Nite at thee Cinema

Movie reviewing time!

This past week, I went and saw some movies I want to remember.

First, I saw Will Smith's movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, based on a true story that would soften even the hearts of Nazis.

Pursuit of Happyness


The story is of down-on-his-luck Chris Gardner [Will Smith], a man who is trying to make it for his family with hare-brained gimmicks, such as spending his life savings on x-ray machines to sell to doctors, only to find out no one wants them.

His wife is pulling double shifts, and his five-year-old son, Christopher [played by Smith's son, Jaden], is confused about what's going on his parents' spiraling lives. Walking along the San Francisco streets, Gardner is inspired by all the smiling faces of stock brokers to apply for a job at human resources. There is an offer of an internship, which may possibly lead to a job as a broker, though it is very competitive [six months with 40 other interns; one person gets the job].

Gardner goes out of his way to impress the big-wigs looking at his application, and eventually impresses the C.E.O by completing the then new Rubic's Cube in the span of a taxi ride. He's accepted for the internship, but finds that there is no salary and this will take up most of his time, no spare moments for selling his machine.

Shortening the plot, his wife leaves him, he gets kicked out of his apartment, subsequently moves to a hotel and is booted from there as well, his car gets towed, he is arrested for no payment on his car tickets, and ends up having about $7.00 to his name after the government figures out he has no paid his taxes.

The most heart-rending scene of the entire film, in my opinion, is at a difficult part of the movie, the eve of Gardner's saddest day. After being kicked out of the hotel and with nowhere for him to take his five-year-old that is safe, Gardner finds himself in the subway system, lost and godless. He plays a game with his child to reassure him and they spend the night in 'The Cave', or the men's restroom in the station. Long legs splayed across a toilet paper mattress, Gardner sheds his only tears of the movie when an unknown begins pounding on the locked bathroom door, his son slumbering in his lap.

This movie tore me apart on the inside. Will Smith gives such an engaging peformance that I was sympathizing with him completely after the first ten minutes. At approximately 2 hrs, it is a little longer than I would have expected and as his trials continue to labor him, the movie drags the bottom a little. Other than that, the movie was fantastic, and worth the struggle Smith pulls you through by the end of the film. His son, Jaden, is absolutely adorable and attaches you to their pursuit even more.

This one is definetely worth seeing if you get the chance.

Also,

Night at the Museum


This one was amazing. I thought this was going to be more of children's slapstick film, but turned out it had a little more meat to it.

Ben Stiller plays Larry Daley, another down-trodden hero who can't keep a job and moves all the time, providing instability for his son, according to his ex-wife. She tells him that if he can't find a steady job, she's thinks it's time for him to spend a while apart from their son. With the new husband being a broker and perfect, Larry wants to prove himself and takes the only job human resources can give him -- nightwatchman at the Natural History Museum.

Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs are all old men who have guarded the museum for years, but have to give up their jobs because the museum is downsizing and only needs one, new guard. He's hired on the spot, albeit a little reluctantly and starts work that evening.

Much to his surprise, Dick Van Dyke leaves him a set of instructions that become vital in running the joint at night since EVERYTHING COMES TO LIFE. Genghis Khan is out for his blood, he gets caught in the crossfire of Civil War soliders and he becomes mixed up in a love between Sacagawea and Theodore Roosevelt.

Ben Stiller does a hilarious job and his supporting cast of Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Steve Coogan, and the aforementioned elderly gentlemen made this worth the cash I spent for the ticket because of the real, belly laughter I had throughout. Go see it :)

I'll post the movies I'm itching to see later.

Boa Noite~