It's been awhile!
I don't know. What with the holidays, then the new year, then the fact that I was being lazy, I guess I sort of forgot about this blog.
I wonder if anyone even reads it anymore! Doesn't matter, I like to write it (sometimes more than others), plus it gets me back writing, so there you have it.
I'll start my first post of 2014 with my take on a few of the movies and documentaries I've watched since the new year started.
A couple of weeks back, I spent a few days on the island in Campbell River with some dear friends. The wife is not overly into movies, but the husband is a big fan. Whenever I visit, he and I always watch movies and/or documentaries together.
The last time I visited, I forced him to watch my choice in movies so this trip I let him choose. Hence the following films are more along the lines of "man movies" as opposed to chick flicks.
One night we stayed in and watched this one:
(click on the title to go to the film's IMDb page)
LAWLESS (2012).
I liked it. I'm not saying I loved it, but it was likeable and held my interest. It's about the moonshine business during prohibition and the story is ripe with corruption and lawlessness. Who doesn't like corruption and lawlessness? Fight the fucking power, I say! Lol.
The next night we went to the theater and took in:
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (2014)
A global action thriller based on the character, Jack Ryan, created by author Tom Clancy. Typical "manly" fare involving Russian terrorists planning an attack on the U.S. economy. I'm not generally too into these types of movies, but this one was okay. All in all, I liked it, even though some parts were predictable.
I'll end the film list on this one:
THE WOLF OF WALLSTREET (2013)
For those of you that were of age in the late 80's and early 90's, you're going to love this one. In fact, even if you aren't from that era, you'll still like it.
It's a black comedy directed by one of my all time favorite directors, Martin Scorcese, following the rise and fall Jordan Belfort, a New York stockbroker whose firm engages in security fraud. And... just like the 80's, it's filled with hookers and blow! It's pretty funny, too. One drug/car scene in particular made me laugh so hard!
Moving on to documentaries:
Since
I loves me some documentaries, I could literally recommend dozens and
dozens. Probably into the hundreds if I sat down and thought about it
really hard and went back through my lists, but for now, I'll just give
you three.
THE SQUARE (2013)
I
watched this one the night it was released on Netflix. If I didn't
already feel lucky (for numerous reasons) to be born into a democratic
country, this film would have made me so.
It is a verite
portrait of the ongoing Egyptian Revolution and a few of its dedicated
activists. I thought it was really interesting and quite well done.
Apparently so did others as it is nominated in the Best Documentary
category in the upcoming Oscars. Go Egypt!
WE WERE CHILDREN (2012)
This
emotional documentary skillfully tells one of the most horrifying
stories in Canadian history. It follows the tale of two First Nations
survivors of the residential school that the Canadian government forced
them to attend in order to "take the Indian out of the child".
It's okay to cry when you watch this one. I did.
And
it really is a story that needs to be told. I was never taught this
history in school. I highly recomend that you watch it, even if you
aren't from Canada.
EARTHLINGS(S) (2005)
This
one is a powerful and informative documentary about society's selfish
and unforgivable use of animals and our dependence on them
I'm
not going to lie, this one was hard for me to watch. Really, really
hard. I cried, I cringed and I even admit to fast forwarding through a
few scenes that were just too much for me to handle.
Very emotional and highly recommended to watch!
Anyway, that's all for now, but I'll be back soon!
