Saturday, February 10, 2007

The Good, the Bad and the ... Really Bad.

I watch so many movies that "watching bad movies" is one of the pastimes I list on my Friendster, MySpace and Orkut accounts..sad I know. This year has been no exception. Usually around Oscar season I'll completely head-over-heels fall in love with a movie and tell everyone about it. Last time this happened was 2005 when I saw MILLION DOLLAR BABY. Still to this day, one of my all-time faves. I could watch it over and over.

This year, however...ehh. Let's go through the list of movies nominated for some Oscar or another:
BABEL - I went in expecting great things. Brad Pitt! Cate Blanchett! Gael Garcia Bernal! Usually these people do great work...and maybe this movie is great. I just didn't get it. What was it about? Politics? Guns? Be nice to your kids? I just didn't understand it at all. Everyone is saying that Rinko Kikuchi is a shoo-in as the dumb/deaf Japanese teenager, but I just thought her character was weird and kind of scary actually. What did other people think who saw this?

DREAMGIRLS - I wanted to love this movie. I heard so many great things about it. Jennifer Hudson! The songs! Eddie Murphy! And yes, the songs were good...I did feel a few of them went on a bit too long though. The costumes were out of this world...what I wouldn't give for those dresses and hairdos...but the movie overall? Predictable, I felt. Though, Eddie Murphy was pretty damn amazing.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS - Now this movie I did like a lot. Such lows and such highs. It really leaves you with a feeling of "I can do anything I put my mind to." And I believe this is the best Will Smith has ever been. I liked it, but don' know if I can see it over and over.

THE DEPARTED: Good movie! Very cool story and acting, but the language was pretty strong, almost distracting and I don't think I quite *got* the ending. But overall, I liked this movie. Again, a watch-once, not a own-forever.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA - I LOVED THIS MOVIE! The outfits! Meryl! Paris! Ahh, loved it. I think this may be my favorite movie of 2006. I am buying the DVD as soon as it comes out. I saw it twice in theatres. Loved it.

WATER - This is Canada's entry to the Oscars . Great movie. This story about widows at an asham in India will stick with you for a long time. I still think about the ending of this movie with shivers...


Movies I really really really want to see next:
CARS and VOLVER. Not a single soul has said they didn't like these movies.

Movies I kinda want to see: THE QUEEN, PAN'S LABRYNTH, NOTES ON A SCANDAL....Maybe I'll catch a matinee tomorrow....

;)
Dona Sarkar-Mishra
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6 comments:

stephhale said...

Dona,
I couldn't agree more! I really missed going to the movies when our kids came, but the last few weeks we've rented about eight movies. The ONLY one good one was Little Miss Sunshine. I couldn't believe it. I am looking forward to renting Stranger than Fiction since you blogged about it. I did enjoy Devil Wears Prada, which is out now, btw.
My kids got Cars and they didn't even sit through the whole thing so I guess they weren't too impressed.
I don't know, I still love the 80's movies like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Can't Buy Me Love, St. Elmo's Fire, etc. It just doesn't seem like they make em like that anymore. sigh.....

xo,
Steph
www.stephaniehale.com

TinaFerraro said...

Dona, I think it's great you're so on top of the movies. Like Steph, for me it's everything on DVD, and lately, my husband and I have been in "series" mode, like back-to-back episodes of 24, The Sopranos, Grey's Anatomy, etc., which puts me even further back on current movies. But I do have all the Oscar titles in my Netflix queue for when they come out, and I'll check back on your thoughts after I watch each one.

Tina

www.tinaferraro.com

Dona Sarkar-Mishra said...

Steph: I thought STRANGER THAN FICTION was so funny...you could tell all the writers in the audience, that's for sure! I saw it with Christina Arbini and she and I kept giving each other knowing glances when the author did weird things for "inspiration".

Tina: I've become a total series junkie on Netflix too! Right now I have Season 1 Veronica Mars which I'm liking...can't believe I didn't catch this the first time around...I like the instant gratification of seeing the next episode asap though.

:)

Me said...

I am so impressed that you've seen all the nominated movies. I love going to movies, but as my life has been crazy hectic for the last eighteen months it's been impossible. In that time I've seen (in movie theatres): Devil Wears Prada (loved!), You Me and Dupree (better than I expected), John Tucker Must Totally (totally fun), and Night At The Museum (hilarious!!!).

I'm definitely going to more movies this year. #1 on my list? Music and Lyrics. (How can you go wrong with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore?)

TLC

Marley Gibson said...

Has anyone seen the new Jennifer Garner movie...CATCH AND RELEASE? The critics have been merciless on it, but it looked cute. Any thoughts?

Marley = )
http://www.marleygibson.com

Simone Elkeles said...

I also want to see Catch and Release, it looks cute. I hated that Julia Roberts movie a couple of years ago where she's a photographer...the critics raved and my husband and I were wondering if we should leave half way through, we hated it. So I tend to like what critics hate. I'm going to see Catch and Release.

Liked Devil wears Prada a lot. I haven't been to a movie in a LONG time.

~Simone Elkeles
www.simoneelkeles.com