Movie Half-Marathon 2011

So yesterday, three of my girlfriends and myself, embarked on a great adventure to benefit Rainbow Connection, an incredible wish organization that happened to grant Chloes Disney Wish trip when she was on treatment for Leukemia. The deal was, for $25, you got unlimited pop and popcorn, and 12 hours, and 11 screens chock full of the newest releases (or mostly the newest!)

Here are very brief reviews of each one (except my repeat viewing...)

1. The Kings Speech: Holy Toledo...I loved this movie. I loved it from the bottom of my soul to the end of the earth and all the other cliches in between. Now, if you don't know me well, you don't know that my love for Colin Firth truly knows no bounds. He will always be the beautiful Mr. Darcy to me from the BBC (and best) version of Pride and Prejudice. Anytime he is up for awards and doesn't win, no matter who his competitors are....I firmly believe he was robbed. This is his year, I can feel it. He was incredible. The story was interesting, I never got bored. I found every character interesting, every performance magical and I loved every single second of this movie. The only thing I found a little bit distracting was the fact that at one brief moment on the screen he was reunited with his costar from Pride and Prejudice, Jennifer Ehle who in this film, played Geoffrey Rush's wife...but who will always be Elizabeth Bennet to Firth's Mr. Darcy, and those few seconds on film I couldn't stop thinking about that. No complaints at all other than that, and I know I could watch this 1000 more times and never tire of it.

2. True Grit (see my old review...nothing has changed....I still really liked it)

3. Blue Valentine: Okay, I thought I would like this. Even after reading reviews saying that it was depressing and super sad....I thought, I love Ryan Gosling, and I like Michelle Williams, and I will like this either way. I really didn't so much like it. I can't say I hated it. And to be fair, I lost a chunk of it to a mandatory bathroom break...I just didn't get it. I know I was supposed to be sad for them, they were dwelling in an unhappy marriage and had a child...they flashed back to happier times just to make the present seem even more sad....but I wasn't so sad for them. I was just freaking annoyed with her. Sure, maybe it was carryover from yesterdays Michelle Williams movie....but man...she really annoyed me. I maybe should have taken a week or so between these two movies, it might have been better. I can't say this movie was terrible, because it wasn't. It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be for me.

4. The Fighter: another amazing movie. I liked this way more than I thought I was going to. Its nice to be surprised sometimes. Mark Wahlberg is really pretty great in it. I have always liked him, but I guess I never realized how talented he is until I watched this very subtle but moving performance. The ever entertaining Christian Bale was a stand out in this for sure. He as usual, for me, was mesmerizing every time he was on screen, and my love for him continues to grow. Melissa Leo knocked this out of the park. She was incredible as the mother of these two boys. All the performances were incredible, this movie had a lot of heart and hardship and in the end, made you feel a little bit better about the world.

5. No Strings Attached: Decent. Amusing. Ashton Kutcher is pretty. I realize this is a basic review but you get the picture. It was the usual romantic comedy with a little bit of a different view, but it was enjoyable. I thought the acting was great, the writing entertaining, and how can you not like a movie directed by Ivan Reitman (I was especially amused by noticing a "Meatballs" movie poster hanging in Kutchers room) and he even makes a cameo appearance. I wasn't sorry I stayed late to watch this one, it made me laugh.

Sorry to "talk" your ear off today...but I wanted to make sure I said a little about each one. I may or may not watch a movie tonight, because I am pretty wiped out!

Wendy and Lucy (2008)

I am a day behind, but I did watch a ton of movies, just didn't have time to blog this yesterday! I will todays movies tomorrow! Okay...so I know I was supposed to like this. I have been saving it for a night when it was peaceful and quiet in my house. The boys were gone camping, so it was just Chloe and I home alone, and she was in bed already. I found this on Netflix and put it on...and slowly slipped into complete despair! I didn't like this movie. I don't think I liked it at all. I haven't seen many movies that made me feel this hopeless. Michelle Williams plays Wendy, a girl on her way to what is hopefully going to be a good job and better life, when her car breaks down and she loses her dog Lucy in a small, sad little town in Oregon. I realize that all the critics loved her performance in this movie, I had read so many raves. I thought she was okay. I bought it, I guess thats the best I can say. However, her character annoyed me in so many ways. This movie was slow, and depressing. I was so sorry I watched it. I don't know if there is anything good I can say about it....however I would love for you guys to watch it so I can see if I was crazy or not!! If anyone out there reading this blog have seen it, please comment and tell me what you thought....or if you watch it eventually, come back and tell me, I am wildly curious!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152850/

Holy Rollers (2010)

Because I was still in the Jesse Eisenberg mood, I watched this on instant Netflix last night. I almost turned it off at first, because I kept getting confused. Any time drug smuggling is a topic I get a little lost sometimes. However, I sucked it up and kept going and was very happy I did. This was a pretty good movie. Based on a true story, about a young Orthodox Jewish man named Sam Gold (played by Eisenberg) who seemed unhappy or at least unsatisfied with his life. He gets wrapped up in a drug smuggling operation that is using Hasidic Jews to smuggle Ecstasy into the country from Europe. He is brought into this world by his close friend and neighbors brother Yosef, played incredibly by Justin Bartha. This edgier world is enticing to him and he gets sucked in, and of course, begins a downward spiral. Its not a new story....you can see where the film is going right away, and its not completely unpredictable. The performances are stand out though...Jesse Eisenberg has innocence and awkwardness down to a science, and Justin Bartha plays a great devil on his shoulder kind of role. The person I was most impressed with was Ari Graynor, who played Rachel, a young girl kind of lost in the whole drug world. She did an incredible job and I would like to see more of her. There were a few great club scenes that really did a good job of showing Sam getting sucked into the more loose and exciting underground world of drug dealing, drinking and women. And of course, a lovely scene of Sam and Yosef running across one of my favorite places on earth....the Brooklyn Bridge. The ending felt incomplete and weak (even though I know its a true story, I think it could have been a better ending) but overall this was an interesting story, and worth watching.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1143896/

