Rebecca, the film critic (at least for a minute or two)

Writing about “An Education” got me thinking, what else have I watched over the last couple of weeks? (way too many movies I am thinking) Here is a rundown:

How to Train Your Dragon: 5/5

Hiccup, a young viking boy desperate to prove to his father and his clan that he is deserving of the viking name, wounds a dragon that everyone is deathly afraid of. He finds the dragon, still alive, and contemplates killing it, but while his knife is raised all he can see is his own fear coming from the animals eyes so he decides to let him live. The problem is that its tail has been crippled and he is unable to fly. The boy helps the dragon get back in the air and proves to his village that dragons are not the beasts that they make them out to be. This was the first (and probably last) film that I have seen in 3D, and while it was good at the time the 3 hour headache I had after I got home pretty much made the decision to go 2D from here on out. The movie itself was cute, child appropriate and very entertaining to watch. Not only has it been requested that we purchase this film when it comes out, we actually went out and bought the books it was based on. A win/win in my book!

Coco before Chanel: 4/5

I love a good foreign film and this was French with English subtitles, which I know can be a turnoff for some, but this picture was good on more than one level. The costumes and the set design were done very beautifully, there was one scene where it was a little surreal seeing the french gentry on the beach in their corsets, flamboyant hats, lacy umbrellas and pompous fluff. Personally, I was really interested in the story due to my background, but I think it could have been a little dry for someone who didn’t admire Chanel for her impact to fashion. It was for this reason why I was glued to the story, but I doubt anyone who was uninterested in fashion would even think of picking up this film.

Brothers: 3/5

Set during wartime Afghanistan, this movie tells the story of an American solider who goes to war, is captured by the enemy and does the unthinkable to get back home. His wife is told that he is killed in action however and she starts to get on with her life back at home, namely, she starts a pseudo relationship with his brother who was there helping with the children (his nieces) cope with the loss. I think it does tell a great story of what happens mentally to solders that deal with the immense stress of battle and how they are not always ready to be simply immersed in “typical” society, but the movie itself was a little dry and boring. I was watching the clock, wondering when it was going to be over, which I think was quite unfortunate because they were telling a great story. I think I shall look for the original version of this film (this was a remake) and see if they did a more entertaining job.

The Time Travelers Wife: 2.5/5

A story of a man who travels through time against his will* (how often does one little sentence sum up an entire story??) It was recommended I watch this movie by a friend and while I should have known the “greatness” was probably going to be lost on me (being mostly against sappy chick flicks) I didn’t find it horrible. It was slow, drawn out and a little cheesy at times, but the overall story was original and somewhat interesting. I wouldn’t really recommend it, nor would I ever watch it again.

* A Note to Children, Gullible Men and Women alike: If a naked man ever comes stumbling out of the woods claiming to be your friend/relative and/or romantic partner from the future do not stick around to see if they are telling you the truth, Run dammit RUN!!

An Education

I’ve been watching quite a few movies of late, but I have to say that my favorite out of the bunch has got to be “An Education”. Its a story of a school aged girl that has everything going for her; she has straight A’s, means to not only get into a college like Oxford but a family to pay for it for her and set goals for what she wants to do with her life after college. All this changes after a chance meeting with an older man. I won’t give away the story, but when it comes down to it this film has a very clear and important message: you must never give up on yourself. Five stars! :)

My Valentines - A rundown

Valentines Day.
When you are single, this day seems to inevitably make you feel inadequate and alone. But when you are with someone, it is a day that makes you feel special. It is a day to look forward to with excitement. This year was one of the first years in a long time that I actually was one of the ones who got to have this excitement.

