Movie Catch Up

My posts on books has slowed down as my movie-watching has increased. I have watched a number of movies lately as I have realized I can find almost anything pretty handily at the local library branch. Here is what I have managed to watch:

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - I really like Amy Adams, especially after Enchanted. I also think Frances McDormand is great, and was really convincing in this role. The movie was set in the 30s and I loved the "period"-ness about it. But, really, I must admit that it was Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) that made this movie for me. Lee Pace + unshaven face + British accent + passionate musician = Delicious. And on top of all that, he sings! And I love him. Okay, have I gone on too much? This was an unusual, but rather likable film. Check it out (for more reasons than just Lee Pace. No, seriously...).


Savages - I love Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He never fails me as an actor. He always brings it all to the table. Savages is no exception. Pair him up with the always-great Laura Linney, and you have a serious amount of acting chops on screen. The question, then, would be whether the story is of equal quality. While the subject matter was dark (dealing with a dying and dementia-ridden father), the characters were quirky enough to be humorous, while bringing a good deal of emotion to the screen. They played off of each other so well and my favorite scenes were between the brother and sister. I say definitely give this one a watch.


The Bank Job - Based on a true story, I was hoping this heist flick would be really entertaining. Instead, I found it a bit slow. True stories often don't entertain to the level of a fiction work (think Oceans 11 or The Italian Job). Most of the cast was amusing, but the movie just didn't hold my attention. At one point, even though I had been watching the screen the entire time, I had to make my husband tell me what was going on because I just hadn't been paying much attention. There are better movies out there. Of course, if you just want to see Jason Statham in his 70s get-ups, give it a watch...

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - My 18 year old sister insisted I watch this. I really enjoyed it and sat on my couch alone and cried. There were really contrived parts of the story and some of it ended up too perfectly, but there were parts that also ended up a little gritty like real life does sometimes. I was annoyed at Blake Lively's character for being skanky, but you come to understand why and feel a bit sorry for her. I like all four of these girls and it was fun to watch. I'll have to add Sisterhood 2 to my online queue.

Sweeney Todd - I had already seen Sweeney Todd in the theater, but thought it would be fun to watch again. It was dark and dirty and strangely amusing. Johnny Depp seems to really inhabit all of his characters to the fullest. If you plan to watch, be prepared for some gross scenes.


December Boys - In his first non-Harry Potter theater release, Daniel Radcliffe plays one of four orphan boys that go on a trip to the coast. While there, they encounter several different people that affect their lives. Most importantly, they overhear a couple say they have decided to adopt one of the boys. After this, the relationship among the boys is strained as they try to win over the potential mom and dad. This was a rather small film, not widely released in the US. The friendship among the boys is the central story and the most meaningful. I thought it was sweet, but it seemed like I had seen it all before.

In Bruges - Strangely enough, this was a comedy, but I didn't know that. It was a dark comedy as it deals with death in a dark way. A hit man (Colin Farrell) accidentally kills the wrong person and he is sent away, accompanied by another hit man (Brendan Gleeson), who serves as his babysitter. They go to Bruges, Belgium to hide out until the fallout has cleared. As they come into contact with other characters in town, their time in Bruges takes some interesting turns. While this movie isn't amazing, there was some really funny stuff in it.


Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale - We finally got around to watching the finale, even though we own the first two seasons. Do I need to say more than George Michael? Didn't think so... But I will anyway. The finale was perfect parts ridiculous, funny, sweet, and sad. Sean and I are huge Extras fans. If you haven't tried it out, give it a chance. I am not promising it will be your cup of tea, because it is certainly a very specific kind of comedy (Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchent tend to be very shtick-y). But it is fun to watch the celebrity guest stars act completely ridiculously.


What Happens in Vegas - This Ashton Kutcher/Cameron Diaz rom-com was actually a bit better than I expected. Two strangers get married in Vegas while drunk, agree to get a divorce in the morning, and then win $3,000,000 on a slot machine. The money creates issues, and the judge decides not to grant them a divorce until they have "worked" on their marriage for six months (including living together). Kutcher and Diaz had pretty good chemistry and also have similar comedic styling. I thought they made sense in a movie together. Just don't expect this movie to reinvent the wheel.

Sleepwalking - Jolene (Charlize Theron) is a selfish mom who abandons her daughter Tara (AnnaSophie Robb), leaving her irresponsible brother James (Nick Stahl) to take care of her. Nick Stahl really stood out for me, but there is something about him that seems really old school to me, and I am intrigued by his acting style (I still find it odd he was in Terminator 3; mainly he impressed me in Carnivale and In the Bedroom). AnnaSophia Robb played a child who was forced to grow up too quickly. I was constantly reminding myself of how young she actually is. While the plot was really slow, and you could see a bit where they were headed, it was a sad and ultimately sweet story.

Just FYI, I was so overwhelmed writing this post, that by the end, I was just writing a basic synopsis and maybe a single sentence of opinion. It took me so long to write that I kept seeing movies and would then need to add them to my post. Now I am just rambling. But I guess that is a disclaimer about how poor my actual reviews (if you would call them that) actually are.