Pleasantville

Pleasantville (1998)

Rated PG-13

Directed by Gary Ross

Starring Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, and Jeff Daniels.

My Rating: 3.5/10

Language: One "F" word, several "Sh" words, and a handful of other obscenities.

Violence: A mob scene where a store is destroyed. One boy punches another who gets a bloody lip.

Sexuality: Lots of inappropriate references and innuendos. Several references to sexual things. Scenes of kids making out and having sex in cars. Not actually seen, but cars rocking legs sticking out of cars, etc.) A woman in a bath tub pleasuring herself. Paintings of nudity where private parts are shown.

Movie blurb: When 90's teens David and Jennifer get zapped into the perfect suburbia of the black and white 50's sitcom, Pleasantville, what results is a "visionary adventure" that Siskel and Ebert give "Two big thumbs up!"Pleasantville's perfect people include a mild-mannered soda jerk, a socially repressed mom, and a father who always knows best. But when 90's pop culture clashes with 50's family values, chaos ensues, turning the town of Pleasantville upside down and black and white into color.

WARNING: STRONG PERSONAL OPINIONS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK AND PROMISE NOT TO BE OFFENDED IF YOU LIKE THIS MOVIE. 

Ok, my initial reactions? Awful movie! Granted, it is entertaining, and well made, I think. It was a creative idea...and the black and white mixed with variously colored items is a great effect. But it doesn't override the fact that the whole movie is about corrupting family values and clean minds. 

The movie takes twin siblings, one a super geek and one a super sleaze who smokes and puts them in the black and white town of Pleasantville, where Jennifer (who become Mary Sue) teaches the simple people about sex. I felt dirty just watching while it showed rows of rocking cars with teenagers sprawled in them, while the mom masturbates in the tub, and people cheat on their spouses. It's terrible. The moral of the movie is that everyone has all these feelings inside them and they just need to find them a express them. Yuck. It was a degradation of values that I believe in.

I can say a few good things about the movie. The actors were wonderfully talented. And there were some creative streaks. I loved one part where one character tries to hide her "color" by applying make-up...which was all in gray hues! The character played by Tobey Maguire was my favorite. He seemed the one grounded character, with good standards. Even though he helped elicit the towns change, he encouraged the changes for the better.

Overall, I was disappointed at what could have been the makings of an amazing movie, but all it did was put down chastity, morals, and the overall idea of family values.

Would I recommend this movie to a friend? No. I've always wanted to see it, but it came out when I was in junior high and I heard bad things and good things about it. Luckily, my parents had a no PG-13 rule that I strictly followed so I didn't see it. I'm glad I got my curiosity quenched, but regret watching it at the same time.

Would I watch this movie again? I think you know the answer, but just for blog sake...no. I wouldn't watch it again...in fact I am going to throw away the copy I burned and delete it from my hard drive.

Flyboys

Flyboys (2006)
Rated PG-13

Director Tony Bill

Starring James Franco, Jean Reno, and Jennifer Decker.

My Rating: 6/10

Language: 1 "F" word, a few other swear words throughout. Not heavy on the language.

Violence: A lot of blood. There is quite a bit of shooting and shows many men dying.                                                                                    Sexuality: Some kissing. At one point two men end up in a brothel, but the women are all dressed. One man gets en injury on his leg wrapped so he is just in boxers for a brief scene. 

                  

IMDB blurb: The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.

My review: This movie was based on a true story, and most movies like this I feel are naturally great. Especially if they help share story of our history we might not otherwise know. The movie was well made and the actors were chosen perfectly. 

The characters were well developed for the most part. Rawlings a cocky Texas man who lost his ranch for foreclosure stars the show and becomes the hero of the movie. He ends up meeting and falling in love with a French woman who doesn't speak English, but learns for him.

The movie follows two stories. One, the story of the brave American boys who become some of the first fighter pilots. This story is set in World War I (before the US gets involved). Planes were a fairly new invention at the time, and survival during the war was not good for fight pilots. Watching these boys, while knowing it was based on a true story, was real to me. It made me more thankful to men and women who serve our country. (Even though these guys were fighting with the French, the US eventually joined the war and we were allies with the French...so same thing right?) 

The second story was the love story between Blaine Rawlings and a French girl Lucienne. They first meet in a brothel after Rawlings and a copilot crash during a practice flight. Lucienne knows only a few English words, and is raising her brothers three children. They end up falling in love, but it's not easy. The war makes it hard for them to see eachother often, until one night the Germans invade her home. Lucienne ends up getting hurt and is taken to a hospital in another city. This story helps you see that love knows no boundaries, whether they be language, race, war, or distance.

