Gifting My Way To 600

It is time for another favorite movie of mine. To be honest here, I didn't think I would be at post number 600 so soon. I didn't think I would see it until next year, and I have something planned for my 5th year as a blogger. I can't tell you what that is yet though. When this month rolled around I made up my mind to get at least 20 posts up. I was getting them in quicker than I thought I would, and slowly my plans started to change. I went from trying to get 20 posts to trying to get a post in everyday. I had a small set back (which I did again) when I didn't get two posts published. I had them started, just not published. For my 600th post, I wasn't sure which movie to watch. I was going to watch a different movie, but then last night I changed my mind about it. Even though The Gift (2000) isn't really a horror film, it is one of my all time favorite films.

I first heard about The Gift from a friend of mine. He didn't say much about it, but thought it would be a movie I would like. Shortly after that I was talking to another friend, this time an online friend, and asked if she had heard of this movie. Her response was: "Oh yeah. That is the movie that Katie Holmes gets nude in." This surprised me, but I have noticed that 50% of the time, that is something people will bring up. Maybe more than that. I think it took me a while to get around to watching it, but once I did I was instantly hooked.

The reason why I call it a favorite movie is because I always ask people if they have watched it before. If they haven't I tell them to try to find it. It is rare for me to tell anyone, that isn't even into horror films especially, to find a movie. I let a neighbor watch my DVD and never got it back. They swear they gave it back, but I know they never did. After that I stopped loaning it out to people. I didn't want to have to buy it a third time. If I lose a DVD, it isn't often I will replace it myself. It is often one I didn't care that much about anyway. With The Gift though, it is one I will watch every now and then. I think the main reason for that is because of the acting. As much as I liked the different plots that are found through out the film, it was the acting that sells it the best.

If you have never watched this movie, the plot is pretty simple really. Annie (Cate Blanchett) is a struggling single mother. Her husband passed away in a work accident, so now she is stuck raising three sons on her own. To bring in a little bit of extra money, she gives readings to people. A gift run through her family, but she can't use it for personal gain. The people she reads for offer what money they can in return. She meets Jessica (Katie Holmes), basically the spoiled rich kid of the town, who disappears one night. After using all other methods, the police and family come to Annie for help. At first she doesn't have a lot to offer. But then she starts to have dreams about what happened to Jessica. Will she be able to figure out these dreams before the killer gets worried?

You may have noticed that I talked about plots earlier. The Gift has its main plot of solving the murder, but there are also a few sub plots that run through it as well. These plots aren't always connected with the main plot, but they do add a lot to the different characters found in the film. The main complaint that I see from people that didn't like this film is that they have watched this type of plot many times. I agree that there are some plots that I get tired of seeing, but I also feel you shouldn't judge a film by its plot completely. I actually liked some of the sub plots a little better than the main plot. The visuals of the dreams are all sorts of awesome, but it was the human side of the sub plots that got to me more. There is the abused wife and her abusive husband. A friend of Annie's has a lot of issues with his father, that he has problems dealing with. I liked these stories for different reasons, but again it was mostly due to the acting.

Cate Blanchett plays the part of imperfect Annie. I thought her acting was just wonderful in this movie. I liked that she wasn't the perfect person. By this I mean that her oldest son is reaching out to her over the death of his father. Annie doesn't want to talk about it though, since it is very painful for her as well. I could relate to this since I went through both phases when my mom passed away. I didn't want to talk to anyone about it at first and then when I did, I got pushed away at first. Hilary Swank plays the abused wife, with Keanu Reeves playing the husband. I admit I have never been a big fan of Keanu Reeves, but I thought he was great as the bad guy here. It was a very different role for him from what other movies I had watched him in. It was a very nice surprise, as well as showing me a different acting side to him. Katie Holmes was just okay, but she wasn't given much of a role to act with. I have always liked Gary Cole since seeing him in American Gothic. I always enjoy seeing him in a film now. Even though his role was a bit on the small side as well, I was happy that he was included in the cast. The real stand out to me though was Giovanni Ribisi. Some call him the most under rated actor around, and I can see why if his acting is this good in his other roles. Even though I knew how his story line ended when Annie catches a glimpse of him by the tree, it was still very sad. Even watching it this last time managed to make me cry a little. Yes I cry sometimes! That is just a sign of a great movie to me though. If it can still get to me even though I know what is going to happen, it has to be great.

I didn't pay much attention to who directed The Gift when I first watched it. It really surprised me when I found out this was a Sam Raimi film. On top of that, it was written, in part, by Billy Bob Thornton. As much as I like this movie, and with the outstanding people that went into it, I was really surprised to see that it only averages around a 3.5 rating on Netflix. I guess I figured the cast would be enough to make up for the plot, if you weren't really into this type of plot. It was part of the reason I liked this movie so well. Not a horror story, but in a way I guess it is. It has enough to do with the paranormal to keep me interested. It was just an added plus to me, but it could have been left out and still been a good story. If you haven't watched this movie, give it a try. Since you are reading this blog, I don't think you will be very disappointed by it.

So ends 600 posts. Time to get started on another 50 posts so I can roll around to another favorite movie. As I write this, I am two days behind, again, but I have been watching movies. Just been slow in getting the write ups done. With Halloween fast approaching, I've found myself getting busier. Such is life I suppose. I'm trying hard to catch up though. Thank you to everyone that reads my little blog. I can't express enough how much it means to me. I hope to see you all still here as I head into year five soon.