Tag: three sentence movies

A movie for people who like long conversations between smart people and a movie that also spends a ton of time examining yet another kind of pissing contest* that males involve themselves in.**  That said, I loved this movie, got lost in the conversations and fell for the characters.*** There were great performances all around****–particularly by Jason Segel who managed a lot of really good acting in ways I hadn’t seen him act before–and it was a nice look back at the mid-90s.*****

Cost: $3.00
Where watched: Laurelhurst

*That these men were both smart author-types, the pissing contest was subtle and low-key, but very present.
**Is there any aspect of the male existence we have not thoroughly explored via the medium of film?  I think not.
***Although Jesse Eisenberg’s character less so, though I felt for him.
****Oh Joan Cusack, did you have to be named Patty?  Why are all the perky people in film named Patty?
*****Now that I’ve lived through times that are “historical”, I enjoy picking up on the small details, like the fact that everyone was reading Primary Colors.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/end_of_the_tour.html
This may be the most awesome poster I’ve seen in this year’s movie reviewing.

One of the Filmspotting team thinks this is a better version than it’s predecessor* and so I figured I would check it out.  It is indeed a delightful film having really cool stuff (Cuba, Latin Dance, the delicious Diego Luna, as well as the Cuban revolution) and the dancing is also great.  You can even spot now famous people who weren’t then** as well as a cameo by someone who is now dead.***

Cost: Free from library
Where watched: at home, while painting toenails.  It’s not a great movie for this activity.  I had to keep stopping to watch the dancing

*causing much outraged glee from the other of the Filmspotting team.
**Two, count ’em, two actors now famous for their roles in Mad Men are present.
***Said cameo elicited a squeal of glee from me.

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

The thing that got me about this movie?  The fact that as common as it is for women to become mothers, I think this is the first movie I’ve seen that examines the feelings of a woman becoming a mother.  Great performances by Smulders and Bean and I look forward to exploring more of director Kris Swanberg’s work.

Cost: free from library via Hoopla
Where watched: at home, on my computer screen.

poster from IMP awards (and it’s very bad.  Very.)

This is a quiet little movie about loss and music.  I found it to be a pleasant way to pass an evening, but it caused no huge tremors of delight.  I did enjoy how not-for-Hollywood Johnny Flynn was.

Cost: free from library.
Where watched: at home.

poster from imp award

This movie is clever in that way that women–for most of history viewed as nothing more than chattel–have had to be clever in that it seems to be a story about a man inventing an ingenious device and finding success and love, but which also tells us the story of women lining up for a “treatment” that I suspect most of them knew did nothing for their diagnosis of hysteria, but was beneficial none the less. Great performances all around.   This is a light and funny film best taken with a glass of wine and some chocolate after a long hard day of being female.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from IMP Awards

There’s some really great female body image stuff  in this and the usual Holofcenian touches.  This, of course, includes Catherine Keener, and I could not stand her character.*  However, it was quite well acted, including the four female leads and Jake Gyllenhaal when he was still playing teenagers.**

Cost:  Free from library.  (I requested this myself, but later found it on the shelf.  I do indeed think someone in my neighborhood has been systamatically working their way through Holofcener’s movies.  And now I have seen all of them too. Thanks random library patron for hooking me up with Holofcener!)
Where watched: at home.

*In my book, it’s not really important for female characters to be likable, but I so very much didn’t like her Michelle Marks, and unfortunately, it sunk the movie for me.
**He was 20 at the time.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2002/lovely_and_amazing.html

Expecting a brainless romantic comedy, I was instead blown away by this.*  Mr. Kutcher was his usual non-offensive self, and the rest of the cast really knocked it out of the park.**  It was also laugh-out-loud funny in parts,*** which came as no surprise once I figured out that Ivan Reitman directed it.

Cost: Free from library.  (Also, this was on one of my Letterboxd lists.  I’m not sure why.  Perhaps I made notes? I did.  Movie Date recommended it.)
Where watched:  At home while changing the toes from green to red.
I wonder how long I could watch Ashton Kutcher moves during pedicures before I had to repeat?  The answer is that there are 17 Ashton Kutcher movies I haven’t watched, so I could keep going for a very long time.  I won’t though.  I think I would eventually stop being pleasantly surprised that his movies aren’t actually that bad.

*Secret to success with Ashton Kutcher movies:  lower those expectations.
**And what a cast!  Natalie Portman! Kevin Kline!  Greta Gerwig!  Mindy Kaling! Jake Johnson! Lake Bell! Ludacris! Olivia Thirlby!
***Many rom-coms are more “smirk” or “quiet chuckle” events.  They don’t come with actual laughter.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2011/no_strings_attached.html

Just as gripping on second viewing and so much fun because three of the four main leads are women.  And I love all their performances.  Matt really enjoyed it too, if by “enjoyed” you mean “was completely and thoroughly disturbed by the ending.”

Cost: $2.00 at Videorama
Where watched:  at home with Matt to celebrate my new job.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/gone_girl_ver3.html
I think the other poster where Mr. Affleck has his back to the camera is even better than this one, but I’ve already used that one.  But even this lesser version, this is a fabulous poster.  Do you see the eyes???