Studio C Holiday Preview Experience Fall 2016

For those who get geeked when a new movie season is upon you- do I have an event for you.   Imagine being able to preview a glimpse into each movie in order to decide which you want to see.  Studio C does that for us and after attending two of these events, I highly recommend my fellow movie goers to attend the next one!  

Studio C is an affiliate of Celebration Cinemas who honors their VIP members, or frequent movie goers, who not only attend their movies often, but also use their rewards cards.  An email is sent to such VIP members when events such as this one occur and all you do is type in your information plus who you'd like bring with you.  All of this is free- even the popcorn. Once you arrive, you receive a list of the previews playing at that event and can choose anywhere in the theater to sit. I recommend showing up early so you can sit in the premier, lounge seats. There are several drawings where you have the opportunity to earn free popcorn buckets, t-shirts, posters, and movie passes. They also have appetizers to market their excellent, Oscar's Bistro.  Once the previews start, you watch about 20 previews, enjoy a 15 minute intermission where refills are a must, then finish the remaining 20 previews.  I know 40 previews sounds like a lot, but the entire event is 2 hours so it really does  go by fast.  Plus, the previews are short and entraining so you never feel like time is dragging.  Once your experience is done, you have the option of filling out a survey so you can help the theater know what their viewers are interested in seeing while entering in for a chance to win a gift card.  Overall, as a movie aficionado who enjoys the entire theater experience, this is truly an enjoyable event.

Instead of listing all 40 movies, I am going to highlight some top movies and who may enjoy them.  So feel free to check them out and make plans for your next movie experience!  Major kudos to Studio C located in the heart of Okemos, Michigan for another wonderful event. 

If You are Looking for Entertainment and Action:

Rogue- Star Wars fans rejoice!

Assassin's Creed- Based on a video game plus the actor who plays Magneto- can't go wrong.

Passengers- Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence awake to find they are all alone and in space.

Bleed for This- Successful boxer gets into severe car accident who fights his way back into the ring.

Doctor Strange- The actors in this line up are ridiculous in such a good way. 

If You are in the Mood for Suspense:

Shut In- A mother who is the caretaker of her son welcomes another boy into her home in need of support, only to find strange and scary events occurring. 

Nocturnal Animals- A women with a past who did something terrible to her previous husband finds out not all can stay in the past.

Arrival- Amy Adams plays a character who may be the only way we can communicate with aliens who enter Earth. 

Allied- Starring Brad Pitt.  A man finds out his wife, and mother of his child, may be a German spy and if so, he is ordered to kill her. 

If You are Looking for a Feel Good Film:

Hacksaw Ridge- Andrew Garfield plays a man who enters the military with one rule- he refuses to use physical force or a fire arm on another soul.

Trolls- A cynical troll finds purpose when he has to save his happy-go-lucky friends from the harsh reality he has lived through.  (Kid Friendly)

Moana- Moana and a Hawaiian God are on a mission to save her people.  (Kid Friendly)

A Monster Calls- A boy whose mother is dying has a special friend to help him cope with his emotions. (Kid Friendly)

If You Want a Good Laugh:

Office Christmas Party- Jason Batemen and a solid, comedic crew put on a hilarious film where an office Christmas part gets a tad out of hand.

Almost Christmas- A zany family with their share of differences gets together for the holidays. 

Bad Santa 2- If you enjoyed the first one then you will have no problem seeing it's second rendition of a Santa gone wrong. This time with the help of Mrs. Clause.

Not Him- James Franco plays the boyfriend who wants to marry a man's daughter, but there's only one problem-the father is not impressed and will do anything to get his daughter not to marry this nut case. 

There were many more I didn't mention but think we have a solid line up this season with some awesome movies!!  Check out more Studio C events below!

https://celebrationcinema.com/studioc

Jack Reacher- Never Go Back: Movie Review

I've been debating this blog for a few days now.  I keep thinking I only want to blog movies that I think you should see in the theater, but a girlfriend told me that it's good to see blogs on all the movies I see- this way people can decide if it's worth seeing or not.  Going off my last sentence, I know this isn't starting out to well, but I will leave that for you to decide.

Jack is continuing his off-the-grid life when he decides to pay an old friend a visit.  He soon finds out she has been arrested and being held in a high security prison since she is a major in the military.  Jack knows something is off and does what he does best and ignores the rules to break her free.  The two are on the run and on a mission to not only clear her name, but also reveal the true criminals,  as the major was on the verge of uncovering  a conspiracy in which two men under her watch were murdered by an unknown source.  For obvious reasons, the more she found out, the more of a risk she was so they made sure to bring her down before she could do the same to them.  Little did they know, she had Jack in her corner.  As our plot continues, Jack finds out he may have a daughter who is in grave danger as a way to get to Jack, so he rescues her and has to play parent while also making sure the now trio make it out of this crazy mess alive, while also bringing down the bad guys.  This should't be too hard......