Here is a rundown of my night:
4:00 pm: Leave work and run to the mall for last minute pick up
4:45 pm: Loose car (again!) in mall parking lot
5:15 pm: Arrive home and proceed to get ready for an anticipated departure time of 6:15pm.
5:30 pm: Find out that he wants to pick me up and that he will be there at 7.
5:31 pm: He then decides to make it 6:45 to counter any tardiness that I may be incurring.
6:00 pm: Ready (whew!)
6:45 pm: Find out that he is not going to be there until 7. Hmm.
6:50 pm: Find out that my mom is on her way and will also be there at 7. Double Hmm.
6:59 pm: Open the door to run down and get E and find B walking up the stairs with a beautiful bouquet of red roses and lilies in his hands (aww).
6:59 pm: Hear my mom, my sister and E also on the stairwell but a little further down.
7:03 pm: Introduced my Valentine to my mother and my sister (ha!), E smiled and said "oh its YOU!" with a huge smile and proceeded to give him a piece of his coveted wonka bar.
7:05 pm: I loose my purse in the excitement
7:10 pm: We leave, head to vinetopia for dinner reservations.

(Bet he didnt think that he would be meeting my family this soon, eh? But the look on his face when I pointed towards my mom's car and told him that my family was right there didnt make me think that it bothered him in the slightest... silly boy... little did he know that that just opened the door for his dissection later)

7:25 pm: Arrive at the restaurant
7:29 pm: Find out that they are not serving food as usual but only a "valentines special" which is $75 per person
7:32 pm: After I managed to stop choking on my gum (we were at a movie theatre restaurant after all) we decide to keep our reservation and be seated.
7:36 pm: K and J arrive
7:40 pm: Is that noise intentional? Oh yes, they have an obnoxious bongo band which consists of a piano, a guitar and, you guessed it, a set of bongo drums.
7:45 pm: Put our order in and proceed to wait for our 5 course meal to begin.
7:50 pm: Obnoxious bongo band finally decides to go on a break.
8:01 pm: Course One: Pinot Noir Sorbet - a delightful frozen treat with a silky smooth texture and a delightful Pinot flavor, but... probably more suited for a dessert than an opening course.
8:05 pm: Obnoxious bongo band is back.
8:15 pm: Course Two: Butternut Squash Soup - Absolutely delicious! I would have been happy with a big bowl of this soup, some bread and my wine for my entire dinner. It was very smooth, very rich and had a slightly spicy undertone. Did I mention that it came in what appeared to be an espresso cup? A standard for the evening has been set at this point.
8:16 pm: Seriously considering walking over to the obnoxious bongo band and asking them to keep it down a bit.
8:26 pm: Course Three: Salad - not good.
8:32 pm: Man-hands?
8:38 pm: Course Four: The Main Dish - Filet Mignon with Napoleon Potatoes and Summer Squash. I finished my plate! Well, aside from the potatoes. Not Good.
9:00 pm: Obnoxious bongo band packs it up for the night. (thank god, and no, I had nothing to do with it)
9:05 pm: Course Five: Cheesecake, Poached Pears and Chocolate Pudding with Sliced Strawberries. Hmm..

(not to say that I didnt enjoy the food, but for what they were making it out to be I was expecting 5 star restaurant quality food. Because of this I don't think that I will ever eat there again, even at normal prices.)

9:30 pm: Time to watch Slumdog Millionaire, just the two of us. A great movie which I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to watch a movie that allows you to walk away better than you were before. Very touching, very moving and an all around good movie.
11:55 pm: Run out to the car in the freezing cold where we proceed to go home for the evening.

Best Valentines that I can remember. Thank you...

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is not Curious at all. Believe me.

In fact it is one of the most unexciting, least interesting, and all around boring movies that I have seen in a long time. I would say even worse than alot of the television that I have been being forced to watch lately. Titles such as "Caught on Tape Three Hundred and Seventy-Two", "American Idol season we-are-still-making-these-shows?" and "Survivor: United States" are likely to be more interesting than aforementioned movie.

