Recently Seen Movies

The Town (B)

This crime-film directed by Ben Affleck truly lived up to it's hype. I decided to watch it on opening night, and was very satisfied with the non-stop action and good story. The story is set in modern day Boston, and tells of a group of bank-robbers who cannot escape from their lifestyle. With this successful film Ben Affleck has established a sub-genre of crime-movies set in Boston. Movies that fall in this category are Mystic River, The Departed, and Affleck's own Gone Baby Gone.

Role Models (B-)

I saw this one and couldn't stop laughing out loud. Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott get assigned to community service after various public offenses. They get assigned to a big-brother program that is run by the hilarious Jane Lynch. The movie is full of many other comedic actors and situations, especially the hysterical medieval role-playing sequences.


500 Days of Summer (B)

I caught this one in my hotel-room at Ann Arbor, Michigan and was very intrigued by the non-linear story-telling. The film stars Joseph-Gordon-Levitt as a miserable person in his mid 20s and Zooey Deschanel as the free-spirited new girl in town. Set in the modern day professional world, we see the ups-and-downs of their 500 day relationship, just as the title suggests. The film to me was very reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, yet had lots of unique and creative sequences, good acting, and a great soundtrack!


The Color Purple (B)

One of the few Spielberg films I had not yet seen, I quickly grabbed this one when I saw it at the library. This three hour period piece, tells the story of an African American girl named Celie, played by Whoopi Goldberg, who slowly finds her inner strength. As a young girl, Celie is forced to marry an older man, played by Danny Glover, who treats her like a slave, and separates her from her sister. Through the years Celie becomes extremely submissive, yet finds strength from other characters such as a prominent jazz singer played by Margaret Avery and the strong-willed character of Sofia, played by Oprah Winfrey. The film is truly a masterpiece, with very powerful filming. The defining moment of this film is when Margaret Avery leads a passionate procession into the church.


The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (B-)

Based on the true story of the memoir written by French journalist, Jean-Dominique Bauby, we witness a man with locked-in syndrome. Unable to move his body at all, Jean-Dominique, played by Mathieu Amalric, must communicate by blinking his eye. In what appears to be a boring synopsis, is artistically filmed by director Julian Schnabel, who truly puts you in Jean-Dominique's state of mind. The film has a very soothing soundtrack, amazing visuals, and an inspiring story.




Gettysburg/Gods & Generals (C+)

Being obsessed with history, I have recently entered a Civil War phase, an era of which I have always overlooked. Both these films are credited as the utmost biggest-scale epics concerning the Civil War. Gettysburg, filmed in 1993, is a 4 hour epic, revolving around the three day battle at Gettysburg and the glorious Pickett Charge. Gods and Generals, filmed in 2003, is a prequel to the film Gettysburg, and focuses on the Battles of Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. Both films consist mostly of drawn-out, large-scale battles that truly capture what it was like fighting in the fields of the Civil War.