A Record Breaking Movie Streak...broken...

Alex and I love to go to the movies... LOVE!
We just had a record "good movie" streak...6 movies in a row...
Here they are in no particular order (just as they come to mind):
1.  About Time - A time-travel story that begins with an awkward young man trying to fit in and find love and ends with the idea that a perfect life is less desirable than a sticky love-filled one.
2.  Captain Phillips - The true story of pirates and a brave Captain who lives to tell the tale.  The lead pirate was played perfectly and Tom Hanks was as good as always playing the captain.  I was completely stressed out throughout the movie even though I knew how it ended!
3.  Anchorman 2 - Don't judge me.  I love to laugh.  I liked the first one and with all the hype surrounding this one, assumed it would bomb...most sequels of this genre do.  Nope.  It was hilarious...albeit vulgar...and had a surprising political message that went unnoticed by the mainstream...here's the line:  “News is supposed to keep watch over the powerful so the powerful don’t become corrupt. But what happens when the powerful own the news?”  And before it could sink in, they got back to the funnies.
4.  Saving Mr. Banks - Oh how I loved this movie.  I love Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson and in this movie they were just wonderful.  I loved the emotion, the humor and the passion with which she loved her story...her characters...and would not let them be misrepresented.  The little surprise while the credits rolled was utterly sublime...
5.  The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - I love Walter.  His awkward desire to find love and his ability to throw caution to the wind to "get a life" was inspiring...in the most fun way!  It ended with a nod to the little guy which always makes my heart sing!
6.  Frozen - We may not have little kids any more but the charm of this movie was not lost on us! The music was wonderful, the animation, fabulous and the hilarity...so fun!!

Then we saw "August, Osage County".
If you haven't seen it and want to see it, don't read any further.
This was our reaction when the credits started rolling...and we said these words almost LITERALLY in unison: "This movie was made specifically to give Meryl Streep a vehicle for an Oscar"
The movie has no other value.
Here's the thing.
I couldn't muster an ounce of sympathy for a single character....wait...I cared about the Native American assistant they hired...and abused.  Everyone else was so narcissistic and/or self loathing that they repelled any sort of real concern for their well-being.  Let me add, I love a good villain...a character who is easy to hate but has layers of interest and intrigue...no one in this story cared about any other person.  The movie ended when the Julia Roberts character decided to abandon her mother...and who could blame her...SAD!
It had funny moments, but most of the movie was acting, acting, acting (it felt like acting...not storytelling)....a study in dysfunction...and not entertaining dysfunction...at least not for us...and no story whatsoever...just August in Osage County...left raw and unfinished and unresolved and messed up....which, I suppose was the point...and so I guess they succeeded.  (yuk)

Last night, we saw Nebraska.  Alex didn't like it.  I did.  It was bland (even shot in black and white).  But in the end, it was about honoring your father...even your imperfect, alcoholic father...and caring about someone else above yourself.  It was touching and sweet and ended perfectly.

See you at the movies!!