Thursday, April 30, 2009

Impromptu Movie Reviews

Sometimes I think the only consistent thing about this blog is that it veers sharply from depressing, introspective posts like the previous one to frivolous stuff like this. There are probably many conclusions that you could draw about my psyche and comfort level with Internet exposure, but let's not go there, shall we?
So! I've seen lots of movies lately, some good and some not-so-good.

Rachel Getting Married - Very good, very funny. Anne Hathaway totally deserved her Oscar nomination. Awesome dysfunctional family story.

The Day the World Stood Still - This was terrible. Keanu Reeves plays an alien who came to earth to destroy humans and save the earth from our terrible pollutin' ways. Of course, Jennifer Connelly and her cute stepson convince him that humans aren't all bad and that at the brink of extinction, we can change. No word on what that change would be, just that we could magically make it because we're scared shitless. Could have been WAY more interesting.

Seven Pounds - Really, really good. I'd say that Rock and I had the storyline pretty much figured out within the first 30 minutes, so don't worry about all that mystery in the previews. Turns out, you can't preview this movie at all without giving away major plot points. It's sad, but the story is so well developed. I wouldn't have missed it.

Tell No One - I rented this because it said on the cover, "Based on the bestselling novel by Harlan Coben". I haven't read Tell No One, but I have read two other books by Harlan Coben (The Woods and Hold Tight) and both of them were excellent. I wondered about this film, though, because the only actress I recognized in it was Kristen Scott Thomas. When I got up to the counter to check it out, the lady said, "It has an English language track - make sure you set that." And then it clicked: the film was French. Kristen Scott Thomas does a lot of French films, too. But the video store lady was right - there's an English language track and there are also English subtitles, which frankly I thought were more accurate. I think they were created from the script, whereas the track was the actors' interpretations of their lines. Anyway, the movie is really good. The main character is a guy whose wife was murdered 8 years earlier. Except now, he's received an email with a surveillance video with her on it.

The Wrestler - Sad. So so sad. You all know what it's about, I'm sure. A washed up wrestler, trying to finally connect with someone - his daughter and a stripper he's in love with. It's such a pathetic story, and so moving.

So what have you seen lately?

12 comments:

Jess said...

These reviews pretty much line up with what I've heard about these movies. I want to see Rachel Getting Married.

d e v a n said...

THe only one of those I've seen is The Wrestler. I saw it on Monday night and I have to say; I really disliked it. It was NOT my kind of movie at all. It was interesting in parts, but I especially hated the ending.

Shelly said...

Jess - Rachel is really good. I highly recommend it.

Shelly said...

Devan - See, my hubby hated the ending, too. I may be crazy, but I really liked the ending. It was true to the character. He picked his own way out and stopped letting everyone kick him around.

Shelly said...

Devan - I think what I'm trying to say is that I respected him for what he did at the end. He wasn't being pathetic anymore and groveling to everyone - he took matters into his own hands and made his own choice. I hadn't respected him throughout the movie, but at the end, I really did respect him.

Janssen said...

This post reminded me that I haven't seen ANY movies in a good long time. Time to remedy!

Pickles and Dimes said...

I loved The Wrestler. I thought Mickey Rourke did an amazing job, and the ending was perfect. He went out on his own terms.

Shelly said...

Janssen - get thee to a video store! : )

Shelly said...

Shauna - I totally agree. I thought the ending was sad, but perfect for the character.

Alice said...

ooh, i really want to see rachel and 7 lbs. and now i really want to see the french one too. i need to look into netflix, methinks.

Shelly said...

Alice - yep, those are all solid choices. Enjoy!

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