Kingsman: The Secret Service

Cole and I got sneak-preview screen tickets to see the movie Kingsman last week.  I was so tickled that it was at a theater that serves beer for the movies--I can't believe it took so long for people to think of that.  With Sam Adam's Cold Snap and popcorn and Reese's Pieces in hand, we really enjoyed the show!

To sum up the movie without any spoilers: rough kid is chosen to train and become an elite, secret agent.  Think high-action James Bond.

Lead actors: Colin Firth, Michael Cain, Mark Strong, Samuel L. Jackson--with a lisp. Fantastic!!, Taron Egerton (no, you probably haven't heard of him).

You can view the trailer below. #becomeakingsman

Movies Lately

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

This movie stars Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, and Kiera Knightly.  Jack Ryan is a covert CIA analyst checking on Russia's accounts that show a plan to collapse the US economy.

photo c/o imdb.com

I really enjoyed this movie.  It is the right amount of action without too much gore that I was able to handle.  Pine and Costner did a fabulous job.  Kiera Knightly plays Jack Ryan's wife, an American physician.  I always liked Knightly in the Pirates movies, but without that British accent, her teeth are not acceptable.  I have never noticed her teeth in other movies but I've never watched a movie that she didn't play the role of a Brit.  I enjoyed the scenes that she was not part of much better than when she was present.


The Monuments Men

For some reason, this movie has not been getting great reviews.  Cole and I saw it on Wednesday (sneak preview), and I just loved it!  With a cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and John Goodman, how could it not be incredible?

photo c/o imdb.com

This movie is based on a true story during WWI of a group of men that journey through Europe to find pieces of art from Picasso, Michelangelo, and other famous artists that Hitler has stolen with plans of filling a "Fuhrer Museum."  Apparently Hitler had been an art student--I didn't learn that in school.

The movie touches on the hardships of war, the passion for art and preservation of culture, and comradeship of soldiers.  It is sweet, serious, and comical all bundled into one.  DON'T miss out!

Movies Lately

For date night during this cold snow storm, Cole and I ventured to the movie theater for a sneak-preview of Her, directed by Spike Jonze, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, and Scarlett Johansson movie in which ScarJo is the voice of "Samantha," an operating system that Joaquin Phoenix begins to "date."  

Because of my struggle to travel on the roads in the weather--a 13-minute drive took a full hour--and for sneak-preview movies they do not play the "regular-movie" previews that buffer our arrival time, we missed the first few minutes of the movie.  Since it was my fault for being late, I volunteered to retrieve popcorn and snacks.  I absolutely LOVED this movie and highly recommend it (to those 18 and older, of course).  I wasn't sure what time period the movie was based in, so I had loads of ideas for how it might end, and I was not disappointed.  Keep an open mind for a few parts of this movie; some things get a little weird, but we were cracking up left and right.

Photo c/o imdb.com

On Friday night, we had quiet night in and watched Safety Not Guaranteed and Frances Ha.  We actually saw Safety Not Guaranteed a while back as another sneak-preview.  I just LOVE this movie, it is so funny and quirky.  It is about a girl (Aubrey Plaza) who is trying to become a journalist.  So far, she is merely an intern who is only allowed to run errands and perform janitor duties at a magazine.  A writer (Jake Johnson) decides to take two interns to do an article on a man who placed a classified ad seeking a partner to travel in time. The ad read as follows: 

"WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED."

Honestly, how could you NOT want to see this? The movie also stars Mark Duplass from The League. Do yourself a favor, and watch this one.

photo c/o imdb.com

We then watched Frances Ha because it had good reviews and I loved Greta Gerwig in Arthur. I thought the movie was okay. It was filmed in black and white, which I suppose made it great for those who focus on the picture itself rather than the story.  I couldn't decide if I liked Frances, the character, or if I found her extremely annoying.  Since I still couldn't decide by the end of the movie, I focused on the fact that it was filmed in black and white and I knew that I would not have found it as endearing of a movie had it been filmed in color. Don't get me wrong, there were many moments in the movie that made me giggle and I was glad that I had watched it, but I don't think I'll be watching it a second time. View as you choose.

photo c/o imdb.com

One that I did not mention seeing a while back (another sneak-preview--Cole gets tickets for them all the time. I'm a lucky girl!) was Inside Llewyn Davis.  This movie is about a week in the life of a folk singer--think Mumford and Sons-- trying to make it in New York in the year 1961. I thought that the plot line was a bit thin and a lot of questions left unanswered, but I definitely enjoyed the music from this movie.

Favorite song in the movie: Fare Thee Well. There is another version of this recorded with Marcus Mumford, but I prefer the one that was played during the movie.