Summer Movies 2010

Because I've been having too much time for fun like going to the beach and having margaritas with the visitors, I haven't been posting much lately. Of course, I have been watching some movies:

Alice in Wonderland: meandering fantasy with a few visually delightful moments but overall, yawn
The Last Station: this movie is a very enjoyable story about the followers of Leo Tolstoy during his waning years. It’s about the struggle between his wife and the Tolstoyans over his legacy. Tolstoyans are pretty interesting. They are devoted followers of Tolstoy with some strange rules thrown in like being celibate and refraining from killing bugs or some such things like that. There is a very sweet romance between two Tolstoyans, one played by the cute James McAvoy.
Whip It: Whip it is a fun coming of age drama with the likable Ellen Page. Her character, Bliss, defies her controlling mother to skate with some tough chicks in the Roller Derby.
Broken Embraces: the latest from Pedro Almodovar with the evervescant Penelope Cruz. The plot is hard to explain, but unfolds in the form of a memory from a blind film maker who tells of his love affair with Lena or the beautiful Penelope Cruz. Interesting but not as good as Volver.

Please Give

I’ve thought a lot about Please Give since I saw it. Am I one of those people? By one of those people I mean liberal, socially conscious, but down deep caught up in meaningless grasps for stuff: property, furniture,decorative items, spray tans etc. (Well, I know I am not interested in spray tans!) The movie revolves around a married couple who buy and sell used furniture, waiting for old folks to die and then visiting their New York apartments looking for treasures. Meanwhile the couple played by Elizabeth Keener and Oliver Platt hope to expand their New York apartment after a cranky old lady next door dies. Perhaps, the one genuinely giving person in the movie is one of the old lady’s granddaughters, Rebecca played by Rebecca Hall (you may recall her from her great role in Vicky Christina Barcelona) who cares for her grandmother despite having to listen to her demeaning comments every time she visits. All in all, Please Give is a very thought-provoking movie.