The Ringer (2006)

I am actually not sure if this was really released in 2006 or not, but I don't feel like looking it up either. I found this to be actually a decent movie. I had high expectations of it, because I had heard so many good things about it in the "special needs" community. One of my DS groups really ranted about how good this was, and it did have a great message, and they did a very honest job with the whole thing...but I guess I thought it would be funnier and a bit less cheesy. I still enjoyed it, and thought that it was an interesting enough (albeit crazy) plot, and the acting was good, I am starting to kind of like Johnny Knoxville...but there were parts of this that I kind of got bored. It was sweet, though, and carried a good enough message that I wasn't sorry I watched it. My parents really liked it, and wanted my grandparents to watch it too, so maybe I just missed something there, maybe I was too tired and should have just went to bed, I will be interested to see what others think of it...

The Origin Of AIDS (2004)

Wow, this was scary. I don't know how much of it could be true, if any....but it was very disturbing in any case. I truly believe like that quote I read in that book by Richard Preston (is that his name...The Hot Zone guy??) that "Aids is the rainforests revenge". The documentary implies that AIDS is a direct descendant of another chimpanzee virus that was cultivated etc...and then used in some experimental oral Polio vaccine used in Africa in the late 1950s. I can't believe how freaked out that made me. I guess it made me happy that we don't deal with the vaccine industry, thats for sure, but it sure made me remember just how much pull the pharmaceutical companies have in the worlds health situation. Scary stuff. I am interested in reading more about it, thats for sure...as far as viewing pleasure...eh, a bit slow and boring, but an interesting concept nonetheless

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)

awww, I loved this movie. Loved the book, loved the movie. I can't even remember if the movie was a good representation of the book because I read it so long ago...but I thought the casting of these girls was awesome. Everyone was exactly as I would have pictured them looking. I thought the soundtrack was great, and I would actually consider buying this movie. I thought it was a perfect chick flick (is that even PC anymore?) and I don't think I wille ever get tired of seeing it. I think thats about all I can say about it.

New Orleans Music in Exile (2006)

Ouch, this was hard to watch. Its not like I have forgotten all the horrific images, but I guess in a way I kind of blocked them out a little bit, and watching this, just reminded me of the horror and the destruction. This was a good documentary though, showing the rich history and the amazing talents of the musicians in New Orleans and where they are now, what they went through, how they are rebuilding. There are awful images, of the destruction and the damage to the various parts of the city. Not so much of the whole lack of respect for the humanity part, this is truly about the destruction and devestation of the city, and focusing on the music and the music community, which was interesting, because its not something that I usually think about when remembering Katrina. Its obviously a minor problem compared to some of the other horrors, but it was still moving to watch.

The DaVinci Code (2006)

I know, I know...its not like a new story or anything. I still actually liked this movie. I realize that die hard fans of the book are NOT going to love it, in fact out of our group, the few die hard book fans (which, mind you...I do consider myself one) didn't like the changes made in the movie, thought Ron Howard wimped out on a few issues, and left out plot points that they really wanted in there. I disagree. There was maybe one minor thing I may have changed, but really, I thought it was an exciting, interesting movie on its own. If I hadn't read the book first, I still would have liked the movie. I liked how he showed the historical references in flashback style, so that it wasn't just narrative...I LOVED Tom Hanks long crazy hair, I loved the girl, I loved Paul Bettany playing Silas (though I would have focused a bit more on him than Ron Howard did, because you miss something in the relationship between Silas and the Bishop, it doesn't really present that well on screen) I thought it was done very well, and I was absolutely not disappointed.

Oh and I took a few days off this week, sick as a dog!

Chicken Little (2005)

Okay, pretty much just cheating, from here on out....as much as I wanted to be honest here...its just too darn hard....I have been watching tons of movies, forgetting to blog them, and then realizing that half of them are movies I have already seen...so I am officially cancelling that rule. I will DO MY BEST to see movies that I haven't seen already....but sometimes I am just dying to see something again, or see something I have only seen part of, etc....so...since nobody really is reading these anyway...and its my damn blog...I am doing what I want darn it!
Okay, so Chicken Little....I saw it at the movies, I loved it then. I loved the characters, I thought Chicken Little was by far one of the most adorable cartoon figures ever, in the history of small cartoon animals. However, after watching this thing 100 times this past week with Ian...I can't really say I love it anymore. I like it, I still find him adorable...but now its downright annoying..is it the fault of the movie? Probably not, but I don't think its nearly as good as I thought it was the first time.

RV (2006)

awww...this movie was so much better than I thought it was going to be. I expected the worst, and I was so pleasantly surprised. I actually thought this was a very funny movie. It was Ians pick, and I was nervous it was going to get on my nerves, but I found this to be as funny in parts as the original Vacation was. Robin Williams character reminded me exactly of my dad, so that might have helped me see the humor in many of the situations. I LOVE Kristen Chenowith, she can be in every single movie ever as far as I am concerned, she is so darn cute, and talented. Jeff Daniels did a great job too, as usual. I thought it was much funnier than Ian did, so perhaps its not aimed at the under 10 crowd, but the theater was in hysterics much of the time, so obviously I wasn't the only one finding it funny. I would see it again I think..just for a few scenes that I thought were so funny I want to see them twice. It did make me want to go rent an RV and just take off for awhile...driving around the country in a nice Winnebago....I had a dream like that once.

Riding Giants (2004)

I love movies like this. I love documentaries about surfing. I could watch a million of them and not get bored. This one was directed by former skateboarder Stacy Peralta. I thought it was so cool. I find watching surfing to be very therapeutic for me, and what excites them, in such an extreme sport, calms me to watch. This film does it just right too, beautiful music playing in the background watching these huge waves, and these awesome surfers like Laird Hamilton, surfing and talking about the history of surfing etc....I thought this was a really good one especially for the history part. I don't know what about surfing attracts me, I mean first of all, its a sport, second of all, I don't like to swim...but for some reason, I find it amazing and awesome to watch. I thought this one was done really well, and I highly recommend it if you want to know anything about surfing, and even if you don't, its interesting anyway.

American Dreamz (2006)

Dude, this movie...was funny. At first I wasn't sure if I liked it, it was kind of all over the place, and just, sort of, I don't know....different. But that ended up being what I liked about it. You couldn't have predicted anything in this movie if you had written it yourself..okay, well if you wrote it...blah, blah, blah...I get it. I thought everyone was spectacular in this. Hugh Grant, who is becoming one of my favorites, when he plays the Mr. Not-so-nice, that is...was awesome. There were so many great lines in this movie too, classic, the kind of thing you want to repeat just to amuse yourself. I am so glad that this was what we ended up choosing to see tonight. I was very impressed, I can honestly say that after this, I will see anything that Paul Weitz decides to do, I have not been sorry so far. The premise of this movie was unique and insulting, and just incredibly witty. Dennis Quaid playing an idiot president (ooh big stretch for the imagination right?) was goofy and adorable, and almost left me feeling sorry for our own idiot president (until I remembered this is just a movie, and our idiot has no redeeming qualities, that I have seen...)This movie rocked.

Raise Your Voice (2004)

I know, I know, Hilary Duff right, annoying??? A little I guess...but I love these cheesy pre-teen or teen type movies sometimes. This was pretty decent I thought. Not as sugary sweet as some of the others, this one dealt with some real emotions I thought. Not to mention, she is kind of sweet. Even if she does look like she has no neck sometimes, and I am not sure what thats about...maybe she is just short? Who knows, but I thought this was decent in a teenage chick flick kind of way, I would say its most definetly a drama thats for sure, there were some pretty sad parts, I even cried (not that its a difficult feat of course, I cry to the radio half the time) Some of the themes were pretty typical (grouchy father, needs a clue...you get the picture) but some not so typical, dealing with the death of a sibling, moving past that etc....not bad. I am glad I watched it, even if it was a bit Hallmark movie of the week...

The Pink Panther (2006)

Okay, I can't believe I did this, but I saw this months ago, and forgot to blog about it. No idea why, but somehow it slipped through the cracks. I took Ian to see this, and I can say that I found it completely amusing. I thought it was going to be kind of bad, I never watched any of the Peter Sellers movies all the way through, even though my dad found him to be amusing, I just didn't get it. I do however, love Steve Martin, in a serious way, so I would see him stand still and recite the alphabet. I thought he was great, the movie was funny, I could have done without Beyonce, but she didn't suck I guess...the best part of the movie for me? Watching Ian, he was seriously hysterical, I have never seen him laugh so hard at a movie in my life, he laughed so hard almost the entire time, he could barely eat his popcorn. I think it was worth watching for sure.

Mystery Alaska (1999)

I have been resisting this movie for some time now, even though I have heard that its a good one. Sometimes I just can't stomach Russell Crowe, and lately I can absolutely not stomach the game of hockey....so it was surprising to me that I actually enjoyed this movie. I tend to like ensemble type movies of course, and there were some great performances here. Not to mention the "Northern Exposure" feel to the town of Mystery. Add that to David E. Kelleys great writing, and this movie turned out to be pretty good. Hank Azaria was my favorite part, its nice to see him do something a little different, where he isn't the "nice" guy you are supposed to feel sorry for...even though of course, I ended up feeling sorry for him anyway. I am glad I finally gave it a chance.

Stanley and Iris (1990)

I just caught this for the heck of it, I had no real interest in watching it, but it was on, and I was far too lazy to get up and find the remote to change the channel, so read this and keep that in mind. It wasn't bad. I like DeNiro....I find him, I can't think of the word...but you know what I am getting at...I want to make him soup. All the time. He always seems like he needs to be taken care of, and this role was no different, in fact it was worse. He couldn't read, he enlists the help of Jane Fonda (who I also like) who plays this young-ish widow. I thought they were very complentary to each other, however the movie itself kind of played like a Lifetime movie of the week. Not too bad if you are bored, but nothing I would run out and rent in a hurry either.

