Young Adult-- an examination of loss

There are some movies that stay with you for some time to come and this movie is one of them. Even now days after having watched it, the story lines, the dialogue stays with me. I know I'm not perhaps in the great majority with my love as my brother and cousin who watched it with me found it below average, but for me, I loved it more than I could have imagined. 

Young Adult follows the life of a late thirties former prom queen current young adult writer who loves to drink and finds out that her exboyfriend in her small town has gone off and gotten married and had a baby. She is determined to win him back. This is not a funny zany love story as some of the trailers promise. This is a story far deeper than that with a subtle twist at the end, that helps tie everything together. What moved me about Young Adult was not the dark comedy storylines because at the end of the day this movie wasn't particularly hilarious, but that this movie was the sincere examination of loss. Loss of beauty, of life, of hopes and dreams. And the power of self-denial. This is a movie I will definitely see again. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

Inception

I realize that getting to the movies will be an increasingly challenging activity post-baby so I am quite psyched that I managed to steal some time away to catch the latest Leonardo movie, Inception!

This is a movie about dreams. Leo is a dream thief. He breaks into people's dreams and steals information. He is approached to undertake a new assignment: Don't steal, implant an idea in someone's head.

I think I expected way more out of this movie so initially when I walked out of the movie theater I was a little disappointed. I thought it was going to explore the meaning of our dreams, etc. The narrative is mostly expository and I miss the emotional punch to the gut that I got in Shutter Island, but once I realized that I was expecting too much and this is just a typical heist movie with a sci fi twist, and when I look at it like that- its sheer brilliance [though perhaps a teensy bit too long]. I want to watch it again with my lowered expectations and see how I find it then.

Gran Torino

nine out of ten

This movie about an aging racist korean war vet widower living in an ever growing shadier neighborhood in detroit would have been perfect but for the acting of a few of the performers in the film. The movie like many Clint Eastwood movies, is a character development film and focuses on Walt's relationship with his Hmong neighbors who are dealing with conflicts from a Hmong gang. The movie is very powerful and I enjoyed the nuanced performance of Clint Eastwood very much.

Wall E

ten out of ten

I loved this movie. I did not expect to. This is a sweet love story and a statement of how we use our resources and how technology perhaps could turn us into mindless zombies. But really, its a fun story. I loved it.

There Will Be Blood

seven out of ten

This is a very well acted movie by the great Daniel Day Louis set in the early 1900's about a man who finds his wealth through oil. The story shows him as he sets up camp to drill for oil at a small town on the West Coast after purchasing land on the cheap from the Sunday family whose son had come to tell Plainview of the oil that bubbled to the surface around their home. The movie trails Plainview and his adopted son, and Eli, the Sunday's son an ambitious pastor set on making his church an incredible creation. The story shows the characters of the two men and the story of their lives.

I liked the story and I felt gripped despite its length (2.45mins). However, I felt the ending was incomplete and I needed more. I dont want to go into it as not to spoil it but I was sad to see the lack of compassion that Plainview ultimately showed his son... This disappointed me.

Still this is a movie that will certainly make you think, and for that it is worth it.

The Good Shephard

Six out of Ten

Very interesting movie but it makes me wonder what could have been. This movie is about the CIA and how it came to be by following the fictional main character played by Matt Damon and his rise to power in the CIA. The movie shows the sacrifices one must make when your job takes precedence over your life. It goes into details about the Skull and Bones society, and has a very chilling scene on torture that is worth watching for anyone on the fence about whether the use of torture is legitimate in interrogation settings.

Its a very interesting movie and the story line is important particularly in this day and age when we're taught to be sheep more than we are encouraged to think. Unfortunately, this is a case of an editor who took a nap while on the job. Had the movie been edited better, it would have been more than interesting, it would have been a really good movie that was compelling.

American Gangster

Seven out of Ten

I know, its weird, but I LOVE Gangster flicks. There is so much drama, and romance, and intrigue. I love the family relationships, the respect, the suspense. Its all so exciting! So when I saw the trailers for American Gangter which included: Gangsters + Denzel.... I was SO there.

American Gangster is what the title portends. It traces the true life story of a notorious drug dealer who sold the purest crack around. He eluded authorities and adversaries but slowly inevitably the tangled web he wove does come undone. The story traces his rise and fall.

I liked the movie but I didn't love it. Part of this is because the movie is almost 3 hours long (which if you add in commercials/trailers is about right) and I get fidgety sitting still that long. Also, they explored Denzel's character in depth but I felt they could have explored other characters such as his wife as well. She ended up being simply a wooden cardboard figure on the screen. Perhaps, she was not much more in real life but it would have been nice to get a deeper perspective.

Denzel's good. The movie is good because of him. But I wonder if the movie would have been GREAT if he wasn't carrying it through and through. Yes, Russel Crowe does a good job, but I almost felt his entire storyline was from a different movie all together. Though he did a good job, I felt his storyline to be rather disjointed.

Children of Men

If you want to watch an original movie that has not been done before, with a plot that makes you think, this is the movie for you. Fast forward 20 years from now and no more children are being born. Infertility abounds, and Britan seems transformed into a chaotic, police-like regime. Immigrants are set in cages and sent to rot in ghettos where armies drive through for target practice. In the midst of it all there is a hope, one pregnant girl. The catch- she is in the hands of an uprising movement and they want to use the baby to unite their cause. Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? Watch the movie to find out. I found the film troubling but engrossing, hopeful yet devestating. Its a film that will leave you thinking for days later, and in my book, a film that can make you think, is a very important film to watch. My one advice would be to watch it with close captions because the voices are often rather muffled, and keep the volume button on hand because it gets ear piercing loud at times and that can take away from the film.

Casino Royale

I'm not a huge bond fan, and normally avoid those types of movies. Meaningless car chases, special effects.. *yawn*. BUT- the reviews and trailers for Casino Royale made me want to watch this particular Bond film. I knew it would be inherently meaningless but it seemed thoroughly fun enough to make up for that. Its true, the movie was great. Great stunts and special effects, gorgeous actors, and wonderful cars. Its what a Bond movie is all about. But what I really liked about this movie as compared to other Bond films is that the women are not treated like simply pieces of meat, okay- maybe a little, but- this time the characters develop a romance and her role is a bit more complex than being a pretty girl to look at on the screen.

My boiled down summary: If you like Bond flicks, you'll LOVE Casino Royale. If you don't like Bond flicks, you'll probably still enjoy Casino Royale if you go in with the attitude that it will be fun and exciting from start to finish!