The Education of Charlie Banks (2007)

Finally, something I can rave about. I loved this movie. From the beginning narration to the end. This is exactly the kind of movie I love, a coming-of-age movie, well written, awesome performances and not a big budget cheese fest. I was surprised to see in the opening credits that this was the directorial debut of Fred Durst (lead singer of Limp Bizkit). As usual, this was in my queue for boys, in this case my boyfriend Jason Ritter, and my new crush Jesse Eisenberg. Good gracious I love talented boys. I fell in love with Jason Ritter a long time ago, but more recently was really impressed by his performance in a movie called Peter and Vandy (which I loved). Slight spoilers ahead:::: So Jason Ritter plays Mick, a kid who has always been in trouble (the movie spans several years)for various things, mostly intense fighting. Jesse Eisenberg (who helps tell the story in narration) plays the title role of Charlie Banks, who turns Mick in when he nearly kills two guys in a fight at a party, but later takes back his testimony when his best friend Danny stresses that whoever turned Mick in is in serious trouble. Fast forward a few years to college where Charlie and Danny are still friends and roommates and,(surprise!) Mick shows up there. Thats all I will say about the storyline except that it never lost me. There is a cute love interest, played by the adorable Eva Amurri (daughter of Susan Sarandon). The music was good, it fit the scenes perfectly. I just really liked this. I can picture this story being a book I would have read in high school, that I would be praying would get made into a movie. Oh also...this movie takes place in the 1970's which sometimes can come across as over the top in films lately...this was very authentic. I can definitely recommend this one.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783515/

Ready? Ok! (2008)

This ended up in my Netflix queue, as usual, because of a guy, Michael Emerson (who played Ben in Lost). I am glad I watched this. Its definitely not for everybody. Its very very VERY low budget, and most of the time comes off like a really cheap made for TV movie. However, the performances especially by Carrie Preston (who happens to be Michael Emersons wife) were really touching. Carrie plays a mom who is confused, not sure about what to do about her sons fascination with cheerleading. The boy, Joshua, wants to be a Cheerleader, and tries to get on the squad at his private Catholic School. Michael Emerson plays their next door neighbor who tries to help the boy learn to be himself. Though the movie never outright says it, its clear that the main fear(if we can call it a fear) is that the boy might be gay. It was a really good story. I loved so much about it, sometimes you can get past some bad acting (there were a few that I thought were not so great) and some low budget filming, etc...to get to a good story and a great performance. I thought Carrie Preston was really good, I thought it was a very honest performance. It is on instant Netflix so if anyone wants to give it a shot, its not the worst thing in the world...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067084/

The Back-up Plan (2010)

I have read a ton of horrible reviews for this movie. Somehow I wanted to see it anyway. I have very mixed feelings about it, so I am not really sure how this is all going to go. I hated it, I laughed like crazy, I liked it, I was bored by it, I thought it was so unrealistic, I laughed some more. Eh...it was okay. I wanted to see this because a girl that went to my grade school is in it. Like more than just a person passing on the street, she actually has a few scenes. So it was the main reason I bothered with this 99 cent Amazon on Demand special. The good points: Jennifer Lopez is cute. I like her, I found her character appealing in lots of ways, and totally predictable in others. There were a few scenes though that had me laughing out loud. Anthony Anderson in a very small role had me laughing even after the movie was over...so there is that. Alex O'Loughlin though very adorable...did not appeal to me in this role. This story was so unrealistic and far fetched that it was hard to stomach, but at the same time...was a fresh and different take on the usual romantic comedy type of thing. The parts that were funny, were really really funny, and the rest of it was just okay for me. The story for those that don't know...is that Jennifer Lopez plays a single girl who decides to have a baby on her own. The very same day that she is artificially inseminated, she meets a great guy when they both get into the same cab. she gets pregnant and they start a relationship. It has moments when I see something special, and I think I can almost recommend this based on those few moments....but other times I think...most people I know probably aren't going to like this. Bubba and I had a few laughs together so it was all worth it to me.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1212436/

Our City Dreams (2008)

So I watched another documentary. Sometimes I do it just because they tend to be shorter, and last night I was low on time. We spent a very long and exhausting day taking the kids to their various therapies and then taking Chloe for her 3 month check up at Children's. Its always a very stressful day for me, so I wasn't really in the mood for a full length movie, but I didn't want to abandon the project so early in the game either. So I watched this short little movie. It was good. I wasn't in love with it entirely, but I enjoyed it. Its basically brief glimpses of the lives of 5 different artists (all women) living in New York City. I often watch movies just because they have something to do with NY, and this was one that ended up in my queue for Netflix because of it. It was interesting, and I loved looking at the art, but I was hoping for more information about each artist. I guess maybe if it was pared down to just 3 of the women? I don't know what could have made it better for me, but I did lose interest from time to time. The first artist, Swoon, really intrigued me though, and I would love to learn more about her. If you are into art or like to watch an interesting documentary...check this one out, its pretty cool. If you are looking for excitement...this one is probably not for you.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0968760/

City Island (2009)

