Tag: three sentence movies

My expectations were EXTREMELY LOW for this film, low enough that I greatly enjoyed myself despite the fact the brother of Chris Hemsworth was a bit goofy-looking and the women didn’t have much to do other than bat their eyes.  There were some quite fun moments, it didn’t drag endlessly in the middle like the original and Peeta was in it!  I’m not sure why they felt the need to set it in Spokane, Washington when it was filmed in Michigan, but whatever, it was fine.

Cost:  $3.00*
Where watched:  Kennedy School

*I was bored while waiting in line to pay, so to kill time I got out my three dollars and fanned them aesthetically   The man behind me said, “It only costs three dollars?” in a voice of awe.  I told him indeed, that was the cost.  “But just for residents, right?”  Nope, everyone gets to pay only three dollars.  “Really?”   He was amazed.  I’m pretty sure he was not from around these parts.

It’s been sort of a “children/teenagers giving fabulous dramatic performances” kind of year for the movies* and this movie was of that ilk.  I was charmed and enchanted by the world of “the Bathtub” a place which, outside of the movie, I would not want any child to have to live.  Quvenzhane Wallis was amazing as Hushpuppy and Dwight Henry and Gina Montana also brought great performances to this pretty darn good film.

*Or at least movies I watched this year.

I loathed this movie because I could tell it was supposed to be a sort of “actor-flexing-her-acting-muscle” kind of film.  But because the actor was a women it was a troubling story of a sexually abused girl making the same bad choice over and over again in a frustrating way that had a lot of the actor in question being naked and not much other character growth.  I can see that picking a woman and watching all of her movies is a totally different experience than watching the films of a man.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched: at home.

I really liked this movie because I expected it to be very dramatic and tense and it was, but it was also quite funny in places.  This made it a great night at the movies.  I also remembered why I originally preferred Ben Affleck to Matt Damon when the two of them became famous.*

Cost:  Free due to passes.
Where watched:  Regal City Center Stadium 12.

*Ben Affleck has those fabulous sad eyes and is better looking in general.  But then he started starring in all those horrible movies and there was the trip to rehab and the best-forgotten Bennifer brouhaha.  Whereas Matt Damon kept his nose clean and just kept making quality film after quality film.  But now that Affleck is directing himself, his acting seems much better and doesn’t distract me from his good looks.

I’ve not actually read this book, (though I know how it ends) so I was going in with no bias.  I loved the claustrophobic/theatrical use of the stage set and in general this was a very pretty movie to watch.  The acting was also quite good (you can put me down as “fan” in the Keira Knightly column) and I was absorbed the entire time, though nearly everyone else in the theater got up at some point to go to the bathroom.

Cost:  free due to birthday movie gift card
Where watched: Regal Fox Tower

While sometimes grabbing an unfamiliar movie from the library works out, sometimes it means 90-120 minutes of “ugh”.  So was the case for this movie which despite starring Kristen Stewart (who I like) and being directed by Mary Stuart Masterson (who was good in some key movies in my life) was not a very good movie at all.  Aside from the fact the title never bothers to connect itself to the movie,* the plot itself has many confusing attributes** that were just annoying.

*No cake was eaten, no discussion was made about cake, frosting or any desserts at all.
**Here’s a partial list:

• Kristen Stewart’s illness was never really explained.  If you are going to have a rare disease in a movie, it pays to let your audience know what’s the deal.  
• They live in a tiny town and yet these people seem to have no idea of the existence of each other.
• “Intricately plotted” should only be used when the plot is, well, intricate. This was just members of the same two families sleeping with each other.
• If you are going to have a “very sad realization” happen to one of the characters, you need to spell out a little better what the heck the realization is.
• Movies where hair is cut in a dramatic fashion should manage the wig situation well enough so that the audience can’t tell there is a wig involved.

Cost:  Free from library (thank goodness)
Where watched:  at home.

(note that the cover of the DVD had a big picture of Kristen Stewart unlike this original poster.  I think this film was picked up because of Twilight.)

The review I read for this movie could be summed up as “eh,” so I bypassed it when it was in theaters.  But because I loved Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s* previous film** and because the movie was just sitting there at the library and because I really like both main actors I took it home and watched it.  And I LOVED THIS MOVIE which was chock full of glamour and intrigue in that old Hollywood way without being slowly paced in that old Hollywood way.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched: at home

*My favorite director name, ever.
**The Lives of Others, which you really must see if you haven’t already.

I took a chance on this even though the case told me absolutely nothing about the movie, except for the fact that a lot of people liked it.  And I liked it too, all those critics weren’t wrong!  It’s a coming of age gay-boy story set in a suburb of London and even includes a side helping of Mama Cass.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched:  at home.

I put off watching this for years because I thought watching a brother and sister put their estranged father in a  nursing home would be too depressing.  But I needn’t have worried, this was a delightful film, fun and funny and even sweet, without being too saccharine.   My enjoyment may have to do with the fact that I adore both lead actors, but what can I say?

Cost:  free from library
Where watched:  at home.