Martha Thinks

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

A couple of movie reviews

Love this time of year because I watch a thousand movies. Sometimes I put one on at 4pm if everyone else is busy with things and then maybe even another one at 8 pm. Sometimes I watch one from 9-11 a.m. if no one is looking. That's right, you heard me. It's a testament to the wonder of being able to watch a movie from your house with the click of a button. Knowing this technology has been around for many years doesn't make me love it any less. When I was 10 years old it would have nothing but a dream of science fiction.

"It's Complicated", with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. What's to love about this movie? A lot. The amazing California country home of Ms. Meryl who plays a Barefood Contessa type who opens her own gourmet bakery and sandwich shop. She has the most beautiful garden. A few shots show her with her straw basket and big hat picking fresh goodies from the garden...but oddly a lack of gardeners. Knowing how much work it took us to get a little something out of our little tiny vegetable garden this year, I would have liked a little more reality there. My own little issue.

But ex-husband Alec Baldwin, plays such a cad and so irresistible, he steals the movie. He and Meryl and architect/new romantic interest Steve Martin just made me laugh from beginning to end with a lot of very poignant moments thrown in, especially for those sharing in the aging process. Kim Basinger's panties must really be in a twist now because this movie proves that Alec is great actor, he's loved anyway, looks like he made up with his kid, and he comes out of his -screaming at his daughter on the phone issue - pretty much unscathed. Because if the audience thought he was a kid-hater in real life, we would never pay to see him in the movies.
Best to go with the girls. B+

"Sunshine Cleaning" with Amy Adams and Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin. This is a great little movie. These adult girls lost their mom many years ago and are trying to make a life for themselves. They are struggling. One is a single mom who cleans houses and the other is a waitress. Alan Arkin plays their dad, a nice enough guy always looking for some crazy way to make money. (i.e. buying fresh shrimp off the back of a truck and then trying to sell it to restaurants) They stumble on an opportunity to do crime scene clean up, a nasty job with a big paycheck. It's a growing up story for all of the characters.

One thing that struck me is how quickly both actresses can really look like everyday gals. Especially Amy. She looked like she really could be a cute girl working for a cleaning company. Sometimes these actresses "playing poor" still have their roots done and eyebrows waxed, i.e. Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain. Emily Blunt was really naturally pretty in this movie. She just didn't look tired enough for the role she was playing. But I dare you not to grab a Kleenex in her scene watching her mom in an old "Movie of the Week." Gulp. Without saying a word you see her acting chops. B+

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