The Savages Is Another Authentically Messy Achievement From Tamara Jenkins

Who exactly are the titular family of The Savages? Well, they're an eclectic group mostly consisting of a father, Lenny (Phillip Bosco) and two adult children named Wendy (Laura Linney) and Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman), with Wendy serving as the stories protagonist. Both Wendy and Jon are trying their best to muddle through their lives when they get the news that their distant father is having extreme issues related to a newly formed case of Dementia in Arizona on the other side of the country. Wendy and Jon bring their father back to their neck of the woods in Buffalo, New York and set him up in a nursing home. As she tries to chart a course for where her life needs to go, Wendy decides to live with Jon so that she can be nearby if their father has any issues.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One Review

Mock (Yeah)...Ing (Yeah)....Jay (Yeah)

Cliffhangers are a tricky business. Do it one way, and it can become an entertaining way to simultaneously push the characters forward while giving a glimpse at the future (see: The Empire Strikes Back and The Hobbit films). But others really just do it in an abrupt fashion that manages to decrease the overall quality of the film. Thankfully, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One manages to avoid being a calamity. In fact, it's an entertaining movie filled with tension packed sequences.

The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part One Just Got A Freaking Awesome New Trailer

I really did not care for the first Hunger Games movie, with it's poorly written characters and terrible camerawork, but oh my God, I adored the second movie. Catching Fire was easily The Dark Knight of these Hunger Games films, going much deeper into the struggles of the cast of characters to excellent results. Considering the director of Catching Fire (Francis Lawrence) is in charge of both Mockingjay movies, I'm super pumped for the next Katniss adventure, and that excitement has only gone up with this newest trailer that you can watch below.

A Most Wanted Man Review

I Kind Of Wanted More

The tragic loss of Philip Seymour Hoffman earlier this year affected the cinematic community profoundly. Luckily, the mans excellent work will continue to be cherished by moviegoers for untold ages to come. Even in a film like A Most Wanted Man, Hoffman still puts in commendable work that is more than worth noticing. I wish the rest of the movie followed suit though, as it's all just a bit of a slog that doesn't really get interesting until it its finale.

So, I Was On Netflix: Punch-Drunk Love

Each Tuesday I review a film that can be found on Netflix Instant Streaming. This week, I take a gander at Adam Sandlers 2002 foray into the world of dramatic acting.

Me and Adam Sandler don't get along...at all. But I had constantly heard good things about his dramatic work, which he's dabbled in occasionally (he hasn't done that since 2009, but he is in two upcoming dramas that should be out sometime in 2014 or 2015) I was dubious, solely because the likes of Grown Ups 2 did not inspire confidence that this guy could do more than somehow con the likes of Shaquille O'Neal to appear in his flicks on a consistent basis.