Day #24 - Up

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/

Tonight Chris and I saw Pixar's new movie, UP, in digital 3D! We both really liked it - we thought it was GOOD, but not GREAT. There are other Pixar movies I like better, but that being said, they can basically do no wrong, so the movie is still enjoyable and clever :) Perhaps it's because I just watched Monsters, Inc. yesterday when I was painting and you really can't beat it, or maybe it's because my expectations were VERY high..but whatever it was, I would put it in the middle of the pack for Pixars. I actually thought it was really, really sad. WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!! The story centers around an old man, Carl, and his wife, Ellie, who met as young kids and always wanted to be adventurous explorers - as they grow up, though, other things come up (as they always do) and they never quite make it to South America as they always dreamed. After Ellie dies (which was so sad, by the way...talk about sadness only 3o minutes in, is this Bambi or something??), Carl decides to "float" his house by balloons to South America on his own to put it where he and Ellie always imagined it. As his house floats away he realizes he accidentally took along a passenger, a cute round kid named Russell - a wannabe "wilderness explorer" who just needs to earn his last badge - Assisting the Elderly. Carl is bitter and cranky in his old age and it takes him a long while to really warm up to Russell. Once they land in South America, they embark on a journey to walk the house to the cliff alongside Paradise Falls, Ellie's dream location. On the way, the encounter a "snipe" who Russell names Kevin, even though later they find out Kevin is a girl, hahaha. Kevin is hilarious, I love the wide open eyes and the squawk - but really you can't beat Doug. Doug is a dog that discovers Carl, Russell and Kevin on their walk - he wears a collar that allows him to talk. As you can imagine, dogs like Doug (I imagine he is some kind of lab) only have so many intelligent things to say - and the funniest parts are when he yells "squirrel!" and immediately looks for one hahahahah. Well....as it turns out, there is another old explorer in the area, a man who was Carl's boyhood hero who came when he was younger to prove that he had found this exotic bird that the people back home thought he made up. Turns out that bird was Kevin, hahahaha -the more I picture Kevin, the more he makes me laugh :) The explorer had been there for many years and now that he found Kevin again, thanks to Carl and Russell, he tried to birdnap him and go home....aaaaaaaaaaaaanyhoo, as you can guess, a big rescue takes place and everyone ends up safe and sound - back home again, Carl becomes a sort of fatherly figure in Russell's life and of course they keep cutie Doug :)

What I didn't like about it were the dogs...although I loved Doug, I did not at all care for the dogs that the old explorer kept - I thought they were hokey. I liked the idea of the collars that made them talk but I didn't like when they started flying planes and serving dinner. Something I really DID like about it was the message - Carl was holding on SO TIGHT to the house and to all of Ellie's things. Eventually, he learns to let go of the "stuff", saying to Russell in the end, "It's just a house." He knows he has the memories of Ellie and as long as he held onto the house he couldn't fully help Russell, who really needed him. It was definitely sad though - much less comedy than normal for Pixar.

.....and AWESOME - next summer will be TOY STORY 3!!! Yay :)

.....and oh yah, the 3D was really cool. We got to wear awesome Buddy Holly-esque 3D glasses and it was definitely fun to watch it that way :)

Day #23 - He's Just Not That Into You

Let me first say that I rented this movie through iTunes and watched it on the plane on the way home from Indiana on my iPhone. I love technology.

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001508/

Let's face it. I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. I don't care if they have a plot. Really, it's not what I'm renting the movie for anyway! That being said, I actually really liked the plot in this movie. I think it shows up simply that relationships come in all kinds of forms and with all sorts of issues. My favorite part of the movie was Ginnifer Goodwin - she is SO cute! Her character is also fantastic because although she is pitiful and pretty sad to watch, EVERY woman in the world has a little bit (or maybe a lot) of her in them. We don't always make the right decisions and we certainly don't always use a lot of logic, but hey, we're doing the best we can, haha. I love Jennifer Connolly in everthing she does and I think my favorite scene in this movie was with her character - having found out her husband has been lying to her, she throws his clothes down the stairs and then slams a mirror into the ground, breaking it into a thousand pieces. The best part though, is that as soon as she breaks the mirror, she goes to get a broom and dustpan to clean it all up. Her husband is played by Bradley Cooper - I have one word. Hot. There is a great cast overall - Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johanssen, Kevin Connolly, Justin Long. SO, for those of you that like chic flicks, I think you'll like this one too :)

Day #22 - Life is Beautiful

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118799/

I am still pretty behind but I have a lot of GREAT movies coming my way so I think I can catch up :) Today I am watching Life is Beautiful - I have been avoiding this movie for a couple of weeks actually, trying to find a good "crying mood" day, since I know I'm going to. All I really know about this movie is from the Oscars...when Roberto Benigni stood up on his chair when he won Best Actor :)

