CarmEmily » Movies

Movie Review/Science Education

Carmen — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:43:14 +0000

So I watched Angels and Demons last night and my official review is this: SO Good!

It was actually quite beautiful as it takes place in Rome and the characters are whisking themselves to all the gorgeous historical buildings with all of their statues and fountains. Also, I’m sure it was factually accurate so all of the information that Dr. Langdon spouts regarding Catholic and architectural history is an education in itself! Not only that, but they show the Vatican Archives! (I’m sure its real and not a replicated set) Now, the best part of this movie is in the beginning when they show the Large Hadron Collider in all its glory. I had no idea that this movie was going to be such a treat with all of my favorite things, including a great soundtrack. So in the beginning they show all the scientists busy at their LHC computers in a crisis about how and when to “harvest” some stuff which turns out to be antimatter. Antimatter looks pretty cool in the movie – all glowy and powerful – but what is it exactly? I have no idea. So I’m doing a little research…

Turns out CERN (home of the LHC) has an Antimatter Academy. Their site has tons of information about it and I am still trying to understand it and its implications. Antimatter is definitely the way of the future.

movie review, sort of…

Carmen — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:00:26 +0000

So I tried to watch Bride Wars last night. I only got half way through which could be attributed to the late hour but also because the movie hadn’t made me angry yet and I wanted to quit while I was ahead. (high five?) You know what my forte is? What I reeeaaaally excel at? Overthinking. Yeah. Is this a bad thing? I’m not sure yet (I haven’t overthought my tendency to overthink yet (its on the list of things to do this weekend)). So, I think a “normal” person could watch this movie and just enjoy the minimal amount of humor it has and be done with it. But I have to analyze its quality and its impact on our society and wonder what kinds of messages is it really sending to all the women out there and is it harmful or not harmful, and then it just starts making me angry. Like, who are these women?? I don’t know any women who have been saving and planning for their wedding since they were 16. Do you? I know I haven’t been dreaming of a wedding for any length of time. But I know they exist or else why would all these movies and tv shows about them exist? Is it an outdated idea thats left over from the 50’s? Or is it a healthy characteristic that I was not taught about? Am I weird? Or are they weird? Honestly, it doesn’t really matter. What concerns me is if young ladies (like teenagers) watch these millions of movies made about weddings and believe that that is the way to behave. Because if that happens we’re all fucked and irrational bridezillas will take over the planet! (Yeah, I’d watch that movie!) Hopefully these teenagers will just appreciate it for the half-way comedy that it is and just forget about it. Which is exactly what I am going to attempt to do tonight as I finish watching it. I can do it!

On a somewhat separate note, I already know exactly whats going to happen all the way through this movie. As I have said before, these writers have no imagination and the whole story follows a very narrow and predictable line of reasoning. But I’ll let you know if they surprise me.

Movie Review of X-Men Origins (with Wolverine)

Carmen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:39:39 +0000

Pretty dumb. Hugh Jackman has definitely been working out.

a review

Emilily — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:49:55 +0000

I don’t know if I told you, but I saw Inglourious Basterds last weekend, and I just wanted to say – highly recommended. Two thumbs up, five stars, a juicy red tomato, the whole shebang. I have probably seen almost every Tarantino film, and find him to be entertaining, but often a little over done. Take Kill Bill, for example – it was great, but after the 57th blood-spewing-jugular, I was over it. Before now, True Romance and Reservior Dogs were tied for my favorites, with Pulp Fiction a close second. But I am going to go out on a limb here and say that every other Tarantino movie ever made was simply in preparation for this, his masterpiece, a perfect combination of comedy, gore, and, most importantly, restraint. The genius lies in the balance – you have sympathy for the victims, but it stops short of sentimentality; you are repulsed by the gore, but the violence feels justified; there is death, either literal or implied, in every single scene, but life barrels forward with bull-headed optimism and exuberance. Very little time is wasted with backstory or character development, yet nothing about the plot lacks depth; the film is too busy rolling out its own fantastic version of history to stop for motives or lengthy explanations. It ends with sacrifice, defeat, and triumph (I’m not telling you in what order) leaving no storyline unresolved, no wrong unrevenged, and deftly skirting all the most predictable versions of riding off into the sunset. Finally, the casting was perfect (Pitt’s butchered Italian might top his gypsy boxer in Snatch) and the movie is so visually stunning I could watch the entire 2.5 hours again with the volume off.

p.s. I am not sure if we always have the same taste in movies (my last favorite before this was Pan’s Labyrinth, I think) but you really should see this one regardless.

I’m just not into – He’s just not that into you

Carmen — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 10:31:18 +0000

Ok, I did another nice Saturday thing – I watched a movie at 5 in the afternoon. It took some rationalizing to get myself to watch it in the first place and now all i can do is curse the idea! Ugh. Why did i do it. Rather, why did I choose that particular movie to watch and subsequently waste 2 hours of my time. Goshdarnit!! For your future reference – do not watch “he’s not that into you”. And i hope i’m not too late. Ok, I know i’m a girl but chick movies are bullshit and they should all be shot in the face. This movie spent about the entire time showing me how insane chicks are because they get all obsessed about men and (by the way I was convinced chicks are crazy before i saw this movie!) and then in the end of course they end up happily in love and everything works out and the narrator, one of the crazy chicks, is explaining “see! even though we are crazy it still works out sometimes!” Its like one big backwards fucking joke.