Old People Movies

Every now and then, Weston and I stumble upon one of what we call "Old People Movies." They are the kind of movies that seem like they would appeal mostly to the elderly set. There's not a whole lot of action in these movies, but they can sometimes be pretty nerve wracking to watch. That's because, for those of us conditioned to expect conflict, we keep anticipating that something bad is about to happen and it never does.

The first one we lumped into this category was Babette's Feast. But you've probably already seen that. It was later joined by the lesser-known 84 Charing Cross Road, which I would only recommend if you are a raving Anthony Hopkins fan or your only other option for an evening's entertainment is to stare at a bowl of bananas for two hours.

But here's one I really would like to recommend, (especially if you are 80). It's called Lovely, Still. It's a tender, innocent, elderly couple romance. It's sweet and slow-going for a while, but also has enough comic relief to keep us around. I'm glad I stuck around because it didn't end up being the "Old People Movie" experience I was expecting. By the time I finished the film I knew I would have to watch it again. If you decide to take my recommendation, I have only two pieces of advice for you:
1. DON'T quit watching because you are bored.
2. DON'T read any online reviews of the film before you see it.
Just trust me.

The Young Victoria

This movie was recommended to me from several reliable sources, so I finally got around to renting it from redbox and watched it over the weekend. The next day I bought the soundtrack and watched the movie again... twice. I felt like it was a cinematically refreshing experience. A new fave. I'll outline a few things I loved about it, knowing that my recommendations and opinions are based on my taste alone and there is no guarantee that you'll feel as strongly about it as I did. For some reason I do this to movies sometimes... I find one that I really like and I can't just watch it, I sort of have to... ingest it. I'm sure in a few days I'll come down off this cloud and realize that it's just a movie, but I might as well enjoy the cloud while I'm on it. Here are the few items:

Acting: Granted, I do like to see actors that I've seen in other things and make connections, but there's something to be said for a movie with more obscure actors, which this film was for me. Probably the most mainstream actor in it is Paul Bettany, whom you might recognize from A Beautiful Mind, A Knight's Tale, and The Da Vinci Code as the tall, skinny, blonde, slightly freaky guy. But the main characters in Young Victoria, Victoria and Albert, were played by two actors that I had only seen in small roles in other movies, (Rupert Friend, who plays Mr. Wickham in the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice and Emily Blunt, whom we recognized as Ruthie Pigface Draper in Dan in Real Life) so this acting job was clearly a powerful step up in my view.

Character Study: I love thinking about the characters in this story. Victoria is young and yet strong-willed, with so much potential she hasn't really found yet, and she has a lot of pressure put on her from all sides. Prince Albert is portrayed as a slightly awkward young man, yet he is genuine and purely good. I love how he understands and supports her and yet he doesn't back down to her when it counts. It's also interesting to me to see the dynamics between Victoria and her mother.

Music: Holy cow. I was blown away. I haven't heard of any other scores by this Ilan Eshkeri, but I intend to scout out more. I love how the period music is woven into the movie score. Part of me thinks, "How hard can it be to write music for a movie? You just come up with a theme and play it over and over in various forms with different orchestration." But then the other part of me thinks, "Dude. How do you get a simple love theme that basically consists of 3 notes to sound so beautiful and have such a great effect?"

Romance: I just thought this film was sweet and refreshing in this area. For a romance to catch my attention I have to care about the characters, which is what I feel like is missing in so many contemporary romantic movies. If the characters are shallow and undeserving, then who cares if they get together? But Victoria and Albert both seemed like genuinely good people who learned how to support each other the right way, which is what I'm striving for in my own marriage so it was very touching to me.

Seven Pounds

Basic synopsis of the film from imdb:

Haunted by a secret, Ben Thomas looks for redemption by radically transforming the lives of seven people he doesn't know. Once his plan is set, nothing will be able to stop him.

It's one of those stories that tears at your heart in conflicting ways. Doesn't it seem strange that you could watch a man plot his own suicide and, as the story develops, realize that the saddest ending would be for him not to go through with it. I find it strange. But, I guess that's what you get when the story is just so sad, the characters lives so dismal, their future so grim, that someone is going to have to lose in the end, no matter what the resolution.

