Day: February 27, 2016

A good second viewing, though I had to keep reminding myself that Margo Roth Spiegelman would soon exit stage left and leave me to enjoy the movie.*  I enjoy watching the boys hanging out in this movie, and how true the end-of-high school emotions are.  And wouldn’t the Fault in Our Stars have been a different (and much better movie) if Mr. Nat Wolff had gotten the part of Augustus Waters?

Cost: free from library.
Where watched: at home with Matt. Film 4 of 3 of today’s scheduled Movie Palooza. (Matt and I were supposed to go on a date, but there was car trouble and he had a copy of this movie, so we watched it.)

*Didn’t like the character in the book and her translation to the screen didn’t do anything for me, either.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/index.html
I think this was one of those Fathom Events promotions, but it looks cool, so I put it up.

I’m going on record as saying that I remember my family watching this on VHS in 1987 and finding it hilarious.*  And while it wasn’t knee-slapping funny, I laughed throughout this viewing. If you are amused by two middle-aged men bumbling through the desert, you will quite possibly like this movie, especially if you ignore all the film-critic baggage that has attached itself to this picture.

Cost: $2.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home on the tablet.  Film 3 of 3 of today’s scheduled Movie Palooza.

*So much so that I can still sing the “Tellin’ the Truth” song from the soundtrack.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/index.html

Eh, it was a little bit too “dramatic novel” and there was a little too much scene chewing by Eva Green.  There were also two abrupt shifts in perspective–one of which explained a key plot point–that were confusing.*  Although this also has a female who is in charge of her sexuality with none of the usual consequences, so that was a plus.**

Cost:  free from library.
Where watched. At home. Film 2 of 3 of today’s scheduled Movie Palooza.

*If 98% of the movie is from the main character’s perspective, and two scenes aren’t, does that mean the main character doesn’t know those scenes have happened and thus doesn’t know that key plot reveal?
**Also, much like Jennifer Lawrence, Shailene Woodley is fun to watch.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/index.html

So my mild infatuation with Oscar Issac continues.*  I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of this movie, as it was quite good–tense in all the right places.  It’s based on a Patricia Highsmith novel, and follows the usual pattern.

Cost: Free from library.
Where watched: at home.  Film 1 of 3 of today’s scheduled Movie Palooza.**

*And who doesn’t like a side of Viggo Mortensen?
**Side note.  When I watched the movie Frank, I was intrigued by the preview for this movie and White Bird in a Blizzard, the next film in today’s Movie Palooza.  I was amused to notice the previews for this movie and the next all played a small game of rotating through each other.  This had Frank and White Bird.  While White Bird had this and Frank.  Magnolia Pictures was pushing all the same movies at the same time.