Back to Movies

Short movie reviews by Adriana Popovici

The Big Year

By Leave a Comment

Image Source: Wikimedia

+/-

Year of release: 2011
Director: David Frankel
Writers: Howard Franklin (screenplay), Mark Obmascik (book)
Starring: Jack Black, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Rosamund Pike, etc.

For more information on “The Big Year”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
This could easily be written off as a mediocre movie, yet it does have a good moral, nice characters, and a big dose of beauty. It is about birdwatching, passion, ambition and priorities. In my house, it inspired a new goal (and new Pinterest boards); we love traveling, nature, being outdoors, hiking, plants and animals, so birding would make a very satisfying hobby for us. This movie reminds you that there is beauty in the world, and that sometimes selfish ambition costs our own happiness, transforming our fulfilled aspirations into bitter reminders of what we lost along the way.

Highlights:
Gorgeous scenery, beautiful birds!

Downside:
With Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson in the same movie, you expect a little more laughter .

Would I see it again? – Someday, not very soon. However, I’d rather go birding myself 😀

My Rating (1 to 10): 7

Recommended: Yep 🙂

Suggestion:
If you feel like your loved ones don’t truly understand you and your passions, try explaining clearer what those passions mean to you, how they make you happier and a better person, sprinkle some of that magic on them, share a bit. There’s a big chance you’ll not only be understood, but you’ll get support too 😀

 

The Iron Lady

By Leave a Comment

Image source: Wikimedia

+

Year of release: 2011
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Writer: Abi Morgan
Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, etc.

For more information on “The Iron Lady”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
To get it out of the way: it’s a fine movie, and I liked it. However, there seems to be an odd problem with this biopic. It tries to show the softer side of a tough lady, while trying (and failing) to keep both softness and toughness intact. It’s as if it is trying to show the white in black, and the black in white, ending in middle gray. I’m not saying that softness and toughness cannot coexist in the same person/story. It is just that they were not well braided together in this movie. Other than that, it is touching, and it made me shed a few tears.

Highlights:
I hate to say what everybody says, but “The Iron Lady” is mostly about Meryl Streep’s performance.

Downside:
The same as above, plus the fact that Meryl Streep’s “Iron Lady” manages to steal the show and eclipse the real-life Margaret Thatcher. It’s like you can’t stop thinking “Oh my, that’s Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher and she’s sooo good!”

Would I see it again? – Yeah, someday 🙂

My Rating (1 to 10): 8.5

Recommended: Yes

Suggestion:
If you cannot empathize with the real “Iron Lady”, pretend this movie is about a different, even fictional, person.

 

Source Code

By Leave a Comment

Image source: Wikimedia

+

Year of release: 2011
Director: Duncan Jones
Writer: Ben Ripley
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan, Jeffrey Wright, etc.

For more information on “Source Code”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
To think I postponed seeing it… three times. I started watching this movie with no expectations, just to get it over with – there was some gentle nagging involved. Aaand I was quickly hooked. It reminded me a bit of Christopher Nolan’s “Inception“, only “Source Code” seems to be more explicit, hence more digestible, and despite a similar dose of gloom, it manages to disperse it, ending in optimism. It is well done, well acted, and interesting. It is about a man who must live the last eight minutes of someone else’s life over and over again, until he completes his mission – how could that be uninteresting? But, remember, it’s more like “Inception” rather than “Groundhog Day” 🙂

Highlights:
It is surprisingly deep and touching.

Downside:
If you don’t like movies that make you think, you will not enjoy it.

Would I see it again? – Yes

My Rating (1 to 10): 9.5

Recommended: Yes!

Suggestion:
As the tagline of this movie says, “make every second count”.

 

Paul

By Leave a Comment

Image source: Wikimedia

+

Year of release: 2011
Director: Greg Mottola
Writers: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice), Kristen Wiig, etc.

For more information on “Paul”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
This is a soft comedy, and by soft I mean it doesn’t have sharp edges. Everything blends well together. It’s geekery about geeks, for geeks. And that’s cool. It inspires chuckles not loud laughter, which is not necessarily bad, but there was potential for more. Even so, wide-eyed Paul has its own place in the gallery of friendly peaceful aliens, just like K. Wiig has hers among the best (female) comedians… probably ever 😀

Highlights:
It won’t give you nightmares 🙂

Downside:
It doesn’t have enough “cement” to secure a lasting memory.

Would I see it again? – Yes, someday

My Rating (1 to 10): 7.5

Recommended: Yes

Suggestion:
Don’t go around saying “Hi, I’m Paul” – people might faint. Especially if you’re an alien 😀

 

The Hunger Games

By Leave a Comment

Image source: Wikimedia

+/-

Year of release: 2012
Director: Gary Ross
Writers: Garry Ross, Billy Ray (screenplay); Suzanne Collins (novel & screenplay)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, etc.

For more information on “The Hunger Games”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
Technically, from Jennifer Lawrence’s acting talent to Lenny Kravitz ‘s gold eyeliner, this movie is OK. The weird part is the substance of this story, a story which targets young adults as its primary audience. It has the potential to inspire, and, as it was proven, to become widely liked, but… it is a dystopia after all. The main characters are not motivated by much else than the instinct of survival, fear and rage. They are sacrificed by a society of poor powerless victims at the disposal of their rich suppressors. Teenagers fighting to the death as part of a yearly punitive event that entertains rich and poor alike… Is franchises of gloom what young people today deserve/need? What about more positive visions, do they get enough of those?

Highlights:
It holds your attention.

Downside:
The object of the attention is not always worth it.

Would I see it again? – Not very soon. I’d rather see the sequel(s)… just because.

My Rating (1 to 10): 8

Recommended: Yes, why not 🙂

Suggestion:
I saw this idea on Twitter and I agree: instead of buying books like “The Hunger Games”, you’d better feed a hungry child – not as a type of boycott, but as a contribution to a better future, so that our world doesn’t become too… dystopian.

 

Important!

If you spot any mistake in the content of this blog, please point it out in a comment on the respective post. The mistake will be corrected right away, unless it’s intentional. Thank you for your help! ❤️