K and K Movies

The Reader

KL>> Loved this movie! I'm not usually a big fan of Kate Winslet, in fact I can't think of any movie that I've really liked with her in it (and yes, that includes Titanic). However, that all changed with The Reader. She plays a very tough role and does it very well. I found myself empathetic with her character which is surprising once you learn about the character's background. But she manages to pull it off and given her Oscar win for Best Actress other people think so as well. Everyone in the movie is good and the story is beautifully told. I'd say this is a must-see for anyone looking for good dialogue and a good story that makes you think a bit.

KB>> We saw this movie awhile ago, maybe before the New Year, but reading about the Obama administration’s challenges with the torture tactics employed by the Bush administration has inspired me to get at it and write this review.

The Reader asks so may questions about our society, ourselves and those we meet through-out our lives that I don’t know if I can remember them all.

The questioning starts with: is it wrong to carry out acts when you don't know better and you’ve been given a job by someone you might never have met? Are you to be held accountable if you participate in actions that are a precursor to a devastating tragedy? When is a job just a job, or a means of existence, and not a moral obligation? How proud are you? To what end will you take that pride? Are you too proud or afraid to admit publicly who you love? Are you less of a compassionate human being than the person that was ‘just doing what they were told to do’ if you don’t help someone with the knowledge you have?

Lots of questions and just as many different answers.

Kate Winslet deserved the Oscar and you deserve to see this movie.

Wendy and Lucy

Kirk>> Kathryn and I almost had to give back our rings over this movie. I loved how quiet and simple this movie was and Kathryn disliked it for all those reasons. It’s all about the basic little things that happen to you while you're going through life. Reminds me of a quote from another movie where one character tells his brother, 'Stop waiting for your life to start. This is your life'. These events that take place every day might not be big and they might not be noticeable at the time but when your car breaks down who knows where you’ll end-up. The people you'll meet, the impact they'll have on you, those you leave behind, the ones you love and the events that lead you to where you end-up. This story is a short snippet out of someones life and we're allowed to watch what happens to them in this little glimpse. There's hints to what's happened before we met them, like how did they get that bandage on their ankle, and what type of person they are, guarded but not uncaring. I you like reflective you'll love this movie but it's not for everyone. 

Kathryn>>Contrary to what Kirk might think, I do like quiet and simple movies. However, quiet and simple only works if you care what happens to the people involved. I started off caring about both Wendy and Lucy, and was curious about how they ended up in this predicament. But at some point about half way through, I really just wanted it to be over because I was bored, and that meant I no longer cared. I think the basic story got mired in the minutiae of portraying details like 'when will the car garage be open'. In my opinion this movie had the potential to be a poignant and touching story of a girl and her dog but for me it missed big time.

Slumdog Millionaire

Kathryn>> I liked this movie as much as everyone else, including the Academy who showered accolades on it at the Oscars. As long as you can suspend belief a little it's a great story with some solid acting. I had a soft spot for the kids as they reminded me of being in India and seeing the packs of kids always up to something. I'm glad this movie won the Oscar, I had feared the Academy might go with the more mainstream Benjamin Button.

KB>> Poverty certainly is compelling. What I enjoyed most about Slumdog was how the story was structured. Very similar to Usual Suspects where the main character takes you through the story with a series of flashbacks. Overall it was well tied together and I actually cared what was going to happen in the three or fours storylines. It's rare to care about all of them. It's not surprising this didn't come from big time Hollywood and it's also not surprising it won best picture. It reminded me of another little "movie that could" called Crash.The Oscars love the underdog or in this case the Slumdog. The children that played the young brothers and love interest are excellent. Not surprising to learn they have learned their roles the hard way. Gives a whole new meaning to Method Acting. No great insights here (unlike Crash), a little redemption and a few good laughs make you forget the majority of the Indian population will never be able to afford the cost of admission.  See this movie but again bring your popcorn as it's nice and light.

Frost/Nixon

Frost/Nixon

Kathryn>> Before this movie I knew Nixon equaled Watergate but that was about the extent of my knowledge. It wasn't a topic that ever made it into any 'US Politics' unit in history class and I was only 2 when the whole thing went down. I really liked how this movie laid out the back story and what led to David Frost interviewing Richard Nixon. Also enjoyed how it was much more than just a fact-by-fact account, ie. boring news-like documentary. The character development added a lot to the story. Granted it was just an interpretation and of course it's impossible to definitively know the inner thoughts and emotions of the people involved as they led up to the interview. But overall I think this is a must-watch movie.

Kirk>> Ron Howard can certainly craft an entertaining movie but he's always compelled to portray the story as greatest story ever told. He’s right up with James Cameron with his eye for details and his ability to create a rich set. This was a solid movie which is very tight in it's telling but I wasn't left thinking about it 3 days later. Entertaining but disposable. I found parts, such as where Frost finally realizes ‘we need to get busy and do some serious journalism’, over the top and far too Hollywood for me. Frank Langella as Nixon was great and should have won best lead over Sean Penn. Speaking with Micheal Sheen on the phone just before the final interview is likely one of the best scenes I saw in 2008. See this movie but bring your popcorn as there’s lots of time to eat it.

Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye

IMDB Eagle Eye

Kirk>> I want to enjoy these action movies more but in the end it provided what I was looking for, turn your brain off and enjoy the new TV and the HD on demand. You’ve seen it all before and this action adventure delivers well enough. One common theme I’m finding with the action political thrillers is that noone seems to really be able to deliver a simple enough plot line that’s befitting this genre. It all seemed to start with Mission Impossible. I’ve read The International has the same issue. I wonder when that’s being released to HD on demand.

Kathryn>> Yes I watched this one with Kirk. Surprising I know as action adventure isn't my usual genre. Even more surprising is that I think I ended up liking this movie more than Kirk. Fairly predictable but still entertaining enough to hold my interest. And even a TV neophyte like myself could appreciate the high def picture. What I found most interesting was that the day after we watched this movie Kirk sent me this link about the new Google latitude product. I can't explain the connection with the movie without giving up a spoiler but suffice to say it's interesting to see this concept making its way into real life.

Last Chance Harvey

Last Chance Harvey

Kathryn>> With all the great movies out at the moment it's hard to believe we ended up seeing this one. But that's what happens when you've got a movie date with friends and they've seen everything you haven't and vice versa. Good friends and good convo after the flick meant this night was not a bust. But I wouldn't hurry out to see this movie. Unless you like predictable stories that have been told many times before. While I didn't love the movie, I did think that Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson did a pretty decent job developing their characters and relationship with each other.

<minor spoiler alert ahead.>

Kirk>> This movie is pretty much the McDonalds of movies. You get exactly what you expect. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back. There are several reasons why this movie disappoints. First it runs though the paces using poorly crafted devices to execute an old plot line. When boy loses girl we’re asked to believe all the elevators are out at the London Marriott and Harvey has to climb several flights of stairs to his room. This causes him to have a heart attack and miss his meeting with Kate. Really? You couldn’t come-up with a better situation to have Harvey exert himself? The side stories are even more loosely constructed. Kate’s mother is provided with a flimsy storyline about the murderous next-door neighbour. It was needless and just prolonged the inevitable. By far the biggest disappointment about this movie is that two actors of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson’s calibre agreed to sign-on to this poorly developed project.

The Band's Visit

Kirk>> Bikur Ha-Tizmoret or The Band’s Visit is one of those gems you find on the foreign film shelf at Blockbuster. The quiet and modest nature of this movie reminds me of watching tropical fish swimming through the surf. Helpless but elegant. Several times the camera pans across the landscape and illustrates the lost and lonely character of these men in a world they no longer belong to. A world that has moved beyond the group and the town they end-up in. The band and the town are a reflection of each other. A scene with Haled, his new found friend and the girl his friend is trying to attract is one of the most touching scenes I’ve ever seen.

Kathryn>> I always enjoy a quiet movie that takes the time to explore meandering conversations and The Band's Visit is no exception. I also really liked how it was able to move the story forward by showing moments devoid of conversation and movement. The cinematography made watching a group of guys at a bus stop interesting. Not many movies can do that and this one did it very well. It also made me nostalgic for the adventure and conversation that always comes up when travelling through foreign remote areas.

My Brother is an Only Child

My Brother is an Only Child

Kirk>> The best thing about this movie is the title. This movie never really went anywhere and when it did I wasn’t into being there. Classic story line of a young boy growing up and dealings with the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult. The incidents that that took place and they consequences just didn’t resonate with me though. Smile at the title on the video store shelf but leave the box there.

Kathryn>> So apparently I liked this one more than Kirk. It was a slow meandering kind of story as it followed 2 brothers with different political beliefs in small-town Italy. Lots of convo and quiet scenes, not a lot of action. But sometimes that's OK and I thought it worked reasonably well in this one. Not raving about it but I'd pick it up from the video store shelf.

21

21

Kathryn>>A decent Sunday afternoon rental when you're hanging out chillaxin' on the couch...which is exactly what I was doing when I watched this. I do enjoy playing Blackjack myself so watching the antics of Kevin Spacey and his math genius students couldn't help but be entertaining. And the fact it's based (I expect loosely) on a true story made it that much more interesting.

Can't say I learned anything that'll help me next time I belly up to a table but it did make me want to take off to Vegas for a weekend :)

Bride Wars

Bride Wars

Kathryn>> Yes, yes I did see this piece of cheese...on opening night no less! Here's the deal - my fellow carb and cheese aficionado and I were gorging ourselves on some fine Mac and Cheese. At 8:15 we decided to head over to the Yonge/Dundas AMC and see whatever was playing. It all came down to timing...seeing Bride Wars or waiting for an hour and half for another movie. I'm not proud of the choice, I'm just sayin'...

So after that lengthy preamble I'll get to the movie. Unless you're really into big white weddings with all the trimmings I would stay away from this one. Maybe worth a rental if you're looking for some mindless drivel light fare.

I was disappointed to see Anne Hathaway in this movie. She really showed what she can do in Rachel Getting Married and I gained respect, lost it a smidge in this movie but I'm hopeful she'll choose her next project carefully.

And truth be told it was kinda fun seeing this movie on opening night in a packed theatre. Lots of collective gasps from the audience, especially when hands adorned with diamonds were displayed for all to admire.