A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) – A solid thriller. Quite disturbing at times and definitely an intense film. It gets a little bit out of control with one crazy plot development after another near the end, but overall I thought the film was pretty nicely done. Good performances, interesting story.
Friends with Benefits (2011) – This is a decent rom-com. I wouldn’t mind watching it again. As a long-time fan of That ’70s Show, I have a bit of a nostalgic soft spot for Mila Kunis, though (aside from Black Swan) I haven’t seen many of her films. She’s good here and has nice chemistry with Timberlake. The film is nothing spectacular, quite predictable as most rom-coms are, but I liked it and would watch it again.
Frozen (2013) – I’m probably the last person on Earth to see this film. While I don’t think it’s as great as the Disney classics and has definitely been overhyped, it is a very cute and enjoyable film. The songs annoyed me less than I expected them to (I actually quite liked the one about everyone being a fixer-upper, haha) and the story interested me more than I expected it to.
The Drop (2014) – I enjoyed this one a lot. First things first: puppy bonus! Tom Hardy’s character finds an injured pup in a trash can and adopts it. I almost couldn’t handle the cute. Beyond the pup, The Drop is a solid crime drama. Great performances are given by Hardy as bartender Bob, the late James Gandolfini (in his final film role) as Cousin Marv, and Matthias Schoenaerts as conniving animal abuser Eric Deeds. The film is character-driven and builds in intensity as its run-time passes. There’s a nice twist to the plot. (I’d expect no less from Dennis Lehane, author of Shutter Island.) Those who go in expecting big action will be disappointed, but I liked this one a lot.
The Equalizer (2014) – Like A Walk Among the Tombstones, this film gets pretty intense at times. (It also shares a cast member with Tombstones: David Harbour. He’s also currently on the TV show Manhattan, which I greatly enjoy. Big year for this guy. Get those paychecks!) Some of the bloody bits were too much for me. I’m not ashamed to admit I had to cover my eyes a few times! Despite this, I enjoyed the film. Denzel Washington is as wonderful as ever and Marton Csokas makes a great villain.
The Maze Runner (2014) – I’ve grown a bit tired of the dystopian genre and didn’t have much desire to read The Maze Runner or see the film adaptation. However, I’m never able to turn down a trip to the theater, so when my dad decided to see the film I tagged along. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. It seems very long but the performances are decent and the story held my attention well enough. It’s quite suspenseful at times, too. I didn’t leave the theater feeling like I needed to see the sequels immediately, but I’ll probably end up watching them.
The November Man (2014) – I can’t really decide how I feel about this film. It’s a decent spy thriller. It follows all of the tropes of the genre, which can be a positive or negative thing depending on the viewer. The real problem here for me was the pace. So slow-moving! And with so many pointless scenes! The run-time is 108 minutes. It feels like 200 and should have been 90. On a brighter note, I did find the plot intriguing and I liked Olga Kurylenko (who I had only seen in Seven Psychopaths prior to watching this film).
The Motion Pictures 
I really didn’t like FROZEN all that much. I don’t understand why everyone raves about it! And that stupid song … OMG, if I hear one more kid belting it out, I will snap.
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Haha, my mom works at a music school and all of the kids there are obsessed with Frozen. I think she’s become immune to “Let It Go” from hearing them sing/play it so many times! I found the film enjoyable but people definitely talk it up waaaaay too much.
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