It's a Double Feature!

I think a lot about movies. I come from a family of movie-watchers. One of our favorite games is to match actors to their roles in other movies. As we get older, the game grows more obscure. While watching a movie, we might shout out, "I know where I've seen that bellhop before! He's Extra #3 from The Magnificent Seven! You know, that Mexican who hands Yul Brynner his pistol right before being shot by Tuco from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Anyways, I think I've got pretty good taste in movies, so I've chosen to do a Double Feature! review of the two movies I've seen in theaters lately: Sunshine Cleaning and Star Trek.

Sunshine Cleaning (4 of 4 stars)*

This excellent and poignant film follows the lives of two quirky sisters. Amy Adams plays a single mother struggling to provide for her son working as a domestic maid while trying to maintain her affair with her married high school sweetheart AND aspiring to get a real estate license. Emily Blunt is her apathetic younger sister who has yet to truly come to terms with her mother's suicide and find her place in the world. Both actresses' performances hit it out of the park. Adams is her usual charming, slightly disheveled self. You kind of want to give her a hug and a day planner. Her acting goes much deeper than that, however, as you forget that she is that chick from Enchanted and start worrying about her troubles along with her and celebrating her triumphs. Blunt is snarky and funny, and her performance takes her character in a dark, psychologically profound direction.

The two sisters, on a tip that they can make a lot of cash, decide to go into business cleaning up crime scenes. The movie realistically follows the sister's mishaps as they enter the business with no prior knowledge, and it is funny, tragic, sympathetic, and real the entire way through. It is beautifully paced, with just the right amount of catharsis. The leading actors' performances are all stand-out, and they include Alan Arkin as the sisters' kooky salesman father and Jason Spevack as Adams's son. Spevack's performance is nuanced and in no way relates to Hollywood's typical smart-aleck, "cute" children from movies like Sleepless in Seattle. (Sigh of relief.) Another great character is Clifton Collins's portrayal of the one-armed, model airplane-building, industrial cleaning supplier who inadvertantly gets ensnarled in the family drama.

As someone who has a sister myself, I really enjoyed this movie, which at its heart is about the relationship of love and annoyance that exists between siblings. At its emotional high points, the movie is laugh-out-loud funny, twisted, and bizzare; during its lows, it is tragic and complicated. If you have a family of any kind, you will relate to and--hopefully--love this film.

Star Trek (3 of 4 stars)

Just to explain, I don't do half stars, and I don't give 4 stars to a film unless it is absolutely oustanding, so you Trekkies out there needn't be offended. I liked this movie a lot.

Now, I am not a Trek fan. The only reason I watch Star Trek is to see William Shatner, who in my opinion, is a Golden God. I was hesitant to see this film at first, fearing its tone would be too serious and out of keeping with its predecessor. I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the character development early in the film, and the casting was excellent. The most intriguing character was Mr. Spock, played by Zachary Quinto. I don't know much about Spock's history, but I felt the film gave him complexity when he could have easily been a one-dimensional person...er, Vulcan. James Kirk, as played by Chris Pine, is enthusiastic and full of energy, though he doesn't hold a candle to THE Captain Kirk, thankyouverymuch.

Zoe Saldana's Uhura was fiesty and a strong female who stood out in the boys' club that is The Enterprise. Karl Urban (whom I love!) is spot on as Bones, and Simon Pegg (that guy from Hot Fuzz) plays Scottie, who--though appearing late in the film--is thoroughly enjoyable. I wish Mr. Sulu (played by John Cho) had gotten more screen time, and I'll confess, the inner geek in me squealed in pure delight when he whipped out his fold-up katana. Anton Yelchin is really cute as the 17-year-old Chekov, who I didn't even realize was a character, but that tells you how much I know.

My main complaint about the film is the villain. Eric Bana is not recognizable as himself, and I think the extensive make-up somehow covered up his acting, too. (What would have been wrong with letting the bad guy have an Australian accent?) He mainly lurks in his pointy ship until someone from Star Fleet arrives, and then he stomps around, yelling. His motive for being a bad guy is too rudimentary to harmonize with the rest of the plot. As my dad always says, "You can judge a movie by its bad guy." I'm inclined to agree.

My other complaints are more self-indulgent. What is up with that green alien chick that Kirk was sleeping with toward the beginning? Couldn't they think of something better than making her just green? Is THAT what teenage nerds fantasize about? (I daren't think too much about THAT.) Also, *SPOILER* why couldn't Spock and Uhura get it on? Now THAT would have been interesting.


*Star graphics coming soon. I promise.

P.S. While taking a shower, I realized I had inadvertently mistaken "Dr. Spock" for "Mr. Spock." Lest I be informed of this by my wretchedly smug friends, I have chosen to preemptively correct the issue. Allow me to offer my sincerest apologies to Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto, and any individual whose parents thought that Dr. Spock's Book O' Babies was a legitimate parenting strategy. You are likely insane and under enough stress as it is.