the unwatchables

I'm not sure if I am becoming less patient or just more selective, but I have noticed lately that I am unwilling to watch more than a few movies after the first twenty or so minutes. Our internet scanning culture has made us more in charge of what we watch. We are even watching more, not less, something of which I am all too aware. I try not to leave the boob tube on too much, so I guess when I am going to watch something, usually a "grown-up" movie that I couldn't watch in theaters or when the kid is around, I want to make it count. I have also noticed that these movies that I have rejected are all pretty negative in tone. I just don't have time for that these days.

Prisoners - This movie, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman got pretty good reviews I think, when it first came out, so I tried to give it a go. I had hesitated for a while because of the subject matter - the disappearance and possible murder of two young girls on Thanksgiving, but I turned it off because it frankly bored the heck out of me. I didn't care for any of the characters, and Jackman's dad seemed one note and off the rails from the get go. I didn't care to find out what happened to anyone.

Prisoners - Nope and nope.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - I am a little tired of Steve Carell's sad-sack characters, but I liked the idea of a sort of buddy adventure, although a tad apocalyptic, with Keira Knightley. But the characters didn't really gel with me, and after a minor character offed himself in a seemingly gratuitous and extremely unfunny scene, this black comedy was crossed off my continue-to-watch list.

The Heat - I have tried, I have really tried to watch Melissa McCarthy in movies. I loved her on Gilmore Girls, but I am really getting sick and tired of her blowsy, boorish big-screen characters. I found her foul-mouthed cop in The Heat an unbearable bore that even Sandra Bullock's presence couldn't temper. I never made it past the first twenty minutes of Identity Thief either. I'm not a fan of the recent spate of gross-out comedies, so although I will admit that her character was funny in Bridesmaids, I really didn't care for the film. I am hoping that she doesn't spoil St. Vincent, because I am still looking forward to checking that one out.

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