Movie Night

Ben has class every Wednesday, which means that I generally lay around the house, eat popcorn in my PJs and catch up on some TV or DVD watching. But Pickle and I (probably because the above scenario is a little bit pitiful) decided we are going to have Movie Wednesdays. We began the tradition last night by going to the mall armed with some free cinemark passes, determined to find something worth watching. The movie scene lately has been SAD. DO YOU HEAR ME HOLLYWOOD?! SAD!!! I can't comprehend why those guys in LA are wondering WHY the box office receipts are so much lower than they used to be. It's because you are making AWFUL movies. I love movies. I have gone through phases where I've seen 3 or 4 a week in the theater. I am NOT in one of those phases right now. The plots are dull, the writing is awful, the direction is pitiful, and don't even get me started on the acting. I'm BORED. The best movie of 2006, in my opinion, has been Little Miss Sunshine, and it was made with a ridiculously small budget. But it started with something crucial. GOOD WRITING!!

And now I'll get off of my soapbox and get to the point of this post.


We decided to see The Illusionist. I love Edward Norton, and I'd heard good things about the movie from friends that had seen it. It seemed like a logical choice.

I have to tell you, I really liked it. It was the kind of understated film that Hollywood doesn't seem to know how to make any more. The script was not wordy, but the acting and direction were beautiful. Even Jessica Biel, who, let's face it, is generally just paraded around in a bikini on screen, was wonderful. I was skeptical going in, on several levels. There are 2 "magic" movies coming out this fall, and this seemed like it would be the crappy knock off of the one with the great director and more impressive cast. The Prestige may still wow me. In fact, I'm counting on it to wow me. But I thoroughly enjoyed this film as well. If you haven't watched the trailer yet, do so:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/theillusionist/

Of course, it being only 9:15 when we finished that movie, we decided to be sneaky (if any of you work at Provo Towne Center, I apologize in advance) and movie hop. Of course, the adult in me knew I had to be up early, so we picked the one starting right away, as I needed to get to bed. The next movie starting. . . Crank. And may I just say, if any of you were considering seeing this movie, and you have ANY taste. . . PLEASE DON'T DO IT. We lasted about 15 minutes, and that was 10 minutes too many. That is all I will say. If you want to understand, watch the trailer to this one too:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/crank/