Million Dollar Baby (Rental)

I really enjoyed this movie. I purposely avoided paying too much attention to the details of what this movie was about. I really liked it. For me it was 4 out of 5 stars. The only thing that kept it from being a 5 was, at least for me, there were moments were it slowed down waaaaaay too much. I'd definitely recommend this one.

Born into Brothels (Rental)

I've started watching several documentaries over the last couple of years. This particular one was Oscar winning. It was difficult to watch. A photograhper would had documenting life in the brothels of Calcutta became attached to several of the children of prostitutes. She taught them how to take photos. Some of them had some very clear talent. All of them had a at least a few moments of happiness. A very good movie. 4 stars (out of 5)

Hide and Seek (Rental)

Suffice it to say I spent a large portion of this movie playing Hide and Seek myself. I had my hand (and sometimes Cori's) over my eyes for a large portion of the movie. Yes, it's true. I may be butch on the outside, but it's all just for looks.

Let me also note that Cori wasn't scared even a moment in this film.

It was good enough rental. Overall: It was ok.

War of the Worlds

I had to see this one in the theater. I figured if I liked it, I wouldn't want to miss seeing the effects on the big screen. I liked it...mostly. The effects were good. I could for a while forget about Tom Cruise's "oddness" of late. There were moments that I had to cover my eyes, I was actually a bit scared/nervous of what was going to happen next. Let's just say that I didn't walk out of the theater completely bummed that I had wasted a couple of hours. That said.....

Now, obviously, with a movie (and particularly an alien invasion movie) you have to suspend reality for a bit. However there were a few moments (4 of which really stand out for me) that I think they took a little bit too much advantage of the whole "Well, jeez...it's a MOVIE" concept. "Spoiler" alert in #3 and #4. Don't read if you don't want to know a minor part of the movie.
1. Ok, exactly WHAT devices are going to stop working? Come on! Consistency, people.
2. Let me get this straight, a huge airliner crashes. The house...shoot, the whole neighborhood is destroyed...but the van is fine?
3. Uhm, yeah...big huge wall of flame. Lots-o-aliens. And the boy survives?
4. The neighborhood at the end doesn't even look like a bad storm came thru let alone aliens that destroy everything in sight.

Constantine (Rental)

Ok, I admit, I should've known better. Keanu Reeves as an "actor" never really works out. This movie was no exception to that rule, despite the trailers that made it look one might even say spooky. Occasionally there was a pretty cool special effect that kept it interesting, however there were just as many not so cool "special effects" that just didn't cut it and made us wonder "Why did we think this was a good idea again?"

What it comes down to is this: I didn't care much for it, nor can I recommend it.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Finally...finally...we have broken the run of mediocre movies!!

I didn't really care much for Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, not at all.

However I actually really like Johnny Depp and I seem to really like Tim Burton's work as well. When I first heard about the movie I thought. Hmmm, maybe...but after seeing the trailer for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I had very low expectations. Johnny seemed way over the top (even for him). The visuals intrigued me, though, and a glowing review on the radio made me decide to take a chance.

I am sooooo glad I did. What a wonderful, yet oh so twisted movie. Some examples:

In one scene, Charlie takes them into a "room" in the factory. With a chocolate river and waterfalls, candy apple trees...true to Tim Burton's style, the visual effects are amazing and imaginative. He describes the contents of the room:
"Everything here is eatable. I'm eatable, but that my children is called cannibalism and it is frowned upon in most societies."

I have decided not to tell you the details of two of my favorite scenes in the event that you go see it...which you really, really should. What I will tell you is that one involves a cow, another squirrels.

Johnny Depp was by no means over the top. I think he did it perfectly (the trailer didn't do him justice). Each member of the cast were so well suited to their roles. You almost didn't want the movie to end.

Hilarious, twisted, imaginative. I highly recommend it, but don't wait until it comes out on DVD. Treat yourself to a movie out.

The Fantastic 4

Yeah, uhm...not so fantastic. It's not bad, but not what I would call good either. I seem to have hit a patch of mediocrity in the movies that we've been watching. I hope this ends soon!

If you're really interested in hearing something about the movie: lots of action. For the most part, special effects were pretty well done. There were only a couple of times where there was a noticeable change in quality where it became painfully obvious that it was blue screened.

