Movies Anyone?

[wingdesigner]

Saw it last night for the first time. Our adopted son told me about it a while back but I didn't believe him. Is this allegedly based on Gene's notes, or just pulp fiction, as it were? Being a bit of a diehard, I have some serious reservations at this point. If the calibre of writing is not up to original ST standards there will be legions of fans howling for someone to be spaced. IMO. But then I'm a tough critic, anyway (if you hadn't noticed).

[webmaster]

If the calibre of writing is not up to original ST standards...

I read an interview with the director in the NYTimes and he said they're keeping the script as true to the original as possible. In the interest of hewing as close to the original Star Trek standards, they made sure to have Scotty breathlessly say his line about the engines not being able to take much more, a minimum of two hundred times during the course of the movie.

Seriously, though. It seems like they're after a serious approach to it, none of the cartoony aspects of Star Trek like Ricardo Montalban in the Wrath of Khan. WoK was a decent movie, but you know, the film becomes unintentionally humorous when Khan and Kirk are competing to see who could score new heights of overacting and be the hammiest. I know, I know, that's part of the fun of the series. But you can't pull that off with actors other than the original ones.

However this movie is exploring how they became the people we know them as, their backstory. Leonard Nimoy makes an appearance as the older Spock via a time travel sequence. It sounds like a more serious movie with lots of action in it, too. I'm excited about it.

[wingdesigner]

Got booted off before, so will try this again.
We all know Trekkies are a tough crowd and sticklers for detail, so let's hope they get their backstories straight or there'll be heck to pay. I presume there will be some webisodes or selected "leaks" to certain Beta fans for feedback. Too bad my buddy Lan isn't still around--bet he'd be high on the list.
Back to Shatner. Read somewhere that in his legitimate theatre days he was called upon as an understudy to take over in a Shakespearean play for one of the leads with very short notice. It was then he employed what became his trademark delivery of syncopated pauses, because he was struggling to remember his lines. Apparently the critics loved it, thought it was "fresh" and lauded him for it. And created a decades-long monster (although it was fun and fairly easy to imitate and lampoon) in the process. However, having only recently discovered Boston Legal I am impressed with the way he portrays his Denny Crain character--a whole generation has grown up not knowing the "original" Shatner; there's not a trace in this character. By far some of the best work he's ever done, IMO. James Spader and Candice (sp?) Bergen aren't shabby, either. What grabbed me as I was surfing at the top of the hour was the opening. Very reminiscent of West Wing and CSI:Crime Scene Investigators, what with a pronounced arc and crescendo, whereby one can actually count down from the final line(s) and "cue music"! Oooh, how fun! Also love the denoument or "balcony scene". Great, like I really need another couch potato excuse. All right, just hijacked this from movies to TV, but I couldn't resist opining about Mr. Shatner.

[webmaster]

He has a new talk show coming in December that promises no scripts, no cuts, no retakes, just William Shatner getting raw with his guests. Watched an amusing commercial about it last night.

Leonard Nimoy is one of his guests and at one point Nimoy reminds Shatner of how long he's been giving him advice and remarks he doesn't know how often he's taken it to which Shatner spreads his arms and says, "Look where I am..."

Just researched it. The series is called Raw Nerve. Here are some [url=https://www.biography.com/shatner/]Raw Nerve Videos[/url]. Be patient, takes a while to download some of them.

Looks...
Like...
Fun.

[wingdesigner]

Well, I guess if I'm home sick that day... The Tim Allen one looks interesting, but with my crappy speakers it's hard to tell what they're saying. The sound is really muddy. Maybe I'll upgrade them when I get a new monitor. But that's another thread... Thanks for the tipoff, though. Gotta get ready for "date night". Movie review to follow.

[wingdesigner]

First, saw a couple of "Raw Nerve" episodes. Better than I thought they'd be.

