Movie Madness

Hello my film- savvy friends! I have finally watched a couple of flicks that I feel worthy of sharing with all of you.

Mad Men Season 2- Have I mentioned how much I love to watch an entire season of a cable show in one sitting? If you have not tried it, I definitely recommend giving this method of viewing a shot. It is pure and instant gratification to be able to pop in the next DVD rather than wait another week (or season) to conclude a show's cliff-hanger. I digress... the Mad Men series is one of the most creative, well-written and engaging shows to come around in a while. The show centers around the character of Donald Draper and his life in the 1960's. Draper is a high-powered advertising executive on NYC's Madison Ave., hence the show's name Mad Men. Mad Men's parody of life in the 1960's is a decadent throw-back to a time when pregnant women indulged in gin & tonics and recycling was still a foreign concept. Season 2, did not disappoint by focusing on deeper character development. In all Mad Men Season 2 satisfied this viewer like a slice of good ol' American apple pie.
Grade: A

Che Part 1 & 2- Viva Che!? Hmm... I have struggled a bit with this film, or technically I should say films because I had to rent two separate DVD's. Che Guevara was a compelling, counter-cultural leader who was passionate about the plight of the poor and those slighted by modern society. He sounds like a great guy, right? Well, Che was also a Marxist revolutionary who was a key player in bringing about the communist regime in Cuba and negotiated the purchase of nuclear weapons from the USSR during the Cold War. Some claim that he was also a mass-murderer that ordered countless executions. So basically, love him or hate him, Che was an interesting guy. Director Steven Soderbergh, decided to document Che's rise and eventual demise in a four hour biopic. Seasoned actor, Benicio Del Toro, gives us a very convincing portrayal of the revolutionary. Part 1 of Che chronicles the leader's time in Cuba. While Part 2 focuses just on Che's time spent trying to drum up a coup in the country of Bolivia. In my opinion, Part 1 was a far superior film to Part 2. Simply put, Part 1 was an interesting movie that captured a variety of scenarios to show us who Che was. In Part 2 it seems like the film ran out of budget, so the director filmed two hours of Del Toro skulking around the jungles of Bolivia with his troop of not-so merry men. I would recommend just checking Part 1 of this movie, it is still a complete film within itself. By the way, 98% of Che is in Spanish, so unless you aced your Espanol classes be prepared for a few hours of reading.
Grade: Part 1- B, Part 2- D, Averages Out to: C

Obsessed- I love to intersperse my more intense movies with a bit of fluff. Obsessed was a perfect piece of fun, brainless fluff. Starring, Beyonce Knowles, Ali Larter and not as well-known actor Idris Elba, Obsessed centers around a temp-workers psychotic obsession with a high powered executive. As a wife and mother this film downright put me on edge (but in a good way). One of the main reasons that I rented Obsessed was because that there was a serious female beat-down scene where Beyonce wipes the floor with psycho Ali Larter. The fight did not disappoint! I wanted to climb into my screen and assist Beyonce in all her glory. This film was surprisingly clean despite its subject matter. There were some rather glaring holes in the storyline (chalk it up to mediocre writing?), but overall Obsessed is a fun way to spend a lazy evening at home.
Grade: B