It was hard to get into this movie from the beginning, and I must admit, I really was not paying attention for the first ten minutes or so. Cut to a scene of a woman who just gave birth to a unseen baby, with doctors giving her but minutes to live and my attention was slightly piqued. For a few minutes anyways. The new father promises his dying wife that their child will always have a place.... until he actually sees the baby that is. His new child's face was so grotesque that he runs out of the house, contemplates throwing the baby in the river and decides instead to leave it on the doorstep of a strangers home, wrapped in a blanket, with $17 stuffed inside. So much for promises, eh?
The movie is set in Louisiana. It is told in narrative fashion, by means of a younger woman reading a journal to a dying old woman in a hospital bed. A hurricane looms in the distance, but they do not want to flee, they decide that they would rather read a mans journal while sirens ring right outside the window. The film goes from the young woman's voice, to Benjamin Button's voice; from one world to the next, and the viewer gets the feeling like the story being read is one from a distant past. This man is different, he is aging backwards, a young man trapped in an old man's body; lost in a world where no one understands. Cut back to the hospital bed, the old woman is uncomfortable, give her some more meds and get back to the story.
This goes on for a staggering Three Hours. Three hours! Why does no one advertise this? Its almost as bad as advertising a musical film as a non musical film and wondering why the audience decides to walk out mid film. Had I not have been in the presence of very good company I would have voiced my desire to walk out of the theater myself last night. But I was enjoying said company so I endured the pain of what was supposedly an acclaimed film in order to stay where I was for just a little longer...

In short: Don't waste your time on this movie unless you bring something to do, like say a book or a magazine or a pillow...

Wall-E

After reading very disappointing reviews on the movie Hancock I decided to treat E to the movie he has been asking me to take him to ever since he saw the first preview for it ages ago.

Wall-E

I really didn't know what to expect when coming into this film (but isn't that typical?). All I knew was that it got rave reviews and was supposed to be a cute movie. I would have to agree.
The movie starts out in a desolate New York City which holds more skyscrapers made out of garbage then actual buildings. There are no plants. There is no water. There are no animals. No people. Nothing but a mass of garbage, dust and debris flying in the wind. Then you see the one thing that is still operational... one lone robot doing the job that he was set out to years before. When looking at the mass of garbage I have to admit that I was wondering where all the bugs were, there is one, an invincible pet cockroach that is Wall-E's sole friend on the planet, but other than that the garbage was insect free (which is probably why after 700 years it still exists in its recognizable, totally non-degraded state). The next 15 min or so consists of following this robot around, seeing his day to day routine and his desire for companionship.
This is when the spaceship arrives and Wall-E falls in love.
The next hour or so is the story of what one robot will do for love, companionship and honor.
All in all it was a cute movie, as the reviews stated. There really is no dialogue aside from the continuous "Wall-e!!" and "Eve!!!" which are repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over through out the film (just those words. Alone. Not in a sentence with other words, standing completely alone) To me, it got annoying. To the kids, they didn't even seem to notice.
Like most kids movies, the underlying issue or concern that is being addressed is very present and in this case it was obviously that we, as humans, are destroying our planet and need to do something about it now, instead of leaving our problems for future generations. The "go green" theme was very prevalent but it didnt feel like it was being shoved down my throat in an offensive manner. I would have to say that one of my favorite parts was when the space ship left the earth's orbit and had to push through a sea of satellites which were littering the outer atmosphere of the earth like the garbage on the ground of the earth was. I was surprised that they didn't have the humans settle on a different planet to wreak their havoc on it in the same manner as they did Earth. Maybe that would be too real of a scenario to actually consider...
I will say, however, after seeing the humans in the state they were after 700 years of non-movement I literally ran out of the theatre. Ie: I chased E to the car to feel the blood rushing to my legs, just to get the image of atropic, obese, lifeless masses out of my head!

If you have kids, take them to see it!
If you don't.... maybe rent it when it comes out.

I would give it a 4.75/5 (hey, you cannot get a 5 with only two words in the script, hehe)

