Harmony Center for the Joyful Spirit » Movies

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Daniel Neumayer — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:18:08 +0000

Tom Hanks is the marque name, and Max von Sydow was nominated for an Oscar, but it is young Thomas Horn who carries this story of a young boy trying to follow the advice of his father, who was killed in 9/11. His performance and the moving story are the primary reasons Extremely was nominated the Oscar for Best Picture.

The Iron Lady

Daniel Neumayer — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:10:13 +0000

Meryl Streep won the Oscar for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, who forever changed the role of women in politics. The film concentrates on her later years, revealing the singular effects that Thatcher’s decisions and her personality had, not only on Britain, but on world politics. I was pleasantly surprised that the film shows not only her achievements, but also how her personal blind spots led to failure on some fronts.

The Descendants

Daniel Neumayer — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:22:17 +0000

One of my favorites from last year. Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Director, Actor (Clooney) and a win for Best Screenplay.George Clooney finds himself in over his head, trying to raise two daughters while his wife is in a coma. Having always been distant, he has no idea how to connect with his daughters, and they aren’t going to help him at all. This tragic-comic story follows him as he attempts to put his life back together, hampered by the entry of a daughter’s boyfriend-from-hell, and the dawning realization that his marriage wasn’t all he thought if was. Rated R for language and sexual references.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Daniel Neumayer — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:03:16 +0000

Escaping from the abusive cult is the easy part. A caring sister is not enough to get Martha past the paranoia, the guilt, and the brainwashing she has endured. A dark, suspenseful drama revealing the frailty we all share. I found this movie disturbing, challenging, and insightful. Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content, nudity and language.

The Help

Daniel Neumayer — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:51:03 +0000

Change begins with a whisper.

A young society girl returns home to Mississippi in the 60′s, believing she can become a writer, she actually starts talking to the help. Custom is transgressed, racial lines are crossed and the tranquility of the southern town is broken.

Emma Stone, Octavia Spenser and Viols Davis were all nominated for Oscars, with Davis taking home the statue.

Hugo

Daniel Neumayer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:50:28 +0000

With Eleven(!) Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, and Cinematography, this is not just for kids. Martin Scorsese creates a new kind of film, part fantasy, part history, part mystery. Hugo, a young orphan living in the walls of a train station in Paris in the 1930s, is hounded by a cop who suspects his presence. Hugo runs afoul of a nasty old man (Ben Kingsley) and winds up in his debt. Everyone’s world is turned upside down with discovery that the old man has a history (the character is an actual historical figure). An inspiring story, told in a truly unique fashion.

The Tree of Life

Daniel Neumayer — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:06:30 +0000

Nominated for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography. Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in the most unusual, most inventive, film of last year! The story of a dysfunctional family in the 1950s, and the story of the universe, blended in a manner that is both challenging and beautiful. Can’t be explained, must be seen.

The Debt

Daniel Neumayer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:15:04 +0000

Just because everybody knows it’s true, doesn’t mean it is.Helen Mirren is a former Mossas intelligence agent with a secret, and a past, she must protect. Her famous exploits of 35 years ago are reemerging to threaten her life and her legacy. This film tackles the questions of sacrifices to serve one’s country, and the hidden costs. With Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Tom Wilkinson. Rated R for some language and violence.

Moneyball

Daniel Neumayer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:13:11 +0000

[Rescheduled from Feb.] Five Oscar nominations, including, Best Picture, Actor, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor. Brad Pitt in the true story of how Billy Beane, manager of the Oakland A’s, changed the game of baseball. Roger Ebert’s, 4-star review, “A smart, intense and moving film that isn’t so much about sports as about the war between intuition and statistics. I walked in knowing what the movie was about, but unprepared for its intelligence and depth.”

Midnight in Paris

Daniel Neumayer — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:23:37 +0000

One of my favorites from 2011. The Woody Allen romantic comedy, without Woody, is also an imaginative fantasy about our desires to live in a different time or place. Owen Wilson dreams of the romance of Paris of the 1920s, while his fiancé, Rachel Adams, wants him to get on with his successful career as a screenwriter. Romantic, wistful, and very funny. Midnight in Paris had the honor of opening the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.