Week 27: Midnight in Paris

Well, we went a little different this week. We were headed to one movie and ended up at "Midnight in Paris". We were on our way to a different movie, and on a last minute whim I took a look at the cast/crew of this one, noticed Woody Allen directed/produced it (which I don't like Woody Allen's style) but decided the main actors were people and liked and maybe would branch out a bit.

The movie takes place in Paris, today, however, at midnight the main character, a up and coming writer, played by Owen Wilson...goes back in time to his Paris 1920's. He feels that life in the 20's in Paris is where all the best literature, writing and art happens. He is engaged to a high class, snotty woman, played by Rachel McAdams, who is stifling his dreams and finds refuge in the traveling to the past. More importantly he keeps running into all the great artists of that era. So, Okay, I am bad at history and especially when you add the arts, so although I knew the names, didn't necessarily catch all the humor. (I am guessing...since, I didn't know)

The movie was sort of quirky. Like most Woody Allen films I have seen, I wasn't impressed with the development of characters/relationships. They seem sort of weird and unsettling to me, however, due to the quirkiness of this movie, the relationships short of fell into place as necessary.

I need to mention as well, that the supporting actors in this film actually allowed me to enjoy it more. Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams were good, but the trueness of the other characters were better.

Overall, the movie was....charming.

See you next week!

Week 27: Midnight in Paris

It's July.  Halfway through the year.  That means we've hit the halfway mark with our quest to see a movie a week.  And not one week missed yet.  Awesome. 

This week we picked Midnight in Paris at the last minute.  We were going to see Super 8 but in a disorganized turn of events we ended up seeing this one instead.  (I know what you're thinking.  The Sacry sister's disorganized?  Never.  But alas it does happen on rare occasions.)

I had a little bit of an idea what this movie was about.  I didn't realize it was a Woody Allen film and didn't remember that it premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.  So that gives you a little idea of what kind of a movie it was.  I was slightly prepared for this type of movie.  Not sure if Deb was.

This movie had Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams.  I like them both and I liked them both in this movie.  This was sort of a quirky movie but I think it fit Owen Wilson's sense of humor well.  It wasn't laugh out loud funny but funny in a more subtle way.  I liked it.  Rachel McAdams played a spoiled, slightly self centered, rich American.  It's not her general role but I think it fit too. 

One thing this movie made me realize is that I am not good with art and literature history.  I felt like there were so many inside jokes about famous writers or artists that I just didn't get because I didn't know who they were.  Makes you feel a little dumb.  But I still enjoyed it nonetheless.  I would say this movie was a refreshing change of pace for me. 

To Sum it up: Interesting concept, a touch of humor and a nice departure from mainstream movies. 

Bonus Review: Cars 2

This week I got to see two movies.  It happens sometimes.  Do I feel slightly guilty or gluttonous when I see two movies in one week?  Maybe a little.  But it was for the betterment of my child.  How could I not take my boy to see Cars 2 on opening weekend?  You know how many times I've seen the first one?  Many.  Very many.  It only seemed right.

I have to say this was a pretty good one.  One reason I thought it was so good was because it actually felt like a real story and seemed to last just as long as a non-animated movie.   Also, it didn't have as much of that fall down humor that kids seem to dig so much.  For this very reason I was worried that Rhett might get bored with it.  He didn't laugh out loud quite as much as he did with Kung Fu Panda 2 but not once did I hear, "Is it almost over?".  And when it was over he said he loved it.  He also said he wanted to be a spy.  A ninja spy to be exact.

Speaking of spies, that was the whole gist of this Cars.  It had a James Bond thing going on.  And it focused on Mator more.  One thing I thought was amazing in this movie was the scenery.  There were scenes when they were in Italy that I could have sworn looked real.  The detail was really awesome.  Fun movie for kids and adults.

To Sum it up: Kid friendly, adult friendly and top notch animation.