Midnight in Paris: A Cool Experience

Definitely a good one for Woody Allen. It was perfectly light and lots of fun. Gil Pender, Owen Wilson, finds a portal to the 1920s while in Paris. He learns from writers and artists that he has admired that he should: be true to himself, enjoy life while it lasts, and embrace each situation you are in especially when you can't do anything about it- if he wants to write the best novel he can write. Wilson plays the role perfectly. And, just as in the story where Gil about giving control up and revealing in imaginative, creative thought, Allen does the same with his movie. Some might say, 'hey this is silly, Picasso wouldn't have said that.' or 'Hemingway would never just be wanting to box with a stranger,'. Maybe so. But if you are that much of a stick in the mud, then you are just like the couple at the beginning who may be labeled as experts or intellectuals by our society but who actually can not think outside of the box far enough to have an individual thought or concept. All great geniuses were creative thinkers. I'm not saying that I think Allen is one of the great conceptualists but he certainly one of the only film directors today that challenges the audience to let go of the control box and go for a ride.

Chinatown: What a Downer

But a really really good one. But, man, it starts off as if its going to be just your regular private detective movie, the good guys figures out the mystery and the bad guys pay. Not at all: the end, which Jack Nicholson perfectly expresses on his face, is extreme disappointment and a loss of faith in humanity. Throughout the film, Nicholson mentions that he used to work in Chinatown but has since moved on to more sophisticated police work. He learns his lesson after discovering the deeply embedded corruption that runs through all divisions of governance in the city of LA; from the police to water and power to, one can assume, the politicians who look the other way. Its beyond despicable. So Nicholson fights the best fight he can to find out who really is the firestarter and save the innocent. In the end, the worst that can happen, does and he is left completely helpless against the corruption. Its most disturbing to know that these things happen now, in real life, and its true, there is not much anyone can do because those who have power have money and create the "knowledge" that is accepted as truth. Good luck trying to save us from that. Bummer but heck if Jack Nicholson isn't one of the best actors out there. Faye Dunaway was awesome too.

The Fighter: A Winner

Yep. Really good. Better than I expected. Then again, put Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg together and you inevitably get great character dynamics. They are great actors. The others were all good supports. I love that they show how annoying families can be but then, in the end, the love and trust you can have for each other can mend destructive patterns or give someone the confidence they need to overcome their life obstacle. Bale, the recovering crack addict and "comeback" boxer loved his brother more than himself and in the end can act selflessly for him, freeing him from his restrictive vices. And Wahlberg loves his brother so much that he fights for them, not only himself. Really good acting. Very entertaining.

The Boondock Saints: A Religious Experience

Ha, not really a religious experience for me but definitely for Dafoe's cop character. Wow, he is great to watch. This movie could have easily been horrible if it weren't for Dafoe. There a lot of really cheesy parts, the beginning where the brothers come out of the church and put their sunglasses on and light up cigarettes for starters. THe script is well written, a little odd but entertaining for sure. The brothers are just cute, they act okay. A+ to Dafoe for saving this flick.

Talk to Her: Women are Mysterious

Another excellent movie by Pedro Almodovar, about the intricacies of the female gender. The two male characters express characteristics that are feminine; one learns to accept this quality and the other never questioned it. They both yearn to understand the true inner workings of female nature.

The acting is great, like his other films. The colors also play a role, though not as significant as in All About My Mother. I remember vivid pinks and reds in Talk to Her.

I'm thinking he might be one of my favorite directors for his consistently excellent films; both real and imaginary at the same time, but totally believable.

Bonnie and Clyde: When Criminals Had Morals

I think that this story shows how most crimes and violence is not done without some kind of regret. Today's images of guns, violence, rape, and abuse are often shown with people who feel nothing about killing someone, etc. It is strange because this is not human nature. Those that truly don't have a conscious are unusual and mentally or emotionally disturbed. Bonnie and Clyde was the first movie to show graphic violence and it is fitting that its story was about much more than their desire to be somebody that is remembered or that robs banks. They didn't want to kill anyone. They didn't want to rob the poor. Their love for each other is enough to show how human they are.

The other aspect that this film confronts is that of the law and its constituents who protect it. Before police, etc, popular justice would keep social balance by rising up against what they deemed wrong. THe law set standards and put a "neutral" judge to decide what was right and what was wrong. Because the upper income levels hold more sway, they inevitably effect the law and its judicial outcomes. Therefore, it is hard to say whether people like Bonnie and Clyde would have been seen as such criminals if it weren't for the fact that they broke the law of robbing banks, where the wealthy kept their money. Would the general society have banded together to rise against them? Probably not.

To great acting and great looking leads, Beatty and Farrow.

Please Give: An Honest and Sweet Story

This movie was about people that want to be a good person and those that don't care. Keener plays a worrier mother who owns an antique shop and always is wanting to help those in need. Her neighbor, a ninety year old crass and sometimes racist woman, is taken care of by her granddaughter, Hall, who is humble, selfless, and caring. The sister of the granddaughter, Peet, has a hard shell, or so she tries to portray. The teenager, don't know her real name, is the one who sees it all, as most children do. Throughout the movie, I found myself relating to Hall and Keener's characters. I find myself going back and forth on being a good person naturally but then worrying about if I'm being good enough or to the right people. My sister is like Peet- hard talking and blunt. But I know she does really care about people even though she can be extremely insensitive at times. Keener tried to volunteer at a few places but couldn't because she was too scared of those she wanted to help, or really too scared of not being able to help. Meanwhile, she withheld money that she obviously had, from her daughter but bought nice things for herself and gave money to the homeless. I think, in the end, everyone is good, they are just trying to get by in life and life can be hard. The most important thing is to not be afraid of being not good enough or making a mistake. When, at the end, Keener finally buys the jeans her daughter had been asking for for a while, and she sees her daughters excitement, she is relieved from her worries for a moment because she has given happiness.