stood out for me is the characters. Being an actor I like to see character development and right from the start that's what I saw. Winslet is comedic and yet intimidating in the role of Clementine. We see so much of her character in her first scene that we feel that we already know her. Then Jim Carey becomes not only a comedic actor but a dramatic one who actually has some chops. I was very surprised by this. The acting and chemistry between these two characters was raw and intense, which made this movie even better.
Now, I said that I am an actor but I have learned a lot about cinematography (from north star) and I was extremely impressed with the cinematography of this movie. Every time you watch this movie you see a new thing that you didn't notice before. If you hadn't noticed before in all of Joel's dreams the faces which he hasn't seen like Patrick, or faces that are slowly being erased like the Doctor. Every scene has something new or creative, small details that create the world of the movie and helps the movie portray the meaning.
I've talked about cinematography and acting, but the movie actually won an Oscar for best screenplay, so we should probably look at that. The movie plot is very original, it isn't every day that we see a plot line that focuses on psychological question like this movie does. The plot line resembles that of a Christopher Nolan film like Inception or Memento. It takes you a minute to process the movie after it finishes and then finally the movie makes sense.
Finally, the end isn't a happy ending, this made me happy. I get so sick of happy endings where things become a fairy-tale. This movie sticks with its raw indie feel and the ending isn't happy or sad but it's hopeful and yet there is a sense that their relationship that the audience is rooting for is in a very fragile state and although we want to be hopeful for them, we can also see the discouraging side of their relationship.
To finish my review of this movie I want to share my first statement about this movie after watching this movie. "This movie is a 8." "Out of what, Shorewhisperer" "Out of 5!" , that's how much I loved this movie. I realize that this movie is not going to appeal to everyone. I know people who do not like this movie because it is a little strange and slow at parts, to me though it seems like this movie is deeper and more sophisticated than the indie film that most people see.

Real Teen Rating~ A: You MUST watch this movie!!!

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Lincoln - Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones

The Gist
Throughout the civil war, President Abraham Lincoln must deal with the immense carnage on the battlefield, the struggle for morale throughout the country, and the endeavor to emancipate the slaves.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Run Time: 150 minutes
Rating: PG-13
I was really hoping to like this movie. After that whole mess of a movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter I wanted things to end on a high note this year for Mr. Lincoln. And everyone was talking about how amazing it was and how brilliant Daniel Day Lewis was and what-have-you. I didn't want to be the odd man out there, either. But I was a little weary. I like historical movies, sure. But how much is too much when it comes straight from the history books, you know? Turns out I had nothing to worry about.
I cannot even begin to describe how perfect Daniel Day Lewis' performance was. Nowhere on Earth or anywhere beyond that could you find a better guy to play him. I completely forgot who he was - he just became Lincoln. Whenever his character told a story, it wasn't Daniel Day Lewis talking, it was President Abraham Lincoln. When he was trying to convince his son not to join the army I was convinced that was really his son and he honestly didn't want him to leave. When he argued with his wife, it wasn't Sally Field and Daniel Day Lewis arguing. It was Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. He was so believable I can't even imagine him not getting a Golden Globe or an Academy Award for Best Actor. Similarly, Sally Field was amazing. She played the craziness of Mary Todd Lincoln perfectly, and I found her performance completely believable, though she never usurped Daniel Day Lewis as Almighty King of Lincoln Acting. To round out the Best Acting Nominees, Tommy Lee Jones was better than amazing. He had some great lines, and some great speeches and I hung on to every word of every one of them. He deserves an award for her performance as well. I can't think of a single way he could have played it better.
I'll move on to the script, which is also Golden Globe nominated. Sensing a pattern of greatness, huh? The script for Lincoln as so unbelievably good...I can't even talk about it. It was so good. So. Good. So good. I loved every second of what I was watching, what I was listening to, what I was seeing. It was so entertaining, historical, and surprisingly funny. I never knew it, but Abraham Lincoln was quite the story teller, and he told a few great stories throughout the film. All of them were written so perfectly. Gah, I don't know what else to say. The script was just awesome. And that's all there is to it.
I guess that's all, folks. I've only really talked about two things (acting and the script?) but those were the two major aspects of the movie that were beyond fantastic. There were other elements of the movie I appreciated (what comes to mind: the filter. The darkness in the shots was really beautiful and I think kind of emphasizes the darkness of the times) but the ones I just focused on were what made the movie truly great. The only slight complaint was that it did feel long. I was never bored, but the long-factor was getting to be a bit too much. Any longer and it would have been too long. But other than that the movie was magical. I felt as though I was watching Lincoln himself, confiding to his loved ones, grieving over his lost son, never crumbling under the stress of his proclamations. It was such a strong sort of film. So beautifully put together it made me wish I knew more about that time, more about that president. And despite the inevitable ending, there was a spark of hope, so I left the movie theater feeling full, instead of empty. I think that's how movie's should be.

Real Teen Rating ~ A : You MUST watch this movie!

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Wreck-It Ralph - John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Jack McBrayer

The Gist

Wreck-It Ralph
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Litwak's Arcade is a place where kids go to play games and forget about their worries.  At the arcade there is a game called Fix it Felix Jr. and it has been one of the most popular games for 30 years.  There is just one small problem.  The villain of the game, Ralph, doesn't want to be the bad guy anymore.  He wants the people of his game to like him and appreciate who he is.  While celebrating the 30th anniversary of the game the characters don't invite him to the party and he vows to them that he will prove he is a good guy and that he will come back with a medal showing that he is a hero.  So, Ralph sets off to find the medal and prove that he is a good guy after all.  