Now for the review.
Excellent performances by Rosario Dawson and Will Smith. Woody Harrell gives a great supporting performance. I cannot rave enough about this movie, however, I cannot say too much without giving it away. This movie will have you exercising your thinking and puzzling-out muscles all the way through. Smith's acting chops just get better and better. At some point you will need Kleenex, perhaps several. That point may come at different times for different folks, judging by what I observed around me. There are some funny moments to lighten the mood. One hot topic point (for me) was probably dismissed by most of the audience but like I said earlier, I cannot give it away as it is a major plot point (yet probably missed by 90% of the audience). One teeny continuity glitch involving Will Smith's chin, and that's all I'll say about that. Highly recommend this movie for mature teens and up. It's rated PG-13, but most early teens I know might find this too confusing and/or disturbing, IMO. I wish I could say more, but since it just opened today I don't want to give away the plot. I found some of the camera work a little disconcerting and distracting. Otherwise, go see this soon, because usually movies of this calibre don't last more than a couple of weeks. (Remember "Pay it Forward"?)

[webmaster]

Watched Chunking Express again for the whateverth time last night. Was touched by different parts than the first time I saw it. This movie speaks to me in different ways on every viewing. Good one to see once a year.

[wingdesigner]

WM, you might also enjoy "The White Countess". Directed by James Ivory of Merchant/Ivory fame (after Merchant's death), it has lavish cinematography. The title has a double meaning, and showcases the Redgrave sisters and Natasha Richardson together for the first/only time, I believe.

[wingdesigner]

When he's not being a goofball, I like Adam Sandler. Same goes for Ben Stiller (not in this movie but thought I'd opine anyway.) Not exactly "50 First Dates", but pretty good. I thought it was a cute premise and well done; but the editing was a little choppy. Take the kids or GKs. Nothing offensive. Guy Pearce does an admirable American accent, and Lucy Lawless is fun and funny.

Spousal unit doesn't do fantasy very well, so wasn't as delighted as yours truly. I also noticed some audience activity that wasn't there for Seven Pounds.

[Kenshin14435]

Has anyone seen "The Day the Earth Stood Still"??
It was an OK/Great movie. Somewhere in between.
The main character from Matrix was the alien in this movie. I think he played it well.
Also,
Has anyone seen "Valkyrie"??
It looks like an awsome movie but my dad pointed out that it would have been a great movie but the director completely messed it up by cutting out some really important parts like when "one eye"(aka-tom cruise....I don't know the name of the character he plays in the film)decideds they have to kill hitler. They leave that part out.
Has anyone seen it?

Take Care

[webmaster]

Valkyrie received a number of negative reviews, so I'm probably not going to watch it. You might want to consider putting that on your Netflix though. Some flicks are better on the smaller screen than on the big one, regardless what the critics say.

I'm glad you liked The Day the Earth Stood Still, I'm going to put it on my Netflix.

I can't watch Adam Sandler anymore. He's a ham, not as over the top bad as Jim Carrey though, another actor I can't bear watching. Sandler's boy-man thing worked well in The Wedding Singer, but it seems with a few exceptions he's been working on variations of the Boy-Man for the past decade or more. Even Jerry Lewis had good sense to move on from the infantalized male shtick. He's too old to do that.

Re the Bedtime Story movie, I took my daughter to the movies and watched back to back trailers for that and another movie about books/stories coming to life, [url=https://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/inkheart/]Inkheart[/url].

This is what's generally flawed in Adam Sandler movies: They're typically about Adam Sandler's character, usually growing up, not about an actual story or adventure. That there are kids in this movie is incidental and doesn't make it a family tale unless the bar has been lowered and all it takes to be family fare is to take a romance movie, add kids, and remove swear words, nudity and sexual situations. Here's a [url=https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-51,GGLD:en&q=bedtime+stories+trailer+site%3aapple%2ecom]synopsis of Bedtime Stories[/url]:

A family comedy about a guy (ADAM SANDLER), whose life changes when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true.

Now compare that with the Synopsis for Inkheart:

Inkheart is a thrilling adventure that stars Brendan Fraser as Mo Folchart, a father who possesses a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud.

But when Mo accidentally brings a power-hungry villain from a rare children’s fable to life, the villain kidnaps Mo’s daughter and demands Mo bring other evil fictional characters to life.

