The Heat (2013)
Director:
Paul Feig
Stars:
Sandra Bullock,
Michael McDonald,
Melissa McCarthy |
See full cast and crew » (obtained from Redbox)
I happen to love Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy is pretty awesome too. It took me a while to get around to seeing this movie, mostly because I'm too cheap to pay movie theater prices. This movie was funny and proves that women are as funny as men (if not funnier from a more subversive standpoint). It was a pretty typical good cop/bad cop storyline so gender really is only a small part of it. More or less predictable I suppose, with some stereotypical characters and situations, but it's a typical genre film, so you get what you want/expect. The poster I pulled from the IMDB page is different than the red background one I've seen. This reminds me of the 80s films of the same genre. I had seen an heading somewhere on the interwebs that the film's original poster did a disservice to getting an audience. Not really able to find the link now, go figure. Anyway, I'm a fan of director Paul Fieg because he provided me with Freaks and Geeks.
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Girl Most Likely (2012)
Stars:
Kristen Wiig,
Annette Bening,
Matt Dillon |
See full cast and crew » (obtained from Redbox)
I was disappointed in this movie. I had high hopes for it because of the cast and the trailer when I first saw it. It was okay for most of it, but then it absolutely fell apart in the last ten minutes. It's like they didn't even know how to finish the movie and gave us the worst ending possible. The character didn't change really by choice, but more because of a highly unlikely, implausible situation. Boo hiss. I wanted more. Makes me sad.
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Inception (2010)
Director:
Christopher Nolan
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Ellen Page |
See full cast and crew » So I waited a long time to see this one too. I had a general idea that it was a 'dream within a dream' type thing. The DVD copy I had (from the library) was a little skippy at the beginning, so I think I missed maybe 20 seconds or so... which in a two and a half hour movie doesn't seem like much, but in a movie as conceptual as this, it maybe made a difference. The movie was too long and I was actually pretty bored by it. I'm not sure I cared for the characters much because they were just ideas, stereotypes, not real people. Which doesn't help when the audience has to spend so much time with them. Leo's character was a bit whiny/emo and the others were all just means to an end really. So yeah, this movie got a lot of hype. Visually, it did bring us some cool things to see, and it's an interesting concept, but the execution left something to be desired.... like a paired down, more character-driven script perhaps. Even watching the trailer is annoying (music). Sad because I like most of the actors. Ho hum.
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Midnight Stallion (2013)
Director:
William Dear
Stars:
Kris Kristofferson,
Jodelle Ferland,
Chelah Horsdal |
See full cast and crew » This movie was a safe family horse movie. Predictable to the letter. But I really wanted to watch a horse movie and that's what this is. Kristofferson brings a very dry delivery, not much pizzazz to his character, but that's acceptable with a rancher type. Some of the dialogue was on the nose and cheesy, and the wrap-up at the end was too 'nice' and way too easy. Some of the shots were painful to watch, like the horse in slo-mo to evoke awe, or most painful... shots of characters when you could tell they were on fake riding apparatus. But if you want a clean family movie for a young horse-lover, this'll do. (rented from library)
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A Girl and a Gun (2013)
Director:
Cathryne Czubek
This documentary evoked most of the feelings I have about guns. I learned how to use guns in 2009 because I wanted to know how to be able to use one in case I ever came across one, but they make me fearful of the death they can bring about so quickly. This film provided an interesting history lesson of female gun ownership ie... women have always used guns, but societal propriety changed, mostly because Hoover decided women couldn't be trusted. :P The filmmakers did a pretty decent job of finding various women who use and own guns and touched accurately on the portrayal of women and guns in the media and on fear as a motivator. It also showed how gun manufacturers try to bank on women's fear and their love of pink. (That drives me crazy. Both the fear-mongering and making girly guns/products. Death is only cute in a Tim Burton movie). They also talked briefly with gun victims. However, I feel there is much more to be said about women and guns than the movie made time for. I felt statistics about domestic abuse in correlation to how much more at risk a woman is, if she gets a gun to defend herself. Of course, that is also fear-mongering, but guns are weapons of potential death, in my eyes. I know there is a lot of skill involved when used for target practice, and I do agree that going to the range is a great way to clear one's mind, because I've felt that myself. But guns still make me nervous, and I guess that's a healthy respect when kept in check. That was the whole point of me taking a class; so I wouldn't be incapacitated by fear if I ever had to use one. Live by the gun, die by the gun, so they say. Anyway, the movie was more or less objective. I would have liked a little more info on gun deaths and stats and all that, but this movie was more focused on female gun-owners and the mysticism about women who use guns. P.S. After re-watching the trailer, I remembered how the latent sexist comments from men irked me. :P (rented from library)
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Hava Nagila: The Movie (2012)
Director:
Roberta Grossman
When I requested this from the library, I must not have read the synopsis very well. I thought I was getting a funny comedy about all things Jewish... and I got a documentary about the origins of the well-known song Hava Nagila. It was actually a pretty interesting look at something that is part of pop culture and to see how it all started. One doesn't have to be Jewish to appreciate this movie (and I'm not, unless one believes the cotton swab test my sister did that said we're 17% Ashkenazi Jew... I'm not banking on it. ba dum bum!) It was an upbeat and fun documentary and yes, the song will be stuck in your head, but you'll at least know more of its history which is a plus and good conversation. ;) I found it kind of crazy that it became so much a part of pop culture and how almost every pop artist, including Elvis, did a cover. Thanks to Harry Belafonte learning it at a hootenanny! :) P.S. Rewatching the trailer... I loved all the clips of pop culture that the song influenced. :)