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 108 minutes
Rating: PG
I saw this movie today after hearing that it was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and I had wanted to see it for a long time because it looked adorable.  I was so glad that I did see this movie because it was adorable. One of the things that I really loved about it was that fact that it was completely new and never thought of before.  When I first saw the commercials I thought wow a movie that isn't based off a book and it has an original idea.  Disney always seems to amaze me with their ideas.  Who thought of to tell the story of characters in an arcade but not only that but the villains perspective.  It would have been way easier for them to tell the story through Felix's eyes but instead they decided to show it through Ralph's eyes and how he deals with the situation.  I applaud you whoever works at Disney.  
Speaking of the story, this was a really great kids movie.  If I knew someone under the age of ten and I wanted to take them to see a movie I would 1000% choose to take them to this one.  It was witty, adorable and had a very happy ending.  The perfect ingredients for a children's movie.  I love children's movies too but something seemed to be missing from this movie.  The second half of the movie at points a little too childish to me.  Almost like they spelled things out a little too much.  Granted it was made for a younger audience in mind but Disney is usually good about making movies good for the parents to watch along with their kids.  The whole movie was not this way but there were points where it felt very little kidish to me and they were parts that could have been made non-little kidish.  The one other thing that I wished for this movie was that they traveled to other games because they only really traveled to a couple.  The ones that they traveled to were fine but I wish that they added one or two more because the couple that they went to seemed like they spent to much time in the games that they went to. Other than those parts though the film was full of things that I enjoyed even as a teenager.
On a different topic the voice acting in this movie is perfect.  I applaud the casting director because they couldn't have gotten better actors to play the roles.  John C. Reilly was the voice of Ralph and I loved how innocent he made the character sound without making it seem like Ralph complained a lot or was even weak.  Sarah Silverman was the voice of a little girl that Ralph makes friends with along the way and I NEVER guessed that it was Sarah Silverman's voice.  I only found that out after the movie when I was researching who played who.  She did an amazing little kid voice and again was perfect for the role.  Jack McBrayer voiced Fix it Felix and I know him from 30 Rock because he plays the adorable page, Kenneth.  He had a very good tone to his voice to make it seem like Felix could be a kid but he could also be an adult which is very much what the character of Felix was like.  Not quite a man but also not quite a boy either.  Finally, Jane Lynch.  I was afraid when I heard about her being the voice actor because her voice is so distinctive and I didn't think that the two would be able to be distinguished.  I was so wrong.  They made the character look a lot like Jane Lynch so they didn't try to hide the fact that she was the character.  I thought this was ingenious because since she has such a distinctive voice and they worked with that so that she could still be in the movie and be amazing. 
In short, this was a fantastic children's movies and if you have kids you should take them.  I also think that it should win Best Animated Film in the Oscars because besides the parts I didn't care for I thought that it was extremely well done and there were some part that I couldn't stop laughing at. 

Real Teen Rating ~ B : Rent it to save for a rainy day.

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Les Misérables - Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe

The Gist

Jean Valjean has been in jail for 19 years for stealing bread.  He has finally been released but before he leaves he is informed by Javert, a policeman, that he must carry around a paper saying that he was in jail and that it would be virtually impossible to find a job.  Javert also lets him know that if he breaks any laws he will hunt him down and throw him right back in jail.  Jean Valjean leaves and soon finds out that what Javert says is true.  No one will hire him or even take him in.  One night he stumbles upon  a church and the priest lets him take shelter for the night.  During the night Jean Valjean steals silver from the priest and runs away.  As he runs away he is caught and send back to give the priest his silver.  When he goes back the priest informs the officers that he gave Jean Valjean the silver and that he did not steal it. The priest lets Jean Valjean know that this is his chance to start again.  Jean Valjean leaves the church with a purpose to his life, rips up his papers and decides to start his life as a new man with a new name.  

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 160 minutes
Rating: PG-13
I have been a fan of this musical ever since I heard "On My Own".  After listening to the song about 100 times I decided to listen to the rest of the CD and I found that I loved all of the songs and not just the one that I had listened to over and over again.  A year or so later I got to see a local production and I fell in love with the show.  As the years went by I continued listening to the soundtrack and never stopped loving it.  Then about a year ago I heard that they were finally making the musical into a movie.  I couldn't wait to see it.  For a year I patiently waited for the movie and as soon as I could I went to go see it.  I wasn't expecting for it to be just as good as any other movie-musical and that is all that it was.  I love the music and the story to this musical a lot more than other movie-musicals but it was nothing that I wasn't expecting.
First off, something that I found out a couple of weeks before seeing the movie was that all of the actors are actually singing.  On the set they were recorded singing the song and when editing the film together they used those recordings.  Nothing was mixed in the studio after the fact. It would be the same as if you saw it on a stage.  The actors are really singing and are not enhanced in any way to make themselves sound better.  The was a cool fun fact but it definitely raised the grade for me because it shows that the all-star cast could actually sing instead of just act. 
When I first heard about them making the musical into a movie I heard of who was rumored to be the leading roles and I was very disappointed because with the exception of Eponine and Marius all of the actors were household names that people knew.  I was especially upset when I heard that Fantine was going to be played by Anne Hathaway.  I don't particularly care for her as an actor and Fantine has some of the most famous songs in the show.  Going in with that mind set I walked out with the complete opposite thought in my head.  After seeing her performance I think that she deserves the Oscar.  She played Fantine to near perfection.  Her performance was so raw and real.  When she started singing "I Dreamed A Dream" I couldn't look away from the screen.  She had brought meaning to that song that I never knew existed.  She broke down crying in the middle of a line and took a second to catch her breath which is what would really happen if you were in her situation.  Most of the times that I saw someone perform that song they would break down at the end of a line which isn't necessarily realistic.  In short, Anne Hathaway was amazing and deserves to be recognized for her role.  
The other actors were actually pretty good as well.  Hugh Jackman was a great Jean Valjean but not amazing.  He had an amazing voice and was a great actor and he did better than I expected.  Russell Crowe on the other hand struggled.  His acting was stellar but his singing not so much.  It wasn't horrendous but the character of Javert has some of the greatest songs and he butchered them.  He was a better singer than I thought but I wish that it was better.  His acting and looks made up for the singing, so that was ok.  The girl that played Eponine (Samantha Barks) didn't reach the bar.  "On My Own" is one of the greatest songs from the show and it fell completely flat.  It didn't feel like she sung her heart out or put any emotion into the song for that matter.  Marius (Eddie Redmayne) was another unknown in the cast but he did really well.  Usually the character of Marius is kind of a weenie because he is so lovestruck but Eddie played him really well and made the character seem more manly which was a refreshing change.  Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter played the expert scammers and they were amazing.  Their parts were very small but they were amazing in the few parts that they were in.  They are the comic relief of the movie and I am always grateful when they come on because the show is so heavy.  Overall, the acting in the film was very strong.
While looking at the Golden Globe nominations I saw that this movie was nominated for best original song and I was confused because this show already had SO many songs.  Then I saw the film waiting for the song and it was completely unneeded.  I could tell that it was added only so that it could be nominated for that category.  Don't get me wrong, the song sounded pretty and was well-written but to me it seemed very out of place.  It made me very upset to think they had to add another song just to get nominated for another category.  The music has been known as legendary ever since the first showing of the musical, there is no need to add a new song now.  
The last thing that really bothered me about this film was the cinematography.  The cinematographer only used a couple shots.  Extreme close-ups, shots that awkwardly cut off people's boy parts like foreheads or arms and shots where the character was only in one third of the screen and the rest was all just te background.  All of these are good shots to use when making a film but they shouldn't be the only shots that you use for the entire film.  I wish that they would have broadened the horizons and done something different every once in a while but they didn't.  Although, I did appreciate the use of the long shots.  Those are very difficult to do and to do well so I applaud the cinematographer for those.
All in all, I thought this movie was very well done and will be remembered and I will probably end up buying it on DVD or even seeing it in theaters again.  It lived up to my expectations and nothing more.  At points it took my breath away but as a whole it didn't exceed what I was expecting and that is why I can't give it an A. 

