This year Thursday Movie Picks has a cool theme running through – the seven deadly sins! We look at the well known sins and we recommend movies like always. It’s going to be so much fun to see how people interpret these sins and I’m for one am thrilled for the first one: lust! I’m interpreting lust as cheating and by using my stretched out imagination, I managed to find three Scarlett Johansson movies to recommend this week. In other words, this is a theme within a theme week where ScarJo is the deadly sin of lust.
1. HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (2009)
The movie follows multiple story lines where one is about Bradley Cooper’s character falling for Scarlett Johansson’s character. He is married and I think she knows this. Anyway, they have a blossoming friendship in the beginning that is clearly more than that. Finally they give into their lust feelings and bang – affair! They continue this for while, she hopes he will leave his wife, he of course won’t. Honestly, I quite like this movie as a whole and some of its story lines are good as their own movies. Cooper, Johansson and Connelly (the wife!) are all solid but in this trio Connelly stands out by a mile.
2. MATCH POINT (2005)
Let’s not think about who made this movie because I just want to mention it and get it out of the way. Match Point is also about a married couple and Johansson becoming the mistress. Here we have Jonathan Rhys Meyers playing a former tennis player, married to Emily Mortimer’s character, and him lusting for Johansson. I think this goes on for a bit before they give in and he finally seduces her. What a douche. Anyway, the only scene of the movie I remember well is when they have sex on that field while it’s raining. I honestly think that’s the most memorable thing about the movie in addition to the cheating. I really dislike cheating y’all.
3. HER (2013)
Last but not least probably the best pick of this week is Her. A sci-fi movie about an electronic companion, voiced by Johansson, that the main character played by Joaquin Phoenix falls for. It’s a look into human relationships and fake relationships. The relationship between a man and an object, an AI. The movie ends with a heart breaking realisation by Phoenix’s character that she, Johansson, has been talking to other people as well. In his eyes, she was cheating on him which makes him feel like crap. He thought he was special. Anyway, amazing visuals and the concept of this movie is treated well.
THIS AMAZING SERIES IS CREATED BY WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES
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I love your theme within a theme! And I love that you picked HER. I would have never thought about picking that movie for Lust! I skipped this week but this is giving me ideas for the next Deadly Sin challenge.
Thanks! I try my best to do that, as if one challenge isn’t enough. 😀
Lust for technology? I could have done a whole other theme within a theme for that too! 😀
I’ve only seen Her from your picks but it was such a good movie! Probably my favourite Phoenix performance all round.
I agree, I don’t think I’ve seen Phoenix in many movies actually.
Apart from Her which bored me to death, I liked your other two picks. I actually loved Match Point. Such an un unusual film from Allen
Maybe it is, maybe that’s why it has stayed with me for so long. In a form of that one scene. 😀
I love a theme within the theme!
I wasn’t crazy about He’s Just Not That Into You. It was fluffy and forgettable, which frankly I had done until I saw the title.
Match Point is one of the better latter day Allen films. The relocation from his standard New York seemed to revitalize him and the story the film tells is a solid one. Well acted and involving.
Her left me cold. Sorry. I struggled through to the end and was glad to see the credits.
One of my picks looks at the carnal facet of lust but my other two focus on another piece of it.
Lust for Gold (1949)-In the 1880’s Arizona drifter Dutchy Walz (Glenn Ford) and his buddy Wiser (Edgar Buchanan) suspect two men know the location of a gold mine. Tracking them they shoot the pair after which Walz turns on Wiser and kills him as well. Heading to Phoenix with a large stash of nugguts word quickly spreads and shopkeeper Julia Thomas (Ida Lupino) wheedles herself into Walz affections without mentioning her marriage to Pete (Gig Young) in the hopes of getting her hands on the loot. Eventually all turn on each other in their “Lust for Gold”.
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)-In his lust for power unscrupulous movie producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) ruthlessly claws his way to the top of the studio system by discovering, using and discarding movie star Georgia (Lana Turner), director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) and writer James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) along the way.
Lolita (1962)-British professor Humbert Humbert (James Mason) relocates to the American suburbs, renting a room from lonely widow Charlotte Haze (Shelley Winters). He finds himself lustfully drawn to Charlotte’s teenage daughter Lolita (the recently departed Sue Lyon) doing whatever necessary including marrying her mother to remain close to the nymphet leading to his downfall. Stanley Kubrick directed his own adaptation of the Nabokov novel.
Thank you! Ah Lolita.. that was my first thought of this team, old dudes and young teens/women but yeah, I haven’t seen that version.
That woody allen loving hag sure plays homewreckers and cheaters a lot….good luck to Colin Jost lol
She does… Marriage Story also..Those roles really suit her in ways. Strange typecast thing to have tho.
I liked all three movies! Match Point is the rare Woody Allen film I like though it’s not as flashy and well known as his other stuff.
It’s really not his worst.. I still didn’t want to even name the guy because that was not the point of the theme. 😀
I’m watching Her in March for my blind spot series but I’ve heard so many good things. Match Point was bananas… it made me angry too. Men suck. Same goes for HJNTIY… when Johansson is hiding in Cooper’s office closet when his wife comes in… yikes.
Well I hope you like Her, I think it’s beautiful shot. Match Point really makes me dislike men too. And yes, that was the worst scene int hat film in terms of..so fcked up!
Cool picks. Her does have a brilliant concept and I quite like Match Point too. My mind went to darker places when I saw the theme of lust, and thought of The Skin I Live In and Perfume!
That is a lot darker indeed. I guess we all interpret the sins differently which is cool. I don’t think I’ve seen the first one but I’ve seen most of Perfume.
I’ve seen most of the film”he’s Just not that into you” and it’s ok but nothing major and is quite forgettable but I did like the book.i haven’t seen the other 2 but I do plan to see Her one day. LIKE THE Johansen theme
Thank you for the theme love! I recommend watching Her, it’s a more serious one and I think Matchpoint is good too even tho it’s by you know who.
I love your theme within the theme!
When I saw Jojo Rabbit recently I decided that I need to give some of ScarJo’s older films a re-watch. Thanks for giving me an idea where to start!
Thank you! I always try to challenge myself with these as you probably know by now. 😛
And it seems it inspires people too so you are welcome! 🙂
Like your theme within a theme. I’ve seen all but can’t remember much of your first one. I love your second pick, can’t believe I forgot about Matchpoint…it’s a perfect pick.
Thank you so much! I love throwing themes within themes, it’s like a personal challenge for me. 😀