My range of movie-viewing is pretty wide. I’m equally happy watching a Bruce Willis action flick or a period drama or a romantic comedy or a quirky indie dramady. But I think my favorite are the type that are otherwise a normal storyline, but add just a little bit of weird/unreality with a pivotal What If question. And I thought I’d share some recent viewings that fall under this category, each of which I really enjoyed for different reasons. They are all what I like to call thinking movies. Not in a ‘ahh too much going on can’t keep track or make sense my brain hurts way,’ but rather in the sense that they stayed with me and I found myself pondering some of the points or choices made in the movie long after I’d finished watching it.
Safety Not Guaranteed
Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.
What If question(s): What if you met a guy who thought he could time travel? What if the truth was a lot more complex than ‘he’s crazy’? What if you started to believe him?
Ruby Sparks
A novelist struggling with writer’s block finds romance in a most unusual way when a female character he’s been writing suddenly comes to life.
What If question(s): What if you could bring your writing to life? What if you had absolute control over another person?
Another Earth
On the night of the discovery of a duplicate planet in the solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident.
What If questions(s): What if there was another planet exactly like Earth that suddenly appeared in our sky? What if there was another you, whose life branched a different direction from the mistakes you made here? What if you could go there and start over?
Have you seen any of these? What did you think? Any similar movies to recommend?
4 comments
I really wanted to see Ruby Sparks! I, too, like “thinking movies.” Things that stay with you for a while are always worth the time spent watching them.
Ruby Sparks was interesting – I thought the idea was really cool, but at the same time I didn’t really like the main guy character, so it was kind of hard to watch. But overall I still liked it. Certainly worth watching.
I really wanted ro like Safety Not Guaranteed. But, alas, I did not. Have you seen Bachelorette yet? Great cast and writing. Dark, funny.
Great blog! I just discovered it today. Thanks for linking up on Twitter. Glad you’re on my radar. 🙂
Yeah, I can see how it would go down wrong. I wasn’t sure I would like it, until the very end. I am SUCH a sucker for a love story with a happy ending, haha. I have not seen Bachelorette yet, but I’ve heard about it.
Thanks! I’m glad to have found you in the blogosphere, too (through Corrin’s Twitter) – I’m always on the lookout for more cool Austin blog ladies. 😀