Two reviews, one day. Aren't you blessed?
Gnomeo and Juliet
(Viewed on Mother's Day, mid-pm, while Daddy was watching the MAVS kick some LAKER butt. OH YEAH!)
I was originally completely annoyed with Gnomeo and Juliet because it had the audacity to leave Studio Movie Grill on Thursday. We found this out on Friday morning at the box office.
Once it hit the dollar theater in Plano, I got over that real quickly. Seats for four for under $15 for a 3D movie? SCORE.
Yes, this is a remake of Romeo and Juliet. Happily, Shakespeare even makes an appearance. Which, I hope leads some kids to actually wonder enough about the story to read the bard's goods.
"Cute" is the operative word here. Couple that with "clever" and "witty" and you have a fun movie about finding love when/where you least expect it.
I think you could use this as a springboard for conversation with your seven-plus crowd on disobedience. Seems there just aren't enough gnomes in this world to help teach that lesson, are there?
I'd give it a couple of thumbs-up for a a family movie night. Parents will be entertained enough and the kids will fall head-over for the little garden guys. Especially the one with the sunburn and the Borat-inspired bathing suit (GADS).
127 Hours
(Viewed Mother's Day, pm. High of the MAVS game had almost warn off Mike and I was coming off the buzz of getting a 30 minute nap courtesy of children who were in time-out thanks to crappy behavior.)
I already knew the story going in, having seen Aron Ralston on "Dateline NBC". Let's just say, I had a new appreciation for "nerves" after watching the interview. More aptly phrased: heebee-jeebees.
Watching the movie was like watching the Titanic sink: you know what is coming from the beginning but somehow, some way, you just keep thinking "It's not going to happen. It will turn around. I'm not going to have to watch this, really." But, you keep watching and it does happen.
The very last scene in the canyon, when Aron summons the courage to amputate his arm was gut-wretching for me. Interestingly, I thought I'd have trouble watching the gore, but that wasn't what threw it into a Kleenex-fest; it was the REASON Aron was able to overcome death in the canyon, which I immediately attributed to God's good grace.
I won't ruin the rest of the movie by telling you where Aron is now. I'll let you find out for yourself.
This was a well-acted movie, almost solely crafted by James Franco. Those of you who find him heart-throbbish will find him a little less-so in this movie because, let's be honest, he's spending several hours pushing the limits of dying. Ain't nobody can make THAT look pretty. But, the praise he received at awards time was warranted, purty or no.
I also have to give kudos to the director, who chose to film this movie in very interesting ways: looking at the amount of water in the dwindling supply from the bottom up, demonstrating the issue with Aron's first attempt at amputation from what seemed to be a kid's artistic rendering, taking the viewer through hallucinations as if they were so, very real. The use of tri-screens in many scenes left me wishing I could see everything at once. The scenery just didn't cease to be beautiful.
Another two thumbs-up, with a side of Kleenex for the last ten minutes of the story or so. If you have a squeamish stomach or don't like the sight of blood or would pass out if you watched your wife deliver a baby, take your pansy-butt to Gnomeo and Juliet instead.
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