Eh...I could have turned this off in the first 20 minutes and not been devastated that I didn't finish it. In fact, I did turn it off and start to find something else to watch, but decided that felt like cheating, so I turned it back on. I am glad I did. This wasn't a fantastic movie, its not the even in the top 100 I have seen in my lifetime. However, the second half of the movie really picked up, it had some sweet moments and some laugh out loud moments. I know its not a great selling point "its not the worst movie I have ever seen" but thats kind of where I am with this. Andy Garcia plays a correctional officer who realizes that an inmate that comes into the prison is his son, whom he abandoned before he was even born. Andy is living with his wife, and his son, and also has a daughter who is away at college. This is a comedy and has some funny moments for sure. Its not really predictable, which is refreshing. Its improbable on so many levels, but the second half for sure can keep you amused enough to find this mildly entertaining. If you like Andy Garcia....watch it. He did a great job, its a really good role for him. If like cute boys, you should watch this...the long lost son, Tony (played by Steven Strait)is quite attractive. Emily Mortimer is in this (as you learned in previous posts, I don't love her, but she is growing on me) and she is sweet here too. Julianna Margulies plays Andys wife, and she is awesome here, I am a fan already but I thought this was a different role for her and I loved it. If you have instant Netflix, its not a bad choice. I almost hope people watch it just so I can see what everyone thinks.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1174730/

The Social Network (2010) and My Dog: an Unconditional Love Story (2009)

I decided since this was sort of a cheat again with a repeat viewing....that I would throw in a bonus documentary that barely should count. It was only an hour long. It was called My Dog: an Unconventional Love Story. It was sort of cute, but nothing spectacular. If you don't love dogs...you might not "get" it. If you do love dogs, especially if you are living without right now...parts of it are downright adorable. Its basically several little stories of celebrities and their dogs. My favorite little section was Didi Conn (Grease) and her family. Her son has Autism and really is obsessed with dogs. They have a beautiful sheepdog, one of my favorites! It was a sweet story. I enjoyed watching this and if you have Netflix, its only an hour long....give it a shot.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1534470/

Okay...on to The Social Network. I am still leaning towards this being my favorite movie of last year. I love David Fincher. He has been one of my favorites for awhile now, Fight Club is one of my all time favorite movies, and I really think he is one of the greats. I was sort of surprised to see that he was directing this, because it doesn't really fit with most of his other movies. I was so excited though, because I think he is brilliant and could bring something special to this. On to Aaron Sorkin...ah, another one of my favorites. The West Wing and Studio 60 were two of my favorite shows, and his movie screenplays were awesome as well. I went into this assuming I was going to come out not liking Mark Zukerberg. That really didn't happen. I don't know how much of this movie is based in fact, and how much is myth or exaggerated. Somehow I decided it almost doesn't matter. This movie could stand alone as a fiction story if it was, and still be a really good movie. Great soundtrack, great performances and an interesting storyline. The invention of Facebook. Perfect.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1534470/

Trucker (2008)

Sometimes I can't even remember why I put movies in my Netflix instant queue..then the opening credits will start and a light bulb will go off....ahhh.....Nathan Fillion. Okay, so I must have put this movie in my queue because of Nathan Fillion. I firmly believe that a movie can only get better with Nathan Fillion. That being said, this was a decent movie. I had low expectations, because I knew absolutely nothing about it, and I haven't really felt strongly one way or another about the main star, Michelle Monaghan. I enjoyed her in the cheesy chick flick that I loved "Made of Honor" but I barely even noticed her in "Gone Baby Gone". She was good in this, very good even. I had a different impression of her being just a pretty face, but really, she can hold her own in a darker emotional role such as this one was. The story is pretty basic....she plays a trucker named Diane who abandoned her son when he was a baby, now his father is ill and the boy is brought back to her "for a few weeks" while the father, her ex (played quietly by Benjamin Bratt) is in the hospital (cancer). I won't give too many spoilers away here, but its pretty easy to see where this movie is going right from the start. It is fairly predictable and formulaic in my opinion. Nathan Fillion plays a married neighbor who clearly has feelings for Diane and bonds a little bit with the boy. The movie as I said is pretty basic, no bells and whistles, no special effects, subtle music...but where it stood out for me is performances. I felt this movie. I thought that the writing was simple but good, and the characters were very well developed. Worth watching if you can handle nice quiet independent movies without a lot of bells and whistles, but with strong performances that tug at your heartstrings a little bit. Oh, also worth watching if you think that Nathan Fillion should be in every movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1087527/

My Flesh and Blood (2003)

I know, I know...another documentary. I can't help it. I am addicted to them. This was a good one. Heartbreaking, to be sure, but so amazing and wonderful too. This is a documentary following a woman named Susan Tom from California, who has adopted 13 special needs children. The film follows a year in the life of this family, showing the ups and downs, the background story and just the amazing strength and courage this woman has in raising these incredible children. Some parts are hard to watch, one of the children has a lot some issues and becomes verbally abusive a few times, another one, the sweet Anthony, had a rare skin disease (Epidermolysis Bullosa) and watching her care for him was so difficult to watch. I thought the film was very honest and revealing, and really really incredible. I was overwhelmed at times, and inspired at others. I think that as a parent that has a special needs child, I always am in awe of people who adopt them on purpose. I didn't choose for Chloe to have Down Syndrome, I love that she does...I am never sorry she does...it is part of who she is, and it makes her Chloe. Susan Tom adopted these children and made the decision to adopt children that had special needs. I find that so commendable. After watching this, I started thinking about how much I love having a child with Down Syndrome, and how I wouldn't mind someday maybe adopting another one. Which brings me to the public service portion of this days blog entry. I found this incredible organization that helps families adopt children with Down Syndrome and a few other various special needs that are in orphanages in other countries. In quite a few countries...babies with Down Syndrome, and other physical issues, are often put into orphanages and when they turn 4 years old, are turned over to mental institutions. I have seen photos of these places, and its so not pretty. Children, older children, teenagers even, all stuck in beds that are almost like bigger cribs. That is their life from then on. I can imagine the life expectancy of a child with special needs is pretty low in these countries. It totally breaks my heart. This organization is so incredible that I want to share it with you. Even if you aren't in the world where adopting a child is something you are interested in doing, seeing these children and spreading the word would help. There are ways to help this organization save as many children as they can.

http://reecesrainbow.org/ please visit this site and see if there is anything you can do to help!

