INSOMNIAC SONG
MOVIE AND TELEVISION REVIEWS
DRAMA
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Starring: Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman
Directed by: Ang Lee
Rating: PG
Run time: 136 minutes
Synopsis: Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. The two eldest daughters are the titular opposites.
Based on: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
There have been numerous adaptations of Jane Austen's novels. They're a highlight of any reader's list of classics. The downfall with that is often the film versions get bogged down in trying to be more than simply an elegant period piece. Remember that one adaptation of Pride and Prejudice where we wondered if anyone had ever fed Kira Knightley? This has to be my favorite film version of this novel. The cast is amazing. Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Hugh Laurie, Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson among a lot of others bring these characters to life. If you enjoy the work of Jane Austen, give this one a chance.
Rating: 4/5
DRAMA
The Road (2009)
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Rating: R
Run time: 111 minutes
Synopsis: A post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his son trying to survive by any means possible.
This is a tough one. While this movie is completely soul-sucking, depressing and desolate, the performances by Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron and Kodi Smit-McPhee help lift it up just a bit. Set in a post apocalyptic world full of cannibals, a father and son are struggling to survive. It's bleak and cold. If they don't freeze or starve, there's illness and potential dangers lurking everywhere. Ultimately, this is a film about the lengths a father will go to in order to protect his child and how far hope can be stretched before it's destroyed.
Rating: 3/5
DRAMA
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Buddy Ebsen
Directed by: Blake Edwards
Rating: G
Run time: 115 minutes
Synopsis: A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building.
Based on: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Do you ever get the mean reds? Those are times when you're afraid and have no idea why you are. I know I do. While I can't follow Holly Golightly's example and head to Tiffany's, I can watch this film. Classy, elegant and full of spirit, Audrey Hepburn brings Holly to life in ways that I don't believe anyone else could. She wasn't even the author's choice for the character! He wanted the voluptuous Marilyn Monroe instead. Breakfast at Tiffany's is the movie that really helped launch Audrey Hepburn into icon status. I can't imagine anyone else playing Holly Golightly.
Rating: 5/5