A Walk on the Moon (1999)

I liked this movie. I tried to watch it once before but I never got to finish it. Of course, I have good reason to like it...Viggo Mortensen (who I only sometimes like) was really hot in it, as the hippy-ish blouse salesman who seduces (? or is it the other way around) this unhappy (sort of) housewife. There was a scene before they start their torrid affair, when he bends down to bite the tag off the blouse she is trying on...I swear to God, I could feel my knees go all rubbery. Sometimes he is fine to look at. Liev Schrieber plays her husband....and I like him too...can't decide which boy I would want either!! Diane Lane plays the housewife, and she has grown on me over the years. I do want to know why every movie she is in has to have a scene of her running around desperate in the rain....and why she always seems to have affairs? Hm.....this was a good movie, taking place the summer of 1969, takes place in upstate NY at this little camp like place. The daughter played very wonderfully by Anna Paquin (I never get tired of her either)was just an added bonus, the music was good, the whole thing was just good. rent it, you shouldn't be sorry.

The West Wing (1999-2006)

Okay, I know, this is officially a complete cheat. I don't even care, this show is so good right now, it should be a damn movie. I was a fan from the start, I LOVED this show the first season, sure mostly because it reminded me The American President, mixed with A Few Good Men (thanks to the brilliant writer Aaron Sorkin) but also because it was smart, and different, and the guys were kind of cute. I fell in love with the characters immediatly and I couldn't get enough of it. The second season was lukewarm for me, and eventually I stopped watching this show....until now. The death of John Spencer made me decide to see how they dealt with the death of his character Leo (one of my favorites ) on the show, plus to see how they were going to end this thing. Not only did I get sucked in right away, it made me truly question why they are ending it now, when it has so much potential for another few great years with the new Santos administration. Sure it took me awhile to figure out who the heck everyone was, there were so many new characters and very few familiar faces...but this has been an amazing few weeks, I watched several episodes in a row so it felt enough like a movie that I thought I would count it as such. The series finale is on next Sunday, Mothers Day and I think everyone should watch it, they will show the pilot first, also spectacular, and then the series finale. Its a don't miss kind of thing. Come on guys...give it a shot!

Dreamer (2005)

I am so glad I bothered watching this. I love horse racing movies, I seriously can't think of one that I ever didn't like, no matter how cheesy it is, I just love horse racing. This was especially good, I thought, because Dakota Fanning is so incredible. I really am starting to believe this girl could do just about anything. Her character in this is so strong, and smart, I just loved it. The horse was beautiful too. Its nice to see that cute little guy from Six Feet Under getting some decent roles, I think he is awesome and would like to see more of him. I thought this was a nice, sweet, wholesome movie. Inspiring of course, and just an all around good family movie. Ian watched some of it, got bored for some of it, and came back for the ending. So I guess he enjoyed it for the most part. I would probably even watch it again.

Imaginary Heroes (2004)

This was kind of a downer. I am not even sure if I liked it, though for many moments I did, for many others I did not. It kind of reminded me a little bit of that other Sigourney Weaver movie that was slow and everyone loved it except me...The Ice Storm. This one too is about a disfunctional type family, this one dealing with the death of their son (brother, etc...)by suicide, and other various issues. I thought that there were some surprises, it wasn't predictible, I thought the soundtrack was good...ugh, I guess I liked it. I almost need to see it again to be sure. The kid, Emile Hirsch, is really good. I would watch probably anything that involved this guy. I love seeing someone so young, so such acting potential. I don't know how I really feel, so feel free to ignore this entry completely!

House of D (2004)

Awww...this was so good. I loved every minute of it. David Duchovny wrote and directed this, and it was smart, and honest, and awesome. I rented it, of course, because of the New York location. I love movies set in NY (as everyone knows) and especially ones that took place in another time. Being the freak that I am...This was great. I loved Robin Williams, he was wonderful as the, (insert preferred politically correct term here...I will use just a random one so as not to show preference)mentally challenged adult that befriends the young boy played so amazingly by Anton Yelchin who I now love!! David Duchovny plays the boy as an adult coming home to come to terms with his past, he isn't in the movie a whole lot, but the story is the part that I loved. It was just so sweet. I thought it was a much better movie than I thought it was going to be, and it makes me sad that movies like that don't last very long at the movies, (if it even came out here) it was such a great film.

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

well, everyone can probably guess why I would bother with a movie like this. Ethan Hawke, you know, my favorite boyfriend is in it. Actually, this wasn't bad. Its not my type of movie, but I thought it was exciting and interesting. The plot was different, and the acting was all very good. I love John Leguizamo, I love seeing him in anything, he was good. Laurence Fishburne....Maria Bello, lots of good reasons to watch this movie. Then again, its long, and violent, and people get killed left and right, so lots of reasons not to watch it too. I got confused as usual, I always get confused in movies like this, when I am not sure who the bad guys are, and why....but this kept my interest at least, and I wasn't sorry I watched it. I thought it could have been about a half hour shorter though. I am a bit perplexed as to why it did so bad at the box office, I thought it was a perfectly interesting mainstream type movie. The kind that usually is a big enough hit.

Declarations of War (2005)

I am not sure if I can even count this because it was a documentary, only an hour long, and seemed to be made for one of the cable channels. But I liked it, so decided its my damn blog, I can't count whatever I want...heck maybe I will count the last several episodes of The West Wing, they are good enough to be a movie darn it. Okay, so this was basically just a quick little documentary talking to people with various feelings about the war, this was mostly filmed as the war in Iraq was beginning, back in 2003, all viewpoints seem to be represented, you can tell by the way you feel when watching it....you are going to agree with some people, and find yourself yelling at the screen calling the others idiots, sheep, whatever else nasty name you can think of for people who don't really get it. I can always tell which guy I don't like by the fact that his news channel is FOX news....does that really count as news? Anyway, I thought this was well done, it made me remember that it seems to have escaped everybodys mind that there is still a war going on, that our guys are still there, and going back, some for the third time already...and its sad. Very, very sad.

Mean Creek (2004)

Wow. This was an awesome movie. These kids were phenomenal, and this story was riveting. I can't stress enough that it is not a kids movie....but these actors were real, and it was just amazing how into the story I got. It was just such a sad story, and makes you think about bullying in a whole different way. It made me uncomfortable, sad, scared, and just amazed at how wonderful all these actors were, and believable. Rory Culkin is by far the best of the clan, besides being completely adorable, he is an awesome actor. I can't wait to see more from him. The little girl too, she used to be on Port Charles, (sad that I recognized her from that long ago) I thought this was going to be just some slow independent Rivers Edge type movie...but nope, this was really good. (not that I didn't like Rivers Edge of course, but this is on a totally different level)

Music From Another Room (1998)

I feel like I may have seen some of this one before. I felt like I knew the characters a little. So either I caught bits and pieces before, or these characters were so well written that you had to feel like you fit right into this family. Jude Law was just beautiful (as always) and actually it made me wonder whatever happened to Gretchen Mol, she was so adorable, and perky, and seemed to have a lot of potential. This was an awesome cast, and a really good movie. Jude Law plays this guy who thinks he is fated to marry Gretchen Mols character who unfortunately is engaged to another guy. He gets all involved in her family, who are all very interesting characters, her sister is played by Jennifer Tilly who I always enjoy, and Jeremy Piven is in it too, just lots of great character acting...I think I might want to watch this again, possibly even buy it. Its a nice, small, but good movie. (with a cheesy song playing in the ending credits...couldn't figure that out)

The Wedding Date (2005)

Awww, I thought this was sweet. The usual wedding type movie. All the familiar plots, secrets, secrets discovered, chases, fights...etc. But this was a pretty one. It takes place in the English countryside (who can't love movies that take place here...you can almost see Kate Winslet standing in the rain looking out at Willoughbys estate...)its so pretty...and Debra Messing (though not one of my favorites) is nice to look at, and of course..Dermot Mulroney, hot man. It was also nice to see Amy Adams, I am really starting to love her, she is so adorable. This was sort of Pretty Woman meets...My Best Friends Wedding.....meets Four Weddings and a Funeral. I think I would have probably liked it even more if the actress had been someone else, but she didn't annoy me all that much in this, and besides, the character was a good one. Sweet, sappy, cheesy...all the things you want in a wedding movie.

Canadian Bacon (1995)

I wanted to like this movie. I started out having good feelings about it, moments where I just laughed right out loud. I wanted to believe it had lots of potential, mostly because I love Michael Moore, in all his arrogance....but this just didn't do a thing for me. The acting was great...the plot was amusing enough, but it just got too goofy for me, and I got bored pretty quick. I ended up reading during a great deal of it towards the end, so I can't even tell you exactly what happened. Maybe someday if its on again, I will give it another shot, but I doubt it. I have read great things about it from some people, so maybe I was just not in the mood....but I thought it was kind of lame.

Paper Clips (2004)

I know, I am a sap for these kinds of feel good documentaries...this one I had been looking forward to for a long time. I had seen the preview before something else a long time ago, and then it just never seemed to happen, never found it at the movies, never found it on video...then lo and behold one day its on HBO...so I finally watch it, and its everything I wanted it to be! Awesome, its about a group of kids in a small very white Tennessee town that as part of their study of the Holocaust, try to collect 6 million paper clips representing the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis. Its just an incredible journey, they get such an amazing response and really get to experience learning so much about prejudice. Its an incredible journey, and I recommend it to families of all ages. Its such an incredible story (wait, did I say that already) I think everyone can take something away from a movie this honest, and beautiful. Great stuff...

The Safety Of Objects (2001)

This movie was good. The book was better if I remember correctly. I think that A.M. Homes is an amazing author...also finding out that she is a writer on "The L Word" doesn't hurt, since I love that show body and soul! Okay, so this movie reminded me a bit of American Beauty, but I guess in ways I liked it better (plot for sure, I liked better, even though the whole "all is not right in suburbia" theme is the same in both...this one connected people together and you guys know how I love movies like that) cinematically, of course, it had nothing on American Beauty, but I thought the characters and the acting in this movie were far more believable. So it didn't have the pretty "rose" scene, or the nifty shot of the bag flying through the air....this one had in depth characters that you actually cared about. I love movies that seem to be little vignettes all merging together in a somewhat climactic event. This was good..plus who can hate a movie with Dermot Mulroney?? Good stuff, a downer, but still good.

