Movies I Watched Last Week 5

Mansfield Park (1999, Rating: PG-13, Director: Patricia Rozema) (My Rating: 4/5) Based on the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park is about a young girl named Fanny (Frances O'Connor) who goes to live with rich relatives in 1800's England. This movie has a very interesting story and great acting by Frances O'Connor, and by Jonny Lee Miller, who plays Fanny's friend, Edmund (The only other movie I had seen him in was Trainspotting, playing Sick Boy, so I was really impressed by his performance in this movie).

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011, Rating: R, Director: Tomas Alfredson) (My Rating: 2/5) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is about a retired British spy in the 1960's named George Smiley (Gary Oldman), who is asked to help find a mole in the organization. I had a really hard time following the plot of this movie. Halfway through, when I thought I knew what was going on, a lot of things changed, and I got really confused.
I still couldn't totally understand the story when it ended. I was underwhelemed by Gary Oldman's performance. I didn't think there was anything special about it. He is one of my favorite actors, but I was really surprised that this was the first movie he was nominated for Best Actor for. In my opinion, he should have been nominated for his performances in Sid & Nancy and The Contender, instead.

The Piano (1993, Rating:R, Director: Jane Campion) (My Rating: 4/5) The Piano is about a mute woman named Ada (Holly Hunter) who goes to Australia with her daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin), to meet her new husband from an arranged marriage. This movie was a bit slow-paced, but it had an interesting story, and great performances by Anna Paquin (who won Best Supporting Actress), and especially by Holly Hunter (who won best Actress), in the best performance I've seen by her.

Queen Christina (1933, Rating: PG, Director: Rouben Mamoulian) (My Rating: 3.5/5) This movie is based on the life of Queen Christina, the queen of Sweden in the 17th century. Christina (Greta Garbo) has been Queen her entire life, and one day escapes, disguised as a boy. She meets a Spanish man named Antonio (John Gilbert) who works for the king of Spain, and they fall in love. Queen Christina has a very good story, and a great performance by Greta Garbo.

It's Complicated (2009, Rating: R, Director: Nancy Meyers) (My Rating: 3.5/5) It's Complicated is about a lonely divorced woman named Jane (Meryl Streep), who starts having an affair with her remarried ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin). At the same time, she starts dating a nice architect named Adam (Steve Martin). This movie was a lot better than I thought it would be. It was very funny, but it also had some nice dramatic moments that felt realistic. Meryl Streep's great performance also made the story seem a bit more believable.





Incendes (2010, Rating: R, Director: Denis Villeneuve) (My Rating: 4/5) I finally got around to watching Incindes. I had been wanting to watch it for a while, since it was from Canada, and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film last year. Incendies is about a brother and sister from Canada who go to the Middle East to their mother's last wishes after she dies. When they get there, they start to discover secrets about her past. This movie had a compelling story and wonderful acting by Lubna Azabal, who played Nawal, the mother. I was very surprised that Incendies did not win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.






Dancer In The Dark (2000, Rating: R, Director: Lars Von Trier) (My Rating: 5/5) I had been hearing about this movie, and Bjork's performance in it, for a long time, but I finally decided to watch it on YouTube three days ago. I wasn't sure about watching the movie because I had heard about how sad it was, but a good movie critic named William McAbee (

http://twitter.com/moviemaniac72), whose blog (http://moviemaniac72.blogspot.com) I follow, persueded me to try it out. I'm really glad I watched it. Dancer In The Dark is set in the 1960's, and is about a Czchoslovakian immigrant named Selma (Bjork) who lives in a small town in America with her young son. Selma is going blind, a hereditary condition, and is trying to save enough money for an operation that will stop her son from going blind, also. The movie is a musical, but definitely not a conventional one. The movie is shot with a digital camera, and the way the musical sequences are presented are also unique. Selma loves Hollywood musicals, and whenever things go wrong in her life, she imagines herself singing and dancing in musical numbers. Bjork gave a phenomenal performance, and it is one of the best performances I've ever seen. This movie is very sad, but it is also an unforgettable experience, and definitely one worth watching.

Movies I Watched Last Week 4

My Week With Marilyn (2011, Rating: R, Director: Simon Curtis) (My Rating: 3/5) My Week With Marilyn is based on a true story about a man named Colin Clark who worked as a third assistant director on "The Prince And The Showgirl", which starred Marilyn Monroe and Sir Lawrence Olivier. Good movie with great performances by Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh.



This Is Spinal Tap (1984, Rating: R, Director: Rob Reiner) (My Rating: 3.5/5) This Is Spinal Tap is a fake documentary about a fictional metal band called Spinal Tap. I'd been hearing that this movie was a classic for a long time, so my expectations might have been too high. I thought it was really funny, but not amazing. I'll probably watch it again sometime soon.



A Better Life (2011, Rating: PG-13, Director: Chris Weitz) (My Rating: 4/5) A Better Life is about an illegal immigrant named Carlos (Demian Bichir) who works as a gardener, and is trying to connect with his teenage son Luis (Jose Julian) and keep him from joining a gang. This is a great movie with a wonderful performance by Demian Bichir, who was deservedly nominated for a Best Actor Oscar.

