From The Past: May 1, 2009

I am glad I keep track of the movies I watch each month because I certainly could not remember them all. Especially the first on the list; it was a long-ago memory.

4-3-09 Across the Universe – This was a very strange story and musical which seemed to be written for the sole purpose of singing the songs of the Beatles. It was about a young man coming to the United States to meet his dad while other young men in the United States left to fight the Vietnam War. It started off okay, but then got weirder and weirder. I don’t know what audience this movie would appeal to. I did enjoy the music quite a lot.

4-3-09 The Other Boleyn Girl – I previously reviewed this movie, but it was before I had actually read the book. Now that I have read the book, the events in the movie seemed to go very quickly. To anyone who has only seen the film and not read the book, I would say, you need to read the book. A person misses out on a lot of detail, information, and events when the book has not been read.

4-6-09 Charlie Bartlett – This movie is about a high school teenager who is trying to do whatever he can to fit in and make friends. It was a decent story, but only a one-time movie for me. It would appeal to teenagers and young adults.

4-7-09 Turistas – A group of people are on a bus in Brazil when there is an accident and they are left to their own devices. Something scary awaits them, but I won’t tell you what it is or it would give the movie away. This film would be in the horror/drama category and was a one-time only viewing for me. It has a creepy story, but once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.

4-9-09 Yes Man – A man who says no to answer almost everything, makes a pact to answer yes to any opportunity which comes his way. This was a cute movie; it had its funny scenes, especially those involving the main character’s boss.

4-9-09 The Day the Earth Stood Still – An alien visits the Earth and has everyone scared for their lives in this recreated version of the 1951 film. Kevin and I both enjoyed this movie, although he saw the first film and said this was totally different. Without a doubt I don’t believe it deserved its PG-13 rating; PG would have sufficed.

4-11-09 Quantum of Solace – This James Bond movie is action-packed from beginning to end. It was good, but not quite as good as the last Bond film. That being said, I would recommend a viewing for anyone who loves action/adventure movies.

4-24-09 The Reader – A 15-year-old boy has a summer affair with an older woman. When the boy grows to be a man, he encounters the woman in the last place he ever expected. This was an excellent movie. However slow, the story was enthralling and I would watch it again. You should know though, there was nudity and sexual situations throughout the entire film. I am giving you this information because you will not want to watch it if that bothers you. When I say nudity, I mean full frontal male and female just so you are clear. (Ashley was out of the house the night we viewed this.) After viewing the movie, you really need to watch the “deleted scenes” on the DVD. This will clear many questions the movie most likely left you with. I believe every scene they removed was vital to the story.

** The best movie for me this month was The Reader, but I enjoy the overseas setting films. I had previously viewed The Other Boleyn Girl so it was not up for my favorite position of the month.