movie nights...

In the past few weeks, I have seen 4 very different movies...all of which I have enjoyed.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 

First of all, it was too long!  Three hours was just too much.  It dragged in places.  It needed better editing. 

And then there was the high level of suspension of disbelief that was necessary, since there were so many things that just couldn't ever make sense.  Like:  how was it that Benjamin, as he grew younger, had his body (skeleton, skin, organs) shrink into the size of a 2 year-old.  When he was born, he was baby-size but had physical attributes of an old man. That was fine.  Reasonable.  At the other end of his life, the physical part made no sense at all. 

But, I liked this movie in general.  It asked interesting questions.  It made me think.  It was beautifully filmed. The acting was very good.

The next film was Doubt, with Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep. 

You can't really find finer actors than these. 

Growing up as a Catholic, this movie felt very real to me.  Meryl Streep reminded me of all the mean nuns that I had ever known.  Interestingly, she played the principal in a Catholic school and she was like every (and I mean every) Catholic school principal that I encountered growing up. Critical, suspicious, caring more about quiet and discipline in their students than actually caring about the student. 

The story was about the suspicions of this school principal about possible sexual impropriety between a priest and a student.  The question of what has actually happened is never answered and the viewer is asked to decide for themselves. 

Truly, a fascinating movie.

Next up was Slumdog Millionaire. 

This was the best of the movies, by far.  This was one of the most powerful movies of the year.

It is the story of a young man, born in the slums of Mumbai, with his life going downhill from there.  Death, kidnapping, thievery, loss of friends, etc. And then he goes on a gameshow, the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and wins.  The story is told in the present, with flashbacks.

The acting is superb.  The story is intriguing and sometimes endearing.  The ending is happy.  The look into the problems of this important country is fascinating and ferocious. 

If you don't see any other movie, see this one.

 

Last night, we went to see the movie, Milk.  Sad.  Uplifting.  Powerful.

Harvey Milk begins the movie by being quoted as saying he was 40 years old and had done nothing worth remembering.  By the age of 48, he had made such a huge impact on his community and on the gay rights movement, and that continues today. 

Again, great acting.  The shaky, blurry camera work was a little disorienting for me.  The PDA made us a little uncomfortable.  The way the movie showed how one had to work their way through the political system was realistic and insightful.  The quiet but strong personality of Harvey Milk was well-portrayed. 

It made one wonder where his successor was in this last round of anti-gay legislation in California. We need a leader on this issue again. 

This movie is inspirational.

Still on my list of movies to see are Frost/Nixon, I've Loved You For So Long, The Tale of Dersperaux, and Defiance.

Comments

[Stephanie]

I agree with you about Benjamin Button...too long. But oh how I loved Slumdog Millionaire. I smiled all the way through the ending credits :)

And, yes, let's get together soon. I've been using all my freetime to deal with building permits, but hopefully I'll get that taken care of this week. *fingers crossed*

[tinker]

I wanted to see Benjamin Button - but got taken to Slumdog Millionaire instead, and I was SO glad! Heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. Still looking forward to seeing Benjamin Button, though...

[violetismycolor]

I thought the priest was probably gay and that is what he didn't want people to find out. Not that he was molesting the boy. I thought the nun just jumped to that conclusion and was one of those that figured that gay equaled molester. Excellent movie, though.

[Arlene]

I want to see Doubt and Slumdog Millionaire. The question I have for you is this: Do they do a plausible job of creating doubt or do you just assume he is guilty? One of the local theaters is actually doing the play, and the problem they're having is that everyone thinks the priest is guilty, so there really isn't any doubt cast on the situation.

[Barbara W. Klaser]

Thanks for the great descriptions of those movies. I'd wondered about some, and hadn't heard of others. I'm out of the loop, I guess, when it comes to new movies. I usually don't see them until they turn up in the DVD bargain bin. By then no one's talking about them anymore. :)

Yes, that outcome of the same sex marriage rights here in California stunned me. It made me wonder where we're headed on a lot of issues, not just that one.

[Margaret]

A three hour movie would be hard to sit through for me. (but I've heard good stuff about the film) Ashley loved Milk and French Club is planning to go see I've Loved you for so long. It looks intense!!