"Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker."

A reformed poker player has to go back to playing big stakes to help his friend with his big debts. 

At first I actually thought that Rounders would be silly and maybe naive and I don't know, somehow romanticising the glamour of Vegas. But I was wrong, it wasn't romanticising anything. It wasn't glamorous, and it didn't even take place in Vegas. 

It would be way easier to watch movies like Rounders and Casino Royale, if I knew anything about card games, but I don't. I only know how to play Hearts and Black Jack (or a game like blackjack, but the cards you get aren't hidden), and I don't think I'm very good at either of those, to be honest I keep losing at Hearts when I play against computer, and I think I beat my dad once at Black Jack. I once had Texas Hold 'Em on my phone, but I didn't get the hang of that. And this is why, when in movies someone's hand is revealed, I have no idea if it's good or bad, I can only guess from the reactions of everyone. And I have no idea how well someone won and whatever. I don't know. But still it's interesting to watch a movie where card games are played. It's interesting, and, well, you learn a lot - except how to actually play. I know how you need to pay more attention to the opponents than their possible hand. I don't know, all these movies make me kinda want to play cards.

The atmosphere and colours in Rounders actually reminded me a bit of Fight Club, which was made year later. Rounders however  wasn't such a visual experience as Fight Club, but the colours were well used. 

The story wasn't that good. It's used a lot, how the characters need to get a certain amount of money to pay their debt and then they have to do something really desperate to get the money. It's used in various movies and various episodes of TV shows. Rounders didn't even have any special twists or turns to spice the story up a bit.

However, it was enjoyable to watch. It wasn't too boring, even if it wasn't that thrilling. You don't grow to like the characters, which sometimes is really refreshing, because you don't have to be nervous for them or whatever we usually feel for our favourite characters. Rounders wasn't great, but it was visually neat, and even though the story has been used over and over, the story isn't that bad. It wasn't ruined with, like, useless sub plots. It was alright.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

6/10

"You're doing this because you're scared to death, like the rest of us, that you don't matter. And you know what? You're right. You don't."

Riggan Thomas is an actor known from his iconic role as the superhero called Birdman. He wants to be taking more seriously as an actor, which makes him do a play for the Broadway. During the events he struggles to restore his ego, family and, of course, his career. 

I've wanted to see Birdman Or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance ever since I first heard about it. It had good actors in it, including Michael Keaton, Emma Stone and Edward Norton. I didn't even know so much about the plot until I started getting really, really excited about it. And then I found out my city's movie theatre isn't even going to show it, so I had to go to a bigger city to see it. And the premiere here in Finland was 16th of January, so... yeah, I didn't see it as early as I wanted to.

I had really high expectations about this movie. Like really high. And usually when I expect this much of something, the movie usually fails me a bit. Like with American Beauty - everyone said how wonderful it was and all that, and it was disappointing. Still sort of good, but disappointing. However, Birdman Or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance lived up to those expectations.

First of all, the story. It felt like something quite usual with some extra spices when you quickly read the summary on iMDB or anywhere. And then I saw the trailer and everything, and it seemed like Birdman was going to be something really unusual. Maybe not the story and the themes, they are pretty regular, But I enjoyed the story and the writing. The dialogue was so real, but it didn't seem like the writer was trying too much to make the dialogue between characters natural. And of course the dialogue had that... thing that movie dialogue usually has, something that can't happen in real. For example, in real life you never could do one big monologue without anyone interrupting, apart from special occasions. But I don't think dialogue has to be exactly like in real life to be good. The text, the story under the dialogue has to work, the characters have to be good, and them the dialogue will be good.

The filming was also great. Mostly the movie was made with very long shots - and it seemed like it hadn't been edited at all, but that the camera was rolling the whole time and they just did the movie like that. Of course that's not how it happened, but the effect was great. Everything seemed so very, very smooth. The camera work was very excellent. It felt like it was mostly filmed by hand, and that the cameraman was also a character, that didn't say or do anything. They just were there during any moment of someone's life, and they were almost intruding, staring at intimate moments and all that. It was very interesting. I have a feeling Birdman could have a very good chance to win the "Best Cinematography" Award. What did I originally bet, The Grand Budapest Hotel? I have a feeling I'm betting on the two on almost every category.

Also the music was amazing. Mostly there were only the drums, which was actually weird and I actually didn't think that would work. But the drums, percussions, whatever, actually did suit to every scene they were in, and any emotion. It was surprising, but it's good to know that. When it weren't the drums, it was the sort of music you hear in some action and superhero movies. And that kind of string music was mainly used during the most dream-like parts of the movie. Both the percussion and the strings worked perfectly for their moments. 