In an attempt to rescue his daughter, Mo assembles a disparate group of friends - both real and magic - and embarks on a journey to save her and set things right.

You see how Bedtime Stories is about Adam Sandler and his banal quest to find love/grow up/act his age, while Inkheart has an actual story?

Speaking of books coming to life, how about The Neverending Story, which actually has much to say about books themselves? Here's a [url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088323/]synopsis of Neverending Story from IMDB[/url]:

An unhappy boy is bullied by older youths and seeks sanctuary in a bookstore. The owner gives him a magic book in which he is able to follow the adventures of a boy who is everything he believe he is not, brave, strong, successful. He begins to understand that he is a part of the story and that the survival of the world about which he has been reading is in part up to him.

[wingdesigner]

OK, here we go on a tangent: Ofttimes early buzz will create similar movies and one "house" will rush production to be the first to the screen and get the early $$. Dante's Peak v. Volcano--Volcano was clearly the better for having taken its time; Deep Impact v. Armageddon--Liked Armegeddon for the action, but love Robert Duvall in anything, and the line "Well, look on the bright side--we'll all get high schools named after us." And that actress went on to West Wing. There were two "B" movies about the earth's crust separating, one from natural causes, one by a mad scientist. Two movies about going to the center of the earth to resuscitate it (not exploring--those were another two).

Back to topic: I will reserve judgment until I've seen Inkheart; but I agree to disagree w/you, WM on Adam Sandler. I thought he was OK in Click and Bedtime Stories (BS???--knew you'd like that). Not great, but tolerable.

I did see the remake of TDTESS and didn't care for it. There was a lot of deviation from the original in an effort to modernize it, I guess. The way destruction was going to be wrought was OK; but the ending was too predictable and not as suspenseful. Keanu Reeves played his character too much like others he's played. However, LOVED Kathy Bates. (As always. ) But the direction and editing were choppy; if one had not seen the original one would not necessarily follow this. My choice is for the original--"B" that as it may...

[webmaster]

Yah, don't get me wrong, I don't have high hopes for TDTESS, might be ok on video to pass the time, at best. Not vouching for whether Inkheart will be good either, just comparing the plots between the two.

Spiderwick Chronicles was a decent dvd movie, not sure if it was worth seeing on the big screen, same for some other movies with similar plots I've seen lately.

As far as similar movies coming out, I remember Altered States and Werewolf in London shared similarities, some of which had something to do with mixing of personnel during the development stages. Beyond that there are topical reasons why movies delving in similar scenarios come out ([url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_Unconscious]Jungian Collective Uncounsious[/url]?).

Movies like Altered States and Werewolf could reflect a seventies hangover at the beginning of the eighties related particularly with drugs like cocaine. A party was ending regarding altered states, as well as political bad moons rising in Central America. Add Scarface and The Fly to the above list of movies and you have an interesting reflection of American anxieties at the time. Governments were in upheaval, idealogies were clashing close to home (liberation theology, Marxists in Peru, communist insurgencies in El Salvador and Nicaragua), Americans were in a time of change.

- Altered States (1980)
- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
- Scarface (1983)
- The Fly (1986)

Particularly with Sci-Fi and fantasy, alot of what makes it onto the screen (and literature and other arts) is deeply reflective of our times. Thus in the early eighties aliens were generally portrayed as benign but by the late eighties early nineties they were more commonly portrayed as downright evil and afterward, post 911, aliens are attacking our world to in order to annihilate it entirely.

It's not uncommon for movies to resemble a national anxiety or fascination. In this case (Bedtime Stories/Inkheart) it appears to be our capacity to shape and/or control our reality, fate and destiny and the slippery way it can escape our grasp. A very modern predicament what with the economy and other areas where our circumstances seem unshackled from our ability to control them.

[webmaster]

Oh, forgot to mention, saw Milk last week. Very good movie. I was a teen in San Francisco at the time and it resonated with me having been a witness to those events, watching Harvey's political rise and the Dan White political dramas and subsequent riots and all that. Beautiful movie, good story about a man who could bring together people of different colors and cultural backgrounds.

