Nights in Rodanthe: A fan of Nicholas Sparks since the movie the Notebook (though I have never read a single book by him), I netflixed this movie out of curiousity of the plot and the chemistry between Diane Lane (who I think is fabulous) and Richard Gere. This movie was pretty romantic, and also very sad, a typical formula for anything he writes. Without giving too much away, let's just say that I don't think the sad part was all that necessary to the story (I prefer happy endings when they are not fake and unrealistic), and I spent a good 20 minutes crying and getting angry at the TV. In all honesty, love stories can really suck on their own, but when they are sad, they are even worse. Yet, if you can stomach the impending anger/sadness, and feel like a romantic movie, this is definitely a good choice.
Youth in Revolt: This movie was definitely an indy film (as evidenced by the weird cartoon/claymation interludes), but, I have to admit that it was pretty entertaining. My friend and I chose it from a list of On Demand features, mostly because it had Michael Cera (and I love both Juno and Arrested Development), and while watching, we both laughed out loud, frequently. Though there were definitely some awkward sex-related scenes (think what would happen if the images on a Kama Sutra book floated around a screen and THAT was the part someone not watching the whole movie decided to grace you with their presence), it is pretty solid entertainment. It also made me wonder...are there French boarding schools in the US?
A Single Man: Loving Colin Firth and continuing my quest to watch all the Oscar films of the year, I chose to watch this movie, directed by clothing designer Tom Ford. Focusing on the life of a gay man who loses his partner, the film is much more about the depression of losing someone you love, than it is about their actual relationship, ie. it literally starts out with Colin Firth's lover dead in the street. There are times that I was confused, as he often flashes back and has some dream-like states, and frankly it was not really what I expected, but it is an interesting portrayal of love...lost.
The Good Guy: If you are in the mood for a good romantic comedy that you would never have heard of unless I told you about it, rent this movie. It is told from the point of view of a guy who you think is the good guy, but shocker is just a Wall Street asshole, and it features Rory Gilmore, one of the dudes from Friday Night Lights, and the guy from Prime (or the brother from Bride Wars depending on which movie you have seen). It is pretty entertaining as far as romantic comedies go, disses guys in a lot of (pretty harsh, but accurate) ways, and is definitely a good distraction when biking, or choosing not to do work/focus.
Footloose: As my friend visiting had never seen this movie, and wondered why it was so "famous", we watched the CMT movie of the night, commercials and all. There is something just fun about this movie (perhaps it is the music-- as you seriously have heard and have belted out like EVERY tune in the soundtrack) that makes you want to dance/rewatch it/wonder how on earth they will make a remake that holds a candle to the original (even if you do like Julianne Hough). My favorite scene is when Kevin Bacon teaches his buddy Willard to dance (I think because it is so fantastically awkward), oh, and look out for a young Sarah Jessica Parker :)
Despicable Me: I have one phrase that sums up this movie, ITS SO FLUFFAAAAAAAAY. This phrase was voiced by the cutest kid and movie-stealer, Agnes, who like Boo in Monsters INC makes me wish she was a real kid that I could steal from the screen, squeeze, and just become obsessed with (I mean, if real kids were like this maybe I would have a stronger desire to have one).
Besides Agnes and all her glory, this movie was pretty funny, I laughed a ton (and rightfully so since Russel Brand, Jason Segel, and Steve Carrell were in it), and it was a great time for all ages of people.
The Last Station: As it is a movie that focuses on the end of Tolstoy's life (something I did not know anything about before), this movie would likely have been horrible if it were not for the fantastic acting skills of Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer, who left you wanting love to win out over the maneuverings of the Tolstoyian followers (especially Paul Giacometti's character), and for the addition of the love story of the younger secretary played by the yummy James McAvoy. In the end, I felt like I learned something from this movie and it left me both wanting to read a Tolstoy book (my high school passed on that as required reading), and desiring to catch more historically based love stories on film.
Some Kind of Wonderful: Staying in an 80s mindset after a killer party of my family's, I chose to watch the one movie we bought as a prize that I had never seen before. In true 80s (and John Hughes) fashion (though I am a little partial to Molly Ringwald and the Brat Pack), this movie was an entertaining romantic comedy of teenage angst, poor vs rich, and a love triangle (in this case, a triangle that actually left you wondering why you sort of wanted him to end up with the girl who he was not supposed to end up with as she was actually pretty damn cool and nice herself). It definitely follows the idea of friends first, or rather, friends first until the guy realizes you are actually pretty and more than a friend to him.
