Tag: three sentence movies

I didn’t need much in this movie, not with the presence of the Hunstman (or, as I prefer to think of him: the Huntsmmmm-mmmmm!)  Like its predecessor, this movie was incredibly pretty to look at and held my attention quite well.  It’s one of those B-Movies graced with A-movie actors who bring their best effort, making for a nicely enjoyable experience.

Cost: $3.00, from Redbox, which now that Videorama has closed, is my best source for new movies.
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2016/huntsman_ver7.html

Every once in a great while I come across a movie where the characters feel like real people, not things created to tell a story.  This is such a movie, and what well-written/acted/directed movie.  The story of the widow and the heroin addict is well worth watching.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2007/things_we_lost_in_the_fire.html

Bound by Reese Witherspoon’s steely performance and directed with flair by Mira Nair, this was an intensly enjoyable film.  Partially because I was waiting for the female character to get the smackdown, as 19th centrury female characters who do not hew to the strictures of society usually do. But maybe Thackeray was ahead of his time or the ending was tweaked,* and either way, I enjoyed it.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home

*And now I’ve read the synopsis and I see the ending was tweaked.  But to good effect, I think.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2004/vanity_fair.html

Apparently Hoopla, Multnomah County Library’s streaming service, has a lot of Haley Mills movies available, so I watched this film, which I had not seen since I was a tween.*  I discovered that Haley Mills, who I adored as a child, was quite good at acting like Haley Mills in that her character in this movie was not ostensibly different than Sharon & Susan in the Parent Trap**  I did appreciate the fact they let the child actors be mediocre singers*** as they sing along with Burl Ives.****

Cost: free from the aforementioend Hoopla
Where watched: at home, while sick

*Not that tweens existed when I was tween-aged.
**I have a feeling that I would not find her character much different in any of her movies, but I don’t have the time to invest in the research.
***There is a song in this movie called “Femininity” which is good fodder for many topics of discussion.  The lyrics follow below.
****That said, I loved Michael J. Pollard as Digby Popham.  He attempted a Maine accent and wasn’t bad in the acting department.

Femininity
You must walk feminine
Talk feminine
Smile and beguile feminine
Utilize your femininity
That’s what every girl should know, if she wants to catch a beau
Dance feminine
Glance feminine
Act shy and sigh feminine
Compliment his masculinity
That’s what every girl should know, if she wants to catch a beau
Let him do the talking
Men adore good listeners
Laugh, but not too loudly (Haha)
If he should choose to tell a joke
Be radiant, but delicate
Memorize the rules of etiquette
Be demure, sweet and pure
Hide the real you
You must look feminine
Dress feminine
You’re at your best feminine
Emphasize your femininity
That’s what every girl should know
Femininity, femininity
That’s the way to catch a beau

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1963/summer_magic.html
This poster does not get across at all what the movie is about.  It suggests a love story for Haley Mills, but that is not the case.  The dress is also not from the movie and that dog did not have a prominent role.

A nicely done movie that hits all the points: acting, story, character development, costuming.  Everything clicked along just fine and then the movie was over.  There was nothing to dislike, but its competence made it rather a bland affair.

Cost: free from Hoopla (Multnomah County Library’s streaming service)
Where watched: at home, while sick.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/imitation_game.html

“Hey what ever happened to Jay Mohr?” I thought as I grabbed this movie from the library.*  I found it to be terribly uneven** and shoddily acted.  I was going to chalk this up to Wallace Wolodarsky’s first pancake of a directing venture, but IMDB tells me that this was his third film, so I’m not really sure what to say, except that I do not recommend this film.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home, while sick.

*IMDB tells me he is still acting, but I don’t think this movie helped him get any jobs.  He tends to channel outraged-via-bad-acting Jerry Seinfeld in this movie.
**at one point the story comes to a screeching halt so we can focus on secondary character Andy Richter, a character arc that could have been cut entirely.  And at another point main characters Mohr & Nicholson are having an argument at the front door of their house. One of them leaves and a cat walks in and meows. This is the only point at which that cat appears in the movie.  Also, one character morphs from a pretty normal waitress, to a crazy crackhead in about 30 seconds.

poster from: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/seeing-other-people-2004

To be fair, I really didn’t like either of the characters in the book this movie was adapted from, so I wasn’t expecting much from this movie. It’s very pretty and it deals nicely with various emotions felt when the guy you like doesn’t like you back.  However, sometimes depictions of fabulous (said with that slightly board socialite tone) New York existences turn me off , as was the case for this movie.

Cost:  $3.99 through Google Play
Where watched: at home on Matt’s Surface.  (We’ve really got to apply some time to researching how we can stream things on our TV)

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/naomi_and_elys_no_kiss_list.html

One of those movies I’m guaranteed to like, what with being very interested in identity formation and young people going out into the world on their own.  This is a gorgous tale of V-E Day celebrations and how the crown princess and P2 celebrate. I think my teeth dried out from my smiling so much.

Cost: free due to mom’s Netflix account
Where watched: at mom’s with mom.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/intl/uk/2015/royal_night_out.html

Another free admission, thanks to my hotel stay at the Olympic Club, and another film I would not have watched otherwise, despite my love for Kristen Bell. However, the theater was filled with–judging from their chortles of glee–a lot of moms, and when you discard all trappings of “but, that isn’t realistic because…” then this film is very funny and all three main actresses are fun to watch, especially Kathryn Hahn.  While it was great to see so many actresses having fun, I do find myself questioning as to why the two men who wrote and directed this movie did not include any actual females in the creative process.*

Cost: free due to hotel package
Where watched: McMenamins Olympic Club

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2016/bad_moms.html

*What would a movie about bad moms written and directed by women (or even actual moms) be like?  Maybe Hollywood should get on that?