The movie is very predictable. (But I am really good at predicting movies.) I could basically have chosen each person that was going to die throughout the movie. It also had a few lame scenes, that ended up making my laugh despite their supposed serious nature.

The ending is where I really had a hard time. It's one of those moves where at the end it flashes through a picture of each main character and has a little blurb of "where they ended up" kinda stuff. This is where I struggled. I won't spoil it for you, but I was pretty mad. I have to remind myself that it was based on a true story, not a fairy tale.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie despite the sad ending and the funny awkward scenes.  I wonder though, why they choose to make movies with sad endings. The movie could have survived with omitting certain aspects so that you aren't built up to a huge let down! Oh well. C'est la vie!

Would I recommend this movie to a friend? Yes. It is a "You gotta watch it once" kind of movie.

Would I watch it again? Probably not. Not worth buying.

Love Walked In

Love Walked In

by Marisa de los Santos

A Plume book, published by Penguin Group

2005

My Rating: 8/10

Language: around 10 "F" words. A few deity usage. Around 20 of the combined "Sh", "D", "H" and a few others.

Violence: None

Sexuality: A brief scene where a child walks in on her mother and a man, non-descriptive. Other alluding points in the book.

This is my first post here! How exciting! Please be patient with me as I start this and try to really get into it. I watch movies and read books way more than I blog, so hopefully I will have all the time I need! (And I'll encourage James to get on here too, he watches movies like crazy!)

This was a book selected for my book club for the month of November. It was the perfect book for the month of November.
Back of the book blurb:

When Martin Grace enters the hip Philadelphia coffee shop Cornelia Brown manages, her life changes forever. But little does she know that her newfound love is only the harbinger of greater changes to come. Meanwhile, across town, Clare Hobbs—eleven years old and abandoned by her erratic mother—goes looking for her lost father. She crosses paths with Cornelia while meeting with him at the café, and the two women form an improbable friendship that carries them through the unpredictable currents of love and life. Invoking classic movies to illuminate the mystery and wonder of love in all its permutations, Love Walked In is an uplifting debut that marks the entrance of an enchanting literary voice.


My review:


Yes! I love when I read a book and end up totally and completely falling in love with it. Marisa de los Santos has an amazing way of writing that is so fluid and pulls you right into the book. She uses descriptive language so vivid, you can almost picture the scene in your head. I was captivated to say the least. The book had so many twists and turns throughout the story, I never knew exactly what to expect. I loved that about her book! Unexpected deaths, unexpected love. 


As far as characters, I feel they were well developed. Some more than others. The main character, Cornelia (great name right?) is a small woman, who is very intelligent. I liked to picture myself as her...if I were about 60 pounds lighter. :) She was a strong character, yet so gentle at the same time. When Clare falls into her life, she picks up the pieces her mother and father have dropped. Her character was a great example of pure maternal instincts within every woman, just waiting to have the opportunity to surface. 


Martin, the man whom Cornelia is dating, is a suave and debonair fellow...and Cornelia uses so many classic movie references, that you almost feel he really is Cary Grant with a different name. Cornelia even compares his looks to Grant. I wanted to love Martin and then hate Martin...and in the end feel compassion and pity for him. He was the perfect out-of-the-movies character...who ends up being deeply flawed in one very important respect.


Clare is the eleven year old girl who's mother has gone crazy and left and whose father is not a part of her life. Her character makes you fall in love with her. She is a smart, brave and strong girl for only 11. But she is not without her childish qualities as well, which make her more believable. I first thought the author hadn't done well by making an eleven year old more mature that reality. But then I thought...I have an eleven year old cousin and an almost eleven year old brother...and the author was spot on. 


Teo is a lovely spanish man, with the appearance to take a normal woman's breath away. He is kind and gentle, smart (a doctor!) and humble. He is Cornelia's brother-in-law...and through the whole book you just wish he weren't married! Did I completely fall in love with him? yes, I sure did. 


The rest of the characters are also those whom you love and hate at different points in the book, but make you happy they are there because they add the color to the story.


My favorite side character is Cornelias best friend, Linny. I love the relationship they have. Linny is extreme and over the top, and teases Cornelia. And yet Cornelia loves and craves her. Linny has a way of knowing exactly what Cornelia is thinking, that makes their friendship so special. It reminds me so much of my best friend from college.


Overall, very pleased with this book. It has a semi-happy ending, that is truly happy and perfect if you think about it.

Would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes! Absolutely yes...with the language disclaimer.
Would I read this book again? Yes. It is one worth reading again, and purchasing!