Watched It - October 14, 2011
Stars - James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline
Director - Robert Redford
Rating - PG-13
In 20 Words or Less - A young lawyer from the North must defend a Southern woman accused of conspiring to assassinate President Lincoln.
Themes - Loyalty, justice, family bonds, situational ethics, patriotism, conscience, truth
Pros - Mr. Redford, his cast, and crew have put together a compelling story here. The parallels between the 1860's post-Civil War America and the 2000's post-9/11 America are obvious. Although my conservative political roots wanted me to dismiss the film as being too politically charged and left-leaning, I couldn't get away from the feeling that this movie had, at its core, a genuinely patriotic heart. Although I cannot personally verify the historical accuracy of many aspects of the screenplay, I can say that it presented several very powerful and thought-provoking ideas and questions about justice, loyalty, and ethics. The pacing and underlying tone of the movie were well suited to the subject matter.
Cons - This will sound strange, but I really did not like the portrayal of the Lincoln assassination at the opening of the film. For some reason, I found it somewhat awkward and unconvincing. I really feel the movie would have been better if that moment were left to our imagination. Several of the supporting performances were quite weak.
Movie Moment - Frederick Aiken's case summation at the close of the trial--"If his mother can be convicted on such insufficient evidence, I tell you, none of you are safe!"
Genuineness - 9 out of 10
Friday, October 14, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
(500) Days of Summer
Watched It - October 7, 2011
Stars - Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director - Marc Webb
Rating - PG-13
In 20 Words or Less - Tom must come to grips with a break-up that isn't a break-up and learn to let love be...love.
Pros - The screenplay is a welcome respite from Hollywood's typical Rom-Com formula. This film has been described as "a post-modern love story." Whatever it is, it was a quirky, intriguing movie that had some depth. Zooey Deschanel's character was radiant, endearing and believable.
Cons - The couple's casual attitude about the depth of their relationship is reflective of many young people's aversion to genuine commitment. (The film does, however, portray the damage such an attitude can create in the hearts of those involved.)
Movie Moment - The party scene that utilizes a split screen to show expectation vs. reality was creative and insightful.
Genuineness - 7 out of 10
Stars - Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director - Marc Webb
Rating - PG-13
In 20 Words or Less - Tom must come to grips with a break-up that isn't a break-up and learn to let love be...love.
Pros - The screenplay is a welcome respite from Hollywood's typical Rom-Com formula. This film has been described as "a post-modern love story." Whatever it is, it was a quirky, intriguing movie that had some depth. Zooey Deschanel's character was radiant, endearing and believable.
Cons - The couple's casual attitude about the depth of their relationship is reflective of many young people's aversion to genuine commitment. (The film does, however, portray the damage such an attitude can create in the hearts of those involved.)
Movie Moment - The party scene that utilizes a split screen to show expectation vs. reality was creative and insightful.
Genuineness - 7 out of 10
The Italian Job (The New One)
Watched It - September 23, 2011
Stars - Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton
Director - F. Gary Gray
Rating - PG-13
In 20 Words or Less - A band of high-tech theives avenge one of their own and finish their biggest heist ever.
Themes - Betrayal, Revenge, Wealth, Happiness, Loyalty, Determination, Ingenuity
Pros - This is about as close to pure action that I get in a movie. This film understands its identity. It is what it is. The director doesn't waste much time trying to make the movie into something deeper or more compelling. It's just a fun, high-tech ride in a Mini-Cooper. (3 of them, actually.)
Cons - I found the ending to be a bit anti-climactic. It felt as if the writers didn't really know how to wrap it up in a big way. It just...ended. Seems like a bit of wasted momentum, in my opinion.
Movie Moment - It's a toss up between the boat chase in downtown Venice or the Mini-Coopers in downtown L.A.
Genuineness - 4 out of 10
Stars - Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton
Director - F. Gary Gray
Rating - PG-13
In 20 Words or Less - A band of high-tech theives avenge one of their own and finish their biggest heist ever.
Themes - Betrayal, Revenge, Wealth, Happiness, Loyalty, Determination, Ingenuity
Pros - This is about as close to pure action that I get in a movie. This film understands its identity. It is what it is. The director doesn't waste much time trying to make the movie into something deeper or more compelling. It's just a fun, high-tech ride in a Mini-Cooper. (3 of them, actually.)
Cons - I found the ending to be a bit anti-climactic. It felt as if the writers didn't really know how to wrap it up in a big way. It just...ended. Seems like a bit of wasted momentum, in my opinion.
Movie Moment - It's a toss up between the boat chase in downtown Venice or the Mini-Coopers in downtown L.A.
Genuineness - 4 out of 10
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Adjustment Bureau
Watched It - August 14, 2011
Stars - Matt Damon, Emily Blunt
Director - George Nolfi
Rating - PG-13
In 20 Words or Less - A young senatorial candidate must overcome the ultimate obstacle (literally) to be with the woman of his dreams.
Themes - Love, Fate, the Future, Free Will, Choices, Destiny, God
Pros - The movie provides a unique blend of sci-fi excitement with a deep discussion about the nature of reality and the administration of the universe. It also provides an interesting insight into a view of God that is probably quite common among the masses.
Cons - The underlying attitude about God (referred to as "the Chairman") that drives the film is cynical, cold, and (in my opinion) misguided. The acting of most of the "Agents" is stiff and contrived.
Movie Moment - The climatic chase scene was creative and offered the viewer a brief but exciting tour of New York City.
