The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

I loooove Gromit (Wallace is ok, I guess)...so I loved this movie. Very funny, good twist. Excellent. Go see it!!!!!

Flightplan

I actually saw this a week ago...and forgot I had seen it when I was updating my blog. Oops. Jodie Foster plays a mom whose child disappears on a plane, or did she? There is no record of her and no one saw her. I had thought I liked it, but after forgetting having seen it I'm not so sure. I know I liked it...until the end. I didn't really like the end at all. There was also a bit earlier where she had seen someone in a window that she saw later on the plane. That really wasn't necessary, particularly how they resolved those characters.

Cori said that it reminded her of Panic Room. I'd have to agree. I love Jodie Foster as an actress (I think I'm actually required to). She is a great actress, and believable as the panic stricken mother trying to find her daughter. However this movie kept her primarily at one level throughout. You never really got to see much diversity.

More Netflix

Clearly with being down and out I've been in a "fluffy movie" mood. Not a lot of depth to most of the movies I've watched recently, but that's really what I want right now. Unless otherwise noted, I would rate them as "ok" movies. These are in viewing order, not in order of favorites. If that were the case, I saved the best for last.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Four high school girls buy and share over a summer a pair of "magical" jeans that somehow fits all of them. They share their adventures with each other. I have to admit there was one point when I teared up, but my hormones are all out of whack so I'll go with that as my excuse. Cutesy coming of age movie.

Kicking and Screaming An athletically challenged son decides to coach his son's soccer team, putting him in direct competition with his ultra-competitive father. Will Ferrell, with guest appearance by Mike Ditka. Really, do I need to say more?

Man of the House A group of sorority sisters see something they shouldn't have and are put into the protective custody of Tommy Lee Jones (under the guise of being their cheerleading coach). As long as your expectations aren't too high, it's ok.

Woman of the Year An old Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn classic. What more can you ask for?

Alexander Collin Farrel as Alexander. Uhm, yeah. Well I wasn't really expecting much from this movie. I got what I expected.

Fat Albert Fat Albert comes out of the tv screen to help a girl who has withdrawn since the death of her grandfather. Childhood confession: I used to watch Fat Albert as a kid, so I thought maybe I would like this one. Aside from movement from the "real world" to the cartoon world this movie was not worth the time (and I've got time to spend right now).

The Interpreter An interpreter at the UN building overhears something that puts her life in danger. She is put in the protective custody of Sean Penn. Plot sounds only vaguely familiar, but I liked this one a bit more than Man of the House.

Sin City Based on the graphic novels of Frank Miller. I wasn't really sure I even wanted to see this one, but decided to try it out. It was certainly graphic, however because of how stylized it was done it wasn't overly bad...and a very different style it was. Once I got into it, I actually thought it was ok.

Ice Princess A very smart high school student falls in love with ice skating while working on a research paper for a college scholarship. Ok, well, it's a Disney movie so there you go. One saving grace was that she didn't immediately climb all the way up the ranks. Other than that, well, again, it's a Disney movie.

Antonia's Line A glimpse in the life of a very strong woman (Antonia) and her equally strong family (daughter and granddaughter). Dutch film with English subtitles. This is an older movie (1995), winner of the Academy award for best foreign film. If you haven't seen it, you should.

Netflix Catch up

I've watched a few movies, but haven't been able to update the blog. Now I've got some catching up to do.

Robots When this first came out I had no desire to see it in the theaters...the trailers just weren't doing it for me. I did decide to add it to my queue, though. That was a good decision. It was a cute movie. Some humor thrown in for adults, but not a lot. If you have kids I would definitely recommend it. If you're a "kid" (at least at heart), you might like it.

Mindhunters "Starring" Christian Slater (who dies in the first 10 minutes or so) and Val Kilmer (who you see for maybe 5 minutes of the movie). Right. This movie is classified as a thriller on Netflix. I'm not sure who makes the call on that, but a thriller is not what I would call this at all. Maybe a bad horror? There was really nothing thrilling about this. The quick plot: FBI profiling students are dropped off on an a training island (very isolated) where they have a final test: there's a serial killer. Profile him and find him. Well, turns out one of their own actually IS a serial killer. Sounds moderately interesting. However the means in which people die are graphic, yet almost laughable. Characters are not at all believable. I recommend that you steer clear of this one. I hated it.

Slam Basic plot: A poet and small time drug dealer in an inner-city neighborhood gets arrested and uses his poetry to survive in prison and life. Unfortunately I didn't really feel for this character. To be honest, I'm not sure why. About half-way through the movie the jail school teacher is introduced. Finally a character that is interesting and personable. They have an instant tea variety of romance develop between them (which I don't buy), but she brings the movie up from a I hated it to I didn't like it.

The Longest Yard Once a while I actually like an Adam Sandler movie. You are probably familiar with this, but in the event you're not the basic plot is: A former pro football player goes to prison and is charged with putting together a team to play the guards. This was not one of them. I never saw the original, so I have no idea how it compares. Unless you're a huge fan of Adam Sandler, don't bother.

The Wedding Date Basic plot: Girl hires escort to go to sister's wedding. All hell breaks lose. Does girl find love in the end? It was cute in a romantic comedy sort of way. I have to admit that I do like romantic comedies. If you do, then this might be an ok rental for you.

Layer Cake Basic plot: A drug dealer wanting to get out of the trade must do one more job. The plot is a bit more convoluted than that, but this is a good movie. There were points where I was a little confused, but got back on track. I wouldn't go running around suggesting everyone rent it, but it's an ok choice.

Schultze Gets the Blues East German mine worker Schultze (with a passion for the accordion) isn't sure what to do with himself once he retires. He wins a trip to the US and travels around the south meeting new friends and finding a new style of music. The movie was shot in short excerpts, somewhat random. I won't give away the ending, but I will this: I didn't realize what was going to happen until right before. Then SMACK. I actually really really liked this movie. It was a little different style, but if you're ok with that then give this movie a try.

Sahara Reminiscent, but near as good, as Indiana Jones. A dr. investigating an epidemic and a "treasure hunter" looking for a ship meet up and have an adventure. Clearly writing summary plot lines is not what I do for a living. If you are willing to forgive some of the hoakiness of the plot this is a fun movie. I personally liked it, but it may not be for everyone.

Vanity Fair Basic plot: A lower class girl wanting to work her way up the social ladder. Really, that's it...not much to it at all. It was ok, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

Saints and Soldiers Basic plot: Based on an actual story, a group of soldiers stuck behind enemy lines find an allied soldier carrying critical intelligence that must be delivered. The movie follows their progress of getting the information to those who need it. I'm not a huge fan of war movies, but I do watch them occasionally. This was well shot and interesting. I was a little "let down" with the end. I was left wondering what the outcome of the events were, but overall I liked the movie. If you like this type of movie, I would recommend it.

A Lot Like Love A boy and girl meet, then separate, then meet, then separate. Will the timing ever be right for them? You know, to be honest I couldn't give away the ending because I don't even remember it. That should give you an idea of what I thought of this movie. Save yourself the time. There are a lot better romantic comedies out there.

The Widow of St. Pierre A warden's wife takes a prisoner sentenced to death (for murder) on as a project, believing there is good in him, while they wait for a guillotine to be delivered. If it were someone that she knew prior to the murder perhaps it would make sense. The murder itself was utterly senseless. I really can't recommend this one.