Tuesday, September 1, 2009

My Month in Movies


"We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all."
- Andrew, The Breakfast Club (RIP John Hughes)


Last Chance Harvey (2008) - This movie about two rather prickly people finding a "last chance" at love could have been really cheesy, but Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson turn it into something rather sweet. I liked it.

Coraline (2009)
- I realize it's been a while since I've seen a movie wearing the 3-D glasses, but Wow! They are a lot better at that then I remember. I thought this movie used the 3-D to great effect. Of course, I already knew and enjoyed the story, and I was pleased to see that the movie stayed true to the dark side of the book. Excellent.

Valkyrie (2008) - Note to self: You do NOT like Tom Cruise. This is basically a very good movie, about a historical event I am quite interested in, but I every time Tom Cruise walked onto screen, I thought, "hey, that's Tom Cruise. He's irritating." I just couldn't get over it. Also, I'd heard a lot of people say they didn't like that Cruise didn't attempt a German accent for the movie. I was much LESS irritated by that than by the fact that ALL the actors playing Germans had DIFFERENT accents. Really??

The Band's Visit (2007) - I really enjoyed this quiet, simple movie about an Egyptian band who gets itself lost in Israel. This was a simple plot and great acting and not much else, and I loved it.

Grey Gardens (2009) - I watched the documentary this movie is based on a couple of months ago, and I am amazed at how well Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange captured Little Edie and Big Edie. I was curious about how the women's lives had become what they did, and this movie answered a lot of my questions. Fascinating.

Defiance (2008) - I read a book about the Bielski brothers and the people they saved during the Holocaust a couple of years ago - glad to see a movie made about their remarkable story. This movie has adventure and survival, and a great cast of characters. Recommended.

7 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I loved Coraline too!

Kristen M. said...

Ditto on the Tom Cruise! Geez ... he's just annoying.

We've recently seen a couple movies in the theater as 3-D and it really is amazing. We didn't see Coraline 3-D but we have the DVD at home and just haven't tried it out yet. I'm not sure how the crappier paper glasses will compare to the cool ones they give you in the theater.

soleil said...

i thought coraline was so good in a delicious creepy way. it did the book justice.

Beth F said...

I keep meaning to rent Coraline.... Maybe this month.

Andi said...

LOL, I haved the same reaction to Tom Cruise. We rented Valkyrie and it never touched the DVD player. I looooved Coraline for the cool 3D action, though I thought the movie was a little on the slow side. Maybe that's just because I've read it several times. I haven't seen Last Chance Harvey yet, but I really want to!

Lahni said...

I saw Valkyrie in the theatre and my thoughts were exactly the same as yours, both about Tom and the accents!

Elizabeth (Need More Shelves) said...

bermuda - Coraline was great, huh?

Kristen - glad I'm not the only Tom hater. I haven't seen a 3-d in a theater for years - might have to try it out.

jehara - I know, I was so happy with the way they stayed true to the tone of the book.

Beth - you should rent it!!

Andi - Last Chance Harvey was very sweet. I love Emma Thompson, so that probably helped.

Lahni - the accents drove me nuts!!