Movie Review-Waking Ned Devine

Since St. Patrick's Day is coming up soon, I thought I would post a review I wrote of one of my favorite Irish movies, "Waking Ned Devine"

Title-“Waking Ned Devine”
Rating-PG
Director-Kirk Jones
Actors-Ian Bannen, David Kelly
Genre-Comedy
Year-1998

“Waking
Ned Devine” is a very funny and sweet movie. It is about an old man named
Jackie (Ian Bannen) who lives in a small Irish village called Tullymore. Like
most of the people in the village, Jackie is obsessed with playing the lottery.
One day, Jackie and his best friend, Michael (David Kelly) finds out that
someone in the village has actually won. Jackie and Michael decide to invite all
the lottery players in the town for supper to try to figure out who the winner
is. Jackie and Michael discover that one person was absent and finds out that
the winner has died. Jackie comes up with a plan that Michael will pretend to
be the winner to claim the lottery money. This movie is funny with a great
ensemble cast and a refreshingly original story. I really recommend watching
“Waking Ned Devine”.

Movies I Watched Last Week 3

Modern Times (1936, Rating: G, Director: Charlie Chaplin) (My Rating: 3.5/5) Modern Times is about a factory worker, (Charlie Chaplin), who struggles to survive in the modern world. I really liked Modern Times. It had an interesting story with many hilarious scenes, although I thought Charlie Chaplin's other movies, City Lights and The Gold Rush were better.

Finding Nemo (rewatch) (2003, Rating: G, Director: Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich) (My Rating: 4/5) Finding Nemo is about a clownfish, (Albert Brooks), who searches for his son after he goes missing. I can't remember how many times I've watched this movie. It has a great story, animation, and music, with memorable voice acting, especially by Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres.





The Brothers Bloom (3rd time rewatching) (2009, Rating: PG-13, Director: Rian Johnson) (My Rating: 3.5/5) This movie is about two brothers, (Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody), who are con men. I hadn't seen this movie in a few years. I don't think I loved it as much as the last time I saw it, but it's still a really good movie with a very interesting story. Good acting by Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, and Rinko Kikuchi.

Movies I Watched Last Week 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chronicle (2012, Rating: PG-13, Director: Josh Trank) (My Rating: 4/5) Chronicle is about three teenage boys, (Alex Russell, Dane DeHann, Michael B. Jordan), who get superpowers. I thought this movie was great. I was glad to be able to see it in a theatre, because of the cool special effects. It had a very interesting story, and really good acting, especially by Dane DeHann, whose performance is one of my early favorites of the year.

 

 

 

Wanderlust (2012, Rating: R, Director: David Wain) (My Rating: 3/5) Wanderlust is about a couple, (Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston), who discover a hippie commune. I thought this movie was really funny, with good performances by Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, and Alan Alda. It was nice to see Jennifer Aniston in a good movie again.

 

 

 

Withnail & I (2nd time watching) (1987, Rating: R, Director: Bruce Robinson) (My Rating: 4.5/5) I really liked this movie when I saw it the first time, but I loved it the second time. I enjoyed the second half of the movie more than when I saw it the first time, and I couldn't believe how many great lines there were. I was more impressed by both Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant's performances, and enjoyed Richard Griffith's performance more than I did the first time. This is one of my new favorite movies.



Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961, Rating: PG, Director: Blake Edwards) My Rating: 3/5. Breakfast At Tiffany's is about a free-spirited woman named Holly (Audrey Hepburn) who falls for an aspiring writer named Paul (George Peppard). This was an enjoyable movie with a great performance by Audrey Hepburn. I was surprised that she didn't win Best Actress for this movie. The only thing I didn't like about it were the scenes with Mickey Rooney, who plays Audrey Hepburn's Asian neighbour. Because of the neighbour character being played by a white actor, and the character being an insensitive stereotype, I found those scenes painful to watch.

Movie Review-Withnail & I

Title-"Withnail & I"

Rating-R

Director-Bruce Robinson

Actors-Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths

Genre-Comedy/Drama

Year-1987

"Withnail & I" is a great movie. I can't believe it took me this long to get around to seeing it. "Withnail & I" is about two friends who are unemployed actors in Britain in the late 1960's, known by their last names, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and Marwood (Paul McGann). They are living in a dirty apartment, often drinking too much, when one day Withnail asks his eccentric uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) to borrow his cabin in the country for a vacation. When Withnail and Marwood arrive at the cabin (forgetting to bring the neccesary supplies with them), they discover that the cabin is more rustic than they thought. Much of the movie's comedy comes from Withnail and Marwood struggling to adapt to their new surroundings (a scene where Withnail tries to cook a chicken is one of the highlights). I liked that while the movie is often very funny, it's also aware of the sadness of Withnail and Marwood's lives, particularly Withnail's. The ending is one of the most affecting scenes I've ever watched. "Withnail & I" has great performances by Paul McGann, and especially by Richard E. Grant, who I think was worthy of an Oscar nomination. "Withnail & I" is available to watch for free on www.youtube.com and I really recommend watching it.

Movie Review-Certified Copy

Title-"Certified Copy

Rating-R

Director-Abbas Kiarostami

Actors-Juliette Binoche, William Shimell

Genre-Drama

Year-2011





“Certified Copy” is a very interesting movie. It is about a British writer named James (William Shimell) who is doing a book tour in Italy. James has written a book about art, particularly about his theory that a copy of a great work of art has as much value as its original. During one stop, a French woman (Juliett Binoche) living in Italy gets a few copies of the book signed, and offers to show James around Italy. During the tour they have many conversations about James’s theory, and find that they disagree on that and just about everything else. As the day goes on, it starts to seem like James and the woman may have met before, and have known each other for longer than one day. This movie has well-written dialogue and a story that keeps you guessing. It also has great performances by Juliette Binoche and by first-time actor, William Shimell. I recommend watching “Certified Copy”.