Weekend Movie Recap
Hey everyone! This weekend Thomas and I went to see Mission Impossible 3. I was all stirred up about this and expected long lines and packed theaters. Instead we arrived at the Saturday matinee 5 minutes late to our favorite Boulder moviehouse to find no line and a theater that wasn't even a third full. From an article my brother sent me, this seems to have been par for the course across the country. I guess Tom's antics have officially tried the public's good will. This is unfortunate, as he usually puts on a good show. And I am pleased to tell you that MI:3 tops the first two films. I personally credit the brilliant JJ Abrams (director and co-writer) for this. The cast was also especially good and I loved seeing Felicity (that would be Keri Russell to you, but she'll always be Felicity to me) kick ass in the beginning of the movie. That alone made the movie worthwhile for me. Also excellent were PS Hoffman (no surprise there), Maggie Q (unknown to me before this, but I see that she was also in Rush Hour 2 - she is just amazingly beautiful and a good actress), Ving Rhames and Jonathon Rhys Meyers. A decidedly unappealing Billy Crudup also stars as does the film's one weak link, Michelle Monaghan as Cruise's love interest. The movie was paced well and tho the storyline's twists weren't entirely surprising, I can honestly say that I was never bored. The action sequences and special effects were thrilling, particulary one that takes place on a bridge in DC. I have to warn you that they do the whole face/off mask thing once too often. This is a crutch that Thomas and I both find tiresome, but it was not as overplayed in this sequel as it was in MI:2. If you're looking for an action-packed popcorn movie with some humor thrown in, you won't be disappointed in MI:3. As I told Thomas, I like my celebrities weird. If they were normal, they'd be boring. So give Cruise a chance.
After all that though, MI:3 was not the best movie I saw last week. That would be Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. Palfrey is one of those British movies I so adore starring Joan Plowright (Plowright was Laurence Olivier's third wife after my personal fav, Vivien Leigh). There's no one better for playing older, upper middle class British ladies. She's done this many times in the past couple of decades - for another good example, see Enchanted April. In Palfrey, Plowright stars as the eponymous Mrs. Palfrey, a widow who checks into the London Claremont hotel for an undetermined amount of time. Though she is quite protective of her privacy, she quickly becomes familiar with all the regulars, some of whom have been at the Claremont for years. The one challenge to her stay is her grandson's refusal to come visit her, thus creating something of a scandal among the guests. One day Mrs. Palfrey is out running an errand when she slips and is rescued by Ludovic Meyer (Rupert Friend - last seen as the evil but cute Wickham in 2005's P&P and Keira Knightley's current real life boyfriend). Ludovic is a handsome struggling writer with a taste for poetry and unlimited time on his hands. He and Mrs. Palfrey develop a decidedly convincing and deep friendship and he serves as a stand-in grandson for her. Mrs. Palfrey is clearly delighted with both the friendship and the drama this small intrigue provides. The movie's message that the people who surround you, who are part of your day-to-day existence - whether they be friends, neighbors or people met through unexpected encounters - can play as strong a role in your life as your actual family - is made beautifully. I hope there are many more such stories that Plowright can make in the future. I will happily see them all.
Palfrey also references the 1945 film Brief Encounter several times and by some lucky twist of fate I had replayed that movie on TCM several weeks ago. I talked Thomas into watching it Friday night and its four stars are rightly deserved. Brief Encounter was one of the first British-made movies to make a big splash in America. It stars Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard (both unknown to me) as two middle-aged, married people who have a chance meeting at a train station and fall violently in love. Their tear-jerker of a love affair is true to the title, a brief one, and is told as a flashback by Ms. Johnson. Her blunt telling of the tale was at times humorous and must certainly have been shocking to audiences in the 40s. But it definitely rang true and is one of those great old movies I'm glad I finally saw.
-sunday
Boulder Bumpersticker of the Day: Peace: Back by popular demand.
After all that though, MI:3 was not the best movie I saw last week. That would be Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. Palfrey is one of those British movies I so adore starring Joan Plowright (Plowright was Laurence Olivier's third wife after my personal fav, Vivien Leigh). There's no one better for playing older, upper middle class British ladies. She's done this many times in the past couple of decades - for another good example, see Enchanted April. In Palfrey, Plowright stars as the eponymous Mrs. Palfrey, a widow who checks into the London Claremont hotel for an undetermined amount of time. Though she is quite protective of her privacy, she quickly becomes familiar with all the regulars, some of whom have been at the Claremont for years. The one challenge to her stay is her grandson's refusal to come visit her, thus creating something of a scandal among the guests. One day Mrs. Palfrey is out running an errand when she slips and is rescued by Ludovic Meyer (Rupert Friend - last seen as the evil but cute Wickham in 2005's P&P and Keira Knightley's current real life boyfriend). Ludovic is a handsome struggling writer with a taste for poetry and unlimited time on his hands. He and Mrs. Palfrey develop a decidedly convincing and deep friendship and he serves as a stand-in grandson for her. Mrs. Palfrey is clearly delighted with both the friendship and the drama this small intrigue provides. The movie's message that the people who surround you, who are part of your day-to-day existence - whether they be friends, neighbors or people met through unexpected encounters - can play as strong a role in your life as your actual family - is made beautifully. I hope there are many more such stories that Plowright can make in the future. I will happily see them all.
Palfrey also references the 1945 film Brief Encounter several times and by some lucky twist of fate I had replayed that movie on TCM several weeks ago. I talked Thomas into watching it Friday night and its four stars are rightly deserved. Brief Encounter was one of the first British-made movies to make a big splash in America. It stars Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard (both unknown to me) as two middle-aged, married people who have a chance meeting at a train station and fall violently in love. Their tear-jerker of a love affair is true to the title, a brief one, and is told as a flashback by Ms. Johnson. Her blunt telling of the tale was at times humorous and must certainly have been shocking to audiences in the 40s. But it definitely rang true and is one of those great old movies I'm glad I finally saw.
-sunday
Boulder Bumpersticker of the Day: Peace: Back by popular demand.
posted by Sunday at
9:56 AM
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