You Don't Know Jack: This Emmy nominated HBO film about the life of Jack Kevorkian is FANTASTIC. The acting, by Al Pacino, John Goodman, and Susan Sarandon, is perfectly executed, and the story leaves you with thousands of questions of ethics and the role of doctors. As a future physician, I was particularly interested in "Jack's side" of the euthanasia and physician assisted suicide debates, and was left no closer to an appropriate answer after watching this film. Though, I must say, that when you see some of these patients....and think about that life for you or your family, or worse your family as caretakers of you, you COMPLETELY get it. While I did not know that he "killed" over 100 people (including his friend when she asked him to), or that he only really was convicted because he aired a video of himself performing euthanasia (not assisted suicide) on 60 minutes, I felt this film was an excellent teaching/educational tool and perhaps should be watched in medical school and in ethics classes, and then debated afterwards.
Funny Face: As evidenced by the Audrey Hepburn art on my wall, it is no question that I am a HUGE fan. Though over the years I have watched her most famous films, I am trying to squeeze in watching the others (like Charade), in my spare time. This musical, that puts Audrey in a love affair with Fred Astaire (only slightly believable as she is much younger and better looking than Astaire), showcases Hepburn's beauty (she plays a girl with a "funny face" who ends up modeling), musical/dancing talents (there is one amazingly hysterical scene where she breaks it down dancing), screen stealing ability, and even her French skills (there is one song that has "Bonjour Paris" in it, and it is clear that Hepburn is the only one who really speaks French by her perfect accent).
After watching this film, I definitely spent the next day humming songs from this movie and sort of prancing around to them (I love...your funny...face). This movie only made me more of an Audrey fan, and I secretly wish they would bring this movie to the broadway stage (I mean the Gershwin's DID write the music!) soon.
Inception: Though I spent the majority of this movie confused (and looking at my friend who was also confused), there is something appealing about the fact that I really am not sure I completely understood this movie. True, I would like to see it again (and will wait til its on DVD as to not spend another 10 dollars simply for clarification), but the acting (I like all Leonardo movie choices, and am beginning to feel the same with Marion Cottilard), the originality of the plot, and the fact that it involved so many layers of thought was just fantastic. There has not been a film this smart in a long time, and I suggest, even if you leave feeling absolutely mind-f-ked, you go see it.
Salt: As an avid member of Team Aniston, I have never really liked Angelina Jolie. Yet, feelings about her plasticness aside, her movies are always pretty entertaining. This, like the Laura Croft movies and even Mr. and Mrs. Smith, showcased Angelina's abilities to play the kickass action role, and once again, she does not disappoint. The movie kept you guessing, and at times made you mad because you finally thought you figured out who she was working for only to find out you were wrong. It also sets you up for a sequel (not quite the way the Lord of the Rings movies did where they just left you at some random part where they are walking), and in a way, though I am not DYING TO, I do want to see what happens next.
The Class: Feeling like I forgot French (which is true in speaking abilities for sure), and liking the good foreign films (If you have never seen Life is Beautiful, it is by far one of my favorite movies and you should go watch it now), I watched this Oscar Nominated foreign film (subtitled, but these did not annoy me as I could understand a lot of the French words anyway). Much of the action of this film occurs with one teacher and in one classroom (including discussions, assignments, and character development), and you do not get bored or wonder why there are not other real settings as the characters are so strong. It mostly deals with the difficulties of teaching students who do not want to learn (a la Teach for America...in Europe), and is a great example of that. If you can handle the foreign-ness, rent it (and Amelie and L'auberge Espagnole), I think you would enjoy it.
The Runaways: Into Biopics (thank you Coco Chanel movie for starting this trend), I was excited to catch this movie, which reminded me of the female version of the movie Almost Famous, only more based on truth. Though I do not like Kristen Stewart, she does a better job acting in this than I have seen her act before, and Dakota Fanning (one of the best, un Lindsay Lohanized child stars all grown up), was also believable in this very raw, very intense, role for her. There is a lot of drugs, a lot of angst, and a lot of were Joan Jett and Cherie Currie lovers drama (which Joan, when interviewed, blamed on the director choosing to focus on that aspect, as her focus was always the music), but all in all, it does a good job telling the story of Rock N Roll, for a female group, and just how hard it was to be a female in ....a man's world.
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