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.

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 :)

Persopolis

Persopolis

Kind of fluke that I ended up seeing this movie. I had rented Caramel (yes, total chick flick night) but upon arriving home and settling on the couch, I opened the case and found Persopolis. Already in jammies and hibernating from the cold there was no way I was walking back to the video store. And Persopolis was on my to-see list anyway.

I'm not usually a fan of animated movies but this was done particularly well. I think the animation actually helped the story move along quickly and helped the viewer really understand the character. After all, it's pretty hard to show what someone is thinking with a thought bubble above their head in a non-animated movie.  

Most of the movie was in black and white which made the subtitles hard to read at times. They were white with black outlines but in scenes with a lot of white at the bottom of the screen I did have to squint a bit.

There are lots of young girl coming-of-age stories. Interesting to see the similarities (discovering boys!) and differences for a young girl growing up in war torn Iran. Persopolis is a spunky adventurous girl who matures into a spunky adventurous woman that you can't help but root for.

A great movie to rent but be ready to actively read the subtitles. Unless of course you speak French.

Revolutionary Road

Revolutionary Road

Kathryn>>This was a good movie but I expected it to be great. Following on the heels of Mad Men madness and an ailing economy forcing tough decisions about what's important, the timing couldn't be better for the tale of a suburban couple questioning what life is really about. Kate Winslet did shine at the end but up to that point I found her unconvincing. And Leonard DiCaprio was good, but again, not great. Maybe it's because we saw this between heavy hitters Milk and Gran Torino. All in all I found this lukewarm but worth a rental when it comes out on DVD.

Kirk>>Guess what? Life doesn’t turnout as you planned when you were 21 years old. No great revelations here. Revolutionary Road is a good movie that had the potential to be great. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet deliver excellent performances. The more I see Leo in, the more I like him. The characters are strong and there’s fully developed back stories that lets me know who these people are and where they’ve come from. Where this movie falls down for me, and it’s just a scraped knee, is the dialog and a couple of the story devices. The most disappointing device being Kathy Bates estranged son who comes home for a visit and says what everyone else is thinking. Good for a laugh but used to point out the obvious rather than enhance the story. I also wondered if this script was pitched after the success of Mad Men but won’t everything set in the 1950’s be compared to Mad Men right now? A very good movie and worth the time. Just don’t expect any thing more than the entertainment we all got watching Titanic.  

Gran Torino

Gran Torino

Kirk>> I couldn't wait to see this movie. Looking forward to this made me want to go back and watch Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby again. Well I can say that Clint delivers in what might be his last film but it didn't live up to expectations for me. I was looking for a little more insight into America with it's old world mentality (Clint), new immigrants (the family next door) and the gangs that roam the streets in the low income neighborhoods. There was a lot of laughter when we saw it, not necessarily unwarranted, but maybe I need to see it again in a quieter theatre. Not his best work but you should  see this movie.

Kathryn>> I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this as I'm not usually a big fan of the Clint (except for Bridges of Madison County of course!). He plays the role of the curmudgeony old guy stifling a lifetime of baggage to a tee. But as the movie progresses so does his character. I'd put this one on the must-see list as well.

Milk

Milk - Based on the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to city hall in California.

Kathryn>> The audience actually clapped at the end - been a long time since I've seen that happen. I haven't seen the other Oscar worthy movies yet but I'd be happy to see Sean Penn win for best actor.

Kirk>>Without thinking about it to much this will most likely be a favorite movie of '08. If you can judge a movie by how long you think about it after seeing it, this one must have been great because I was thinking about it for days. Hard to believe we still have issue with people living their lives as they see fit. Also hard to believe we're only where we are when this happened over 30 years ago and hard to believe this was the mentality only 30 years ago. Not for everyone but a must see for most.The Oscar for Best Actor goes to Sean Penn.