April 6, 2013

Saturday Matinee | no. 7


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PG for some rude content

The Decoy Bride | The famous movie star Lara Tyler is marrying the love of her life James Arber, a bestselling author.  Wanting a simple wedding without being besieged by the paparazzi, they slip away to the Scottish island of Hegg.  But when a particularly persistent photographer follows them and Lara goes into hiding, there's only one thing her management team can do.  Get a decoy bride and fake a wedding! They recruit Katie, an unattached local girl who has given up on love, as their decoy.

Very much reminiscent of a screwball comedy from the 30s or 40s, this film was absolutely delightful from the crazy beginning to the happy ending!  Yes, I watched it in the first place because of David Tennant, but I fell in love with the setting, story, and cast after just a few minutes.  What could be better than a rom-com set in Scotland with the one and only DT?  Um, not much.  The only downside is that DT is playing a British character.  Yep, he doesn't get to use his native Scottish accent.  Tragic.  But DT wearing plaid pants and "playing" the bagpipes more than makes up for that, trust me!  I think the PG rating is fair.  Not really any language to speak of, some innuendo, and yes, some rude/crude content, but nothing to terrible in my opinion.  Well worth watching, and then watching again.

My mom watched it for the first time this week and loved it!  Although she did have a wee bit of trouble understanding what they were saying - if you don't watch a lot of British/Scottish films, it can be difficult to tell what they're saying, especially if they're talking fast.  But the solution to that is watch more British movies!

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PG-13 for some violence and language

O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Loosely based upon Homer's "Odyssey", this is the story of three convicts who escape from a chain gang in 1930s Mississippi to recover the loot from a bank heist before a flood hides it forever.  Everett, Pete, and Delmar have one adventure after another as they evade the law, get baptized, encounter sirens, a cyclops, a KKK lynch mob, and assist bank robber George "Babyface" Nelson.

Right from the beginning, I found this film completely charming and delightful.  Beautifully filmed and acted, not to mention the fantastic music.  Oh yes, the music!  Old-time gospel and bluegrass. *bliss* I just bought the soundtrack the other day because I loved it so much. *smile*

There is a lot of language, so be warned.  The violence is mostly shoot-outs with the law (no one is hurt and it's not graphic), and one cow being shot with a machine gun and another hit and run over by a car (not graphic, although I found it disturbing).  One scene that some might find objectionable is the siren scene.  Nothing bad actually happens, but it's suggested, and the sirens are a bit scantily clad.  The PG-13 rating is appropriate.

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PG-13 for language
The Nanny Diaries | Fresh out of Montclair State University, 21-year-old Annie Braddock is ready to begin her career as a ---- what?  What does Annie want to do?  Undecided, Annie sits on a bench at the park and ends up saving a little boy from getting run over.  When his grateful mother, Mrs. Alexandra X, mistakes Annie's name for "Nanny", Annie is hired to be Grayer's new nanny.  But high society and life as a nanny is more difficult than she expected, especially after meeting the X's neighbor, "Harvard Hottie".

I saw a preview for this film and immediately decided I had to see it because it looked both cute and hilarious.  I was not disappointed!   There's no question that this film is cute and hilarious, but there's also a surprisingly touching message in this story that needs to be heard by more modern mothers these days.   You're little boy is only a child for a short time - don't waste that time.  There are a few scenes that had me in tears, my heart ached for that little boy so much.

I loved Scarlett Johansson as Annie, and who wouldn't love Chris Evans as "Harvard Hottie"?  Who knew that Black Widow and Captain America dated each other once upon a time?  Ahem, sorry, fangirl crossover there... *wink*

There was a bit of content, some innuendo, quite a bit of language (mostly uses of sh*t), but not enough to spoil this absolutely charming story.  The most objectionable scene would be the one where Grayer pulls Annie's pants down in the back just as Harvard Hottie shows up.  You do see Annie's underwear, but she's completely covered.  If you've seen the preview/trailer, than you've already seen the worst this film has to offer.  Not that bad, right?  Also, Annie deceives her mother by not telling her that she's become a nanny.  She does this because her mom has such high expectations for Annie's career.  Lying to your parents is never good, and the fact that Annie does that does bother me, although I can also understand where Annie is coming from.  The PG-13 rating is appropriate in my opinion.

