March 2009 Archives

2008

Plot: Sssshhh, the plants might be listening.

Eric: I encourage all Jeep owners to patch any holes in their soft tops and make them airtight, because you never know when you might be caught leaving town trying to escape airborne neurotoxins emitted from angry, vindictive vegetation. Seriously—this is for real. Get out the duct tape immediately, it’s only a matter of time before a trillion blades of grass get pissed and take over the world.

Kelly: One of these days, my ficus is going to exact revenge on the cats . . . .

2008

Plot: Teenage vampires drive Volvos, repeat high school for the umpteenth time.

Eric: I can see why young adults like this movie. I like the dark, brooding look, too—I’ll try that and see if Kelly swoons for me. I’m curious why centuries-old teenage vampires feel compelled to attend school over and over again. Why bother? Isn’t there something better for them to do with their immortality?

Kelly: If I was a teenager again, I’m pretty sure this would be my Sixteen Candles. I’ve never quite understood why brooding, pasty white guys with red lipstick are a turn on, but that’s just me. This wasn’t the incredible tale I expected after all the hype, but it was entertaining, and it had some fun twists, like vampires living in a modern home covered with windows to let in lots of light.

2008

Plot: If you are going to take a trip on the world’s longest passenger rail line, make sure the toilets on the train work.

Eric: This was an interesting, if not poetic, choice of a movie to watch while we were trapped indoors during a blizzard. I thought the plot was interesting and Hitchcock worthy. I am quite proud of this astute observation in light of the fact I’ve only seen one Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Kelly: I’m not totally sure I completely buy Eric’s Hitchcock comparison, but I really liked this movie. It was fun to watch with the backdrop of our own blizzard. I like the ones that keep you guessing, and this movie did that.

2008

Plot: Queen Elizabeth gets tough and kicks some chauvinistic male butts.

Eric: Cate Blanchett seems particularly good at period pieces: Elizabeth, Elizabeth of the Golden Age, The Aviator, Charlotte Gray, Lord of the Rings, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. You know—the classics.

Kelly: This is one of my top ten favorite movies. You can’t beat great costumes and a woman in power!

2000

Plot: A brutally honest depiction of life on board a slave ship during the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

Eric: I hate to give a movie about the intense human tragedy of the slave trade less than three paws. This movie probably succeeded in its intended purpose: a nightmarish, poetic lament about the dreaded ocean journey for newly captured slaves. However, it didn’t make a compelling movie experience for me. Amistad works much better in that regard.

Kelly: I agree that Amistad is a much more compelling depiction. We got to know the people behind that story. This movie fell short, because it failed to personalize the message. I think one of the most horrible tragedies of this time was the dehumanizing of the people who were captured and sold as slaves. This movie does little to capture their humanity. It was hard to tell which one of the random ghostly faces belonged to the narrator. We saw a lot of haunted faces, poor conditions, and bodies thrown overboard. I doubt that even begins to tell the story of the individuals who endured that nightmare of the middle passage.

2008

Plot: A plausible story gets kidnapped.

Eric: This movie used every possible kidnapping cliché, but it still worked for me to a point because it had some new twists and one of the best highway car pile-ups ever.

Kelly: I’m still squirming from the scalpel-up-the-butt self-defense strategy. Yikes! I can’t stand whiny victims, so I actually enjoyed this movie. In spite of the kidnapping clichés, I appreciated that all three victims never stopped trying to escape. Dakota Fanning's portrayal of an asthmatic child left me breathless.

2008

Plot: The sacred and profane memories of two amateur movie critics.

Eric: I fell asleep the first two nights we viewed this movie, and left on a search and rescue call-out for the third. Kelly finished this one without me.

No vote.

Kelly: I must have really enjoyed this movie, because I forgot to keep poking Eric with my knitting needles to wake him up. I found the characters interesting and the scenery amazing. It prompted me to put Evelyn Waugh’s book on my reading list.

2008

Plot: The heroic story of a gay politician in 1970s San Francisco.

Eric: Who is a better actor than Sean Penn? I think it’s unconscionable that minority and misunderstood groups have to work so hard to earn what the rest of us take for granted. I had never heard of Harvey Milk before, so I’m glad this movie was made to tell us his story.

Kelly: Seriously, who is a better actor than Sean Penn? Awesome movie. It made me mad and hopeful at the same time. Rent it; you won't regret it.

2008

Plot: What happens when the Bonnaroo Music Festival plans a wedding. Francisco.

Eric: Most confusing movie I’ve ever viewed—random scenes jumping back and forth—it was a mess. [Never mind...the disk was damaged and we were viewing the deleted scenes DVD feature by accident.]

