Everlasting Moments..............Art

Everlasting Moment
NR

Gasp.  The cinematography is stunning.  If I were going on that alone, this would be 5 Stars all the way.   It is not often that I finish a film and my first thought is, "Whoa, that was beautiful."  I suppose that is fitting as the movie is about a photographer.

As for plot, well, this is a slow mover.  But I won't let that bother me if you don't let it bother you.  Maria, a woman around the turn of the century, finds herself trapped in a bad marriage and holds onto her sanity by clinging to her camera.

Maria Heiskanen, who plays the main character amazed me with her skill.  She was Emma Thompson good (the highest praise I know how to give).   What she could convey in a simple look transcended the fact that was having to read her words..  Her face is striking and yet just like a lady you would see in Walmart.  I think I may go search for more films she is in, if I find them, you will know about them soon too.  (cue the nervous giggle)

What to know before viewing


1) It's just flat out kind of hard to take at times.  You really like Maria and watching her husband be a louse to her over and over again is hard to bear.

2) I am adding the picture on the right even though it is really about the filming of the movie rather than the movie itself. It captures something I like even though I can't really express it well in words.  I am assuming the man pointing is the director, Jan Troell but I don't think he looks anything like a Troll.  (forgive me)

3) I think this is based on a true story but they did not translate the words right before the credits and my Swedish is rusty.  (roll eyes)

4) Did I mention that this is a stunning film visually?

What about the kids?


NO!  There was one scene that I wondered how the parents of the child actors could have let their little children do.  This one is for grown-ups.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and here


4 Stars- "Really Liked It"

Kidnapped..............24(esque)

 Kidnapped

NR

First, to the cast.  Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany are both known entities so I will leave them at that.  Jeremy Sisto, the main character, was new to me but I liked him.  When I checked him on IMDb he has a long line of guest appearances and the a credit as "Elton" in Clueless.  Somehow I have never seen Clueless, so you will have to let me know in the comments if Elton is a minor or major character.  My favorite member of the cast is Delroy Lindo.  He is one of those actors you think you don't know until you look him up and discover he has been in a million things you have seen.  Anyhoo, he was in a near perfect specimen of manliness.  I first saw him (that I remember) in a film called Wondrous Oblivion and he won me over as life long fan of his acting skills. I will include the poster for that one here just to help you remember it cause it is worth a viewing.

Now to the show at hand.  Kidnapped.  It is a bullets flying, twisty turny, badge flashing hoe down.  If you like 24, you will dig this too.  Though to keep this on the up and up, I should confess that I have only seen a couple of episodes of 24.  It kept me guessing until the end and I am a good guesser on these kinds of things.

What to know before viewing

1) The gore factor is high.  I grew up on a steady diet of action adventure films and this had me flinching more than once.

2) Timothy Hutton is surprisingly thug-gy here.  I confess that I am not a particular fan and have not really followed his career closely but I have him type cast in my head as the Ordinary People kid, who is decidedly not a thug.

3) As I have been writing this blog, I have discovered that I have a frightening amount of knowledge about movies and actors.  There is no real reason for this to be in the "before viewing" section, I just wanted to say it out loud.

4) Coming back in to add a number 4 because I intended to say this from the start.  Be warned.  It does leave with with a mild cliff hanger. Nothing like the barn burning cliff hanger that Flash Forward left us with (darn them) but it was clear the writers expected a season 2.

What about the kids?

No.  Check number one in the section above.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and here

4 Stars- "Really Liked It"

For those who read my last entry, I wanted to let you know that Green Card is not available on Instant Viewing.  BOO!

Just a quick note

to thank all of you who have been supporting me in my new movie review venture.  I am having a whole lot of fun with this.  Right now I am working on viewing a new (to me) television series and a BBC mini-series.  What was I  thinking when I started both at the same time?  You will hear about both when I get through with them.

Be sure to enter the contest for the gift certificate!

Thanks again.

The Proposal.....................Finally

The Proposal

PG-13

Yeah, I know.  You've already seen it.  Unless you are like me.  I am so busy watching stuff nobody has ever heard of, so by the time I get around to the ones everyone is watching it is old news.  But on the off chance you haven't seen it, here we go.

This is the perfect movie for one of those night where you really don't feel like thinking about anything.  It's fluff but enjoyable fluff.  Margaret Tate is so busy building her career in a large publishing company that she forgets to take care of those little things, like her visa (It's fluff people just roll with it).  Then she comes up with the perfect solution!  If she forces her assistant to marry her, everything will work out just fine.  Apparently these characters have never seen the movie

Green Card but what the heck.  

HEY WAIT!!  Look!  The posters aren't even that different.  Hmmmmm..........  So while the characters may not have seen Green Card the folks who made the movie, almost certainly have.  

Now back to business.  Attractive guy, attractive girl, comedic relationship tension, and Betty White.  All you need is a ginormous Coke and an even more ginormous bowl of ranch popcorn (air pop the corn, coat with melted butter, sprinkle with Hidden Valley Ranch powdered Salad Dressing mix.  You won't regret it.) and you are good to go!


Things to know before viewing


1) Betty White is a hoot but you knew that.  Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson are also along for the ride.


2) I like Ryan Reynolds' character very much but I'm not quite certain what all the brouhaha is about him.  He's cute but he's not THAT cute.


3)You can't not like Sandra Bullock.  