I teared up everytime he shouted into his megaphone, "I'm Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruit you!"

[wingdesigner]

MIssed that--it was in very limited release here.
On a similar note (pun intended), I've noticed the similarities in soundtrack movies, especially actioners (as the wonks like to call them these days). The National Treasure and Pirates/Caribbean both have the heavy cello/bass string sections bump-bump, ba-da-bump-bump thing going (OK, so I can't read music, but I know what I hear ). Several others I can't think of offhand also use that same technique to convey majestic purpose or some such. I know soundtracks are manipulative and usually I don't mind. That's why I stick around for the credits, to see what music they've culled for the tracks; and to see if there's a tag at the end. Sometimes the same movie will have different tags in different theatres, I.e.: "Iron Man".
That is all (for now).

[wingdesigner]

Pretty good. I'm not a big fan of Shia LaBoef (sp?), but perhaps I haven't seen enough from him yet. I thought this started out borrowing from the Matrix, but later changed my mind to say it had heavy leanings on the Terminator series. Also, it only reinforces my opinion of what happens when one thinks one has succeeded in creating A.I. (You all know my opinion of 'puters) They do a pretty good job of masking what's going on until about 1/3- to 1/2-way through the movie. I did not know Billy Bob Thornton was in this and was pleasantly surprised, although there was a little twist at the end that I thought could have been set up better. Rosario Dawson is also in this--guess she's had a busy year. Not much blood (PG-13) but implied violence. All in all, I liked it and would recommend for an action flick.

[wingdesigner]

Another wonderful indie movie. Pacing is a little off but has a good ending. Just saw it again on cable. One of those "based on/inspired by" a true story things.

[wingdesigner]

Both are channel-surf stoppers.

DINNER RUSH--I may have reviewed this one already. Stars Danny Aiello, among others (can't say or I'll give away some of the plot twists). You do have to stick with this, it can drag, but sooo worth it. The ending is terrific.

(Speaking of Danny Aiello--enjoy all of his work, including Hudson Hawk, which I think is a hoot, even though the critics panned it)

THE FULL MONTY. What can I say? Yes, it's supposed to be a comedy, but it also deals with serious subject matter: unemployment (as does another movie--Kinky Boots), child custody/visitation, and other marital issues. The music is infectious, the ending will have you cheering (much like Greenfingers).

That is all.

[webmaster]

Thanks for the reference to Dinner Rush. That movie slipped past me somehow. I'll have to put it on the NetFlix.

Just watched half of PineApple Express. So far so good. James Franco, who also stars in Milk, gives a great performance as a dizzy pot dealer. Josh Grogen plays his usual character...

Ok, now it's time for me to geek out on my Chinese Kung Fu Soap Opera. I'm on the eighth (and last) disc. Gotta finish it. One of the best ones I've watched so far.

[img]https://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/MattoStar/Movie/Handsome%20Siblings/TheHandsomeSiblingsTheCom21109_f.jpg[/img]

Nicholas Tse

[img]https://image2.sina.com.cn/ent/d/2005-04-15/U102P28T3D703359F326DT20050415111037.jpg[/img]

Here's one of the funnier bits, when Dicky Cheung dons a short skirt and impersonates a servant girl in order to sneak into a household.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm6D6oyXgbQ#t=5m00s

(The sound and subtitles are off in the YouTube video but not on the actual DVD... annoying.)

[wingdesigner]

Where do you come up with this stuff? I'm surprised some of this even makes it to video/disc.

[wingdesigner]

Sorry, folks, too busy shoveling snow all day here in MI. Roads are dicey so no movie tonight. However, hope to make it out to see Kate Winslet double feature at the art house: Revolutionary Road, and The Reader. Stay tuned.

[webmaster]

Oh heck! I finished the series and was disapointed. The story was so good up until the final six or ten episodes. SPOILER ALERT: Don't read further if you intend to watch this series.

What ruined it for me is they starting killing off all the characters you cared about so that in the end there was only one person standing and everyone you ever cared about was dead. Why should I care about the movie at that point? Even the villain was killed off only to be replaced by a new villain.

