Movie Reccomendations

As the first weekend of January comes around and the holidays are well behind us, our search for entertainment turns back to the usual sources among them going to the movies. 

With January being the month that movie studios release the pictures they don't feel were worthy of release at any other time of the year, now is the time to go and see those holiday season releases that you missed.

I didn't go to the movies as much as I usually do over the holidays but I did see some that I would recommend and some I feel compelled to warn you about. 

In the interest of brevity I'm going to make my recommendations in only a couple of sentences. 

Go See:

Frozen- Another Disney Classic. Lots of music, cool characters, and a 3rd act plot twist that surprised even me. 

The Hobbit: Decimation of Smaug- Not as good as the first one but lots of cool action. Character development is focused mostly on the supporting cast. The dragon is a fierce and intriguing villain.

Saving Mr. Banks-I was a little disappointed in this one but still recommend it. The intended emotional connections fell a little short for me.The Disney history surrounding the production of Mary Poppins and the first on screen portrayal of Walt Disney is worth it. 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire-I didn't see this myself. But my wife, who is a fan of this franchise, says it was better than the first one.

Captain Phillips-Although this was released just prior to the start of the holidays, it will be back in theaters later this month. The action, suspense and Tom Hank's performance are worth seeing. 

Now before I end this post I have to warn you about two movies you should avoid at all cost. I have to explain my reasons for these warnings so these reviews are a little longer.  

Wolf Of Wall Street-This Martin Scorsese film, while based on a true story takes place in an opposite world. One where deceptive business practices, drug use, infidelity, promiscuity, money laundering, and greed are seen as an acceptable means to (according to the main character played by Leonardo DeCaprio) the only goal important in life: getting rich. 

It is way too long (2hrs 45min) and very redundant. Don't waste your time. Stay home and rent several pay-per-view movies instead.

Don Jon- This is by far the worst movie I saw in 2013. Joseph-Gordon-Levitt is one of Hollywood's best young stars but not in this case. In his directorial debut he made a film that's presents a warped view of excessive abuse of an extremely taboo subject. 

Even decent supporting performances by Julianne Moore and Scarlett Johannson cannot save this film. 

It's not in theaters anymore but is available on blu-ray. WARNING:Don't shame yourself by wasting 2 hours of your life on this trash. 

So there you have my movie recommendations for the month of January.