April Movie Madness!

Fences

8/10

A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life

This movie was very good and very thought provoking. It's the type of movie my parents would love and that I'll have to have them watch some day. You can definitely tell it was based on a play because there's a lot of talking and not a lot of action, and there are only about three settings in the whole movie: the backyard, the inside of the house, and the front porch. Even so, since I'll (most likely) never see it on Broadway, and neither will a lot of other people, it makes sense that they would make it into a movie too. And despite being obviously influenced by the theater, it was engaging to watch and listen to. Parts of it remind me of stories my parents and grandparents have told me about growing up. There were some parts where I leaned over to Marina and said "That's exactly what my dad would say". At the same time, anyone who watches it can see that it's a very complex story about what it means to be a good man and a good father, and what is important in the life of a family. It's a movie that I feel should be watched in school and discussed with others because there's a lot to be said about it. It will definitely have me thinking for the next few days.

All Saints

7/10

This movie is set to be released in August. I got the chance to view a preview screening of this film during the EPA Convention in Chicago. 

ALL SAINTS is based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all.

The fact that I got to watch this movie before it's even released in theaters was SO AWESOME. Honestly though, that's probably the most awesome part about this movie. It's not bad. In fact the storyline is really intriguing and timely and great material for a movie. I just feel like, once again, the Christian film industry played it way way too safe with this film. My favorite thing about this movie is that the church in the movie is the real life church where this happened, and some of the refugees in the movie were the actual refugees that came to the church to ask for help! What I didn't like were all the been-there-done-that quotes about God and Christianity, and the annoying amount of cheesy acting. I think this story is so interesting and had so much potential, but the production just fell flat and boring for me.

Belle

10/10

The mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle in 18th century England.

This is what movies should be. This movie is literally the epitome of what I consider my "style" of movie. It's historical, it's beautiful, it has romance, but that's not the main plot line, it tackles issues, it's based on a true story. It was just amazing. Two things annoyed me about it, but they weren't big enough things to dock off any points. The first thing: why is it called Belle? Her name is nothing close to Belle. There's nothing about this movie that has anything to do with the name Belle? Okay, so I just googled it and discovered that the girl the story is based on was named Dido Elizabeth Belle. So now I'm annoyed at the fact that the girl in the movie is named Dido Elizabeth LINDSAY. Basically I'm confused about the whole naming situation. The other annoying thing is that maybe I'm going blind, but the words on the screen that said what happened after the story ended were really hard to read. I find a twisted sense of pride in saying I have 20/20 vision, but I was straining hardcore to read those little captions. So maybe my 20/20 is slipping? Anyway, that's all the negative stuff I have to say. Now on to the positives.

-A period drama where the MAN IS ALLOWED TO HAVE EMOTIONS

-The fact that this is based on a true story?? That's amazing

-Their relationship was so #goals

-Why is Tom Felton so good at playing a butthole??

-I got serious Princess and the Frog vibes from the relationship between Dido and Elizabeth

-Period dramas just have the coolest clothes and interior design and music and aesthetic

-THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER!!!! SO PRECIOUS

Two Weeks Notice

8.5/10

A lawyer decides that she's used too much like a nanny by her boss, so she walks out on him.

This movie is the absolute perfect (if somewhat stereotypical) specimen of the romantic comedy genre. Here's a list of all the things that make it such a great RomCom:

1.Sandra Bullock

2. Hugh Grant

3. She's quirky and down to earth, he's rich and snobby but has a good heart

4. They hate each other NO they love each other! Now they hate each other again, JUST KIDDING they actually loved each other all along

5. They're almost separated foreverrrrrrrrrrr but they're not

6. It has a million hilarious little witticisms that made me crack up

7. It takes place in a big city probably New York or Los Angeles, but there's also some random British characters!

I watched this movie with my friend Maddie and we burst out laughing at all the same ridiculous parts; that's when I knew we were meant to be friends. :)

Drishyam

8/10

Desperate measures are taken by a man who tries to save his family from the dark side of the law, after they commit an unexpected crime.

If you're willing to read subtitles for two hours and forty five minutes, this movie is actually totally worth it!!! That plot twist at the end had me at the edge of my seat--and then that OTHER plot twist had me wanting to give Vijay (the main character) a round of applause. When I think "Bollywood" I think cheesy, colorful, musical, overdramatic movies that I never quite understand. But this was an example of what really good Indian film can be like and made me realize that Bollywood encompasses more than just tacky superficial stuff. I don't typically like mystery/crime/intrigue type movies, but this movie totally captured my attention despite not being my favorite genre. My favorite thing about this movie was the fact that everything Vijay did, he learned from watching TV and movies. This gives me hope that if my mom ever accidentally murders someone, I'll be able to properly defend my family, because goodness knows I've watched enough TV and movies!

