Movie time

It being school holidays, I have consumed some viewing pleasures. Here are a few. I may have already mentioned them in previous blogs, but humour me like you'd humour Uncle Peter when he's telling you the same story for the fifth time. Just nod and smile.

Atonement

I feel very uncultured for saying this, but I didn't love it. Apparently the book is better? It kind've ambled along and perhaps I would've cared more if I'd found any of the characters particularly likeable, but Keira Knightly often plays rather unsympathetic people. It was ok. But..... not something I'd watch again in a hurry.

Into the Wild

I liked this one a lot better. Perhaps went a little longer than I would've liked, but had that nice Eddie Vedder sound-track to hold it together (which Ed played as mood music when he had a few of us over for dinner recently). It had a heart-wrenching little ending.

Fracture

Last night I went to get a DVD with Marty. We were quite disappointed with the selections in the new release section. Marty does, however, have a talent for being able to give a quick synopsis of any movie I point at. So I was quite convinced when he said this film was about Gwyneth Paltrow, whose father had alzheimers, and she falls in love with a man who reminds her of her father...... Sounded preferable to Evan Almighty, which was the second choice. We then got in the car, and along the way home Marty realised it was a completely different movie to the one he had summarised. This one was like a modern take on Silence of the Lambs (in that it had Anthony Hopkins as the genius bad-guy who takes a liking to some young and hungry law enforcer, or lawyer in this case). The dialogue was awful at times and the plot kinda jumped around (Ryan Gosling's character seems to form a 'serious' relationship with a woman he has met all of three times, for about 10 minutes each time.... possibly would've been a better film with that plot element left out altogether). Cliff Curtis plays a role in it, he is the earnest cop who tries in vane to find the murder weapon, which has disappeared. Basically the whole film is trying to answer the question of 'where did the gun go????' Anyhow, watchable on a Sunday night, but not amazing.

Big Love

I have worked my way through the first season of Big Love, which was only 13 shows long. While I don't expect it's an entirely relaible look at paligomy, it's kinda different in an intersting way. A nice ensemble cast and most of the characters are developed along the way. Chloe Sevingy's character is a talking point - I absolutely hate her, and Marty finds her charming. She is the 'traditional' wife. Has its funny moments. And it has one of the few theme songs Marty doesn't fast forward when he's watching a DVD of a series.