Movies Movies Movies

Time, once again, to review the movies I've seen recently. I really should do this more often. . . I'm guessing, now that TV has slowed down for the summer, that my lists will be longer and more frequent.

So, back in April I decided to bump some non-chick movies to the top of the Queue so that Ben would watch a few with me (not like he has a lot of time for movie watching. . . ) So the first few were in honor of that goal:

Iron Man
It was good! As comic book movies go, this was one of the better ones. I would never have cast Robert Downey Jr. in this, but he was great. Surprisingly good for the role. I have to admit that when things start blowing up, I tend to lose interest. . . but that didn't happen much in this movie. And it showed off what the Blu Ray can do nicely.

Wanted
Honestly, I got this because of the cast, and because the special effects were supposed to be so great. And those are the things I liked about it. The script was BLAH, the story weak. . . not really worth the time. But it was pretty!

Quantum of Solace
I must admit, I was a little disappointed. I know that story and character development are not the POINT of James Bond films, really. . . but the first one was SO good, implementing a little of that human interest, that I expected the same from this. . . I didn't get it. It was still a better Bond movie (in MY OPINION) than any of the old ones. But I didn't LOVE IT.

And. . . on to the chick films

I've Loved You So Long
Since I tend to craft while I watch movies these days, it took me a while to watch this one. You can't read subtitles while you sew. But when I DID get around to it, I found it to be everything I had heard it was. Touching, interesting, well written and acted. It was definitely a French film, without all of the bells and whistles of American cinema, but it's certainly worth a watch if you can handle reading your movies.

Australia
I went into this prepared not to like it. I had heard very little good. It started out in serious Baz Luhrman goofiness, and I was really afraid it would stay that way the whole movie. Thankfully, it didn't. The movie is too long, it really should have ended about an hour before it did. . . BUT the last hour is especially touching and wonderful, so I may reconsider that stance. The cast is great (I'm a sucker for Hugh, and I don't hate Nicole) and the visuals are stunning. If you have 3 hours, I would recommend it.


Flash Of Genius
It was a great IDEA for a movie. The story had some great underdog movie potential. . . the execution was not impressive. Which is sad. I liked the cast. . . but it was not well written, went on way too long (though some may argue that was the point, as the case was long and drawn out), and the direction was pretty uneven, for me. That said, it was a clean movie, you could watch it with your mom and not be embarrassed. . . and it wasn't awful. . . So if you're bored. . .

Seven Pounds
Again, not a bad IDEA for a movie. The acting was great (I love Will Smith, and this is a REALLY different character for him) but the script. . . the script was just not. It acted like it was trying to be all secretive about what had happened, but if you ever saw a preview, it was pretty obvious. . . And if they are trying to make it a secret, I need not to be able to figure it out so early on.


Definitely, Maybe
I admit, this, like the following film, I DVRd from TV to watch on a day that I wasn't totally paying attention. And in this case, I sort of liked the movie. I like Ryan Reynolds, but I wasn't really prepared to get sucked in by this. . . But I did. It's a cute movie.

27 Dresses
Again, recorded from TV. The cast was fun. It's DEEP in the chick flick drama. . . but the day I watched it, I was in the mood for that, so it kept me entertained (even if it was pretty obvious what would happen)

Marley & Me
K, I should start by saying that I'm NOT a dog person. At all. Besides being allergic, I spent a good portion of my life living in fear of the creatures (even though we had one for a while) Ben saw this without me one day, and wanted me to see it. The opportunity came up on the plane back from our WI trip. He was right. . . I cried. I was impressed with how REAL the portrayal of parenthood was. I have to admit, the first thing that made me tear up was Jennifer Aniston's speech about having lost herself in motherhood. . . SO hit a nerve. Point is. . . even if you don't THINK you'll like this movie, see it. It's less about a dog and more about a family. And everyone can relate to that. (especially if you have kids)