What To Watch This Weekend

A few format changes include recommending one film for each accessibility instead of two to make the process simpler for both the writers and the readers. Enjoy!

Stepmom

★★★ ½

What marks one of the most underrated dramas in cinema, and also the first film I ever saw in theaters (I was just a few weeks old, and already loved movies), Stepmom is a movie that hit me from out of nowhere. And it sure hit me where it hurt. It chronicles the daily life and complications of a broken-up-by-divorce family. Susan Sarandon plays the divorced mother, Julia Roberts plays the new stepmom, and Ed Harris plays the father of the family. The performances are flawless, the script never misses a beat, and the whole thing winds down to a tear-jerker of an ending, comparable to that of We Bought A Zoo. When my mom and I picked up the copy of this DVD at the library, I saw the title, the leads, and rolled my eyes. She persisted that I watch it with her, and I did. You can roll your eyes at this recommendation of a “chick drama” just like I did, but it’s better than The Notebook, so check it out.

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Available on Xfinity On Demand

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

★★★★ (Cole) ~ ★★★ ½ (Jesse)

About two days ago, my friend came over looking to borrow a movie. When I told him that my collection ranges from 40’s thrillers to recent releases, he said he wanted a comedy. I couldn’t help but let him borrow my favorite comedy ever, and one of my favorite all-time films, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It tells the simplistic, yet hilarious in ways unimaginable, story of Neal Paige, a man desperately trying to get home to spend time with his family (he was on a business trip) when he meets Neal Paige, a shower curtain salesman, slob, and incredibly annoying travel partner... That he can’t get away from. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles packs in two of the finest comedic actors of all time’s best performance, blends them with hysterical dialogue, and throws you—and Neal Paige—along for the ride of your/his life. It’s incredible, too, because each time I watch the film I get something more from it, and end up loving it that much more. Something else that’s great about it is that it’s not all comedy, as you’ll find. And before you watch it, remember, “Twenty bucks and my left nut says—” you’ll love this movie!

MPAA Rating: R
Available on Netflix Instant Streaming

        Lincoln (2012)

★★★ (Jesse)

        It's obvious that you know what you're getting into when you view an historical epic by Steven Spielberg. He does his darndest to get everything right. He's meticulous with every little detail down to the costume design, the musical score, the way people talk, the look of the sets, everything. In 2012, he almost succeeds with Lincoln, a recounting of the last few months of Abraham Lincoln's life. This film covers, mainly, the efforts of one of our nation's most beloved presidents to get a constitutional amendment passed that would abolish slavery. The performances are all top notch and you couldn't find a stronger cast assembled by Spielberg in any of his other films. Daniel Day-Lewis, who won an Oscar for his performance in the title role, not only looks like our 16th president, but impersonates him as effectively as he totally embodies the character (I never met Lincoln, obviously, but I'm pretty sure Day-Lewis got the posture right too). Along with Sally Field (Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd), who is equally good, this film is a showcase for many great, almost forgotten screen talents, to show that they still have what it takes (James Spader, Jackie Earle Haley, Hal Holbrook, Tim Blake Nelson to name a few). The only fault I find with this exercise is that it's a very talky picture that sort of repeats itself. You find President Lincoln and his cohorts constantly debating the same issues over and over again in scene after scene.  Now let me remind you, the acting is superb, but as usual, Spielberg doesn't normally write screenplays and Tony Kushner's (he wrote the more effective Munich) script for Lincoln seems almost too accurate. Basically, it sometimes lacks heart and you can lose interest fast unless you're a stone cold history buff. Regardless, this flick has some indelible images (the scene where Day-Lewis rides on a horse with his head titled just kills me) and an excellent opening montage where Lincoln empathizes with some forgotten soldiers. Granted, this poster child for the Oscars may not be Spielberg's finest hour (two-and-a-half actually), but it will provide you with a good old fashioned night at the movies.

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Available at Redbox ($1.20 Per Day)

The Natural (1984)

★★★ ½ (Jesse)

        The Natural is one of my favorite sports movies of all time, not to mention one of the most uplifting films you'll ever see in general. After a quiet sort of mute opening credits sequence, the film becomes a poignant, heavenly joy with Randy Newman's hair raising score pouncing in at all the right moments. As aging baseball legend Roy Hobbs, Robert Redford seems a bit miscast at first, but the movie manages to make you forget it by surrounded him with a strong assembly of renowned actors (especially Robert Duvall as Max Mercy, a driven-for-the-truth sports writer and Oscar nominee Glenn Close as a woman from Roy's past). The story takes Redford's character and portrays him as sort of a bona fide baseball Messiah (he was out of the game for 16 years because of a gun shot wound) for one season as an outfielder for the New York Knights. There is a mythical sort of fantasy element present here in which Hobbs has the ability to both pitch and hit like an all-star (in today's game most players can't do both effectively). Also, the fact that he kinda came out of nowhere and carried a checkered past draws the viewer in with every well lit scene. Director Barry Levinson effectively displays a knack for sentimental heroics, and although The Natural tries to manipulate the viewer into thinking it's Citizen Kane (some people view this as the greatest feat of cinema ever), it still manages to give you goosebumps (the home run sequences are a little outlandish, but go with it) and does what the Jackie Robinson biopic 42 tried, but might have failed to do. As a great family film and essential viewing for any sports fan, The Natural will make you stand up and cheer, even if you're the only person in the room.

MPAA Rating: PG

Available at Your Local Video Store

All Reviews Written by Cole Pollyea & Jesse Burleson