JCast Network

Some critics have already called it prententious as well as an indulgent mess. All these varying opinions simply prove one thing…When it comes to movies, art, music, culture…it’s all so subjective.. Therefore, my suggestion, is…go see this film and judge for yourself.

‘Cloud Atlas’ directed and written by Lana Wachowski and her brother Andy of the ‘Matrix’ fame along with Tom Tykwe (‘Run Lola Run’) is based on David Mitchell’s best selling novel of the same name.

The film spans five centuries and explores how the actions and consequences of individuals impact one another through the past, present and future. Characters meet and reunite…Are born and reborn. And…everything and everyone is connected.

One soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

‘Cloud Atlas begins in 2346, and in 1849, 1936, 2012, 2144 and back to 2346.

The film is part action, mystery, romance, scifi, fantasy and even at times, a comedy.

There are six stories and the actors including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent, James D’ Arcy, Hugh Grant, David Gyasi, Hugo Weaving, Ben Winshaw and the memorizing Doona Baein, play six different characters and they are all extraordinary, transcending genders in some cases.

When the film begins we meet Tom Hanks, a one eyed goat herder living in post apocalyptic Hawaii and then in 1849 as an evil ship’s doctor. In 2012, he’s a balding skinhead who becomes a pop star after he throws a critic off the roof.

Two of Halle’s characters are a crusading San Francisco journalist in 1973 and the last survivor of a lost civilization in 2345.

One of my favorite character that Jim Sturgess plays is a a robot warrior from the future living in New Seoul. He falls in love with a sexy, socially outlawed genetically cloned slave,Sonmi-451 (Doona Baein) who spends her brief existence as a compliant restaurant server. With the help of Sturgess, she starts gains enlightenment and starts a revolution.

I could write pages about this complex, intriguing, fascinating film, but then why would you go see it…And see it, you must.

“Cloud Atlas’ opens in theatres, Friday October 26, 2012 and I gave it 4 1/2 bagels out of 5. Check out our video to see what John thought of this film and what I thought about his critique.and bagel rating.

Please SUBSCRIBE to our youtube channel and LIKE us on our Two Jews On Film facebook page. Love to hear what you think about this film. Thanks everyone.

Every so often a film comes along that lifts your spirits…That makes you feel like anything and everything is possible.

‘The Sessions’ starring John Hawkes and Helen Hunt is just such a film.

This is the true story of a man named Mark O’Brien, who lived in Berkely CA in the 1980’s.

Mark is different from most people. He contacted polio as a child and is confined to an Iron Lung. The only part of his body that isn’t paralyzed, is his head, which he can move slightly to the side. He is also dependent on a breathing tube and a caregiver.

But this isn’t the tale of a disabled dude that lies around feeling sorry for himself.

On the contrary, Mark is a man who defeated the odds and not only graduated college, but went on to become a journalist and a poet.

The story begins in 1988 and as soon as you meet Mark, you can’t help but like him. He’s an intelligent, insightful guy, with a killer sense of humor….Oh and at the age of 38, he’s still a virgin. And Mark wants to do something about that.

You see even though Mark’s body is frail his penis works just fine.

Mark, a devout catholic, confesses to his priest (the wonderful William Macy) that he wants to know a woman in the biblical way.and asks him if this is wrong. After giving it some thought, the Father says GO FOR IT.

So with the Priest’s blessing, Mark sets out to lose his virginity. He finds a sex surrogate, Cheryl (Helen Hunt) who has sexual intercourse with her clients and Mark’s life will never be the same.

There are many reasons why I loved this film, but the two main ones are…John Hawkes and Helen Hunt who are absolutely amazing. Come Oscar time, they will be on everyone’s list.

‘The Sessions’ written and directed by Ben Lewin is a film that will touch your heart. It will make you laugh, cry and definitely…inspire you. It’s one of those movies that stays with you way after the credits roll and the lights come on.

And it’s a film that John and I actually agreed on. That’s right. We both gave it 4 1/2 bagels out of 5.

Check out our video to find out what else we thought about ‘The Sessions’ which opens in theatres Friday, October 19th, 2012.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

–>

Ten years ago, Scott Voss (Kevin James) was an excellent high school biology teacher. He was even voted ‘Teacher Of The Year’.