Okay, back to the movie. I loved it, I definitely recommend it, however it does have some harsh situations that may not be suitable for all children. I would let Ian watch it, but there would be some discussions involved for sure.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342804/

sorry for the soapbox feel of this post, this topic is very near and dear to my heart :)

The Secret of Kells (2009)

I remember first hearing about this movie when it was nominated for an Academy Award last year for Best Animated Feature film. I don't always love animated movies, for me it either needs to be a really great story, or highly amusing. I had never heard of this one, and I tend to forget about them if they aren't on my kid's radar. This one popped up when I was adding new stuff to my instant Netflix queue and so I tossed it on there, forgetting about it for awhile, until Steph mentioned that she had watched it and enjoyed it, so I picked it for yesterdays movie of the day. I loved this movie from the first five minutes. I found it visually magical and beautiful. The story is about a young monk living in a monestary that ends up helping a traveler that comes and is working on completing the Book of Kells. He asks Brendan, the young boy for help, but helping him means leaving the protective walls of the monestary and venturing into the forest. He decides to help and he meets a fairie girl named Aisling and his adventures start there. I won't post any further story/spoilers because I think this is so worth watching, that I don't want to give anything away. I loved everything about this movie. Every scene could be paused and looked at as a work of art. I can see myself watching this multiple times just to look at the many geometric shapes, doodles, celtic art, watercolored frames, and color. The music is haunting when it needs to be, and exciting when the action is going on. Chloe watched quite a bit of this with me and seemed to really be taken in by its interesting imagery. Ian I think got a little bored, but if he gave it a chance I think he would really enjoy it. This is definitely a film for all ages. A perfect little movie, I highly recommend it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485601/

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010)

Again, I am a sucker for a documentary and this one was recommended to me by Entertainment Weekly so when I saw that it was on Instant Netflix last night I had to check it out. I should start out by saying, I am a fan of Joan Rivers. I have always liked her, starting way back when she used to sub for Johnny Carson, and into the early years of the red carpet shows. There was a period when I thought perhaps she should retire from those red carpet shows, and then once she did....I totally missed her. She is foul mouthed, offensive, brutally honest sometimes, but I think beneath it all, she is pretty funny. This was a very brash, raw and revealing film that documents Joan Rivers life in her 75th year. It shows sides of her I was surprised to see (including a glimpse of her before her make-up) I learned a lot about her, how important working is to her, the suicide of her husband Edgar, her very obvious insecurities and the falling out she had with Johnny Carson. I loved this movie. I think it made me think of her a little differently, realizing that she is more than just the character she seems to be playing when on-screen. To stop focusing so much on her plastic surgeries and remember that she paved the way for so many female comediennes that wouldn't be where they are today if someone hadn't walked that path before them. I love that she stays so busy at her age, and doesn't want to give up. I love that she says exactly what she thinks, even if its not a popular opinion. I thought this was a great documentary. Oh, be prepared for vulgarity and offensive jokes, this is not for the faint of heart (or small children) its definitely rated "R".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568150/

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

I went into this with very low expectations. For me, Tim Burton is hit or miss. I loved Batman, Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd, but hated Nightmare Before Christmas. So I don't get all excited when I see another Tim Burton movie on the horizon. I can even usually wait until video to watch them. I don't think I've ever seen the Disney cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland, so my only memory of the story is from reading it way back when I was a kid. So I don't have a lot of feelings about what should or shouldn't be included or what it was going to really be about. So the only thing I knew going in was that I don't always love Tim Burton....I think thats the key was the low expectations. I flipping loved it. I realize I am in the minority. I don't know many people that loved this movie. Opinions, if I remember people talking about it ranged from "just okay" to "awful". I don't get it. I thought it was wonderful. I thought it was fantastical, and visually stunning. I thought the characters were brought to life in such creative ways. I loved pretty much everything about it. Johnny Depp, oh my goodness, I love him more and more all the time. I loved his Mad Hatter. I thought Mia Wasikowska was a beautiful Alice. I had only seen her once before in The Kids are Alright, and I thought she was subtle but amazing. I thought this was well worth my time watching, in fact it made me sorry I didn't try harder to see it at the movies, maybe even in 3D. I would watch it again for sure, and I think I might re-read the book while the movie is still fresh in my mind

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/

Winter's Bone (2010)

I am a cheater cheater pumpkin eater. I did not watch this movie last night. I watched in a week or so ago and didn't blog about it because I knew one day I would need a filler. I didn't watch a movie yesterday because of the Golden Globes, which I love. Its like opening day of awards season, my favorite time of the year. Rather than bore you with my opinions of who won or lost, or who looked good, or bad. I will just comment that was so so SO excited to see open mindedness as far as some of the winners go. It was nice to see some new faces, and I can't tell you how much it warmed my heart to see Lauren Potter (the girl from Glee who has Down Syndrome) go up there with the cast to accept her award. She just never fails to make me smile and I loved that she was there, posing on the red carpet and accepting their award together. Love her so much. Okay, so now about this movie I watched awhile back. I can honestly say that this was probably one of my favorite movies of the year. It was quiet, small and a bit gritty, but I really loved so much about it. The story is pretty basic: a young girl needs to find her drug dealing father so she can continue to take care of her family. She runs into trouble at every turn and her persistence and her commitment to her family and what she perceives is her role as the caretaker is just heartbreaking and raw. Jennifer Lawrence was so incredible in this role that its no wonder she is popping up on awards lists. I would definitely watch this again, even though parts were painful to watch. There is definitely some violence, abuse and a very real and sad view of the drug/poverty world, but I still recommend this one.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399683/