Real Teen Rating ~ B+ : Worth Watching!

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Anna Karenina - Keira Knightly, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

The Gist

Anna Karenina
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Anna Karenina is an honorable, married woman with an important husband and a son who is dear to her. And she is, for the most part, content with her life. It doesn't matter so much to her that her husband is twenty years her senior or that he doesn't care to spend time with her and their son; he is a good man. When her brother, Stiva, writes to her for help she leaves St. Petersberg for Moscow immediately, altering her life forever. There, after convincing Dolly (Stiva's wife) to forgive him for cheating, Anna is persuaded to attend a ball. Her sister-in-law, Kitty, is certain she will be proposed to there by one handsome officer named Alexei Vronsky. Much to Kitty's displeasure, at the ball it's not her Vronsky can't take his eyes off of; it's Anna. It becomes clear to both Anna and Vronsky after only a few dances that they have a connection. Unable to shake her feelings for Vronsky, Anna faces more than just scandal in response to her ensuing love affair.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Run Time: 129 minutes
Rating: R
My first reaction, directly following the credits, was That was the most depressing movie I've ever seen. And though I've amended my statement to be simply one of the most depressing movies ever, it doesn't change the fact that the movie as a whole is ridiculously sad. Very tragic, really. But I shouldn't give away the ending.
Let me first say something of the score, which is Golden Globe nominated, because I'm listening to it as I type. It is so beautiful. It just makes me want to leap up and dance some traditional Russian Waltz. Equal parts elegance and melancholy, always with a great deal of lamenting violin. I want to play them as I go to sleep so I can dream of something romantic and sad. If it doesn't win Best Original Score I'll be very upset. My favorite song might be the one to go along with the credits, Curtain, or maybe the one to start off the whole movie, Overture, of perhaps the symphony of when Vronsky and Anna fall in love, Dance With Me. I don't know. It's so hard to pick. They're all so wonderful.
Speaking of wonderful, the art direction, which I usually keep out of the review, was just amazing as well. The whole thing was made as if being performed on a stage, in an abstract way. Doors of offices would open to reveal grassy fields or ballet stages. It was crazy, entrancing, and completely unique. I'd never seen anything like it before. I thought it added something to the film, distinguishing it as something greater than just a romance movie. Though the plot may not be anything beyond that, I feel as though the art of the movie itself makes it worth seeing.
I might as well say something about the plot and script while I've brought it up. Though the book it's made from is really in-depth, the movie is not. It is, simply, a romance. A fantastical, heart-breaking romance, but nothing more. This, with critics and fans alike, left something to be desired. What is there beyond scandal? Beyond affair and forbidden love and shame? Well, there's nothing. This is a story of love, of passion, of mistakes and regret and shame. Though the book dives deeper, it has longer. Who wants to watch a four-hour long movie as the script attempts to delve into the inner mechanisms of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina? You could read a few chapters of the book every so often, finish it eventually, and think, Wow, Tolstoy really hit the nail on the head. But he didn't have two hours to do it, did he? People are searching for something that can't be there: substance beyond romance. I thought it was a superb romantic-tragedy, a tale-of-woe perhaps, but philosophy of life? Not there, my friend. And it wasn't intended to be there. The screenwriter didn't accidentally leave it out of the script, or forget to write it in. It just wasn't what everyone expected. My advice: if you want a simple, elegant romance, better than some romantic-comedy, watch it - anything beyond that...read the book. One major complaint is that it felt like Anna and Vronsky fell in love too quickly. They danced all night at a ball (oh, the scandal!) and suddenly they couldn't bear to be apart. Does love work that way? Does dancing work that way? I dunno, maybe in Imperial Russia it does.
I guess last and not least is acting. I thought Keira Knightly as Anna was great. She played all of Anna's emotions well. When she was missing her son, crazy with uncertainty, longing and in love, desperate and sad. I know a lot of people thought she was fickle, but I would describe her more as confused, innocent maybe. I thought, after what she'd been through, her emotions didn't seem so irrational, and I think Knightly's portrayed helped with that. Jude Law as her husband was really good, too. He hardly ever showed much emotion, but in that he made the character very believable. The only other I'll mention is Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the guy who played Vronsky. I thought he played the part well, too. His character was well-bred and full of pomp, giving an air of elegance himself, despite his (let's say) womanizing beginnings. This, I daresay, isn't very hard to play - nevertheless, Taylor-Johnson played him well enough, and there's really not a lot to say about it. The entire cast was decent, and even good, but none Oscar or Golden Globe worthy.
In conclusion, I think the movie should be more known for its art direction, costuming, score, and cinematography - all of which were beautifully executed. Though the script left a little something to be desired, for what it was - a romance - it was very good. I would recommend it, but not to everyone. I think it was a little long for some people; if you're one of those who notice a movie's length and are bored beyond two hours, I wouldn't say you should see it. But if you'd like to see a tragic love story with beautiful backgrounds and stunning costumes and elegant dances, give it a try. I don't think you'll be sorry.

Real Teen Rating ~ B : Rent it to save for a rainy day.