But ten years is a long time. FLASH forward to the present…Scott couldn’t care less about teaching. He works only to bring home a paycheck and is completely disillusioned with a school system that treats students like ‘cattle’…who’s only interested in moving them in and out, as quickly and as cheaply as possible.

To make matters worse, a budget crisis hits the school and by the end of the year, all extra curricular activites (except footbal, of course) will be cut, including the Music department run by beloved teacher Marty (Henry Winkler). This mean that Marty, whose wife is expecting a baby, will lose his job as well as tenure.

For some reason, this wakes up the apathetic Scott and he tries to rally the other teachers and the staff to help him raise the $48,000 needed to keep the department going.

Unfortunately, the only person interested in helping is Bella, (Salma Hayek) the school nurse, who Scott has been trying to date for over an year, only to get shot down by her over and over again.

Scott even takes a night job, teaching citizenship, to immigrants, for some extra money. It’s here, that he meets ex Mix Martial Arts fighter, Nikko (Bas Rutten). Nikko needs some extra help in learning the finer points of our governemnt, so Scott agrees to tutor him.

When he goes over Nikko’s house for their first lesson, he finds the fighter and several of his friends watching the UFC fight from Vegas on the t.v.

To his amazement, Voss discovers that a fighter can make up to $10,000 just for competing in one of these fights, and that’s if he…loses.

Right then and there Scott, who just happens to be an ex college wrestling champ, realizes that this is the answer to school’s money problems. Scott will become a MMA fighter and win the money. Oh and Nikko will become his trainer.

Piece of cake right?

Not exactly and that’s what makes ‘Here Comes The Boom’ directed by Frank Coraci and written by Kevin James, Allan Loeb and Rock Reuben, a funny and yes, heartwarming film about how, it’s.never to late to go after your dream, even if everyone around you thinks your nuts.

Yes, this film may be a little corny, predicitable and yes…we’ve seen it before with ‘Rocky’, ‘Remember The Titans’ and countless other films.

It’s the classic story of the underdog beating the odds. But so what? The formula still works and in this crazy world, I believe that there’s always room for one more ‘feel good’ movie and for that reason…

I gave ‘Here Comes The Boom’ which opens in theatres, Friday, October 12, 2012…4 bagels out of 5.

John on the other hand, had an entirely different opinion. Check out our video to hear him sing and for more of our thoughts.

”Looper’, written and directed by Rian Johnson (‘Brick’) is an intelligent, engrossing, thought provoking, and totally entertaining, sci fi film about time-travel and what a person will or won’t do to save the person they love.

There’s also some kick ass action, great characters, excellent acting and at times, it’s actually, funny.

‘Looper’ stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe and Bruce Willis as…Old Joe aka Levitt’s future self.

The film takes place in Kansas 2042. Time travel has not yet been invented, but 30 years from now, it will have been. Only problem is, it’s illegal…and controlled by a syndicate of gangsters, who basically run the world.

These bad boys use a time travel device to send the people they want eliminated, back to 2042, where men known as ‘Loopers’ kill them and collect a whole lot of silver bars for their work.

Apparently there is absolutely no place for a murderer to dispose of a body thirty years from now…And we think our planet is in trouble, now…

Anyway, because of the illegality of the whole murder thing, eventually the Loopers, themselves, must be eliminated.

So after thirty years of killing people…give or take a couple of months…the loopers must oft themselves….well, their older selves.

This is one of the many cool parts of the film.

The loopers wait in this open field, out in nowhere land, for their future selves to pop in. When they arrive, their heads are covered with a hood. When the hoods come off, the realization that the looper must kill himself really sinks in. Of course, not all of them wants to go along with the plan….I mean. can you blame them?

Well, there’s a lot more to the plot, but I don’t want to spoil the great surprises…

I will say that…Emily Blunt and a wonderful young actor, Pierce Gagnon, who plays Blunt’s very special son, as well as Jeff Daniels, who’s an extremely interesting, bad ass gangsta, all play essential roles in this exciting, orginal film.

Along with the the acting being pitch perfect, the dialogue is clever and witty, raising some very important philsophical issues.

