A few nights ago I was bored and started looking through the premium channels' movie listings, and I actually was surprised to see quite a few that looked interesting.
First off:
Inside Out
I've heard a lot of good stuff about this movie, and heck, it's Pixar... What could go wrong? To be honest, nothing. It was a pretty fascinating movie especially since I'm taking General Psychology this semester. Pixar's portrayal of different aspects of personality, memory, and the brain's functions were quite humorous and clever.
That being said, I do believe it is one of Pixar's weakest films. I know a lot of people may disagree with me, but I found the plot to be somewhat lacking. Rather than being a movie that followed a strong story arc, I felt like I was rather watching a series of events unfold.
I also felt like there wasn't enough emphasis on the conflict between Joy and Sadness. It's insinuated that they are a bit at odds, but it never really coalesced into an actual conflict. When they do have their differences put aside, it isn't quite as cathartic as it could have been. Joy is just too rigid a character to get upset at Sadness.
I guess that's one issue with the movie... Every character is so tightly locked into a role that certain interactions aren't possible.
That being said, it was still and enjoyable movie that had me thinking for a few days... And especially wondering why my imaginary friends weren't as interesting as BingBong.
(Mine were cats. Just... Cats.)
Moving on to...
Afflicted!
Now here's a movie that truly caught me off guard. When I read the description and saw "found-footage," I cringed. I almost just passed over it, but plugged it into good ol' Rotten Tomatoes and was surprised to see a positive consensus. That intrigued me enough to press play.
I was relieved to find out that this wasn't a "Paranormal Activity"-like movie where grainy footage and jump-scares were the norm. Think more in the direction of "American Werewolf in London" with Go-Pros. Two friends go on an around-the-world adventure, document their stops in Europe, and... Bam, a one-night stand at a bar turns into a strange assault that leaves one of the pals, Derrek, out cold and bloodied. His behavior begins to change, he can't keep down any food, but he insists he's fine. He shows off crazy feats of strength as proof, running past motorcycles, breaking rocks in two, and insisting that he's at the peak of health. That doesn't last long though, and as his condition deteriorates, it isn't long before both he and his friend figure out what is going on: he has become a vampire, and his need to feed is growing.
I won't spoil the rest of the plot line, but this movie does a great job at keeping vampires in the realm of horror, and not the sparkly romantic bullshit Twilight so elegantly crapped on top of Hollywood. It humanizes Derrek's suffering and his downward spiral into madness and isolation, to the point where you can't fault him for anything he does.
This movie isn't about the boogeyman, and that's why I enjoyed it. It's not about evil. It's about an affliction. (Hohoho see, that's the title!)
So that's a wrap!
I'll probably post more opinions on movies I watch as time goes on.
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