But here's really what I want to say:

Wow. Will Smith is such a fantastic actor. Not that it comes as a surprise. I've known this for a while. But I could hardly believe how real he was in this film. The pain, the pain, the pain. He is so depressed, and carrying such an immense burden of guilt and sadness that there were times it made me want to cry. I usually have a hard time with any films that involve human suffering. And that's definitely what he was doing here. Suffering. But it was a pain that he often had to pretend was not there in order to succeed with his exit strategy. At one point, he gave a forced smile that just stabbed at my heart. I am going to have to pretend that people don't really feel pain of that kind if I am going to carry on with my life.

No shoddy workmanship from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air here. No sir.

The Soloist

The Soloist is a true story about a reporter, Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) who comes across a homeless man, Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx). The interesting twist is that Ayers was a cello student at Julliard at one point in his life. For those of you not familiar with Julliard, it is the Harvard of music schools. Downey is intrigued to find out how a talented person with that kind of back ground ended up living on the streets. The movie tells the story of Ayers and how he ended up homeless.

This was a good movie. It wasn't particularly enjoyable to watch. Some scenes were actually frustrating and even painful to watch. It kind of felt like doing community service. The message I came away with was more than a particular story. This film created a greater awareness for the issues of mental illness and homelessness.

The performances were good and I was relieved to see Jamie Foxx had his normal hair back while watching the special features afterwards. By the way, how has Downey transformed from a young punk with substance abuse problems who was always in trouble with the law, to a can't miss movie star? Talk about resurrecting your career. I really like him. I also liked the psychedelic Fantasia tribute during one of the concerts and can't believe it went on as long as it did.

If you are looking for a pick me up movie, this is not it, but it is a good movie with an informative message and the makers were successful in creating greater awareness for the plight of the mentally ill and homeless in America. I give it 7.1 stars.

The Impossible Dream

I think this is one of the most inspirational songs ever written.
I put the lyrics below.




To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Arranged

I have other media piling up in my queue of things to blog about here. But I just finished watching this movie and I liked it so much I have to report NOW!!

I really, really, liked this movie. I pretty much smiled through the whole thing. It's on netflix instant play. Watch it.

The basic story is about a muslim girl and an orthodox jewish girl, both teachers at the same school, who become friends and find they share some of the same concerns associated with being slated for arranged marriages. I won't give away any more of the story but I will tell you why I liked it.

Simplicity-- There's nothing overly hyped or hollywoodized here. Even the script, at times, seems raw. But in a good way. It's unpretentious. But the acting is so phenomenal (especially the performance of Zoe Lister Jones as Rochel) that everything the script leaves out is told by gestures, facial expressions, etc. I believed everything about her character. I love great acting! (ps. another movie with fantastic acting is Moonlight Mile.)

Religious Theme-- In most films coming out these days, religious people are usually portrayed as freakazoids, condemning others and shouting hellfire and damnation. (I'm thinking mostly of Where the Heart Is, but I know there are plenty of other examples. Chaka, help me out here.) I felt so refreshed to see in this film, the obvious antagonist was the school principal who repeatedly pulled the girls aside and told them they need to stop dressing so modestly, join the womens' movement, basically that they need to get with the times and abandon their traditions. I really identified with these ladies and was so happy to see a film that respected and upheld their religious differences. And a film in which the person putting them down was obviously a jerk. (what's the female form of jerk? jerkesse?)

Happy Ending with kind of a little tiny twist-- It's just an all-around good story. I don't know what else to say. Watch it and let me know what you think.

Hello, This is your blog speaking. I am feeling a little neglected lately. No reviews, no comments, no attention. I am sending out a distress signal to the contributing authors. It's a plea for help. If I had to make an analogy it would sound something like "Help me Obi Wan Kenobe, you're my only hope".

I know you are all are watching movies and TV shows, reading books, and listening to music. Don't pretend you are too busy or too good for me. I made you what you are and I can send you back to where you came from. Now let's see some media musings.