Cool World (1992)

I thought I was going to hate this movie, I had read so many bad things about it...plus its not really my thing...I didn't like Who Framed Roger Rabbit either, it didn't do a thing for me. On top of all of these reasons...Brad Pitt is getting on my nerves these days. However...I must say, I actually liked this movie. I think perhaps if it had been made more recently, it might have had more success. I wouldn't say its on the same level as say Sin City or something, but I thought the animation was pretty cool, the plot was cool..hey...like the title says...its a Cool World. The plot was pretty basic, a cartoonist creator gets seduced by one of his creations, and they come to life and wreak havoc in the real world.
Yep, I thought it was worth watching, and I actually enjoyed Brad Pitts performance...this was way before he was actually hugely popular, maybe that makes a difference, less cockiness? Not sure, in any case, I actually recommend this one to anyone who likes movies a little bit different, and entertaining from an animation standpoint. It made me want to see Richard Linklaters last animated type thing...Waking Life, which I found just amazing....but thats a post for another day. This was good, the ending could have used some work...but it was cute nonetheless!

Manic (2003?)

I am doing really bad with remembering the years these movies were actually made, but I think I may have got this one right. This was a pretty decent movie. not the most uplifting, or happy story. But I thought the acting was really really great. Its about these young kids in a mental hospital. Its filmed a bit on the grainy side and really raw...a lot of bizarre camera movement, almost enough to make me feel seasick. But the story was good. It follows this young boy (played by that cute guy from Third Rock from the Sun, I have no clue what his real name is) as he is brought into the hospital and goes through his experiences there. Zooey Deschanel is one of the patients as well, and as usual, she is so amazing. I really think she has this amazing ability to seem very real in all her movies, and her emotion is always so honest. I thought it was great. Don Cheadle plays the head guy/dr. whatever he is, and he was fantastic as well. This was a pretty good, but kind of depressing look at mental illness...I am glad I didn't delete it without watching it first (my bad habit lately)

Octane (not sure)

Okay, I shouldn't even count this movie, since I missed the last 15 minutes and then came in for the last 1 minute of the movie...but I will say this....it sucked. I have no idea what posessed me to watch it, other than complete boredom...but I didn't get it. I must have missed the point in that missing 15 minutes, but I refuse to ever watch it again to see if I can figure it out. The movie "seems" to be about a mother trying to rescue her daughter (mother played by Madeline Stowe, daughter played by Mischa Barton) from some bizarre cult. I thought it was weird, beyond bizarre, just downright annoying. I had a hard time following who was where, why people were getting killed, were these people vampires? did they think they were? Why the heck do I find Jonathon Rhys-Meyers so gosh darned hot? All these unanwered questions from this movie...that clearly don't deserve to be answered...well okay...someone can answer the Jonathon Rhys-Meyers question if they really want, because I do find him extremely hot, and plan to see him as often as possible in the next few weeks, just because these brief, crazy scenes with him, reminded me of how hot he really is...Okay, so don't watch it, its bad. There you go.

My Date with Drew (2004)

okay, if anyone has seen this movie, you know why I loved it. The guy is a complete nipper. So the premise is this: This guy loves Drew Barrymore, he wins $1100 in a game show (She was actually the winning answer too!!) and decides to make a documentary, following his dream to get a date with Drew Barrymore within 30 days. The best part about it was...his serious creativity. He only had that $1100 to spend, so he buys a video camera from Circuit City (because they have a thirty day return policy)so he can return it when he is done....and he sets out trying to use his personal contacts to get this date with Drew Barrymore. I am not going to tell you anything else about it...because you have to see it for yourself of course. I won't give away the ending or all his struggles along the way...But I will say that I was rooting for this guy all the way. Take a risk, follow your dream...this guy went all out for his dream. I found myself standing and cheering for this guy to succeed. I loved this movie...all the way loved it.

Saved (2004)

I LOVED this movie. I thought it was all kinds of fun. I even liked Macauley Culkin in it, I thought he was pretty darn good. This is probably "not" for all ages....teen pregancy, kind of a slap in the face of the Christians that tend to be sort of, well...bigoted, how about that, not too harsh right?? This takes place in a very Christian Baptist high school...Mandy Moore is spectacular in it, Jena Malone as well (as the pregnant teen) but my favorite, best, most shining moment in the entire movie...is Eva Amurri (daughter of Susan Sarandon, as if you couldn't tell just by looking at her)she is fabulous!! I was so disappointed after looking her up on IMDB. to see that she hasn't done anything since this movie. I thought she was just awesome. Besides being adorable, in that Susan Sarandon kind of way, she is captivating on screen. Her character is an outcast type, (my favorite) and she is full of energy and rebellion. Awesome, awesome performance. I thought this movie was worth watching several times (which I have now done since it was on cable and everytime I catch it, I can't stop watching it) I highly recommend it. Its nice to see a "smart" teen comedy.

Jesus of Nazareth (1970 something)

This is counting for four days...started it on April 16, finished it on the 19th...each installment was 2 hours long, (ugh including commercials) I remember loving this movie when I was a kid. This time, it was a bit....long. I still loved a lot of it, namely Robert Powell was a pretty hot Jesus. Also who could not like Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene?? Lots of great actors in this movie. And sure, there have been better movies made, but this one really incorporates the whole life of jesus story, from before his birth to his death. Most movies only focus on the end of his life. I like this one. Its not my "favorite" religious movie...that would be The Fourth Wiseman....but it is still up there as one of my favorites...what I would like to do next time is record it, and edit it to a more manageable length, and cut out some of the stuff that I thought were over the top and just dragging it out for time. Like watching Herod in his palace lying on a couch etc...boring, long and overinvolved. Other than that...I still think this stands the test of time.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Okay, this is kind of a cheat, again..(I know, I am getting really bad at this)because technically, I have already seen this, but being that it was Easter week, and I had some health issues going on, and other various craziness....I didn't get as many movies in as I wanted to this week, so this happened to be on, so I gave it a second try. I hated it the first time. I thought the violence was gratuitous (spelled completely messed up but I have no spell check here!!!) and the subtitles just got on my nerves (not that I have issues with foreign films, but this just annoyed me)...and I still felt that way about it this time as well...however this time I think I opened my mind a little bit more and enjoyed some of the other imagery in the movie. I detest Mel Gibson, but I can see that he really put his heart and soul and beliefs into this movie, and I can appreciate that passion (no pun intended of course). I think he can be proud that he got his point across to the crowd he was preaching to. Bubba liked this movie quite a bit, I still can't say I am a huge fan, but I am more accepting of it than I was before

The Ten Commandments (2006)

I am not sure if I can even count this, but I thought I had better, since I wasted some time on it. This was the new "made for TV" version/remake of the classic (if you can call it that, I didn't like that one much either) starring Charlton Heston. This one was starring, Dougray Scott ( I think thats his name) as Moses...he did an okay job, for some reason, with his hair long like that he kind of reminded me of Antonio Banderes, but that doesn't really matter. The movie was just kind of bad, and the other reason I feel like I can hardly count it....is that I didn't even finish it, worse yet, It took me two days to watch it, so I am counting it as two fricken movies... I finally started fast forwarding to parts I was interesting in bothering with...other than those few scenes, where I thought the effects were kind of decent....the movie was just kind of bad. If you are interested in the subject matter...catch the original, or wait for a better remake!

Another Day (or two) Off ....

Okay, I had to take just one more, I realize that I took a whole week with Jedi, and I realize that I promised to watch a movie every day, so I have decided to attempt to make these days up over the summer when I have more time. I needed to take a few more days off this weekend because, we got a new baby in the house, and things have been way too hectic to sit down and watch a whole movie!!! So I will be back to a movie a day starting Tuesday, April 11....now, on to the new baby. His name is Boo, ( not my idea, but its growing on me) and he is a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. He is just adorable, and is slowly creeping his way into my heart. Nobody will ever fill the space Jedi left, she was one of a kind, but this guy is just adorable, so I am going to spend a few days loving on him and will be back soon.

Mr. Smith Goes To Washingon (1939)

awwww, I really loved this sweet movie. When I see movies like this, I wonder why there aren't enough of them anymore. As much as I hate remakes (for the most part...there have been some great ones, King Kong is an excellent example) I would love to see an slightly updated version of this movie. Don't get my wrong, I realize we do not have any such thing as a Jimmy Stewart these days. He was such an amazing spirit on the screen. I don't want to say he was a fantastic actor, because for some reason, he seemed like he was probably like that in real life too. But he just glowed on the screen, even in black and white, you could feel every emotion, and you want to smile when he does. But this movie was such a great story, that it would be nice to see it done with a modern twist. I am glad I finally sat down to watch this all the way through. Its a classic I would have been sad to miss.

A History of Violence (2005)

I was pleasantly (if you can call it that...) surprised at how much I actually liked this movie. I am not a huge fan of anyone in the movie. Bubba saw it at the movies and loved it, so I told him when it was finally out on DVD I would rent it. It had some pretty decent moments. The script was well written, apparantly its based on a graphic novel, and actually got nominated for adapted Screenplay this past year for the Oscars. I thought the characters were interesting enough, Viggo Morensen was particularly good in this role, playing a man living in a small town who gets wrapped up in some violence that occurs, that may or may not (not going to give it all away) have something to do with his past. The thing that bugged me the most about this movie, is really silly....Maria Bellos hair was just nasty. I thought she was supposed to be a lawyer, but it looked like half the time she needed a shower, or had just taken one and not bothered to finish drying her hair. I didn't like her much at all, character included...she just seemed really bland. The son was great, not sure of his name but he did a fantastic job. William Hurt was good, certainly not worthy of an acting nomination in my not so humble opinion, especially taking into effect that his screentime seemed to be approximately 10 minutes, if that. Its not my usual kind of movie, but I really thought it was very good. I would actually recommend it. Great character based movie.