What about the kids?


My kids watched it but it is PG-13 and there are some sexual references.


Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD and Blue-ray


3 1/2 Stars- "Liked It" (plus)


I think I need to go re-watch Green Card.  I have referenced it two or three time in the last couple days.     

Harry and Tonto..............Catman

Harry and Tonto
R

A road trip film with old people.  I think I am in love.  Seriously, this is a good movie.  Harry is on old man that has lived his entire life in New York City.  When his apartment building is torn down, he sees the end of life as he knew it.  Instead of giving up, in a round about sort of way, he decides to embrace it and reinvent his life.

Art Carney, who plays Harry, did win an Academy Award for this performance so you might think I should have heard of this film before.  It was, however, in 1974.  I was six at the time and it somehow escaped my attention. (I do however remember the Barbie house with an elevator I got for my birthday that year.) The supporting cast is terrific and some familiar faces show up along the way including Ellen Burstyn and Larry Hagman though nobody shoots him here and there is no genie involved.

Now, I must tell of my favorite thing about this film.  The open scene.  It shows old people going about their business.  Shopping, walking, sitting on benches.  And here is the kicker, they look old.  They look old like my grandparents looked old.  They had gray hair, buns on their head, side burns, and hats.  I hadn't realized how much I missed this and it made me sigh inside.  I went back and watched it twice I liked it so much.  Now mind you, I don't plan to look like that in 30 years but it sure did bring me back.

Things to know before viewing


1) Art Carney deserved that Oscar.  You won't be scratching your head and thinking "Really? For this?"

2) Unlike some other films from the 1970s that have become caricatures of themselves, this one holds up. It feel like a slice out of time in a good way.

3) All points Kleenex alert.

What about the kids?


I'm going to say no.  Even though I am not certain it would receive and R today, there is a scene with a hooker, one very brief shot of a topless female,  and fair amount of sex talk.  It was the 70's after all.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD


4 1/2 Stars- "Really Liked It" (plus)

Give Away- Netflix Gift Card

In my hand I hold a Netflix gift card valued at $14.99!!! And it can be yours, all yours. Those sweet, red envelopes can appear in your mailbox for FREE.  Who doesn't love free?

"How do I enter?" you inquire.  Well, I am glad you asked.  Turns out you can enter multiple times.  Stay with me here.

1) Comment on this post.  Tell me the movie you have seen most recently.  (entry #1)

2) Follow this blog.  After you do the deed, post a comment that says you are a follower.  Feel free to use your own words on that since being a follower is so passe.  As long as I know what you mean, we are good.  (entry #2)

3) Like me on Facebook. Yeah, it looks totally lame but I am working on that.  The up side is you get to see the ugly couch I use for viewing.  Ugly but comfy.  Post a comment after you have done the deed. (entry #3)

4) Post a link to one of my reviews (or even my give away post) on Facebook.  Let me know you did it in another comment.  (entry #4)

5) Post a link to one of my reviews (or even my give away post) on every blog, website, or forum you have access to.  Adding it to you signature is acceptable.  Post a comment here each time telling me where you posted.  (entry #5 through entry # you decide)

Please note each entry needs its own comment or it only counts as one entry.

Comments will close at 10pm on Tuesday, March 8th.  The winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day.    The gift certificate code will be emailed to the winner ASAP.  

And now, without any further ado.....................

Let the games begin.


P.S. for Susan and anyone else who is wondering, this gift certificate can be used to pay down your Netflix bill so it is totally cool if you already belong there.

P.P.S for Thea and anyone else who is wondering, the phrase "Like me on Facebook" is a link.  Click it, then click like.  Wa la.  (Is that how you spell that?) (I was just informed by a good friend it is Voilà.  I am going to keep there though cause I think my error is funny)


P.P.P.S if you already "liked" or "followed" me, posting that you have done so is acceptable.

Give Away is now closed.  I will have the drawing tomorrow and will post the results.

Italian for Beginners..............Ciao!

Italian for Beginners
R

So, given this film's name and the fact that the picture (ignoring the legs) is of Venice, I sat down to watch this movie fully expecting the lilting tones of Italian. I was looking forward to it really.  One minute in and I had to pause.  This was certainly not Italian.  Was it German?  Nope.  Save yourself the trouble of a Google.  It's Danish.  The film is set in a sleepy town in Denmark. And most of the Italian that is spoken, is spoken by, brace yourself, beginners so nothing lilting there either.  Alright, now that that is out of the way, onward and upward.

At the start, I thought this was going to echo Robert Altman as there is a large cast of characters whose lives seemed to touch each other tangentially.  Luckily for me, I was wrong on that count, as I am not really an Altman fan.  In this case, seven lonely people connect in an Italian community course and in the end, find that they are a little less lonely.  It's a pretty slow mover but the characters are folks that you wouldn't mind knowing and there is a big enough emotional pay off at the end to make it worth your while.

Things to know before viewing


1) I think I like the pastor character best.  If you watch, or already have, post who you like best in the comments.

2) There are several scenes in a bakery that really made me want some pastry.

3) This is one of those films that has a hand held camera.  It was kind of annoying in a couple of scenes but I got over it.

What about the kids?


It is rated R and rightly so.  This one is for grown-ups.  As a side note, it really isn't fun to watch a movies with subtitles when you have to read them all aloud anyway.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD


3 1/2 Stars- "Liked It"