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Silver Linings Playbook- Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro

The Gist

Silver Linings Playbook
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Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) has just been released from a mental health facility after being treated for 8 months.  His mother (Jacki Weaver) made a deal with the court that he could return as long as he visited a therapist every week.  Pat has bipolar disorder and was sent to the facility after finding out his wife, Nikki, was cheating on him and nearly beat her lover to death.  Now that he is out of the hospital he is determined to win her back and prove that he has become a better man worthy of her love.  He trains day and night to show friends and family to give him a second chance and possibly lift the restraining order that Nikki had placed after the incident.
While he is training Pat reconnects with his friend who invites him over for dinner.  While at the dinner Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). The dinner quickly takes a turn for the worse and Pat and Tiffany decide to leave.  As the days go by Pat and Tiffany grow closer, when Tiffany reveals that she may be able to give a letter to Nikki from Pat if he would like.  The only catch is that Pat must compete with Tiffany in a local dance competition.  
As all of the this goes on Pat's father (Robert De Niro) tries to connect to him through football and tells Pat that he is his good luck charm.  As long as Pat watches the game with him the Eagles will win.  This becomes more and more difficult as Pat blows off his dad for various reasons. 
Pat must now decide whether or not he can trust Tiffany with her deal and if he can please his father at the same time.  

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 122 minutes
Rating: R
Every year my family and I go see a film on Christmas Eve.  This year we looked really hard for a film to go see and I had heard so much about this film that I somehow convinced my family to go see it with me.  When we got there, there was only two other people in the theater.  As it became closer and closer to the actual time the movie was going to started large groups of people filed into the theater.  By the time the film started there were only a few seats vacant. I was completely surprised because this film had been out since before Thanksgiving and on top of that it was an independent film, indie, and most times no one goes to see indies in theaters.  They wait for them to come out on DVD.  The second that the movie started I knew that I was going to like it and that I could understand why it had been nominated for four golden globes.  
Before I go into specifics that golden globes that it has been nominated for are Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Actor - Musical or Comedy - Bradley Cooper, Best Actress - Musical or Comedy - Jennifer Lawrence and Best Screenplay - David O. Russell.  
This post is going to be broken down into the different awards because this is what the critics are giving the movie praise for.  First off, the acting.  Going into the movie I had only seen Bradley Cooper in movies like Limitless and Valentine's Day.  In both of those movies he wasn't anything special and I never really thought of him as a serious actor.  After watching this film all I can say is that he truly deserves that Golden Globe possibly the Oscar.  He played the role perfectly.  Often with movies that involve mental diseases or disorders the actor with the disorder will overplay the role and make it seem extremely unrealistic.  Bradley Cooper never came close to that.  He always played a character I could believe and made me forget that he was Bradley Cooper but instead that he was this completely new person, Pat Solitano. Then, we move on to Jennifer Lawrence.  Coming into the film I knew that she was going to be good because she is consistently good.  Even in The Hunger Games which is a big budget film where acting doesn't necessarily matter she was amazing.  This movie was no exception.  Even though she wasn't the MAIN character she still had a huge role and in my opinion she stole the show.  Her character also had a mental disorder, which is never specifically stated but I think it was some sort of anger management or fear of abandonment.  She also played this very realistically.  It was very understated and very true to what someone with that kind of disorder would act like.  Every line pulled me closer and closer to her character and by the end I felt as though I could perfectly understand her and it was as if I had known her my whole life.  Again, I forgot that she was Jennifer Lawrence and I 100% believed that she was Tiffany.  Her comedic timing in the film was perfection, same with Bradley Cooper and although there were other characters in the movie their acing didn't even compare to these two.  If they don't win some sort of high award I will be completely shocked.  
Now, onto the screenplay.  At the end of the film during the credits it said that it was based off of a book.  I didn't know that and so as soon as I got home I looked it up.  The film was adapted to a screenplay by a man by the name of David O. Russell.  After looking at the plot line of the book I found that at lot of the things didn't match up with the movie and for once I was glad that I had seen the film first.  It seems that some of the things that I really liked in the movie were different in the book.  I do not want to give away any spoilers but I think I would see the movie first.  Anyways, I thought the script was brillant.  I was never bored and I never had the urge to start staring at the ceiling or check my phone to see what time it was.  It was funny but never pushed a joke so much that it was hitting you over the head.  The jokes very subtle and clever.  The only thing that I would have changed was a part with the therapist at the Eagles game.  It seemed unrealistic and unneeded.  Other than that I thought the script was one of the best that I have seen in a LONG time and I hope that it wins but there is a lot of competition this year.
All in all I liked almost everything in this movie and I highly recommend it.  There are only tiny things that I would have changed but overall I see it winning a lot of the big awards this year.  I will definitely be one of the people rooting for it at the award shows. 

Real Teen Rating~ A- : See it with some friends!        

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We Need to Talk About Kevin - Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller

The Gist

We Need to Talk About Kevin
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Eva is trying to move on with her life. She's finding a new job, repainting her house. But moving on is easier said than done when everyone in town hates her. People throw paint at her house, slap her, and generally harass her. As Eva tries to put her life back together, she reflects on her life before the tragedy - a loving husband, a sweet young daughter, and a twisted older son who has always seemed to loathe her. She thinks on how her life went from trying to deal with a handful of a boy to visiting him in juvie after his homicidal spree. With nothing left in her life, she desperately tries to understand what happened with Kevin to make him so demented.

