Three sentence movie reviews: The Lego Movie

While I was tortured with a few days of the relentlessly perky “Everything is Awesome” theme song stuck in my head, it was worth it, due to the general hilarity of this film.  It was fun to see the different Lego worlds and the many famous Legos were enjoyable.*  As someone who liked to assemble my legos as instructed and leave them that way forever, I wasn’t a huge fan of the third act, but I didn’t disagree with their message.

Cost: $5.00
Where watched:  St. John’s Theater

*My favorite being the “1980-something space guy,” but Batman was hilarious.

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

Three sentence movie reviews: Downton Abbey Season 4

I didn’t take well to the BIG THING that happened at the end of the second episode, and thus was not really enthralled with the whole shebang.  However, the season did have its charming moments, like the scene with Mary, Tom and Isobel sitting in the nursery, talking about when they knew they were in love.  They managed to wrap everything up nicely in the end and I’m interested in seeing what season five brings.

Cost: free for me
Where watched: mom’s house, because she DVR’d the season, thus sparing me from late Sunday nights

poster from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/series/downton-abbey-s4/

Three sentence movie reviews: Slings and Arrows Season 2

The play this season was Macbeth, which I learned is a very difficult play to stage effectively.  Our leads got up to some amusing shenanigans and some young players got to do the worst Romeo and Juliet ever conceived.  I found this season to be not as funny as the first one, but still enjoyable because the characters are interesting.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched: at home with Matt

poster from: http://www.amazon.com/Slings-Arrows-Season-Paul-Gross/dp/B000H5U5M6

Three sentence movie reviews: Prince Avalanche

This was a very pleasant movie to watch in that way one gets when they have ample time and don’t really care so much if the movie has a ton of stuff happen in it and everything.  The characters were interesting and time passed along.  However, I could not help thinking the following repeatedly throughout the picture: this is totally a film that would never, ever be made with women cast in the lead.

Cost:  $2.00 from Videorama
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/prince_avalanche.html

Three sentence movie reviews: Spring Breakers

I’m not sure if I can correctly summarize the intense loathing I feel for this movie in a mere three sentences.  Suffice to say it’s 90 minutes of the absolute worst parts of US culture and edited in a looping image way just so you get to see bits of the scenes on repeat.  If I had a daughter,* the roles depicted in this movie would be my greatest fear for her namely the longing to be an object and not a person.

Cost: $2.00 from Videorama
Where watched: at home.

*Or for that matter a son. There were no good role models in this movie, and I realize that that is the point, but that didn’t make it a good movie.  Just gratuitous.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/spring_breakers.html

Three sentence movie reviews: Hombre

I got this movie partially because it’s an Elmore Leonard-written Western, but also because the main character, John Russell, (played by Paul Newman!)  happens to share a name with someone I work with.  It was odd to hear that Elmore Leonard dialogue that I associate with hardened gangster and other urban underbelly people coming out of the mouths of frontier denizens, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable.  Diane Cilento was great fun to watch as the hardened, scrappy Jessie, and it turned out that the name John Russell was featured prominently through the movie including the dramatic ending, so I had myself a very good time.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1967/hombre.html

Three sentence movie reviews: People Like Us

I grabbed it for the Chris Pine eye candy (and good acting skill) but loved it because of Elizabeth Banks’ subtle skill portraying Frankie.  This was a solidly built drama with good performances throughout.  While I enjoyed the movie as it spooled along, the end convinced me I had wisely invested my time.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched: at home while the ice was raining down on our snow accumulation.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2012/people_like_us.html

Three sentence movie reviews: Slings & Arrows Season 1.

The advantage to reading/seeing a lot of Shakespeare is that suddenly things that used to go right over my head, are very funny because I’m more familiar with the whole Shakespeare “thing.”  So this show about a Canadian Shakespeare company is hilarious to watch.  It also is very moving and clever and this season deals with the play Hamlet with which most of us are familiar, so you too might want to search out this show.

Cost: free from library
Where watched:  at home with Matt

ps. for those of us who enjoyed Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley’s father is one of the actors in this show!

poster from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slings_%26_Arrows

Three sentence movie reviews: Pitch Perfect

After the rather heavy Mysterious Skin, this was exactly what the doctor ordered.  I loved that–much in the style of Whip It–we got a movie about a female character who changes not because of a guy, but because she discovers another part of herself.  These movies are few and far between and I would like to see more of them.*

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2012/pitch_perfect.html

*Also, I could have done with less graphic vomiting and the song “I Saw the Sign” which sticks in my head for weeks.
Also, also.  This movie pulled Matt in and he ended up watching it all the way through, which is something he rarely does.
And, plus.  Unlike Glee, I was not familiar with most of the songs the college-aged people were singing. But I enjoyed them anyway. 

Three Sentence Movie Reviews: Mysterious Skin

This was hard to watch in that it has to do with child molestation which–it probably need not be said–is not a fun topic.  However, the acting was tremendous and I loved how true-to-life the teenagers’ friendship felt.  Worth watching, but have something fun on hand for cleansing purposes.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched:  at home

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2005/mysterious_skin.html