At the movies with Emily and Jeff: Gran Torino and Slumdog Millioniare

I know, I know. I'm not very timely. But when I knew I was going to see Slumdog Millionaire this weekend, I decided just to hold off on my thoughts on Gran Torino.

Just a warning: these aren't going to be very good. But more importantly, these will include extensive spoilers, so if you haven't seen these movies and want to, I would avoid.

GRAN TORINO

Like both movies I saw this weekend, this wasn't quite what I expected it to be. I knew going in it was going to be a little bit cheesy, because the commercials seemed to be a bit over the top (Cue: "Get of my lawn!" ... which, of course, every time it was heard Jeff immediately said "Get off my plane!"). I figured Clint Eastwood is far too good of an actor/director/composer to not know he's over-acting.

That said, I thought the movie did start off a little slow, and I thought the "Walt" character a little one-note. But there were laughs, and as Walt got to know his Hmong neighbors, the story picked up. 

Obviously, Walt is a racist. Obviously, people in the audience laughed at the over-the-top racist names and comments. Does this mean racism is funny? Well, no, but I don't think that's why people laughed. I think we laugh because we're uncomfortable with how we should react and since we're suspended in world of entertainment, we forgive it, and laugh. It's easier.

Apparently, it was also easier in the movie, as none of the characters seem the least bit offended by the overt racism. I don't know if it's because Walt "saved" Tao, or because they are the most laid back teenagers on planet earth, but both Jeff and I thought the dialogue ran a little false. A little Juno-fied. 

When the story took a dark turn as Tao's house is shot up and Sue is raped, I could feel myself saying "This is predictable" but I couldn't help being sucked in. And of course I cried at the ending, even though I saw it coming a mile away. 

I liked this movie a little more than Jeff. 

Jeff's thoughts: "Clint Eastwood was excellent. But the dialogue for anyone under 75 was terrible. It sounded like an old person writing for young people. Dog, this, homie that. 

More thoughts?

I was slightly disappointed by it. It was still a good movie but it didn't live up to the hype, it was very predictable.

You want more than that? That's plenty don't you think? Stop staring at me."

Final rating: Three-and-a-half Werschaibles.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

I knew next to nothing about this movie when I took my seat. I had known almost nothing until my dad told me it was about "a kid on a game show" and then I saw the clip on the Golden Globes and knew it somehow involved "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" So, based on that info, I thought this might be a comedy. Should have known it wasn't considering it was directed by Danny Boyle.

Well let's get this right out of the way. This was a predictable movie. You also have to suspend reality quite a bit when it comes to the actual game show. Now, I'm not sure if this game show is actually the biggest thing in India, but they sure paint it that way. But somehow Jamal is able to walk around after he wins in the train station with no one bothering him.

But the acting is reallllly good. For a movie that depends on more than half of the serious acting coming from children, it's remarkable what they're able to achieve. It's funny, it's heartbreaking, it's revolting, it's uplifting. It isn't great, but you won't be bored. There aren't really any plot twists. You won't be confused (except maybe for one part), and it will play out in a way to make you happy. I didn't cry (for once!).

Jeff's thoughts: "It was as I expected. A great movie, not one that necessarily interested me, but it was definitely a good movie.

(Movie announcers voice): Gritty and real!

You can add my criticism of the person sitting next to me. You can also mention my big pet peeve at the end. Applause of an inanimate object."

I'll interject here. For some reason, Jeff gets boiling hot when people applaud movies. Personally, it doesn't bother me that much. But Jeff starts shooting dirty looks like he's gonna get into it with someone. Whateva.

Final rating: 3.75 Werschaibles (yes, that was Jeff)