Cedar Rapids

Movie: Cedar Rapids

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) is an insurance agent for a small insurance company in a really small Wisconsin town.  When the top salesman in the firm dies – under awkward circumstances, Tim is picked to represent the firm in the annual insurance convention in Cedar Rapids. To say Tim is naïve is to grossly understate the situation.  He arrives in Cedar Rapids where he has to share a room with “to be avoided at all costs” Dean Ziegler (John C. Reilly) and Ronald Wilkes (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.)  Dean and Ronald join forces with Joan Ostrowski-Fox (Anne Heche) to try and pull Tim out of his cocoon.  He ends up getting drunk, smoking crack, skinny dipping with Joan - and having a fling with Joan.  Then he has to face the music at the convention awards ceremony.

My two cents: This was a really funny movie.  Tim reminds me of the innocence most of the citizens of Mayberry had.  Ann Heche had a great role, as did John C. Reilly.  Kurtwood Smith (the father from That 70’s Show) was perfect as the president of the insurance convention.  His initial meeting with Tim in a gym where they each have just a towel – and then nothing – on was hysterical.  I can’t fail to mention Sigourney Weaver’s role as Tim’s sixth grade teacher who has been sleeping with him for the last several month.  Last but not least, Alia Shawat (Michael Bluth’s niece in Arrested Development) was a hooker – but Tim kept thinking she was just hanging around the hotel looking for someone to give her a cigarette; so he would counsel her on the dangers of smoking and offer her a butterscotch.. Everyone was just great in this film – and the ending was pretty decent too.

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The Housemaid

Movie: The Housemaid

Genre: Drama

Subtitled

Synopsis: This South Korean movie centers on Eun-yi (Do-yeon Jeon) a young housemaid/nanny.  Hoon (Jung-Jae Lee) is a very wealthy businessman.  Haera (See Woo), is Hoon’s wife.  They have one young daughter – and she is pregnant with twins.  Eun-yi is hired as a maid and to be a nanny to their daughter.  Hoon and Haera seem to be very happy and come across as extremely nice.  When Haera does not sexually satisfy Hoon, he shows up in Eun-yi’s bedroom to seek satisfaction.  Then things start getting complicated.  When Haera’s conniving mother enters the picture, things take a very dark turn and we see just how twisted this family is beneath the surface.

My two cents: An interesting movie.  I had a hard time believing a girl would be as subservient as Eun-yi – but that might just be a cultural difference.  I thought the revenge sought by Eun-yi could have been better done also, although I guess it could have been considered to be killing two birds with one stone.  Although I enjoyed the movie, I don’t know if most people would think it worth the effort to keep up with the subtitles.  Speaking of subtitles . . . this was one of those subtitled movies where it seemed that every few minutes the white subtitles would disappear against the white backdrop of the movie – very annoying.

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