Sia–Elastic Heart

I watched this video because it featured Shia LaBeouf, whom I find very sexy and talented in spite of the weird things he sometimes does, and ended up liking the song and loving the choreography.

Take a look:

Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire’s final season felt at times slow, but was mostly as good as always.  We say goodbye to several characters, but that is the nature of the show.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show.  The quality was evident in everything, from scripts to acting, from costumes to the production, from photography to direction, so I have very little complaints about it.

If you enjoy gangster stories, then I’d definitely recommend this show.  It has all the greatness of The Sopranos just in a different era and with a different style, but the quality is definitely there, even though The Sopranos feels gutsier.

Grade – Season 5: 8

Yossi

The Gist: A closeted doctor who recently lost his boyfriend is still grieving and doesn’t seem to have much left to hope for.  Then, unexpectedly, he meets someone else.

The Bottom Line: While the premise might have been rehashed a thousand times before, Yossi is so well written and acted that it feels fresh and charmingly new.  Definitely a well developed love story.

Grade: 8

Snowpiercer

The Gist: Foolishly attempting to reverse global warming, scientists have brought about a new glacial era that makes life on the planet impossible.  The sole survivors live their days on a self-sustaining train that never stops circling the globe, but things are about to get bumpy.

The Bottom Line: Snowpiercer is a very nice survival movie with cool twists, well developed characters, and really good acting, especially from the always excellent Tilda Swinton.  While some elements might feel borrowed, I would definitely recommend it.

Grade: 8

Godzilla

The Gist: The existence of ancient dinosaur-like monsters who feed on nuclear material is revealed in the aftermath of a nuclear accident in Japan.  The titular monster will show his face on the US west coast, but he won’t be alone.

The Bottom Line: After the disappointing 1998 version, I had pretty much given up caring about this famed monster, but the very positive reviews this new version got convinced me to take a look.  I’m glad I did because the script this time around is much better written and there are twists in the story that are totally unexpected and take it in a whole new direction that hopefully will breathe new life into the monstrous creature from Japan.

Grade: 8

Undertow

The Gist: A soon-to-be father married man has been secretly seeing another man for years.  One day, an unexpected event will change his life forever.

The Bottom Line: This is by far one of the best gay themed movies I’ve ever seen.  The script is original, profound, and well written and the actors are great.  A must-see.

Grade: 9

The Amityville Horror

The Gist: A family moves into a home where a series of murders had occurred and soon the new occupants start to feel the influence of the evil forces that had doomed the former tenants.  Will they make it out alive?

The Bottom Line: While the movie does show its age, it still retains a fair share of thrills.  It’s entertaining but does have some weaknesses in its plot.  Looking forward to seeing the remake and how it turned out.

Grade: 7

Before Midnight

The Gist: Now together and with two little girls of their own, Jesse and Celine are confronted with the life choices they each made in the past and how they affect their relationship in the present.

The Bottom Line: What are the chances of a third chapter about a simple romance actually turning out to be the best and most interesting of them all?  Richard Linklater does the seemingly impossible and gives us yet another beautiful chapter in the Jesse & Celine Romance.  Unmissable.

Grade: 8

Before Sunset

The Gist: On a publicity tour for his recently published novel about the girl he met by chance on a train ride almost a decade earlier, Jesse sees Celine again and their romance rekindles.

The Bottom Line: This is by far one of the best sequels I’ve ever seen.  While at first the leads seem a bit tentative in their approach, one soon realizes that that’s exactly how people would feel towards each other in real life, and by the end of the second chapter they’ve recaptured the magic that made the first movie so endearing.  Another must see.

Grade: 8

Before Sunrise

The Gist: A chance encounter on a train leads to a day spent walking around Vienna, talking about everything and nothing, and slowly falling in love.

The Bottom Line: This movie had me spellbound from the beginning.  It’s charming and sweet while maintaining its aura of realism and the leads have an incredible chemistry.  Don’t miss it.

Grade: 8