To sum up, ‘Looper’ is definitely a film that will make you think…about the choices you’d make when it comes to love…love of another person…and love of humanity.

‘Looper’ opens in theatres, Friday September 28th. It received 4 1/2 bagels out of 5 from myself. Check out our video to see what John thought and his rating…Hint…He actually liked this film a great deal.

If you are expecting a super scary horror film, you will be disappointed. If however, you are expecting a lifetime movie of the week, damsel in distress film, you will not be.

Personally, for the first 50 minutes of ‘House At The End Of The Street’ I was kind of bored and then came a ‘twist’ and I sat up in my seat….but not for long.

Okay, so here’s the story…Sarah (Elisabeth Shue) is a divorced mom who moves into an upscale neighborhood to start a better life with her daughter, Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence, ‘Hunger Games’) Only trouble is there are rumors that the nearby woods are haunted by a homicidal killer named Carrie Ann…Seems she murdered her mom and dad…Sounds like one ungrateful kid…

Anyway, Elissa befriends Carrie Ann’s brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot) who still lives in his deceased parents’ house…Poor guy is an outsider thanks to his sister’s little murder spree. But that doesn’t stop Elissa from falling for him. Can’t really blame her…The dude is cute.

To say anymore about this film would be giving too much away. But what I will say is…unfortunately this is a definite DVD/Netflix rental….

Also, if you decide to take an evening stroll in the dark, spooky woods with a homicidal maniac running loose, you may want to consider another form of entertainment.

I gave ‘House At The End Of The Street’ directed by Mark Tonderai (‘Hush’) and written by David Loucka (‘Dream House’) based on a story by Jonathan Mostow (‘Terminator 3’)

Check out our video to see John’s rating and for more of our incredible witty banter.

‘Trouble With The Curve’ is a)corny…b)nothing you haven’t seen before and c) totally entertaining.

Clint Eastwood is Gus, an aging baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves. Gus has more than a few problems…He’s losing his eyesight, has trouble peeing, his contrat expires with the team in three months and might not be renewed.

Oh and did I mention that his relationship with his high powered lawyer daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams) is far from great. In fact it sucks.

Amy and Gus are total polar opposites. Gus hates technology…Thinks computers are a ridiculous way of tracking a players stats and won’t even consider using a cell phone.

Amy, on the other hand, practically sleeps with her laptop. They do, however, have on thing in common…Their love for baseball.

When circumstances arrive that forces Mickey to accompany Gus on a scouting trip through North Carolina, they both get one last chance to heal old wounds and maybe…just maybe, have a real father/daughter relationship.

Yes this film is old fashion, but it works. There’s even a little romance thrown in and a moonlight swim thanks to Justin Timberlake. He plays a former pitcher who’s now a Red Sox scout. Mr. T. does an adequate job at being boyish and charming. His chemistry with Amy isn’t great, but it won’t put you to sleep either.

Rounding out the cast is John Goodman, Gus’s long time bff/co-worker and Matthew Lillard, an obnoxious jerk who wants to be the next…Gus.

‘Trouble With The Curve’ which opens in theatres Friday, September 21st.

The film was directed by Clint’s long time producing partner Robert Lorenz and for a first time director, he does a good job with his cast. Randy Brown, also a first timer, wrote the script.

I gave ‘Trouble With Curves’ 3 bagels out of 5. Check out our video to see John’s rating and for more of our banter.

‘Training Day’ starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke is one of my favorite ‘cop’ movies. It was written and directed by David Ayers and now…once again…Ayers continues his fascination with the ‘Men In Blue’ with his new gritty drama entitled ‘End Of Watch’.

This time his focus isn’t on police corruption, but on the every day life of the men and women who patrol our streets and put their lives at risk on a daily basis to serve and protect us.

‘End Of Watch’, while not completely satisfying on an emotional level, does work for the most part, thanks to the two leads, Jake Gyllenhal and Michael Pena who have great chemistry between them.

Gyllenhal is Brian Taylor, an ex Marine, who comes from a wealthy family in Davenport Iowa. He wants to be a lawyer and attends college at night, where he studies film as well as law. Taylor is a dude that loves to take risks. His sensitive side only comes out when he talks about or spends time with his girlfriend, Janet (Anna Kendrick).