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As I've said before, please do your own research and use your own judgement when choosing films to watch.  Keep in mind that everyone's standards are different and that I'm a 24-year-old adult.
Thanks and happy watching!

Question: What have you been watching this week?  I want to know!


12 comments:

  1. I watched Les Miserables! We finally got a chance to sit down and watch the DVD after getting it on the release date. It was far better this second time around than in the theater--probably because I wasn't on pins and needles hoping all the actors/actresses would hit all the right notes and portray the characters as *I* saw fit ;)

    P.S. I appreciate all your disclaimers and concise reviews of these films, Natasha; it shows true consideration for a varied audience. Thank you! :D

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  2. I loved O Brother, Where Art Thou? when I hear the word "bonafide", it makes me think of that movie.

    I watched the film Wild Horse, Wild Ride. Its a documentary about some of the people and mustangs entered in the 100 day training challenge. It was really good! I especially liked the homeschooled brothers in this film. Sad and happy at the same time.

    Kimberly

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  3. I love Decoy Bride so much...I think I definitely need to watch it again one of these days! It's simply adorable, and of course...there's David Tennant...(:

    The Nanny Diaries looks so cute! I hadn't heard of it before, but now I really want to see if I can find it. I'm always in the mood for a good romantic comedy.

    Lol, I'm glad that you reviewed O Brother Where Art Thou, because I had always thought that it looked like a strange movie (judging from the cover...of course, haha). Now that I know what it's about, though, I'm eager to watch it! I think we actually have the DVD around here somewhere! And I know for sure we have the soundtrack--it's one of my daddy's favorites.

    And, by the by, thank you for letting us know about the level of "objectionable content" in each movie--I always like knowing about that so that I'm prepared for it when I'm going to watch something, and so I know whether or not it's a good idea to watch it with my little sisters the first time around.

    I haven't been watching too much this week...although I did start watching series 2 of Call the Midwife and some episodes of Disney's Zorro.(: oh, and Monk.(: mostly a TV show kind of week.

    ~Vicki
    Decked Out in Ruffles

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  4. I'm watching Glory for school, in parts - I'm somewhere past the middle now. It's somewhat mediocre, without the derisive meaning usually attached. It progresses forwards without a strong story (in my personal opinion), but is still quite enjoyable. (Not the least because of Cary Elwes in one of the roles...) What would you call that?

    Today in the evening, I'm going to see Once Upon A Time In The West in cinema, though.

    And all these three films you're writing about here sound like something I'd like to watch. Great!

    BTW, do you know the film Local Hero? Very Scottish. There's some questionable content now that I think about it, but not that much, and it's an awesome film. Well, for me.

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  5. We watched the Oscar winning Argo this week. Having lived through that era, I worried about the hostages, but this movie really drove home the situation. It was nail bitting from start to finish. The suspense felt so real and Ben Aflack (sp?) does an incredible job. The acting was superb and the retelling of history is compelling.

    On a lighter note, I loved O Brother for the Bluegrass music. Especially Alison Krause=D!

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  6. I saw The Decoy Bride not long after finishing the fourth season of Doctor Who, because I was going into David Tennant withdrawals and this the only thing that looked good on Netflix with him in it. :D It turned out to be super cute and I loved it (but yeah, why couldn't they have figured out a way to use his gorgeous accent?)! I really enjoyed the Nanny Diaries too. It was funny and, like you, I appreciated the extra message they put in there. My mom worked in daycare before I was born and she's told similar stories of really awesome kids that were miserable because they just wanted to spend a little time with their parents. It's so sad!

