Breaking Away

I remember the first time that I saw this film; I didn't expect too much out of it. I had heard that it was a low budget movie with mostly no-name actors. All of this is true. I didn't expect to be amazed by the movie. It tells the story of a teenager, Dave Stoller whose obsession with cycling and the "Italians" gets on the nerves of his father who wants him to take on the family car business. But all Dave wants to do is participate in the yearly IU Little 500, a famous bike race. I guess I just found the characters so endearing because they were so, well, normal. It didn't try to be what it wasn't; it just stuck to its simple yet emotional story and relied on the great acting from the so-called "no-names". Either way this movie is just wonderful and it gives the viewer a feeling of a story much in line with The Karate Kid. Check it out.

Winter's Bone

I hadn't heard very much about this movie. Not many people told me they had seen it. So I didn't know what to think. But after seeing it, I realized that this movie leaves an imprint in your mind. I found it different than any other movie I had ever seen. The story that is told is sad, yet, they don't ride that emotion, which I found impressive. The acting is great, and each person really seems to adopt their roles perfectly. What I also found interesting was the simplicity of the entire thing; it centers around a girl who must care for her family in the absence of her jailed father and her mentally unstable mother. Her father didn't show up for his hearing and she must now find him or the whole family farm will be taken away. I think what I appreciated most about this film was its refraining from getting melodramatic even though it easily could of. This movie was not aiming for an Oscar; it's just telling a story. I didn't feel like my emotions were forced, but the movie still manages to evoke strong emotions from the audience without getting carried away. Good movie, all I can say is go see it.