Movie Reviews

Due to my self-imposed exile and isolation, much of my entertainment is spent at home watching television series and movies. Especially during the cold winter months. It keeps me sane until gardening season starts in May when the days get longer. Until then I hibernate indoors. Like a bear.

I get all my DVDs from the library which cuts down on costs, and besides, the local video store owner wears perfume so patronizing her establishment is out of the question. Our community library is so small most movies must be placed on hold. Sometimes those hold lists are long and I can wait for up to six months to get a title. It's definitely a test of patience. What is really frustrating is waiting so long and the DVDs arrive perfumed because a previous library patron wiped her stink all over it. This is the disadvantage of libraries, however, some movies are starting to be available for online streaming.

It's easy to keep up with popular movie releases due to all the advertising, however, many obscure titles I find through the previews shown at the beginning of a feature film. It amazes me how many movies are made we never hear about and fun to find less popular movies to watch. Some are good, some are not so good, and some just tolerable. Here are a few thoughts on most recently viewed titles:

Basquiat  It's about the 1960s street artist and heroin addict Jean-Michel Basquiat. It was an interesting story on his rise to fame from the streets to the world of art. Fame and notoriety never changed him and he died from a heroin overdose at a very young age. What a waste. The weirdness of artsy people is always fascinating and David Bowie played Andy Warhol so that was fun. ***

Boyhood with Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture which truly baffles me. Yeah, I think it's really clever they filmed it over twelve years and used all the same people rather than different actors for different stages in the kid's life, but I really didn't see the point. Yeah, people age in real life, even celebrities. So what? The story was boring and the acting adequate. Arquette received an Academy Award for her performance which also baffles me considering she was running against Meryl Streep's performance in In the Woods. **

The Face of Love  starring Annette Bening, Ed Harris and Robin Williams. This is about a woman who's husband dies after thirty years of marriage. The love of her life. She sees, stalks, and meets a man who looks just like him. She automatically falls in love with him...or is she just still in love with her dead husband? The most memorable moment is when Ed Harris talks about how growing old sucks. I agree with his sentiments exactly! Why in the hell is getting old promoted as such a wonderful time, something we should all look forward to? I think the theme of this movie is our reliance on dreams and our aversion to reality. The movie dealt with grief and was sad in that respect, but new love is joyful. Usually. New love based on the memories of a lost spouse is, however, bittersweet. I didn't like the ending at all and I kept screaming, "You foolish, stupid woman! Get over yourself!"  I haven't seen Annette Bening in a movie for a long time so it was nice to see her in something. ***

The Grand Budapest Hotel with an all-star cast including Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, among others. This was an adventure comedy about a concierge and his lobby boy at an international resort. It was like an old 1940s movie with slapstick humor, mayhem, and bizarre characters. Excellent acting. It was fun. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. ****

Gone Girl with Ben Affleck. I had to wait forever to get this movie out of the library and while waiting I tried reading the book. It was so horribly written with unrealistic characters and bad dialogue I had to stop after three chapters. It's right up there with Fifty Shades of Gray in terms of writing quality. I'm pretty sure the authors of these books are teenagers. I didn't have high expectations for the movie, but, hey, why not? I thought the movie was much better than the book. How often does one ever get to say that? However, I hated the ending. HATED IT.  It was so unrealistic I felt it ruined the whole movie. ***

Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie. No cartoons. Real actors playing fantasy characters. It's a take on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale featuring the evil Maleficent and how she got that way. Interesting. I liked the sets and I enjoy a "strong, kick-ass woman" theme. Casting Angelina Jolie was an excellent choice, but her performance was really stiff and laughable. She spent most of the time glaring at things, but the glaring was well done! I guess if one is to play an evil fairytale character being melodramatic is acceptable, but I found it to be a little over the top. Kids would love it. **

Men, Women, and Children  with an all-star cast including Jennifer Gardener and Adam Sandler with Emma Thompson as an other-worldly narrator. It's about how people are using the Internet and how it affects their relationships. The basic theme is "technology is evil" as it promotes bullying, backstabbing, lying, cheating, pornography, and prostitution. Bottom line: it clearly doesn't promote relationship building or family! The theme was right up my alley and it was bit unnerving listening to Emma Thompson say nasty things in her proper, Shakespearean English accent which made it more entertaining. LOL. ****

Mr. Pip starring Hugh Laurie is about the last white man on the island of Bougainville during civil war. The village needs a teacher so he fills in by teaching them about Great Expectations which takes a turn for the worst when the uneducated military shows up and thinks Mr. Pip is a spy of some sort. The acting and scenery were good, but the story was really, really disturbing with too much violence that leaves you feeling damaged and haunted. Kid killings never sit well with me. ***

Rachel Getting Married starring Ann Hathaway. I don't think I've ever seen Anne Hathaway in a drama. This one was about a perpetually screwed-up young woman getting out of rehab just in time for her sister's wedding. She's so self-centered and entitled she creates a whole lot of family drama not appreciated by anyone. Great acting and it's a great story if you want to sit for over an hour immersed in family dysfunction. Unfortunately, it's not my favorite subject as it reminds me too much of my own family. For that reason only, it gets three stars. ***

Rudderless starring Billy Crudup with Felicity Huffman about a man who's son dies and the aftermath of loss. The man discovers his dead son's songwriting recordings and starts a band. It was a little slow yet deliciously sentimental. The acting and photography were good, then about halfway through the audience is given some extra information that changes the entire movie. I love a good surprise. I couldn't stop thinking about this one. ****

 UNTIL NEXT TIME...

BTW, I WELCOME MOVIE SUGGESTIONS.

SOMETIMES I RUN OUT OF TITLES AND IDEAS AND CAN'T FIND A THING TO WATCH.