A Dangerous Treatment

Movie: A Dangerous Treatment

Genre: biographical drama

Synopsis: Based on fact, this movie exams the relationship between Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortenson) and the relationship between Carl Jung and his sometime patient, Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley).  While initially a protégé of Freud, Jung eventually sought to divert from Frieds path – something that Freud fought bitterly.

My two cents: This was a fascinating movie. A solid performance by Viggo Mortenson, a good performance by Michael Fassbender, and an outstanding performance by Keira Knightley.  The verbal exchanges between Freud and Jung were very well-written.  Viggo Mortenson did a great job of capturing the inner turmoil that tortured Jung.  But Keira Knightley stole the movie.  I thought this was the best I have seen her.  Her character was so tortured by her mental problems that at times it seemed that she suffered from a physically deforming disease. The scenes when her character was suffering seizure-like attacks must have been exhausting to perform.  I read a lot of viewer comments criticizing her performance as over-acting and over-doing the portrayal of the physical quirks of a mental patient.  I saw an interview with the director where he describes how her portrayal followed the detailed notes Jung took describing Sabina Spielrein’s symptoms.  He said that, if anything, she underplayed the way Sabina really behaved.  This movie is well-worth seeing.

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The Sitter

Movie: The Sitter

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: This is loosely based on “Adventures in Babysitting”. Noah (Jonah Hill) is in his early 20’s, unemployed and lives with his mother.  As favor for to his mother, he agrees to babysit for a couple.  Their three messed-up children embark on a night long adventure with Noah when he decides to take them along on a trip to the city to meet up with his “girlfriend”.

My two cents: This was much better than I expected.  It definitely earns its “R” rating.  Jonah is basically a good person and as inappropriate as most of the humor is . . . Jonah manages to touch the each of the kids and help them each to make an improvement in their lives.  I really enjoyed it.

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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Movie: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Genre: thriller

Synopsis: This is the fourth in the Mission Impossible series. This time around, Ethan Hunt’s team is framed for bombing the Kremlin.  They are disavowed by the “Secretary” and are on their own.  Their mission is to clear their name and to save the world from a maniac who has decided that it is time for the human species to be exterminated. Simon Pegg was back from MI-III.  He was joined by newbies Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton.

My two cents: It has been a while since I have seen one of the MI movies, but I cannot imagine any of them were more intense and riveting than this one. I left the theatre feeling drained.  Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton were great additions to the team.  I hope they stick around for any further MI movies. If you liked the previous MI’s, you should love this.  If you are just a fan of spy-thrillers, you should like this.  Unless you only like dull slow-moving movies, you should like this.

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