June Movie Review

Wow, we watched eight movies last month! Considering that we only watched four the month before, I'd say that's quite a feet! Although I know why....our regular tv shows are on break (but here's the odd part, aside from Lost I can't remember what the shows were!). Anyway, here are the movies we watched last month:

1. Much Ado About Nothing - This was the 1993 version with Emma Thompson and (her then husband) Kenneth Branagh, oh and let's not forget (Mr. Wonderful!) Denzel Washington! Anyway, I've always enjoyed this version of Shakespeare's play. It's one of his humorous plays and is fun to watch (once you get into the groove of listening to old English speech). Of course I recommend it!

2. Twelfth Night - Another Shakespeare play. The synopsis on Blockbuster Online said it was a humorous play, but we didn't quite get the humor. The main plot line is about mistaken identity, about brother and sister twins that are separated during a storm while at sea. As I said, the humor escaped us. It was more strange than funny. Let's just say, I don't find humor in a woman thinking she's attracted to what she thinks is a man but really is a woman disguised as a man. Ewe. Overall the movie was ok.

3. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Yep, another Shakespearean play. But the trend ends here. We have seen this on an actual stage and I read it back in my high school drama class. It was entertaining in it's strange way of storytelling. What else can I say? It's Shakespeare with big-name actors!

4. In America - This one caught me by surprise and Ryan and I both liked it. It's about a family of four that immigrates to America from Ireland and end up in New York. They struggle to find housing and jobs as the couple raise their two girls. The family meet colorful characters in the building they live in and people they work with. I enjoyed the character developement and storyline. I would recommend this one. (although I did have to glance away from the screen for one scene - so you've been warned, if you choose to see it).

5. On Golden Pond - A classic! I had never seen it but always heard it was good. Didn't it win awards the year it came out? I'm sure it did, it was good. I always enjoy a film that developes its characters so you feel like you know them. I enjoyed watching Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda. Their characters were like watching a real couple bicker! But the movie isn't so much about thier relationship as the one they have with thier daughter who purposely stays away as much as possible. So the daughter shows up with her boyfriend and his son. Let's just say that Fonda's character makes it difficult for anyone to get along with. Well, I'll just leave it there, you go see the rest to find out what happens (if you haven't already seen it).

6. The Count of Monte Cristo - Ahhhh....good movie! I've seen the older version with Richard Chamberlin but thought I'd give a more updated version a try. I'm glad I did. This one had James Caviezal as the main character, and I think I like him. It's about a man who is betrayed and locked in an island prison never to be seen or heard from again. This happens right before he is to be married to his love. How tragic! After a few years in prison, a tunneling would-be escapee takes a wrong turn and ends up in Caviezals cell. They join efforts to tunnel out as the other man educates him (sword fighting, reading, reasoning and just plain makes him smart). Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, his fiancee marries his best friend! The plot thickens after his narrow escape. After that....well, you'll just have to rent the movie to find out!

7. Everything Is Illuminated - We saw this movie back in October of 2006, remember? It was one of those movies where we picked up a couple humorous lines and repeat them to each other to make the other laugh. We felt it was time to see it again. It did not disappoint.

8. Definitely, Maybe - **Caution, spoiler ahead** I thought this would be a lighthearted romantic comedy. No harm in that, right? By industry standards that is what this movie was, and although it did have humour and romance, in the end I fail to see any of it. Basically, the movie is about a father (who is recently divorced) telling his daughter about how he and his now ex-wife (the daughter's mother) met, fell in love, got married. He decides to tweak the story a bit and changes the names of three ladies he dated as well as a few details so that his daughter would not know who her mother was in the story. He makes it a mystery for her and she has to figure out who she was/is. After he is finished with the story and doesn't tell her which of the three ladies he married, the daughter figures it out. Just when you think that maybe the retelling of the story will soften his heart to his ex, he walks away from his daughter and his ex (a custody drop off of the child situation). Later, the daughter decides that her dad really loved another woman all along, so she helps him seek her out and mend the broken relationship and all is happy. The whole time I'm thinking/hoping that the movie resolves itself with a restoration of the marriage. It doesn't. And they say that the daughter is happy about this. This is so far from reality. I don't know what child would ever be happy in a situation like that! Divorce is destructive and hurtful to everyone in the family, especially children! In reality the daughter would be angry with her father for loving another woman, let alone having a possible step-mother in the future. It's wrong and a load of crap! Ok, I'll just stop with that, because I could go on and on. Do I recommend this? Um, no.

On that happy note, this is the conclusion of our June movies. Hopefully July will be a more uplifting month. Stay tuned!