Tag Archives: movies

Discovery, Home, Media Consumed

Keeping it Reel

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Some families cook together, others hike, some go on road trips, my family goes to the movies. We do other things too, but going to the movies together will always be prominent in my childhood and young adult life. I went to my first movie with my parents when I was three weeks old – I don’t remember much. My mom and dad took me to see artsy movies before I could appreciate artsy movies – I thank them now. In the two weeks I was home for the holidays, my parents and I saw ten movies. Here are my brief reviews:

Silver Linings

I highly recommend Silver Linings Playbook. Of all the movies we saw, this is the first one I would see again. I would even consider buying it when it becomes available on DVD. The sweet, quirky, crazy reality of two, not “broken,” but maybe “bent” people trying to make their way. Who do we love? Who loves us? How do we recover?

LincolnLincoln. This movie will make you wish you paid more attention in history class. Powerful and intense, you witness the skill of a true statesman. A somewhat ironic juxtaposition to the recent debacle of the fiscal cliff. Our country survived a civil war, that puts things in perspective.

Les Miserables

A classic. I have seen Les Miserables both in theater and on the big screen, both were moving. Do you believe people can change? Can a broken soul be healed with love? Also, let this be an illustration to any country that lets the gap between rich and poor grow too large.

HobbitI could not miss The Hobbit. This was definitely a Dad and Carly movie. Middle earth, dragon, trolls, orcs, goblins, wizards, elves, dwarfs, and hobbits made for three hours of visually stunning adventure. I must confess, during the movie I forgot that it was Part 1, and I kept thinking, ‘we better hurry up and get to the mountain.’ If you consider yourself an adventure movie connoisseur, you need to see this movie.

Django Unchained

With Quentin Tarantino as its director, Django Unchained was guaranteed to have a healthy dose of bloody violence, and it delivered. At times, I found myself cringing or looking away from the screen. Not a movie for the squeamish.

Trouble CurveThe combination of Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, and Justin Timberlake peaked my interest in Trouble with the Curve. The movie had poignant moments, but tried to tell too many stories at the same time. I recommend as a RedBox.

Bourne Legacy

As someone who has enjoyed the entire Bourne series, catching up with latest installment was only natural. The Bourne Legacy followed the same winning format – kick ass, rogue, genetically-enhanced hero saves super-smart-but-kind-of-clueless female from evil government spy programs and epic-proportion, multi-modal chases ensue. I enjoyed it.

WanderlustGuilt TripWe saw Guilt Trip and Wanderlust on the same day, both had sweet funny moments Family and love will make people do strange things. Maybe you’ll reconsider a road trip with your mom or living on a commune, or maybe not. Good for light viewing and easy laughs.

Beasts

For something completely different, watch Beasts of the Southern Wild. Like Les Miserables, it will make you confront the haves and the have-nots, but unlike Les Mis, you will see a people who do not lust after the haves, but rather see those outsiders as the enemy. I think I may have missed something in this movie because for me it was rather strange.

Clemson, Friends, Goals, Media Consumed

Media Consumed – Yum

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My local NPR station likes to remind me that “I am what I eat” – which means I must be 25% ketchup – of course, NPR is more concerned with the media I consume.

Rightfully so, I consume colossal quantities of media from movies, books, magazines, radio, television, social network sites, blogs, art, music, websites, podcasts, and more. My media appetite is undeniable. I seek these sources because I yearn to understand more deeply the world I occupy. I wish to gain new perspectives by listening to and reading about the experience of others, and I hope to synthesize many disparate outlets of expression into a unified vision. Of course, before I get too carried away, I admit that I also consume media to be entertained; don’t we all?

Below I list select media consumed in recent weeks and my thoughts on those meals. In the future, I wish to update this category regularly. Who knows, maybe you will see a larger trend in my media consumption and help me better understand my vision.

Argo. I saw the movie on Tuesday of this week. It was by far one of the best movies I have seen all year. Despite knowing the end, you will find yourself tense and doubtful the mission will succeed. The pace never slackens. You are hurried from one scene to the next, gathering your own intelligence from the faces of the escaped Americans and the members of the crowd. The biggest shock? The story is true.

 

The Debate. From an afternoon showing of Argo, I transitioned to the second presidential debate. I felt a sense of pride and duty watching the debate, even though I do not consider it to be the ideal format for scrutinizing political platforms. It is an excellent arena to judge the caliber of the candidate’s charisma and ability to handle himself on a public stage. Furthermore, I watched to learn the art of public speaking, the process of Q&A, the careful placement of a campaign line – I gained from both product: their words and process: their delivery.

 

Catching Fire. I finished the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy two weeks ago. The author, Suzanne Collins, wrote at the end of the first novel that she is interested in the effects of war and trauma on the adolescent psyche. Knowing this has altered my reading of the books, I seek content deeper than the superficial storyline. I watch the characters struggle with tragedies beyond the scope of my experience and integrate those with others I have witnessed through media.

 

Mean Girls. Yes, I know it may come as a shock to some that I graduated from college before I saw the movie Mean Girls. I am afraid this is one of many movies I missed, which are now staple references of my peers. I have seen many movies, but was always drawn to the Argo’s and Slumdog Millionaire’s of cinema. For now, I am in remedial viewing, attempting to accumulate the pop culture I missed.