Movie: The Girl on the Train| The Bucket List

Name: The Girl on the Train 
Year: 2016
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast:  Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson
Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Language: English
Country: USA
Time: 112 min

Outline of the movie:
     A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shock waves throughout her life.

My thoughts: 
      I deliberately gave this movie some time before I watched it: not to mix my impressions from the book. I must confess that I quite enjoyed the book and was not hoping for any successful adaptation. I was right: the movie was much weaker than the book. This is I believe due to the incapability to show on the screen the inner confusion and disability to cope with the reality of the main character. Emily Blunt is a very talented actress and she gave this unreliable and confused heroin a very distinct voice, but I still think the book creates a better premises and atmosphere for those events.
      Altogether, I enjoyed the movie, even though I was aware of the ending. It is a nicely adapted story with a lot of suspense, hopelessness and desperation, but anyway, it lacked the creepy atmosphere I felt while reading a book.

Rating: 

    4/5 

Name: The Bucket List
Year: 2007
Director: Rob Reiner
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes
Genres: Comedy, Drama Language: English
Country: USA
Time: 97 min

Outline of the movie:
      Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers have nothing in common except for their terminal illnesses. While sharing a hospital room together, they decide to leave it and do all the things they have ever wanted to do before they die according to their bucket list. 

My thoughts:
     There was a time I truly enjoyed those motivating movies. I like how the energy they provide makes you believe in better times and does not allow to give up to circumstances. But at the same time, they make me think that yes, we are all equal in the face of death and there is no discrimination against race, gender and position in life, but still some people can make their ending more interesting if they have the means. Yes, this will not make them happy, but it might bring some sort of comfort, while less fortunate people will have less opportunists to make the rest of their life brighter.
      In this picture, the ideal balance was reached Morgan Freeman gave Nicholson the great feeling of belonging and friendship support, while Nicholson gave the opportunity for the crazy ideas from Freeman's Bucket list.
      It is a good, kind movie with a philosophical view on death and great and talented cast, but I cannot say I was taken away by it. For me the best movie with such topic remains Knocking on Heavens Door.

Rating: 

    3/5