Thank You For Smoking, Lucky # Slevin

When I called my dad and told him that I was coming to town for Thanksgiving, he told me bring a few movies along that I might want to share with the rest of the family. Because what better to do on Turkey Thursday--after you've eaten yourself comatose--then to sit around with people you love (or at least tolerate) and watch something entertaining.

Two of the (eight) movies I brought were: Thank You For Smoking and Lucky # Slevin

This is merely a small sampling of the movies I have on my shelf, but not a bad place to start.

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Title: Thank You For Smoking

[Rent this movie from Blockbuster.com; Rent this movie from Netflix.com; Buy this movie from Amazon.com]

Summary: Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son. [imdb.com]

Genre: Satire, Comedy, Dark Humor

Audience: Best for those with a sense of humor, who don't take things too seriously; probably not younger children, they wouldn't have the patience for it.

Occasion: Good for a laugh, good to watch with friends

Watch every minute? Probably best, but not necessary.

Big screen/small screen: Either.

Why I like it: When I first saw the trailer, I thought, "Who would make a movie thanking people for smoking? That's stupid." Very silly of me, I know, but it's hard to help our snap judgments. (There's a whole book on that by Malcolm Gladwell, but that's a post for a different blog.) I almost didn't see it because of my initial reaction to the trailer. But then it started to get a lot of positive buzz from the critics and my friends all wanted to see it, so I decided maybe it was worth a shot.

So, I did. And it was worth it, definitely. Thank You For Smoking is the best kind of witty and satirical, because it also poignant and thought-provoking. It has almost the perfect blend of laugh-out-loud moments with touching moments. Starring at the head of a fantastic cast of characters (among them Sam Elliot, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, and Robert Duvall), Aaron Eckhart almost makes you sympathetic for someone who promotes tobacco for a living.

If you liked...: I honestly have no idea.  I trolled the internet for almost an hour looking for sites that would give me recommendations based off of a particular film.  Two of the best I found were Blockbuster.com (but you have to be a member), and the Internet Movie Database (one of my favorite sites, ever).  

Of the movies recommended there, I could kind of see liking this movie if you liked American Beauty, and my step-brother says that he can see liking it if you liked Sideways, which I regret to say I have not yet seen.  But The Big Lebowski? Knocked Up?  Not that I dislike those movies, don't get me wrong, but... they're just not what comes to mind when I think of Thank You For Smoking.  The humor in Thank You seems more... sophisticated, somehow.  

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Title: Lucky # Slevin

[Rent this movie from Blockbuster.com; Rent this movie from Netflix.com; Buy this movie from Amazon.com]

Summary: A case of mistaken identity lands Slevin into the middle of a war being plotted by two of the city's rival crime bosses: The Rabbi and The Boss. [imdb.com]

Genre: Dark Humor, Crime

Audience: No one who dislikes violence; Probably not younger children.

Occasion: In the mood for a good twist.

Watch every minute? Definitely. You'll miss something if you don't.

Big screen vs. Small screen: Big screen is better, but you don't lose much on the small screen.

Why I like it: Lucky # Slevin is a fantastic movie for a bunch of reasons that I'm not sure I can adequately explain.  It's off-the-wall and irreverent when it's funny, dramatic and thrilling when it's serious, and just damn good.  There are moments that evoke the absurd, and it has one of the best twists in any movie I've ever seen.  Josh Hartnett does an amazing job as the main character, and Bruce Willis is wickedly clever and fun.  Add to that Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, and Lucy Liu (who plays my favorite character), and you've got a movie worth seeing for the cast alone.

 

If you liked...: Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects, The Professional, or Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang you will thoroughly enjoy this movie. (I might even add L.A. Confidential to this list, just for kicks.)

A brief explanation of terms

For these recommendations, I am going to include the following sections:

Title: The title of the movie is a link to the imdb.com page, where you can learn all about the movie if you've never heard of it, or refresh your memory if the title rings a bell.  

Summary: A brief blurb to let you know what you're getting into. 

Genre: The genres I list may not follow conventional genre wisdom, for the simple reason that conventional genres don't always explain adequately where a movie falls. Sure, Wall-E is an animated movie, which most people would put firmly into the Children's genre, or the Family genre, but that only tells you so much. I would label Wall-E as comedy, satire, romance, and action. Yes, romance, in an animated movie about robots. That's why I love Pixar. But anyway.

Audience: Have you ever tried to sit down to watch a movie with someone and then remembered, half-way through the violent, bloody death scene, that they don't like violence or onscreen blood? This section is for that. It could, I suppose, be called "Warnings", but sometimes the audience recommendation will be, "For anyone with a good sense of humor," or "Probably not for younger children, they won't have the patience for it."

Occasion: To tell you if this movie would be great if you need a laugh, want some inspiration, just need to escape for a bit, want some explosions, or need to feel thoughtful and maybe sad.  

Watch every minute? Do you know anyone who gets up in the middle of a movie to go do X thing that he/she forgot to do? Or wanders off to get a glass of water during the most important part? And then they come back and have missed it and want you to explain what they missed and it just throws everyone out of the movie viewing experience? This section is for them. To let them know whether or not they can give into the urge to get that glass of water just as the main character is about to turn that corner. Or whatever. Some movies you just have to sit through. The pay-off is just so much better if you do.

Big Screen vs. Small Screen: I will admit, I'm a purist. If I can see a movie on the big screen, I do, because that's my preferred medium. That being said, I think that there are some movies that really should be seen on the big screen vs. the small screen and some where it truly doesn't matter. Typically, just as an example, action movies are really better on the big screen. Something is lost in translation between big and small.

Why I liked it: This is where I will explain why I like this movie, and why I think you might like it too.

"Own it" vs. "Once is enough": In this section, I will explain whether or not I own this movie (or want to own it but lack the funds) or not. I only buy movies that I want to re-watch, or share with others, because otherwise what's the point?

If you liked...: These other movies, you'll probably like the one I'm talking about here. And if you liked the one I'm talking about, I also recommend these movies, because they have characteristics in common.

If there are other sections you would like me to add, please comment. I'll certainly take it under consideration, and I'm always open to suggestion.

Premier Post

Hi, all, I'm Megan, and I love movies.  

I love to see them on the big screen, I love to rent them and watch them snuggled up on the couch, I love to debate the good and bad qualities of them.  I am always recommending movies to my friends and family; it's one of my favorite past-times.  

That being the case, I thought I would take my show "on the road," so to speak.  So, here I am, to share my movie-viewing wisdom with the wide world.  Hello, and welcome.