(500) Days of Summer Review

For Valentine's Day, I figured I'd review my favorite romantic movie ever, which would be (500) Days of Summer.  There is so much good to say about this movie, I'm not sure where to start.  I'd like to thank Matt Holt for letting me know about this movie.  Can't thank you enough.

I'll start like I seem to always start, with the acting.  Zooey Deschanel is absolutely perfect for the role of Summer.  She is supposed to be someone everyone should hate, but for whatever reason we can't bring ourselves to.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who's felt that exact same way about someone, and for everyone who hasn't felt that way, good for you.  It's a sucky feeling.  But enough about my feelings.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom) proves here that he's not just the kid from Angels in the Outfield; he can actually act.  All the supporters are there either to provide comedic relief from the intense story or provide insight into Levitt's train of thought.  Overall superb job on the acting front.

The acting isn't the reason the movie is great to me though.  It's different from pretty much all other romantic movies because it's actually realistic.  I challenge anyone who watches the movie to claim they can't relate to anything that happens during the film.  We sympathize with Tom because we've been there and know what it feels like to be in his position.

I just watched today for the 4th time, and it is extremely rewatchable.  The expectations vs. reality scene still hits home with me.  Different scenes probably hit home with different people.  It's definitely worth checking out and sticks with you for a while after you watch it.
Overall: 9/10

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Summer: I woke up one morning and I just knew.
Tom: Knew what?
Summer: What I was never sure of with you.

Expectations vs. Reality (500) Days Of Summer Movie Scene
(Sorry, the only version I could find had subtitles)

The King's Speech Review

Before I watched The King's Speech, I figured it was an overrated movie that didn't deserve all the awards it was getting.  It seemed like the kind of movie that was made just to get Oscar recognition and not because it's actually good.  However, after watching it, I can see why it gets a lot of critical acclaim: because it's very good.

The acting is incredible from all parts in the movie, Colin Firth doing the best job.  I'm on board for him to win the Oscar for his incredible performance as King George VI.  If I didn't know better, I would've actually thought he had a speech impediment and it wasn't acting.  Geoffrey Rush does a great job too as his speech therapist Lionel Logue.  The chemistry between him and Firth is fantastic. 

The movie plays out like a romantic comedy, except instead of a couple it's about a king and his speech therapist.  After every fight or disagreement they have, one of them inevitably feels guilty and wants to apologize.  In this way, I thought the film was a bit formulaic at times, but the superb acting makes up for some predictable plot devices.

I wouldn't put The King's Speech in the top 5 of the year, but it's definitely top 10.  I did find myself checking my cell phone once for the time, which is never a good sign.  It felt about 10 or 15 minutes too long to me.  Overall, the great acting makes up for a few minor qualms I have with the movie. 
Score: 8.5/10
Also, Christopher Nolan did so much better at directing than Tom Hooper did in this movie.  Just saying.  Biggest Oscar snub ever.