Monday At the Movies: More Summer Movies

Ah, the summer time! It's the time of year when my husband and I step up our movie watching and we've had a busy summer of movies. Some of what we've watched most recently:

Inception (Action, Mystery, Science Fiction - 2010; rated PG-13; directed & written by Christopher Nolan) ~ This is the movie my husband was eager to see after seeing a trailer, whereas I was more reluctant. Right now, it's my favorite movie of the summer season. I should have known better than to second guess Chris Nolan. Inception is about a man, Leonardo DiCarpio, who steals secrets from people's dreams. His most recent target hires him to do just the opposite, to plant an idea in a business competitor's head. It is highly risky and many believe impossible. With a promise to clear Leo's character's name so that he can be reunited with his children, Leo decides to take the deal. He hires Ariadne played by Ellen Page as the architect, and she does a great job in the role.

I loved the complexity of the story, the many layers of the dreams and how it all came together--or unraveled--in the end. The fact that very little CGI (computer generated imagery) was used is especially impressive, given the nature of the movie. I do wish the supporting characters had been more filled out, but with so much going on in an already long (although the time flew by) movie, I don't imagine much more could have been fit in.


Confessions of a Shopaholic (Romantic Comedy - 2009; rated PG; directed by P.J. Hogan; written by Tracey Jackson, Tim Firth, Kayla Alpert, & based on the books by Sophie Kinsella) ~ As annoying as Becky Bloomfield is and as often as I roll my eyes at her failure to learn from her mistakes, I loved the book series by Sophie Kinsella--at least the books I've read in it so far. It's fun. It's light. It's entertaining. I was excited then when I heard a movie was being made based on the first book in the series. But then the reviews from friends started coming in and my interest waned. The movie went to the bottom of my Netflix queue. It's turn finally came, and I watched it. And I really liked it! It had the same lighthearted feel that the books have, and I really liked Becky's character who was played by Isla Fisher.

Becky loves to shop, hence the title, and has amassed a huge debt. To top it off, the magazine she works for has folded and she's suddenly out of a job. Becky takes a job working at a finance magazine, writing about saving money. With the debt collector hot on her heels, Becky gets further tangled in her shopping addiction and lies. She risks love and friendship as a result. The movie differs from the book it is based on considerably, but I'm not such a stickler for accuracy if it works. As far as romantic comedies go, there are definitely better ones out there. For a couple of hours of escape though, Confessions of a Shopaholic works just fine.


X-Files: I Want to Believe (Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller - 2008; rated PG-13; directed by Chris Carter; written by Frank Spotnitz & Chris Carter) ~ My husband introduced me to The X-Files when we were in college and I soon was as hooked as he was. The television series lost some of its shine in the final years, but it continues to be a show that has become somewhat of an icon. The second X-Files movie reminded me of the earlier seasons of the popular TV show. It forwent the alien conspiracies and settled for a more traditional psychological thriller with a slight paranormal bent. Now out of the FBI, Dana Scully is practicing medicine at a Catholic Hospital and resumed her skeptical and more scientific stance to all things paranormal. A wanted man by the FBI, Fox Mulder is the believer, still searching for answers, hoping to find the truth.

Pulled into the search for a missing FBI agent, Mulder and Scully are asked to determine whether the psychic helping the FBI is legitimate or perhaps involved in the crime. His pedigree doesn't exactly lead people to trust him. He's a former priest and pedophile.

I enjoyed stepping into Mulder and Scully's world again. They still share the chemistry that made them such great partners in the original series. The movie was dark and horror-like, just as one might expect from The X-Files. Watching the movie, I felt like I was back in college watching the TV show.


Salt (Action, Suspense/Thriller - 2010; rated PG-13; directed by Phillip Noyce; written by Kurt Wimmer) - I'm a sucker for an action flick--the suspense and adrenalin rush are hard to beat. So, when I first heard about Salt, I knew I had to see it. My husband referred to Salt as a good big-dumb-action movie and I have to agree with him. It was entertaining and I never tire of seeing Angelina Jolie in action. A CIA operative accused of being a Russian spy, Angelina Jolie's character, Evelyn Salt, goes on the run. Steeped in conspiracy theories, with both predictable and unexpected twists, the movie had a nostalgic air about it that made it all the more enjoyable. It was a fun way to spend a summer afternoon.

What movies have you seen lately?

---

© 2010, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.