The Adjustment Bureau

My View:  The Adjustment Bureau (2011)   I saw three movies this week, and this film was the only one where the dialog was worth a damn.  Matt Damon plays an up-and-coming Congressman, who, on election night, has a chance encounter with a woman (played enchantingly by Emily Blunt).  The two instantly connect but don't learn each others name, and fate brings them together a few months later.  It seems, though, there are mysterious forces that will do almost anything to keep the two lovers apart.  This is a SciFi thriller that, surprisingly, has strong, romantic undertones.   The chemistry between Damon and Blunt is so good that we start rooting for them to end up together very early on in the film.   My Rating:   Full Price  The Adjustment Bureau Info  

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst films of all time list):

#48 Best Film:

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)  Few films out there that can be called a "Man's Musical," but the dancing in this film is so athletic, we can label it so.  The film begins when the oldest of seven brothers (played by Howard Keel), a woodsman from Oregon, decides he wants a wife and heads out to the big city to find one.  He finds a girl who is smitten with him, and, after a whirlwind courtship, he takes his new bride (played by Jane Powell) back to his mountain home.  She quickly learns she will be caring for not just her husband, but his six unruly brothers, as well.  The six brothers soon crave female companionship, decide they also want wives and concoct a plan to kidnap their future spouses from town.  Their plot is a success, they escape the townsfolk chasing them by triggering an avalanche, and the brothers and their kidnapped women are isolated together for the winter.  The brothers soon discover they must court the women to win them over and look to their new sister-in-law for courtship guidance.  This film showcases wonderful dance numbers and is shot in glorious Technicolor. The ever-famous Barn Raising dance number is definitely one of the greatest film moments of all time.  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Info

Forgotten Film:   Inside Moves (1980)  A troubled young man (played by John Savage) fails in his own suicide attempt that, tragically, partially cripples him.  While the main character is recovering from his hospital stay, he comes upon a neighborhood bar full of ragtag misfits.  John Savage’s character soon learns, with the help of his fellow bar mates, that life is worth living when you have the support and help of true friends.  Good performances by David Morse, Diana Scarwid, and Amy Wright round out the cast with a special, memorable role written for Academy Award winner (and World War II vet), Harold Russell.  Inside Moves Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  The Fighter  (2010)  Mark Wahlberg plays the starring role of a boxer trying to  succeed in spite of his controlling mother and manager (played by Melissa Leo in an Academy Award performance) and his brother, a former fighter and now drug addict, played by Christian Bale.  Bale recently won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this role.  Wahlberg is good, as is Amy Adams, who plays his girlfriend who gets him to believe in himself.  It’s Bale, though, who dominates this movie and is amazing in every scene he is in. I put this film, based on a true story, in my top ten movies to see of  the year. It should go to the top of your queue.  My Rating:   I  Would Pay to See It Again  The Fighter Info

Weird Credits:    From the credits of The Adjustment Bureau:   “Mr.  Damon's Costumer” and “Mr. Damon's Chef.”

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)   After a string of flops, this movie could be Mathew McConaughey's trip back to the winner's circle.  There is a lot of  good buzz in Hollywood about his portrayal of a L.A. criminal defense lawyer who gets a high profile case that just may get him killed.  The Lincoln Lawyer Info

Until Next Time!