May movie reviews

Tragedy. Humor. Relationships. And zombies.


28 WEEKS LATER. I am not big on zombie movies, in general, but the prequel to this one, 28 DAYS LATER, was an interesting movie with great visuals. This one doesn't have the visuals, but it was getting good reviews, so I thought what the heck? Twenty-eight weeks after the rage virus has decimated Britain, the American army has come in and is cleaning up the country. (Lots of biohazards!). They decide to start letting Brits who were out of the country at the time of the epidemic to come back in and live in a secure zone in London with the few survivors. But guess what? The virus is still out there. And people are making what may or may not be justifiable decisions. There's lots of splattering blood, but for some reason I found this a very entertaining movie. Although a few touches seemed off, I actually found it to be somewhat believable, as far as how people would act if there were some kind of massively contagious epidemic. Which, after all, isn't an impossibility in this day and age.


WAITRESS. Keri Russell stars as Jenna, a waitress in a diner. There are also good supporting characters: two other waitresses, plus the diner's owner (Andy Griffith). Jenna is adorable, she makes great pies, but she's pregnant and not happy about it at all, because she is married to a pathologically needy man, and doesn't see how she can get out of the marriage. She wants to win a pie-making contest, because the money will get her out of town, but her husband won't even let her do that. Stuck in her life, she develops a relationship with her gynecologist. This is a really charming movie, where all of the characters have real personalities. I can't say I didn't see the end coming, but I only saw part of it. I really enjoyed this.


VALET, THE. A rich man is cheating on his wife with a supermodel. One day the paparazzi catch him with her and the photo is published in the tabloids. Also in the picture was a bystander, who is a valet for a restaurant. The rich man tries to convince his wife that he was just a bystander, and the supermodel was with the valet. Complications and hijinks ensue. A cute little movie, not hilarious, but sweet. In French.


AWAY FROM HER. A Canadian professor and his wife (Julie Christie) are living the good life in retirement. But she is showing signs of early Alzheimer's. Wait! This is not a disease of the week movie. He wants to be in denial, but she insists that they deal with it. So she checks herself into an assisted living facility, where family members can't visit for the first 30 days. During that 30 days, the wife develops a relationship with another man in the facility. When the husband returns for his first visit, he has to deal with that new relationship, and also come to grips with his relationship to his wife and his past treatment of her. And wonder whether is wife is getting back at him for being a bad husband. His devotion is rewarding to see, and despite her affection for another man, he remains willing to do whatever she needs. I thought it was obvious that the movie was based on a story written by a woman, because it takes a very clear look at long term relationships from a female perspective.


AFTER THE WEDDING. Jacob works in India in an orphanage. He is devoted to the children, but one day the administrator of the orphanage tells him he has to appear in person to get money from a philanthropist that wants to endow the orphanage with 3 million dollars. So he reluctantly goes back home to get the money, while promising the children he will return in a week. The philanthropist invites him to his daughter's wedding, where Jacob meets a woman from his past. Turns out the wealthy man has plans for Jacob. But who will get what he wants? Will Jacob abandon the orphanage and the children he loves? This would have been a soap opera in an American movie, but it's not here. It's deeper than that. Although I didn't find it deeply moving, it was worthy. In Danish.