North & South

10/10

North & South is a splendid, four-hour adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's 19th century novel about an unlikely, and somewhat star-crossed, love between a middle-class young woman from England's cultivated south and an intemperate if misunderstood industrialist in a hardscrabble, northern city.

This is actually not a movie, but rather a four part mini series, so it's actually about four hours long in its entirety. If I had my way, however, it would be even longer, because it is absolutely phenomenal. I actually watched North & South once before, some time last year I believe, and I watched it on YouTube which was a lil illegal, and very sketchy, as there was a big white spot in the middle of the screen and parts of it were missing to avoid direct copyright infringement. Despite these less than stellar watching conditions (the white spot gave me a serious headache and was SUPER ANNOYING) I finished the whole thing because it was amazing. Then like I always do when I fall in love with something, I googled it hardcore and tried to discover everything about it. I found out it's based on a book, and I've been wanting to read the book ever since. Then for a while I kind of forgot about it. Then the other day I decided I really wanted to watch the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice again because that is, in my opinion, the best version ever. Unfortunately, Pride and Prejudice isn't available on Netflix, so it suggested other shows and movies to me that are considered "similar". North & South was on the list, so I was like "Oh yeah!! That! I want to watch that again!" I basically watched the whole thing in one day. It was totally worth it. 

Can we just appreciate Richard Armitage
in all his brooding glory?? <3

There's so much to love about North & South, I could talk about it all day. Since I don't have all day, I'll just say a few things. The thing that always entertains me so much about North & South is that though it's all propriety, all sternness and proper talk and the two main characters are trying their best to not reveal their emotions or say anything rash, the whole thing is also just so hilariously childish. They're like two kids that have crushes on each other but are too scared to tell the other because their friends don't approve of the match. And it's just so funny to me. You want to clonk their heads together and tell them they're being stupid and to just kiss already. And eventually in the end they do and it's perfect and adorable and definitely worth the four hour wait (gotta love a good slow burn romance). It is just so entertaining to me that throughout the whole show, they're both dealing with the stress of union strikes and starving children and losing money and the death of loved ones, and yet through it all they also can't stop thinking about each other. Because isn't that just so realistic too?? You should definitely be thinking of anything but your crush, because there are a million more important things going on in your life... but they're just so dreamy and perfect. Eye roll. LOL.

Also, there are some clear parallels between John Thornton and Mr. Darcy, which I obviously appreciate greatly. Truly, there are lots of parallels between North & South in its entirety and Pride & Prejudice. In fact, the proposal scene in North & South is every bit as passionate and feisty as that of Pride & Prejudice. Well worth the watch. 

Sunset Song

5/10

Spanning the 1910 decade, six years in the life of a girl named Chris, one of the numerous children of a tyrannical Scottish farmer. Years of high hopes and of disillusionment, of mirth and sorrow, of dreaming and toiling, of sweetness and violence, of love and hate, of peace and war. And in the end, the dignified loneliness of a new Chris, a woman who seems to have gone through several lives, now and forever as one with the land, the earth eternal...

This movie tried waayyyyy too hard to be artistic and meaningful. Which of course meant that it was also unnecessarily long. I have a few suggestions for scenes that could have easily been omitted to shave time off the movie, because these scenes added nothing to the development of the plot:1. The weird foot fetish scene. Completely unneeded, did not want to see that at all.

2. The scene where the three guys sit around a table singing some Scottish folk song out of sync and out of tune. My reaction to this scene was just confusion.

3. Any and all scenes of prolonged forlorn staring.

4. The part where the main girl is singing at her wedding...the groom didn't even look like he wanted to be there. It was awkward as all get out.

The "romance" was so awkward and cringey and the couple literally exchanged ten words before he asked her to marry him. Dumb. That being said, the guy was pretty cute, and I did appreciate that he was quite a bit shorter than the girl. That's definitely an unusual thing, particularly in movies. I also thought the wedding was really really cute. Her dress was SO pretty (it reminded me of Diana Barry's dress in Anne of Green Gables), the ceremony was in a barn that was decorated with wreaths which looked so cozy and quaint, and there was traditional Scottish dancing and music which was fun to watch.

 The whole movie reminded me of a Scottish version of Testament of Youth, which if you know my opinion of THAT movie, you'll know that's not a pleasant comparison. There are some movies that just sap you-- of everything, of all positive emotions, of all energy. That's what Testament of Youth and Sunset Song and other movies like them seem to do to me.

-VaughnDL