Cybertoad's Blog

I owe you a bunch of movie reviews!! All of these were from Netflix…

The Squid & The Whale: OK, I read decent reviews and I like the actors so I gave this artsy-fartsy film a try. It was not as great as I had hoped for but it was also not as bad as it could have been. Still, the issue of an awkward divorce between progressive, intellectual parents is predictably painful to watch. Throw in teenage kids into the mix and you get a nice recipe for some f*cked up situations. Suffice to say that the twelve year is way more sexually aware than I cared to see on film. I am torn on whether or not to recommend it. The characters are well thought out and developed and you do leave with some strong feelings about each individual and the acting is realistic and well-done. Still, this is not a feel good movie probably because there is nothing fairy tale about it. It’s life as is, not packaged with a neat resolution. Then again, it also veers towards a little bit of the bizarre and I doubt you’ll meet too many families like this since they are stereotypically over-thought and a little too deliberate. Can you tell I’m indecisive about this?

Autumn Spring: Another foreign flick in Kenny’s queue. This one is about a Czech retiree. I was only half-paying attention when I watched this but essentially the main character is this lovable grandpa who has his eccentricities and loves life. He also likes to pretend he is something he is not and enjoys pulling minor scams on unsuspecting individuals. He uses his adorable grandpa-ness for some truly harmless fun. Unfortunately, his wife is the complete opposite. She is penny-pincher and his antics exasperate her, especially since he is always giving money away. You can predict what happens, she forces him to change on threat of leaving him and he acquiesces only to become a shell of man he was. A bit predictable but very enjoyable to watch and see that senior citizens are the same anywhere in the world. I recommend it if you don’t mind reading sub-titles.

Chicken Little: I finally watched this. What can I say? It’s extremely short – less than 1 1/2 hours – and it is well animated. It’s a cute version of an old story and a great watch for kids, especially younger ones since the story is very basic and it is so short. Great for toddlers to watch before bedtime on a weekend night or when the baby-sitter comes over…

Snatch: A British film by Guy Ritchie with Brad Pitt thrown in as essentially British trailer trash. The movie is about boxers and a diamond heist gone wrong. A dark comedy with a series of botched events that although a bit violent and gritty do somehow have you laughing. Again, I didn’t pay full attention while I was watching it but I think I ended up liking it more than I had anticipated.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada: Wow. Tommy Lee Jones hardly smiles in this film set in far West Texas. He is so dark and serious and focused, it actually starts to get on my nerves. It was labeled as a “dark comedy” but there were only a couple of laughing points. Most of the film was somber and dreary. The movie is essentially a series of flashbacks that reveal to you the untimely death of Melquiades, the consequent three burials and the relationship he had with Tommy Lee Jones’ character. Not a movie to watch with the kids and although well-acted, it was drawn out a bit too much. Almost every character introduced had issues that made them weak and spineless and it was hard to care for anyone except the dead man. A bit draining to watch but if you are into Tommy Lee Jones or into modern-day Westerns, you’d probably like it. By the way, Jones also directed this film.

The Wedding Crashers: Wow. How friggin’ predictable. Entertaining but thought-provoking it was not. *sigh* Nothing else to say on this one…