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Run Time: 112 minutes
Rating: R
I'd heard of this before we watched it, but I still had no idea what it was really about. It was a drama psychological-thriller type thing with nobody I knew except for John C. Reilly. And it was an indie film, and the day before we watched this, we watched another indie movie film that got great reviews called Like Crazy that I really hated. So. I guess I just didn't know what to expect going into this. Which I guess is a good thing. I guess.
Anyway, the way the story is told is a combination of present day and flashbacks, but the flashbacks are told in chronological order, so it's almost like two stories running tandem with each other. In the present day, it shows mostly Eva (Tilda Swinton) trying to move on with her life, and attempting to avoid the people that hate her, which is basically everyone. It also shows her visiting her son Kevin (Ezra Miller) in juvie, which is awkward in the best way possible. Then in the flashbacks, it tells the story of Kevin's life, from when Eva met her husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) all the way up to the day Kevin "his animosity reaches its peak" (according to Dream Catcher). It sounds complicated or confusing, but this was actually a really effective way of telling a story. Something about flashbacks is attractive, as long as they're done well. These were great because they showed Kevin develop as a person, and they showed Eva's strained relationship with her son.
It's interesting to me that this movie is classified as a thriller. I mean, when I think of thrillers, I think something that makes my heart race and makes me jump. Like The Woman in Black, or stuff like that. And this really isn't like that. Not that it shouldn't be a thriller, because it was totally creepy, but in a different way. It was a slow sort of creepy. It all built up around Kevin, him getting more and more dark as he grew older, but also becoming more subtle and sly. It was like watching the birth of a super villain. Even at points where I could predict what would happen, it was still freaky, a he-can't-do-that feeling, and he always did whatever 'that' was. Very eerie.
The acting was so good. Tilda Swinton is someone that I have literally never heard of. She's been in tons of movies, won an Oscar, and I haven't seen her in anything except this. But she's really great. Her character is full of grief, but the way she plays it isn't typically grief-stricken. It's quiet, meek, like she takes all the responsibility for Kevin's actions, even though she isn't the one that did it. And speaking of Kevin, Ezra Miller. Yes. He hasn't been in much, and I think this is sort of his big role (although he's going to be in The Perks of Being a Wallflower this year). He was fantastic. So apathetic, it was like he had no soul. Well, maybe not that creepy. But it was definitely weird to watch. He was always two steps ahead of his parents, very sardonic and sneaky. Ezra Miller played the intelligent but uncaring attitude incredibly well. John C. Reilly was a nice supporting character as the clueless father. Maybe not clueless so much, because he only doesn't see how twisted Kevin is because Kevin hides it from him. John C. Reilly is the one person in this cast that I'd actually heard of before watching it, and I've always liked him, so it's no surprise that I like him here. He's the happy part of the movie, cheerful and smiling up until the end.
This isn't something I usually talk about, but I just want to touch on the story itself for a minute. Most movies recently are adaptations of books, or sequels, or adaptations of classic stories (I'm looking at you, Snow White and the Huntsman). Everything is just copying everything else. Now, I'm not saying that this is a 100% original idea, because honestly nothing is anymore. Yes, the idea of a troubled kid going crazy and lashing out is one that has been done before. And, admittedly, this movie is based on a novel too. But this version of it, it's really well done. It isn't overly dramatic or unbelievable. It stays mellow, and it's sketchy because it could be true. It's possible that this could happen. It wasn't overdone. The dialogue was natural, the progression wasn't too extreme. It was just a really good screenplay, and that isn't something that gets noticed all too often, so I want to give credit to the writers here, because they deserve it.
And since I'm already talking about things I don't usually mention, I'll go here too. This year I took a filmmaking course, and since then, it's been hard to watch a movie without noticing certain aspects of film. One of those is the color palette of movies. Some movies have tinting or specific colors they stick with. They usually symbolize something. This movie was hardcore red. Nearly everything in the movie was red. Walls, chairs, lamps, clothes. Everything. It was interesting to see. Obviously it was important, but it was just neat to notice. And now that I've said it, I dare you to watch this movie and not notice it.
Basically, this was an intense movie. Nothing flashy or over-the-top, but very awesome. Indie movies are a real toss-up, because they don't have to conform to the desires of a production company or Hollywood, and they can do what they want. In that way, they can either turn out really good or really bad, and I've experienced both. This was one of the good ones. It was refreshing to see a movie that didn't rely on special effects or big-name hot shot actors to get along. It was entertaining without any of the glamour of big budget movies. It can support itself through its screenplay, acting, and cinematography, and that's not something that can be said about most of the movies today, so it's definitely a win in my book.
Real Teen Rating ~ A-: See it with some friends!

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The Secret Friend- Viola Harris and Siobhan Fallon

The Gist 
Anna Marshall has had a tough couple of months.  Her husband of 30+ years has recently died and so she now lives alone in her house with nothing to do all day.  On occasion her neighbor Julia will stop by with a goodie or two but that is about all of the human interaction that she ever gets, that is until she receives a phone call.  One day, while in the kitchen baking Anna receives a phone call from a mysterious stranger who doesn't talk.  Confused and thinking that it is a prank Anna hangs up the phone and goes about her business.  The next day at the exact same time Anna receives another phone call from the same person who just calls but doesn't say anything once she picks up.  Day after day this "secret friend" calls at the same time and no matter what Anna says to get this person to stop harassing her they continue to call everyday.  Eventually, Anna accepts the phone calls and begins talking to this stranger.  Anna soon learns that silence is sometimes more powerful than a single word.

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 15 Minutes
Rating: Not Rated 
Shorts are the hardest film category to master. You have to get your point across, have people connect with characters and completely develop everything in a regular movie in under about 25minutes.  Most movies can't get their point across/ get people to care about the characters in 2 hours.  With a short everything must be tight/necessary or the audience will notice and get bored.  This was the really good thing about the Secret Friend.  Major props to whoever wrote the script/edited this film.  Everything was cut exactly enough so that you didn't lose interest but not cut too short so you felt things weren't answered.  We received this movie from the films director and couldn't wait to watch it.  I'm not going to lie, I had very low expectations for this film for various reasons but I couldn't have been more wrong.
Viola Harris was really good in this role.  I didn't think this was going to be a comical movie but she had great timing.  Every time there was supposed to be something funny, I laughed and not just baon (this stands for blowing air out of nose, you don't exactly laugh but you kind of just....blow air out of your nose).  After watching the short I was walking around quoting the random funny parts of the movie.  Viola could also get really serious when the scene called for it.  She was really great at staying in character throughout the whole film and being able to switch on different emotions at any moment when the mood of the scene changed.  Siohan Fallon was a very random character and was almost not needed at all.  The only thing that she was there for was to tell the audience that Anna was a widow which could have been told in a different way.  It wasn't that Siobhan was a bad actor it was just that her character was unneeded (minor detail).
The plot was extremely interesting and kept me watching for the full 15minutes.  The one thing that I LOVED about this film was that there was no plot holes that I noticed at all and that is a very rare thing.  Everything was explained and the one thing that I've noticed with shorts is that people try to bite off more than they can chew and things are often introduced but never followed up on.  This was a cute little story that was told in the good time of 15minutes.  One of my favorite parts of this film was the ending because as I was watching it I couldn't think of how they were going to end it and I was worried that the ending was going to be unsatisfying, but.....again I was wrong and they thought of the perfect ending.  Again, major props to the screenwriter and whoever had a hand in writing the script.
All in all this was a pretty good short and I was really glad that I got to see it!  If I had to fix one thing I would cut out Siobhan Fallon's character because I feel that the pace would have gone by a little smother and then little nit picky things like showing random shots of flowers (that I myself wouldn't have picked) but, other than all of that it was really good!! If you ever find yourself with an extra 15 minutes this is a film to pick up an watch, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Real Teen Rating~ A-: See it with some friends! 

