Nov 12, 2006

Unrequested reviews of the last few movies I've seen:

Marie Antoinette-- Beautiful, but plotless. Much like Lost in Translation, it didn't seem to go anywhere. I think that was the point however.
I took my mother, she and I will see anything with costumes. She hated it (she expected something). I liked it ( I expected it to be worse). More Bow Wow Wow would have helped, however. But then what would it not help?

Borat---I took myself to see this alone. I love stupid comedies. This one was not quite as stupid as I expected. It was oddly like Farhenheit 911.
I know that sounds peculiar, but that's what kept coming to my mind while watching it. It shows America at its worst I guess. There are parts that are pretty stupid.
It's vile, disgusting, offensive and pretty damn wonderful. Yes, it lives up to the hype.


Running with Scissors---I'd read bad reviews of this too, much like with Marie Antoinette. That's always a good way to go into a movie. It was ok, nothing great. I really don't like Annette Benning. She was the worst part of one of my all time worst movies, "American Beauty." Ugh. But the lead actor is good. It's got a light tone, despite the depressing subject matter, and great set decoration. I'm a sucker for set decoration. I know everyone keeps going on about what a terrible life young Augusten had (never did finish his book by the way, zzzzzzzz) but it didn't look that bad to me. I mean come on, sex with Joseph Fiennes?! I'd take a bit of homemade electroshock for a little of that, wouldn't you?

Freedom Writers---this one has not even been released yet. My friend Velinda invited me to it. She had gotten free, advanced screening tickets to see it. She didn't know anything about it either. We both walked into it completely ignorant.
It turned out to be a Dangerous Minds type real life drama starring Hilary Swank and that guy from Grey's Anatomy. Hilary Swank plays a young first time teacher in L.A. who is all earnestness and wants to change the world. As you can imagine she runs into hell in the classroom. She is teaching a class of gang members Freshman English. They chew her up, they spit her out....she grows some balls...and it turns into a Rocky of teaching. The best part of the movie I think were the young actors playing her students. They were completely unaffected and natural, not a false note. She motivates them with Anne Frank into telling their own stories. It has its weepy moments, but it was pretty good. It's based on a real life story.

1 comment:

Silly Monkey said...

Freedom Writers - I haven't heard of this, but it sounds interesting. I think I'd like to see it.

Running with Scissors - I was alright. Wouldn't want to rewatch it. But I'm with you on the set decoration.

If it hadn't have been for the set decoration in "The Break Up," I'd have DIED of boredom.