In the movie Bad Teacher, Cameron Diaz tells her principal that movies are the new books. While that statement made me die a little inside, I can appreciate her love of a good movie.
Since I have more time in the summer to watch movies- and I can actually stay up past 9:00 to finish one!- Alex and I have gone on quite the marathon lately. Here are a few of our favorites:
Lion
After watching the trailer, we thought about watching Lion several weekends in a row, but every time Alex suggested it, I said I wasn't emotionally ready. And then, one Saturday night, I decided I could handle it . . . or so I thought! When I tell you this movie requires an entire box of Klenex, I'm really not kidding, but it is so worth it.
Lion tells the story of a little boy, Saroo, who gets separated from his family in India and is forced to survive on his own for some time before getting adopted by Nicole Kidman and her husband in Australia. After the movie, I told Alex we really needed to toughen our boys up because if we lost them, they'd never be able to survive the streets of Columbia, much less Calcutta.
Dev Patel, my crush since Slumdog Millionaire, gives a moving performance as adult Saroo, struggling with the decision of whether or not he should return to India to find his biological family at the risk of hurting his adoptive parents.
Obviously, this movie emphasizes the importance of family, both the one we are born to and the one we choose along the way. But what really fascinated me was how everything that happened in Saroo's life seemed to be preparing him for what was coming next. I know I get so caught up in the here and now that I rarely stop to look back and see how all of the pieces were fitting together along the way.
The Edge of Seventeen
AppleTV compares this movie to Sixteen Candles, and while I feel that might be overstepping just a tad- I mean, can anything really compete with a John Hughes film- it is a funny and heartwarming coming-of-age story for sure.
Nadine is an awkward high school student who lives in the shadow of her older brother. Things get really rough for her when her brother starts dating her best friend. Sometimes I really felt for Nadine with all of her teenage angst, but other times I wanted to bop her in the head and tell her to get it together. So basically, she reminded me of some of my favorite students.
One of the best aspects of this movie is that Nadine's history teacher is played by Woody Harrelson. Now, I'll admit, I haven't always been a fan of his- he was too goofy for me in Cheers and too crazy in Natural Born Killers, but once he became Haymitch Abernathy, I fell in love. I really think he's found his niche as a sarcastic, yet caring, mentor. He has a few lines in this one that are sure to make you laugh out loud.
McFarland, USA
I love a Disney movie about a struggling sports team with an inspirational coach and a catchy team chant. If you read that sentence and immediately thought, "Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, it's bobsled time!" then this one's for you.
Like Cool Runnings, McFarland, USA is based on a true story. Kevin Costner is the new P.E. teacher at a mainly Latino high school in McFarland, CA. When he realizes that several of his students are strong distance runners, he starts a cross country team, much to the disbelief of pretty much everybody in the town.
The kids in McFarland had to overcome more than just the literal hills they were running. They woke up before sunrise to help their parents in the fields before heading to school, then practice, and then back to the fields. Their work ethic and dedication to their families and to cross country made me get up off the couch to cheer them on. Now when I'm on the treadmill, huffing and puffing and wanting to quit, I just picture my man Danny Diaz charging up those hills of almonds at practice, and I know I can keep going.
Hidden Figures
Kevin Costner has really made some good movies lately. I was worried he'd never bounce back after Waterworld, but ever since Draft Day (another great movie, especially if you like football), he has really redeemed himself.
I feel like Hidden Figures should be required viewing for every American. I learned so much new information about NASA, the Space Race, and segregation, it makes me wonder how I passed the AP U.S. History exam in high school.
The most amazing thing was to think about what it must have been like for John Glenn to get that first glimpse of earth from space. The movie made it look breathtaking, so I can only imagine what it was like for Glenn in real life. It was inspiring to watch all of these different groups of people- women, African Americans, astronauts- bravely break down barriers and take enormous risks to explore a new frontier.
One thing I loved about watching this movie was seeing all of the great dresses women wore in the 1960s. From work to church to a trip to the library, the women were always impeccably dressed. And the men were killin' it too, with sharp suits and snazzy hats. It makes me sad to think about how movies filmed 50 years from now will portray today's fashion. Will it be all yoga pants and graphic tees? Who's going to win an Oscar for costume design then?
Guardians of the Galaxy
This is one movie I never wanted to see. I was quite sure it would be 121 minutes of my life I'd never get back. But strong relationships require compromise, so I gave in and told Alex I'd watch it . . . secretly knowing I was getting ready to enjoy 121 minutes of nap time.
Low and behold, I was hooked within the first 10 minutes. I'm sure this had little to do with the fact that Chris Pratt is pretty nice to look at! This was an entertaining superhero movie, and surprisingly, I really do want to see the sequel.
This movie did leave me with several questions, however. First, how much did Vin Disel get paid to simply grunt and repeat the same sentence over and over again. That's good work, if you can get it. And second, if you're going to pay Bradley Cooper big bucks to star in your movie, why are you only going to make him the voice of a scraggly raccoon? I mean, I'm just not sure his voice is his best feature.
The Fate of the Furious
Okay, let me go ahead and answer everybody's number one question: Can this franchise survive without Paul Walker? I had my doubts too, but I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong, there was a hole in my heart without Brian O'Connor, but the movie still lived up to it's legacy of fast cars and family unity.
While the first six, seven, eight, (How many of these movies are there?) films fell into the action genre, I felt like this one could easily be a comedy. Between Tyrese Gibson's witty banter with Ludacris and Jason Statham's mad babysitting skills, I was laughing the whole time.
Now, before you go judging my love of unrealistic stunt driving and deem this below your movie standards, you should know this one includes two Oscar winners in Charlize Theron and Dame Helen Mirren. I'm pretty sure that means the Queen of England saw it and loved it as much as I did.
The Last Word
Have you ever thought about writing your own obituary before you die? Truthfully, I don't think it's that weird. That is the premise of The Last Word, a movie about controlling and stubborn Harriet (Shirley MacLaine), who hires young, quirky journalist Anne (Amanda Seyfried) to write her obituary pre-mortem. The only problem is, there's not too much good stuff to write because Harriet has burned all of her bridges and left a lot of hurt feelings along the way.
If you liked Shirley MacLaine as cantankerous Ouiser Boudreaux, you'll love her as Harriet. One of the best parts of the movie is the friendship she forms with a young girl she is attempting to mentor.
Alex described this movie as "sneaky." It starts off a little slow, but as you get to know the characters, you realize you love them and you probably know a few just like them. We all leave a legacy, whether we are remembered by a few special loved ones or an entire community. This movie reminds us to do what we can to make sure that our legacy is a positive one.
A Dog's Purpose
I thought cats were the ones with nine lives, but evidently, dogs have them too. This movie follows a dog's spirit as it gets reincarnated over and over in different dogs. Yeah, I know, I thought it sounded weird too. I also thought it sounded like the dog version of Look Who's Talking, which it sort of was, but is that really a bad thing?
This is the perfect family movie because it has something for everyone- love, adventure, suspense, and humor. However, there are several things you need to be prepared for before you watch this movie. First, you need to be prepared to ugly cry, so chose your viewing audience wisely.
Secondly, you need to be prepared to buy a dog, especially if you have young sons. After watching this movie, you may think the only way their lives will be complete is if they grow up with a dog. And then you may be overcome with guilt, seeing as how you gave away the dog your children loved because that sweet, angelic creature was just too much for you to handle. And then you may want to track down the family you gave said dog to and see if they wouldn't mind returning him. But maybe that's just me.
I hope you will enjoy these movies as much as we did. If you have any suggestions of what we should watch next, let me know in the comments!
