Movie Rental Finds » Romance

You Kill Me

wallruss — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:30:10 +0000

You Kill Me is billed as a killer comedy and that’s exactly what it is. Ben Kingsley plays the part of the family killer who is also an alcoholic. The drinking is interfering with his job and when it causes him to miss a key hit, the family sends him to San Francisco to dry out and get it together. He get’s set up with an apartment and a part-time job at a morturary getting dead bodies ready for their funeral. While at work he meets Téa Leoni’s character who has her own issues and they embark upon a relationship. At this point Ben Kingsley’s character has been an alcoholic so long, he doesn’t remember being any other way. With the help of his new love interest (Leoni) and his AA sponsor played by Luke Wilson, he works to find his way which couldn’t happen too soon because the last guy he missed killing is making life more than a little tough for the people he’s left behind.

There were a lot of recognizable actors in this movie and I’d say the movie was well acted as a whole. Even Luke Wilson wasn’t terrible and while Téa Leoni’s character was a bitch, she was quite a likeable one. The film is definitely a comedy but it’s not really laugh out loud funny though it does make you smile a lot. Ben Kingsley is awesome and the movie is really just plain fun … even when it tries to be serious. I give it a 3 and a half out of 5 marks but I’m considering giving it 4. Here’s the trailer:

10 Items Or Less

wallruss — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 05:53:38 +0000

10 Items Or Less is the story of two people who meet by chance and spend a day together, sharing each other’s world. The two people in this story are Morgan Freeman, who pretty much plays himself and Paz Vega who plays the part of a grocery clerk who works the 10 items or less counter. Morgan Freeman’s character is there to do research for a movie role. He is funny, friendly, and engaging. Paz Vega’s character is young, lovable, and in a place in her life she doesn’t want to be anymore.

This movie is kind of out there. You don’t know where it’s going until it’s over then your remember you had a pretty good time getting there. Here, it’s clearly more about the journey than the destination. If I had to describe it better I say that it was about two people being genuine and connecting. What comes of it? Well, you’ll just have to check out the movie to see for yourself. There’s no big action and no sex, just two people hanging out really. At first I wondered where this all was going but once I let that notion go I enjoyed this film. I give it a 4 out of 5 marks. It’s worth a rental.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

wallruss — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 08:23:08 +0000

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an Anime movie about a high school girl who suddenly comes upon the ability to leap through time. It’s funny, a bit silly, and also serious at the same time. She has the usual high school girl problems and this newfound ability doesn’t make it any easier. As the girl learns to make better use of this power she also learns more about herself. One of the things that is really funny is that she actually has to take a running jump to make it work and her landings are awful.

All that sappy stuff aside, this was a surprisingly good movie and just when I thought I figured out how it was all going to work out, a plot twist came out of nowhere and threw me for a pleasant loop. When I saw the movie I had to read subtitles so if that’s not your bag, make sure you get the English dub. Apparently this is a classic story that has already been made into a movie and a TV drama but probably not here in the U.S. If you’re already an Anime Fan then you’ll love this. If Anime is new to you then this just might be a pleasant way to start getting to know the genre. I’ve included the trailer so you can have a look at it.

Blindness

wallruss — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:24:40 +0000

Blindness is a kind of ‘end of the world’ movie. Here the demise of mankind is their loss of site. You never really find out what causes it but you see it start and spread like any other untreatable disease. What happens next is the government’s reaction to something they can neither control nor stop but that’s not all of the story. The movie really seems to find it’s stride when it explores what happens to a specific group of blind people over time once they’re rounded up. Things become very intense and the film paints a tragic and depressing picture of what humanity might become or perhaps already is.

There are a few famililar faces in this movie. Julianne Moore plays the wife of an Eye Doctor who is played by Mark Ruffalo. Julianne’s character is somehow immune to the disease and shares that secret with her sightless husband. The disease does not discriminate so people of all kinds including, doctors, prostitutes, thieves, would-be philosophers, and children find themselves herded together and forming a forced community. It get’s really bad towards the end and parts seem to resemble ‘Lord of the Flies’.

I don’t think I liked any character in this film but that didn’t stop me from watching it through to the end. Watching humanity devolve day by day until they are little more than filthy animals held my attention surprisingly well. I give this movie a 4 out of 5 marks.

Marley & Me

wallruss — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:16:26 +0000

Marley & Me is the story of the married life of a man, a dog, and their family. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston play John and Jenny Grogan, a couple of freshly married journalists who embark upon their life together, all things according to her plan, until they bring home their new Laborador Retriever. Like their life, they never seem to get Marley under control but find that this works for them.

Make no mistake, Marley is the one constant in this movie. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston dull their onscreen presence a bit to make them seem more ordinary and to allow Marley to shine. This film follows the couple throughout the entire time the dog is in their life, through all their ups and downs as they struggle to find themselves. Marley seems to know who he is from day one.

This is definitely a date movie and while nothing ground breaking or overly amazing happens onscreen, it is at times funny, annoying, and touching all at once. This is especially so as the movie comes to a close. The whole family can watch this though the kids might be bored for the first third of the movie or at least until the dog gets his first close up. I enjoyed it and give it a 4 out of 5 marks.

Signs

wallruss — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:03:20 +0000

Not all movies can can be feature films and not all can be bought in stores. Unless they’re attached to a larger film, most short films fall in that category. This particular film, Signs, was written and directed by Patrick Hughes and is a perfect twelve minute date movie. I wouldn’t pay to see it in the theater but that’s only because of its size. I give it a 4 1/2 out of 5 marks. The other thing that’s great about it is you can watch it right now. Enjoy!

The Terminal

wallruss — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:49:42 +0000

The Terminal stars Tom Hanks as an unfortunate traveler from some Russian country. While flying to New York, his home government is overthrown. When he arrives in the New York terminal he finds he cannot enter the United States because the relationship with his country has changed. He also cannot go back because his country is in turmoil and there are no flights going there so he’s stuck living in the terminal until something changes. What happens next is a series of sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes heart warming events that occur while he learns to survive in the terminal. He makes some familiar friends and falls for a stewardess played by Catherine Zeta-Jones.

This is a Spielberg film. I say that to say that it is entertaining and nicely put together. It meanders a bit here and there, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for a movie with a two hour run-time, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It’s got healthy portions of drama, comedy, and romance. This is the kind of film you can watch while sitting by the fireplace with a warm beverage in hand. It’s heart warming, but also a bit slow and long. It is worth renting and it’s been out long enough that you might even be able to stream it on Netflix. I give it a 3 and 1/2 out of 5 marks. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Last Chance Harvey

wallruss — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:41:59 +0000

Last Chance Harvey is the story about Harvey (of course), an older guy who basically half-assed most of his life and relationships away and is now in danger of losing everything that matters to him. Harvey is played by Dustin Hoffman who does a decent job of playing this pathetic guy. He takes a few days off from a job he is barely holding onto and goes to see his daughter’s wedding in England. Emma Thompson plays an English native with her own spin on a pathetic life. They meet, have a bit of a 24 hour courtship and shed light on each others issues. It’s not overly romantic except for their saving each other in a way. The whole movie takes place over a two or three day period and frankly there’s not much here to recommend. This is not a high budget film and it barely delivers on either the drama or the romance. Unless you’re a fan of either of these actors or have a pathetic life yourself (maybe you can relate), you can pass on this one. I can appreciate a good romantic movie. This just isn’t one of them. I give it a generous 2 out of 5 marks.