Day 313

movie: The Hours
starring: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman
genre; Drama
year: 2002
format; DVD

plot: Following the lives of three women- writer Virginia Woolf, housewife Laura Brown who's reading her book and editor Clarissa Vaughan.  The three live in different decades but are all drawn together through the book "Mrs. Dalloway" and depression.

This is based on the novel "The Hours" which is a retelling of the original book Mrs. Dalloway.

This follows the lives of each women through the course of one full day which is the bases of Mrs Dalloway.
The 1940's housewife is the midpoint of the film, as she is the one reading the novel and ends up being connected to the characters in the 2000's.

This is a film that deals with the topics of depression, inspiration and feeling like you're not your own.

what do i think i learned from this film?
Depression can be the underlining issue of so many other things. The emptiness, the loneliness, the feeling of disconnection and chaos, can seem like it's a weight.
As an artistic person, quiet and peace sometimes kills the spirit of creativity, and only the noise of chaos can bring it back around.  There really is a very fine line between genius and madness.
Sometimes your life is just not your own.

Day 312

movie: Scream 3
starring: Courteney Cox, Parker Posey
genre: Horror
year: 2000
format: online

plot: The movie Stab 3 is in production, and soon Sydney and the others find themselves in the middle of yet another round of copy cat killings. This time, the cast of the Stab movie who are playing Sydney, Gail and Dewey, are being killed as a warning.

This is done as a film within a film, and a story within a story within a story.

Confusing to talk about, but as a movie makes total sense.
I liked that fact that they used the popularity of the first two films, to spoof themselves in a way but still taking it serious.   The ending of this film undoes so much of the mythos created in the first movie. Truly ending the first trilogy. (as we know part four started the second round of what is rumoured to be another trilogy)

The core cast swings a little with the addition of Parker Posey playing an actress who is suppose to be playing "Gail Weathers" in the Stab 3 film.  I thought that was the most brilliant move anyone in the business has done in awhile, as her character works along side the "original Gail Weathers" being played by Courteney Cox.

what do i think i learned from this film?
Rules are made to be broken.

Day 311

movie: Jane Eyre
starring: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender
genre: Drama
year: 2011
format: DVD

plot: a young girl is turned out by her family and grows up in a boarding school. When she is old enough, she gets a job as a Governess and ends up falling in love with the man she works for.  But their wedding is disrupted when she learns he's already married.

This is based on the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte.

Chick flick cry fest for me here. Jane Eyre is one of my favourite stories, a plan girl who's lived a lonely life wins the heart of the charming and highly sought after man.  It's the ultimate romance.

I think this could be considered another version of the beauty and the beast idea.  It's a story about strength, faith and values.
At the core of it, Jane Eyre is a story about women standing up for themselves at a time when it was nearly impossible for a woman to have a voice.

what do i think i learned from this film?
Keep the faith and always stick to your values no matter what someone else might off you. Never surrender

Day 310

movie: Stand By Me
starring: Corey Feldman, River Phoenix
genre: Drama
year: 1986
format: TV EDIT

plot: 4 boys learn about a dead body from their older brothers and decide to spend a few days tracking it down so they could see it.  At the same time, their brothers are on their own way to collect up the body for the reward. 

This is based on the story called "The Body"  by Stephen King from his collections Different Seasons. 

The story is about four boys who are all dealing with their own traumas, one is mourning the death of his brother, one is dealing with his father having had a mental breakdown, one is trying his best to improve his status and the last boy is just trying to be noticed.

It's about the bonds that we form when we're young and how even the best of intentions can lead to a not so best outcome.

what do i think i learned from this film?
Innocence is so easily lost and the purer moments are ones to hang onto. 

Day 309

movie: Pride and Prejudice
starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen
genre: Drama
year: 2005
format: DVD

plot: Elizabeth and her sisters are all trying to get husbands. Jane the oldest, is in love with Mr. Bingley, one of the richest men in the area, but his sister Caroline is doing everything she can to keep them apart. Meanwhile, Lydia Bennet gets herself into trouble for running away with Mr. Wickham, and ruins the chances of her sisters finding respectable husbands.

Based on the classic novel by Jane Austen.

I have to admit, this is my ultimate favourite film version of P/P.  The pacing is good, and the scenery is amazing, as are the costumes and the score.
By now, everyone knows the classic story, of love misunderstood and the scandal of status.

You find hints of abuse in the story of Lydia, which some would say they saw coming a mile away with her actions in the beginning of the story.
The character of Mr. Collins being so much of a brown-noser that he doesn't even realize that everyone around him mocks him. You find yourself both sorry for him and wanting to punch him at the same time. 

what do i think i learned from this film?
Love knows no boundaries. It is the single most honest feeling in the world, no matter how it arrives or what you think it will love like when it does, it has a mind and wave all it's own.

Day 308

movie: The Outsiders
starring: C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon
genre: Drama
year: 1983
format: TV EDIT

plot: Two teenagers end up on the run after they accidentally kill another kid during a fight. While on the run, they help to save a group of school kids from a burning building.

This is based on the novel.

A classic on so many levels, and the movie that launched the careers of all the cast members. ( Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane )

I've heard others complain about how it really doesn't go anywhere and it's a slow pace. But I always found that part of it's charm.
It's a film about the hopelessness the kids feel from their social status in the 1960's, and the truthful emotions they feel.  Everything from disgust, fear, boredom, to low self esteem and even embarrassment for their coming from the poor side of town.

what do i think i learned from this film?
You have to always believe in yourself, no matter what.  Always trust that you can be who you want to be, and not to let the limitations of your current situation get in the way of your dreams.

Day 307

movie: Baby Boom
starring: Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard
genre: Comedy
year: 1987
format: TV EDIT

plot:A woman in a high stress corporate job finds herself the sudden guardian of a new baby after her cousin dies.  The lifestyle change takes her out of the job she loves and the city she loves, and into a country cottage. 

Classic chick flick film.  It gave millions of women in the late 1980s a sense of power, and permission to really go for it all.

It's a straight up romantic comedy, and a reflection of the era it was made in. From the clothes to the attitude.
Like many movies in the 1980s/1990s it also spawned a tv show.

what do i think i learned from this film?
You can have it all, you just have to blur the view of how you think "all" looks