This movie was soooo sweet. I didn't think anyone could make a comedy about the Holocaust, but Roberto Benigni did it - or as the Netflix description calls it, a "tragicomedy". Life is Beautiful, or La Vita a Bella, was written, directed by and starring Roberto Benigni - it is about a man, Guido, who is just full of life, who falls in love with a woman he calls "princess". They have a son, Joshua, who is SO ridiculously cute. When Joshua is five or so, the family starts experiencing firsthand the prejudice against Jews in Italy in the early 40's. One day, without warning, Guido and Joshua are rounded up with the other Jews and put on a train to a concentration camp. When Guido's wife finds out, she insists on being put on the train as well. The real plot of the movie at this point is how Guido helps Joshua cope with and understand what is going on around them. Because it is Joshua's birthday, Guido tells him he is taking him on a trip as a surprise - once they arrive at the camp, they are part of this "game" where they must collect points. Once they earn 1,000 points, they win a tank :) One of the best scenes in the movie is when a German officer comes into their sleeping quarters and asks that someone translate his German into Italian so that everyone can understand the rules. Guido immediatly volunteers, even though he doesn't know German, so that he can announce to his son the rules of the game, such as the three things you are not allowed to do - 1) ask for a snack, 2) cry or 3) ask for your mother. I won't say much beyond that - if you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it :)

Life is Beautiful won 3 Oscars - Best Actor, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Score. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Screenplay. Also, it won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes Film Festival. Here is a video of Roberto Benigni's winning the Best Foriegn Language Film Oscar...ok...so the embed isn't working, here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cTR6fk8frs

An excerpt from Roger Ebert's review.....

"The movie actually softens the Holocaust slightly, to make the humor possible at all. In the real death camps there would be no role for Guido. But ``Life Is Beautiful'' is not about Nazis and Fascists, but about the human spirit. It is about rescuing whatever is good and hopeful from the wreckage of dreams. About hope for the future. About the necessary human conviction, or delusion, that things will be better for our children than they are right now."

Day #21 - How Green Was My Valley

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033729/

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this movie!! So fantastic. What a wonderful, heartwarming, and yet tragic and sad movie. It follows the Morgan family in a small South Wales coal mining town, 6 sons and 1 daughter, their mother and father. The story is narrated by the youngest son, Huw, played by Roddy McDowall, so you see the whole movie through his eyes. All of his older brothers along with his father work in the coal mine and his sister Angharad, played by the beautiful Maureen O'Hara, helps with her mother at home. The movie follows the trials and tribulations of the family and they definitely have their fair share. When wages are cut at the coal mine, the Morgan sons want to form a union and strike - when their Dad stands against the strike, they leave home. In the meantime, Huw gets in an accident saving his mom from drowning and loses the use of his legs for months as he heals. The town is really centered around the chapel and there is definitely a strong current of faith that runs through the movie which is really inspiring. Once the Minister announces his favor of the union, the workers return to the mine and the sons come home - only to leave for America after losing their jobs to cheaper workers. The idea of family in this movie is so strong - here you have a husband and wife who truly care for each other and their family and yet they face so many struggles. I love Huw, who is so loyal to his family and although he earns honors in school, he decides to work in the mines like his father and brothers. I won't speak much more on the plot, but overall I was just so inspired by faith and family.

I also wanted to say that I am really enjoying watching older movies. I always thought, well, in the older movies, you know, I can't relate to what's going on. It was a different time and women aren't like that anymore, people don't behave the same, the country was at war/depression/etc. - now we have cell phones and the internet and ridiculous technology....how can I possibly relate? But what I am realizing is that we are all involved in the human experience. How Green Was My Valley could be made just as easily today as it was in 1941. The story is the same. Family. Hardship. Work. Love. Celebration. Those things don't change over time - and that's kinda cool :)

How Green Was My Valley won 5 Oscars - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp who played the father), and Best Art Direction. It won Best Picture over Sargent York, Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon!

Day #20 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

I would like to title the pictures above "What.", "Just Plain Wrong", and "You Have to be Kidding Me." :)

IMDB Link:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064115/

Let's not even TALK about the first 5 minutes of this movie.  I mean, come ON.  I was practically breathing into a paper bag!  Paul Newman.  You are the love of my life.  Let me see if I can find a video of you in all of your splendor.

There is something seriously wrong with this world.  No video.

I did find another good one though- the bike scene with "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head".  I must admit, and I'm SORRY, don't kill me, but I'm not a big fan of this song.  Good thing I'm a fan of HIM though, haha - here it is:

So let's talk about the movie :)  I enjoyed it in its entirety but really didn't love it until the end - I felt that Butch and Sundance were buddies and kind of like business partners but didn't really feel their friendship that strong until later in the movie.  I liked that Butch was the "thinker" and Sundance was the "fast one".  Robert Redford.  Le sigh.  

