The East [Blu-ray]

4 1/2 stars for another fine film with rising star Brit Marling
I first caught actress and screenwriter Brit Marling in a movie called "Another Earth" from a couple years ago. Shortly thereafter she shows up in "Sound of My Voice." In both cases she plays quiet, thoughtful young women with complicated personalities. "The East" is her best role and her best film. She plays an FBI-trained agent who is working for a private security firm headed by Sharon (Patricia Clarkson), a no BS CEO.

Sarah/Jane is given the task of infiltrating an eco-terrorist group known as The East. This is a big step up in Sarah's career and she relishes the assignment. She's very good at her job and manages to get inside the secret group, which is headed by Benji (Alexander Skarsgard) an heir to a fortune, but ultimately disillusioned by corporate greed. Ellen Page plays Izzy and like Benji, she seeks payback for corporate atrocities is necessary even if lives are at stake.

While this sounds pretty cut and dry, Sarah using the alias Jane, begins...
Please Listen.
I'm not a movie critic, so I don't know the technical operations of filming and I can guess that most people watching movies don't either. Therefore, this is simply based on my experience of seeing The East. I love a movie that can open a hole into my mind and inflict the question of how I am living my life- leaving me with a sting of the truth and the mixed feelings of someone who is on the brink of acting to correct those choices and someone who is unsure about leaving behind the comfort of what is familiar. Though the consistent opinions of this film not having a lot of action is true; it in no way lacks the reality that life does not happen in a constant motion, but draws in inconsistent flourishes- enhancing, for me, the ability to grow with the plot, as well as allowing me time to think about the overall picture. I got attached to the characters, felt their emotions, and could sympathize with their motives. Sure, it sucks when you have to buy a movie you aren't sure about, but I...
Are we content keeping our eyes closed to whats going on in society?
This is a great movie basically about what the pharmaceutical companies (and others) are doing to people. It's sad because most of it is actually true and going on, and people don't even realize it. I liked this movie but probably more because I believe in the message. For acting and story line I would probably give it 4 stars.
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The Way, Way Back (Blu-ray / DVD + DigitalHD)

4.5 stars... "Let's try and get that score up!"
I had seen the trailer for this movie a number of times in recent weeks at my local art-house theatre here in Cincinnati and couldn't wait to see this movie. The movie finally opened today, and I went to see it right away.

"The Way, Way Back" (2013 release; 103 min.) tells the story of 14 yr. old Duncan (played by newcomer Liam James) who, along with his mom Pam (played by Toni Collette), her boyfriend Trent (played by Steve Carell) and his 16 or 17 yr. old daughter Stephanie, are going to spend the summer at Trent's summer house on a beach somewhere in Massachusetts. Right as the movie opens, Trent and Duncan get into an already destined-to-be-a-classic exchange: Trent: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how do you see yourself?"; Duncan: "a 6"; Trent: "a 6? more like a 3... Let's try and get that score up this summer!". Duncan has a hard time fitting in with anyone but he does seem to be able to talk to Suzanna, the neighbor's daughter who's just a bit older than him. Duncan then...
'The Way Way Back' one of the year's best.
The Academy Award winning writing team (The Descendants) of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are back at it with the coming-of-age drama, The Way Way Back. Both Faxon and Rash write, direct, and act in the film, which stars Liam James as Duncan - a shy, uncertain 14-year-old that travels to an East Coast vacation house for the summer with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), his mother's boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent's daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Trent and Duncan have a rocky relationship due to Trent seemingly always picking on Duncan or isolating him in some way - forcing Duncan into a world of seclusion. After arriving at the coast, Duncan feels out of place and miserable until one afternoon when he encounters Owen (Sam Rockwell), the manager of a local waterpark. Owen befriends Duncan, gives him a job, and encourages him to have fun while being his own person and creating his own path in life. The dramatic-comedy's supporting cast also includes Allison Janney, Rob Corddry,...
Absolutely one of the best films of 2013
Written and directed by the team of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (winners of the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Descendants), The Way, Way Back is absolutely one of the best films of 2013 so far. And even saying that feels inadequate because it's such a fine film, a coming-of-age comedy/drama with a great script, fine performances by a superb cast, and directed with a flawless natural touch so that there's never a moment where things feel false or forced.

The Way, Way Back is seen from the point of view of Duncan (Liam James), the shy and awkward fourteen-year-old son of recently divorced Pam (Toni Collette), as they head out on a summer vacation with Pam's also-divorced boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent's teenaged daughter Steph (Zoe Levin). Riding in the back of Trent's station wagon, Duncan is visibly less than thrilled at the prospect. It's quickly apparent why in the opening scene when Trent engages Duncan in conversation while Pam and Steph are...
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