Movie Reviews

We still love going to the movies and have been able to work in a movie each of the past two weekends.Gene chose both movies so my expectation of "action flicks" was fulfilled.

The first was Source Code with Jake Gyllenhaal.I found the constant return to the scene of the train crash unbearable at times, but noted that the terror of the crash diminished with each return to the scene. I will give this movie a thumbs up as it does work on several levels. It is an interesting concept and it took me a little while to figure out the main character's state of being.The ending? I was not a science major and do not like having to think in terms of quantum physics to determine plot twists. So, while thought provoking, the conclusion did not have me talking about the ending more than the ride home. Gene loved Source Code.

This past weekend we used a free movie ticket, courtesy of the Regal Crown Card, and only had to purchase a second ticket to spend a comfortable Sunday evening with The Adjustment Bureau. I enjoy Matt Damon more than Jake Gyllenhaal so this was my favorite of the two movies. This movie also layers messages, but I figured out the references 10 minutes into the movie. The next 30 minutes were spent trying to stay awake despite mainlining 20 ounces of Diet Dr. Pepper. Finally the caffiene began coursing through my blood stream and I was able to engage in the "will they or won't they be allowed free will and spend their lives together" plot with eyes wide open.

Please, my free will would have been difficult to rein in and I would have told Matt Damon to get lost after all the times he left me hanging over the years. And was that not Will Smith's cousin or some close relation? I give this movie a thumbs up compared to the rest of the current crop of movies. Gene liked this one as well.

I say I have done my duty and it is my turn to select the next movie. I choose Water for Elephants. I hope the producers do not mess up this one. At least, I really liked the book. Sarah Gruen is a decent writer and produces enough material to keep me satisfied. Not every book can be the "Great American Novel." In fact, the "Great American Novel" was a movie (in the opinion of my 12th grade English teacher, Mr. Frank Austell).

Yes, my AP English teacher, sat on the front of his desk one Monday morning and said "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have seen the Great American Novel" as he launched into a description of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky. So, we went on a field trip the next afternoon to see Rocky then wrote essay after essay that week comparing the story line to various works of literature. I discovered Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night in the 9th grade and have yet to be persuaded it is not the Great American Novel. Yet, Mr. Austell's description of Rocky remains with me to this day.

I know, but you have to place yourself in that time. It was the winter of 1977 and the only decent sequel, Rocky 2, was more than a year away. The horror of Rocky 3, 4, and 5 had not yet been devised ( I think Adrienne only had one line in each of those sequels: Rocky, you can't win!). The Rambo movies were still a gleam in Stallone's brain. Watch Rocky again some time, it is a really good movie and stands alone.