The Descendants: Movie Review

 

Scaling the Hawaiian country-side with tears and laughter.

"The Descendants" is set in Hawaii but Matt King (George Clooney) and his family are not on vacation. Far from it. King is actually in a line descended down from an old Hawaiian princess and has inherited a wealth of land. That's only the secondary plot. The primary plot is that his wife is in a coma and he has to learn how to be a parent to his two unruly daughters. Cue the laugh track.		2011 Directed by: Alexander Payne Screenplay by: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller

Take Shelter: Movie Review

 

Shelter in the face of insanity versus reality.

Curtis (Michael Shannon) is having bad dreams and hallucinations. He’s likely just going crazy, but if he is in fact having visions of the future end of the world, then he might as well “Take Shelter”. With Curtis’s dreams turning into nightmares turning into a possible reality, he needs to keep himself safe and his wife (Jessica Chastain) and their young, deaf daughter.		2011 Directed by: Jeff Nichols Screenplay by: Jeff Nichols Starring: Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain

My Week with Marilyn: Movie Review

 

An affair with Marilyn Monroe, but who is she?

“My Week with Marilyn” is the week-long affair with Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) for young film enthusiast Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne). It’s also a week from hell for great actor Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) as he tries to make a movie with Ms. Marilyn Monroe. It’s also a week-long glimpse into the beautiful / tragic life of the starlet-turned-starlet.		2011 Directed by: Simon Curtis Screenplay by: Adrian Hodges Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne and Kenneth Branagh