Monday, August 16, 2010

Monday At the Movies: More Summer Movies

Ah, the summer time! It's the time of year when my husband and I step up our movie watching and we've had a busy summer of movies. Some of what we've watched most recently:

Inception (Action, Mystery, Science Fiction - 2010; rated PG-13; directed & written by Christopher Nolan) ~ This is the movie my husband was eager to see after seeing a trailer, whereas I was more reluctant. Right now, it's my favorite movie of the summer season. I should have known better than to second guess Chris Nolan. Inception is about a man, Leonardo DiCarpio, who steals secrets from people's dreams. His most recent target hires him to do just the opposite, to plant an idea in a business competitor's head. It is highly risky and many believe impossible. With a promise to clear Leo's character's name so that he can be reunited with his children, Leo decides to take the deal. He hires Ariadne played by Ellen Page as the architect, and she does a great job in the role.

I loved the complexity of the story, the many layers of the dreams and how it all came together--or unraveled--in the end. The fact that very little CGI (computer generated imagery) was used is especially impressive, given the nature of the movie. I do wish the supporting characters had been more filled out, but with so much going on in an already long (although the time flew by) movie, I don't imagine much more could have been fit in.


Confessions of a Shopaholic (Romantic Comedy - 2009; rated PG; directed by P.J. Hogan; written by Tracey Jackson, Tim Firth, Kayla Alpert, & based on the books by Sophie Kinsella) ~ As annoying as Becky Bloomfield is and as often as I roll my eyes at her failure to learn from her mistakes, I loved the book series by Sophie Kinsella--at least the books I've read in it so far. It's fun. It's light. It's entertaining. I was excited then when I heard a movie was being made based on the first book in the series. But then the reviews from friends started coming in and my interest waned. The movie went to the bottom of my Netflix queue. It's turn finally came, and I watched it. And I really liked it! It had the same lighthearted feel that the books have, and I really liked Becky's character who was played by Isla Fisher.

Becky loves to shop, hence the title, and has amassed a huge debt. To top it off, the magazine she works for has folded and she's suddenly out of a job. Becky takes a job working at a finance magazine, writing about saving money. With the debt collector hot on her heels, Becky gets further tangled in her shopping addiction and lies. She risks love and friendship as a result. The movie differs from the book it is based on considerably, but I'm not such a stickler for accuracy if it works. As far as romantic comedies go, there are definitely better ones out there. For a couple of hours of escape though, Confessions of a Shopaholic works just fine.


X-Files: I Want to Believe (Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller - 2008; rated PG-13; directed by Chris Carter; written by Frank Spotnitz & Chris Carter) ~ My husband introduced me to The X-Files when we were in college and I soon was as hooked as he was. The television series lost some of its shine in the final years, but it continues to be a show that has become somewhat of an icon. The second X-Files movie reminded me of the earlier seasons of the popular TV show. It forwent the alien conspiracies and settled for a more traditional psychological thriller with a slight paranormal bent. Now out of the FBI, Dana Scully is practicing medicine at a Catholic Hospital and resumed her skeptical and more scientific stance to all things paranormal. A wanted man by the FBI, Fox Mulder is the believer, still searching for answers, hoping to find the truth.

Pulled into the search for a missing FBI agent, Mulder and Scully are asked to determine whether the psychic helping the FBI is legitimate or perhaps involved in the crime. His pedigree doesn't exactly lead people to trust him. He's a former priest and pedophile.

I enjoyed stepping into Mulder and Scully's world again. They still share the chemistry that made them such great partners in the original series. The movie was dark and horror-like, just as one might expect from The X-Files. Watching the movie, I felt like I was back in college watching the TV show.


Salt (Action, Suspense/Thriller - 2010; rated PG-13; directed by Phillip Noyce; written by Kurt Wimmer) - I'm a sucker for an action flick--the suspense and adrenalin rush are hard to beat. So, when I first heard about Salt, I knew I had to see it. My husband referred to Salt as a good big-dumb-action movie and I have to agree with him. It was entertaining and I never tire of seeing Angelina Jolie in action. A CIA operative accused of being a Russian spy, Angelina Jolie's character, Evelyn Salt, goes on the run. Steeped in conspiracy theories, with both predictable and unexpected twists, the movie had a nostalgic air about it that made it all the more enjoyable. It was a fun way to spend a summer afternoon.

