Movie Review- The Watch

Dan and I saw The Watch, a few weeks ago, the same weekend that we saw Ted. We actually ended up watching Ted first, on the recommendation of the teenager working the ticket counter at the Pacific Theaters, because "Who likes movies about Aliens?". Yes, I know that taking the advice of a teen movie worker, probably wasn't our shining moment, but Ted was okay.

The Watch isn't a great movie, but I found it to be a lot funnier than Ted. Unlike in Ted, the humor isn't exclusively crude. I think that the cast and interplay between them is what made the movie fun to watch. They clearly enjoyed themselves making this movie and that made me go along for the ride. I love Ben Stiller, even though he makes a lot of dumb comedies. He never fails to make me laugh.

This movie is a dumb comedy, but there are worse in this genre. It doesn't need to be seen in theaters, but it's worth a rental. The aliens are surprisingly well executed.

I loved the bit where Stiller's character is trying to get together a neighborhood watch. It really shows the honest apathy and weirdness that happens when you try to get a bunch of strangers together for a cause, everyone out with their own agenda. Good characters ( even though Vince Vaughn is playing the same guy he always plays) and funny stuff.

Movie Review- Safety Not Guaranteed

I've wanted to see this movie for awhile and was surprised to find it still playing in my local theater. The quirky premise and the producers ( Little Miss Sunshine being one of my favorite films) swayed me to want to see Safety Not Guaranteed.

I wanted to like this movie more than I did. It was slow. My mind wandered nearly the entire movie. I walked away feeling that there was a good idea that just didn't gel. It has some meaningful moments dealing with lost opportunities and lost youth, but it was hard to feel a connection to the characters or the story.

One trap that it didn't fall into, was being too quirky for it's own good. It keeps it simple and doesn't ever get too crazy. This made me go along with the bits that were outlandish.

A problem that it did have, was unlikeable characters. In particular the reporter played by Jake Johnson. Johnson's character was such a jerk, that it was impossible to feel sympathy towards him. I also didn't care for the spineless intern played by Karan Soni. It wasn't the acting, they were fine, it was the way that the characters were written.

Saving the movie, was the character of Darius played by Aubrey Plaza. Plaza stole the show everytime she was on the screen. It is really her story. I also enjoyed Mark Duplass as Kenneth, the nutty writer of the Time Travel Ad. Kenneth works as a grocery store clerk and is the resident crazy guy. I feel like everyone can relate to having worked with that type of coworker.

I loved that there was a credit for a "Time Travel Consultant".

This movie had it's moments, but was lackluster enough that it's hard to recommend it.

Movie Review- Beasts of The Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild made me cry buckets. I ended up leaving the theater with mascara streaks down my cheeks and was mortified to have left my sunglasses in the car. This would have been really embarrassing had not every other person exiting the theater also been crying. The guy behind me spent a third of the movie making dry heaving sounds. I don't often cry in movies, but this was a complete tear jerker., hitting a lot of personally sensitive areas.

It was also probably the best movie that I have seen so far in 2012. It's a completely unique drama with fantasy elements. The movie has a magical quality. I absolutely loved the little girl who played Hushpuppy. She managed to drive the entire movie and create a completely believable character. I wanted to reach through the screen and give her character a big hug or adopt her. She's also adorable.

This movie has so many themes. At it's core, it's about nature and humans being a part of the chain. The world that Hushpuppy lives in is deeply rooted in the land and all of the people in her life are just like any other animal. They are all beasts. It's about all animals needing to teach their young to survive and be strong. It's a story about community and helping those in need. I thought that it was interesting that much of the movie the humans act like beasts and it's only in certain moments that they let down their guard and allow their humanity to show. The characters live in a harsh environment. As a theater goer, I had many cringe worthy moments and often heard others gasp.

I noticed in the credits that the movie is based on a stage play. I love theatrical adaptations, because usually the writing is so strong, as in this movie. I would love to see a stage production.

This is a fantastic movie with beautiful storytelling and a great alternative to much of the summer crap. It also begs to be seen on the big screen, go see it!