Movie Review

Like my prior book review, this post will sum up some thoughts I had on movies recently seen. Most are older movies that I finally got around to seeing because they were on cable and I DVR'd them. We don't get out to the theater too much because of the kids and price. We can't really take the kids to most movies we'd like to see and its expensive to not only go to the theater (even with discount tickets - although that helps), but also for the babysitter. But the kids are getting older, so at least we can take them to some kids movies now. Shrek is a definite possibility.

So here's what I've seen recently, well mostly over the past long weekend. I'll try not to divulge too many spoilers:

Revolutionary Road: About a husband/wife in their late 20s living in suburbia Connecticut in the 1950s who are unhappy with their lives. They decide to move to Paris and switch roles (she will now work), but circumstances prevent this decision from occurring with unhappy results. I can see why this movie was very controversial, since it involves pro-life/pro-choice issues, but also the roles in which men and women played, especially during that time. Women were pretty much forced into two roles: married with children, or working single. With the production of the Pill and other better forms of birth control, women finally had the choice to marry, but delay childbirth, which I believe helped a lot of women who weren't yet ready to have kids, wanted a career first. I think that would have solved April's problem. She was definitely unhappy being forced into the mother role before she wanted it, if she ever wanted it. At least moving to Paris would have allowed her some time to have a career, something outside the home. I can respect and understand April's desires and am happy that I at least got to live in a time where I could have my career first and now enjoy being a mother. Heck, I'd give up working now and just be a full time mom if we could afford it. So I sympathize mostly with April in this movie, even though she made a bad decision in the end.


W.: I'll say one thing for this movie, my opinion of GWB actually improved. I know he was still never the sharpest tool in the shed, but at least he was sincere in his beliefs, in realizing that he had to give up alcohol and get his life in order, in finding what he wanted to do as opposed to what his family wanted him to do, in at least trying to be a good President. Its really almost a shame that he got played by others like Rumsfeld, Rove and Cheney, who had their own best interests at heart rather than the country's. Too bad he didn't listen better to Powell (who I think also got played a bit). I still don't like that his 'born again' nature led this country into such a division, between those that still want separation of church and state and those that obviously want a state religion. And I really dislike how his very nature made people of this country prefer a president "who one could have a beer with" rather than someone who got into Harvard on his own merits and graduated at the top of his class. I just hope that for those that see this movie and really understand it, realize that we need to elect people that can stand on their own, and not just be surrounded by yes-men and yes-women (yeah you Conde - I swear the administration went looking for a black yes-woman just so they could point to how diverse they were) and be run by those that use the good nature of others for their own selfish reasons.


The Hangover: - So this was supposed to be the 'breakout' comedy a summer or two ago, one that everyone underestimated, but turned into a blockbuster. Yeah, I don't get it. It was ok, fine, some good parts I did laugh at. But I fail to see why this was huge. The guy on the roof couldn't yell to get someone's attention, especially when people were getting the mattress off the spire? They really shared a back seat with the tiger (in getting him to the hotel) and how did they get him up to the room? They really couldn't show up to the wedding and taken another 15 minutes to shower? How they'd get the Chinese guy in the trunk naked anyway while drunk and high if they guy could take them out when they were sober? And the guy with the girlfriend back home was very unrealistic, I can't even imagine why a guy would stay with a woman like that, let alone want to marry her. So yeah, the movie was cute, but I didn't think it lived up to its reputation.


Benjamin Button - Another movie that while I thought was ok, didn't live up to the hype. Sure it was cool to see the guy age backwards, as unrealistic as that could be (I understand it was supposed to be akin to Forest Gump, but that was at least in the realm of possibility) and see how he interacted with people who didn't realize his 'true' age. But it was so contrived, and it had to be, that it was hard to really enjoy it.


The Incredible Hulk - Edward Norton edition. Not a complete remake of the origin story, which at least was a nice change of pace. A sequel without an official prequel, presuming we knew the origin story (either that or Eric Bana didn't/couldn't/wasn't asked to do the sequel). Either way, I liked Norton in the role, although this was mostly a special effects laden movie and the "villain" hulk pretty obvious from the beginning. I loved seeing Phil from Modern Family. But the story was pretty thin.


Taking Woodstock - This was a pretty cool movie, a behind the scenes look at how Woodstock came to be. Yeah, would have liked more music, but the story was cool. I read later how the main protagonist was really in his mid-30s, whereas in the movie he looks to be like 22. It definitely came off better in the movie how he allowed himself to be pushed around by his parents, although he appeared to be making much more mature decisions over the other parts of his life that belied how young he looked. It gave me some flashbacks to when I went to the US Festival in CA back in 83, with driving there, parking a long ways away, riding a truck, bus and walking there, how big it was. Of course, wasn't quite the extent of drugs (or at least none that I took outside a little bit of pot - I was driving). Quite the experience, I'm sure Woodstock was even moreso, especially since it lasted several days.


Robin Hood - Russell Crowe edition. A current movie! Went to this one last week when we went out for our anniversary. Our other choice was Iron Man 2, but Steph apparently never watched the DVD for the first movie (I could have sworn we watched it together, but maybe not). Still, not bad. Not as campy as the Kevin Costner movie (ok, I only missed Alan Rickman), and better dramatic wise and realism wise. Naturally took liberties with history, but don't they all, when you're dealing with a bit of a mythological or at least legendary person. I liked finally seeing a portrayal of Eleanor d'Aquitane and acknowledging that she had a pretty significant role during that time period. Also a lot more french than normally seen in these movies, which was also much more realistic. It could have used more french even, but then people would think they were seeing a foreign film. I was happy to understand a fair amount of the french, even without the subtitles. My main criticism, as many have pointed out, is the ages of the characters. Especially for that time frame, its totally unrealistic to have Robin Hood played by a 45 year old man. Crowe did a decent enough job at it, but definitely if they're going to do a sequel, better do so quick.


Forgetting Sarah Marshall - I keep hearing how "good" Judd Apatow movies are and yet every time I see one I have to wonder who thinks this? I guess they appeal to a certain segment of the population, maybe college age kids and maybe I would have liked this movie better if I was 20 years younger. I was bored throughout most of the movie and kept my finger on the fast forward button. I do have to say that I thought I had seen several of the actors in other things, but checking IMDb, nope. I guess these movies saturate the media quite well.