THE WORDS - dear diary in triad

The Words is not receiving any critical acclaim but that has not stopped me from enjoying this quiet gem.

The story consists of a strict triptych of vignettes, each with their own characters and plot lines that, of course, connect in some way. The first chronological narrative takes place in 1930's Paris, the second in contemporary New York and the final sliver, roughly 20 to 30 years further on. 

Bradley Cooper is a decent but struggling writer who receives, as a gift, an old messenger bag that contains a unknown brilliant manuscript inside. Due to life's pressures he decides to publish the work as his own and becomes rather famous. The original author finds him out and thus literary drama ensues. 

This is a story of passion and loss. It was not an enthralling tale but a solid late night movie with a loved one and a glass of Pinot. 

I also viewed the bizarre monstrosity, Branded, which had potential but became a banal message movie about the evils of advertising. Wacky and bad filmmaking sometimes revivify interest in the absurd but not this little pos. Why the hell was Max von Sydow in this?

Recommended Viewing: Quills - Misery - Through A Glass Darkly

              Bob Scale: The Critic: 7.0   -   The Fan: 7.7

             MetaCritic: 39

 Rotten Tomatoes: 16

                    IMDB: 6.8

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING - not this

There are bad movies and there are bad movies. What to Expect When You're Expecting personifies the latter of this incensing ordeal. 

The film purports real characters and situations based on the nonfictional, definitive, go to book for pregnancy. I'm sure the author, Heidi Murkoff, did not have this future film adaptation in mind. All the characters seem to embody pseudo flaws. They are all attractive and charming, of course, with near perfect bodies and skin etc etc. Many of them encounter problems that seem to dwell within reality but somehow one can easily see that this is not true by way of the hopeful and happy outcomes. I love a good romance or comedy, I love a good story for that matter and generally can accept the unreal. But when a film tries to empathize with millions of couples who are 'pregnant' you better do a little more research for verisimilitude's sake.

The movie is crafted and stitched together through a series of vignettes that really could have been far more effective if they would have changed up the banal stories a bit and gave the characters less comedy and more veracity. I would recommend reading the book instead and using the film as source for what Hollywood expects of those expecting which is  apparently ethereal pooh.

Recommended Viewing: Three Men And A Baby - Rosemary's Baby - Knocked Up

              Bob Scale: Objective: 3.8   -   Subjective: 3.5

             MetaCritic: 43

 Rotten Tomatoes: 22

                      IMDB: 5.1