The Stupid Horse Movie

Yes, you can probably guess which movie I saw last night. Two weeks after the stupid owl movie, my wife wanted to see the stupid horse movie. And judging from the previews, next Earth Day I’ll be seeing the stupid big cats movie, too.

Well, I have to admit – the stupid horse movie was better than anticipated.

Secretariat is the true story of the Triple Crown Winner and greatest racehorse ever. Penny Tweedy/Chenery (Diane Lane) takes over her father’s stables and with the help of a trainer (John Malkovich) train a horse called Big Red who goes on to win the Triple Crown.

Lane and Malkovich are the lynchpins of the film and it is through them that we feel the passion. We also feel the excitement while watching Big Red run – the cinematography is amazing. It’s a familiar story, but the director pulled a lot of tension and drama from the elements. Yes, we know the horse wins, but…

The downside is its running time. At close to two hours, it’s too long, and it has a slow start. Ironically, the relationship between Penny and her husband is strained but underdeveloped. So, while it was too long, not enough time was devoted to their relationship. Odd, I know!

Overall, it was very entertaining. It is formulaic – if you don’t like the formula, Secretariat will not change your mind. If you do enjoy it, you’ll have a good time!

Oh, and there's not a stupid chicken movie coming out, is there?

October Movie Preview

Time for a rundown of some interesting flicks hitting the big screen this month!

1 –

The Social Network
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake
Synopsis: A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.
You always wanted to know, didn’t you?

Let Me In
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Jenkins
Synopsis: A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.
Based on the foreign film, Let The Right One In, this remake appears identical to the original. Other than the fact Americans are too lazy to read subtitles, there’s no reason to remake this film - the original was brilliant!

8 –

Secretariat
Directed By: Randall Wallace
Staring: Diane Lane, John Malkovich,
Synopsis: Based on the remarkable true story, "Secretariat" chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.
Likely to be formulaic, at least you know it has a happy ending.

15 –

RED
Directed By: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich
Synopsis: Based on the cult D.C. Comics graphic novels by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, RED is an explosive action-comedy…
Helen Mirren shooting an automatic weapon - need I say more?

22 -

Hereafter
Director: Clint Eastwood
Staring: Matt Damon, Cecile De France
Synopsis: Tells the story of three people who are touched by death in different ways.
Eastwood is an outstanding director, but I predict this movie will be incredibly depressing.

29 -

Monsters (limited)
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able
Synopsis: Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and grow.
Judging from the trailer, this one looks creepy and atmospheric! Really looking forward to this film.

Today is also the first day of NaBloWriMo – blogging every day for the month of October. I’ll be taking Arlee Bird’s A-Z approach and only post once on the weekends. And since my virtual tour starts in two weeks, there’s a lot happening this month!