This Girls Life (2003)

I am seriously ashamed at myself for including this movie. This film bordered on porn I suppose. I have no idea why I actually watched it....okay, yes I do...Kip Pardue, I realize most of you have no idea who this guy is, and I am afraid to admit why I not only know who he is, but try to faithfully follow his tiny crappy roles. Let me backtrack a bit...one night, I was bored, and some stupid Sylvester Stallone movie about auto racing came on....I got sucked in to it, and the next thing you know, its on a few days later and I watch it again, and again, and again and again. I am now obsessed with this movie, and I can't even tell you how many times I have seen in, in large part because I love this guy, Kip Pardue, who plays the young up and coming racer in this movie Driven, (I think thats what it was called) so embarassangly enough, I have him on my TIVO wish list and this Porn-like movie popped up, so I watched it. Its about this girl, Moon, who is taking care of her ailing father (James Woods, playing a pretty good role as her father, who has Parkinsons)and doing so by being a porn star, she isn't ashamed of it, and actually enjoys it...somehow in the course of the movie, she starts this side business of a "sex investigator" where she hits on peoples husbands/fiances etc...because their wives pay her to, to see if they will cheat. ( I think there is a nasty TV show based on this concept too) There are relatively known actors in this movie as well, Michael Rappaport plays one of the nasty cheating husbands, Isaiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy...yummy) plays another. Anyway Kip Pardue plays a seemingly small time actor named....you guessed it....Kip. He goes on a blind date with her, falls for her, and is waiting for her to change her mind and want to be monogomous with him. Awwww...what a sweetie. Okay, the movie, kind of bad, lots of familiar faces, not the worst script in the world, but some pretty crappy sex scenes, I expected a bit more out of them! If you are bored an its on cable, its not a complete waste of time, but I wouldn't rent it.

In the Weeds (2000)

awwww, I liked this movie. I only rented it because I really like Molly Ringwald, I think she gets a bad rap, I actually think she was talented, and underappreciated...note, I say "was" because nobody seems to get that and she doesn't do a whole lot in film anymore. I thought this was a pretty decent movie. It reminded me of that show I lost this year (one of the many....Kitchen Confidential) it all takes place in one night at a restaurant. I loved all the various interactions, small subplots etc. and I thought all the actors were fantastic. Great use of Sam Harris, another amazing talent, that mostly does Broadway, and I thought he transfered to film very well....he still reminds me of Thomas Manor, but thats my own issue. The main guy Joshua Leonard ( think is his name) was pretty adorable as well, I had just seen him in a small part in The Shaggy Dog and thought he was pretty cool, good to know he has done a bit more than that small role. And now we come to the part I am torn about...Ellen Pompeo. Everyone knows I am a huge Grey's Anatomy fan. I love the show, I couldn't breathe without it...but I have very mixed feelings about her. I think she is kind of whiny, in every movie or show I have seen her in....yet at the same time, she is starting to grow on me. She does a lot of that sad puppy dog face thing in this movie too. I don't know....ask me again in a year or so, and I will have for sure formed a real opinion on her...for now....the jury is still out. I recommend this movie, its short, sweet, and not a waste of your time.

Office Space

I have been told that this was a great movie, for years now. I just haven't had the motivation to actually rent it...well fate stepped in, and it was on Sundance or IFC can't remember which, so I decided it was finally time. I suppose I didn't really plan to like it, I have never worked in that type of office enviroment so I thought I wouldn't get the jokes etc....I do love the show The Office, but that to me is more about the characters and less about the actual office. In any case, this was much better than I expected. I actually laughed out loud several times. I am not the biggest fan of Ron Livingston, I couldn't stand him for the small amount of time he was on Sex and the City, but I enjoyed him in this, I thought he was perfect for this role. Something about this movie reminded me a bit of The 40 Year Old Virgin, though I am not sure why or how. I definetly recommend this movie, some pretty funny stuff.

King Kong (2005)

I was very sorry after watching this, that I didn't go see it at the theater. I had always wanted to, I was a huge King Kong psycho from way back...I used to play it when I was a kid, I was the girl, my bed was his hand, I would fall off the bed when he put me down etc....I know, I am a wack job. In any case, I actually liked the awful 1970's version. Hated Jessica Lange, in fact, that movie made me hate her and it took me years to actually tolerate her. But I loved Jeff Bridges, and loved him especially in that hippy looking stage. Yummy. So I had high expectations of this version, firstly because I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and had very high hopes for Peter Jackson as director of this movie, and secondly, because I thought that will all the great advances in movie effects, this should look pretty real. Wow, was I amazed at how real it actually looked. If I didn't know better, I would swear that Skull Island really existed, and time stood still there. You couldn't convince me there wasn't a 25 foot Gorilla running around New York. I loved it. I thought it got a bit long in parts, there was almost an hour before we even get to see Kong, getting to the Island took a really long time...and the native parts were pretty frightening, I am glad that this time I watched it first before deciding if Ian should see it ( I think not...)...but overall, I thought this movie was awesome. Its exactly what movies used to be for me...magic. True magic, where you really believe this stuff could happen. The movie was set back when the original was filmed, which I thought was cool, and as much as I don't like Naomi Watts, I thought she fit the part perfectly. Great stuff...probably have to buy it to see what kind of bonus features it has.

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (2005)

Okay, I am back...did you both miss me?? :) Okay, so after almost a week long break, to mourn the loss of my precious dog, and working on finding a new one, and some various unexpected health problems...I decided to jump back in with a documentary that I have been waiting and waiting to see. The Walmart movie. I hate Wal-Mart, everyone knows that I am sure...I won't shop there, and though I caved recently, I felt nothing but guilt and shame afterwards. After seeing this movie, you couldn't pay me a million dollars to shop at that "Jack Nasty" place. They didn't even cover some of the issues I personally have with Wal-mart, but they brought up some that I never even think about!!! Its a wonderful informative movie that shows exactly how much major damage Wal-Mart does to a community, especially the small rural communities like my parents. It also give great detail about how they scam to get away with things like treating their employees awful, screwing them on health care,the horrible overseas factories and poor underpaid workers, and their lack of environmental concern....just to name a few. I hate Wal-Mart, did I say that already??? Well I really do. I am glad I took the time to watch this, it just reaffirms my feelings about that nasty place, and I don't plan to ever shop there again. I was letting Bubba go there from time to time, but I have made him promise that no matter how tempting it is, that there is no logical reason to go there....not even to save a few dollars...its just not good enough. If enough people stop shopping there, and start speaking out against these monstrosities coming to their neighborhood.....maybe it will make a dent in their billion dollar empire. I can hope right?

A Day Off

Well, I had to take a day off from movie watching today...yesterday I lost a dear friend, our beloved dog Jedi. We came home yesterday afternoon to find that she had died while we were gone. We aren't sure what happened, but I am guessing it was a heart attack or something like that. She was around 13-14 years old, and was very loved. She was the most patient and loving dog I could ever hope to have. We had a rough night last night, and the day today wasn't much better, so I decided to have a few days of mourning..so to honor my good friend Jedi...I am going to take a few days of quiet reflection.

If Lucy Fell (1996)

This is almost a cheat, because I saw this movie years ago...but I hardly remembered the storyline, so I decided I should be able to count it if I watched it again. Eric Schaeffer....my man... I love this guy, in kind of a perverse sort of way. He is strange...he seems to write himself into these movies in almost the same character all the time. Average guy, experience massive unrequited love for some model woman. And interestingly enough..he always gets her at some point, which I can totally see, because his bizarre confidence makes him extremely attractive to me. I think this is the best part about him. In any case, this was a good one, He and Lucy (sarah Jessica Parker) have a suicide pact if they don't find true love by the time of her 30th birthday..they will jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. Ben Stiller has a minor role as a bizarre artist (the kind of role I hate him in), and Elle McPherson plays the model that Joe (eric Schaeffers character) is in love with...I thought this was a great movie, stood the test of time for me, I clearly still like it. I wish he would do more, he is really interesting.

Pipe Dreams (2003?)

I have to double check on the year for this one. I thought this was a pretty cute movie. Not bad for a free rental...I am not particularly fond of the main guy in this Martin Donovan, for some reason he kind of creeps me out. However, I love Mary Louise Parker and she was great as always. The movie wasn't spectacular, like I wouldn't recommend someone to run out and rent it, but if its ever on and you are bored, its not a complete waste of time. It did get me to thinking about my behavior, and attitude towards service people (plumbers, waitresses, etc...)I think that was the most I got out of the movie. I think it will make me more likely to look them in the face, make eye contact, acknowledge them as people. Not that I am big on eye contact in general, but this movie made me realize I need to work on that aspect of myself.

Fathers and Sons (2005)

This was a waste of time for the most part. There were some geniunely good moments, but they were few and far between. This was slow, depressing, everything that Squid and the Whale was not. I hate to compare the two, but it seems almost fitting, both of them dwelled on these dysfunctional families...only this one, was just such a drag. I thought it looked good by the DVD box, but it was just long, slow, and boring. Bradley Whitford, who I adore, was underused, his storyline was just like a long Hallmark commercial, I swear I kept waiting for that moment, when he is handed a crisp white envelope with the Hallmark logo on the back....it was just so forced. Then I had to watch in agony while Clea Duvall goes to bed with...ick, I can't even say it....Frasers Dad....I mean come on, John Mahoney??? Their little 5 minute conversation was such a turn on that she would jump into bed with a sad elderly gentleman?? Didn't make sense to me...not even close to being realistic, and I have an open mind as far as age goes...but this was just absurd. Okay, I have rambled enough...pass this one by..its not worth the nearly two hours you will put into it.

The Squid and the Whale (2005)

Ah...finally. I have been waiting and waiting to see this movie. I should have made it a priority during Oscar season, but I didn't bother since it wasn't nominated for anything besides screenplay. I loved it. I really loved it. I thought it was such an awesome portrait of an dysfunctional family. The characters were all pretty messed up, and sometimes it was hard to get past that, and really look beneath the bizarre behaviors, and see the truth beneath it all...but other times, the truth was just sitting there, right out in the open. It was really an honest movie, I guess thats the best way to put it. I thought the characters were so rich, and the screenplay was so awesome. I think it got cheated this year. I thought it was one of the best movies I have seen from last year. Jeff Daniels was just amazing. I think this was definetly one of the best performances in his career. Laura Linney, incredible as always...and both kids were just amazing. Jesse Eisenberg especially. Bubs and I were talking about how the whole movie was one long bathroom scene...(for those who know what that means...if not...well, watch the movie and see if you can figure it out)especially all of Walts scenes. Good, good movie.