What they should have done was keep the New Villain a mystery until the end, and plotted the film so the audience sympathized with that villain until at the end when it's revealed that the good person was really evil. Well, that's what the characters in the series believed so it makes sense to fool the audience as well. Now THAT would have been a shocking denouement.

[wingdesigner]

OK, now what are you talking about? That funky Chinese soap opera series or something else? (scratching head)

[wingdesigner]

Well, in spite of the sub-zero temps and amassed snow, enough is enough and date night was reinstated. Didja miss me? (Don't answer that.)

This is so much better than the trailers, and I thought the trailers were cute. We ended up getting in after the opening title sequence but I don't think we missed much. We had to sit way up front and look up the actors' noses, so that wasn't fun. However, even "up close", the chemistry between Dustin Hoffman & Emma Thompson is palpable. The way they play off of each other in scenes is a lesson in the way it should be done. The actress who plays the daughter getting married looks like she could be Mary Elizabeth Mastroantonio's (sp?) daughter! The character development was a little spotty, as if there were scenes edited out that mayhaps would have given some better continuity. The movie was shot in London and is a terrific supporting actor. There is a really cool suspension bridge with some fascinating history to it--look it up on line sometime. It made some travel mag's top 10 bridges list. Back to the story. Dustin Hoffman's character portrayal is superb. Emma Thompson captures the very essence of "bad date face"--it's almost hysterically funny, and yet sad at the same time.
I highly recommend it. Two thumbs up.



SPOILER ALERT:
It reminded me strongly of "An Affair to Remember", but without the maudlin ending.
__________________

[wingdesigner]

Had heard bad things about this so waited until it hit the cheapie movie house. Well...not the best James Bond I've seen. I'd liken it to the ripoff "Never Say Never Again", but at least the female parts were written better. It departed from the formula of opening scene, graphic animation w/James Bond Theme, sexy background w/opening titles, body of movie, end titles. For purist fans, not acceptable. The graphic animation (logo, if you will)/theme did not come until the end titles and they fooled with the arrangement (music) too much. Not acceptable to this fan. Even the sexy opening title shot was tame, even for '60's standards. (Yawn.) Opening scene/act looked like it was borrowed straight from the last Transporter movie, and the whole storyline was ripped off from the George Lazenby/Pierce Brosnan transition pair. Oh, and intentionally or not, there was an obvious nod to/ripoff of Goldfinger.

Sadly, this movie has not carried on the Bond tradition as set up by Ian Fleming, even with adjustments for current political climate. Direction was choppy, editing worse, photography was downright irritating with all the quick cuts back and forth, a la MTV. I'd really like to give Daniel Craig a decent shot at "being Bond" in his own way, but this movie was not it. I like his other works outside this genre, but he didn't do himself any favours here. I was not convinced (in two movies) that he genuinely loved or had any chemistry with the Vesper character, as Lazenby's Bond did with the Countess. Granted, Lazenby was cheesy at best, but the script was better, and when Pierce Brosnan took up the role, he made it believeable and then let it go--we weren't whacked over the head with it for the rest of the movie.

So, I guess one could say I didn't like this movie. But, I wouldn't call it a waste of time and money; there were some interesting cars...

[wingdesigner]

It's too bad this was released on the heels of "Rachel Getting Married". Anne Hathaway's breakout performance was outstanding, and certainly broke her typecast role. This yanks her right back in, and that's too bad. She puts in a fine performance and shows her flair for fearless physical comedy. However, on second thought, maybe this did come at the right time, for comparison? I don't know, IMO this should have come before "Rachel". Kate Hudson was good, but I can't help thinking "Goldie Hawn's daughter" every time I see her. She soo reminds me of her mother--and that's a compliment. I think Candice Bergen was underused in this movie--they could have written in more depth for her character. Guess I'm just spoiled from "Boston Legal". Ahh, but I get to listen to her voice, which isn't all bad... For a movie that was trying so hard NOT to be about a catfight, it tried too hard; and in trying too hard did not succeed. However, the guys in the supporting roles of prospective grooms did their jobs quite believeably, even if there was a little unrealistic role-switching involved.

