Sunday, December 20, 2009
MOVIE REVIEWS
As the holiday season is upon us there are a slew of movies out or soon to be out. I thought it might be interesting and fun to share any feedback you may have on any movies you have seen, whether the film is a new release, something you have seen on video, or an old classic, it doesn't matter.
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So I decided to share my opinion of the film Julie and Julia, a warm funny film based on a book by Julie Powell about a women(Julie) who writes a blog about her year working through cooking every recipe in Julia Child's groundbreaking cookbook on French Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
"Julie&Julia" is a feel-good movie but without the big-drama theme. it's an intelligent analogy between women of today and women of Julia Child's generation. i totally get the contrast and this could just be my view of it: that women of today possess an ingrained sense of entitlement, making them whiny, selfish and self-absorbed. The women of Julia Child's era are the opposite ---with a sense of gratitude for what they have, more accepting of the hurdles posed their way toward self-fulfillment. The screenplay is a little weak in the Julie parts, but brilliant in the Julia side. The production, costume and sound designs are great, with an exceptional musical score and photography.
Of the actresses, Meryl Streep IS the best. she nailed julia child's essence, not just her voice and mannerisms, but the over-all spirit we have come to associate with the famed chef. Through sheer skill and talent, Meryl walked the brink very beautifully and avoided making Julia Child a caricature, which could have been done so easily. Her Julia Child made me laugh and cry, but i was smiling in all the in-betweens.
Add to the fact that I have had a serious girl crush on Meryl Streep for the last several years. She's an actress not afraid to take chances, not afraid to look horrible for a role(Her character in Doubt was fascinating and pretty unlikable and incredibly unappealing) and now breaking a barrier for women in entertainment, That there still can be a rich, fulfilling roles for women over 40 which typically has been the kiss of death for actresses in Hollywood. Plus the woman has never had nor will she ever have plastic surgery.
Well, I saw "The Princess and the Frog" on NYE, and I loved it. Good music, beautiful animation, and a good heroine for little girls. Hopefully, it will do well enough that Disney will keep churning out their hand-drawn animation pictures. They deserve to be seen.
I saw "Sherlock Holmes" this past Saturday, and Robert, Jude, and Rachel were all fabulous. Can't say the same for the movie. The performances saved it, because the movie was kind of a mess.
And, because nothing says Happy Holidays like a morally ambiguous crime drama, I got around to watching "No Country for Old Men" finally. Great performances (Javier Bardem is creepy as crap), but a bleak film.
Ok I saw 3 good films over the break. 2 with my friends and 1 with Tim.
The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock was terrific. Not a great film, but good. It's a traditional someone in trouble and someone comes to rescue him. This time it's a true story based on the life of offensive tackle for the ravens, Michael Oher. Bullock and her family adopt him and help him. It sounded cliched and it is but it's uplifted with likable characters, and good performances by Bullock, Tim McGraw. The actor who plays Oher is quiet and subdued just like Oher is in real life.
The second It's Complicated with magnificent Meryl. Not great but fun, light, and funny. She's effervescent and beautiful in the film, Alec Baldwin is hilarious, and Steve Martin is very anti type and not bad. It;s not a deep thought provoking film just lite and funny.
The third was Tim's choice, Avatar. Admit I was not keen on seeing it. But I will say it was very good. Visually stunning. The story was the typical Dances with Wolves story, only not done as well. The performances were ok but in a film like this it's the special effects that sell it. For that reason it was good.
We then spent New Years Day rewatching all 3 Godfather films. Pacino is still amazing.
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