Recent Movies

I finally saw the movies I've been wanting to see. Though for honesty's sake, I should say I only saw half of one.

The half movie would be Match Point, and now I'm trying to remember why I didn't watch the other half. In fact, I'm trying to remember what I thought of it. Obviously I didn't think much, or I would have watched the rest, but mainly what I'm remembering now is Scarlet Johanson's pout. Liked London; liked Scarlet Johanson; liked, at first, the fact that it was a Woody Allen movie without a Woody Allen character (unlike Celebrity, which was all Woody Allen even without Woody Allen). But then, as I recall, it got too mean and bleak and depressing and predictable. We stopped at the scene where the guy (can't remember a single character's name) is leaving Christmas with his wife's family to go to Scarlet Johanson. It seemed quite clear that no good could come, plus it was late. I thought I'd watch the rest the next day, and then I just didn't. I guess I'd like to know if something unpredictable happened (predictable would be general ruination and a lot of cringing on my part), but I didn't want to know enough to watch and find out.

Then last night I finally saw The Squid and the Whale which was really good, though I was startled when it just ended. It's a little too schematic (Salon kind of thinks so too) and it also made me cringe, but in a good way. Hmm, is there a good way to cringe? Let me put that differently: it made me cringe, but it was worth it. One thing I particularly liked was that the dad was clearly the bad guy, but the mom was no saint. It seemed a little more 70s than 80s to me, but perhaps that's because my recollections of my friends' divorces come from the 70s (my divorce was the 80s, but I was 19 and never had to deal with custody and such). Great acting, and the teenage boy who idolizes his asshole dad was particularly good--as a character and an actor.

Thematic connection to my post the other day: adults behaving inappropriately with their kids.

Thematic connection between the movies: tennis.

Edited to add: Thanks for the Match Point spoiler, Parodie. That was NOT what I expected. Kind of makes me want to get it again and watch the rest!