There was great talk (and a few nominations) over Rachel Weisz’s performance in The Deep Blue Sea. Frankly, I wasn’t able to make it through the entire movie without fast-forwarding through parts to the end. I’m sure mindset has a lot to do with how we interpret and receive films, and whatever mine was, it…
Moonrise Kingdom is quirky and fun, even if quiet. There’s quite a who’s who in the cast—-mostly playing some very different roles than those we usually associate with each actor. Admittedly, it might be too quiet (some would say slow) for me on some days, but it actually has quite a bit to say. And…
Having read the book, I was unsure how Ang Lee would be able to depict this story on the screen. But he did an excellent job. Yes, some of the story is a bit different on the screen than it was in the book, but it was just as heartwarming. The movie too leaves the…
The Impossible is a beautiful movie that reminds us how amazing—-in so, so many ways—-the world is. In watching this, through the tears that flowed often, I wanted to believe it was fiction—-that there is no way this could happen. But in watching this, through the tears that flowed often, I knew how true the…
I had to work hard to remember the name of this movie I watched just a couple of weeks ago. If you keep up with my movies, you’ll know that this is not of my normal repertoire. But I agreed to a traditional rom-com. And I was reminded why I don’t see most of them.…
Arbitrage—–it’s a bit Wall Street, a bit thriller, a bit mystery, a bit legal drama, a bit family saga, and more. It is greed, deception, desperation, and fraud. It is family trust and love, hidden, lied about, and lost. It is, sadly, probably a glimpse into the trust of some people’s lives. Gere is better…
Bernie. Fun. Light. Deep. Dark. Texas. East Texas. What an enjoyably odd story. Jack Black is, perhaps, at his best. He brings to Bernie a depth and whimsy that just makes him oddly likeable. And oddly intriguing. And oddly, well, odd. He’s certainly easy to like, no matter what he’s done. The movie mostly just…
Salmon Fishing on the Yemen, by its title, does not evoke a “rush to the theater” reaction, eh? But I’ll say it’s certainly worth a Red Box. The flick is simply a fun, light movie. Emily Blunt brings her charm, and what I noticed most about Ewan McGregor was his breadth as an actor with…
Beautifully written story, capturing your heart with Pi’s struggle for survival. I read this in anticipation of the movie, and having done so, seeing the movie the week after I finished the book, was perfect. I saw things in the story on the screen I had not picked up on in the book, as their…
I can admit that I knew the ending. Goodness, I knew the major plot highlights. Still, what a great movie. What a great story. What a great moment in history. All of that said, of course, the movie also greatly highlights the dirt that is politics. And the low that the deals were as portrayed…
After the blood and violence of Django, the mental illness of Silver Linings Playbook was a nice change. Yes, I simply said, “nice.” Don’t get me wrong, Silver Linings was a good movie, but I did not see in it the raves that it’s gotten. (Maybe I’m still numb from the shooting by QT. Not…
I should start with a confession: I’m not a huge Tarantino fan. Nope, I’m not. I did not care for Inglourious Basterds. Pulp Fiction was entertaining, but it didn’t ado for me what it seemed to do for so many others. And Reservoir Dogs? Huh? But I wanted to give this one a chance. I…
What a fantastic few hours I had losing myself in the recent movie version of Les Misérables. The story itself is grand—–with traditional romantic love, with great familial love, with forgiveness and kindness and angry grudges, with revenge and shenanigans, with government oppression and religious salvation . . . . and with fabulous comedic relief…
Fabulous! It was all I could do not to read this again as soon as I finished it. No, actually, half way through, I wanted to start it over, reading it in a different order. (I have one friend who’s read this three times in the past nine months.) I dare not say too much…
I cannot help but wonder how much of an effect the many movie trailers for the upcoming new film version of this book had on my reading of it. The movie trailer dazzles with glam and speed. In reading, the story seemed much quieter, reserved. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I suspect strongly I would…