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My husband and I went to see Gran Torino this pass weekend. We literally tossed a coin to see if we would see Gran Torino or the Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button thing. It was tails, so we saw Clint instead of Brad.
I'm a baby boomer, so Clint Eastwood is just as intriguing to me as cutey pie Brad Pitt. I guess both actors sported old wrinkly flesh in their movies; one by make-up and the other by nature.
I have to admit that Gran Torino started a little slow, but Clint played a very believable crabby, bitter old man. I had neighbors like that when I was a kid growing up in a changing Polish/Mexican neighborhood in Chicago . I could totally relate.
Without giving away the entire plot, Clint learns that a very old man, set in his ways, can embrace change and find a way to make a difference in his community and the lives of his neighbors. I would say well worth the price of the ticket, BUT, what's the deal of popcorn and a drink costing as much as admission. Come on people! A regular family of four or five can't afford to go to the movies anymore. Somethin's gotta change!!!!!!
4 stars out of 5---but then, I don't give out many 5 stars!
Toni Armenta Andrukaitis/McKinney
Please wait...
After seeing 3 out of the 5 Best Picture Oscar nominees, I'm really pulling for this one to win.
It's up against Slumdog Millionaire (which I found boring), The Reader (which I've heard is terribly depressing), Milk (again, depressing), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Wrestler (really really depressing) for best picture.
Frost/Nixon is dialogue-driven, engrossing and quick-moving. Frank Langella's Richard Nixon is so spot on it's almost creepy, and the cast behind him is too good to be true -- Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell and Michael Sheen. It reminded me of All the President's Men, not just because of the Watergate subject matter, but because of its pacing and way of really pulling you in.
The Reader (2 hours, 4 minutes; rated R)
It's appropriate that this film came out in December, because it's cold, bleak and depressing. This is not a comedy about a young bibliophile's summer-lovin', had-me-a-blast romance with an older woman. Instead, it's a deep, dark look at individual responsibility and post-war Germany's collective guilt about the Holocaust.
The Wrestler (107 minutes, rated R): Watching bulked-up Mickey Rourke trudge through an arena was like a trip back in time -- to the gritty old Dallas Sportatorium days on Industrial Boulevard.
You hear the body slams on the canvas or see someone handing a wrestler a folding chair, and, boy does it brings back great memories.
Memories of the Von Erichs, Skandar Akbar, Kamala the Ugandan Giant.
Call me old school, but I'll take that kind of wrestling over these slick pay-per-view productions today.
After watching the Oscar nominations yesterday, I decided it was time to go see The Reader, which has been on my movie to-do list since it first premiered in theaters.
What struck me most was how Germany’s justice system was trying to define what was good and evil about the Holocaust 20 years later.
What do the Oscars really mean to you and I? It is Hollywood’s greatest achievement to be sure. At least that is what we have all been led to believe. But who convinced us of that? Oh yeah, Hollywood. So does the Oscar for Best Picture truly go to the best picture or merely represent the moment and not the longevity of a great film? I examined a selection of the past Oscar winners from past years along with their fellow nominees and found that many of my now favorite movies lost to those that I don’t really care to see again. At the time they seemed like the obvious best film, but were they really? Granted all films are relevant and different flicks appeal to different folks. But still. Makes you wonder.
This is no Titanic. The depressing aspects are there – Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are there – but this is no epic love story.
Revolutionary Road, based on the novel by Richard Yates, is a shocking dose of real life – or lack thereof – that draws on realistic emotions many have experienced or will inevitably experience.
Just weathered the lines for Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Gotta say it was worth the wait.
What genius marketing. No expensive sets, just a mall. Brand placements everywhere -- Sharper Image, Victoria's Secret, Rainforest Cafe, Cinnabon, nearly every mall staple. A likeable actor (Kevin James) who built his persona on TV and is Chris Farley-esque. A plot line that seemed a bit like Die Hard. No foul language.
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