At the movies

Here's some of the movies we've seen recently.


ONCE - Billed and self-described as a "contemporary musical," ONCE is a small budget independent from Dublin, Ireland. Following basically the same story as LOST IN TRANSLATION, it's the story of two people who have a chance meeting one day, begin to bond romantically, and then try to figure out what comes next. The characters are genuine, and the story is warm. However, the star of the show is the music. Take the standard musical about love found and love lost, and then take out all the song and dance numbers. That's what ONCE is all about. Two people...an acoustic guitar...and a piano. That's it. In fact, at times it's more like watching a lengthy music video than a movie. And it works beautifully. The music stays in your head long after you've watched it. Great movie!


WAITRESS - Just like JUNO restores your faith in film, WAITRESS will also leave a lasting impression on you. You will think twice about watching any more movies in the future...EVER! This is such a bad movie, I don't know where to begin. The trailer makes you believe WAITRESS is a romantic comedy. However, the movie is filled with people who all cheat on their spouses and have affairs, a jealous husband who beats and abuses his wife, and an expectant mother who hates her unborn child and doesn't want to have it. I'm being serious. This movie is very dark and depressing. I felt bad for Jenny because she wanted to see it, but she felt the same way I did. Definately not what we expected.


THE GROOMSMEN - As I mentioned in an earlier entry, Edward Burns can write and direct some interesting small-budget movies. However, this really isn't one of his better ones. It's basically the story of a bunch of old high school friends who reunite for a friend's wedding. Mainly they're all disappointed in the turns their lives have taken, and all secretly long for the good ol' days. But they all trek on by sticking together. There are some interesting moments here, but for the most part this is not one of Edward's best.


JUNO - Let's face it...there's more crappy movies out there than good ones. That's why you have to feel good when once in a while you catch a real gem like JUNO. It's the kind of movie that stays with you long after you've left the theater. It leaves a smile on your face, and restores your faith in film. It's a simple story of a teenage girl who mistakenly gets pregnant, and how she's forced to confront the situation and make the best of it. It tackles a serious subject with warmth and humor, and Ellen Page as Juno just makes the movie. What a great film! I would say it's close to perfection as an independent movie can get.


SICKO - My respect for Michael Moore has diminished over the years. However, I have to admit I've seen all of his documentaries. I can remember watching his first one (ROGER & ME) in college thinking the guy was a documentary genius. Then a decade later I watched BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and just shook my head at how slanted he had become. Anyway, for those of you who don't know SICKO is Moore's attack of the health care system in the U.S., and HMO's. Politically speaking I'm not at all in favor of a national health care policy, but boy...Moore sure does paint a pretty picture about what it could be like. The first half of the movie I felt myself slowly being swayed, but the last half of the movie Moore departs from the health care argument and practically calls for the U.S. to become all things socialist. Like all Moore movies, there are facts to take in here...but you have to filter out all the half-truths. It's worth watching, but you have to stay on your toes.


SUNSHINE - It's the future and the sun is dying, so a crew fly on a giant spaceship to reignite the sun with a nuclear device. While the story sounds utterly rediculous, it does hold your interest for at least the first 2/3 of the movie. There's a little bit of 2001 here, mixed with 2010, SOLARIS, and a little EVENT HORIZON. But for the most part I liked this one for one simple reason...if there was a movie that was made for the Blu-Ray format it's this one. It is just beautiful to watch in some parts.