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Dolphin Tale - Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Nathan Gamble

The Gist

Dolphin Tale
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Based on the true story about the dolphin Winter who washed up on shore after being caught in a crab fishing box. The cuts and wounds from the accident were so bad that her tail had to be amputated. Dolphin's can't swim without their tale, so she gets a prosthetic one. The movie follows Sawyer, a troubled little boy who is no good in school and doesn't have many friends except his one cousin Kyle, who is going off to the navy. He finds Winter washed up on shore and calls for help. Throughout the movie Sawyer becomes happier and gets friends while we get the true story of Winter and her battle at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The movie also incorporates the moving moments when people with disabilities get to meet the happy, social Winter and play with her.

What We Think
Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer
Run Time: 112 Minutes 
Rating: PG
This movie is one of those that is just trying to be emotional at every turn. It is striving to make you cry at every point. So, word of advice, if you do go to see this movie, please bring a tissue box. I cried, grudingly I will admit, but I got choked up many times. Winter is played by Winter herself. She is a very cute dolphin and the life of the movie. The story line, although very different from what actually happened does have bits of truth. In reality Winter was only found by the fisherman that is seen in the movie and instead of being found in Clearwater she was found on the opposite coast and was driven to Clearwater Marine Aquarium and treated there. Of course, you need a story line and the story is cliche but it works with the movie and it advertizes what Winter is all about. Kyle (Sawyer's injured cousin) represents every one army survivors and children that have gone and visted Winter. Kevin Carroll is the prosthetic doctor who actually helped because he is a doctor who has made prosthetics for animals before. So the movie took their artistic license with the story line and made something much more emotional than needed I think. On the plus side, it definitly sends a very optimistic message. 
Of course, Morgan Freeman just has an outstanding performance. He plays the prosthetic doctor and plays it wonderfully, he is the mentor, of course, in the movie and sends little pieces of advice to whoever will listen. I was also impressed with Nathan Gamble, he played Sawyer's part well. He got the troubled little kid down perfectly and he made me cry a couple times during the movie. Those were the two parts that stuck out the most to me. All in all, it was an ok. It is definitly a family movie and feel happy movie. There isn't anything extremly spectacular in it, except for the truth that Winter is still alive and can swim with a prosthetic tail. I wish that they wouldn't have blown the story up as much as they did because it is a powerful story in the first place, it does not need all the bells and whistles of hollywood's magic writers. Although it was a feel good, "empowering" movie, I was not extremly impressed with the outcome, because I know the whole story of Winter. I would suggest doing some research on Winter, because her story is truly remarkable and Dolphin Tale is certainly not her true story.


Real Teen Rating~ B- : Well...I guess you should see this...

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Crazy, Stupid, Love- Steve Carrell and Emma Stone

The Gist

Crazy, Stupid, Love
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Cal has an extremely normal life.  He works in cubical, has two kids and a beautiful wife.  Jacob has the life of every man's dreams.  He has a one night stand with a different girl every night and NEVER has to worry about falling in love.  Cal's life is shattered when one night at a dinner date with his wife when she announces that she would like to get a divorce. After hearing the news Cal spends the rest of his night at the bar that Jacob mostly spends his nights picking up girls.  The whole night Cal complains about his wife and he makes sure that everyone in the bar is able to hear what he is saying even if they don't care.  After a couple of hours Jacob decides to go over and talk to Cal and decides to see if he can help him.  Jacob offers to make Cal attractive to women so that he can start dating again and begin to get over the pain caused in his heart by his wife.  Cal quickly takes up on the offer and wants nothing more than to forget about his wife.  Meanwhile, Jacob has found the first girl to ever reject him from a good night out (Hannah) and her answer astounds him.  He tries everything in the book and she still won't budge to go out with him. As Jacob grows closer to Hannah he feels that he may be falling in love with her so he goes to Cal with love questions.  Together the two guys form an...interesting friendship and try to help each other through the problems and figure out how love exactly works.

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 118 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
This was one of those movies that seemed to be advertised on TV forever and built up a lot of hype and in people's head thought it was going to be amazing.  I also saw this movie to have potential to show all of its good jokes in the commercials.  Soon after the movie came out it got rave reviews and everyone was talking about how funny it was and in my head the expectations kept rising.  The next time that I went to the movies this was the one that we had decided on and I couldn't have been happier at the end.  This movie was extremely entertaining a definitely lived up the the high ratings that it was getting.  Ryan Gosling and Steve Carrell made the best team and I give major props to the casting director because everyone fit there roles perfectly.

Characters. Cal was a very lovable guy and the whole time I was rooting for him to win and kept cheering in my head keep going Cal things will get better.  The thing that I really liked about his character was the fact that he never gave up on things that he started.  Most people would have given up the second something happened but he kept trying to get the few things that he wanted in life.  Although Steve Carrell did play a character extremely close to Michael Scott (from the Office) he made things different and I didn't see him as Michael Scott, which was something I was scared of going into the movie.  Ryan Gosling was surprisingly good as his character and always had me laughing at something that he said.  The only other time that I have seen Ryan Gosling in a movie was in the Notebook and that was a cheesy romance movie so it was really cool to see him in a completely different element.  I didn't root for his character as much as Cal but I still rooted for him in this weird sort of way but all in all he did a good job playing a womanizer.  Emily, the wife was one of my least favorite characters in the movie.  The arguments that she tried to make made no sense but it was probably a good thing that I didn't like her because I don't think that you were supposed to like her character anyways.  The acting was good but I just didn't care for the character or think anything that she said was funny.  The final real main character was Emma Stone (Hannah) and I loved her character.  Hannah was a very witty character and I think I really liked her because she seemed like a regular college girl.  She was a character that a lot of girls could relate to.  The great thing about this movie that everyone could relate in some way to one of the main characters.

