Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward, directed by Mimi Leder, does not usually get the attention it deserves. Released in 2000, it was hardly recognized for any awards, which I find a huge injustice. The film is generally about the adage "pay it forward," which is the idea that instead of repaying a debt you owe to someone, you pass your payment along to some third party. Haley Joel Osment, who was a phenomenal child actor who could squeeze a tear out of me whenever he pleased, plays Trevor, the son of an alcoholic mother played by Helen Hunt. For a school project, he comes up with the idea of Pay It Forward, threefold. The idea is that when someone does a good deed for you, you return the favor by doing a good deed for three other people. Each of those people will do a good deed for three other people, and so on and so forth, until the whole world is affected. Rather than an exhibit of naivete, the project ends up actually making an impact, and a reporter ends up traveling across the US, trying to find the source of this intricate web of altruism. Meanwhile, Trevor himself tries to help his mother and his teacher, and they in turn help each other. An inspiring story that will touch your heart and make you really think about humanity, Pay It Forward might just encourage you to follow Trevor's example and try to make the world a better place -- which he somehow shows to be possible.

Is the world just shit?
Amanda :)

House Arrest

Directed by Harry Winer, House Arrest is an oldie but a goodie! When I think of this movie, I think of my childhood, because it's not just a movie for kids, but about kids. It may appear on the surface to be a cheesy flick that puts a spin on the commonly-joked-about idea that parents ought to be grounded. The premise is the parents of the main character, Grover, are getting divorced; rather than let it happen, Grover and his little sister decide to lock them up in the basement to work out their problems. The theme presented by this is one often found in works of literature. Adults would think that such an act is naive, is merely a child's attempt to apply immature, childish resolutions to problems of the real world. But the message is that it is neither immature nor childish, as the parents (more kids hear about the idea and kidnap their parents, too) are the ones who behave immaturely and childishly. The kids take on the roles of parents in this wonderfully funny but layered film, illustrating to everyone that sometimes the world isn't unfixable, and grounding may just be a good way to confront one's problems. Any adults who read this review may think, Hey, I know what I'm doing. But the kids in this film show that they do, too, and perhaps give all kids in the real world the confidence they need to stand up and tell their parents to practice what they preach. Age is nothing but a number, and the charming wisdom of Grover will grab you and hold your attention throughout the movie and after, when the movie finishes and your life continues.

You...owe me a quarter.
Amanda :)

Meet Joe Black

It's been four months! I'm so sorry! College is taking up more time in my life than I thought. But I will be diligent from now on, starting with Meet Joe Black, directed by Martin Brest. With all-star cast members like Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, and Claire Forlani, this film seems to promise quality. I admit that I was biased before I saw the film for the first time, certain that these actors and the score composed by Thomas Newman wouldn't let me down. The bias has nothing to do with my review now, because what I saw was completely other than what I expected. It was a long, drawn-out movie, and without the score, I might have even fallen asleep as Claire Forlani took about a million years to spit out the line "You're someone else." This is not to say it's not a good movie. In my opinion, it's an amazing movie with an actual message. The drawn-out speaking allows you to examine every person and every object in a shot. I found myself interpreting every expression of every character, and I believed every one to the fullest. I wasn't ever hit by the thought "This is unrealistic" even though the movie is about Death in the form of a man, out on a quest to experience the world by making a deal with one of his future passengers. If you want to experience beauty of the utmost kind, watch this movie--you'll love it!

You're someone else!
Amanda