Movies I Saw In April

Oh, right! I did see a couple movies in April! They were these!

Breaking the Waves (1996). Lars von Trier movie (my first) about... well, I don't want to give away plot points because I knew nothing going into it and that was great. So let's just say it's a heartbreaking story with incredible acting. It was painful to watch, but for a good reason - because it really connected with me emotionally. 4.5/5.

The Departed (2006). Martin Scorsese flick about police corruption. Scorsese's a very good director, and the characters and acting drive this movie very nicely. 3.5/5.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010). Cute quirky indie comedy about a kid in a mental hospital for depression. It's all a little too cute and too quirky, but there are one or two nice moments. 3/5.

A Dangerous Method (2011). David Cronenberg directs the story of Freud and Jung developing psychoanalysis. Started off fascinating, but then became a bland melodrama. If only the second half was as good as the first. 2.5/5.

Carnage (2011). Roman Polanski's adaptation of Yasmina Reza's Tony-winning play about two couples trying to resolve a conflict and dissolving into viciousness. Incredible acting, great writing, fascinating characters. 4/5.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). A spy movie with an enormous ensemble cast. That is, unfortunately, just about all I can remember of it because I was so very uninterested in it. Even sadder, it's because I have so much trouble connecting to the genre. I do not do well with spy movies. 2/5.

Office Space (1999). Cult comedy about the atmosphere of working in an office. I didn't find it as funny as I was supposed to, but I did enjoy it, and I feel like it would get better after multiple viewings. 3.5/5.

With every review I write over on my movie review blog, I mention my favorite part of my movie and my least favorite part. It might be fun to pull that over into this monthly update by announcing my absolute favorite and absolute least favorite movie-watching moments this month. I didn't write about that with Office Space because of cross-posting blogs (although at this moment I'm not sure why) but here are the rest of the "nominees."

Best Movie Moments
-Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves.
-Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon in The Departed.
-Zach Galifianakis in It's Kind of a Funny Story.
-Keira Knightley in A Dangerous Method.
-Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly in Carnage.
-Benedict Cumberbatch's minor role in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, just because I love him.

It's almost all actors. Huh. Interesting. Looking back on the month, the one that sticks out the most now is, oddly enough, Zach Galifianakis. He was absolutely the best part of that movie. I wanted to know more about his character, and I connected with him so much. So even though this fake award should probably go to... well, just about anyone else on this list, I am going to give it to him. It is almost certainly the last fake award he will ever receive from me, because I generally don't like him much.

Worst Movie Moments
-The ending of The Departed.
-The moments when they sneaked out of the hospital in It's Kind of a Funny Story.
-The entire last half of A Dangerous Method.
-Having to stretch to come up with a reason for the action to continue in Carnage.
-Realizing that I wasn't going to like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy just because it was a spy movie, and getting sad about that.

And I'm pretty sure this has to go to A Dangerous Method, because it was such a disappointment. The first half was so fascinating and the second was so very, very boring.