Elephant (2004)

I had such mixed feelings about this movie, that I know I have to see it again to understand what I really think about it. I guess I am not sure how I feel about Gus Van Sant in general, but this movie stood out to me as possibly a real piece of art, not just another strange movie of his. This movie reminded me a bit of Slacker, in that the characters all sort of blend together, some scenes replay and the focus is on a different character that was in the same scene. The movie is clearly based pretty obviously on the Columbine shootings, and I thought the final scene in the movie was just stunning. I sat for awhile after watching it and couldn't decide if I was disgusted that I spent the time watching this movie, and that it was really disturbing.....or, did I really think it was just an amazing film by a serious artist. I have to see it again to be sure. This movie is definetly not for everybody...its pretty bizarre, either way.

Danny Deckchair (2003)

awwwww, what a sweet movie. I really liked this, thanks Jo!!! I thought it was such a nice movie....bordering on the typical "chick flick" movie mentality, yet it was not too cheesy that most guys would get annoyed with it. Rhys Ifans (spelled probably wayyyyy wrong) was almost too Neanderthal-like ( I know, I know...not a real word) for me in the beginning, I thought I was going to hate it, and never get attached to him. But he grew on me, and once he shaved and got a hair cut, he was downright adorable! I am glad I took the time to check this one out. Makes up for some of the junk I have seen lately!

Open Water (2003)

Ick...this movie actually made me physically ill to watch. Two divers get left behind by a tour boat, and they try to stay alive in shark infested water...I won't kill the ending for anyone who actually wants to watch this movie, but I know that I barely made it through, and found the whole thing just plain freaky. The camera shakes around a lot, of course, since its all in the open ocean, and that makes you almost feel seasick....then the sharks swimming all around is enough to freak anybody out. Of course the characters bickering, whining and crying (rightly so of course...) just starts to grate on your nerves, until pretty soon, you are just counting the minutes waiting for this nightmare to end!!! It was beautiful though, the ocean, the shots of the sky, with all the white fluffy clouds, the sunset over the ocean, with nothing else around. That part wasn't so bad, but over all, I was sorry I actually attempted to watch this. It seriously freaked me out.

Love, Ludlow (2005)

I thought this was interesting. I love David Eigenberg ( I think thats spelled right), I fell in love with him on Sex and the City, and I kept waiting for him to something again other than voice work in Garfield, and guest spots on TV shows that I don't watch! This was a sweet, little movie that was clearly based on a play, I would have known that, even if I hadn't read it, because the movie definetly didn't feel "right" as a movie. I enjoyed it, but I thought the whole time that it would have made a better play, and lo and behold, in the credits I see that it started out that way. The bonus part about this though was Brenden Sexton III, playing the bi-polar brother of this lonely girl (played unfortunately by Alicia Goranson, who used to play Becky Connor on Roseanne...I thought she was pretty bad in this role...and would have enjoyed the movie much better with someone else playing her part). This guy is great...I really really thought he was amazing. I remembered him right away from a small role in Empire Records, and now that I have seen this, I am going to check out some other movies, and hope he had some good roles. I am looking forward to his career taking off, which I am hoping it does, because he is truly talented. This movie was cute, not sure if I would recommend it, but it was nice.

Curious George (2005)

I totally forgot to blog this one a few weeks ago, after we saw it. So I am using it now! I thought this movie was very sweet. I definetly think it was aimed for small children, though I thought it was cute, and I didn't get bored....I could have rented it and been pretty satisfied without spending theater prices on it. My son loved it, and it kept his attention, which is always a plus...but I don't know if I would see it on my own if I didn't take my kid to it! The music was great though, and that monkey was completely adorable! So I give it a thumbs up either way...

Hide and Seek (2005)

I am misrepresenting when I actually watched this movie, which is technically cheating I suppose...but I watched it a few weeks ago, and just didn't blog about it because I was in the heat of Oscar season. So, okay, I watched this movie. I expected to at least like it a little, because I love Robert DeNiro, and I really think that Dakota Fanning is amazing. I think she is by far, the best child actor I have seen since...I can't even tell you when. She is never going to annoy me, I am sure of this. So, I start to watch the movie...she is spectacular, the plot is good, its moving along, I am getting freaked out in scenes, the film is doing all the things good horror/thrillers do....I start second guessing what I think is going on....good stuff. Then we get to the ending.....awful...just awful. Not really predictible, just stupid. I thought it ruined what could have been an excellent movie. This is the third time in the past few years that I have watched a horrot type movie, enjoyed it up to the end, then had the end be so terrible, that it cancels out the good parts and left me with a crappy movie. This one was like that, The Skeleton Key was like that, and Identity (with John Cusack)was like that. Those movies were really good, and then they blew it with a stupid plot twist. I am all about plot twists, surprise endings like The Sixth Sense, or The Others....those were very well done. These three movies were just trying too hard to do that, and they ended up weakening the plot. I thought because of how bad the ending was...this movie was a waste of my time.

Zathura (2005

I really loved this movie. I thought I would hate it, since "someone" told me it was awful...I decided again to take Stephs advice and check it out. I loved it, I mean really loved it...like run out and buy it kind of loved it. I thought it was just a good story. I have never read the book, though I loved Jumanji and Polar Express....I thought the movie for Jumanji was okay, but not my favorite...this I loved...maybe because I love Jon Favreau so much, and I think that this was done just as well as Elf was. I thought that the plot was good, the kids were great in it, and the effects were pretty darn cool. I thought it was a fun ride for sure, and I loved the small twist at the end. I mean, it was on the basic side of the "moral tale" type thing. But I thought it had a lot of great moments. I was even more excited to hear the end title song by Paul Simon..I never realized how much ending credit songs can change your opinion of a movie, or of the song...like this song doesn't exactly match up with the movie...yet at the same time, it will probably always remind me of the movie. I am glad I took the chance and watched this one.

Flight Plan (2005)

This is usually not my kind of movie. I had mentioned it to Bubs because I have decided that one of my new crushes is Peter Sarsgaard, and he was in it, so I told him I wouldn't mind watching it. I wasn't thrilled when that was what he picked out at the video store the other night, being that there were several other movies I would have rathers seen. I actually ended up liking it far more than I thought I would. The plot was interesting enough, a woman loses her child on an airplane in flight, all sorts of chaos insues....its one of those movies that you start to question what is actually happening, and surprisingly it was not as predictible as I thought ( though I did figure it out before it was over) everyone did a spectacular job, and I actually felt Jodie Fosters panic during the movie, I was on the edge of my seat. Its always nice to see Sean Bean too, he played the captain, and is always captivating when he is on screen. I thought this was most definetly worth renting. I was afraid at first that it would just feed my fear of flying, but it actually seemed to lessen it a bit. Don't get all crazy, I still have no intention of stepping foot on a plane, but it didn't seem nearly as bad as I often think it is going to be!

The Shaggy Dog (2006)

I took my 6 year old to see this today. He really enjoyed it. I thought it was okay. Amusing enough, but I could have rented it and been equally amused. Tim Allen is a funny guy, he is pretty personable, and movies with him are usually at least amusing. Robert Downey Jr. was actually really good in this, (not that he is ever not good) but it was probably his character that made the movie as tolerable as it was. I don't think I would see it again. Most kids I would say would be entertained, but adults might get bored. I did. Oh, but the dog...absolutely adorable.

The Ice Harvest (2005)

Thank God this movie was as short as it was...I couldn't stand another minute of it. I don't know what the heck John Cusack is thinking lately, but I thought this was another bad one. I thought it looked decent from the preview, but now I sure am glad I didn't see it at the movies and waste my money. The only saving grace it had was Oliver Platt, who is always amusing, no matter the role. I thought this was just trashy, too many trashy characters, strippers, mob bosses, people killing their wives, just nasty. I am not against violence or dark comedies, if they are done well, but this was just pretty bad. It reminded me a bit of L.A. Confidential, if you took out the talented actors, the plot, etc...sort of one of those old style movies, but with all new blood, guts, and strippers. I guess its obvious that I just didn't like it. Part of it could be my mood, I just found out that something I really loved got thrown in the garbage, something irreplacable to me, so maybe on a better day, I would have found some of this amusing, but today I thought it was a waste of my hour and 24 minutes.

Nine Lives (2005)

I am still not sure how I felt about this movie. On one hand, I really loved it, I loved the rich female characters, I loved the way that somehow everything was connected, which I feel very strongly about, I loved the concept of 9 little vignettes, etc....however, on the other hand, I hated how each one seemed cut short. Some were worse than others, but I felt incomplete on at least half of them. I need more from a story, I guess thats why short stories aren't really my thing, and this movie was like a bunch of short stories strung together. I thought Holly Hunter was fabulous, I miss her being in movies more often, she is truly talented. I also thought Sissy Spacek was especially good, but I always like her too. I guess I wanted it to be a bit more like Playing By Heart, or maybe even Crash, where I feel like things were resolved, and still be connected in small ways. This was good, but not as good as I had hoped.

Proof (2005)

I really liked this movie. We saw the play in New York, and I enjoyed that as well, but I have to admit...I prefer Gwyneth Paltrow to Mary Louise Parker. So, I think I liked the movie more. I thought it translated well to film. It was still an interesting story, which is bizarre, since much of the movie is really about mathematics, which I hate...Anthony Hopkins was awesome in this movie, and was another prime example of how fast he really talks...seriously, that guy is a speed talker, I thought I talked fast, but he is really a super fast talker! Jake Gyllenhall again, awww....isn't he adorable?? I sometimes forget how much I used to love him, this is the perfect movie to remind me. I thought it was done really well, and I am really happy I finally got to see it. I love movies that come from theatre, they have a different kind of flow for me, something about the dialogue just always sounds better in a movie that comes from a play. I thought this was really a good one.