Light and the Sufferer (2004)

I confess, the only reason I watched this (and I actually had to rent the real DVD...not instant netflixing) because Michael Esper (of American Idiot on Broadway) was one of the stars. That being said, I didn't hate it as much as I thought I might. I had seen some bad reviews, and saw some odd pictures....but it really wasn't terrible. Now I don't recommend that everyone go out and rent this, I don't think its for everybody. However, if you do like Michael Esper...totally worth it. He is completely adorable and does a great job. This is a bizarre little movie, based on a short story by Jonathan Lethem. Sort of a coming of age story, but with strange alien cats....There is no good way to explain it. Its the story of two brothers, trying to get out of a bad situation, leaving New York for California. They are followed around by the quiet and creepy Sufferer which is this giant alien cat like creature. The interesting thing to me was that it appears in the movie as if these Sufferers are a common occurance. Nobody really questions their presence. I would like to read this story and see how it compares to the film. The problems the brothers are going through get worse and worse and of course there is a tragic end. (no specific spoilers just in case you want to check this out) It's not an uplifting movie by any means, but I liked it anyway. Paul Dano does a good job as the brother that had already been in trouble when his brother Paul (Michael Esper) comes looking for him. I have liked Paul Dano since Little Miss Sunshine, I think he chooses interesting roles and I always look forward to what he is going to do next. I find it hard to just say I generally recommend this because its not for everyone. I will say if you want something a little different, and you want to see how adorable Michael Esper is....feel free to watch this one.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362822/

Cold Souls (2009)

I love Paul Giamatti. Lets get that out of the way first (I seem to say that a lot, clearly I am boy crazy) So watching this one was a no-brainer for me, especially with its sci-fi/metaphysical plot line. The story basically is this, Paul plays himself (sort of) as an actor who can't seem to "find" his character, or is blocked, or whatever the case may be. He hears about this process where you can remove and store your soul and so he decides to do this. When being without a soul makes him too harsh, not feeling enough, he goes back and finds out he can rent another person soul and so rents the soul of a Russian Poet. There is a concurrent storyline about Nina a russian mule that is smuggling souls in and out of the country. The two stories collide and at this point the story starts to fizzle. I still liked this, don't get me wrong. Even though much of it reminded me of a less interesting Charlie Kaufmann story (much in the vein of Being John Malkovich or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) it was still a unique plot. I thought Paul Giamatti was stellar as usual and it was nice to see one of my other favorites, David Straithairn as the Doctor/Scientist who does the soul extraction/insertions. I loved the tone of this movie and thought it really had potential, but it really sort of faded out into nothing for me at the end. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but felt it was worth the ride nonetheless. Great performances and something a little different. A nice way to spend a sleepless night.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127877/

Mary and Max (2009)

This little movie was recommended to me by a friend, and though I wasn't sure if it was appropriate for Ian to watch, we watched it together last night. This is an Australian clay-animated movie about a lonely young girl who becomes pen friends with a 40 year old man with Aspergers who lives in New York. This had some funny moments, but I would say for the most part, this is a drama. I absolutely was in love with this movie. I loved the animation, I loved the voices (Toni Collette plays Mary and my boyfriend Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Max) and I loved loved LOVED the story. I loved the idea that two people who just don't fit into societies "norms" were able to find each other by a complete fluke of fate, and end up with such a unique relationship. It was sad, no doubt about it...a sad lonely little tale. Yet I found a glimmer of hope that even through major differences, people can come together and change each others lives forever. Some of this reminded me a little of a Woody Allen movie. Of course it was so cool to see 1970s New York in Clay animation. I loved the colors in this movie, with its various hues of greys of the city, and the browns of Marys world with just a smatter of red here and there. The music was also perfect in setting the mood. I thought that the anxiety shown in Max's world was very honest and real. I also thought the neglect in Mary's world was so true and so sad. Makes you want to spend more time with your kids thats for sure! There is constant narration (most of the dialogue is the narration) which might bother some people. This was not a problem for me. I think Ian might have found it a bit boring, again I would not consider this a "childrens" movie, in fact I don't think that I would recommend it for children under 11 just because there are a few references to sex, that might require further explanation. I really think though that this is a sweet, sad movie worth watching for sure.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978762/

Jonah Hex (2010)

Wow. Okay, first the good things. Its short. With a running time of only an hour and 24 minutes, this wasn't as painful as it could have been. I had been warned this was pretty bad, but for $1 on Amazon, I couldn't resist, especially since my favorite boyfriend John Gallagher Jr is in it for a few minutes. I think I should put it out there that I love Josh Brolin, I have loved him since The Goonies and my love has never waned. So I actually wanted to see this when I saw the preview for it back in the summer. This movie just didn't work...on any level. I thought the music was good, and some of the effects were done well, but the story was just all over the place, and it just wasn't good. John Malkovich is really pretty basic as the villain (shocker, I know...what?? Malkovich playing a villain, what a unique idea!) and Aiden Quinn, who I loved, really should have been used more. Don't even get me started on Megan Fox, who I think is so unbelievably overrated. I am just going to say it...I think the girl cannot act. I think she is awful, and I have yet to see her prove me wrong. Not that I think it would have mattered if someone more fantastic had played this role, because it was a flat, one dimensional character anyway, that appeared to just be there for eye candy. So overall my opinion.....don't waste your money, or time, or anything else. If you want to see Josh Brolin in a better western, there are plenty to choose from. If you want to see more of John Gallagher Jr, go see American Idiot on Broadway.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1075747/