The one bad thing about this movie was the fact that in the end they tried to pull this big twist that didn't need to be pulled and although it was funny at the time, looking back on it, it wasn't needed.  That was really the only BIG thing that went wrong with the movie.  Besides that, this movie was hilarious and is a movie to see on a Friday night with a bunch of friends.  Most comedies that have come out lately haven't been that good or that funny but this one changed it up and was funny! Just go see it :)

Real Teen Rating~ A-: See it with some friends!

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Winnie the Pooh- John Cleese and Jim Cummings

The Gist

Winnie the Pooh
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In the hundred acre wood Pooh Bear, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore, Tigger and Christopher Robin live and play together.  They all get along and love having adventures with one another.  One morning Pooh wakes up very hungry but when he goes to the cabinet to get some honey there is none left and his tummy starts to make some funny noises.  Pooh is now on a mission to find some honey.  On his way to find honey he bumps into Eeyore and discovers that Eeyore has lost his tail.  Pooh quickly informs Christopher Robin and the gang what has happened and they decide to have a contest and whoever can find the best replacement tail for Eeyore and whoever does wins a pot of honey.  Determined as ever to find Pooh runs everywhere looking for a tail.  While he is looking for a tail and some spare honey he visits Christopher Robin's house and when he gets there he finds that Christopher Robin is not there but he had left a note.  Pooh cannot read the note so he brings it to Owl to decipher.  When he brings it Owl says that Christopher Robin has been taken by a monster referred to as the Backson and they must prepare for battle.  Startled, Pooh runs around trying to help Christopher Robin and find Eeyore a new tail, all on an empty stomach.   

What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Run Time: 63 Minutes 

Rating: G

Ever since I was a little kid I was in love with Winnie the Pooh.  The second that I saw the commercial for the new movie I knew that I HAD to see it as soon as  possible.  The next possible opportunity I had to see this movie I snatched up and saw it.  To be honest I was laughing almost the whole time.  It wasn't one of those awkward laughs where you only laugh because the joke was supposed to be funny, I was genuinely laughing.  This movie was thought out from beginning to end.  Something I was afraid of going in was the fact that Disney only made the movie for the sake of making more money and I couldn't have been more wrong.  Even though I'm a teen I enjoyed it just as much as a little kid because Disney threw in some jokes that only adults would understand and kids may not get.  If you are taking one of your kids don't worry, this is a movie you will enjoy and not have to suffer through.

There isn't much to say about the characters because they are the same that they have always been.  Pooh is still the silly bear obsessed with honey.  Piglet is still the worry wart who always gets stuck having to do the brave tasks.  Eeyore is the depressing one who makes everything sad by his pessimistic nature but you can't help but love him anyway.  Rabbit is still paranoid about everything.  Kanga + Roo are two peas in a pod and always stick together.  Owl is the know-it-all who really doesn't know it all and Tigger is bouncing around singing about he is the only Tigger.  The fact that the characters didn't change is something that I love because after all of these years Disney hasn't really touched upon Pooh and after bringing it to the surface their characters could still be buried under the dirt.  Something I loved in this movie was that there seemed to be a lot of interaction between the characters that I had never seen in a Winnie the Pooh movie previously. Before the seemed to be in groups (Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger, then Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo) but in this movie they seemed like a huge group of friends who would do anything for each other.  

The small thing that I didn't like about this movie was that parts of the plot have already been done before in other Pooh movies.  Christopher Robin usually leaves a note that they misinterpret and that sends them on a wild journey.  There isn't anything wrong with this plot but I wish they had mixed it up just a little more.  That is really my only complaint.

My favorite thing about this movie was that the book itself and the storyteller became characters.  Pooh would talk to the Storyteller all the time and then you could see in the book and all the words Pooh was saying and the Storyteller was saying on the page.  I also loved that fact that they incorporated the letters into the story.  For example, Pooh may fall on the words in the book and all of the letters will fall into the scene on the page and they will be used through out the story.  There is one part where Pooh takes all the letters and builds a ladder and climbs it and then they were used for things later that were completely ingenius and blew my mind.  The creativity that must have gone on behind-the-scenes was awesome and I give major props to all of the animators and screenwriters because the things they came up with made the movie just that much better.  One thing that you HAVE to stay for is that at the end of the movie after all of the credits have gone there is a little surprise that Disney put that is worth waiting for!

Overall, this movie was extremely cute and any Pooh fans or parents with young kids should see this movie.  Its a great was to spend your afternoon and really brought back memories for me. Go Disney!!

Real Teen Rating~ A- : See it with some friends!

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Super 8- Joel Courtney and Ryan Lee

The Gist

Super 8
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Joe Lamb has just lost the most important person in his life, his mother.  His father takes his job as the town police officer very seriously and has almost no time for Joe, so his mom was the one to watch over him and help him through his problems.  He doesn't even want to go to her funeral so instead he sits out on his swing thinking of what is to come.  
Months pass, school has just gotten out for the summer and Joe is getting over his mom's death with the help of his friends Cary, Martin, Preston and his very best friend Charles.  The thing about Charles is that he loves making movies and some day wants to be in the business.  He is currently working on a zombie film to enter in a contest starring his friends and Joe is the make-up artist.  The only problem with the film is that they need a love interest and they aren't really friends with any girls.  That is when Charles decides to ask the unapproachable Alice Dainard to play the love interest in the movie.  The second that Joe hears Alice is going to be in the movie he has a heart-attack because he happens to have a huge crush on her.  
Later that night Alice comes to pick them up to bring them to the spot where they are going to shoot and Joe is beyond excited.  When they get to the site they begin to film when Joe notices a car heading towards the train tracks and is about to hit the train passing through.  All of a sudden the car hits the train and explosion after explosion goes off.  The kids soon run to find safety as things are flying all over the place.  After the explosion the kids find one another and all of these strange little white shapes on the ground.  As the police approach the crime scene Joe steals a white shape and heads home.  Soon after the accident people start disappearing and it is up to the movie crew to figure why.


