Update on movies with my new ratings' system

Ratings:
bad: just plain bad
Ennh: not bad but not that good
Hmmm: curiously strange and not that likable
Wha?: so weird
It's okay: but not great
It's good: but wish a little fix here and there to make great
It's great!: it's so rare but it happens

Rebecca: Alfred Hitchcock's wonderful adaptation of Du Maurier's book from 1940. It's good or great?
A Dangerous Method: freaky story of Jung and Freud's friendship with a disturbing Keira Knightly role (I can't get her contorted facial expression out of my mind) Hmmm
Hyde Park on the Hudson: Bill Murray as dirty old man/FDR Ennh
The Queen of Versailles: documentary about profligate wealth Wha?
Hope Springs: painful to watch marriage counseling movie Hmmm
The Guard: buddy cop movie of the Irish kind with a dash of Don Cheadle It's good
The Five-Year Engagement: I love Emily Blunt but she could not save this stupid movie Ennh
Liberal Arts: sweet little movie with a strange ending It's okay
Save the Date: really like Lizzy Caplan but this odd movie fell short It's okay
Carol Channing: Larger than Life: documentary about Carol Channing Ennh
Too Big to Fail: can't remember it, bad sign or I'm getting too old It's okay
Your Sister’s Sister: another Emily Blunt movie, she's good but the movie limps along Ennh
Game Change: politcal movie about Sarah Palin played by Julianne Moore (she's great) from the people who brought you Recount another great movie It's good
Trouble with the Curve: romantic comedy of the lamest variety bad:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower: sadly bland Ennh
Celeste and Jesse Forever: another stupid romantic comedy bad:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: likable movie for the oldsters -- I liked the Indian setting Ennh
Magic Mike: Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey as strippers, surprisingly good It's good
The Avengers: I thought it should see it since it had my favorite Mark Ruffalo who everyone said he was fantastic but I tell you I can not get into a super hero movie no matter how hard I try (I did not try that hard)Ennh

Two Documentaries

Two nights in a row I watched a couple of documentaries that just happened to be at the library. Both tell the story of brilliant men who dropped out society in very singular ways. The first one is called Surfwise which is the story of the Paskowitz family, 8 boys and one girl, who grew up traveling from surf town to surf town in a 24 foot camper. The father, Dorian Paskowitz, believed that the best education for these children was to learn to surf, read, and basically drop out of regular society. He did not think that his children need be concerned about material things or going to school. In the first part of the documentary you think, while the father is weird, he really seems to be in touch with the elemental qualities of life, and his children seem pretty amazing, their mother saint-like, beautiful, and peaceful, and this way of raising a family is a good one. But then as the story progresses the filmmakers start to reveal the underbelly of family life and you learn that as adults these Paskowitz’s end up pretty screwed up by the father’s controlling and sometimes abusive behavior and that most of the 9 children struggled as adults.


Searching for Sugar Man tells of another man and father who lives simply despite great talent and fame. The 70's musician Rodriguez, never had financial success as an artist and stopped making and performing music (a very talented singer song writer with a sweet voice). Instead he did construction and raised three daughters in poverty in Detroit. Meanwhile, in South Africa, he was a huge success. The movie tells about the story of a handful of South Africans who try to find out the story of Rodriguez even though they believe him to be dead. When we get to know a little bit about the enigmatic Rodriguez, we learn that he still lives in a run-down neighborhood of Detroit in a very modest house even though in the end he finally has resources, and he seems to have raised three lovely daughters who share his diffident and humble manner. If I had to choose between these two fathers, I would definitely pick Rodriguez.

Before Midnight and Frances Ha

I was so excited to see Before Midnight. I rewatched both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset; I heard the Fresh Air interview with Richard Linklater, director, Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy, cowriters and actors, and I had numerous conversations all in preparation. At last I was able to sit in a theater, by myself as a matter of fact (I guess not a lot of people going to movies on a Monday at 12:15) And it did not disappoint. I know many wonder how a movie where two people are talking the whole time can be so captivating but it is, this one more than the other two, I think. It’s like you are eaves dropping into the world of a couple who seem so comfortable with each other and who can tear at each other with such fervor, humor, and anger. It’s just something to see, but so much more satisfying if you have seen the first two. I can only hope about 10 years from now there will be a fourth! Before Lunch?