Chaos Theory (2008)

I should start by saying that I like Ryan Reynolds, I realize he is not for everybody. I have heard people complain that his characters always tend to seem arrogant, or various other complaints. To some, he is just too mainstream, or whatever. I like him. I think he is yummy, besides seeming like a pretty likeable guy. I will go out of my way to see movies that he has starred in, whether they are my kind of movie or not. This was my kind of movie to start with, I don't know how the heck I missed it in the first place, but I found the little gem on Netflix last night and I had to make it my pick of the day. I really really liked this. At first I thought it was going to be your average, everyday romantic comedy type of thing. However, within the first 15 minutes or so of the movie, I realized it was way more than that. The story (without giving too much away) revolves around a tightly wound family guy named Frank Allen (Reynolds) whose wife Susan (played by one of my not so favorite actresses Emily Mortimer) tries to mess him up a bit by moving their clock ten minutes ahead, giving him a bit more time for his morning routine, but accidentally set it ten minutes behind. Those ten minutes throw his life into a crazy tailspin, starting from him missing his ferry and continuing on a downward spiral of events that turn his life and all he knows completely upside down. I didn't expect any of it. I found it to be unpredictable and surprising in many ways. I loved Ryan in this movie. I thought he showed so much range in this role, playing crazy, confused, overwhelmed and hurt. His scenes with the little girl that played his daughter were so touching I found myself sniffling a little bit. Now, I don't love Emily Mortimer, I have no good reason for not liking her, she just isn't one of my favorites. In this movie, I tended to want to grab a headband, or barrette for her, because she always seems to be peering out from straggling bangs that need to get out of her face. I realize that this has nothing to do with the story, but man....it really got on my nerves. She does an attempt at an American accent here which isn't the worst, but could be better, and I always wonder why they bother sometimes...why not just let her be English? Anyway, the movie is told mostly in a flashback, so there is a bit of cheesiness in that telling of the story, but at the same time...the story was unique and it made me think so much about time, and about how one little twist one way or another, can change your life completely. I think about it all the time, if I hadn't seen a particular movie, on a particular night, would I even be friends with the people I am friends with? Or would it all have ended up that way anyway? If we had seen something other than Scrooged...and run into Jeff, Scott and Scott....where would we be today? I love movies that make me think a little bit, even if it has nothing to do with the movie. This was a good one. I have nothing but praise for the performances, the script and even the music. Great stuff. I would definitely recommend this one and a repeat viewing for me is not out of the question. Its one of the many instant Netflix options so if you subscribe to this service, now would be a great time to check it out!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460745/

The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008)

In the past year (probably longer) I have really fallen in complete love with Jimmy Fallon. I have always liked him, I loved his time on SNL. I loved him for the same reasons most people didn't like him on SNL (half the time he couldn't keep a straight face and would crack up...) that made him super endearing to me. I love what a fanboy he is on his talk show. He gives my absolute favorite interviews and I love love LOVE his new show. I have seen most of his movies as well, and always enjoyed them. My favorite role, of course being his small role in Almost Famous. The scene on the plane just cracks me up every time. Just so we all get it....I love Jimmy Fallon. So I jumped at the chance to watch this, when I saw it appear on my instant Netflix options the past few weeks. This was a small, slow, sad little movie about a young man named Christopher Rocket, who has to return home when his estranged father has a stroke. The story is told mostly in flashbacks, where we catch a glimpse of a very unhappy boy, in a pretty dysfunctional family. His mother (played by Sharon Stone) was clearly not happy in her life/marriage and I hate to use the word nutty, but I can't think of a more appropriate word for her. She definitely was "out there". Tom Arnold played the father, who was very distant, and ended up being a womanizer. The movie was just okay for me. I thought Jimmy was fabulous of course, proving that he actually can act, because I tell you, he barely cracked a smile throughout the entire movie. He was somber, depressed and pretty serious, while trying to make some sense of his childhood and past in order to move forward in his future. I thought he was completely believable and would love to see him take on more serious roles like this. He really was great. His girlfriend, played by Lucy Liu, seems to be waiting for him to make a commitment, which he seems to be unable to make, and the movie sort of makes this a focal point at the end. It was very choppy to me, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be feeling half of the time. The high point for me, was the always fabulous Illeana Douglas ( can she just be in every movie, all the time?) as one of his fathers conquests. I wish I had liked this more than I did....I saw one reviewer compare it to Garden State, which I liked SO much better. I don't think this was an awful movie, I just didn't love it. I was glad I put forth the effort to watch it, though, as it gave me more reasons to order my I Love Jimmy Fallon T-shirt. Skip the movie, tune in to his late night talk show...thats my advice!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0924134/

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

I guess this is cheating, though I don't remember setting out any rules for myself as far as repeat viewings go. So its out there. I have seen this movie before. Multiple times. Clearly I enjoy it or I wouldn't keep watching it. I make no apologies for my love for this movie. As many of you know, I am in love with Kevin Smith. I got the opportunity this past year to actually meet him after one of his Q & A shows in Royal Oak, and I will tell you, it was one of the highlights of my life. I was worried that I might get hit by a bus after I was done because it was like my serious dream come true. But guess what? I lived to see even more amazing things last year, so my advice to you is dream BIG! The second confession I have to make for those of you that don't know me well is...drumroll please.....I cuss like a sailor. Seriously, I have a potty mouth. Sorry if you have now lost all respect for me, but I swear, and I kind of like it. So I preface this review by saying, if you don't like cuss words....this is NOT the movie for you ( I just read a little piece of trivia that said that the "F" word is used 229 times in this film). If they censored out the swear words, this would be a super short movie.

