Films in 2014: Modern movies in July, Part II

A note from Lindsey: This post wraps up my post-1970 viewings for July. Part I was published yesterday.

Lucy (2014) – It’s not often that I leave a theater feeling confused, but it took me about half an hour after leaving the screening to feel like I’d wrapped my head around everything this film was trying to say. (Key word: “trying.”) That being said, I enjoyed watching it. Lots of action, lots of artsy montages. (The montage at the end where Lucy goes backward in time was pretty cool, though.) The story is intriguing, though with all of the buildup to what would happen when she reached 100% brain capacity, the payoff was a bit underwhelming.  One miniscule detail I loved was the casting of the academics, the colleagues of Morgan Freeman’s character – they are so believably professor-y, even though they don’t play a big part in the film. BONUS POINTS FOR AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS.

The Rebound (2009) – Kind of dumb, but an enjoyable watch.  This is one of those rom-coms that requires a suspense of disbelief — not because of the age difference between the central pair, but because Aram (the leading man, portrayed by Justin Bartha) seems too “perfect.” I guess you could argue that his flaws are the fact that he lives with his parents and isn’t sure what he wants to do with his life, but he’s 24 when the film begins. So few people have their lives figured out at this age that to me, it just made him seem normal rather than making him seem unfit for a serious relationship. (I’m 23 and the only person in my social circle who is not living with family is my sister. Student loans to pay off, bad job market, you know the deal.) And anyway, that problem is solved by the end of the film (an ending which seems terribly contrived, but I won’t spoil it!). Despite the fact that the film is a little bit ridiculous, I did find myself invested in how it all turned out for Sandy and Aram, and I was entertained by the film. Bonus points for Art Garfunkel playing Aram’s dad!

The Seventh Sign (1988) – Shout out to my mom for recommending this odd ’80s Demi Moore flick to me. I was hoping to include it in the Classics of the Corn series but I seem to have misplaced my notes on it, so an inclusion in Modern Movies will have to do. The film definitely had no trouble keeping my attention,though it didn’t bring quite as much cheese as I expected. Demi Moore carrying a potentially soulless baby… what more could you want from an apocalyptic tale? Also, I watched the film on This Detroit, and fact bubbles informed me of fascinating tidbits, including “Demi Moore was one of the celebrity backers of the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain.”

Sweetie (1989) – This movie taped as a suggestion and I had to watch it after reading the quick premise: “An Australian factory worker with a fear of trees has a plump sister who always wears black.” Huh?? I knew by reading this that I’d be in for a… unique watch. The characters are interesting — Kay especially, with all of her superstitions. The film is quirky and humorous, but also explores more serious topics including familial relationships and mental illness. Though it is set in the real world, it sometimes feels a bit fantastical because of the quirk factor. It’s shot incredibly artistically, which was my favorite aspect of it. I ended up enjoying it a lot.

This Magic Moment (TV movie, 2013) – This is a Hallmark Movie Channel cheeser that I got sucked into when I saw the description on the DVR guide: “A guy named Clark Gable falls for a famous actress who’s shooting a movie in his hometown.” Yes, Clark Gable. But not that Clark Gable — a modern-day man named Clark Gable who owns a cafe/video store in a small town called Stone’s Throw. My expectations were non-existent. I tuned in out of curiosity. It was dull and didn’t take advantage of the classic film connection brought in by the name “Clark Gable.” I ended up surfing the ‘net and keeping it on for background noise instead of getting engrossed in it. Meh.