I also so Frances Ha (same day, I know kooky right? I did have an appointment between the two movies) I was also alone in the theater for that one. I had also been looking forward to this movie but not with as great of anticipation as Before Midnight. Frances Ha is interesting, visual pleasing, but certainly not as captivating as Before Midnight and even at times a little puzzling. What is with this wacky gal? At my age (middle-aged that is) I find Frances nutty and spineless. Actually I am pretty sure I would have found her that way when I was her age. But I was always more pragmatic than your average 20 year old. It was a good day though: Raining outside, and movies on the big screen just for me. Thanks Zinema!

Mary's Lame List

I’m so lame. My blog was limping at the beginning of the year but then it became bedridden. I shall push on by keeping the following pitiful list:

In the Theater –
Life of Pi – if I could stand to watch it again, I would. It made me want to read the book again too. I like its ponderings about religion and the amazing visuals – I actually saw it in 3-D (first one for me in the modern era)

57 and Up – part of the 7UP series. If you haven’t seen this documentary series, you should. Director Michael Apted has chronicled the lives of 10 or so real English people from different classes, starting when they were age 7 in 1964. This movie makes me think – mainly about what makes a meaningful life.

Silver Linings Playbook-- I thought it was going to be a simple little meandering indie flick, enjoyable but not great. But it turned out to be great, funny, with a cohesive plot that builds to a very satisfying conclusion. I just loved it!

Anna Karenina – beautifully and uniquely made and staged. I didn’t think that another Anna Karenina was needed but this one offered something new.

Argo – fast paced and thrilling. Worthy of best picture? Not sure. But definitely well made.

Lincoln --a dark little film. By dark I mean actually dark, faces half-lit, figures silhouetted against a grey sky. Sometimes it seemed liked you had to strain to see what was happening both strain the eyes and the ears. With that being said, I liked it. I liked imagining what it might have been like to be that political world where you are reminded of our current divided country. Daniel Day Lewis, who plays Lincoln, holds the movie together with his wonderful performance. His Lincoln seems so kind and entertaining and even funny in parts. He seems like an august grandfather who you want to sit at the feet of and soak up some of his wisdom.

DVDS Since the beginning of December. I’ve put the more forgettable ones into a couple of categories but will highlight the deserving standouts.

SELF-INVOLVED INDIE FILMS: (not bad, but they don’t have much to say) 2 Days in New York, Safety not guaranteed, Your Sister’s Sister, Ruby Sparks, Darjeeling Limited

MEDIOCRE ROMANTIC COMEDIES: What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Think Like A Man, Friends with Kids

STANDOUTS:
Game Change: this movie depicts Sarah Palin’s story surrounding the 2008 presidential election. Fascinating and I found it myself more sympathetic towards Palin after I watched it.

Monsieur Lahzar (French subtitles): sad story about a teacher and his students dealing with oppressive grief – a beautiful film.

Catch Up

She’s baaaack. I know, where would you be without knowing about ALL the movies I have seen in the last several months? I just searched my NetFlix Queue, Library Account information, and my brain to try to remember the few movies I saw in the theaters which, I think, were Moonrise Kingdom and Sleep Walk with Me. I’m annoyed with myself for letting my blog rest dormant for so long, but I will try to be better this winter. Of course, this list is really just for me. I always want to keep a list of all kinds of things: books read, witticisms, best TV shows, and what not. Therefore, keeping a public list is a way to keep myself more accountable. So I venture on keeping a list of ALL the movies I have seen. The list below is arranged from most recently seen and goes back all the way to the summer. Must sees will get a *****. All the other movies will merely get a snarky, reductive summary.