Now, onto my review. This is a sweet ( I know, right? how is it possible with that title??) endearing story, about two best friends/roommates, who are so broke that they decide that in order to make some money...they will make and star in a porno film. The chemistry between the two characters is so realistic that at times its painful to watch. Especially when it comes down to them having to actually have sex for the first time with each other, on camera in front of a room full of people. Of course, I am sure you can figure out that they realize they have feelings for each other, blah, blah, blah..I won't give anything more than that away, just in case this is the kind of movie you can stomach, because it really is a good one.

I admit to being a Seth Rogen fan, and this particular movie/role really made me love him even more. I thought the dialogue and storyline were unique and highly amusing. I thought that Elizabeth Banks was sweet, and just very real. Like she could be my friend. I think she plays Miri so honestly, that sometimes I felt like I had been her. (not that I have ever made a porno...not my thing)

I have watched this movie several times now, I own this movie, and I never get tired of it. I recommend it to anyone who can tolerate foul language, and offensive storylines....but who enjoy a sweet endearing story hiding beneath. Great stuff. Thank you again Mr. Smith, sir, you never fail to make me smile.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1007028/

Ponyo (2008)

I feel sort of like a cheater for this one. But I did watch it all the way through, but it was really Ian's movie, I was just too sick to fight for the remote. I had been reading a discussion about Hayao Miyazaki.(actually it was more of a Miyazaki vs Disney debate, but thats not important right now!) In any case, I had never seen any of his movies, so since this one was available on Netflix, (and Ian had it in our queue) thats how it happened. First off, I didn't "love" it. I liked it for the most part. I thought it was a nice fantastical, mystical kind of story. I thought the music was good, some of the animation was good. For the most part, I guess I just didn't "get" it. I wanted to. I feel like I should have my geek/nerd card taken away from me because I really don't love Japanese Animation the way so many people that I know do. Maybe I need to try a different movie? who knows, but this was just okay for me. I don't know that I would watch it again...but the kids both seemed to enjoy it. Ponyo sort of reminded me of Chloe from time to time. The story (for those who don't know, or haven't seen it) is about a little boy named Sosuke who finds and starts a relationship with an adorable goldfish princess named Ponyo, who wants to become human. It was cute for the most part. I loved Liam Neeson doing the voice of Ponyo's father. The voices were all good. This is a really pathetic review LOL! It was nice, sweet, simple....but not enough something...for me. Sorry everyone.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0876563/

Grown-Ups (2010)

So for starters, I admit to being an Adam Sandler fan. I realize most of his movies are(not sure of the best word here...immature??)only mildly amusing to some. I always feel a little bit of heart in them. Two of the ones I like and DO recommend are The Wedding Singer (my favorite) and 50 First Dates. Both completely cheesy, but both cute and amusing. This movie....not so cute or amusing. I will say a few positive things and then get to the bashing....the cast had amazing chemistry. In the scenes where it was just the guys sitting around BSing about growing up, etc...those were nice. Even if the topics of conversation bordered on offensive sometimes....still thought it was pretty realistic for men their ages who had grown up together and still maintained a certain level of friendship. The kids were all great. I thought the boys playing Sandlers boys were very amusing as two spoiled rich kids who didn't know how to play like normal kids. I HATED the extended breastfeeding jokes/bashing, it was the first real turn off for me and I didn't find any of it amusing AT ALL. Pumping for the sick bird?? just stupid. Burp and Fart jokes...sometimes I love them, sometimes I hate them...here they landed flat and weren't funny. I think there was more that could have been done with the storylines if they had tried hard enough. I was sad that I didn't enjoy this more. I don't think I can even recommend it...that being said. Ian watched a great deal of it with me. He laughed a bit more than I did, but then got bored and started playing Angry Birds with the movie as background noise. Enough said. On a side note...I did enjoy the Adam Sandler song "Stan the Man" that played through the end credits. Seemed to be an autobiographical song about his father, and though it wasn't probably the best song ever written and maybe not meant to be funny....it was sweet and felt pretty honest. Best part of the movie for me...the end credits.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375670/

Dad's In Heaven With Nixon (2010)

Before I start this review, I want to mention how much I love instant Netflix. I have a little Roku box where I can stream movies right to my TV in my bedroom, so on days like today...when I am sick miserable with a cold...I can stay in bed and still watch my movies! Not to mention the many, many documentaries I get to choose from that are available online. I am a sucker for random documentaries.
Last night I chose this one, after closing my eyes and flipping through my queue until it randomly landed here. At first I wasn't sure I really understood where the filmmaker (Tom Murray) was trying to go with this. By the little information snippet, I thought it was about his brother, Chris Murray who is diagnosed with Autism, and has become an artist. About halfway through, I realized that it was really about the entire family, and what they had gone through, both with the challenges of a special needs child/sibling, and also a father who had some mental health issues. It was like watching someone else's home movies. It was an interesting story, and Chris is really a good artist. I fell in love with him during the movie, and really cared about the story they were telling. I recommend this to anyone who has a family member with special needs. Of course I got a lot out of it, especially the part where Janice, the boys mother, talks about her birth experience, and the way they told her about the possible "limits" her son would face. She clearly thought there was more out there for her son, and went out of her way to get him the best therapies and treatment options available. This was a really great story. I really enjoyed it, and am definitely looking more into Chris as an artist.