Rent (2005)

I have been wanting to see this for so long. We tried to see it on Broadway when we were in New York but of course it was sold out...(interestingly enough, we ended up seeing Proof instead, which I have to watch for tomorrows blog) Then when it started traveling, it was downtown at some point, and missed it again. So I decided to just see the movie instead. I thought it was awesome. I know that most of the original broadway cast were in the movie as well, with a few adjustments. I thought this play (movie) was brilliant. I actually can't picture it as a stage play since it worked so well in movie format for me. The music was incredible. The plot was amazing, it reminded me of how quickly we have let AIDS fall to the back burner as far as things that America finds worth discussing or worrying about, and I think that is so sad. I really enjoyed this movie and I think I will probably end up buying it. I found myself singing "Seasons of Love" ever since I was done watching it. What a fantastic song!

Jarhead (2005)

Okay, so I was kind of glad I didn't see this at the movies, though I wanted to at the time. It wasn't "my" kind of movie. Though I did find it very interesting. I thought it was filmed incredibly, the way it was shot, the colors, the fires in the desert. It truly made me feel (uncomfortably so) that i was really there. However, it just reminded me of how crazy war really is. I can't imagine anyone that goes through that kind of situation, ever comes out unchanged. I know that just watching it, made me feel crazy. Some of the scenes were just really out there, with a manic like feeling. It was done really well. Jamie Foxx was especially good as his role as the Staff Sargeant. My favorite guy was surpisingly not Jake Gyllenhall (which was the reason I wanted to see this movie) but instead, was Peter Saarsgard (spelling??) I am thinking he really transforms for his roles. Even though he can't do much to change his apperance....he never seems the same to me. He is really very talented and it made me want to run out and start renting movies of his that I haven't seen yet. Overall, if you can handle war type movies, I thought this was one of the better ones I have seen. It makes you kind of uneasy when you see how "important" the oil really is over there, how important it is to "us" as americans. It definetly made me want to go out and buy a hybrid. There was a scene when they were in the desert and a horse comes wandering over to Jake Gyllenhalls character, and the animal was just slick with oil covering him...and it was just so sad and such an amazing scene. Very telling. So I guess it was worth watching.

Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

Wow. I thought this movie was very interesting. It had some bizarre scenes, some of which I found along the disturbing side, though I would be interested to know what the writer had in mind when she wrote them. But for the most part, I found this movie to be very touching, very simple, and very real. I love movies that seem to be about the way everyone is connected to each other, in very simple ways. I loved the main woman in this movie, I thought she was beautiful, and her character was very unique. It reminded me a bit of a Todd Solandz movie (bubba noticed that too) in the way that the characters a bit on the quirky side, and even a bit disturbing in parts....but thats reality. I think we are all a bit quirky and a maybe a bit disturbing. I thought it was interesting, and I thank Roger Ebert (as if I know him personally) for reviewing this movie a few months ago, and giving it such an interesting review I thought I had better try to see it. I thought it was definetly worth watching.

78th Annual Academy Awards (2006)

ah...all the excitement is over. Now I can start planning my year for next years Oscar movie options. Hopefully I will do better at seeing nominated films than I did this year. This years ceremony was uneventful. I think the awards were pretty evenly distributed amongst the nominated movies...Brokeback won a few, with Ang Lee getting the coveted Best Director Oscar, the screenplay got the win (though I wanted Capote to win that one) and the score, which I was sooooo happy about. I truly loved the music in that movie. Philip Seymour Hoffman won, which was the only thing I felt really confident about winning, and the only thing I had my heart set on. I was so happy that he won that one, and he was adorable as always. Reese Witherspoon won for Best Actress, which I was hoping for, even though a win by Felicity Huffman wouldn't have made me unhappy either, even though I didn't see the movie, it looks good, and she looks incredible. I had a moment of sadness when Joaquin Phoenix didn't win. Even though I didn't really want him to win, he was so good, and I think any other year he would have taken that award home. I am sure he will have plenty of chances, he is always so wonderful in anything he does. Best picture was kind of surprising, though not disappointing. Crash, that came out of nowhere. I love to see movies like that win...not only was it a good movie, but it clearly didn't aspire to be out there just to get nominated, it was released way earlier in the year, the buzz had kind of died down by Oscar season, and it didn't get a whole lot of acting nominations (only Matt Dillon was recognized) but here it comes from behind to destroy the front runner, Brokeback Mountain. I thought it was exciting that they won instead of the predictibility of Brokeback taking it home. Jon Stewart did a great job, granted, he was no Billy Crystal, but I thought he held his own. I liked the little film clip montages too, even though there seemed to be too many of them, they were all good. And I of course, loved the fact that they brought up the importance of going to the movies so often. I can't imagine my life without going to the movies, watching on DVD is just not the same, and it never will be for me. I hope the box office has a better year!

Almost Famous (?)

I guess I used this as a last minute cheat, I have seen this movie a million times. I used it for the Philip Seymour Hoffman factor...one of my favorite roles of his for sure. Lester Bangs was a classic for me. By far one of my favorite characters in what was a fantatic movie for me. I could probably recite it, for how many times I have seen it. It was when I fell in love with Kate Hudson, and when I learned to love Billy Crudup. Of course all the love is for Cameron Crowe, my guy. I have nothing more to say about this, since its the day before Oscar day and we have to party.

Capote (2005)

This was another repeat viewing for me. I really enjoyed it the first time. I thought it was interesting, and followed up by reading some biographical information about Truman Capote. Doing so, made this time even more interesting to me. I understood more, the relationship between Capote and Harper Lee,(played by Catherine Keener, who is just fabulous). It even made me understand more about what a strange little man he really was. I really think this is one of the best movies ever made about writing. The most amazing part of this movie, to me, was the performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. He just seriously became Truman Capote. I thought it was haunting, dark, yet sadly amusing in parts. I loved how you could just totally see the difference in this man, from the start of writing the book, when he was so confident, arrogant, and so nonchalante about the entire thing. You could see that he found it interesting, what the murders did to this small Kansas town, but you could also see that he didn't truly "care" about it. By the end, you could see that he was almost broken by the whole experience. And though his arrogance never really went away, it was always "about Truman" it was clear that he had been profoundly affected by the relationship he had forged with one of the murderers. Even during the scenes were he was so coldly talking about how "tortured" he was by all of this, ignoring the fact that their lives were the ones hanging in the balance....you could see that he truly was tortured, and not just because it was delaying his book, but because he was so greatly affected by this entire experience. I thought this movie was fantastic.

brokeback mountain (2005) part 2

This is my second viewing, but I am actually counting it as my first, since the experience this time was so vastly different, it was like watching a different movie. I liked it the first time. I thought it was well made, beautiful, etc...however, the crowd was so immature that I couldn't play close attention to the actual story. This time, I found the story so beautiful and tragic, that I know I could see it again and again. I thought that Heath Ledger did such an amazing job. Everyone did, for that matter. I was so touched by their sad relationship. I found the scenery to be just stunning this time, and the scenes with them under that huge open sky were just visually amazing. I think its sad that there are people that will never see it because of the subject matter. How sad to miss such a tragic love story.

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Even though February is over, I thought I would try to maintain my Oscar mood until Sunday night. (which, I am taking off by the way....Far too much activity that day watching Oscar stuff to watch a movie too, I will just review the show instead) Okay, so Pride and Prejudice. I was one of those people...You know, the ones who watched the preview early last year and thought....ick...Mr. Darcy played by someone other than Colin Firth, really...What is the point??? But I was so wrong.....really, really wrong. I don't even know this guys name, but I am seriously in love with him. Now, I know, its really Mr. Darcy I am in love with....always have been. This guy really played him well. And Keira Knightly, playing my absolute favorite literary heroine of all time, was incredible. I wasn't a huge fan of Jennifer Ehle's interpretation of Elizabeth Bennet...but Keira Knightly got it right. I thought her performance was perfect. I will buy this movie and watch it again and again. I firmly believe it to be one of the most romantic stories of all time. Jane Austen really knew how to write women, her main female characters are always so brilliant, and beautiful at the same time. This film adaptation of this story was no exception. It was beautiful, far surpassing the original BBC mini-series version in its beauty (well, of course, except for missing the wonderful, incredibly sexy scene of Colin Firth swimming and his wet white billowy shirt...but I digress)the landscape was beautiful, costumes were perfect, and I thought it was absolutely awesome! Now I have to dig through my book bins to dig out this classic to read again right away.

Boycott (2001)

I don't know how comfortable I feel using this movie, because technically, it was a TV movie. But I decided it was good enough to talk about, so I am counting it. This was a very well made movie about the 1955 (? right year??) bus boycott. Terrence Howard is in a supporting role as Ralph Abernathy, therefore, I can use this movie as my last Oscar related movie of the month....but the true shining point in this movie was the always impressive Jeffrey Wright, starring as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. As everyone who knows me, knows this is a topic that haunts me for some reason. I can't watch a movie like this, without feeling like my heart is being just ripped out of my body. Its actually painful. I can't comprehend that it was only 50 years ago, that these beautiful people were being treated as second class citizens, or worse, like animals. Its disgusting, revolting, and every other word I can think of. Wright does a fantastic job showing all the emotions you could imagine Rev. King went through during that time, fear, anger, pain etc...he is so expressive, he doesn't even need to speak most of the time, you can read his emotions on his face. This was a fantastic movie, that I plan to get a copy of, so that when we study this period later with Ian, I can use this movie as a learning tool. We took Ian down to see Rosa Parks before her funeral, when she laid in state at the African History Museum downtown...it was an amazing experience, that I hope he will always remember. I think this movie would be a great addition to that lesson we started learning that day. I highly recommend it.

Pleasantville (1998?)

