Movie Catch-up
One of the great things about having the Foxtel-IQ recorder now for our pay TV service is that I can scan through and record shows and movies that I’ve previously missed seeing at the cinemas or on DVD. In the last two weeks half I’ve watched 4 good movies.
The Island – Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johannsen in a futuristic sci-fi. This movie was nothing earth shattering, but an enjoyable enough way to spend an hour. Once you get your head into what’s going on it’s reasonably predictable.
Saved! – this movie is set in a Christian High School in the USA. Some Christians may find it insulting or sacreligious but if you can get beyond that it’s actually a biting social commentary on evangelical culture (admittedly quite an extreme version but there’s enough reality mixed in there) with messages on hypocrisy, loving your neighbour and getting the right priorities. Well worth watching.
Kingdom of Heaven – another religiously themed movie which speaks to issues of religious tolerance and missing the point. This one is set in Jerusalem during the crusades and stars Orlando Bloom. Plenty of action, brilliant battle scenes but enough background drama and exploration of the characters to make this an excellent, well balanced movie.
Elizabethtown – another movie starring Orlando Bloom, who I think is one of the most likeable actors today. This is a feel-good romantic comedy about a failed shoe designer who travels back to a small town in Kentucky to arrange his father’s burial. It’s a comedy with a dash of moralizing and large heapings of sentimentality…. sounds a bit dodgy on paper right? Well I’m surprised to say I loved this movie. The characters are engaging, the dialogue is fresh, the humour is original, the music is fantastic, and it closes with an extended road trip through middle America. I’m even more inspired to want to go on an American road trip myself now! Great movie.
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