Taylor’s partner, Mike Zavala (Mike Pena) couldn’t be more different.

Zavala joined the force right out of high school. He grew up on the streets of East L. A. and has been married to the same woman, Gabby (Natalie Martinez) since high school.

Sitting in their police car, waiting for their next call, the two cops converse candidly about the risks of the job, including the rush and fear that comes with the territory.

This is juxtaposed with their humorous conversations about women, life and fellow officers.

One thing is always clear…Taylor and Zavala would give their life for each other. They are brothers on every level. This is especially clear when a hit is put out on their lives by the Mexican cartel.

On the other side of the law, we meet the shadowy figures from the Sinaloa Drug Cartel and an L.A. street gang and their members Big Evil, Wicked, La La and Demon, among countless other ‘hoodrats and homies’.

As the action unfolds, it’s seen through handheld cameras shot from the P,O.V. of Taylor, the gang bangers, dash cams, surveillance cameras and the citizens caught in the line of fire. This 360 degree perspective creates an intense portrait of the city’s darkest and most violent streets.

This is a powerful story about family, friendship, love, honor and courage. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s definitely worth seeing.

Rounding out the cast are America Ferrera, Cody Horn and Paul Grillo as fellow cops.

I gave ‘End Of Watch’ which opens in theatres, Friday September 21, three and a half bagels out of five. Check out our video to see John’s rating and for more of our banter.

Some critics, especially those who have majored in journalism, take great pride in dissecting a film…The story, structure, characters, doing their best to impress us with their knowledge about what works and what doesn’t.

I am definitely not that kind of critic. All I do is share my subjective, emotional reaction to a film and sometimes, call my husband, John, an idiot if he doesn’t see it my way.

With that said, I will now share my emotional reaction to…’The Perks Of Being A Wallflower’ …I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. IT’S OUTSTANDING…A PERFECT FILM and…

So far, my favorite film of 2012…

‘The Perks Of Being A Wallflower’ is based on the bestselling novel of the same name. The book and the film was written by Steven Chbosky and he directed it as well. And all I want to say is…BRAVO Mr. C. Well, of course that’s not all I want to say…

The film is about an outsider…a lovable, naive, troubled, high school freshman, named Charlie (the super fabulous Logan Lerman) who is dreading his first day of school…In fact, he’s already counting down the days until the summer break.

Charlie is picked on by the other kids…He’s too scared to raise his hand in English class, even though he knows all the answers…He’s haunted by the death of his Aunt Helen (Melanie Lynskey) as well as the suicide of his best friend.

Charlie is one scared, alienated, lonely dude…

They are in no particular order…

Sam (Emma Watson at her best) and her stepbrother, the flamborantly gay, Patrick (the equally wonderful Ezra Miller).

Angry Buddhist chick, Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman) and her bff, Alice (Erin Wilhelm) welcome Charlie into their group, known as…’The island of Misfit Toys’.

It’s through Charlie’s relationship with this fantastic group of eccentric characters, he’s able to step out of his shell, face his demons, deal with his guilt, and eventually step into his true self. Oh, he even gets to perform in a production of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’

‘The Perks Of Being A Wallflower’ is an incredibly moving take on love, loss, hope and the unforgettable people that help us through life.

In Charlie’s case, it wasn’t just his friends, but his supportive teacher (Paul Rudd) who sees his potential to someday be a great writer.

The dialogue is some of the best and every actor is pitch perfect in their performance. The sound track…KILLER!

You will laugh, cry and applaud. This is not just a film for teenagers…It’s a must see film for everyone…Because, when Charlie, in V.O. says…

‘There is this one moment when you’re not a sad story…You are alive and you stand up and see the lights of the buildings and everything that makes you wonder and you’re listening to a song and you’re driving in a car with people you love most in the world and in that moment, I swear we are…infinite’…

No matter what your age, you will understand what he means…Because we’ve all had at least one moment in our life, when we have felt…infinite.

‘The Perks of Being A Wallflower’ opens in theatres Friday September 21st, 2012. I gave it five bagels out of five and John was just a half a bagel away in his rating.

‘The Words’ written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal (co-wrote story for ‘Tron-Legacy’) is a movie within a movie within a movie.

