This is 40

This is 40 should have been called This is 40 Minutes Too Long!  And that’s being kind!!  I couldn’t wait for it to end – and I like all of the actors, I like the story, it just did not work for me.  And there are some big names in it – Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Melissa McCarthy, Jason Segal, Megan Fox, John Lithgow, Albert Brooks, etc.  It has some funny moments, but I seriously laughed more in the outtakes during the credits than I did the entire movie!  I mean really – iPad on the toilet might be funny once, maybe twice, but any more than that and it starts getting old.  And just saying the “f” word over and over isn’t funny – or serious – or even necessary – but they do it anyway.  I guess I was hoping for a humorous look at turning 40 and trying to deal with it and keeping everything in the right perspective.  This just felt BORING and stupid and all of the jokes felt completely forced.  Maybe it was too much like real life as some people know it?  I don’t know.  I’m just glad it’s over!

Django Unchained

I’ve never been that impressed with Quentin Tarantino or his films, but after watching this one, I may have to go back and watch some of his earlier works.  Django Unchained had me hooked from the opening scenes – I wanted to know how everything was going to work out for all of the characters as soon as I heard their stories.  Christoph Waltz plays Dr. King Schultz, a German dentist that has turned bounty hunter who frees Django, a slave played by Jamie Foxx, so he could help pursue his previous owners who are now wanted.  Just that would have been interesting enough for the movie, but after working together for a while and realizing what a good team they make, they set out to find Django’s wife.  She had been lost to the slave trade and is now at a plantation owned by Calvin Candie, who is portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio.  If they’re going to rescue her from “Candie Land,” they must devise a plan to help her escape without getting caught or even killed.  There’s plenty of blood and gore and graphic violence and language throughout, which I would expect from Tarantino, but it never really felt like too much.  I just found myself completely engrossed in the movie and enjoyed it!  A lot!!!

Django Unchained

I am not a fan of Quentin Tarantino, so when my husband wanted to watch this movie – I just rolled my eyes and kept reading my book.  But, to my surprise, it wasn’t too bad and it actually had a storyline that captured my attention.  But let me say – if you’re familiar with Tarantino’s work – then you know what to expect.  The movie ran long – 165 minutes!!  In one sense, I felt it was an over-written, over-acted and over-the-top miniseries that dragged on for an hour too long.  The music was odd, the language would probably turn most people off and if it didn’t, the violence would.  Tarantino’s movies are not butterflies and cotton candy – he usually comes in with hard core, hit you in the face, punch you in the gut type of films.  This one delivers all that.  Lots of blood splattering everywhere in gun fights, tons of the “n” word, and lots of depictions of abuse to slaves - but that’s what this movie is about.  It’s about slavery, it’s about the plantation owners who bought and sold slaves and their lack of being treated as humans.  But, aside from the bottom line . . . it was an entertaining film, as odd as that may seem.  Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz stole the show.  They did an outstanding job and I absolutely loved their characters and how they played them.  They were the best part of the movie.  This could’ve been a really good western had he wanted to go that way but for what it was . . . I actually did like it a lot!

(Just an F.Y.I. - Christoph Waltz won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Quentin Tarantino also won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for best screenplay for Django Unchained among other awards).


The Bible (2013 mini-series)

The History Channel just presented a 5 week, 10 part mini-series on the Bible on TV.  The married producers, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey wanted something new and fresh that would capture audiences of this generation.  Well, they succeeded - it was the number one rated show on Sunday nights in March. They broke it up into 5 different stories from the Old and New Testaments.  It felt like you were watching a blockbuster movie!  The acting, the sets, the whole “feel” of the mini-series just took my breath away and I was enthralled each night with the stories.  My personal favorites were from the New Testament – the stories of Jesus.  They were very emotional and moving and I felt like the cast did an outstanding job as they presented Jesus’ story from the nativity, through the Last Supper, crucifixion, resurrection, and the days that followed after He descended into Heaven.  On a personal note – I agreed with “most” of the way the stories were told.  They did take some liberties with people, names, and situations as the Bible presented them, but, by and large, I could let it go because it didn’t take away from what the story was.   The whole point of the mini-series was to tell the Bible and I think they accomplished that.  I still found it to be very powerful, well done and I would recommend it.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I went into this movie expecting a bunch of fluff.  That was NOT what I got!  And I’m glad.  The story centers around Charlie, who is in his freshman year in high school.  He’s kind of a lonely teenager trying to fit in and do things most other teenagers want to do, but also dealing with life’s issues that keep getting in his way – everything from going to his first party or getting his first kiss to much larger things like death, mental illness and childhood abuse.  He’s not out to save the world or be the most popular or lose his virginity like the usual “teen” movies – he just wants to be normal and try to enjoy his time in high school.  Lucky for him, he meets some seniors that take him under their wing and help him learn to “live” life.  Along the way, he finds out what’s really important in his life and how good it is to enjoy it all while you are experiencing it instead of looking back at everything.  There was a definite Breakfast Club vibe to the movie, but it takes place over a school year and there are more serious issues to deal with for all of them.  I felt like this movie was VERY relatable in a lot of ways!  The movie wasn’t always serious, there were some lighthearted moments, too – things to remind you what high school can be about.  I really did like this movie – it was much more than I was expecting!