Movie stuff

I watched Dear John the other night. Even though I swore I would never read a Nicholas Sparks novel, or watch a movie based on one, my love for Amanda Seyfried is STRONG. I was so not in the mood for a sappy love story, but I figured, hey, it's Nicholas Sparks, so somebody's probably gonna die, right? And my faith was rewarded! People dying all over the place! \o/ I was, of course, predisposed to cry my eyes out, even though it was INSANELY cliched, but Amanda Seyfried is adorable as usual.

Last night, I saw Emma Caulfield's movie, TiMER, which was really cute. It's got a sort of "sci-fi lite" premise, which it uses to do some interesting things with the concept of soul mates. Love is now in the domain of science thanks to an implanted device (the titular timer) that tells you exactly when you'll meet The One - an idea that assumes, of course, that there's only one true love for everybody. It was supposed to make things easier - and it has apparently cut down on divorce - but it also raises a whole host of difficult questions: How do you deal with the arranged-marriage nature of forming a relationship with a total stranger you'll eventually love? What if you meet your one at 16? Or what if you won't meet your one until far in the future - do you wait around for them or have sex with no strings attached, knowing it won't go anywhere? If you meet someone you really like, but they're not your one, do you risk the digitally doomed romance? In the midst of all that, Emma's character illustrates how frustrating and scary an uncertain future can be. Her one hasn't gotten a timer, which means that hers is blank, leaving her in the dark about when - or if - she'll ever find her soul mate. Tired of obsessively searching for Mr. Right, she takes a risk on a guy whose timer has only four months left. Now she has to decide - trust the technology or follow her heart?

I also watched Seven Pounds, which was... meh. I tend to feel this neighborly affection for Will Smith, since he went to my dad's high school and all, and he does turn in a decent performance. But the movie doesn't really deliver much of anything. It's kinda icky on multiple levels, and yet not really dark enough to be intentionally disturbing. I'm also confused whether it's actually supposed to be a mystery or not. It seems like they sort of wanted a twist at the end, but telegraphed it so blatantly that it's hardly surprising by the time we get to the reveal.