Movie reviews

In the last couple of weeks, I have watched several movies, including three in the theater, which is very unusual for me. But since I'm actually current on movies for the moment, I thought I'd share my opinions on what I've seen recently.

The Descendants -- I went to see this one by myself as a way to get out of the house one weekend when I wasn't feeling well. I had seen previews for this movie and did want to see it, but I probably could have waited for the DVD. It is interesting but definitely not a feel good movie. It's one of those movies where you don't know who you should be rooting for and who you should hate.

Crazy Stupid Love -- I watched this with my brother and sister-in-law, who claimed it is their favorite movie. It was the night after I had driven all day, and I was exhausted. We started the movie sometime after 9 p.m. so it is a miracle I stayed awake. Every time I started to lose patience with the movie, they promised I just had to stay awake a little while longer to get to one crucial scene. Once I got to the scene, I actually got it and understood why they love the movie. I ended up replaying the movie in my head after watching it to fit all the pieces together. And I really did like it even if I was skeptical for most of the movie.

New Year's Eve -- We tried to go see this on Christmas Day, but the theater uploaded the wrong times to all the various websites and the actual time didn't work for us. But we got to go back on stimulus Tuesday, which meant dollar popcorn and drinks. This is one of those big cast, multiple storyline movies, and I enjoyed it. Seeing it before New Year's actually made it more interesting to watch the ball drop. As far as movies like this go, I think I liked it more than Valentine's Day but not as much as Love Actually.

The Help -- I saw this in the theater over the summer, and I got it from Netflix when the DVD came out and then my mom got it for Christmas. So over a week and a half I saw it three times, and I loved it every time. It is one of the few books I've liked the movie version of.

Midnight in Paris -- I was not a fan of this movie. It was cool to see Paris and remember the week I spent there with my mom and sister, but the movie itself dragged. I struggled to follow the storyline. I read The Paris Wife, which I loved, and the movie had a lot of those characters in it but I still wasn't a fan.

We Bought a Zoo -- I went to see this with my mom and sister one afternoon while I was at home. It might have been the same day I took a three-hour nap (vacation is wonderful). This was a cute movie. The little girl in it was adorable, and it is a good story. I thought it was strange to see Matt Damon in a dad role, but he did a good job. I don't think it's a have-to-see-in-the-theater movie, but it's probably one of the best options in the theater right now. I also have to note that during the movie, there was a kissing scene and a kid in the theater yelled out, "Eeew." The whole theater laughed.

I Don't Know How She Does It -- I read this book several years ago now, and I think I saw one preview for the movie but I didn't even know it was in theaters much less on DVD. Anyway I picked it up at Redbox last week to watch while taking down my Christmas tree. I don't remember enough of the book to compare it very well, but I think it is a hard book to translate into a movie. And it wasn't a very successful attempt. There was a storyline, but it jumped all around and had these weird documentary interview type additions to it that didn't really help. And when is Pierce Brosnan ever in a movie where he doesn't actually get the girl? I don't think that ruins anything for you, but I just kept thinking, why is Pierce Brosnan even in this movie? Plus the daughter is supposed to be in kindergarten but looks like she is 8 years old, which just bugs me. I guess the point is, I'm glad I watched this on DVD and not in theaters, but I wouldn't have missed anything if I hadn't watched it at all.