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

The Family Stone

It's been a long time, I'm sorry, college is crazy! Since it is the holiday season, however, and I'm a huge fan of movies that reflect that, I have to start with The Family Stone, directed by Thomas Bezucha! Not only does this movie contain an all-star cast of highly attractive people such as Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Luke Wilson, but it links them all together as one giant family! Watching these actors interact together as a family unit with just as many problems as the average family is a truly humbling experience. You feel less crazy and perhaps appreciate your own family more when you see this heartwarming dramedy about the bonds that tie people together. I say dramedy and not just comedy, because in all honesty, I teared up at least twice. It's not a steretypical, happy-go-lucky film about a large family reuniting for the holidays; homosexuality, deafness, and racism are all kind of alluded to, giving the film a touchy but smart purpose, as well as breast cancer, which ails the matriarch of the family. A must-see, especially now that Christmas is coming up fast and you may just need a reminder of how important it is to appreciate what life has handed you. You can't choose your family, but you can learn to love them.

Buzz lightyear to the rescue!

Amanda

The Sandlot

Directed by David M. Evans, The Sandlot is unfortunately not a movie highly recognized in the bureaucratic world of cinema. It's generally a family film almost everyone has probably seen once or twice on television. When I think of this movie, I do think of my earlier youth, though I can never pinpoint when I first watched it. No one could find a more simple and yet more meaningful movie than this about the lasting friendship of several goofy young boys who bond over baseball, excursions to the public pool (remember Wendy Peffercorn?), tobacco-filled carnival rides, and the retrieval of a ball lost in the territory of the Beast. The soundtrack includes oldies but goodies, such as This Magic Moment by The Drifters and Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs. I always listen to these songs and wish I lived back then -- but maybe that's just me. If you ask anyone what the most memorable part of the movie is, he or she will most likely point to the end, when Benny jumps over the Beast's fence to grab the lost ball signed by the Great Bambino himself and runs for his life all throughout the town, with Beast and the other boys chasing after his bangin' black Chuck Taylors. An American classic is what The Sandlot is, and if you haven't seen it yet, I think it's on YouTube ;)

Man, base up you blockheads!

Amanda

The Departed

It's been a really REALLY long time since I last updated -- sorry!! I'm gonna continue as if no break happened :)

The Departed, directed by the one and only Martin Scorsese, is one of those movies where if you daydream for a minute or blink for longer than 20 seconds, you'll find yourself confused and frustrated. Densely packed with brilliant dialogue, fit editing, and hardcore music, every second of this film counts. From the very beginning, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo diCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, and Alec Baldwin keep you engaged with your mouth hanging open at the fact that the word "Fuck" and all its forms are said 237 times in total. How's that for keeping your adrenaline pumping? The storyline itself is pretty striking -- one rat infiltrates the police force of Boston, another the crime dynasty of Frank Costello -- and Leonardo diCaprio's and Matt Damon's characters parallel each other perfectly. It helps that humor is just as evenly distributed throughout the movie as cussin' criminals, and of course, the seemingly-random collection of songs (Bang Bang by Joe Cuba as well as Shipping Up To Boston by the Dropkick Murphys? Who does that?) makes this a highly unique movie and definitely worthy of the four Oscars it snagged in 2007. Watch if you haven't already -- your life will be better "fahr" it (that was a Bostonian accent, if you didn't know).

To making it count,

Amanda

:)

Gigi

Gigi, directed by Vincente Minnelli, is exactly what you see above. Dancing, champagne, and smiles. Gigi is sitting at the table, in a pretty guyish pose for the timescale (1958!!) that reinforces her rebellious, childish nature. I can't honestly remember her cousin's name--that's the attractive guy in the background--nor her great-aunt's--that's the frumpy-looking one--but they were still pretty important in the movie. I just don't want to look up the names because then it's not my knowledge that's being illustrated to you, it's the internet's. What I remember about this film is the dialogue, which was very top-notch and memorable. The storyline, too, was pretty original since I was compelled to stay watching a TCM movie till the end to see what happens. The ending, I do remember, was somewhat weird and not what I expected, but I guess that's part of the movie's charm. This may be a pretty non-memorable review, but I do recommend this movie--it's a hoot :)

No, it's Superman!

Amanda

9 oscars