movies

I've watched a few good movies this year, and so I thought I'd share my top few with you, in no particular order. Feel free to add your own in the comments section.

1. Gran Torino
This is the most racist movie I have ever seen, but somehow Clint Eastwood's slurs are so over-the-top that it's almost funny. Anyways, it's really cool to see Clint Eastwood's character change throughout the movie to leave his bitter-Korean-war-vet self behind to embrace his Hmong neighbours and eventually (SPOILER) become a sort of Christ-figure in saving them. Very powerful story.

2. Slumdog Millionaire
What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? Incredibly sad, incredibly good. And it ends with a great dance sequence to help chase away the lingering depression you feel after watching such resilience through incredible pain.

3. Rachel Getting Married
I really had no expectations before watching this movie except that Anne Hathaway had gotten an Oscar nom. for it. And it was well deserved. A beautiful film about a dysfunctional family trying desperately to be functional without actually dealing with their crap. So, in other words, a story about a regular family (whose crap just looks different than someone else's).

4. One Week
I was very excited to see a Canadian film at a regular theatre in Calgary, and it did not disappoint. Not only does this movie show some great Canadian landscapes, but it also follows the hard and sometimes funny journey of Joshua Jackson's character as he travels west on a motorcycle after receiving news about an extensive cancer in his body, post-poning his treatment to seek the elusive grumps. It's a slow movie and his character isn't the most exciting (nor does he always make the best choices) but I like it because it seems more real. Most people are meaningful without being all that flashy and exciting.

5. The Other Sister
This is an older movie, Tina's favourite. It's a story about two mentally delayed people falling in love and experiencing independence. Juliette Lewis does an incredible job, and it is so easy to fall in love with her endearing character.