Yes, it does sound confusing and convoluted, but it’s really a very compelling and entertaining film. I promise.

When ‘The Words’ begin, we meet celebrated novelist, Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid). He’s standing before a crowd of fans including grad student, Daniella (Oliva Wilde) reading excerpts from his bestselling novel, entitled, ‘The Word’.

As Clay continues to read out loud, the story comes to life and we meet the characters from his book, starting with successful writer, Rory Jensen (Bradley Cooper) who is receiving a prestigious award for his debut novel.

Unlike Hammond, Jensen didn’t write the book he’s getting all the credit for. In flashbacks, we discover that Jensen found the manuscript in a weathered brief case that he bought while on his Paris honeymoon with his wife, Dora (Zoe Saldana).

Back in the States, Rory reads the manuscript. It’s the extraordinary story of a young soldier (Ben Barnes) who falls in love with a French girl, (Nora Arnezeder) in post WW11 Paris. Rory realizes that he could never write as deeply and as powerfully as this unknown author.

After receiving rejection, after rejection for his own work, Rory winds up publishing the novel under his name.

All goes well for our adored novelist until…he meets an old man (the wonderful Jeremy Irons) who has a story to tell him.

In a separate flashback, we find out who this mysterious elderly man is and where he came from.

So we have three stories that intertwine and add up to a very powerful story that touches on some very intesting and thought provoking themes…

What happens when a person realizes, that they will never become what they dream of becoming…What happens when someone makes a choice as a youth and has to suffer the consequences of his actions as a grown man, and finally, what happens when ambition is valued above love.

‘The Words’ which opens in theatres, Friday September 7, 2012 is a beautiful, touching, film about creativity and how in the end, everyone…wants to touch something truly, great.,

I thoroughly enjoyed it and for that reason, gave the film, 3 1/2 bagels out of 5.

John of course, had a very different experience. Check out our video to see his bagel rating and more of our thoughts.

Prohibition, gangsters, brothers, Virginia, moonshine, a sadistic lawman, violence, lust, love and family…That’s some of the things you’ll find in ‘Lawless’ directed by John Hillcoat (‘The Road’) and written by songwriter/musician, Nick Cave (The Proposition), based on Matt Bondurant’s book ‘The Wettest County in the World’ which is his fictionalized account of his family.

The film tells the story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers, Forrest, (Tom Hardy), Howard (Jason Clarke) and the youngest sibling, Jack (Shia LaBeouf) who made and sold moonshine in the 30’s. They lived in the mountains of Franklin County and were as different as brothers could be.

Jack, the ambitious one, dreams of expensive suits, fast cars, and getting it on with the very pretty and very religious, Bertha (Mia Wasikowka).

His bro, Howard, who survived the Great War, is the more laid back of the three while Forrest, who nearly died of the Spanish Flu, is known far and wide as being immortal. He’s also a guy you don’t want to mess with.

Times are tough and jobs are scarce in these parts, but the Bondurants are entrepreneurs and have built a thriving business by concocting an intense and popular brand of moonshine.

But Franklin County’s bootlegging days are about to end with the arrival of Special Deputy, Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) from Chicago. Rakes is a vicious, sadistic dude with a bad hairdo. He’s determined to bring law to this lawless place, no matter what he has to do…Translation…He’ll kill, maim, torture anyone who gets in his way.

And the Bondorants, who bow down to no one, are not about to let this power hungry sexually conflicted jerk mess with their way of life.

‘Lawless’ is a beautifully shot, edgy, exciting, violent, touching portrait of a time in our history when gangsters ruled the city streets, and outlaws were the stuff legends were made of.

Rounding out the cast are Jessica Chastain as Maggie, an emotionally wounded burlesque dancer who comes to the mountains to find peace and gets so much more than she bargained for and Gary Oldman, a gangster you can’t help but like.

‘Lawless’ which opens in theatres, Wednesday August 29, 2012, received 4 1/2 bagels out of 5. I absolutely loved everything about it and John actually liked it as well.

Check out our video to see more of our thoughts and see me try to convince John that his bagel ratings need some adjustment.

Please SUBSCRIBE to us on youtube and LIKE us on our Two Jews On Film facebook page. Thanks everyone and let us know your thoughts about this movie.