This sequel rated 7/10 on IMDB and received a whopping 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. I am actually going to disagree with IMDB, which does't usually happen, and say they are being a little too nice.  I would give it a 6/10.  It was definitely a movie you can wait to see from the comfort of your couch and microwaved popcorn.  There just wasn't anything really drawing me in.  Yes it is still amazing how Tom Cruise can participate in these action scenes and not seem any different than 20 years ago, but that's about it.  I think it would be  great movie for the hardcore Jack Reacher fans or those like me who just really want to see a movie and have seen everything else.  For everyone else- just stay home. It lacked depth and like most films that spend a ton of attention on the action, it missed on the acting components.  

The Girl on the Train: Movie Review

For me movies are about the experience.  Whether it be a night of hand holding and popcorn sharing with your significant other, a family event where parents and grandparents join to see a movie on a holiday, or a group of friends seeing the latest movie they've been waiting for at midnight- yes you are seeing a movie, but you are also making memories.  This was one of those times the night I saw The Girl on the Train.  I went with girlfriends from work and was surrounded by other females in the audience who were seeing it with their girlfriends. Yes there were couples too, but you could tell this was a movie many gals wanted to see with their friends.  What struck me with this movie was that it was not your typical "chick flick."  This movie was based on a book about  an alcoholic who gets herself mixed up in a murder and eventually finds out she could have been the killer, if only she didn't drink so much causing her to forget what she did that night.  Yeah......not your typical girl comedy, romance, or whatever else us girls like to see.  It was such a great movie though and I think showed a lot of symbolism and unity for women so who else would you want too see it with other than your girls?

Rachel wasn't always an alcoholic.  It started after several failed attempts to have children with her husband, Tom.  Not being a mother was more than she could handle so she did what she could to mask the pain by drinking away her sorrows.  One affair and divorce later, not on her end, and she finds herself alone and without a job.  All she has is her liquor and many episodes where she stumbles into her old home where her husband and his new wife and baby now live, or leaves harassing messages on her ex's voicemail. Instead of looking for a job, she takes the train each day to the city so it looks like she has a job to her roommate.  This is where Rachel becomes obsessed with a couple she sees on her commute.  She fantasizes about this couple she sees out of her train window each day because they remind her of what she used to have.  One day something seems off and she sees the woman kissing another man.  This sets Rachel off and convinces her she has to do something about it.  She ends up getting off the train and into one of the worst nights of her life.  She wakes up the next day covered in vomit and blood then finds out Emma, the girl she'd been watching, is dead.  Rachel has all of these flashes of what she think may have happened, but she doesn't know what the truth is.  She even gets the gumption to tell Emma's widow of Emma's affair she thinks she was having.  The more involved Rachel gets the more she feeds off of it since it gives her a tie to Emma and her life.  The question is, did Rachel kill Emma and will she ever remember what really happened that night?

When movies are based on books people tend to hate on the movie and claim the book is better.  I won't do that.  I know the movie is going to have differences and I don't care.  I read books because I like to read and I see movies because I like to see movies.  One does not discount the other from my perspective.  I did enjoy that the movie followed the same pattern as the book where it shows various perspectives from different character's eyes.  Some parts of the movie we find out more behind Emma's secret life she lead before her death and others we see the life Rachel used to live before the alcohol took over.  Towards the end, you even see what really happened when Emma died.  For whose who have not read the book, I will not spoil it for you but just know- you are going to have your mind blown when you find out what really happened to Emma.  Emily Blunt does not fit the physical description of Rachel in the book, but who cares?  She portrayed her character perfectly when it comes to the struggle and raw emotions she experienced.  It was truly a talented performance on her part.  This movie rated 44% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.7/10 on IMDB.  I do think the pacing felt off, but would still give it a 7/10 for an excellent plot, suspense, and emotional appeal. 

The Accountant: Not Your Typical CPA

The trailers had me on this one.  You need to stop reading right now and go watch one.  I'm serious. Do not come back until you've watched it.  Trusting that you followed my not so subtle directions, you will be equally as pumped as I was to see this movie.  Take an unassuming career as an accountant, throw in high functioning Autism for said accountant, then get him involved in some ridiculous crime fighting and you've got yourself an awesome date night movie or movie with the guys (or girls.......don't kill me feminists).  

Christian Wolff leads a quiet life.  He helps others with their taxes in his small firm and goes home to his quiet house where he eats alone, goes to bed, then wakes up and does it all again.  This is what any neighbor may believe.  However this is far from the truth and members of the U.S. treasury department on are onto him as they notice his familiar face in several high case dealings with global accounts of high end bad guys.  Christian is a wiz at math, there is no doubt about that, so leave it to him to crack an impossible funding leak in a huge corporation which leaves him and his new accomplice on the hit list of someone who'd din't want to be discovered leaking money.  So now we've got the U.S. Treasury after him as well as trained hit men.  In a typical scenario, this may seem like a scenario where our guy does not make it out alive, but I am here to tell you that our friend Christian is nowhere near typical.  Traveling from base to base with his military father who had him trained by several in mastering the arts of fighting and self-control, Christian doesn't need help when it comes to killing the enemy.  The problem is, will he be able to save his friend/love interest in time or will it be too late?

