Wall Street – Money Never Sleeps

I had seen Wall Street years ago and my recollection is that I really liked it a lot.  So, even though I saw that some of the reviews were less than stellar, I wanted to go and see the movie.  I had a real problem.  I didn’t like even one person in the movie.  Probably because of the recent financial climate, I found every one and about every action obnoxious.  That being said, Michael Douglas was very good, as usual.  The problem for me is that I really think that is exactly the way the world is today and that makes me sick.  I would be interested in hearing what others have thought about the movie.

Lovely, Still

The other night I was fortunate enough to go to a free screening at the Laemmle Theater in Encino to see the most interesting movie, "Lovely, Still." The movie stars Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn.  I am not going to tell much about the movie except to say that it is extremely well-acted.  I was glad we stayed for the Q and A following the movie because the young director cleared up a few things for me in the discussion.  He is really quite amazing and showed such a deep understanding of the subject.  This is a small, independent film that deserves being seen by a large audience of all age groups.  I think the fact that older stars are in it might stop younger people from going and that would be too bad.  Go see the movie or wait until November when it will be out on DVD. I am going to put it on my Netflix list so I can see it again.  I never do that so now it will be clear how much I liked this movie.  See it. You will laugh and you will cry.

Flipped

I wanted to see a nice, pleasant movie so we picked Flipped, the new Rob Reiner coming-of-age film and it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. This is a story takes place in the early 60s and it is about a boy and girl  starting from when they met in second grade. It is done in a very interesting way so that you get both points of view of the same incidents. I was especially impressed with how the girl was portrayed. So often12 – 14 year old females are shown to be so shallow but not in this movie. I would like all young teens, both male and female, to see Flipped. The era was also shown much as I remember and I loved the music. It is funny and poignant and just a real joy to watch for all ages.

Get Low

This afternoon I went to see a movie that most people haven't heard of  - Get Low starring Robert Duvall, Sissy Specek and Bill Murray.  This is a story about an old hermit who decides he wants to throw a funeral party for himself before he dies.  It is a quiet movie that is absolutely wonderful. It is funny, touching, thoughtful and the acting is exceptional.  Watching Duvall is really watching a master at work.  He is spectacular. There are no chase scenes, no huge special effects, no blood and guts - just a great story. In LA, it is showing at the Laemmle Theaters.  In other areas, look for it at your small theaters and art houses.  If it isn't available and you have Netflix or a membership in a video club, put it on your list.  It is that good.

The Laemmle has a wonderful promotion for seniors - retired seniors.  Although they have raised the price, Wednesdays before 6:00 cost $4.50 for the movie.  Popcorn and a drink are always $4.00 for the combination.  True - the theaters are not as glitzy as many others.  There is usually no stadium seating and the screens are smaller and the sound doesn't blow out your eardrums but the movies are first rate and the price can't be beat.  The theater was packed today with all us old people.

Oh - there was one thing in the movie that, as far as I was concerned, could have been eliminated with no effect on the story.  At the very beginning, there was a scene where someone threw up.  So, be prepared for that right at the start.

Inception

The other day I saw "Inception," the sci-fi exciting and unusual movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  The story revolves around mind control through layers of dreams.  I found this absolutely amazing.  I couldn't relax for a minute because I thought I might miss something.  I had heard that it was hard to follow. I didn't find that to be the case. This reminded me of a previous action film that I recently saw because there were many car chases, special effects and shooting but little if any blood and no gore.  I highly recommend "Inception" to anyone who likes to think while watching a movie.

Knight and Day

Yesterday I saw Knight and Day starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.  I was happily surprised as to how much I enjoyed this movie.  It is an action movie that shows lots of killing but nothing gory and very little if any blood.  The premise of the story is totally unbelieveable and many of the stunts are too amazing to ever happen.  The same holds true with the fantastic car chases.  If one treats this as a realistic action movie, one would hate it.  If it is treated as almost a spoof on those kind of movies and a real fantasy as I did, it is a very enjoyable movie.  Of course, it doesn't hurt to have two very good actors speaking very clever dialogue and neither of them hard to look at either.  So, here is an action movie, love story with no gory violence, no sex scenes and little bad language.  I recommend this movie highly as a great escape.

Valentine's Day

On the afternoon before Valentine's Day, we went to see the movie.  I wanted something where I wouldn't have to think, where it would just be an enjoyable movie and that is exactly what it is.  The movie is full of excellent actors which is probably why it is so likeable.  It follows a bunch of seemingly unrelated people who do have a string that connects them.  It all takes place on Valentine's Day.  There are a few small twists but it is highly predictable which, for me, didn't take away from the pleasure. I also enjoyed seeing so much of LA that is familiar, including the street where I live. This is not a great movie but, if you are looking for a pleasant couple of hours, I recommend Valentine's Day.

Avatar

It has been a while since I had gone to a movie and I really wanted to see Avatar. I finally felt I could sit through a movie that lasts about 2 hours and 40 minutes so BK and I went to the AMC theater to see this movie in 3D IMAX.  We were not disappointed.  First, the movie did not appear to be too long at all, even for me.  I thought it was aesthetically beautiful.  The combination of animation and real people and things was amazing.  I even loved the music.  The story was secondary to the rest of the film.  I recommend it to everyone but I really feel, that to get the full effect, see it in 3D IMAX.

Up In the Air

Today B and I saw Up in the Air.  I had read about it and knew it was about a man (George Clooney) who went to companies and downsized their staff - or as he put it - fired workers for bosses who had no courage to do it themselves.  I had known that they changed some of the original movie due to our economic situation.  I still wonder how people who have been laid off feel when they watch the movie.  This is actually a somewhat lighthearted comedy with some real questions about what is really important in life as well.  The story was well-written with some very clever lines.  It was well-acted and well-paced and I thought very enjoyable.  I was reminded of my very recent visit to cold and snowy Milwaukee in a few scenes.  It always bothers me when I see that kind of climate and yet we see nobody's breath.  Oh well, just one of my pet peeves. I would recommend this movie to everyone - not as a great movie but as a nice, enjoyable way to spend two hours.