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was directed by George Roy Hill, who also directed Newman and Redford in The Sting, 4 years after this one.  It won 4 Oscars - Best Song, Best Score, Best Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay.  It was also nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Sound - it lost Best Picture to Midnight Cowboy.

A bit of trivia....originally Steve McQueen was set to play the Sundance Kid with Paul Newman as Butch - the title, had it worked out that way, would have been The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy :)  Also - with nine wins, this movie holds the record for BAFTA (British Academy Awards) wins - Best Picture, Best Actor (Redford), Best Actress (Katharine Ross - WHAT?? - she was annoying!), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Sound and Score. 

AFI named Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid #7 on its Top 10 Westerns.

Notice how little I talked about the movie :)  I spent too much time looking at pictures!

Day #19 - The Mission

IMDB Link:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091530/

Let us continue down the Jeremy Irons path of amazing-ness.  The Mission - again, a Matt and Melissa recommendation that I was REALLY looking forward to.  I had actually heard a lot about this sountrack but knew basically nothing about the movie or what it was about.  SO - here is some basic info....The Mission was released in 1986 and was directed by Roland Joffe, who also did The Killing Fields.  It won the Oscar for Best Cinematography but was also nominated for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Music, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.  It is no wonder it won Best Cinematograpy - it is one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen.  And yes....the score is spectacular.

The Mission is centered around Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) and Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert DeNiro) - they are Spanish Jesuits who are trying to protect a South American tribe from becoming enslaved by Portugal.  Father Gabriel is a Jesuit from the beginning of the movie but Mendoza began as a slave trader - after feeling deep remorse over the death of his brother by his own hand, he paid his penance and turned to Father Gabriel and the Jesuits for guidance.  I loved Jeremy Irons in this role because he was so calm and focused - DeNiro was more aggressive and I was so impressed with him in this movie.  It's nice to see him truly act - I don't feel like we see that much of it anymore...I mean, at times, yes, but others....sometimes we don't NEED him to ACT, we just need him to be Robert DeNiro.  Ya know?

Anyhoo - so the Jesuits build a Mission and convert the tribespeople to Christianity - it seems as though they have never known better times, the people are happy and they trust the Jesuits.  However, when the land they live on is sold (or traded?) to Portugal, they are forced to defend their land and their mission.  Mendoza joins in the fight but Father Gabriel refuses to, as it is against his vows.  He joins those tribespeople who would not fight in the mission and helps them to pray and have hope.  The end of the movie is so tragic and heartbreaking - but it's real.  It's how things happen in life when people get greedy and they overlook what is really best for the people involved - not everything has a happy ending.  Nevertheless, I highly recommend The Mission so check it out :)

Day #18 - Lolita

IMDB Link:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119558/

Lolita was one of my Jeremy Irons viewing in California - it came highly recommended from Matt and Melissa and since they have talked about it for awhile, I figured, let's go for it!  I knew the subject matter was going to be controversial but that didn't bother me - it's a movie, people.  Get over it :) 

Lolita was directed by Adrian Lyne who also did Indecent Proposal, Fatal Attraction, Unfaithful....see a trend?  It was based on the book by Vladimir Nabokov.  Jeremy Irons plays a middle aged Professor who moves to the United States from England to teach.  When he arrives, he rents a room from a woman and her 15-year-old daughter, Dolores (aka Lo, or Lolita).  From the moment he sees Lolita, he is infatuated with her.  Lolita seems a bit mature for her age and flirts with him, probably knowing how it tortures him.  He winds up marrying her mother, not because he loves her, but because he wants to stay in the house.  This is interesting considering it made him Lolita's step-father.  He ends up picking up Lolita from her summer camp after her mother was killed and from there he and Lolita travel across the country together, their relationship getting more complex....I think he was completely in love with her and obsessed - and she was perhaps fond of him, but not in love with him.  She played her game - she knew what she had to do to get what she wanted.  He always gave in - he couldn't help himself.  By the time the movie is over, his jealousy, paranoia and control over her drove her away...and the end I won't ruin in case you want to see it.  Let's just say Frank Langella's performance, though really small, was QUITE memorable :)

Overall, I liked the movie but wasn't crazy about it - the subject matter didn't bother me, I just thought it was a bit too slow and dreary.  I loved Dominique Swain as Lolita - for her first movie she was perfect.  Jeremy Irons was great of COURSE but I need another viewing to pick up some of the subtleties that Matt and Melissa pointed out.  His yearning for Lolita is so obvious and palpable.  He could have ventured into being a creepy old man VERY easily, but he didn't, and I imagine you would attribute that to great acting and directing.

.....and interestingly enough, this movie was never released in theaters due to its subject matter...it was released through Showtime to a record viewing audience.