This movie received a whopping 49% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.9 on IMDB.  I would give it a solid 8/10 myself.  It had the perfect amount of twists and turns to keep you entertained and each character had such a compelling backstory that led them to where we meet them in the film. The acting crew was strong with my fav Anna Kendrick and a wonderful performance by J.K. Simmons (for you younger crowd readers- think the Dad from Juno).  I highly recommend it for both its entertainment value as well as the complexity it offers. Lots of depth and a great plot.  

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty: Book Review

That title is enticing right?  I had this one on my waiting list for awhile and when it finally came out, I couldn't wait to dive in.  As with every Liane Moriarty book that I have read since Big Little Lies, I had high hopes that would be just as good.  It was pretty close.  I can't say it is the equal of Big Little Lies, but it offers the same complexity of the characters and a plot that you are forever trying to figure out what the hell really happened!  Similar to Big Little Lies- you have to wait until the end.  I promise you- it is worth the wait.

Clementine and Sam have a crazy life, but a seemingly strong marriage.  Clementine is a cellist and Sam is her biggest supporter, along with their two beautiful and lively daughters.  Sam is organized and Clementine is a free spirit, but this is how they balance one another and it has worked since day one.  It seems even with their hectic balance, nothing can come between them.  This all changes the dreadful night of the barbecue.  One bad decision changed their world as they knew it forever and they knew once that line was crossed, they could never go back.  Things between them would never be the same.  Most likely their marriage and life as they knew it, was soon to be over.

Erica and Oliver are a true team.  They both come from lack luster home lives.  Oliver's parents were and still are alcoholics.  Erica's mom has struggled with hoarding ever since Erica can remember.  It was so bad during her childhood that she often found solace with her best friend Clementine and her family.  Erica and Oliver have a secret though and they need Clementine's help, which is what they were supposed to be doing the day of the barbecue.  It was a planned afternoon tea in which Clementine, Sam, and their daughters were coming over to have a chat and hear all about Oliver and Erica's big talk.  Unfortunately, Erica's neighbors, Vid and Jasmine had to ruin it all by having  ridiculous barbecue.  Little did Erica and Oliver know that this barbecue would change everything their little Type A minds had planned and even change their friendships with Clementine and Sam forever.

Vid and Jasmine were the life of the party.  Vid loved having people over and Jasmine loved seeing Vid happy so she went along with it.  So not to her surprise did Vid plan a last minute barbecue with his neighbors and their friends.  Vid had a little thing for the cellist and was fascinated by classical music which she played beautifully. Jasmine remembered meeting the couple once before and feeling as though her and Vid had hit it off well with them.  What harm could a little afternoon barbecue do?  A few hours and drinks later, Jasmine found herself in the middle of quite the scene.  Clementine and Sam were in awe by Jasmine and Vid and Jasmine knew she had the power to "rock their worlds" so to speak.  Sadly, this tempting scenario is what caused the horrific events to occur after and bring her regrets she would never be able to shake.

As you can see, this book's plot is solely based on a pretty intense barbecue in which several adults had way too much to drink and made some not so great choices.  I can't tell you what happens since it'll blow everything and I really want you to read it.  I can tell you that throughout most of my reading, I was convinced I knew what was going to happen and then Liane showed me I was wrong by throwing in her infamous plot twists.  It was a suspenseful page turner that I highly recommend. 

Magnificent 7: Magnificent in Its Own Way

This movie choice was a compromise on my part.  When you see two movies a week, it makes it tricky to always see a movie you are necessarily dying to see.  It is also important all the movies you see are not only appealing to you when you have your partner in crime tagging along in all the movie going adventures. So when going into this one, I knew it was more for my husband and the craving for popcorn than anything else.  Plus, let's be honest-I just love going to the movies.

Our setting is the Old West where towns are small, the land wide, and the sun hot.  We meet our friend Chisolm who is a talented bounty hunter.  Chisolm runs into a woman who is desperate for his help as her town has been over-run by thieves.  Once Chisolm finds out that these thieves are lead by the one and only Bartholomew Bogue, he knows exactly what he needs to do.  So Chisolm (played by Denzel Washington) finds some of the most talented, gun slinging cowboys he can to help him defeat Bogue. The question is, with all their skill and smarts-will it be enough?

I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  I am not a big fan of western movies and could do with living my whole life and never watching a cowboy flick, but this movie had heart and excellent action scenes which made it worth the watch. Denzel Washington's character had a secret agenda that you don't see until the end, but made for an excellent revenge scene.  Other actors aiding int he success of this movie were Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawk.  Knowing what you know about Chris Pratt, we definitely have humor, but there was definitely more than that.  Rotten Tomatoes gave it 63% while IMDB gave a 7.2/10.  I would have given it a solid 7/10.  It was entertaining and you did;t feel like you were watching a 2 hour and 12 minute movie.  My dad loved it and my husband thought it was ok.  To give you some perspective; my dad is a hunter/fisher who knows his way around a car.  My husband is a pop-punk, music loving, hipster who would much prefer a trip to Chicago over a fishing trip.  So if you are more like my dad, than this movie is for you.