Been a busy week and an equally hectic weekend. But took time to sneak in a few DVD movies.
STEPFORD WIVES - A funny and witty take on hardwiring women's brains to subservience. Nicole Kidman is adept in deadpan comedy, the same way she did in "To Die For." I've always loved Bette Midler and she's downright funny in practically every scene she's in. The movie may have been a comedy but the moral is clear, as Matthew Modine said very lucidly "I don't want to be married to someone from Radioshack."
THE NOTEBOOK - Predictable but engaging romantic movie in the tradition of other Nicholas Sparks stories. Kinda hate it when you can guess how the story twists and turns though. And it can be shorter.
BEFORE SUNSET - Now, here's a wonderful lesson in brevity. Just over an hour and filled with dialogue, this is a wonderful sequel to "Before Sunrise" about 8-9 years ago. Though much older (the lines on Ethan Hawke's forehead run deep), the characters are very much engaging. It's a nice take on "the one that got away" and "second chances." It was nice to see the characters grown up and hopefully wiser but at the same time, much wounded and ravaged. Hawke married unhappily, Julie Delpy unmarried unhappily. You almost want them to make amends for all those lost years. Will they or won't they? Your guess is as good as mine.
4MY MOM - It's not really a big surprise but bought my mom the small color TV I promised her about a month and a half ago. It's an early Christmas gift and while it's not exactly cheap and the money didn't come from any sort of bonus, it feels nice to make my usually stoical mom happy. Well, next weekend, gotta do my Christmas tradition of sprucing up my mom's place. Dunno, but I do look forward to it and I'm perfectly happy to do it. Right now, I've got just enough to tide me over to the next payday but hey, I've taken care of a big chunk of my holiday gift list.
