Movie Review - 42, The Best Offer, Safe Haven, Mama

movie time with syigim again. this time it’s ‘42’ a sports movie about baseball in the 50’s, ‘the best offer’ a curious mystery centered around an auctioneer, ‘safe haven’ a romantic drama about turning over a new leaf, and horror drama ‘mama’.

 

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first, I wish I had known more about the rules of baseball when I watch ‘42’ to enjoy it even more. second, harrison ford looks mighty old in this movie, the oldest I’ve ever seen him.

harrison ford looks even older than sean connery; and sean connery played his dad in ‘indiana jones : the last crusade’! his mellow, raspy voice and that mumbling way that he speaks in the opening scene reminded me even more that he’s really aged. he potrayed the role very well nevertheless, as harrison ford can do – with great gusto and determination to see it through that a black baseball player can finally play in the major league and be accepted for his talent and character.

newcomer chadwick boseman as ‘jackie robinson’ is believable. ready to stand up against the ugly racism thrown against him, but strong-willed enough to stand back and be the bigger man. I cannot imagine the verbal (and sometimes physical) abuse he has to endure everytime he plays a sport dominated by the whites; at a time when racism is rampant.

if you love baseball, and a fan of soul-power movies like ‘django unchained’, ‘remember the titans’ and ‘help’, then this movie might be your cup of tea.

 

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‘the best offer’ is a little gem that I happened to stumble upon while googling. I gave it a try because geoffrey rush (you might now him best as capt. barbossa) is in it, and jim sturgess is cute.

‘the best offer’ centers around a rich, eccentric auctioneer who was asked by a mysterious client to evaluate the antique belongings of her recently deceased parents. she talks to him thru phone, never appears to meet him, and nobody even knows what she looks like; even the caretaker of her parents’ old mansion.

the auctioneer, who is depicted as being lonely and socially awkward, grew curious of this mysterious caller. geoffrey rush as the auctioneer is a fantastic actor, in yet another role showing how versatile he is.

‘the best offer’ is unexpectedly charming, and the mystery draws you in to the movie to know what’s next. even the cinematography and editing prepares viewers that something interesting but strange is going to happen to the seemingly dull and predictable life of this auctioneer. as the story unfolds we know more about the auctioneer who also collects expensive portraits, his old friend who pretends to be a buyer during his auctions to help him buy these old paintings; and a young repairman whom he confided in. 

give ‘the best offer’ a try, you’d be pleasantly surprised.

 

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I have to confess, I find nicholas sparks sickeningly sweet. I didn’t like ‘the notebook’, ‘p/s I love you’ was okay, and ‘dear john’ was completely sappy.

so I wasn’t sure why I gave ‘safe haven’ a try since it’s also based on a book by nicholas sparks, and he also directs.

a mystery-romance movie, ‘safe haven’ has an interesting storyline, really. the movie opens with a bang – literally – as a woman is shown being on the run, hiding a dark secret. starting over at a quaint little fishing town. meets a handsome widower with a heart-wrenching back story. a premise of a cliché love story – but the way it is presented makes you want to know more – what is that secret? who is she really? what is she running from? who is that friendly neighbour and is she important to the plot of the movie? and why is his 5 year old daughter left to take care of the shop and cash register? hello, kidnappers?

the two leads are gorgeous and their love story (predictable as it may) is really sweet. cammon, a new sexy stranger in town, and a lonely handsome widower – you know that they would end up together!

cliché as it may; predictable or not, the ending would leave you crying buckets of tears. sob sob. there’s something incredibly sexy and desirable about a man that vows to keep you safe no matter what!

highly recommended to all you hopeless romantic out there!

 

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I’ve seen ‘mama’ like, eons ago but I don’t know why I forgot to include it in my previous movie reviews. ‘mama’ is one of those outstanding ghost stories that comes once in every 10 crappy b-grade horror flicks.

two girls were left in a small house in the woods, discovered only after a few years had passed. psychotherapy is highly needed, as the girls developed animal-like behavior during their survivor in all those years by themselves in the woods. or were they really alone?

now under the care of their uncle, the girls soon showed strange attachment to an invisible personal they simply called ‘mama’. as a fan of horror books, I’m always more interested in the storyline of a horror movie rather than the whole CGI kaboodle. the storyline of ‘mama’ is deliciously haunting, and it was creepier because the girls are such good actors!

I don’t agree with the ending, but I guess that’s where ‘mama’ proves it’s NOT a cliché horror movie – where the dead has unfinished business, the living helps them solve it, and then the dead goes away. in ‘mama’, the dead did not make it too easy for the living, as the ending would leave you breathless, in shock.

I highly recommend ‘mama’. horror movie fans, this is a must-see!

 

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alright people, I have an old 2002 french movie waiting. au re·voir!