Mom Reviews 2 Movies
Posted by Kim Campbell on Mon, September 7th 2009 in Reviews
Mama and photographer Kim Campbell reviews her two favorite summer flicks.
I’m a persnickety movie viewer, just ask my husband! I’m always on the lookout for little gems of movies that don’t insult my intelligence or make me guess the ending at the beginning. I love to watch movies and as a mom have limited opportunities to sit and enjoy a film. I’m known to stop a movie part way in because I just don’t want to waste two hours. I love it when friends make recommendations for me as it improves the odds…my friends do know me pretty well.
What kind of visual stories draw each of us in? Do you search for a particular genre when you need a couple of escapist hours? I look for movies that tickle my sense of humor without hitting me over the head with slapstick silliness. I skipped Mall Cop. Action films set my nerves on edge and don’t even get me started with thrillers because I really do like to sleep at night. I love a romantic story but often find them too predictable…Nights in Rodanthe anyone? And I really do love Diane Lane.
Recently I had a good little run on movies. A few weeks ago I went with some girlfriends to see Sam Mendes’ Away We Go and relaxed into an adventure of a young pregnant couple searching for a place called home. What does home look like, who is there, what city is in? If you have the chance to redefine home would you take it? The road this future mom and dad takes is equally touching, thought-provoking and nostalgic and is a great discussion starter for what makes up a family.
The following week we caught 500 days of Summer and I was taken back to the pleasure of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and my darling cancelled TV series Pushing Daisies.
I’m a sucker for voiceover narration and it’s done remarkably well here. This film is performed beautifully by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the uber inquisitive teen Tommy from 3rd Rock from the Sun and the enigmatic Zooey Deschanel. It’s rich and complex and proclaims that this is “not a love story but a story about love”. A wonderful distraction from everyday life that moves the characters back and forth in time, through butterflies and thunderstorms. So while you may know the ending from the start, the charm is in the journey.
Next week I’m off to see Julie & Julia. I’ve heard you don’t want to see this one on any empty stomach.
Kim Campbell
Campbell Salgado Studio
