Promised Land

Watched It - June 7, 2013

Stars - Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand, Hal Holbrook
Director - Gus Van Sant
Rating - R (for language)

In 20 Words or Less - A representative for a natural gas company faces a crisis of conscience while trying to "close" on a small town.
Themes - Materialism, Loyalty, Self-reliance, Tradition, Choices, Consequences, Integrity, Conscience
Pros - I thought this movie was very well-filmed and very well-cast.  The soundtrack was subtle and worked well at setting the mood.  The plot was just lean enough to keep the movie from plodding along.  There was a nice plot-twist near the end that caught my attention.
Cons - For some reason, I kept thinking of the Pixar film Cars while watching Promised Land.  There are more than just a few similarities between them which leads to the major drawback of the latter of the two--there's nothing groundbreaking here. (The intended-pun in that sentence will only make sense if you've watched the movie.)  The plot of Cars wasn't particularly novel and neither is the plot of Promised Land.  It's a well-worn script that has seen dozens of iterations over the years.  Add to that the political/environmental/economic baggage inherent to a story about drilling for natural gas in a small town on its last legs and a somewhat awkward and hurried love interest subplot, and what you get is a movie that is mildly interesting but not particularly outstanding.  Another aspect that diminished my enjoyment of this movie was the lack of nuance in the story.  Promised Land fell prey to the shortcoming that beguiles so many politically-motivated movies.  It reduced a complex series of issues into either/or scenarios where the big, rich, powerful corporation is the bad guy and the only ones who really get it right are the salt-of-the earth townsfolk who may not have the brains but they have the heart to solve the problem.  I know that sounds cynical (maybe it is), but I finished watching the film thinking it was a bit too preachy, simplistic, and condescending for my taste.
Movie Moment - Matt Damon's speech to the townsfolk at the climax of the movie was good, but not enough to rescue the film.
Genuineness - 4 out of 10

The Impossible

Watched It - April 27, 2013

Stars - Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts
Director - Juan Antonio Bayona
Rating - PG-13

In 20 Words or Less - A family torn apart by the 2004 tsunami must struggle to survive and reunite in the midst of overwhelming devastation.
Themes - Family unity, compassion, service to others, selflessness, the value of life, human suffering
Pros - Those who have or will watch this movie may think this is an odd word to describe it, but I would like to use the word--beautiful.  This was a beautiful movie.  The beauty comes, not from the scenery around the characters, but from within the characters themselves.  As this young family struggles their way through the chaos, the acts of compassion, kindness, and selflessness are beautiful and moving.  I was truly touched by watching this film.  The director's use of foreshadowing was very effective, as was his use of sound to immerse the viewer in the moment.  The young actors in this movie were quite engaging.
Cons - I list this as a "con" although I don't necessarily think it took away from the film.  I list it as more of a warning to those who have not yet watched it.  The movie provides a realistic, almost painstaking glimpse of the tsunami and its aftermath.  The graphic detail can make it difficult to watch at times.  (That being said, I think the director was fairly balanced in his restraint.  There is, undoubtedly, a lot more he could have shown.)  The pacing of the plot felt a bit rushed near the end.  (It was over way sooner than I expected!)  Again, I don't necessarily think this was terrible.  The story stayed focused and didn't wander into any unnecessary territory.  I can't really think of any points that truly made the movie less than it could have been.  It was very good.
Movie Moment - [Spoiler Alert] I loved the scene where the young boy Maria and Lucas saved from the flood is reunited with his family.  In fact, all of the scenes of reuniting were very, very good!
Genuineness - 10 out of 10

Parental Guidance

Watched It - April 26, 2013

Stars - Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei
Director - Andy Frickman
Rating - PG

In 20 Words or Less - Grandma and Grandpa have to learn "new school" parenting while staying with their grandkids for a week.
Themes - Parenting, self-esteem, growing up, family unity, dealing with change and challenges
Pros - Billy Crystal and Bette Midler (neither of whom I have seen on screen in a while) are just good, classy actors who bring something intangible but enjoyable to a film that is otherwise pretty run-of-the-mill.  I did appreciate the way the story incorporated some depth (not much) by allowing several of the characters to face the issues of self-doubt and the search for significance.
Cons - As I said, there is nothing particularly earth-shattering here.  We are presented with the typical slapstick comedy, adult-belittling, and predictable plot that normally comes with a film of this stripe, although I do have to say I was pleased that Mr. Frickman didn't feel the need to push the gross factor or level of inappropriateness very far at all.  He kept the movie in safe territory overall.
Movie Moment - When Billy Crystal's grandson impersonates the baseball commentator from a famous game in the 1950's.  It's cheesy, but it gave me goosebumps.
Genuineness - 5 out of 10