Movies

I've been in provo virtually all alone for about 5 days in total over this break. Without roommates, friends, or Dan I've been watching a lot {I mean A LOT} of netflix as of late. I also saw a handful of movies while I was home. Not all the movies I watched were new to me, not all were that good. One of my new years resolutions is to try to write something everyday so for today I'm going to review the movies I've been watching the past few weeks.

Dumbo- classic Disney that I think I now have only seen twice in my life. This movie is not my favorite Disney movie by far. It's short and has a very thin plot even for a kids movie. It's fun to watch old movies though because there are so many things that we can't get away with now. Like naming crow who is supposed to obviously portray a black man "Jim". Overall this is probably my least favorite movie I watched over break but now I know what it's about and can talk about the crazy scene where Dumbo gets drunk.

James and the Giant Peach- It is amazing to me how Tim Burton didn't entirely freak me out as a kid. I LOVED James and the Giant Peach as a kid but looking back I should have been entirely frightened. Giant bugs? Robotic shark? Horrifying aunts? Definitely some frightening stuff. Aside from that it's a really incredible movie. Especially for how old it is. Still like it- don't love it. I'll make my kids read the book {I'll have to read it too} and watch the movie just for fun.

How to Steal a Million- I love Audrey Hepburn movies. I really do. She is so classy. I also love old movies. They have such better plots, better twists. I feel like I can usually predict the plots of movies now and it's so annoying. In old movies they really thought about what the plot was and made it difficult to guess. They're just so exciting! This one was my favorite movie I watched on netflix this break. It's about an con artist- literally- this guy is selling fake paintings and sculptures. His daughter (Audrey) is trying to set him on the straight and narrow when someone comes to steal one of his paintings. Audrey ends up letting the burglar go and solicits his help to steal a fake sculpture her father sold to a museum. It's awesome.

Sleep Walk With Me- This one was written and produced by This American Life host- Ira Glass and a contributor I don't know his name. Essentially this guy and his girlfriend have been dating 7+ years and he's terrified of marriage. He's a horrible comedian starting to get gigs around the country. As he is working him and his girlfriend start getting more serious about marriage and he starts sleep walking- actually acting out his dreams and ends up jumping out a window. I thought this movie would be better... unfortunately it wasn't. I was disappointed but the movie wasn't horrible. I'd probably give it a 3/5 stars and never watch it again on my own time.

Lincoln- I loved this movie. Such great acting, incredible script. I think this will win all the grammies and other awards along with Les Mis. It was funny, it was intelligent, it was deep, it was suspenseful, it was everything you wanted it to be and MORE. The more is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. If someone had told me JGL was in it I would have gone opening day. 4.5/5 stars {nothing gets 5/5}

Les Misérables- I dreamed a dream and this movie was the dream I dreamed it would be. Other than Russell Crow... sad. And Jean Valjean kind of wasn't the best but you know what he tried and did actually a very good job considering he's not a singer. But really who knew that Anne Hathaway could sing???!? She was INCREDIBLE, her best work to date in my opinion and I'm a biiiig Anne Hathaway fan. Eponine was incredible as well but she's a professional broadway singer so no suprise there. Marius was great, and extremely adorable. Loved him- didn't love Amanda Seyfried but that's really only because I don't love Cosset. She did a great job hitting those high notes though. WOW. 4.5/5 stars. No question now that I have to read the book.  

The Hobbit- I thought I wouldn't like this movie. I didn't really get into LOTR and I've never read the book but my mom wanted to see it so I went with the family. So I was wrong, okay. I liked it. I was surprised and drawn into what was going to happen. It was visually stunning. I did get dizzy a couple of times... too much moving the camera I think. It was great though, loved it. Annoyed as heck though that it's 3 movies.

We Bought a Zoo- such a cute family movie. I really like this one. The little girl I'm pretty sure is paid to be adorable and she earned her money. Matt Damon is a sweet father and I actually don't mind Scarlet Johansen in this one. Cute story, GREAT MUSIC by Jonsi, and the animals are fun. It's a great family movie.

The Graduate- didn't like it, didn't like the plot, didn't like the actors, liked the music. Plot was weird, weak, and not very well thought out. Creepy. I want to know what happens next though. Are they happy? Did she have to get her marriage annulled? Don't understand why it's a classic but people are entitled to their own opinion. (also should be rated PG-13 AT LEAST. Definitely not PG)

That's all the movies for now but Dan doesn't get home until Saturday so I'm watching more as the week goes on

xx