Ah, it's rated PG, and aside from the fact that the two women had been living with their lovers for years (which depending on one's POV, one may not wish to have children/GK's think is OK), I found nothing objectionable. Most everyone sat through the entire movie, even the pre-teen gaggle down front. I think I remember a couple of cuss words, but only from Kate Hudson's character. I did have a tough time keeping straight which character name was which--that took over half the movie to sort out, but that could just be me. All in all, nothing objectionable (except for the live-in part, but that is this writer's opinion). Definitely a chick flick, though.

[webmaster]

Watched The Rocker last night. Believe it or not this is a decent flick. Lots of physical comedy, good story and cast. Christina Applegate has a good role as the mother to a teenager, her acting is spot on. It doesn't demand a lot of range but I was impressed by how well she played it. I guess she's always been a decent actress, but the Married With Children role kind of burned that image of her into my head.

Pete Best (original Beatles drummer) has an ironic cameo in this movie, which is about a drummer who was booted from the band he founded then forced to witness from the sidelines as his former bandmates find fame and fortune, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.

Bitter? Oh yeah. However a series of events propel him back onto the stage in a successful teen band, only this time the old rock and roll fantasies about groupies, trashing hotels, and heavy drinking fit a little tight around his middle aged frame, so to speak. There are also old regrets to deal with which leads to his stumbling toward a new path now that he is no longer a wild haired dreamer but an adult who sees things with more clarity. Good fun.

[wingdesigner]

WM, was there another movie with that storyline? Or am I thinking of a documentary? It sounds familiar... When did The Rocker come out. (Sounds like a bedtime story to me...)

[webmaster]

Wing, most any movie coming out of Hollywood is based on the success of some other movie. I can see [url=https://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Rocker/70093220]The Rocker[/url] as being conceived as School of Rock with a little Spinal Tap but only better because the kids are teens not tweens, so it'll reach out to that demographic, plus the middle aged demographic will identify with the star and Christina Applegate's character.

I'm having a hard time taking anything out of Hollywood seriously, even something like Benjamin Button, which I'll probably wait until it's out on DVD before seeing. Seems like what's coming out of Hollywood is, more than ever, marketing driven, not story driven. So a movie like The Rocker is what is. It's not a classic, but it's a good entertainment.

Rachel Getting Married looked like a good movie, something I wanted to watch. It's story is vaguely similar in outline (though not in details) to a French one called, [url=https://www.netflix.com/Movie/I_ve_Loved_You_So_Long/70105781]I've Loved You So Long[/url].

After more than a decade apart, estranged sisters Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Lea (Elsa Zylberstein) try to rebuild their fractured relationship. But the task is hardly easy, considering Juliette's past. She's been in jail for 15 years -- for killing her own son. As she settles into small-town life with Lea's family, the locals can't help but talk. Philippe Claudel's feature film debut garnered him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

I almost made it to the French one but couldn't get my wife to cooperate on it during the recent holidays. So it's in the Netflix cue.

[webmaster]

I haven't seen the new Bond flick but I did see the last one and I have to say I enjoyed the more realistic and physical Bond, the whole concept of making it less campy and gadgety. But I felt a little distant to the movie. The movie was worth watching but not one I'll turn to again. By your account it sounds like Quantam of Solace follows the same recipe.

Speaking of Daniel Craig, I've been watching the Golden Compass on HBO with my kid and I have to say that's one movie that bears up to repeated viewings.

[wingdesigner]

He did a strange little movie called "Layer Cake", which I found showcased a versatility I didn't realize. You might want to give it a looksee. Don't think it's for kids, though.