I need to look up that date to make sure, its pretty much a guess. I caught just the end of this today on Starz, so I Tivo'd the next showing on StarzWest, just to see the rest. I really liked this movie. I remember it was just before Tobey Maguire really got "famous" and it was one of the first times I remember seeing Joan Allen. I thought this movie was very well made. The concept was cool enough, and it reminded me a bit of "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (also starring Jeff Daniels). I love movies that make me feel inspired when I am done watching them. It was a great day to watch this too, after finding my old Creative Writing folder, and remembering how much I loved that class, and what it did for my college experience. That class was all about thinking outside the box, and thats exactly what this movie was about too. I love the courtroom scene when Bud makes the comment that "you can't stop what's inside you"...meanwhile the passions of all the people have turned the town from black and white to color. I love that sappy crap! The perfect movie for today. Coincidence? I think not. Also, Reese Witherspoon (the reason I got to count this movie today, Oscar nominee for Walk the Line) was so fabulous, even back then. I think she has been underappreciated, or thought of as "a good chick flick girl" when actually she has been good in most every movie I have seen her in. This was one of my favorites. Even if you have seen this movie before, check it out again...

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Its been several years since I have seen this movie. It was my favorite movie for so long, then I think I just got sick of it. When I first started watching it, I thought I was over it, the love was gone. Then as soon as the men went off to war, I remembered why I always loved it so much. It was so ahead of its time as far as cinematography goes, and the characters are so rich. By the time it was over, I found myself crying during all the sad parts and having a good old time. It didn't hurt that I have a miserable cold right now, so it was the perfect movie to lie in bed all day to watch. I truly still love this movie. It has fantastic music, and a wonderful screenplay. It made me want to dust the book off and read that again too!

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Wow, has it really been that long? 1996? Sometimes it feels just like yesterday that Cuba Gooding Jr, was on that Oscar stage screaming and jumping around. I don't like Tom Cruise much. He doesn't really do much for me, I don't think he is the biggest freak on the earth, like some people do, but I don't really like him as an actor. I did however, love this movie. Maybe it has more to do with my everlasting love for director and writer Cameron Crowe, who perhaps in another life, was my true soul mate. Or maybe its my attachment to Renee Zellweger, who I think, is a very believable actress in just about everything she does. I think its just a sweet, cheesy, very well written movie. I never get enough of watching it, and anyone who loves this movie, or even likes it...MUST watch this DVD with the audio commentary. Its a great one, Cameron Crowe, Tom Cruise, and Cuba Gooding Jr, do the commentary and you can actually watch them, watch the movie, its a riot. very good way to spend a lazy afternoon!

Traffic

I haven't seen this one all the way through in awhile, and thought it was time for a second viewing. I thougth this was a very well made movie. I loved the way this movie was directed, how grainy the scenes in Mexico were, and how the Michael Douglas scenes were filmed with something that made them look sort of blue. I loved Benecio Del Toro (hey, where has he been lately??) and all the scenes with Don Cheadle. I love movies like this, where all the characters kind of blend together in and out, it makes things more interesting. Sort of reminds me a bit of Crash in that way. I thought Topher Grace was really good in this small role, I think it made people take him more seriously and really allowed him to break away from That 70's show. I remember thinking that this movie should have won the Best Picture that year. I really thought it was well done.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

This should be dated for yesterday. I couldn't get this blog to work to save my life, and now I can't get the date change thing to come up here. Argh. Okay, for starters, I had no idea about any of this Enron scandal crap. I knew it was a bunch of greedy jerk-off businessmen, and I knew some of them were in bed with our so called fearless leader. But I had no clue what a fiasco it really was. I didn't know about the power problem in California, I didn't know that so many people lost their retirements, etc...and I had no clue how much these jerks really profitted. It was disgusting to hear their arrogant phone calls to each other, just a very disturbing movie. I dont' think it was interesting enough to beat either Murderball or March of the Penguins, but I did find it worth watching, and I only got bored a few times (it was a bit long for a documentary on a subject like this)

North Country (2005)

I thought this movie was alright. Not really spectacular, but interesting. I found it to be a bit "lifetime movie of the week" though, not really Oscar material. Charlize Theron was good, she seems to be always good. Frances McDormand was really good. Her character was my favorite part of the movie. But I guess I didn't feel as moved or inspired as I like to be in movies like that. I thought it was sad, and made me feel like things just don't move fast enough in bringing equality in the workplace. It made me sick in parts, that woman were still treated like that, such a short time ago. But I still thought it could have been better.

Along Came Polly (2004)

another one of those "guilty pleasures" for me. I really love these kooky Ben Stiller movies. I find him amazingly charming, reminds me of a more personable Woody Allen, and I can't seem to get enough of these cheesy comedies that he tends to make. I got to use my man Philip Seymour Hoffman, as my excuse to blog about this movie...but I think that too many people have missed out on this gem. If only for the scenes between Ben and Phil...I thought Sandy was the best character in this movie, he was hysterical. If you can get through the "shart" scene without laughing...you seriously have no sense of humor. Lisa told me to rent this movie ages ago, and I tried and made it through only the first 10 minutes or so, and didn't find it amusing. A few months later it was on cable and I tried again. This time I found it so entertaining, I have seen it probably 10 times since. Bubs and I both love it, and quote it regularly. Good stuff.

The Last Party 2000 (2001)

I really enjoyed watching this one. I had seen the Robert Downey Jr. film "The Last Party" which focused on the Democratic National Convention in 1992. I thought that was interesting, so I noticed this on the shelf, which appeared to be somewhat of a follow up. This one, focused on the entire election of 2000, different interviews with people of different political affiliations. Some scary stuff, in my personal opinion. I loved Philip Seymour Hoffman in the "role" if you could call it a role, of the guy on the campaign trail, asking questions, spending a lot of time outside of the conventions, seeing what people are talking about, and just trying to get a feel for what is going on in this current political process. I thought he did a great job of being open minded but eventually ending up seeming as disillusioned as I feel most of the time these days. There were some interesting points made by many people in this movie. A great movie, directed by Donovan Leitch, who I adore, I thought this was a very well made movie. And a Philip Seymour Hoffman was the perfect excuse to have to watch it!

Flawless (1999)

I really thought this was a great movie. I have always thought about renting it, and somehow I always forget about it. Now with the Philip Seymour Hoffman nomination, I had the perfect excuse. I thought he was absolutely amazing. It surprises me that he didn't get nominated for this movie actually ( I know he got Screen Actors Guild award nomination, but that doesnt' seem like quite enough to me) he was awesome. I thought he was completely believable as "Rusty".
I guess the academy just can't take Joel Schumaker films seriously or something. He doesn't seem to be a "favorite"
The acting though...they were both awesome. I love Robert DeNiro, so this was an easy one to watch. I thought it was sweet, and honest. The relationship that grew with these very different, unlikely friends was just beautiful. Again, a movie that shows how ignorant that prejudice is, and how easy it is to win, when you put these prejudices behind you and just see people as people. See how connected we all really are with each other, on the deepest level. Its touching, and inspiring. I thought that DeNiro was so amazing as Walt, the ultra-conservative guy, who had suffered a stroke while trying to be a hero. He was very raw, and honest, and sometimes was actually painful to watch as he fumbled his way around after the stroke. I thought he did a fantastic job. I enjoyed this movie, and would definetly watch it again.

Autism is a World (2004)

Wow. What an incredible story. This movie was nominated for Best Documentary short ( I believe) in 2004. It really was amazing to me. Its the story of a girl with autism, named Sue Rubin, who up until the age of 13, was believed to not only have autism, but also mentally retarded with a developmental age of around 2. She was given the opportunity of learning to communicate with a keyboard type thing ( I can't remember what it was called) and before that year was up, she tested with an IQ of 133. She then went to regular high school, and was a junior in college majoring in History when this movie was being filmed. The film takes you through her life, talks about her world. She can't speak, or doesn't speak many words or sentences but uses this keyboard to type out what she wants and needs to say. It was so bizarre to me, thinking of her seeming to be trapped in this body and delays on the outside, but inside have this amazing mind working away. It was sad, and yet very inspiring at the same time. It makes me wonder how many other autistic children could be reached this way? She is leading an incredible life compared to the one her parents probably expected when she was a baby and they thought she would never develop mentally past the age of 2. She is living on her own, with 24 hour support staff that helps her out. I am very interested in learning more about this method of communication for autistic children

Good Will Hunting (1997)

I had another movie to watch today but decided to go with this one instead because it was on, and I couldn't stop watching it. I remember how much I loved it that year. I still think its timeless, its truly a great movie. The writing was incredible, fast, and smart. The characters were interesting, sad yet sweet at the same time, and I totally found myself falling back in love with these characters. I love Robin Williams, even in bad movies, he makes them better, but this was truly the perfect part for him. I am so glad he won his oscar for such an amazing part as this was for him. Sean had so much heart, and was so loving and caring to Will, it was heartwarming to watch, and just....well done. Even Ben Afflecks character was sweet and honest. I thought Matt Damon was overlooked here, it was an amazing performance, I think he should have won. Also such a great soundtrack with all those beautiful, haunting Elliott Smith songs. I can't believe I don't own this movie, I need to change that.

Junebug (2005)

I really expected to like this movie better than I actually did. I thought it was just okay. I thought there were great moments, and some awesome characters and acting....but some moments where I just scratched my head and thought..."what the heck was that about?" I thought Amy Adams was charming. I thought she did such an amazing job, I felt like I really got to know her character, and fell in love with her. The way her eyes would light up when she was talking, and her smile was just captivating. I could have watched a whole movie with her as the main character and like it much more than I liked this movie. I thought they did a great job with casting, these people were a believable family. I didn't like any of the parts with the artist, it just didn't flow with the rest of the film, and I thought it bogged it down quite a bit. I liked the movie, but I don't think I would watch it again.

