Lately, I've seen boring, predictable, and formulaic movies such as "Valentine's Day," "Dear John," "She's Out of my League," and many others. I've also seen unheard of, probably straight-to-DVD movies like "Chloe," "Me and Orson Welles," "Coco and Igor," "Beautiful Kate," and "Defendor." I gave all of these movies a chance and well, none of them impressed me. It made me think that maybe they just don't make movies as they did before. It's all for commercial appeal now. Movies of this generation altogether lack substance, weight, and most of them just don't have a lot to say anymore. Well, I was ready to make that conclusion. That is, until I came across these three movies: "Unthinkable," "Everybody's Fine," and "Brothers." Although of different genres, all three movies made me think, made me cry, made me angry, got me scared, and just had this huge effect on me! It's been a long time since I've had that movie experience!
There will be no spoilers here but here's a brief rundown of the films, a synopsis, and reasons why I loved them:
1.) EVERYBODY'S FINE
GENRE: DramaMAIN CAST: Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell
SYNOPSIS: An ailing widower goes on a roadtrip to visit each of his children after all four of them unexpectedly calls to say that they can't make it to the annual Christmas reunion at his place.
MY THOUGHTS: After reading the synopsis, I know you might be thinking that there really isn't much to it. What's the big deal about this movie? Well, not only was this movie very well-acted. But this movie just covers so much in how it tackles themes of loneliness, getting old, family dynamics, relationships, meeting family expectations, fatherhood, inadequacy, and many others. There's just so much to relate to in this film. And I know I'm not the biggest "baby" out there, but this movie just had me in tears. I was just so touched! The movie reminded me of my Dad. In fact, Robert de Niro's character could be like any one of our fathers. The movie allowed me to see things from a father's perspective. It allowed me to empathize -- to see and feel the things that they often have trouble putting into words and communicating to us.
I'm not going to go any further because I don't want to ruin the movie for you. Just do me a favor and be prepared with a whole box of Kleenex. They will come in handy for sure. ;-)
2.) UNTHINKABLE
GENRE: Drama, ThrillerMAIN CAST: Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie-Ann Moss, Michael Sheen, Stephen Root
SYNOPSIS: A terrorist plants 3 nuclear bombs in unknown places in the United States. An FBI agent and a black-ops interrogator caught the perpetrator. At what lengths are they willing to go in order to get this terrorist to reveal to them the locations of the bombs that would save millions and millions of lives?
MY THOUGHTS: The story doesn't seem to completely stand out from the others that we've seen that's like it. In fact, before watching it, it might already seem formulaic to you. You're probably thinking that there's the methodic and brainy terrorist in the mix, two agents playing good cop-bad cop, and whole time factor -- the bombs will explode in a few hours and they'll have to find-it-before-it-kills-them- idea. Yes, these may be included in the story but what makes this film excellent is its shift in focus. The film discusses a very controversial and powerful morality issue. In fact, it forces you to question your own too. This is amidst the backdrop of a well-developed conflict and tension in the story. It's very gripping and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! It's just an excellent movie. Make sure you don't watch it by yourself because like me, I'm sure you'll be bursting to discuss this movie with someone else too. ;-)
3.) BROTHERS
GENRE: Drama, Thriller, WarMAIN CAST: Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Sam Shepard
SYNOPSIS: A wife and her daughter try to move on after her husband goes missing in Afghanistan. They are helped and comforted by her husband's once screw-up brother.
MY THOUGHTS: Movies that depict the terrors of war often show it from what happens firsthand in Afghanistan. There are guns, bombs, explosions, fighting, and the like. But really, to convince us how awful war can be, it is more effective to do this by showing us what happens after a soldier survives all the terror. The war doesn't end in Afghanistan. What happens after is even more frightening! The movie delves into that disturbing territory. What goes on in the mind of a person who has seen the evilness of others first hand? What happens if he considers himself as a part of all the evilness too? It's heavy stuff. This movie was a rollercoaster of emotions. I felt fear, anger, concern, and guilt all at the same time! And Tobey Maguire, wow! He truly has the chops for acting. No pun intended but his role here was a huge leap from Spiderman. He's a more serious actor here and honestly, I think he should've been nominated for his portrayal.
PHOTO CREDITS:
http://www.tribute.ca/tribute_objects/images/movies/Everybodys_Fine/EverybodysFine.jpg
http://www.comingsoon.net/nextraimages/unthinkableart.jpg
http://moviecultists.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/brothers-movie-poster.jpg
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