What movies have you seen lately?


© 2010, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

22 comments:

  1. I liked Inception, too, and I didn't realize that not much CGI was used. I loved that final scene.

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are all movies that I have wanted to see at some point or another. I am determined to see Inception in the theater.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't seen anything except for kids movies this summer, but I really want to see Inception. I'm glad that you gave your thoughts on Salt because I have been curious about that one.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I loved, loved, loved Inception and really want to see it again. This time I am going to wait for it to come out on DVD and grab my own copy! Glad that you liked it as well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think I'm the lone dissenter on Inception. The time just dragged for me when we saw that movie. I'm going to see Eat Pray Love tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We don't get out to the movies as much as we used to but there was no way I was going to miss Inception. I realize I'm becoming quite the Leo fan :)

    I enjoyed it a lot. I want to go see The Girl Who Played with Fire next.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wasn't "Inception" a trip? I could have stayed in the theater longer to watch more. It was the cool. And what did you think about the ending? I agree that it was so much going on that you didn't get nearly enough of the other characeters ... but I guess a 4-hour film wouldn't cut it.

    We recently saw "The Other Guys," -- lots of funny jokes but overall ;lot was a mess (as expected). Still, Will Ferrell cracks me up.

    I'm dying to see Eat Pray Love but I have to wheedle some time away to fit it in.

    ReplyDelete
  8. i've been so busy this summer that i only managed to get to 2 movies--toy story 3 with my nephew, and eclipse (a few weeks ago). i recently watched 'confessions' on netflix and agree that it was okay but not great. i love the actress's hair, though. (isla fisher? or did i make her name up? lol.)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can't wait to see Inception and Salt! I haven't had much time for movies lately, but in between hospital stays, I did take the kids to see Despicable Me, which we all loved.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I do want to see Inception. Was less interested in Salt, but would still like to see it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Those all look great! I don't go to the movies very often but I sure don't mind renting the DVD...I'll keep these in mind!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Salt is the only one of these I've seen and the latest thing I've seen at the theater.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I loved both the Shopaholic series and the movie. It was so much fun!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I still want to see the Confession movie. I loved the books although I have the last one to read. X-Files I loved. I really miss that show as it was one of my all time favorites.

    I watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Lovely Bones, the latest Harry Potter movie and Twilight. There's still a whole bunch of movies I haven't seen so this weekend may be another movie watching weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I loved Inception, too. I know I'm going to have to see it again some time just to see what I missed the first time! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I heard lot of good thing about Inception but I have to wait until it available in Netflix to watch it. I also added Confessions of a Shopaholic after a good friend recommend it to me two months ago. So am waiting until it's turn to watch it from Netflix as well. I did hear that Salt originally had a male as the main character until the male actor back out and they hired Angela, and had to rewrite the whole script into the female POV instead. That probably reason why it was weird and strange ;)

    Always looking forward to see your movie's reviews, since I love movies. Thanks for reviews :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I've watched SALT and loved it. I like anything with Jolie in it. I have been wanting to watch INCEPTION but haven't so I'd need to do that soon.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I so want to see Inception! We are finally calling in my birthday present gift from my sister (free babysitting while my husband and I go to a movie) since every other plan has fallen through. Sometime in the next few weeks, I will finally get to see it!!

    I also really want to see Piranha (not in 3D, just the plain movie) but realize I am probably in the minority here :-D

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for the great reviews! I, too am a fan of the Shopaholic books and wasn't sure I could watch, but you've encouraged me. After all, I did think the Bridget Jones movie was equal to the book. Inception sounds so interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I loved Inception too. Like you, I went in not really looking forward to t but came out with it being my favorite movie of the summer.
    I know I'll see Salt, but will probably wait for Netflix now.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I've been wondering about "Salt." I just heard Carl Reiner call "Salt" the female version of the Bourne movies. That sound accurate to you?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you all for your wonderful comments! I haven't seen any more movies yet this summer as hubby and I are catching up on some of our TV DVD series.

    Lisa - I can see some similarities between Bourne and Salt, but the Bourne movies are so good--and so much better. Salt was fun, but it isn't one I see myself needing to own and watching over and over again like I do with the Bourne movies.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.