I really, really, really liked Birdman. It had the sort of Slipstream feel to it, which is something I'm really starting to love in movies, ever since, well, Slipstream (directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins). And Birdman affected me very much, and I don't even know why. It made the audience laugh, it made the audience feel horrified and uneasy. And it made many of us think. Also one of the best things is that the movie doesn't have just one simple solution to it. Was Riggan just delusional? Was everything just a dream? Or maybe everything that happened was true just the way it was? I don't know, and I don't want to know. What I want to do is go read different kind of theories about the story. I did read one theory, and it seemed like a very good theory. I just need more, and I need to see the movie several more times.

If Birdman doesn't win Best Picture or Best Directing or Best Cinematography, then I guess I don't know as much about movies as I'd like to. (Or maybe the academy is just full of idiots, which seems more likely.)

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

10/10

"1,2,3,4, I won't take no anymore. 5,6,7,8 - I want you to be my mate. 1,2,3,4 - you're the one that I adore. 5,6,7,8 - don't run from me cause this is fate."

Megan doesn't like kissing her boyfriend and only has pictures of girls on her locker. That's why her parents draw the conclusion that Megan has to be a lesbian. She is sent to "sexual redirection" school, where young homosexuals are taught how to be straight. Megan has to make a choice between trying to be straight for her parents, or to live life as who she is.

I have only seen few GIFs of the movie, and I didn't even know the plot until I decided to watch the movie.

The movie was actually much better than I expected. I've had the idea that LGBTQIA -movies, especially ones about lesbians, always have a tragic ending. But this one was actually so positive and cute, and a wonderful satire. The atmosphere and music made the whole thing feel like a weird satiric fairy tale. Also the movie showed how idiotic it is to try "converting" homosexuals etc. to be "normal" straight people. However the film did not explore how abusive said conversion therapy can be, but that probably was because they still wanted this movie to be very light-hearted. And I think that was the right direction to go. Of course But I'm A Cheerleader  was partly very cheesy and so on, but in general it was very cute. I want to see more movies about lesbians, but movies like this, and not tragic movies where the lesbians either die or become straight. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆

6/10

"Remember those posters that said, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"? Well, that's true of every day but one - the day you die."

A husband and a father, Lester Burnham is getting deeper and deeper into a depression, until he has a mid-life crisis after getting infatuated with his daughter's best friend.

I had heard about American Beauty for the first time a long, long time ago. I've probably been aware of it's existence since it came. Of course I wasn't really interested until I started liking drama. I've also have had it for a while, waiting to be watched. Why I chose it tonight, I have no idea.

First of all American Beauty made me feel a bit uneasy about older man liking a minor. just like Down In The Valley made me feel uneasy. However in American Beauty the age difference was much clearer, and it was sort of the point. That's why Lester Burnham kind of got his mid-life crisis and suddenly also grew a backbone. But still in movies like this the infatuation, was it mutual or not, is most of the time really, really creepy.

There was something weirdly similar in American Beauty to Fight Club. The biggest similarity was of course the scene where Lester Burnham quits his job, when he blackmails the boss and gets one year salary and benefits. It's very similar where The Narrator in Fight Club tries to get paid even though he wouldn't be actually working for the company anymore - and then he beats himself up and pretends his boss did that. And partly the philosophy that Fight Club has is also present in American Beauty. The difference is, that American Beauty isn't yelling it at the viewer's face. And of course it might be hard to see that in American Beauty if you're not familiar with Fight Club.

One thing I liked was how you can't really deduce how much time do the events take. It's said in the beginning though, about how long it's going to be until the Burnham dies, but still it's hard to say how much time has passed since that and that scene. But then again in the beginning Burnham narrates and says, "in less than a year". How much is less than a year? Seasons don't really change, not the way you could guess how much time has passed. And I really like this in a movie. It's better than knowing that exctly 1,4 days after, etcetera.

The acting was very good in this movie, so was directing and editing. The story however... it was well written, and had some parts that were really brilliant, and the writing made American Beauty very quotable movie. And well, it was decent. I was maybe waiting for something more, and I think the end was made too long, there was a moment where it could've ended, and then it would've been perfect. But I guess this is the problem with popular movies that are often thought as magnificent - you expect too much of them, and they don't live up to your expectations. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

7 / 10

"The world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday. That's guaranteed."

Pat get out of mental institution, and he plans that with positivism he may win back his wife, who had moved out and left him after his violent outburst which led to beating her lover unconscious. He tries to figure out a way to contact her, which is hard because of the restraining order, but then he meets Tiffany. With her help, Pat might get his letters to his wife, but of course Tiffany has something to ask for return.

Silver Linings Playbook seemed like a regular romantic drama comedy, and I mostly based that opinion on the fact that is was nominated for the Oscar. Usually if a movie is a comedy and it's nominated, it's pretty regular. Nominated dramas can usually be more complex - however they hardly are. But to be honest, I didn't know everything about the plot. I didn't know that Pat was in a mental institution. I only knew that Jennifer Lawrence's character Tiffany had some mental issues, but I had no idea Pat was in the same boat. Of course that made Silver Linings Playbook a bit more interesting, but of course mental health as a theme isn't exactly ground-breaking, but it adds a certain something, if it's well written.

