Friday Fluff Movie - Marry Me

First on the tougher side of marriage - I can report that Ray is doing really well with his knee. He might not think so every day, but I say "I do."

Now, on the fluffy side I did escape to the movies (left Ray with ice packs, water, his book, etc) and saw Marry Me starring Jennifer Lopez (Kat) and Owen Wilson (Charlie). This is rom-com at its most ridiculous and finest. This is J-Lo looking fabulous plus singing, plus being vulnerable, plus being fabulous (yes, I mention this twice because I do love her as the star she is). 

She's Kat, a superstar getting ready to marry dreamy jerk Bastion (played by dreamy talented singer Maluma) in a huge extravaganza concert. Uh-oh someone is a cheater. So, she impulsively picks Charlie (Owen Wilson) who's holding a "Marry Me" sign handed to him by friend Sarah Silverman. 

So, is this all a joke, a farce? Does Kat skip events to come to the school where Charlie's the math teacher nerd? Is love possible despite the crazy lifestyle contrast? Is Charlie just almost too perfect with his folksy attitude and crooked nose/smile? 

It's a rom-com. It's fun, entertaining, and glamorous. There are musical numbers. There's a math-a-lon. 

Ridiculous?  Heck yeah!!!

It's J-Lo.  'Nuff said.  

 

Wednesday Whimsy - Movie Review on The French Dispatch

 Wacky, whimsical.  It's Wednesday, folks and I've got a director, Wes Anderson, film to review.  The French Dispatch is weird (in a good way). The man has a unique style and this one checks off his quirks. 

1. Cast of a heck of a lot - Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Owen Wilson,  Tilda Swinton, Timothee Chalamet, Adrian Brody, and more

2. Bright colors and vivid sets

3. Animation sequence

4. Words.  There are a lot of words spoken and many hilarious throwaway lines. The script is superb

5. Vignettes. He likes small stories  that all pull together  to one big theme. I like these small stories that feature so many great actors and so many little moments. 

I came home and  told Ray, "You would have hated this."  And that's okay. With a Wes Anderson film, you have to know what you are going in to see and you have to be in a mood for some wacky. 

That sums me up on a Sunday morning five dollar matinee. And there you go for some whimsy, quirky, and Wednesday whatever. 

Movie Review: Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris is a pleasant talkie film. By that, I mean the characters meander the streets of Paris conversing. Nothing blows up (well, maybe a relationship or two), no one is killed, and at the end of the ninety minutes, you realize you want to sit in a cafe, drink some wine, and watch the world go by. Owen Wilson plays Gil, a successful Hollywood screenwriter. He's working on a book and wants to chuck the L.A. scene to live in Paris. He romanticizes the 1920s when so many American artists lived abroad. His fiancee, played by Rachel McAdams, thinks he's crazy. On this trip with her parents, he's the outsider.

Owen shambles along in his low key charming way and slowly realizes the engagment is all wrong. Every midnight, he strolls a certain cobblestone street and the atmosphere transforms into the 20s. He meets F.Scott Fitzgerald and wife Zelda, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Cole Porter, et al - they are all living the bohemian dream. He falls for a French girl, played by the lovely Marion Cotillard. She the latest muse of Pablo Picasso, but she and Gil light a spark.

They discuss the times. He rhapsodizes over the 1920s, and she shrugs it off as boring. She desires to visit La Belle Epoque. Gil's time travel skill allows them to visit that era, and that's where she wants to remain. Alas, Gil's heartbreak and return to current day living does give him the oomph to say, "I'm giving Paris a try, and I'm finishing my book." (aaah, any writer's dream)

All in all, Midnight in Paris has snappy dialogue (written and directed by Woody Allen) and it is a writer/artist movie. Lots of fun meeting famous people before they really became famous. Owen Wilson's manner has us believe and enjoy his adventure. It's also amusing to witness Rachel McAdams play a total snot. You root for Owen to recognize her shallowness.

Say bonjour, buy your ticket, and fall in love with Paris via this film.