Friends with Kids -- kinda cute but ultimately dumb romantic comedy.
Next Stop Wonderland – You’d think a movie with Hope Davis and Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be good but this “smart” romantic comedy was also kinda dumb.

Sleep Walk with Me – Mike Birbiglia bio pic about his sleep disorder with help from This American Life’s Ira glass. It’ a likable movie, but I didn’t think it was a great one.

Drive – Come on, Ryan Gosling. What else do you need to know? He struts around intensely or should I say drives around in a strutting fashion.

Wallis & Edward – Madonna tells the oft told story of the king who abdicates his throne with and addition of an unnecessary modern-look-back angle.

Idiocracy – The comedic movie is kind of a mess but I appreciated the effort to show what a future of increasingly dumber and dumber people would look like. I think this movie makes same good points about our modern American society.

Bernie – I like Jack Black and I thought he did a good job as a real-life funeral director who waits upon the rich lady in town who is played by Shirley McClain. The highlight of this movie is definitely the real Texans who narrate the scandal in their kooky vernacular.

Moonrise Kingdom ***** love, love, want to see again from the man who brought you Rushmore but better than Rushmore I thought. So wonderfully weird!

The Hunger Games – read all three books this summer and was excited to see the movie. I also really like Jennifer Lawrence from Winter's Bone who plays Katniss. I guess I thought the movie was pretty good but ultimately don’t think it captured the books intensity and the main character’s coolness.

Higher Ground ***** -- I’m going to five star this movie even though I know that not all would enjoy it, but I thought Vera Farmiga’s role (she also directed) about a woman’s search for God in her life is so beautifully depicted (and does not denigrate a religious person as so many movies do) that it really makes this movie worth watching.

Flipped – cute little nostalgic romance between two preteens – now that I think about it, a romance between pretweens. That’s kind of weird.

Marley ***** I did write about this one already but worth repeating because it’s so awesome! “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

Margaret ***** This lovely – tortured movie by writer director Kenneth Lonergan of You Can Count on Me (one of my favorite movies) is well worth watching. Anna Paquin plays a teen who really acts like a teen who encounters and has to learn to accept tragedy. The dialogue is so rich and compelling that I wanted to rewind and hear it again.

Sherlock Holmes – I got this at the library after watching the excellent PBS TV modern take on Holmes. This one with Robert Downey Jr. has a lot of flash but little substance.

Cinema Verite – is a fictionalized account of the making of a 70s PBS documentary called The American Family or one of the first reality TV shows. The movie stars Dianne Lane, James Gandolfini, and Tim Robbins who are kind of fun to watch in all their groovy 70s attire. The movie also sheds some light on the reality of reality TV.

Prime – a romantic comedy starring Merryl Streep, Uma Thurman, and as Streep’s son, the very cute Bryan Greenberg. Not great but not bad. Also, after watching this movie I got the HBO series How to Make it in America, also with Greenberg which I enjoyed.

We Bought A Zoo – I guess I kinda liked this sappy family drama. What are ya goin’ do?

Albert Nobbs – story of a cross dressing gay woman played by Glen Close during 19th Century Ireland. I found this movie just plain sad. Well acted but very grim.

Phew, feels good to be caught up!

Liven Up Yourself

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.”

Marley is a pretty straight forward biography of Bob Marley’s life, from being born of a white man in St. Ann Parish in Jamaica to his final treatments for melanoma in the mountains of Germany. This documentary doesn’t take many risks when telling us about the life of Bob Marley, but it does manage to infuse the movie with Bob’s irrepressible spirit. Or maybe it’s just that Bob’s lyrical music is playing throughout making it seem so joyous and sad at the same time. Knowing that this great man who had so much energy and musical genius, who had such an impact on not only the world of music but on issues relating to the poor and violence in his country, died at a mere 36 years old seems so very wrong and so sad. I couldn’t help loving Marley and don’t think it’s just because I love Bob Marley.

50 Best Movies on Netflix Instant from Paste Magazine

I thought this list was interesting. I particularly recommend Winter's Bone with Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games) and Half Nelson (Edgy teacher movie) with Ryan Gosling.