Genuineness - 4 out of 10
Stars - Matt Damon, Emily Blunt
Director - George Nolfi
Rating - PG-13
In 20 Words or Less - A young senatorial candidate must overcome the ultimate obstacle (literally) to be with the woman of his dreams.
Themes - Love, Fate, the Future, Free Will, Choices, Destiny, God
Pros - The movie provides a unique blend of sci-fi excitement with a deep discussion about the nature of reality and the administration of the universe. It also provides an interesting insight into a view of God that is probably quite common among the masses.
Cons - The underlying attitude about God (referred to as "the Chairman") that drives the film is cynical, cold, and (in my opinion) misguided. The acting of most of the "Agents" is stiff and contrived.
Movie Moment - The climatic chase scene was creative and offered the viewer a brief but exciting tour of New York City.
Genuineness - 4 out of 10
The Company Men
Watched It - August 12, 2011
Stars - Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner
Director - John Wells
Rating - R (primarily for language)
In 20 Words or Less - Three men at different stages of life must cope with the loss of their well-paying, white-collar jobs.
Themes - Family, Career, Pride, Success, Happiness, Uncertainty, Choices
Pros - The movie takes a very realistic, down-to-earth approach and has an overall positive message to communicate about what really matters in life.
Cons - The strong language seemed extraneous and a bit overdone.
Movie Moment - The scene between Ben Affleck's character and his wife when Ben feels he is an utter failure and his wife lovingly disagrees.
Genuineness - 7 out of 10
Stars - Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner
Director - John Wells
Rating - R (primarily for language)
In 20 Words or Less - Three men at different stages of life must cope with the loss of their well-paying, white-collar jobs.
Themes - Family, Career, Pride, Success, Happiness, Uncertainty, Choices
Pros - The movie takes a very realistic, down-to-earth approach and has an overall positive message to communicate about what really matters in life.
Cons - The strong language seemed extraneous and a bit overdone.
Movie Moment - The scene between Ben Affleck's character and his wife when Ben feels he is an utter failure and his wife lovingly disagrees.
Genuineness - 7 out of 10
Don't Read This Part
I like watching movies. I do this almost every Friday night.
I like talking about movies. I do that regularly as well.
It should come as no surprise, then, that I have decided to blog about movies.
The idea behind this blog is simple. I want to be able to record my thoughts and impressions of the movies I watch so that I can go back and remember what I thought when I watched a particular film. I also want anyone who may be interested to be able to look back and remember what I thought. So, here is what I intend to do. When I watch a movie, I will create a short post detailing some basic information about the movie and some of my thoughts about its quality and "genuineness." Nothing fancy or detailed here. Just short movie reviews from me and a few others I may ask to serve as contributors.
Now, I feel I must explain a few things at the outset:
1) I am not a formally trained film critic and I probably never will be. I am just a guy who likes movies and knows what movies I like. I have been accused of being a "movie snob" and that moniker is probably rather appropriate for me. The point is, don't take my opinion as anything more than that. (That's the nice thing about criticizing things--it's an extremely subjective field of endeavor.)
2) The inclusion of a film on this blog by me or any other contributor should not be considered an endorsement or even a recommendation. You make your own choices about what you want to watch. I am simply recording for posterity what I have watched. For the record, I am fairly particular about the kind of content we allow into our home. We do utilize a system called ClearPlay that allows us to enjoy films without all of the gratuitous objectionable content. Purists will take issue with our use of this system, but that's what we do.
3) This is not just an exercise in vanity. I have come to realize that films have an incredible power to teach, motivate, enlighten, move, and convince those who watch them about timeless truths and themes. Some films (I call them "Genuine Movies") can even change your life. I hope to be able to include many examples of this type of film in the posts to follow. I feel there is a certain measure of a redeeming quality in that.
So, with no further delay, let's get to the reviews...
I like talking about movies. I do that regularly as well.
It should come as no surprise, then, that I have decided to blog about movies.
The idea behind this blog is simple. I want to be able to record my thoughts and impressions of the movies I watch so that I can go back and remember what I thought when I watched a particular film. I also want anyone who may be interested to be able to look back and remember what I thought. So, here is what I intend to do. When I watch a movie, I will create a short post detailing some basic information about the movie and some of my thoughts about its quality and "genuineness." Nothing fancy or detailed here. Just short movie reviews from me and a few others I may ask to serve as contributors.
Now, I feel I must explain a few things at the outset:
1) I am not a formally trained film critic and I probably never will be. I am just a guy who likes movies and knows what movies I like. I have been accused of being a "movie snob" and that moniker is probably rather appropriate for me. The point is, don't take my opinion as anything more than that. (That's the nice thing about criticizing things--it's an extremely subjective field of endeavor.)
2) The inclusion of a film on this blog by me or any other contributor should not be considered an endorsement or even a recommendation. You make your own choices about what you want to watch. I am simply recording for posterity what I have watched. For the record, I am fairly particular about the kind of content we allow into our home. We do utilize a system called ClearPlay that allows us to enjoy films without all of the gratuitous objectionable content. Purists will take issue with our use of this system, but that's what we do.
3) This is not just an exercise in vanity. I have come to realize that films have an incredible power to teach, motivate, enlighten, move, and convince those who watch them about timeless truths and themes. Some films (I call them "Genuine Movies") can even change your life. I hope to be able to include many examples of this type of film in the posts to follow. I feel there is a certain measure of a redeeming quality in that.
So, with no further delay, let's get to the reviews...
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