Kelly: The emotions at the core of this movie were honest and raw—incredible performances by, well, everybody. I particularly liked the stepmom, played by Anna Deavere Smith. She had a minor role, but I found myself watching for her reactions first. The over-the-top eclectic mix of music performers got on my nerves from time to time, but other than that it was an intense movie and worth watching.

2006

Plot: Never trust a CT-scan machine found in a department store.

Eric: We picked this out to balance the morose karma of Henry Poole is Here. This movie inspires me and is just like Kelly and me; we are living like this all the time, or at least strive to. Oh, except we won’t be going to the Hotel Poop anytime soon. We’ll stick to the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs. Oh, except we’re not dying, either. However, we think we’ll probably spontaneously combust from too much happiness in a year or two.

Kelly: I really liked this movie. It was just plain fun, and it centered on a couple of messages that Eric and I try to live by: treat everyone with respect, and enjoy every moment you’ve got on this earth. I had no problem suspending my disbelief in certain scenes, because Queen Latifah was so darn likeable. Who cares if that wasn’t her on the snowboard? The goal was to balance out the karma of Henry Poole is Here. Mission accomplished!

2008

Plot: Transistors, diodes, and capacitors . . . oh, my!

Eric: I liked the little guy versus big corporation theme, but overall the movie didn’t create much of an emotional response. I’ll remember what obsession did to this man’s family when I next spend too much time programming our websites. Best movie about windshield wipers I’ve ever seen.

Kelly: I’m glad his wife left him. Any guy who would ignore his wonderful, loving family for windshield-wiper justice needs a little rewiring.

2008

Plot: The stucco job from heaven causes much rapture and consternation.

Eric: I can’t say much about this movie without giving too much away, but I was moved and impressed. What could cause someone to be so skeptical and jaded about spiritual matters that he would not open his mind to even the slightest possibility of experiencing ultimate healing? I’m interesting in knowing. The fact that the movie doesn’t give the answer makes it even more tantalizing.

Kelly: I really wasn’t a big fan of this movie, but Eric brought up some great points that made me reconsider my initial reaction (and add a paw). I agree that the concept behind the movie was very interesting. It gave us a lot to talk about afterward. I just felt as though there was no arc to the story. It was all pretty depressing and, to me, one-dimensional. It may have been the intent of the director to go in that direction to set a sort of melancholy mood. If so, it succeeded. But I felt like there could have been so much more to it, and I was left unfulfilled.

2008

Plot: Jaded college professor doesn’t want to work, wants to bang on the drum all day.

Kelly: Good movie, but I can’t figure out why they called it The Visitor? Which one of the characters was the “visitor?” Richard Jenkins’ performance really was Oscar worthy but why didn’t they call it The Visitors? They all seemed to be visiting. Was Walter the visitor? It was his apartment. This was a tender, heartfelt movie and I loved it. Most of the characters where immigrants, how about The Immigrants? —or, The Deported? That’s funny. How about The Drums of New York? —or, Subway Rhythms? How about, Bongos versus the Piano?

Eric: [holding up four fingers]

2007

Plot: Three Iraqi war veterans heal emotional and physical scars during a cross-country road trip.

Eric: This was a spontaneous Blockbuster quick-pick that ended up being a very good choice. These three actors played believable soldiers, even Rachel McAdams. Near the beginning of the movie they refer to themselves as the “lucky ones” simply because they were still alive. As they struggled with the fallout from their service at war, they seemed anything but. I think in the end, by the time they all redeployed, they could call themselves lucky for other reasons—finding peace of mind, for one. Excellent film! Tim Robbins is always a favorite.

Kelly: Ditto. Eric is completely, absolutely, and positively correct. This was an excellent, realistic, thought-provoking film. I love it when quick-picks don’t turn out to be duds!

2008

Plot: We don't know, and we don't care.

Eric: I’ve never known Kelly to stop watching a movie before the end . . . until now.

No vote.

Kelly: Yep, life is too short to watch a movie with Robert Downey, Jr. wearing blackface. If there was even a little bit of wit mixed in with the stupid fart jokes and goofy special effects, I might have hung on to see what happened.

No vote.

2008

Plot: A young girl runs away from her abusive father and finds love and redemption with her new family.

Eric: Yes, I liked this movie. No apologies. I could tell this movie was based off a great book; I appreciated the exceptional storytelling behind this film. We all worry about feeling unlovable from time to time, so my empathy meter was off the charts. I think it would be impossible to not be moved to tears by Dakota Fanning’s performance.

Kelly: I read the book, and it was outstanding. Sometimes the movie version of a great book doesn’t measure up. In this case it does. It was a beautiful movie from the cinematography to the script to the incredible acting of a universally strong cast. This movie deals with personal pain, the corporate pain of a country dealing with an ugly truth, and finally the triumphant emergence of love in spite of it all.