Tear Jerker Weekend

This past weekend I held my own tear jerker sob fest at home. I watched five sad movies because I just wanted to cry. You know, one of those times.

Schindler's List
The Reader
Steel Magnolias
I Am Sam
Welcome to Dongmokgol (Korean movie)

Schindler's List was a very long, depressing, scary, well acted movie. It kept me on the edge of my seat for the latter 2/3rds of the movie. The beginning was a little slow, but then I guess you kinda have to set these types of "epic" movies up. It was very beautifully shot and I appreciated the clever cinematography/editing. I liked how it was dealing with a touchy, hard to stomach topic, but still had a kind of, humanistic quality to it. It wasn't too gross, and even if there were some moments where I wanted to stop looking at the screen, the movie didnt make that the main point of the attraction. I also think the black and white added to that effect. Liam Neeson was a champion actor,a very believable German yet also very believable as the Jew sympathizer he turned out to become. His presence commands your attention throughout all 195 mins of the film. Ralph Fiennes was also tremendous, except he scared the shit out of me the whole time. It was like watching a time bomb tick, not knowing when he would go off and kill another Jew for pleasure, boredom, or just cuz he can. It was a nice contrast to his role as, yet another German, in The Reader. I'm slowly starting to like him more and more. Didnt like him as Voldemort for some reason...might have to do with this one interview I read of him and how he felt about the role and his answer sounded very condescending of the movie/franchise. Something to the effect of, "This is just a side project, not very proud of it, not taking it too seriously." But dont quote me on that haha.

The Reader- I could see how this was very popular and won those awards/nominations. Its hard to go wrong with Kate Winslet. It made me cry at the end, and I felt bad for the characters. But honestly, I think that was it. I dont know, maybe it's because I had been jaded by all the sad movies I watched this weekend and by the time I watched this one my eyes were beyond puffy and stomach bloated from coffee Hagen Daz. It did make me want to read the book sometime. I'm sure the book was probably better.

Steel Magnolias- Im not even gonna review this one hahah. It was just a sweet little tear jerker. I needed a sweet, funny, yet sad story with Sally Field and Julia Roberts.

I Am Sam- Maybe my favorite movie of the night. Sean Penn was amazing throughout, delivered consistency. Although I couldnt help but keep thinking back to Robert Downey Jr's speech in Tropic Thunder about Sean Penn acting like a retard in this movie and then laughing silently amidst the tears. Young (not that she's old now)Dakota Fanning was SOOOO adorable and yet still so mature and talented. Those ginormous, piercing blue eyes just tore me apart! And this was the first time I really saw Michelle Pfeiffer acting to her fullest quality. She is right up there with Sean and Dakota. This is how America does tear jerker. T.T It also got me on this sudden Beatles binge.

Welcome to Dongmakgol was a classic Korean comedy, which automatically means it was a simultaneous tear jerker as well. We love our tears, and try to bring them out as often as possible. Set during the Korean War, its about this magical village called Dongmakgol, located somewhere between North and South korea. The village people were completely sheltered from the whole world and had no idea there was a war going on. Everyone is so pure and not corrupted, living their lives happily secluded. Then a few soldiers from the North and a couple soldiers from the South, and one white dude from the UN army gets stranded in this village. Its a heartwarming story about the two sides of the war and shows the perspectives of both north and south. It humanizes the war, kinda like Schindler's List. I cried throughout the last half of the movie!