[wingdesigner]

Well, I liked it. Guilty pleasure, I guess. IMO there was waay too much angst, but I guess that's why the teens swoon over it. The old curmudgeon is coming out again. Great scenery, cool houses (would not want to do the windows!) and some surprising humour. There might be too graphic violence for some--there were folks getting up and leaving during some scenes, only to return later (I can't believe they ALL had to use the bathroom!). Being one who doesn't like gratuitous violence or gore, I saw nothing untoward, and thought it was rather underplayed. (WARNING: Next sentence is graphic.) Some movies would have gone for raw gutting and crisping flesh curling from bones. (OK, you can read now.) Not here, and I'm pleased with how they handled it. Even a so-called arterial wound was not spurting like a fountain, which I found a little odd. Quite a few storylines left dangling for a sequel, and judging by the almost-full house in the second-run theatre this writer attended, they're gonna get it.
Stand-out performance by the actor who played the girl's dad. Runner-up was the "vampire" dad.
REALITY CHECK: No high school is that friendly to newcomers, especially mid-term.
One thumb up.

[wingdesigner]

Ooohhh, gooood mooovie! Thumbs up, toes up, whatever! It's unfortunate for us common folk that Liam Neeson has chosen not to do this genre before--he's creepy good, and not icky creepy; but sneaky, thoughtful, it's instinctual creepy. Loved it. He plays a teen girl's divorced father, whose ex is married to a naive plutocrat, and they're two peas in a pod. The ending lacked something, but I can't say what without spoiling it. Definitely a must-see.

IMO, the directors/writers of the James Bond movies could learn something here.

[wingdesigner]

Much better than expected. Had two up-and-coming actors: Justin Long playing a bit away from type and not bad; and Ginnifer Goodwin, from HBO's Big Love, who is unfortunately taking her character deeper into that same type. Well, look out for a ton of cameos, and good ones. Some folks you haven't seen in a while, and some you hope never to see again. I would not bring young teens to see this because of the subject matter; or there would be roundtable discussions afterward. Most of the plot was predictable, but still a nice bit of fluff. All in all, a good movie. The guys said it was a chick flick, the girls disagreed. Ehh, it could go either way for me, but I liked it.

[Snippy]

Here is a refreshing movie. "Bella". I think it's rated PG 13. It is not an American style movie and has Spanish sub titles. It's about a young lady who gets pregnant and the decisions that she needs to make. It's very family based with good morals. Good discussion for teens.
I like looking at the reasons for which a movie is made and the background work that is involved in the production. Very interesting if you like something with "old fashioned" values.

[wingdesigner]

OK, so I got Isla Fischer mixed up with Amy Adams and mislead the spousal unit into thinking we were watching an Oscar-nominated actress.

BTW, did anyone else think the right actors won this year for the wrong roles?

Anyway, back to the movie. Don't go looking for realism here. Do look for some great cameos from Kristin Scott Thomas (who could have used some better writing/funnier lines) and, well, I won't spoil it. Nice bit of fluff, a "date movie". Not overly long for the storyline, but definitely a Cinderella story, which is where I got the two actresses mixed up. One thing The Old Curmudgeon will never understand is what defines "style". The get-ups this poor girl wore and the 5" heels traipsing all over Manhattan--I don't think so. Reminded me of the get-ups Carrie wore in Sex and the City (and she was allegedly the fashionista of the quartet), only worse. Thrift-store chic meets Cindy Lauper and early Madonna on a very bad day. I expect to see that over-the-top stuff in Hairspray, not quote-unquote real life. And the uber-helpful gatekeeper receptionist? No way.

Other than that, I liked it. Really. Take the teens and tweens to see it, although you may have to explain what the moral of the story is, as it's pretty fuzzy. Along with a lot of her clothing.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Just did a Kate Winslet ensemble piece called "Little Children" and thought it was fantastic; not a feel good flick by a long stretch but still left you positive somehow at the end. A recommend (to those who like film more than movies, anyway).

And as to musical score driving a film, what beats Star Wars? Nothing beats Star Wars! Only soundtrack I own...

S

[wingdesigner]

Dude! Welcome back, Stranger.

[webmaster]

Just watched Synechdoche and it was a good movie up until the end. It didn't help that the main character was a dope who didn't allow himself pleasure by overthinking it. He reminded me of Charlie Brown except that even Charlie Brown allows himself the pleasure of pleasure and is able to enjoy it when he finds it, despite how badly the odds are stacked against him. However there were a few pretty funny scenes to keep me watching.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Thanks Wing, good to be back...

HG