Movie Mash Up

Holy Cats! I knew I fell behind on blogging over the summer, what with the different schedule and the big reading project, but had no idea how long it had been since I wrote about movies. This will be the catch-up post.

As most of you long-time readers know, I review books and movies as I go along. Since I started keeping track, my movies far outpaced the books. It makes sense that I’d watch more movies; a film can be consumed in about 2 hours, while a book takes longer. But reading is more important to me than watching movies. This year I made a conscious decision to read more, and I like the new ratio. I weeded down the requests at the library and stopped browsing the DVD shelves in Target. I don’t have Netflix on purpose. On a night when I might have previously opted for a movie, I chose to read instead. Some of this was so I could finish three honkin’ books over the summer. But now that I have the new habit of reading as evening activity, I hope to keep it up.

Toy Story 3 (2010) I loved this more than my kids did. They were (justifiably) frightened a few times. I think they preferred How to Train Your Dragon. But this one was a gem. Funny, scary, sad and fulfilling.

Tron (1982) This was humoring my husband, G. Grod. I gave it to him for a gift a while back and he wanted to watch again in preparation for the upcoming sequel. I can see how the tech was groundbreaking at the time, but that doesn’t make the bad acting and thin plot any better since I didn’t have any nostalgia factor going for me. Jeff Bridges has come a long way.

In the Loop (2009) Lighting fast, super dark, and at times blisteringly funny in its spot-on satire. Uneven, but worth seeing.

Inception (2010) I enjoyed it, was entertained while I watched it, and thought about it after it was over. I was not impressed enough, though, to try very hard to puzzle out exactly what happened and didn’t feel the need to see it again.

The Awful Truth (1937) Cary Grant in an early film that shows why he became a star. Hilarious, and a perfect example of what a good rom-com is, even decades later. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out.

Bedtime Stories
(2008) Watched this with the kids. They could not understand it and asked a constant barrage of questions, which didn’t help my experience. Eminently skippable.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) Geek fest. Loved it, even the slow bits. Did you like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz? That’s the director. Don’t be scared off by whatever might scare you off. It’s hilarious and very true to the wacky comic books it’s based on.

Stagecoach (1939) A recent Criterion Collection reissue. The first John Wayne/John Ford western. Classic and important.

The Incredibles (2004) Again. the parents liked it more than the kids.

In the Heat of the Night
(1967) Recently mentioned in Entertainment Weekly as one of the classic cop-partner movies. I’d never seen it. Worth it, not only for Poitier’s delivery of the famous line. Don’t know what I mean? Then rent this.

The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009) The Swedish film, #2 in the trilogy. Has the same problem as #1, and the books: too much horrible violence against women, shown far too graphically. But it also has the trump shared by those others, too. Lisbeth Salander is COOL, and Noomi Rapace brings her to life. But this film (as well #3, and as did books 2 and 3) lacks the interaction between Blomkvist and Salander that made #1 so good.

5 Responses to “Movie Mash Up”

  1. G. Grod Says:

    Tron rules!

  2. Amy Says:

    I think Toy Story 3 is not really a kid’s movie. It’s so wonderful, but so much of what makes it wonderful is viewed through the lens of an adult, specifically a parent of young children.

  3. Steph Says:

    Husband and I finally went to see Toy Story 3, and while I liked it, it was probably my least favorite of the trilogy. Doesn’t mean I didn’t tear up though! I just felt it was missing some of the humor of the previous two, in that the jokes fell a little flat.

    Thought Inception was good, but not as great as everyone else seems to think it is, and I can see watching it maybe one or two more times but that’s it. I’m not sure how well it will withstand multiple viewings, to be honest.

    Loved In The Loop, though felt it was a bit uneven, as you say.

  4. Audrey C Says:

    I didn’t enjoy The Girl Who Played With Fire, the movie. I’d agree that the violence against women is graphic, but the first film had a much better, layered story with a mystery inside of mysteries and it ended with a nice “human element.” The Girl Who Played With Fire didn’t have any mystery and I just wasn’t engaged. It was slow, the editing was choppy, the suspense was on vacation. I haven’t read the books, so I don’t know what happens, but it felt like The Girl Who Played With Fire was entirely unnecessary. Again, my critique is of the storytelling of the films, not the books.

  5. girldetective Says:

    Audrey, the 2nd book doesn’t stand alone, it needs #3 to complete it, so I wondered how much I was bringing to the film from my experience of the books, and if it would make as much sense if I hadn’t read them. Of the three books, and perhaps movies, I think I prefer #1 as it’s tighter and more complete in itself.