The Little: Scoop. Word Play, The Proposition
Here's three of the five movies I've seen recently. And since I don't feel like spending all night doing this, I'm gonna try to keep them all short.
Scoop
The new Woody Allen feels a lot like the old Woody Allen, and I think that's a good thing. I know I have yet to delve too deeply into the Allen archives, but from what I have seen, Allen seems to be much better in a comedic setting. Plus this one has that distinctively quirky Allen feel to it. It was also nice to see Scarlett Johansson in a comedic role. And while I'm still not sure about the whole blonde look, I'm coming around to it. Good performances like this help.
RATING: Worth Full Price (especially if you're a Classic Allen fan), Worth a Rental/Netflix
Word Play
Documentaries can be very hit and miss, and a lot of that depends on if you actually care about the material being presented too. Well, this one was excellently done (good set up, good back story, nice character selection, great finish). Plus I've really started to get into crosswords recently, so that was a positive too. It really was remarkable to see what these people can do too. And while some of them seem like socially awkward asses (not all of them though, there were plenty of them that I think I'd really like), I still have to admire all of them. Doing the NY Times Sat. in 15 mins? I can't even do the Monday one consistantly.
RATING: Worth Full Price (if you like crosswords, worth a mantinee otherwise), Worth a Netflix
The Proposition
This was the most recent of the films, and not necessarily the most disappointing, but the least entertaining, and by far the most graphic. Set in the early days of settlement in Austrailia, there was even a disclaimer at the beginning saying it might be offensive to indigenous people of Austrailia, and I could see that. There was nothing all that wrong with the movie (good cast, good acting, etc.), but it just didn't seem to really do much for me. Just something I couldn't put my finger on. Maybe it just seemed too real in some ways (not real as in the sense that I've lived it, but in the sense that I could see it all happening). And for the most part, reality isn't all that entertaining. That's why we have movies. But putting that asside it was a solid movie. Just not the most entertaining.
RATING: Worth a Cheap Ticket (if you've got the time), Worth a Possible Netflix (but put it down a ways on the list)