Did You Hear About the Morgans?, 2009 Romantic Comedy:
Review: This movie, written and directed by Marc Lawrence (who wrote Miss Congeniality and its sequel), followed the general American formula for romantic comedies-which didn’t work to its advantage. Although predictability in films is nice, it is sometimes better to have the formula mixed up a little to keep it fresh and seemingly new.
The acting was average but I think it mainly had to do with the extremely cheesy writing. The only part of the script that was really genuine and had impact was Grant’s wedding vow (I’m comfortable enough with my masculinity to say that I even smiled. But that’s it.) Anyway, Sam Elliot (The guy that looks like Mark Twain) and Mary Steenburgen (the mom from 4 Christmases, Step Brothers, and The Proposal) co-starred as the counter-couple that modeled what Grant and Parker should be doing in regards to their marriage.
The comedic lines seemed forced and I never got a sense of fluidity and naturally flowing conversation from the actors and actresses. Grant had a nice delivery but it seemed as if the dullness of everyone else was what made him appear to be so funny.
The shots of the Wyoming countryside were beautiful and juxtaposed against New York City, we are forced to see how the natural beauty of small-town America can cleanse even the worst problems from the big city. I don’t really go for that message because their are benefits and consequences for living in both types of areas.
I don’t regret watching this film, it served its purpose and gave a few laughs and a number of chuckles. I wouldn’t watch it again.
2.8/5
The Machinist, 2004, Thriller
Plot: The Machinist follows the life of blue collar worker Trevor Reznik who has a severe case of insomnia, having not slept for an entire year. He loses his grip on reality and the film is his struggle to gain it back.
Review: A very dark movie, metaphorically and literally. The entire film had a gritty feel and a blueish-gray hue to it. Christian Bale plays the lead and once again shows his acting chops by playing another character another side of the acting spectrum (He’s best known for playing Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, but you should also check him out in the Prestige and 3:10 to Yuma[2007 version]). He got ridiculously skinny for this role and looked exactly like you’d expect a guy who hasn’t slept in 365 days to look.
The film was directed by Brad Anderson, who’s done nothing of note since making this film. The story was as if Fight Club and Memento had a baby. Reznik carries the same monkey on his back as Ed Norton did but has a harder time believing in what he’s seeing. The link between the Machinist and these two movies is undeniable, but Anderson’s vision makes it worth watching. His spin on the matter seems much more realistic than [SPOILER ALERT] a guy creating a separate personality to form clubs that fight at ni- sorry I’m not supposed to talk about that.
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| Bulimic Batman |
The writing was well executed and the characters were believable (aside from not sleeping that long). I don’t have too much to say without telling important plot points, so I’ll just recommend you catch it on Netflix when you have a couple of hours to spare. I’ll probably watch it again.
4.1/5
The Film Chronicles 