Summer of Movies Part 2

Here are two films I wished I liked more
1. My Week with Marilyn

{pic}

Why I watched- I first discovered this film when Michelle Williams was on the cover of Vogue (left) and I loved the article about her and her desire to portray Marilyn accurately. I am not a die hard Marilyn Monroe fan, but I love the time she comes from of Hollywood glamor. It has been on the back of my mind to see and a couple of weeks ago I re-watched the trailer and saw that Eddie Redmayne (who I love from Les Mis) I knew I had to see it.

What I liked- The casting was great. Michelle Williams was beautiful and I really felt like I was watching Marilyn and not Michelle. I thought Eddie Redmayne played Colin Clark wonderfully, he played a character who was suppose to be swept up in the glamor of film and still wearing rose color glasses when he looked at Marilyn and I believed him in that part. Also the cameo appearance of Jim Carter (Carson from Downton Abbey) was just wonderful.

{pic}

{pic}

What I didn't like- I can't place my finger on it. I thought the whole film was beautiful, photography was great and I really thought Michelle Williams did a good job making Marilyn seem like a person and not just the blonde bomb shell. I even thought there was a good scene when Marilyn and Colin are leaving Windsor Castle and people are applauding her and whisper's to Colin, "should I play her?" He asks "who?" and she says "Marilyn." I thought this scene was perfect as it captured the idea that she knew she wasn't really Marilyn but Norma Jean. I guess at the end of it I wish Colin would have realized that no matter how glorious Marilyn was that he had a chance with true love in Lucy, the seamstress (played by Emma Watson). But this is movie is based off a book based off the memoirs of Colin, so maybe in this we can't change what actually happened.

Overall I would say good film to watch at least once but probably not going to run out and buy to keep in permanent collection. Recommend to anyone who loves the Hollywood Glamor area and wants to see kind of an unknown story of Marilyn.

Sorry went whole post without one picture of Eddie...
 

{pic}

 

2. The Five-Year Engagement  

I really wish I had liked this film more. I love Jason Segel in How I Met Your Mother and in The Muppets (yep I saw it) and I love Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada, Young Victoria...some of my favorites). Also the premise of the movie is totally a romantic chic flick (my favorite).

So why didn't I like it, usually in my reviews I write first what I like then what I didn't like. Well I am breaking that format.

What I didn't like- It is rated R... maybe I should have paid more attention to that. They drop the F-bomb a lot and there are a lot of awkward sex scenes (they don't show anything but the scenes are just awkward. I was watching the movie and my roommate walked by and asked "what are you watching" and I said "why is it too loud?" "No, just has a lot of swearing." I also didn't like one plot twist involving Tom and one of his co-workers... he had Emily Blunt he shouldn't have been looking at another girl. (I won't go further as I don't want to give any spoilers). Just be prepared to hear the F word, if you watch it.

{pic}

What I did like- There were a lot of moments that I thought were cute and I laughed out loud When Tom and Violet get engaged they had only known each other a year but it seemed like they were truly best friends, because they were so in-sync. Then when they are having a fight over Violet's career, Tom acts like such the woman in a relationship it is hilarious. He wants to be left a lone, so Violets gets out of bed to sleep on the couch, he looks at her spot and says "well don't leave," and she turns and says, "You wanted to be a lone." "I do but I don't want you to leave," he says. I am sorry but that just sounds like what a girl would say. Also the end is super cute (won't give away a spoiler).

Over all while there were cute moments I couldn't really get over the swearing and the awkward sex scenes. So saw once but not again... wishing Jason Segel and Emily Blunt would make a movie that was PG-13 or something.  

From the Car... (Weekend Away Part 2)

As mentioned in part 1 of my weekend away (click here) I had a six hour drive to upstate New York. During these six hours besides taking some naps I flipped through and read articles from the September Vogue that I wrote about my love for on Thursday it is 758 pages and I am sure my cat who is 7 pounds probably weigh the same. There was an article about a woman survived the 9/11 attacks. It was a reflection of how she survived even though she was burnt over 82% of her body. It was very powerful to hear about how she at first struggled to survive for her son then when she found out how many people died in the attack she pushed to survive for all those people.

To read about the way she suffered and had to go through to survive... I hope to never have to go through that but it did remind me of my Sept. 11th experience. I was on the west coast in ninth grade and it was a late day and my mom woke me up. I tried to tell her that it was a late day and I didn't have to get up but she told that the World Center had been attacked and I should come watch, it was history. When I got to her room I looked at the TV and saw only one tower. I asked her what happened... she told me the tower had fallen. I didn't understand. What did she mean fallen. Then we watched the second tower fall and since then we have all experienced the aftermath. Now I didn't live on the east coast so I am not going to pretend what I know what it was like to experience it first hand. I was just a high school student who until then didn't understand how some one could hate Americans so bad they would kill innocent people. I was only a girl during Desert Storm and I didn't even know where Afghanistan was, and Osama Bin Laden was not even a name I knew. I think then I was just trying to understand high school. But my mom understood what was happening. I missed school that day. She was afraid San Francisco would be attacked and she didn't want me out of her sight. She told me my step-dad and her had come up with a plan that if San Francisco was attacked we would load up our SUV drive till we got to our house in the desert and stay there. My step-dad wouldn't be able to come, he worked in television and would have to stay in San Francisco to cover any news that happened. I know my mom has probably looked scared in her life but I don't remember her ever looking scared and brave all at the same moment. To know what had to be done if the worst happened but still not wanting to do it.

San Francisco was not attacked, we did not have to leave and I know my life would be very different had it been... I am glad I don't have to figure how differently it would be.

I know we have a few more weeks till the actual 10 year anniversary of 9/11 but this article made me think about that day. I know more stories will come out and more blog post will be written about this and I look forward to reading them.

Friend's Wedding... (Weekend Away part 1)

Click here

Best Friends to a Single Girl... (Weekend away part 3)

Click here

Brown paper packages tied up with strings... These are a few of my favorite things

I have times I love like Christmas, my birthday, the first time I wear flip flops with out freezing, my first pedicure of the summer, the first Pumpkin spice donut of the fall, and when the September Vogue comes out.

This is one of those days... I have stalked book stores, magazine racks and finally I went into CVS to buy some packing tape and there it was sitting in the center of the magazine rack I saw it the first thing as I came into the store. The SEPTEMBER VOGUE issue. I can't wait to dive into it. I have a road trip this weekend and I plan to take it with me.

I will keep you posted on my findings!