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 112 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
First off, when I first heard about this movie I read about it in EW (Entertainment Weekly) in the summer movie section.  I had never heard of any of the people starring in it and instantly put it on my to-see list in my head because of the lack of famous people.  I was so pumped that me, Dream and Living went to go see it the day that it came out and....it was AMAZING. 
First off, this movie was made by J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg who are two of the most successful film makers in the business so it was bound to be pretty good. 
super 8
My favorite part of this movie was the actor choice.  Going into the movie I knew NO ONE famous that was going to be in it.  Later, In found out that Dakota Fanning's little sister was in the movie and I was pleasantly surprised because she could actually act.  Anyways, this was something I loved about this movie because I  could see everyone as the characters they were trying to portray and not the actor that they were.  Ex.  When you go see a George Clooney movie, most times you are seeing George Clooney pretending to be a character instead of a character that ends up being George Clooney but you don't realize it.  The actors in this movie were also really good.  I gave huge props to the Casting Director because she REALLY nailed the actors.  Now, onto the characters themselves.  Joe, was one of my favorite characters in the entire movie. I truly cared about his character and what was going to happen with his story line.  Lately, when I have gone to see movies I have not cared one bit about what happens to the main character and mostly care about supporting characters but for once in a loooong time I cared about the main character.  Alice, was a great supporting character and even though she was the love interest she didn't annoy me.  Alice was played by none other that Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning's sister) and I can't stand Dakota Fanning at ALL so it was surprising to see that she could act and was believable.  She was one of my favorite characters  and the love story between her and Joe was cute even though they were both kids.  Again, I cared about her character and didn't want anything bad to happen to her.  The last "main" character is Charles.  I LOVED his character so much and he had some of the best one liners in movie history. I really felt his pain and the things he went through.  Ryan Lee (the actor who played Charles) was brilliant and I couldn't believe that this was his first real acting gig and as he grows older he will go places because it was the best acting that I had seen in a LONG time.  The rest of the characters were great but there are too many to go into detail on each one.  
super 8
I would like to include a brief paragraph about the title of this movie.  During the entire movie I was trying to figure out why it was called Super 8 because there was only 6 kids.  At the end Dream, Living and I were all ranting about how it didn't make any sense and then my mom explained to us that they were using 8mm film in the movie, which made sense.  If there is anyone going to see the movie that is confused after watching about the title it is the film (we are probably the only people who didn't know that though).  I would also like to quickly mention that the ending of this movie was a little disappointing.  There is a little part of me that feels that something wasn't resolved but other than that this movie was AMAZING.  The last thing I am going to say about the ending is that, STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS IN THE END! TRUST ME!! Seriously, wait the extra ten minutes it is worth it. 
super 8
In the end, this movie was amazing and a breath of fresh air after all of these movie slumps that have been happening lately.  I would recommend this movie to everyone because of the great plot, character development and nailing the era.  This movie was set in the 1970-1980's and they get everything down perfectly and there is absolutely nothing wrong and it feels as if  that is really the time period that you are in.  In short, GO see this movie!


Real Teen Rating~ A: You MUST watch this movie 

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Catfish- Yaniv Schulman and Henry Joost

The Gist

Catfish
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Yaniv Schulman(Nev) is your typical photographer living in New York City, this is until he gets one of his photos published in a common New York magazine.  Once published a young girl (8 years old) named Abby sends Nev an exact replica of his photo but in the form of a painting.  Flattered that someone painted a picture of his photo he e-mails Abby some thanks.  The next e-mail he gets back from her asks if he could send her more photos to paint.  Jumping at the opportunity Nev attaches some photos to the e-mail and patiently waits for the paintings to arrive in the mail.  As Nev grows closer and begins to learn more about her life, his friends decide that this is the perfect opportunity to make a documentary on his relationship with Abby.  Nev reluctantly agrees and just continues going about his daily business until he starts to add Abby's family as friends on the social networking site Facebook.  One family member in particular catches Nev eye, and that is her half-sister Megan.  Nev begins talking to Megan over Facebook chat, phone, e-mail and texting.  Their relationship quickly progresses and when Nev has a job close to where Megan lives he decides to pop-in to visit her.  When he gets there everything is not as he suspected....


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star 
Run Time: 87 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
The first time that I saw this movie was on Ellen when she brought on Nev to do an interview with and from the second she talked about the story I knew that I was interested.  Ever since that episode had aired I wondered what the big secret was and resisted the urge to look up the ending on the internet.  I am so glad that I didn't.  When watching the movie I was constantly trying to figure out what the big secret was and as each minute went by in the movie my idea of what was it was changed.  My favorite thing about this movie was the fact that it was a documentary because I couldn't believe that any of this happened.  The film makers were very lucky to catch all of this on a camera because it truly made for a great story.
It is hard to discuss characters in a movie like this since it is a documentary but I am going to try to anyways.  I loved Nev even if he was a little naive (no pun intended).  He seems like a really nice guy and someone who makes friends quite easily.  A lot of the way he reacted to the situations he was in is the way that I would have reacted if I was stuck.  One of the filmmakers (Henry) was constantly making me laugh because he was genuinely a funny guy.  When they first showed him he was holding an Oh Henry! bar which for some reason made me crack up, so it was always interesting to hear the little comments that he throws in and also some of the logic he provides through out the movie.  The last character in the movie was Nev's brother Ariel.  He was my least favorite of the three but I still really liked him.  He wasn't afraid to prod his brother for answers to questions at 3 in the morning because they were siblings so Nev couldn't do anything that bad to him.  Ariel was also really funny when it came to the actual situation that they ran into because his reactions were just so ridiculous.  His reactions were the ones that everyone thinks in the very beginning of a bad or good situation but then never think them again because they are just to crazy.  With Ariel he would constantly think these thoughts out loud which made me laugh quite a bit.
There is one warning that does go along with this movie and that is do NOT look up the ending anywhere because the fun of the movie is learning with the filmmakers as secrets are unravelled.  If you look up the ending I guarantee that you will not like this movie as much if you know the ending.
I can see why this movie won a bunch of awards and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good movie to watch on a weekend or a week night if you have time. (:


Real Teen Rating~ A: You MUST watch this movie!!

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