    Last week I had a little Audrey Hepburn marathon and watched Sabrina, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Roman Holiday. I wanted to fit in My Fair Lady (since I haven't seen it in a very long time), but it didn't work out. Maybe this week. :D

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  7. we watched the LORAX it is to funny!
    it stays pretty close to the DR. sause books and what they did ad made it funny-er.

    God
    Bless

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  8. I love your movie reviews! You seem to have similar taste in movies as I do and a lot of the things you've been watching are movies that I've been curious about. :P Thank you! :D

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  9. I love The Decoy Bride!!! It's adorable and so is The Nanny Diaries. Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson were super cute together. I think Chris Evans does way better as a super hero than in a comady but hey, he's still cool :). I haven't had time to watch much of anything lately. I was on a Mission Impossible spree for a while though. They are totally epic. I love you movie reviews and I'll have to check out O Brother Where Art Thou. It sounds pretty cool :).

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  10. OK, Nanny Diaries: a bit of a letdown for me. It's not a bad film - I loved the whole anthropology framework, for example - but I'd have enjoyed more of the romance and a bit less of the nannying problems. :P Namely, I'd have loved to learn more about Chris Evans's character. And the whole way she deceived her mother is an itchy issue for me... a kind of thing I don't like watching, in short.
    Still, thanks for the recommendation.

    Once Upon A Time In The West in cinema was, as expected, great.

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  11. Maribeth - I cannot wait to watch Les Miserables!!! I know it's going to be fantastic! =D
    You're very welcome! I do try to mention anything that could possibly be objectionable. I know I appreciate it when other reviews do that. :)

    Kimberly - Hehe ;D
    That's sounds like a really interesting documentary!

    Vicki - Oh yes, there's David Tennant. ;D
    I think you'll really like The Nanny Diaries. I do love a good rom-com. :)
    Yes, O Brother Where Art Thou is definitely worth watching, despite the somewhat odd cover. ;)
    You are most welcome! I know I like to know exactly what to expect from a film, as far as content goes, before I watch it.
    Okay, now I really need to watch Monk. *grin*

    Hana-Marmota - I'm not sure what I'd call that, but Cary Elwes is always good! ;)
    I've never seen Once Upon A Time In The West. Doesn't it have Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart in it? Maybe I'm thinking of something else...but it sounds like something I'd enjoy.
    I've not seen Local Hero, but if it's Scottish, I'll like it. *grin*

    Winnie - That sounds like an interesting film.
    Yes! LOVE the soundtrack from O Brother Where Art Thou!

    Tayler - I really need to make time for an Audrey Hepburn marathon...although I guess I had a mini one recently with A Nun's Story and How to Steal a Million. :) I need to watch My Fair Lady sometime soon, too! Funny Face is quite possibly my favorite musical ever, and I watch B at T whenever I need some cheering up. :)

    Olivia - I wondered how The Lorax was. I'll have to watch it:)

    Amy - I'm so glad you enjoy my reviews! You're very welcome:)

    Michelle - Yes, I liked Chris Evans much more as a super hero...but then, who wouldn't? ;D You would really love O Brother Where Art Thou. Let me know what you think after you watch it!

    Hana-Marmota - :( I'm sorry it was a letdown. I agree that I would have enjoyed getting to know Chris Evans' character more. And I totally agree about the way she deceived her mother. I kind of forgot about that bit...I'll have to add that to my review.
    Thanks for letting me know what you thought of it:)

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  12. The Decoy Bride: this wasn't a letdown! And that's saying a lot, because after I became so excited about it, I realised that I disliked films where somebody is pretending to be someone else... But this was just perfect. The ending is so, so wonderful!
    And oh my, the ghost of the cow! :D

    Local Hero is a lot like that, if you take away romantic oddball comedy and add dubious business plans and nature... The Scottish quirkiness remains!

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