A Beautiful Snapshot

Talk Cinema presented us with Maria Larsson's Everlasting Memories and introduced us to Maria's life and family. Maria herself is played by the subtle and charming Maria Heiskanen. Then, there is her larger-than-life husband Sigfrid/Siggie played by the excellent Mikael Persbrandt. Finally, the story is told through the eyes of their daughter Maja who propels the movie with her views of the world, bounced off of her parents and their relationship. Maya is played by (I don't have umlaut's handy) Callin Ohrvall.

This is a beautiful movie.  Maria Larsson is a good, no-nonsense woman who sees the world a little bit differently, and even more so when she holds a camera in her hands. Her everlasting memories are captured both in our hearts and minds through her lens. I love the idea about a film being about the beauty of life as shown through film and the fulfillment that viewing the world in that way can be. Siggie may be a blustering hound, and Maria might be a little too uptight but it works for this movie and it works for them.

Like Revolutionary Road from earlier this year, I can enthusiatically recommend this one. 

You Speak Prada?

I saw another Rom Com-Confessions of a Shopaholic- with the queen of Rom Coms amongst my friends, Liz. But she was busy texting the whole time... I think she must have seen it before. Otherwise, she's always into this type of movie. 

There were parts of it that I loved including Isla Fisher and Gilmour Girls' Krysten Ritter. They were great and there were some good quotes. She has a Devil Wears Prada moment at the end, where everything snaps into focus for her about what matters (as hopefully does happen in a good story when a fashionista is dictating the moral center) and she makes things right.

Just a fun movie, fun chick flick.  I thought it was better than He's Just Not That Into You, if that is any indication? :-) 

Great Zus!

Based on a true story, yummy Daniel Craig stars in  Defiance. Though I will say that I like Liev Shreiber as the Zus of the movie just as much. The two Bielski brothers, along with Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot and more recently, Jumper fame) live in the forest of Belaruswith a small townful of Jews, including scholars, working men, women and children who were escaping the Nazis. As one would expect, the Nazis are after the Jews, and enemy of my enemy is my friend? The Bielskis teamed up with the Russians who were there fighting the Nazis.

There are parts that are touching. I liked it. I just wasn't really ready to see this style of movie on the night that I saw it. I have no problem recommending it though.

Malkovich as Mentalist

Talk Cinema's 2nd Spring 2009 movie this year was  The Great Buck Howard, which starred Colin Hanks (yes Tom's son) as the law school drop out assistant to the Amazing Kreskin-inspired characther Buck Howard, as played by John Malkovich. Hanks is lead astray by the PR girl, Emily Blunt as the romantic interest.

It wasn't a bad movie per say, the acting was okay though I heard more than a few comments about Colin Hank's dad paying for his jobs (he did produce). But I will say that I left it only wanting to know more about Kreskin (his wiki page is here). They used the Kreskin handshake, trick of finding money and apparent sexual ambiguity as fodder for Buck Howard. Not very original.

That's all I've got. Steve Zahn is ridiculous, as always. If nothing else is on, watch it on Starz in two years. 

Just Not That Into It

I saw He's Just Not That Into You with the ladies. Um. Well, it has a good cast, the acting is decent. I really like that Ginnifer Goodwin ever since Mona Lisa Smile. The idea of the story is good. I haven't read the book (shocker! I know!) but I think that it was just a little much and too all over the place for me. I wanted one or two stories, not 8. It didn't delve into great moments for me enough like something similar like Love Actually did. 

I'd say this one is on the level of 27 Dresses. Cute, okay, some nice moments. Not great.

Taken to the Edge of My Seat

I went to see  Taken in Long Island when I was there for work in early February. Let me just say that Liam Neeson looked like he might be good, and of course I'm a Lost fanatic, so seeing if Maggie Grace could act in something else seemed fun. I expected to be mildly entertained and a little bit bored as Neeson rushed around trying to retrieve his daughter who had been kidnapped.

BUT, and this is a big one, I LOVED IT! I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat the whole movie. I thought lots of action and chase scenes would lose their luster for me, they would numb me to the action. This one was great though. 

That's about all you need to know. Watch it on a big screen (or at least on a big screen tv) if you can.

On a side note, I lost my favorite hat (for the 2nd time) at that theater! ARGH!

Bride Wars Can Suck It.

So, I went after a workout class to see Bride Wars  with my pal Liz. Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, what could be bad about that? It HAS to be good, right?  Even Candice Bergen is there, playing the same role Sigourney Weaver played in Baby Mama.

The funniest parts of this movie were in the trailer and tv ads. I hate that. Getting exactly what you expect and want in a movie are two different things. There was nothing more than what I expected and that is bad. It was a cute story in theory, both girls want to have the beautiful wedding in the same place, but when they're booked on the same day, it means the two best friends go to war. In the end, one realizes the dream is overshadowing the love that is no longer there with her man, while the other realizes she does have true love.

Save your money and watch it on TBS some afternoon when you're hungover and want to slug on the couch.