Week 40: 50/50

For week 40 we saw 50/50.  It was about a guy in his 20's who finds out he has cancer and how it affects his relationships in his life.  The guy, Adam, was played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  You know, the kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun.  His best friend is played by Seth Rogan and his girlfriend Bryce Howard Dallas.  His therapist is Anna Kendrick and mother Anjelica Huston. 

Obviously this had a pretty sad undertone.  But it also had some funny moments thanks to Seth Rogan and some surprisingly funny moments with Anna Kendrick.  I'm always surprised by how much I like Anna Kendrick.  My first impression of her is the annoying high schooler from Twilight.  But then I saw her in Up in the Air with George Clooney and I was super impressed.  Anyway, I felt the same way about her in this one too.  The jury's still out on Bryce Howard Dallas.  And Seth Rogan's crude sense of humor actually fit well.

I thought this movie gave a real genuine take on what it might actual be like to find out you had cancer.  The drama that you might find in some movies really wasn't there.  It was almost anticlimactic but still told a touching story.  It was a really down to earth and a humorous take on a serious situation.

To Sum it up:  Sad, funny and touching.

Week 33: The Help

This week we saw The Help.  Yay!  A movie I was really looking forward to.  I love movies that I'm looking forward especially on opening weekend.  It doesn't get any better than that.

This movie was filled with a great cast.  Emma Stone played Skeeter.  At first I wasn't sure how much I would like her in this role.  Honestly, I hadn't seen any of her movies until I saw Crazy, Stupid Love a few weeks ago.  She was great in that and she was great in this too.  I guess my completely uneducated opinion about her has now changed.  I'm a fan.

Some of the other actors were Viola Davis (Abileen), Octavia Spencer (Minny), Bryce Dallas Howard (Hilly), Jessica Chastain (Celia) and smaller roles by Allison Janney (Charlotte) and Sissy Spacek (Missus Walters).  This movie was chalked full of wonderful actresses.  And let me tell ya, they all were so good in their roles.  I would say Minny really stole the show followed by the few scenes with Sissy Spacek. 

If you haven't read this book, you should.  It is so good.  Of course the book is almost always better than the movie but this movie really did it justice.  When I saw the previews I thought it was going to be too light-hearted compared to the book.  And it was in parts.  There were some really good funny parts but it also had it's serious moments.  A really good mix. 

To Sum it up:  Funny, heart-breaking and packed with a bunch of strong women.