Hosive

Just in time for the academy awards…….

vision church slows down in the winter a bit as does all of new york city so i get to catch a lot of movies in the theatre. this season is also my favorite season since more intelligent fare comes out. but because i’m so behind on my blogging….these likely won’t be options for you in the theatre but rentals. but who knows……? you might get lucky and catch some on the big(ger) screen.

up first was i am legend. i know, i know….i said more intelligent fare. but i saw it in imax andimax makes everything better. if i saw this in a regular theatre i might be upset. i think the story is pretty standard and perhaps i’ve even seen this movie before but anytime they blow up nyc(fake), its pretty fun. when they blow up nyc(real), i’m not as happy. the scenes of the city deserted are pretty cool. the “enemy” does not look as cool. the movie suffers from CGI-tis….”look at how many things i can draw on a screen with my computer!!!” worth seeing on a really big screen. might be also good as a rental on a larger tv. you’ll be choking on a splinter if you view it on your ipod nano.

i saw juno on my birthday because that’s what theresa wanted to see. that’s marriage! in fairness, she got me great bbq from rub bbq in the city. and i also wanted to make her happy. this was a fun, fun movie. and it had some magical moments. worth watching in any format. my only knock is that i know zero, zero, zero teenagers this articulate and in touch with her feelings. i’ve been working with teenagers for almost 20 years. and before that, i was a teenager! methinks no country for old men or there will be blood will win best picture but this movie deserves a shot.

speaking of there will be blood. this is a thrilling depressing movie that will frustrate the average movie goer. for the smart donkey who can always “figure it out” or “knew that it was coming”….take them to see this. this is joy for the mad man or the person who sees the world not quite in green and blue; and maybe its the world that’s mad. a slice of (mad)life of an oil man. that’s what this movie is about. its also about the magical powers of daniel day lewis. worth seeing but non-movie snobs be warned. it’ll have you screaming “i drink you milk shake! i drink it up!” the next day, i caught a nasty virus.

but not before i caught charlie wilson’s war with trent, anita,t and jeremy. this is intelligent and breezy. but too much talk. its the most expensive educational war movie ever. if you want to see how we took down the soviet empire and at the same time (inadvertantly)give osama his start, catch this. but rental should suffice.

linking afghanistian…….during christmas, we watched this in a theatre that simulates being in an egyptian tomb? o’ md, how i love thee. it was actually amusing.

they asked me to stop taking pictures. i declined. on with kite runner…..a bit formulaic at times but a great story about friendship, cowardice, betrayal, courage and redemption. also a good lesson in afghani history and culture which probably explains why it did not do that well as a movie in the states. but please catch this in any format. it will make the world better. or at least, you.

for a lesson in iran, watch persepolis. its animated(so its more fun). we caught it in a nyc art house so you’ll likely have to really look hard for this. but do! what i loved about this and kite runner is that we get to see middle easterners as people. ironic, that it takes a cartoon to do that. (this move originated as a graphic novel….that’s comic book in crass terms) its the story of a young girl growing up in iran before the current regimes and politics came in and how her family is morphed by the new world order in the 80’s. this will make you better too.

finally….cloverfield. i started with brainless and end with semi-brainless. i’m a sucker for a giant monster movie. or whatever it is that is destroying nyc. and once again…..scenes of destruction of my city(fake)excite me. the irony is that the destruction heads further north than where most film makers are usually to go and they went all the way up to central park and columbus circle…..near where i watched this movie! so it was trippy. turn off your brain and watch this on the biggest screen possible. if you don’t like roller coasters, stay home and do something docile. like knit or water your plants. jj abrams who does lost and the upcoming star trek revival also did this movie. mmmmmm…..science fiction.