I've been watching a lot of throwbacks lately, so bear with me here.
1) The Last King of Scotland
Loved it! Forrest Whitaker was phenomenal, and so was James McAvoy (quickly becoming one of my new faves). It was really dark and a little bit brutal, but pretty much any story out of Africa is going to be that way. I liked it because it wasn't like most of the genocide in Africa movies you run into. Definitely worth seeing, just be mentally prepared for it.
2) Groundhog Day
I was trying to stay on my Bill Murray kick, and I concreted my opinion that I don't really like him. I guess the premise was sort of clever, but I got a bit tired of it by the end, and I didn't really believe that he had changed as a person. Funny enough I guess, but I won't be watching this one again, and again, and again, and again.
3) Reservoir Dogs
No matter how hard I try, I still can't quite understand Quentin Tarantino. It was good, good plot twist and surprise/gasp moments, but I don't always get his symbolism and plot details. Definitely very bloody, a boy movie for sure. Basically just saw it to mark it off the list. See it for the same purpose I guess.
4) The Big Lebowski
Again, the early 90s comedy is lost on me. I loved Jeff Bridges in this just because it was absolutely ridiculous. I liked the convoluted stories, and Tara Reid being the dumb slut wife (type-cast much) I also loved how bowling was integral to another movie. Weird. See it for Jeff Bridges as "the dude" oh and John Goodman was good too, as the overly sensitive Nam vet.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
All I Do Is "Win-Win"
(sorry, I'm really feeling clever today)
"Win-Win" is an incredible movie about a lawyer on the brink of bankruptcy who makes some interesting choices to save his family. These choices turn out to be way more complicated than he ever expected, but he reaps the benefits of the situation regardless. Taking a troubled kid under his wing turns out to be an incredible situation for his after-school wrestling team.
Let me say this: I love Paul Giamatti. I think he has really evolved as an actor, and is getting better with age and has consistently been finding incredible roles.
I really wanted this movie to be awesome. Since I've been blogging, I've realized that I want a movie to be awesome, so I see it and think it is awesome, come home and blog about how awesome it is, and then realize it may not have been that awesome. So, I hesitated a lot before writing this post. That being said, this movie really was awesome. I loved the story line and thought the acting was phenomenal. A big shout out goes to the writers who, I felt, really made the script like a family speaks. There is one really intense, pivotal moment, and the mom (Amy Ryan, Holly from The Office) says, "I just want you to know, We love you". And it just broke my heart and made me so happy at the same time. It seemed so real, and I really was cheering in my seat for everything to go the way I wanted.
This was seriously a great movie, I've offered to go see it again with anyone who doesn't want to be lonely thumbs.
But two of my thumbs are way, way up for this one!
"Win-Win" is an incredible movie about a lawyer on the brink of bankruptcy who makes some interesting choices to save his family. These choices turn out to be way more complicated than he ever expected, but he reaps the benefits of the situation regardless. Taking a troubled kid under his wing turns out to be an incredible situation for his after-school wrestling team.
Let me say this: I love Paul Giamatti. I think he has really evolved as an actor, and is getting better with age and has consistently been finding incredible roles.
I really wanted this movie to be awesome. Since I've been blogging, I've realized that I want a movie to be awesome, so I see it and think it is awesome, come home and blog about how awesome it is, and then realize it may not have been that awesome. So, I hesitated a lot before writing this post. That being said, this movie really was awesome. I loved the story line and thought the acting was phenomenal. A big shout out goes to the writers who, I felt, really made the script like a family speaks. There is one really intense, pivotal moment, and the mom (Amy Ryan, Holly from The Office) says, "I just want you to know, We love you". And it just broke my heart and made me so happy at the same time. It seemed so real, and I really was cheering in my seat for everything to go the way I wanted.
This was seriously a great movie, I've offered to go see it again with anyone who doesn't want to be lonely thumbs.
But two of my thumbs are way, way up for this one!
the elephants were thirsty.
So, they needed some water!!
Water for Elephants, the new romantic/animal-cruelty/circus story starring everyone's favorite vampire was surprisingly good. As a disclaimer, I didn't read the book, so I may be full of crock and have no idea what I'm talking about.
