Midnight in Paris

The most recent film by Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris is an adventurous film that deals with the idea of people always feeling like they belong in another decade. I am always skeptical of Allen's films because they are usually drawn out with too much dialog that over-analyzes situations, but I always watch his movies because he's Woody Allen. I did enjoy this film, but I found the main character, played by Owen Wilson to be the neurotic, worrier that Allen usually plays in his films. Wilson plays a writer visiting Paris with his fiance, Rachael McAdams and decides to walk around Paris alone one evening. When the clock strikes midnight, a 1920's era car appears and Wilson is ushered in by several people in the trends of that era. Wilson is then introduced to famous writers of that time such as, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein(Kathy Bates), Pablo Picasso, etc. After visiting for several nights Wilson realizes that no matter what time period a person exists in, there is always a longing to exist in another.

Flipped

The newest movie directed by Rob Reiner is based on the novel "Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen. The point of view constantly switches from Bryce to Julie; two children living in a suburban neighborhood in the 1950's. The switching POV illustrates two perspectives of the same events. As the story unfolds, the two characters relationship develops and the two fall in love even though there are periods when the two think negatively of each other. There aren't a lot of films shot like this, but I very much enjoyed getting both sides of the story in every instance. A good watch for the family

Micmacs

Made in 2009, Micmacs is a french film directed and co-written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet(Amelie). This clever comedy is written in the style of Amelie with a heightened reality that borders on fantastical. The story follows a man who decides to take down two french arms dealers after being shot in the head by one's bullet and learning that his father died in battle after stepping on the other company's land mine. The film stars Danny Boon as Bazil, a thirty-something year old man who has a bullet lodged in his brain and could die at any second. After recovering from his wound, he is released from the hospital. Then after a bout of being homeless he moves into a junk yard with a gang of misfits who become his family. Through carefully thought out schemes, the group attempts to take the arms dealers down. Jeunet does a masterful job of juggling a comedic action movie with very serious and real issues dealing with war, violence and greed.