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danielthegardner
Reviews
Leaves of Grass (2009)
Unique story that could use a bit of polishing
Edward Norton makes interesting movie choices and I enjoy watching his work. Leaves of Grass is a unique story about the contrasts & bonds between brothers. The lovely Keri Russell plays her part beautifully. Overall, the acting in this movie (which begins somewhat stiff) slowly grows into quite a performance. You can tell everyone involved in the story put their heart into the movie.
And that's why I feel the last 10 minutes of the movie deserved to be polished a bit more. After an emotional soul-searching moment, the movie (at precisely 1hr25min) takes a weird turn to left-field, leaving me feeling rather lost. Even the directing style seems different, using a shaky predictable style usually used in movie dream sequences. In fact, I initially believed the sequence was supposed to be the character's dream, since it appeared so predictable, unbelievable and weak.
After recovering from this, the movie gets back on track just in time to finish on a sweet, soft tone. And just then - in the final shot in the movie - the acting because stiff again. Primarily because the director ends the movie with a long, signature sequence that required the actors to sit stiff, as if posing in a high school play. For that final shot, I would prefer the director had used less fancy film work and instead allowed the actors to finish the film in genuine sweetness.
The Straight Story (1999)
A straight-forward and sweet story
Do yourself a favor and schedule an hour and a half into your busy agenda to watch The Straight Story. With captivating simplicity, the movie tells the true story of an elderly Alvin Straight, who back in the 1990's, traveled over 250 miles to visit his ailing brother. Alvin's driver's license had been revoked because of his age and he wasn't about to let someone else drive him because of his stubbornness, so he sets out on his journey using his trusty lawn mower.
I'd expect a movie featuring an elderly man to be full of Disney-style, heart-wrenching sympathy traps, but instead the story is genuine and straightforward, coupled with a refreshing message of principle and priority. It also has the best acting performances I've seen in a very, very long time and this only adds to the richness of the movie.
So make sure you watch and listen to The Straight Story. It's a movie masterpiece about a journey we call life.