The story line was original, sweet, inspiring, and a little bit "edge-of-your-seat" thrilling. By the end I really felt that I knew the characters, and I was super invested in what was going to happen to them. The generally consensus was that Reese Witherspoon was too old (sorry Elle) and that it made it a little harder to believe. I was pleasantly surprised with Robert Pattinson (he didn't even sparkle!) and the fact that he could in fact act, and didn't just look sexy and tormented for 2 hours. I loved all the animals, Hal Holbrook was a precious old man (shocker) and Christoph Waltz was superb! I didn't expect anything less from him, but it is always good to have your suspicions reinforced!
Go see this one! It will make you want a pet elephant and want to run away and join the circus. Which, in my opinion, doesn't seem like a bad side effect.
Water for Elephants, the new romantic/animal-cruelty/circus story starring everyone's favorite vampire was surprisingly good. As a disclaimer, I didn't read the book, so I may be full of crock and have no idea what I'm talking about.
The story line was original, sweet, inspiring, and a little bit "edge-of-your-seat" thrilling. By the end I really felt that I knew the characters, and I was super invested in what was going to happen to them. The generally consensus was that Reese Witherspoon was too old (sorry Elle) and that it made it a little harder to believe. I was pleasantly surprised with Robert Pattinson (he didn't even sparkle!) and the fact that he could in fact act, and didn't just look sexy and tormented for 2 hours. I loved all the animals, Hal Holbrook was a precious old man (shocker) and Christoph Waltz was superb! I didn't expect anything less from him, but it is always good to have your suspicions reinforced!
Go see this one! It will make you want a pet elephant and want to run away and join the circus. Which, in my opinion, doesn't seem like a bad side effect.
Monday, May 9, 2011
throwback thursday(s)
Okay, in the interest of space, here comes another double action post! Not one but 2 throwback thursdays!
Apocalypse Now: I'm not the biggest fan of FF Coppola, normally because I just don't get it. I had to watch this movie for a class, and the first viewing left me extremely annoyed. After doing a little more research, and understanding it was from the 70s (not as I expected, a 90s cheap filming) and hearing the infamous quote "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning" I was a little more into it. It doesn't change the fact that I think Martin Sheen is the redheaded step child of the family, and thus a terrible human. But it did make me think, and sort of made me want to watch it again in order to get all of the deep psychological understanding. Apparently it is based on Conrad's, Heart of Darkness (thus why we watched it in class), but it seemed like this movie was much better than that book.
Kingpin: This was freaking hilarious. I've always wanted to see it, and LUCKILY it came on tv and I had time to DVR it (i'm a genius, I know). Anyways, the plot was silly and many of the jokes blew past me, but I loved bill murray in an actually funny role, and it was nice to see woody harrelson not acting like a mentally challenged character. Definitely a good 90s comedy, that I wouldn't have understood until this point in my life. I also loved that the sport of bowling was taken so seriously, and I'm now really scared of the air vents at the bowling alley.
Apocalypse Now: I'm not the biggest fan of FF Coppola, normally because I just don't get it. I had to watch this movie for a class, and the first viewing left me extremely annoyed. After doing a little more research, and understanding it was from the 70s (not as I expected, a 90s cheap filming) and hearing the infamous quote "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning" I was a little more into it. It doesn't change the fact that I think Martin Sheen is the redheaded step child of the family, and thus a terrible human. But it did make me think, and sort of made me want to watch it again in order to get all of the deep psychological understanding. Apparently it is based on Conrad's, Heart of Darkness (thus why we watched it in class), but it seemed like this movie was much better than that book.
Kingpin: This was freaking hilarious. I've always wanted to see it, and LUCKILY it came on tv and I had time to DVR it (i'm a genius, I know). Anyways, the plot was silly and many of the jokes blew past me, but I loved bill murray in an actually funny role, and it was nice to see woody harrelson not acting like a mentally challenged character. Definitely a good 90s comedy, that I wouldn't have understood until this point in my life. I also loved that the sport of bowling was taken so seriously, and I'm now really scared of the air vents at the bowling alley.
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