Lars and Buried

Lars and the Real Girl - Ryan Gosling - 2007
My rating: 7.5 out of 10

Summary from IMDB: A delusional young guy strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.

My review: This movie is definitely not for everyone. I feel like this is one of those movies where people either love it or hate it - there really won't be any in-between. It was equal parts sad and sweet. Your insides twist and turn for this guy who is just not comfortable in his own skin and has no idea how to relate to people. I squirmed in my seat feeling just as awkward as Lars. No matter how delusional Lars was there was always something completely relatable about him - who hasn't wished at some point that they could create and live in their own world? Watching Lars learn how to talk and interact with people through the relationship delusion he created was an incredibly sweet transformation. I just hope that if someday this ever happens to me, I'm living in a town where everyone is as accepting as the town in which Lars lived.

Bottom Line: I'd pay $10 at the theater to see this one.




Buried - Ryan Reynolds - 2010
My rating: 5 out of 10

Summary from IMDB: Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.

My review: This movie is every claustrophobic's worst nightmare. Ryan Reynolds is the only person you ever see on camera in this movie and it takes place solely inside a coffin buried underground. What was great about this movie is that it never tried to be something else and it stuck to the premise for the entire movie. I felt like I was in the coffin with him and I felt every emotion he had - frustrated, desperate, terrified... I'm struggling to find a reason for only a 5 out of 10 rating and I'm having trouble thinking of something. It's just not one of those movies you want to watch over and over again - once was enough.

Bottom line: I'd pay $2 at the cheap theater for this one.