Movie #388 - The Imposter

The Impostor
2001 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 35 min
Director: Gary Fleder
Starring: Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D'Onofrio, Mekhi Phifer, Tony Shalhoub

Based on the short story of the same name by Philip K. Dick (author of the stories behind movies like Total Recall, Blade Runner, Next, A Scanner Darkly, Paycheck, Minority Report, Screamers), The Imposter lives up to it's author's reputation. It's dark, twisted, futuristic, and features the incredible self-crisis of its main character. Is he human? Or is he an alien impostor?

I really did enjoy this one and felt like Sinise did a great job wrestling with the question internally while also trying to convince those out to get him that he's human.  On the run, he's resourceful but not very successful. He figures out how to answer the question... but no one likes the answer.  Great twist on a twist at the ending here - and I don't want to give it away!

If sci-fi is your thing, this one's worth checking out.

Movie #213 - Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump
1994 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 12 min
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Sally Field, Gary Sinise, Haley Joel Osment

This movie has the unique ability to appeal to viewers of nearly any age.  I remember seeing this in the theatre at 12 and enjoying it.  My parents loved it even more, because they'd live through most of the major events that appear in it.  And I can appreciate it even more now, as adult, since I get the hints and subtleties.

The innocence of this character is what makes him great.  He is exactly as he appears: friendly, easy going, simple, his heart on his sleeve.  Forrest Gump is the kind of man you want good things to happen to. And in this movie they do and they don't.  Life happens to him, and simultaneously, he happens to life.  It's so well written and so flawlessly executed you forget it's fictional. 

And who doesn't love all those Forrest pop-ups in archival footage?

So I love this movie. If you haven't seen it (because you live under a rock), see it.  It's deserving of the experience. Just like Hanks was deserving of that Oscar win.

Movie #211 - The Forgotten

The Forgotten
2004 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 31 min
Director: Joseph Ruben
Starring: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Christopher Kovaleski, Anthony Edwards, Gary Sinise, Jessica Hecht, Alfre Woodard

This movie is totally creepy, but a bit overdramatic.  It feels a bit indulgent at times, and while it's thrilling to watch people get snatched up and thrown into the air out of nowhere, I can't quite wrap my brain around this. 

Julianne Moore's son is killed in a plane crash and she has trouble letting go of his memory, so she's in therapy with Gary Sinise.  Somehow, her son Sam starts to disappear from photos and other people's memories (like his father's for example).  Bad news for Julianne Moore, who's mind isn't as easy to wipe clean.  So what's happening? How is this possible?

SPOILER ALERT:
The whole thing turns out to be an alien experiment.  Their just messing with us to see if the bonds between mother and child can ever be truly broken.  Why? We're lab rats to them, but what's the purpose of this experiment? Is it just for funsies?  How cruel are these aliens, anyway?

It's an interesting concept, but it seems a bit overdone.  At its core, it's an indepth look at the relationships between mothers and their children.  But the whole thing seems needless. Maybe I just don't get it.... ?