So was it well written? Well, of course Silver Linings Playbook is nothing compared to Girl, Interrupted, which displays mental health much better. Then again mental health or mental issues weren't exactly the main theme or main point of Silver Linings Playbook, which was kind of annoying. I have no idea how the novel is, I haven't read it. Maybe the novel portrays and examines mental health more and better than the movie, or maybe the point wasn't to examine that. Maybe it was supposed to be a love story, that just happened to be between two mentally unstable people. Partly Silver Linings Playbook reminded me of Filth. Of course Pat is not at all like DS Bruce Robertson, but they both seemed to be obsessively determined to get their wives back. The difference is, that the other character knew when to give up. 

To be honest, I can't say I could call this movie a comedy. Once again I'm simply relying on the genres mentioned on iMDB. Partly the movie was the sort of "feel good" movie, it possibly may make the viewer happy. But I don't now if it'd a comedy. It wasn't exactly funny, it didn't make me laugh. Sure, partly it was light-hearted, so it wasn't 100 % serious drama, but there are many dramas that aren't completely serious, but they still aren't classified as comedies. The line has to be drawn somewhere though, like if a movie has a funny scene or it's partly light-hearted, it doesn't mean it's a comedy.

Jennifer Lawrence did a good job as Tiffany, and I'm not blaming it on her, that her character was basically a bit darker version of manic pixie dream girl. Bradley Cooper on the other hand wasn't as good, he seems to be similar in every role he does, he does everything the same way. Sometimes you can't even tell his smaller parts apart, because mostly he even plays characters that have little or no depth. Pat's character had some depth, but in a sort of cliché story it didn't make much difference.

Silver Linings Playbook may be a bit fresh movie, but it isn't really special. The story isn't ground-breaking or even really good, it was just decent. If I liked something, it was the editing. It was pretty cool, and I hope the editor is doing well and getting some really cool movies to edit. 

☆☆☆☆

4 / 10

Maybe I also should mention something about the Academy Award nominees of this year. I'm betting on The Grand Budapest Hotel or Birdman winning the best picture, Michael Keaton winning the best actor and Rosamund Pike winning the best actress. Also The Grand Budapest Hotel is also probably getting best cinematography, and Birdman best directing, and Interstellar best visual effects. 

And even though I'm betting on Rosamund Pike, I'm kind of hoping Julianne Moore would win best actress, and X-Men Days Of Future Past best visual effects. And of course I'm rooting for Edward Norton to win best supporting actor. 

However I'm not going to watch the gala. It represents so many things I'm against, and like a wise man once said, it's rich people giving prizes to other rich people. And of course the academy is incredibly sexist and racist (every actor / actress nominee this year is white, and rarely women are nominated for best directing etc.) I'll just check the winners the morning after, since I'll anyway be asleep during the gala.

"You're cheating on me, Max. Maybe not with another woman, but with diamond."

Jewel thieves have retired to an island, and everything seems like a paradise, until an old nemesis, FBI agent shows up, and is suspecting the thieves to steal another diamond.

That poster doesn't look at all like the movie was. After the Sunset was actually really cheerful movie with less action than you'd first think. I mostly became interested in this film because it's directed by Brett Ratner. He's also directed Red Dragon and X-Men: The Last Stand, the least liked movie in the X-Men Trilogy. Brett Ratner might not be as good as many other directors, but his works are decent and worth watching, especially Red Dragon, which is my second favourite movie of those featuring Hannibal Lecter. 

Definitely Ratner has done better job with Red Dragon and even X-Men than with After The Sunset. After The Sunset isn't actually as brilliant as many other movies like this one. One thing was surprising though: the surprise. They give such a big foreshadowing in the beginning, and the viewer might think that "this really gave the ending away now, didn't it". But the foreshadowing was actually a genius move, even though it usually is a cliché and makes the film too predictable. Because of the foreshadowing, there were so many times when you could think "this is it, this is what they were talking about". but since it happens so many times, you can't see the real plot twist before it's thrown into your face. So even though the movie isn't even averagely good.

And okay, I have to admit, this movie was also pretty funny. I laughed out loud several times. The humour isn't actually clever or anything, but it's created by funny or embarrassing situations, and the rest is something you'd find funny if your friends would say. Yeah. 

The music in the movie was brilliant though, and really suited  the surroundings. So if there was anything really, really good in this movie, it's the soundtrack. It's fun. Of course the actors and actresses were good. Pierce Brosnan was alright, this might be one of my favourite roles from Woody Harrelson, Naomie Harris was as lovely and badass as ever, and oh, Salma Hayek. I think I'm truly in love with Hayek, she's a beautiful woman and a talented actress. 

So, in short, After The Sunset isn't anything special or even good, apart from one plot twist, humour in small doses and excellent acting. The movie might be worth seeing one time, but one time only. After that it will probably turn into something really boring.

☆☆☆☆

4 / 10