Good Night and Good Luck (2005)

I have been trying to see this movie for months now, and I finally got to see it tonight. I thought it was very interesting. I thought it was a bit slow in parts, but the topic was more interesting than I thought. It seemed a lot longer than it actually was, but there were a lot of things that I really liked about this movie. Do I think it was one of the top 5 of the year? I don't know, maybe...I liked Walk the Line better I suppose, but I did think this was worth several nominations. I thought it had some amazing cinematography, art direction, etc. The acting was awesome of course, George Clooney even impressed me in a great supporting role, also Robert Downy Jr, always a pleasure to see him. I thought he did a fantastic job as director, deserving of a nomination. David Straithern (that spelling looks wrong, but I don't have time to look it up right now) was just incredible, even though I don't think I have ever seen any real footage of Edward R Murrow, just his voice alone, was different, I imagine that he really worked hard on perfecting the voice and mannerisms. I also thought that in general, this was an important movie for this day and age. The integrity of the news seemed like such an amazing thing back then, and I worry now that we have really gone in the other direction in journalism, it makes me truly sad. I think that most of what he said in his speech for the tribute rang sadly very true for americans and television these days. A story that needed to be told, and seen, and remembered....so we don't continue to make the same mistakes.

Cold Mountain (2003)

I know most people didn't really like this movie, but I really did. I watched it this time because of the small role of the Reverend Veasey (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Best Actor nominee for this year). I loved him in this movie...then again, I love him in every movie I have ever seen him in. I would not be disappointed if he won this year for "Capote" thats for sure. This role was not huge, but it was amusing. I think that he transforms for his roles, and is always amazingly believable. I thought Jude Law was incredible here too, and of course, Renee Zellweger, in such an amazing role. Nicole Kidman bugged me a bit in this movie, she was just too pretty, too pure. And I think part of the plot bothered me too, like why the heck would he go through so much for her, when they barely knew each other. But overall, this movie was rich in characters, and beautiful cinematography. The music wasn't too bad either. Overall, a great movie.

Driving Miss Daisy ( 1989)

This is by far, one of my favorite movies of all time. I am not sure if it would be in my top ten, but it comes close. I know that no matter how many times I have seen it, i still find it so touching. The story of true friendship, of an unlikely friendship. I always love movies set in the south during the civil rights period. It is a period in our history in this country, that still breaks my heart. I am obsessed with it, I find it so upsetting, and fascinating at the same time. I seldom skip a movie about this time period or topic. Racism to me, is the worst thing there is...I think thats why I loved "Crash" so much, because its a topic that still just breaks my heart. So Driving Miss Daisy, such a sweet and beautiful story. Such amazing performances, by both Jessica Tandy (who won the Oscar that year) and of course, the always stellar Morgan Freeman, (who sadly, did not win that year) I think it was my favorite performance by him. I have seen many others that were great, "The Shawshank Redemption" comes to mind. But this character just really touched me. This was a rough year for me at Oscar time, there were so many movies that I loved. It was a classic year, we had that crazy Oscar party, and Lis and I made that silly video and Scott was there, we dressed up in fancy dresses and everything. Its pretty funny to watch now! It was the first year that I really made it a point to see everything nominated, and have done so ever since (or at the very least, tried to see them all) I had been in love with the Oscars for years prior to this, but this was the first year I made it into such a huge fuss for myself. A lot of great movies came out that year, but this was my favorite.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

I have already seen this movie, only once at the theater. I loved it. I thought it was one of the best movies I saw last year. I was amazed at how much information I just had no clue about the whole Rwanda situation. How sad it was, that while all that was going on, we were busy focusing on the stupid OJ Simpson fiasco. How sad, and embarassing. I used Joaquin Phoenix (current best actor nominee...for anyone who might have forgotten!) as the excuse for being able to count this movie. It didn't get nominated for Best Picture, but in my opinion, it certainly should have. Don Cheadle was just incredible. the whole movie had me so emotional the first time I saw it, that I literally cried through most of it. I think its an important movie though, and I think all americans need to see movies like this so they can open their eyes to whats going on in the rest of the world, and not being so self centered, or focusing on the media freak shows instead of whats really important.

Parenthood

I thought I would really reach back for this one. Joaquin Phoenix back when he was still going by the name Leaf Phoenix. I remember thinking, even way back then, that he was really really talented. I loved this movie. I thought there were some really profound ideas, and it was so wonderfully written. I love ensemble pieces like that, and good ones, the kind where you love the characters so much you wish you were part of their crazy world. The true magic of movies, in my opinion, is when you forget you are watching a movie, and you think you are actually somehow involved in these the lives of these characters, and that is what this movie did to me. It did make me a bit sad though, for Rick Moranis, who was so good in this, but then did all those "honey I shrunk the kids" sequels etc....It was good to see this one again.

The Village (2003?)

I am guessing at the year, I might be wrong, but I flat out don't feel like looking it up right now. Joaquin Phoenix (Best Actor Nominee for Walk the Line) is my main man...seriously, he is the guy for me lately. I liked this movie, though I realize I am in the minority. I still remember seeing it at the theater and people actually walking out. I thought it maybe wasn't M. Night Shymalans best work...but I found it exciting, interesting...pretty cool. I loved Bryce Dallas Howard, I thought she did a fantastic job for being such a "new" girl. I guess coming from Ron Howard you would have to be at least well versed in the art of movies...but she is very pretty too, I hope to see more from her soon, I think she is someone to watch out for. I thought my main man did an amazing job, again a subtle performance that just speaks volumes. He is so quiet sometimes but his face is so expressive that I think he doesn't even have to talk. I also thought that Adrian Brody was awesome here, very believable. I loved the color in this movie too. Overall I have to say its one of my favorites of this directors...I liked it far better than "signs" thats for sure, and I think its actually better than "unbreakable" as well, (though I did like that one too) I watch this every time I see it on, so I guess its good enough for repeats for me. Of course thats why this is almost another cheating post.

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

I feel like I am cheating yet again. I have seen this before, but was using it this month since I have already seen pretty much all of the movies Catherine Keener (best supporting actress nominee - Capote) has been in. I really like her. I would have seen this movie either way, because Steve Carell rocks my world. I loved it the first time, second time and even this third time! I thought this movie was funny, sweet, funny some more, even just the right amount of vulgarity. I hope to see more comedies like this in the future. Comedies for grown ups. I see a lot of comedies these days that seem to be very "family" oriented. Which is fine sometimes..but I miss the days of "The Jerk" or "Animal House" adult comedies. This movie was one of a few I have seen recently, so maybe it is a trend...

Just Like Heaven (2005)

This was sort of a cheat again. I have already seen this movie, but decided it would count because Reese Witherspoon (Best Actress Nominee this year) is in it, so I watched it anyway. Actually, I bought it, and the worst part of all....I bought it at Walmart. I don't shop there. I hate Walmart. But I was desperate for this movie last night, so I caved and bought it there. I liked this movie, despite its bad reviews or lukewarm box office sales. I think Mark Ruffalo is very underrated, and I keep waiting for him to finally get more starring roles. Not that I mind the independent stuff, thats fine with me. But it would make it easier to see him more often if he did more of these cheesy mainstream movies. This was definetly a cheesy mainstream movie. I loved it anyway. I thought it was unique in some ways. I loved the Jon Heder character. I seriously love that guy...he can't be in enough movies for me. Reese Witherspoon has really become one of my favorites. She really shines in comedies like this. This was sweet in all the right ways, and is one of those movies I could watch again and again. I am glad I caved and went to that hell hole to buy it, even though it went against everything I believe in. I am pathetic.

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Thanks Steph!!! I really enjoyed this. I almost fell asleep because I was watching it so freaking late, but I pushed on through because it was so much fun. I thought it was very well done, and I found myself laughing too....I think I would never have bothered with it if it wasn't for my new found love for Heath Ledger, and lo and behold, it was great! I am so happy that I talked to my friend Steph the other night about it, because it worked out perfect for this month (since it stars Best Actor nominee, Heath Ledger). Matt Damon did a good job too, though his hair really bugged me, looked a little to fake for me. (don't know if it was fake, but it sure looked fake) I can't believe this movie didn't do better at the theaters, it was very entertaining.

Sideways (2004)

I keep resorting to movies I actually own because I have been too busy to see anything or even rent anything. I loved Sideways. I thought it was sweet, and funny, and sort of sad. It made me very interested about wine, and I thought the script was just beautiful...especially in Virginia Madsens little monologue about wine, I thought it so poignant. I thought Paul Giamatti was robbed blind, by not winning an oscar for this movie. I thought Sandra Oh was great too, she impressed me so much I actually caved last year to watch Grey's Anatomy even though I can't stand medical shows, just because she was on it...and who the heck knew that Thomas Hayden Church had a movie like this in him, I thought he was destined for bad TV shows, I actually think that he can act! I could watch this movie 100 times and not get sick of it. I was actually kind of hoping it would win the Oscar last year, but movies like this don't often do that anymore.

The Aviator (2004)

Gosh do I have that date right? Was that really only last year? My movie of the year last year. Seriously, I loved this movie. Granted, I love Martin Scorcese, at all times, love him, love him, love him. I love so many things about him, I love him for his obsessive love for movies. I love him for knowing so much about them, and for his cute little fast talking voice. Okay, so I guess we should actually discuss the movie, and not just the director (who I strongly feel got ripped off last year, but I digress) So...Leonardo DiCaprio, it's hard to like him, you want to hate him, really...He is so pretty, and has made some...um....Interesting movie choices. But this was not one of them. This was really the role of a lifetime for him, in my not so very humble opinion. I truly loved this movie. I loved it because I found Howard Hughes to be a very interesting man...But I mainly loved it because of old Hollywood. I loved it because of Katharine Hepburn (or Cate Blanchette, playing her so perfectly it was almost creepy)and Ava Gardner, and just the addiction of movies. I can see why Scorcese had to make this movie. His movie addiction/obsession is truly unique, and Howard Hughes love for his movies, and making them perfect, the same as his passion for flying, the two seem very similar to me. Except of course, that Martin seems like a normal enough guy. I remember when I saw this at the movies for the first time, the thing that stuck out to me the most, is the sadness of the whole thing. The idea that his mother could have put such an idea into his head, that it truly ruined him, years later. The idea that you can really screw your kids up if you aren't careful. It really made me think. I thought it was cinematically fantastic, and it lost something a bit, watching it on the small screen...Maybe I need a bigger screen at home.