You don't mess with the Zohan

Right out of the gate everyone knows that this is not going to be an intellectually stimulating film, but in some instances that is what people desire. I saw the preview for this when I went and saw Iron Man and I couldn’t help but laugh. When I got home I looked up the movie and made a note of the release date because it was something that I thought I would enjoy.
The movie starts out on a bikini clad beach in Israel (which is an oxymoron in itself), Zohan is very obviously enjoying a nice vacation and is grilling up some fish in the nude when he is called back up to duty to capture his Palestinian nemesis: Phantom. Apparently he had captured him before his vacation but they decided to “strategically” trade him back. It is at this point in the movie where you learn of his true love in life, hairstyling. He talks to his parents, saying that he wants to stop the hate and to stop the fighting but they will not hear it. He is the best in the army; best to stay where it is safe. So he ends up faking his death and hitching a ride with two doggies in the cargo pit of an airplane. He makes it to New York City where his dream of becoming a hairstylist is less than realized, at least for about 15 minutes. He then is allowed the job of sweeping hair in a little salon in a neighborhood which is under a hostile takeover by a mass conglomerate (the mirror image of walmart destroying local communities). This community just so happens to be Israeli on one side of the street and Palestinian on the other… and the comedy ensues.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some funny parts in the movie. One thing that typically happens with movies is that the preview somehow ends up encompassing the most funny, or the most scary, or the most action packed sequences of the film. You hope that this doesn’t happen, but in this instance this was most definitely the case. Some of the fight scenes were so stupid they were funny, but a lot of the scenes in the salon which were an attempt at some very crude humor (just wait til you see how he washes the old women’s hair, and the products alongside the wall of the backroom should just permanently be placed on the floor) just seemed too much for my taste. There is a definite crowd that they were aiming for (age 16-24 males I would say), and I wouldn’t recommend this film to anyone that offends easily by either sexual innuendos (or flat out references) or bias racial stereotypes. Sometimes I just get tired of seeing middle easterners always portrayed as slick dealing terrorists that drive cabs or are out to scam you of your money.
Anyways…
I would give this movie a 2/5. If you must see it I would recommend renting it.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

So he did it again.
Thats right, he (as in E) decided that he was going to be good this week and didn’t get his name on the board at all. That meant that I had to live up to my word and take the boy out to see a movie. So after school today we went straight to the theatre to see what was playing. The options at the moment were either Narnia or Indiana Jones or he could wait 2 days and we could see Kung Fu Panda. When he heard that Narnia was playing he got so excited that he could hardly contain himself. “Are you sure that you don’t want to wait until Friday and see Kung Fu Panda? You know how funny it looks..”
“No! I want to see this one, please please mom!”
Apparently he watched the first one with my mom (unbeknownst to me) and I remember when I watched the first movie with K I was less than impressed (in fact, the two of us were laughing and making fun of the characters the entire time “That is not how you would hold a sword.. Why is he running like that? Etc, etc”)
So, again, you can say that I was less than enthused when I bought the tickets.
The movie started at 350pm which gave us about 30 minutes to walk over to the store, fill my overly large purse with goodies and get back. When we walked in there wasn’t anyone standing there to check tickets so for all intents and purposes I could have just walked right in without paying (hmm… lol) but I had my tickets in my pocket just in case someone decided to stop me. We get to our theatre (I saw that Sex and the City was playing right next door and entertained the idea of letting him watch his movie while I watched my movie…. Only for a few seconds… lol) and when we finally walked in we were greeted with never ending open seats. IE: We were again getting our own private screening. (Now THAT I like. Something about the movies he picks… no one else is ever there! Hehe).
Instantly we start munching on our goodies… a habit which I am sure aides greatly to the obesity epidemic of America. If only we could recondition our brains to not think that watching a movie or television should be synonymous with eating something, but I digress…
The movie starts and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Not only had the acting of the children greatly improved over the years they had between films but the storyline of this one was much more interesting. I must admit that I read the series in its entirety when I was around 11 but I don’t remember them in the slightest so I didn’t know what to expect. This movie is about the betrayal of the prince by his power hungry uncle who had an unquenchable desire for the throne. When his first son was born he ordered the current prince (who was only waiting to attain the throne due to his age) murdered in his sleep. He was awoken just in time by his mentor who gave him something to use “only at his most dire time of need” and told him to flee to the woods because “they won’t follow you there”. He was wrong. They did hesitate only momentarily before following him deep into the wood where he ended up meeting his “most dire need”. The object that was given him was the horn from the first movie which was supposed to call Queen Susan (or all the children apparently) back to Narnia. And this is where the story really gets started.
This movie is 2hrs and 20 minutes long, but it really doesn’t feel that way in the theatre. The story line is engrossing, the acting is [somewhat] believable and the visual effects are nice to behold. There were a few moments in the film that I felt rather frustrated that they didn’t act true to life… I found myself saying “kill him already!” to myself (and one time out loud lol) during a couple of scenes but I had to keep reminding myself that this movie is aimed at kids so of course an adult would have to be the one to finally do the killing because that would then be acceptable in the mind of the audience. I didn’t care who did it, I was just glad it was done.
Overall I liked this movie, even with the religious [OVER]tones (I’m sorry but I don’t remember there being such a strong Christian presence in the books, and at times it kinda distracted from the actual movie). I would give it a 3.5 stars/5…