During the movie there was a child, I'd guess 6 or 7ish making a whole lot of noise. Talking it up, stomping on the floor and so on. The father, of course, wasn't doing a damn thing about it. I appreciate the fact that parents learn the skill to tune out their kids during moments such as that. However I don't have that skill, nor do I think I even SHOULD have to have it at the movies...Particularly a PG-13 movie. As far as I'm concerned, that's a movie for the big kids. Had it been, oh, say Herbie or Madagascar then ok. I generally try and go at times that I think the fewest number of young kids to be there.

Anyway, I ask the guy...Politely as I could..."Excuse me, would you mind asking your child to please stop talking during the movie"

His response? "As a matter of fact I would mind. Go complain."

Wow. I responded "I will if I need to" and then (not so under my breath) to Cori "What an asshole."

Of course, from that point on the kid did keep going, but he was telling him to be quiet. Unsuccessfully, of course, but I'm not surprised. With manners like those I'm not really sure how he thinks he's going to be able to teach his kid any (but I'm not still pissed...really).

And, no...no complaints were filed. The movie was loud enough to somewhat drain him out and I really wasn't much into the movie anyway. Had he continued to not make any attempts to hush Jr. then, maybe, but it just didn't seem worth it over a movie that just wasn't all that great anyway. I have to admit I did ponder going out and requesting a refund under the guise that my movie experience was ruined by the chatting youngster and then move on to a different movie. That lasted for probably a good 10 minutes or so, but there are very few movies I don't finish once I start. This one certainly wasn't bad enough to be one of those movies, so I decided to stick it out and not mention my quandary to Cori.

What was REALLY cool was in the trailers. Ice Age 2. Yeah BABY!!

Confessions of an Addict

I thought I'd share this with you...

Tonight I was looking around Netflix. Checking recommnedations. Adding movies, tonight it was foreign films in particular. And so on.

I noticed in my browsing the site that it says that the average Netflix user has rated 160 movies. Hmmm, I have 205 movies in my rental queue...and I've rated (are you sitting down?)3035. That's not a typo. I'm really hoping some of those include ones that they've recommended that I've marked "not interested".

I am a self admitted Netflix junkie. I've often had the movie channels (HBO, Showtime and so on) and tend not to fall asleep until quite late (or should I say early). I also worked at a video store in my college years. But even I was surprised!

That's all....

The Jacket and The Princess and the Warrior (rentals)

No matinee this weekend. We had planned to try and see War of the Worlds, but just didn't make it. Instead it was a weekend of Netflix movies. Unfortunately it was a weekend of "hmmmm...ok...well, it wasn't a bad movie...not good, but not bad" movies

The Jacket
The synopsis according to Netflix: John Maybury's masterful thriller stars Adrien Brody as Jack Starks, a Persian Gulf War veteran who has lost his memories to amnesia. When Jack is accused of a heinous killing, he realizes he must find a way to prove his innocence. Desperate to unearth clues about his past, he seeks a controversial treatment that allows him to go back in time -- which turns out to be a heart-wrenching decision when he realizes he's destined for tragedy.

It wasn't a bad movie, it was ok. At first it wasn't entirely clear that he was traveling to and interacting in the future. At times it seemed to drag a little

The Princess and the Warrior (German)
The synopsis according to Netflix: Sissi (Potente) is a nurse in a mental ward who gets run over in the street by a truck. Quick-thinking Bodo (Benno Furmann), a bank robber by trade, saves her life -- not knowing that, in gratitude, Sissi would haunt his every move like a lovesick puppy!

I love people watching, but what's even better than people watching can sometimes be chldren...particularly children on amusement park rides. So, a month or so ago we went to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. There's a race car ride there for the little ones. Basically it's an oval track that the cars go around. When the cars would round the corners they would go into a controled skid in which they would move a little faster than the rest of the ride. Kids would get lulled into a state of near boredom for a short period of time, then startled by the skid, then lulled back to boredom, then again startled and so on for the duration of the 2 minute ride.

So why did I tell you all that? Well, this movie reminded me a lot of that race car ride. It starts off a little slow, then you go into the skid, then slow, then skid again...for 2 HOURS and 8 minutes. I think the only thing that keeps me from calling this a good movie is that the slow times could get really, really slow. It was certainly different, slightly disturbing.

I can't give a high recommendation for either movie, but I wouldn't say don't see them either. Boy, how's that for noncommital?