Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[LSPoorEeyorick]

So far this weekend...

Away We Go
A charming but a confused pregnant couple goes on a journey to figure out not just where to raise their baby, but how to raise their baby.

This little gem of an emotional comedy was not well-reviewed but neither Tom nor I agreed with the points the reviewers were making. It made me laugh, right out loud, and frequently. At moments it became so wonderful and fragile and thoughtful. A common complaint was that the film was mean-spirited in its comedy, but I thought it was no more so than your standard comedy. I loved it. A lot.

We went to see it primarily because it was the first screenplay written by my favorite modern author (Dave Eggers, "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius") and his wife (Vendela Vida "Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name") - they are the co-founders of literacy/tutoring non-profit, 826 Valencia (and locally, 826 L.A.) The film was directed by someone I don't always like (Sam Mendes) and it starred someone I adore (John Krasinski) and someone I didn't know I adored (Maya Rudolph.) Plus a huge slew of wonderful supporting characters played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels, Melanie Lynsky and others.

See it, and ignore the reviews.

Night at the Museum II
If you feel compelled towards family-type films, this is a harmless one. Diverting. Mostly notable is the charming Amy Adams as a tarty (almost Katherine Hepburn-like) Amelia Earhart. My love for her knows no bounds (and I can't wait for "Julie and Julia" later this summer.)

Angels and Demons
Similarly diverting. It kept my attention through its two and a half hours. I hadn't read the book, but I admit I enjoyed the etymology and puzzles within DaVinci Code (book, not movie so much) and that kind of thing followed here.

The Hangover
I worked on the website so I may be slightly biased, but I found this to be fun and pretty consistently amusing. Especially Zach Galifianakis, whose awkward creepiness was good for many of the laughs. If you enjoy Vegas comedy, or the "dude-where's-my" genre, definitely check it out.

Drag Me to Hell
I can tell that this movie is fun, gory, gross horror. It unfortunately might've been too soon to watch a horror movie; a few things started bringing back some bad memories I'm valiantly trying not to think about, so I don't think it was exactly a good experience for me. But if you love retro-style thrills and gross-out horror, you'll probably really enjoy it.