Baby Mama

This last weekend I was gifted with the opportunity to watch the movie “Baby Mama” and I must say that I would have been more than willing to pay for the movie since my date paid for the dinner but to pay for the movie means that I would have to utter the name to the cashier which in this case I didn’t want to do. So I more than willingly allowed him to pay for it. (hehe).

Altho the movie sounds rather… ghetto white trash… it was actually quite funny. It is about a single older woman who is successful in every aspect of her life except for the fact that she is not married and has never had a baby (and we count this as a non-success?). She decides that she doesn’t want to wait for a man any longer and attempts to have a baby on her in via invitro fertilization but discovers that this is not possible for her. Adoption is not an option for single women in America (5+ year waiting list) so she turns to her only other alternative: a surrogate. The story is then about the relationship and struggles between the surrogate mother and herself. There are some twists and turns and a “surprise” ending which is so text book fairy tale it almost ruined it for me but over all it was quite funny. I would give it 3/5 stars only because there were a lot of cliché moments and I really don’t like cliché…

Titanium Alloy Man just doesn’t quite ring right, does it?

I am going to state right off that I am not a comic book fan.
I have never seen Spiderman 2 from start to finish (don’t even ask me the plot of Spiderman 3), the only reason I know the characters of Batman is because of E and aside from Superman (who’s latest movie I didn’t even feel the slightest desire to rent when it came out) those are pretty much the only comic book hero’s that I could name right now (well, aside from Wonder Woman but I know about her, or more specifically her costume, for reasons other than comic books or movies hehe).
So when I roped myself into going and seeing Iron Man last night I thought that it was going to be yet another Spiderwick Chronicles experience with me sitting there making a list for all the groceries I needed from the grocery store the next day.
Not so.
Surprisingly, I was engrossed from the opening scene.

I came into the movie knowing nothing about it whatsoever. The only reason I even knew it was coming out was due to a poster I saw at the theatre a couple of days ago when I was trying to come up with something I could bride E with to not get his name on the board at school. That and after seeing the initial flight scene in the film it brought back memories of a guy at work forcing me to watch the trailer on the big screen in the office:
“you have GOT to see this!! No!! You HAVE to!!” …..(trailer rolling)…."ok, lets watch it again!”
(I’m not making this up).
I don’t typically take movie-going advice from the guys that I work with tho, being that in their opinion “Mr. Woodcock” is a 10/10.

The plot was witty and fun but most importantly it was there. There really were not too many surprises, despite the attempt at a major plot twist (I am sorry, but I know that I was not the only one to see that coming; proof of this coming from the guy sitting in the seat beside me who said, “the writers really thought they were going to get a gasp out of us with that one, didn’t they?”). I really liked the special effects, and the costumes but I think what I liked the most about the film was Robert Downey Jrs performance. I really feel that he made the film. Even the scenes with him interacting solely with his robotics it were still very interesting to behold.
I have a feeling that I will probably not like the second or the third one (when they inevitably will come out) as much as I did this one because what I found interesting was the process of coming up with the design and exploring new ideas. I thought it was great for E to see that with imagination, dedication and hard work (and multi-millions at your disposal of course) anything is possible.
Regrettfully, I missed the "Bonus Scene" that I found out was after the credits when searching for a good iron man picture. After searching a little more however, I found that that scene would have probably not meant a thing to me being that I know very little about comic book heros and from reading what the scene was it would have been lost on me.

I would like to conclude with a heartfelt thank you to my little boy who, for being good, allowed me to have those 2 hours to escape from my reality and enjoy a good film. If it wasnt for that, and the fact that I keep my word, I wouldn't have gone and seen this and thus not felt at peace. Its been a while since I have had such a clear, quiet mind. Least for those 2 hours.