Rewind Wednesday: Double Header Feature!!

Over the weekend I watched two totally different movies, but great in there own right!! I literally glued to the tv for a straight 6 hours watching both of these films. One I had seen a long time ago and the other I never seen, and still wondering how I missed it.

Girl, Interrupted is a 1999 drama film about a teen's 18-month stay at a mental institution, and stars Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. It was adapted from the original memoir of the same name, written by Susanna Kaysen. Being a psych major in college this is one of those movies that would be perfect to analyze because every typical mental patient is featurd in this movie. And I am sure many Abnormal Psychology courses covered this movie. I am actually considering going and getting the book to see the differences, and to see how this movie got its foundation.



The storyline of this film is so unique in that it effectively shows the problems many people have to face when being young. What makes this movie standout from many movies like this is that it is based upon the experience of the real Susanna Kaysen, which means that the story is not only real but also authentic and not "puffed-up" for entertainment purposes. The true reality is there in full effect!! Girl, Interrupted also showcases the actors in raw form their personalities truly mesh with their character roles. Anyone can see Whoopie Goldberg, Winona Ryder and Jared Leto seem just perfect for the roles they embody. The story, can be see as a torn love affair with a perfect musical score In addition to great songs more or less known from those hard days known as the 60's. This is a MUST SEE for everyone especially if you are yearning for a deep, thoughtful and emotional film full of great acting!

This film was actually a great bounce board for newcomer angelina Jolie, who would end up stealing the shine in this movie and racking up an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) for Best Supporting Actress.

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Now this next one totally slipped past I don't know how I missed this one on the radar, but its a doozy!! if you want to see a true dsyfunctional family in its finest, this is the movie for you!!

Home for the Holidays is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Jodie Foster is sure to get your funny bone into action. The story is about Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter), a single mom who spends Thanksgiving at the home of her parents, Adele (Anne Bancroft) and Henry Larson (Charles Durning) while her only child Kitt (Claire Danes) decides to spend the holiday with her boyfriend. It also does not help that Claudia has just lost her job. The family gathering also includes Claudia's conservative sister, Joanne Larson Wedman (Cynthia Stevenson), her husband Walter (Steve Guttenberg) and their children; Claudia's gay brother Tommy (Robert Downey, Jr) and his new friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott); and her eccentric aunt Glady (Geraldine Chaplin).

This film was actually put into motion after adapted a short story by Chris Radant appeared in a Boston newspaper. Executive producer Stuart Kleinman sent Jodie Foster the screenplay with a note that said, "It's a complete mess and I love it" and from that point the filming began. Foster remembers. They worked on the script so that the film reflected Foster's point-of-view and her own life experiences. She showed the first draft to Holly Hunter who agreed to star after reading it. Working with a $20 million budget, Foster spent ten weeks filming in Baltimore with a two-week rehearsal period. Filming of the Thanksgiving dinner took more than ten days, using 64 turkeys, 20 pounds of mashed potatoes, 35 pounds of stuffing, 44 pies, 30 pounds of sweet potatoes, 18 bags of mini-marshmellows and 50 gallons of juice that stood in for wine. And to top it off, Foster allowed Robert Downey Jr. to improvise which got his juices really flowing about making films again after a period of time where he became a little disenchanted with acting.

Boston Globe writer, Jay Carr praised the film for being "filled with juicy performances that expand resourcefully beyond what we think are going to be their boundaries, the film carries us beyond our expectations. That's what makes it so pleasurable". And USA Today gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Home has the usual hellish ritual. They come, they eat, they argue, they leave. It's the stuffing in-between that makes it special".