Monday, July 16, 2012

Movie Marathon

My husband took the kids to see BRAVE at the theatres. I'll watch it with them when it comes out on Neflix. I'm not a fan of animated films and find the animation distracting from the story. That said, I loved The Secret Life of Arrietty (adapted from The Borrowers) but when I think back, the first animated movie I loved was Grave of the Fireflies. I was so wrapped up in the story, a WWII tragedy, that I wept.

We watched Finding Neverland. Great film about Barry and his friendship with a woman whose four boys inspired Peter Pan. I immediately wanted to see the Beatrix Potter movie, but I'll have to put that on our queue.

Let's see. We watched an interesting movie called Conflict. Both my son and I scoffed at the title. What next? Character? Plot? This is a family where these words are bandied about on a regular basis. Yes, conflict is essential. It was a futuristic movie, but looked like it happened in the 1970s given the cars and bellbottoms. A low-budget film. But at the heart of it was a thoughtful movie about what the Mass is. Set sometime in the future where there's been a Vatican 4, a group of Irish monks are being made to stop offering the Latin Mass. Beliefs are being distorted in the name of getting along ...  This quiet movie was rich in the questions it asks.

Speaking of Irish things, we all enjoyed The Secret of Roan Inish -- it is a must see for the whole family. It's got stories within stories and the ending is soooo perfect. Everything comes together. I loved that all the tales are told with a certain seriousness.

We also watched Milo and Otis -- the little cat Milo reminds me so much of my first cat Moje. Oh, how I miss that ornery old cat. I had a vivid dream about him, and waking up was painful. No purring cat kneading my stomach. Sigh. I just love Schumann's Strange Lands and People ... I believe it was used in another film: My Brilliant Career.

As you can see, I have many more movies to stick in our queue. I'm in the mood for movie adaptions of writers' lives. Little Women is already on the top of the queue now. And we have the biography of Ayn Rand, which we have to watch together since my son just finished Atlas Shrugged. He was wowed by the story, the whole concept, and the philosophy.

What else can you all recommend? I'm still celebrating :)
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9 comments:

Ruth Donnelly said...

Oh, movies! Count me as a fan of Brave. Re: movies for grownups, I enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom--it's quirky and weird, and it has a sweetness that makes you root for the characters while wondering how it can possibly end well! I loved Safety Not Guaranteed; highly recommend it.I want to see Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Mirka Breen said...

I saw a few of your mentions, and endorse the ones I saw. The Secret of Roan Inish is particularly fine. Since this gives me confidence about the rest of your list (not a fan of Atlas Shrugged or Ayn Rand, though) I'd add a little-known movie I just saw last night and loved- OUTSOURCED. The India-U.S.A. culture clash was vivid, funny, and full of heart. Not a well known movie, so I'm happy to put a mention.

Faith E. Hough said...

I want to see Brave--every Pixar movie feels like a painless lesson in plotting. :)
MISS POTTER is a-maz-ing. You have to watch it soon. Probably one of my favorite writer movies ever. Actually, probably the favorite.
We just began the new BBC miniseries of Emma--also amazing. But then I love anything Jane Austen.

Vijaya said...

Ruth, I am not familiar with any of these, so I will have a look-see. Thank you!

Mirka, I've seen Outsourced. Funny. I have really enjoyed some of the new Anglo-Indian culture clash movies. And people either love or hate Ayn Rand. Not met a single person who does not have a strong opinion re. her books.

Faith, I believe Brave is the first Pixar movie with a female lead. D just loved it. Enjoy Emma. I wish the rest of my family were Austen fans ... maybe D, when she's a bit older. Won't that be fun to have a Jane Austen marathon?

Anne M Leone said...

As for movies about authors, I did love Stranger Than Fiction. And I've heard Miss Potter is good. I do love Little Women and Finding Neverland.

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Hi Vijaya. I haven't seen any of the titles you mention. I'll have to jot them down. Finding Forester comes to mind as a movie about a writer.

Vijaya said...

Anne and Ruth, thank you for the recs. I'll put them on the queue.

Marcia said...

My title recommendation for the sequel to Conflict: POV. :)

I don't watch many movies. They put me to sleep, unlike books. Funny, I find it hard to justify the time spent watching movies, though not time spent reading. The unfamiliarity of all these titles shows me how out of cinematic touch I am.

I tend to like to watch certain movies over and over. I could watch Forrest Gump and A League of Their Own again and again. A recent one I liked was Warhorse.

Vijaya said...

POV! Hey great minds think alike. Son said Plot, and I said POV, for the sequel.

How strange that movies make you fall asleep. I wouldn't have expected that at all. Like you, I have favorite movies that I watch over and over again, but I really enjoy getting a whole story in a couple of hours, as opposed to reading a book, which can take several hours. The two are distinctly different activities, but I love watching movies for seeing how plot/pacing work (or don't).