Crazy Movie Lady 44

November 22- 28, 2009
This week was horrible for movie watching because it was Thanksgiving and I was with Rashan's family in Savannah.  I'm determined to catch up with my movie watching before the end of the month though because there are only 33 more days to finish these films and I don't want to have to watch 9 films on December 31st!!
658. The Union: The Business Behind Getting High.  Super Size Me- style questioning on an issue with animation.  Very slanted (of course) in favor of marijuana legalization aka propaganda.  Man on the street interviews in overabundance.  Irritating intrusive music (common problem).  It wouldn't have been such a big deal if it wasn't so overused.  1hr44m is too long for this film.  After about 30 minutes it felt like you'd already heard every argument that would be used.  There were some really unnecessary shots and scenes that didn't advance the story line at all.  There was next to no attribution of an insane amount of stats.  Crazy.  Most irritating, though, were definitely the filmmaker walk & talks.  Stop trying to teach in such an offensively juvenile manner.  Silly, silly leading questions.  Because so many topics were covered, almost none of them were properly fleshed out.  Edit.  2.3 stars
659. Rashoman. Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's classic film about a murder told from 4 perspectives, including that of a ghost.  I was intrigued by this film but felt like I was supposed to like it more than I did just because I've heard so much about it from the film community.  Some great fight scenes.  3.4 stars
660. Yours, Mine, Ours.  Rene Russo & Dennis Quaid in the Nickelodeon remake of the classic film about a couple who marries & has 18 children between them.  (When I picked this up I thought it was the classic rather than the remake...)  He's an uptight military man, she's a free-spirited creative type.  She has a multi-cultural family of biological and adopted children.  Silly at times.  Fine for kids.  3.2 stars
661. Two Lovers.  Joaquin Phoenix & Gwyneth Paltrow star in a film about a mentally unstable man (who's probably already quirky) who finds himself involved with two women.  Interesting plot until it started following all the predictable (and therefore boring) turns.  Why bother to build toward something different without following through?  2.7 stars
662. That Touch of Mink. Cary Grant & Doris Day meet when he splashes her.  Their relationship hits all kinds of snags as he's a rich commitment-phobe and she's poor & proud.  Cute movie with some great comedic moments.  4 stars
663. Duplicity.  Spy movie with Julia Roberts & Clive Owens as a couple masquerading as enemies/people who don't know each other but are in on a big information heist.  A little long for what was delivered but the punch line ending was a nice surprise.  4 stars
664.  Short Circuit.  Ally Sheedy stars in this film about a robot that malfunctions, then thinks its alive.  Oh 80s music...  Mildly amusing start gave way to implausibility after implausibility even for a sci-fi-esque movie.  2 stars
665. What Happens in Vegas.  Cameron Diaz & Ashton Kutcher are a go-getter and a screw-up who get married in Vegas.  Of course madness ensues as they try to make their marriage work.  I was surprised to enjoy this movie and giggle throughout.  It got a little long for the amount of action.  and story line.  3.8 stars
666. Click.  Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale & Christopher Walken in a movie about a man who gets a remote to fast-forward through parts of his life, but then the remote starts doing what it wants.  The main menu & making of scenes definitely brought the movie to a much more ridiculous place.  Predictable and stupid.  While he was fast-forwarding his life, I wanted to fast forward this film.  Dumb.  Then out of nowhere it got all sentimental.  Adam Sandler can and has done better than this.  Awful.  Don't bother.  1.4 stars
667. Dark Days.  Black and white documentary about homeless people living in a dark underground tunnel in NYC.  Some fantastic cinematography in this stark film about life next to the train.  The rat shots were HORRID.  It was tiring and depressing listening to them talking about their lives.  But then amazing to hear the normal things they did to make their huts homes.  You wondered why they stayed.  I'm sure a lot of people watch this and love the above ground shots to break up the darkness and as a contrast showing the lives the rest of us are living.  For me it was unnecessary.  Excellent story construction.  It made me grateful I was raised in a loving, stable home.  The use of written material was very confusing.  It moved too quickly to read the large amount of material.  Overall, a great film.  4.3 stars