Iron Lady

Deb 9 Me 8

I like Maragret Thatcher just fine, there are some moments in her career that are quite memorable. But you won't find 'em in this movie. Now, this is a good movie and it is based on Thatcher, but it's not really a traditional bio-pic, I mean you don't learn much of anything about her from the movie. The more you know going in the happier you'll be going out. But it's really a good film and contrary to "J Edgar", you can have effective make-up and still maintain a full range of facial expressions. The make-up here was exceptional, not that it made Streep look exactly like Thatcher, but that it made her look consistent throughout the aging process. And that's pretty much what the movie is about, not the many specific accomplishments or detriments, but how a person's drive and focus through life, their priorities, change with age. Sometimes changes occur too late for resolution, but they come, and without any regard for your ability to accept them.

We Bought A Zoo

Deb 8 Me 7

I had little idea what this was about, I heard it was loosely based on reality and I figured a zoo was in it (brain surgeon). Sure enough, there was a zoo in it and all the creatures you’d expect to see in such a place, but the movie was about much better things than exotic critters. In fact, it was right up my alley, and dealt with life and death issues, their repercussions and how people deal with them. I liked it.

First off the flaws. Snakes don’t travel in packs. Second, the nemesis was right out of Ferris Bueller. His character reduced the film to a cartoon and it had to climb its way back to credibility (which it did). There were a couple other weirdnesses, but they were easily overlooked.

In the positive department, it was a positive movie. It avoided obvious Hollywood clichés and used less obvious ones. Matt Damon was excellent again, he constantly reminded me of (writer) Bruce Watson throughout the movie, which was fine. And then there’s these kid actors again. There’s a young man of 14ish and a little girl who had the cute shit down. There was the cast of underdog misfits, Bad News Bears run a zoo, and budding romance in the face of mourning and healing, it worked for the most part. What I thought was going to be a trite little look at animals turned out to have some depth and dealt with real human issues without gore, chase scenes or mutilations. It proves it is possible to make a good movie with just a good story.

My Week With Marilyn

Deb 7 Me 6

This is actually based on one guy's experiences with the old gal when she was making a movie in England. I didn't know it was biographic until the end credits, but it had sort of an arrogant feel throughout, like the star tootin' his horn about an experience he may have had and extrapolating a bit more grandeur out of it. Now, it may have all happened just as it is spelled out in the movie, it just felt a bit upitty. The girl who played Marilyn was fine, I never mistook her for the real thing, but she played the frailties of the actress quite convincingly. In many ways its a movie we've seen a hundred times before, but this one was very specific in topic and details and I like that conviction in a movie.

Young Adult

Deb 8 Me 7



This was okay. It's my first exposure to Charleze Theron, I checked her filmography and it looks like she's been around for a while and done an awful lot of work. She was definitely the star of this thing and did a good job. It's a dark comedy about a nut-job, sort of like the chick in Tabloid. But this one has some welcome comic relief that keeps the teeter-totter of laughing and groaning going back and forth. So the central character is crazy and enjoys getting plastered. Not a great combo and none of the people around her seem to enjoy this combo either. Of course there is one exception, that is what co-stars are for. This co-star is a chubby little guy who is the other end of the social spectrum from the attractive star starlet. As formulaic as it is, it is all pretty plausible (I guess anything is with crazy people), but the reactions of the the supporting cast make it all a pretty neat movie.

A Dangerous Method

Deb 6 Me 6

This was pretty neat. Sigmund Freud invented psychoanalysis but it was Carl Jung who first employed it and this is the story of that first patient's journey. So we get to watch Freud, who is supposed to the "old man" but looks quite young and Jung who is the most deadpan doctor I've yet to see (not professionally, just on the screen). The patient is a chick who might be guilty of overacting a bit, but the ideal candidate for this revolutionary procedure. Jung's inability to get too wound up about much of anything makes them a good pair. And being a pair is where the story leads, with plenty of action that might make Freud beam. I liked it. These are folks you've heard about forever and it was nice to see them interacting, exchanging ideas and hanging on to their developed perceptions of what makes people tick. It held my interest just fine.