Rachel Getting Married

Let me apologize right away. This review is going to be a bit different, a bit more off the cuff then the rest of my nonsensical ramblings.

Rachel Getting Married beat me up pretty good. It's a movie about a young addict name Kym, played by Anne Hathaway, who returns home from rehab for her sisters wedding. Take a look...





I forgot to mention that Anne Hathaway was nominated for Best Actress by The Academy, her first nomination. Jesus did she deserve it.

So here's the thing. This is a very well done movie, extremely well done in fact. Jonathan Demme did a fabulous job with this material. It's great to see him rockin and rollin again.

Let me try to put this into terms. First, the good points. This movie is absolutely mesmerizing. From the moment it starts it pulled me in and would not let go. The performances (yes I am saying it again) are amazing. Anne Hathaway showed talents that I never knew existed in her. And, if that isn't enough, this subject matter is something that is most easily recognized by all audiences.

The negatives...the subject matter is so real, so powerful, so poignant, and so painful. I don't recall the last movie I saw that left me feeling absolutely shitty for nearly two hours. There were very few smile points. Most people in my generation come from some type of family dysfunction, some obviously more than others. It doesn't have to be this severe, but when you come from dysfunction you don't always want to relive it. It touched me deeply.

Now many people think those negatives should be positives. It should make for a great movie. IT DID! Don't get me wrong, there are very few true bad points about this movie but it will not make you feel good. At least it didn't me.

That said, this is an absolute must see. Be prepared to become introspective, be prepared to cry, and be prepared to be touched. However, I would never watch it a second time. I don't think that I am man enough.

4 stars. Really close to 5, but I just can't recommend being this upset so highly! :-)

Dear Ms. Winslet,
I have yet to see The Reader because, quite frankly, movie theaters suck. But I really hope you were as good as advertised. Ms. Hathaway was all that and a bag of chips. I dig you as well, so I can't wait to see it and compare the performances. Congratulations on your long overdue Oscar win.

I think I am done with my therapy session now, and I didn't even need to shell out a co-pay. I love the internet.

Get Smart

Get Smart was long overdue. I was a big fan of the T.V. series so needless to say I was excited to hear this was coming to the big screen. I fear that the younger generation may not be able to relate to this movie as the T.V. show was so off beat, so strange, and so witty that it is hard to duplicate. It's supposed to be goofy and completely off the wall.



The producers spent a lot of time setting up Max on his quest to become an agent, something the series never bothered to do. They also threw in the love interest between Max and Agent 99, played by the amazingly beautiful and talented Anne Hathaway. Another topic that never reared it's head in the original series.

That being said, there are a number of strong performances in this film to warrant a watch. Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, and Terrence Stamp were all quite good. This is a good, but not great movie. The blu-ray transfer is very good and the paltry DD 5.1 audio was actually impressive. What is with the lossy audio formats on blu-ray? It just does not make sense. The movie is definitely worth a view. Oh, and I challenge you to find 5 actors hotter than Anne Hathaway. Go ahead, I dare you.

3 out of 5 stars.