Review: Midnight In Paris (2011)

IMDb Synopsis: A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.


Most of you know how it is when a film gets a lot of hype: the trailer is released, everyone and their cat wants to see it, critics and bloggers rave over it. Sometimes it lives up to expectations and others it's just overrated, which is why I put off seeing Midnight In Paris. Now I really wish I'd had the chance to see it in theaters because it's quite possibly my favorite film from the past decade. 


This was my first time watching a Woody Allen film (terrible, I know), so I didn't know what to expect from his work. I really loved the way he was able to capture the feel of the 1920's as well as the likeness of the people Gil encounters, my favorites being the Fitzgerald's and Ernest Hemingway.


If possible, I would go back and re-write the Movie Character Personality Soup post I did last year because Gil Pender is me summed up in a film character. I think the same can go for other classic film fans as well: Gil is someone fascinated by things of the past who eventually forces himself to accept the present, which is a situation I face quite often.


Overall: just watch Midnight In Paris. It's worth every bit of hype it gets. I doubt it will with films like The Artist and The Descendants nominated, but I would love to see it win Best Picture.

5/5 stars

Short Review: The Kennedys (2011)

I'll be honest, the main reason I watched this show was to see what all the hype was about. Reelz Channel advertised it 24/7 and The History Channel made a huge controversy over it. I didn't expect to get very much out of it at first, but, frankly, I'm quite glad I gave it a chance.

I knew next to nothing about the Kennedys before watching this series. All I knew was that John Kennedy was assassinated and that he had an infamous affair with Marilyn Monroe. If you're the same way, I would watch The Kennedys for a mini-history-lesson.

The one thing that attracted me the most was the acting. I've seen some of Greg Kinnear's work before and enjoyed his performances, but I was quite unfamiliar with Katie Holmes, and I personally think she was great as Jackie Kennedy, and also Diana Hardcastle as Rose Kennedy. Even Charlotte Sullivan as Marilyn Monroe had several bright scenes in her performance.

I mentioned above that I knew JFK was one romantically involved with Monroe, but I was frankly surprised that it was made to look as if her death was a suicide after Bobby Kennedy ended their affair. I also didn't know the Kennedys had any contact with Frank Sinatra- but I wasn't impressed by Chris Diamantopoulos, the actor chosen to portray him.

Overall, The Kennedys is a solid portrayal of the notorious political family. I recommend it to anyone who's considered viewing it.

4/5 stars