Beastmomma

I decided to take a study break today. Dude and I went to see Dan in Real Life.  I thought the movie was going to be cute.  Instead, I found myself laughing and crying. It was hysterical and touching.  It is a story about a single dad whose wife died four years ago. He is struggling to raise his kids and meets a woman. There are some complications.  It was such a good reminder of how tough it can be to be a good parent and to make sure your own needs are filled.  This was the perfect study break movie.

Which Screen: Whichever one will let you see the movie faster!

When I was at home for Thanksgiving, my brother and I decided to go see a movie.  This was a good break from being around the house.  He and I usually agree on movies, but the pickings were slim.  I finally agreed to Lions for Lambs.  It had a lot of potential, but I thought that it fell short.  I could have sworn that some of the dialogue was from other places; I also thought that it was a bit long.  One good thing about the movie was that I got the chance to tell my brother that I think he takes things for granted and acts like an arrogant ass without getting into a fight.  I told him that one of the characters reminded me of him.  This is a story that centers around the Iraq war. There are three basic story lines: A professor talking with a student about living up to potential (the student character reminded me of my brother),  a senator who is running for President speaking with a journalist about a new war strategy, and two soldiers on the battlefield in Iraq.

My brother liked the movie more than I did.  He claimed that it made him think.  Our contrasting opinions lead me to believe that a movie can make you think and bore you to tears all at the same time.

Which Screen: Small is adequate, but you could also get the same information by being a critical reader of the news.

I finally saw There's Something about Mary.  Since this movie came out a long time ago, I had a lot of the catch phrases and scenes described to me.  Maybe I would have found it funnier if I had seen the movie when it first came out.  I thought it was okay, but nothing spectacular.  All the glorified stalking disturbed me.

Which Screen? Small is adequate.

It took me almost a week to finish watching And the Band Played On which is a film about the AIDS epidemic in the United States. I thought that the movie did a good job of portraying how red tape and desire for recognition can get in the way of fighting to eliminate a disease.  The film was very well done and I especially appreciated the portrayal of several people who were trying to do the right thing, but trapped in a world run by politics.   How do we continue to work for social justice when our professional lives have placed us in huge structures that run on money and politics?  In the quest to live and work with passion, how do we navigate mazes of red tape that are lined with prejudice (some intentional and some unintentional)?

I do want to read the book, but I am not sure when that will happen. In the meantime, I am glad to have watched the film.

Recommend? YES

Which Screen? NA because it is only on video.