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We love us some awesome Redbox movie renting, mostly because it's a cheap date and we have a small child.  Going to a movie is something we haven't done for... well, over a year.  I'm not that sad about it- we save a ton of money just getting movies from the local library or from Redbox.  Provided we don't turn them in late.  But that's another story. 

Two movies that we have rented recently were good enough for me to recommend.  I have super high standards for movies, so for me to tell someone else to rent it, it has to be really great.  I'm sure most of the world has already seen these, since they came out last year, but if you have not done so, I highly encourage you to enjoy these (I'm not sure if any kind of spoiler alert needs to happen here, but just in case...):
I'm ashamed to say I have never read either of these books (they're on my list!), but I really enjoyed the movies.  So if you have read the books and hated the movies because they were different... sorry.  This is as close as I get to being cultured these days.  

Les Miserables was a great movie for many reasons.  I was very impressed by the singing of all the actors and actresses.  Anything with both Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe can't be bad anyway, but the casting of the main characters was spot on.  I was moved to tears on several occasions, which means it is good.   My husband was passing the Kleenex box before Anne Hathaway could even start to sing, "I Dreamed a Dream."  The raw emotion of the whole plot really pulled me in, and I thought it was just well done overall.

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Anna Karenina was also wonderfully cast.  Jude Law is actually one of my favorite actors.  I don't particularly like or dislike Keira Knightley (wasn't she just in Pirates of the Caribbean?), but she did a great job in this movie.  The costumes were fantastic- the ball gowns were amazing.  And the entire way the movie was filmed was very creative.  I won't spoil it for you, but it took us a while to get used to it.  Once we figured out the implications of the filming style and how the directors chose to weave it into the story itself, we were really impressed.  

My favorite thing about both these classic stories is their representation of forgiveness.  There are a lot of uncomfortable situations and circumstances in both movies.  Many of the characters have grievous and serious sins (as if all sin isn't serious), but the ways in which they are forgiven are really beautiful.  If you're looking for happy endings with puppies and flowers, don't look here.  These movies show the true nature of human depravity and the consequences of sin and fallen man.  

Did you see these movies?  What did you think?  




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