Movies, Movies, Movies

Oh hi, remember me? I used to blog here, but then my life was consumed by weddings and work. I still have work, but no more weddings until September (unless I get a surprise invite in the mail!), and at least then they won't be back-to-back. I've also gotten obsessed with Pinterest and spend too much of my free time there, considering how little I have and what other things I could be doing.

Since I have been so busy, I have not seen a ton of movies lately, in theaters or at home. But when we rented True Grit last month I thought about reviewing it, and I thought better late than never to share my thoughts about it and a couple of other flicks I've seen recently.

Before True Grit, I had seen two westerns: one of the John Wayne's films, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and 3:10 to Yuma. I liked Liberty Valance pretty well because of the story, but 3:10 to Yuma's pacing really bored me. (Not even Christian Bale could save that movie... nor the even more boring The New World...) Oh, and I've seen part of Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles, but I'm not sure if that counts...

I heard so many good things about True Grit, so instead of expecting 3:10 to Yuma, I expected a Western action flick with a good story about this little girl and her love for her dad. Probably the first 45 minutes are focused on Mattie right after her dad dies, and how she seeks someone who can bring his killer to justice. She is very smart and cunning, and I liked her. Then she teams up with Jeff Bridges' character, who is a drunk jerk who does eventually grow on you, and is forced to team up with Matt Damon's character, who is just creepy the whole time.

So after the first 45ish minutes the movie stops being interesting as they go through the wilderness to find Mattie's daddy's killer, which is a very boring journey, and the meeting of the killer and his death happens in a less than epic fashion. I get that it's more realistic, and I am OK with that in theory, but this movie made me feel nothing. Actually, I take that back. I was really upset when Jeff Bridges ran the horse so hard that he had to shoot and kill it. He was saving Mattie's life from a rattlesnake bite and the one thing that I feel the most emotional about is the killing of the horse. That makes me sound like a terrible person, but I blame the movie.

Garrett and I were also disappointed in grown-up Mattie, as she was not very likable, which is a shame after we witnessed what a wonderful young girl she was. The end of the movie was also kind of depressing, but again, I could have even been alright with the way it ended if it seemed to have a reason. For starters, the ending did not feel as depressing as it should have considering what it was. Overall, it was well-made from a production standpoint, and I'm sure it moved someone, but it just was not for me.

Just a day or two after True Grit I went to the Historic Theatre in Franklin with my friend Jolene and watched the Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window. This movie also had a slow pace to it, however, Hitchcock made it work. The entire movie takes place in this guy's studio apartment, with only his back window offering a view of the outside world, yet it was suspenseful. We are voyeurs along with Jeff, watching his neighbors, sneaking glimpses into their lives. It really says a lot about human nature, but was also a fun watch. And Grace Kelly was just lovely in it.

Then this past weekend, Garrett and I rented The Next Three Days, based off my dad's recommendation. Again, we thought it was going to be a high-action flick, but it wasn't. Only this time, that did not make it disappointing. It is a very riveting story of an average man whose average wife is accused of killing her boss. There is a lot to the story about the man trying to get through life while raising their son and fighting for his wife in court, but when it becomes clear she will not be found innocent, he starts to concoct a plan to get her out of jail. At a couple of points in the movie I wasn't sure how they were going to end it; Garrett and I were tense through the whole thing, but it was worth it.

This weekend I believe we'll probably be catching Captain America in the theater. No Harry Potter for us since we never jumped on the bandwagon. Also, I can't wait until next summer:

Anybody seen any good, or not so good, movies lately?