http://www.inheavenmovie.com/

Eat Pray Love (2010)

I almost didn't ever see this movie. This is by far, one of my favorite books of all-time. I do believe it's a love it or hate it book. For me, it was true love. I listened to it on audio the first time I read it, and just fell in love with the author immediately. I loved her story, found it interesting, and loved the way it was written. I like Julia Roberts, don't get me wrong, but I never thought this was brilliant casting. She isn't Liz Gilbert to me, only Liz Gilbert could be Liz Gilbert to me. I wish she would have just played herself. That being said, this movie was decent. Ryan Murphy did a good job with it, as good as I think one can do with a movie based on a memoir that was very insight based. And though I enjoyed it, and loved watching the food in Italy come to life and make me hungry, I loved the beauty of Bali, however, I thought way too much was missing. I thought that with the long running time that they would be able to squeeze in all the parts that made that book/story the amazing thing I fell in love with...not so. Most of my favorite parts of the book were missing here. It was like snippets of an experience, which is decent to watch....however much better to read the whole thing. I was really looking forward to seeing how they translated her problems with meditating to film.....again, not so well. Whole characters were out, that I loved so much in the book. I guess I just wasn't feeling it. I am so happy that I read this book and didn't just see the movie. The movie was okay...not horrible, not fantastic. I would even recommend it to someone who doesn't love to read, but would get something out of this story. However, to most I would say....buy the book, read it first and then if you are in the mood (or really like Julia....or the yummy Javier Bardem)watch the movie.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879870/

The Town (2010)

Thanks to AmazonOnDemand running a special, I got to rent this baby for a mere $1 last night! I admit, movies like this sometimes just don't do it for me. I really liked Ben Afflecks directorial debut "Gone Baby Gone" but ordinarily, bank robber movies don't keep my interest for very long. This was an exception. At first, I wasn't loving it. It was dark and gloomy, and another one of the many movies lately where I am clearly supposed to be sort of rooting for the sympathetic bad guy. Jeremy Renner gives another great performance as one of the bank robbers with a very short fuse. I have added him to my list of actors not to miss. He gives a pretty raw and believable performance here, as he did in The Hurt Locker last year. Ben Affleck, a longtime favorite of mine, was top of his game here. I found myself really feeling for his character as he went through a range of emotions after falling for the bank manager from the bank they robbed in the opening scene. I don't know much about Jon Hamm except his guest starring role on 30 Rock, as I have yet to watch Mad Men though everyone tells me I would like it! He was good as an FBI agent hot on the trail of these guys, but I wasn't in love with his character. I liked this movie, but I always feel guilty after watching a movie like this, when I end up wanting the bad guys to get away instead of get whats coming to them. All in all, a good flick, glad I took the time to watch it, and a little sorry I didn't catch it on the big screen!

Here is a link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840361/

The first few...

Well, I am trying this project again. I haven't even gone back to read and see how far I got last time, or when it all fizzled out for me. However, I have been inspired lately by good movies, not to mention the ease of watching now with instant Netflix. So here I go again. Of course, its not a great start when I already watched the movies but didn't blog about them yet! Lets see if I can do better from here on out?

January 1-4, 2011: Big Eden (2000), Black Swan (2010), True Grit (2010), Inception (2010), Easy A (2010)

I will start with Big Eden http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212815/ perhaps I will figure out how to really do links this time around, but for now, this is how I have to do it! I thought this was cute. Its a fictional story about a gay man who goes home to a small town in Montana to tend his ailing grandfather. I liked the characters, and have always loved Arye Gross. It was worth watching, even if it did have a little "lifetime-ish" feel to it. You know, the kind you watch during the holiday season?? Yeah, thats the kind. A little on the improbable side, yet leaves you with a feeling of hope that someday the world will be a better place.

Black Swan http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/ Hm...I don't know if I can write a review of this yet, because two days later, I am still not quite sure what I thought of it! As I was watching it, I was thinking...this is a really great piece of art. I loved the dancing, I loved the acting, especially Natalie Portman. I loved the grittiness that Aronofsky usually displays in his movies (though I haven't really loved any of his films...) and I loved the idea of the story. That being said, I don't know that I feel it lived up to the hype. Would I see it again? Probably. Do I think its the best movie I have seen this year? Nope.

True Grit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/ Wow. I loved this. I expected to like it, because I haven't met a Coen brothers movie that I didn't at least like a little, and I do enjoy a good western from time to time. I didn't expect to love it. I definitely didn't expect to want to see it again right away. Something about this movie made my heart full, no matter how cheesy that sounds. The story is pretty much this: a 14 year old girl (Hailee Steinfeld) sets off to track down her fathers murderer. She enlists the help of an aging, sometimes drunk Rooster Cogburn (played by Jeff Bridges) who is a US Marshall, and adventures ensue. Matt Damon plays a cocky Texas Ranger, and one of my favorite boys Josh Brolin, plays the villain. I loved this...wait...did I say that already? Well I freaking did. It had a lot of heart, it had witty dialogue, it was very well acted and darn it....it brought a tear to my eye. I hope to see Hailee Steinfeld during awards season because she nailed it! Great stuff, can't wait for a repeat viewing.

Inception http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/(this was a second viewing for me, so I won't really say much about it) I loved it. I loved it the first time around, and loved it equally the second. I didn't feel like my second time really made me convinced I had it all figured out, but I still liked it enough to see it again for at least a third time. I loved the plot, the acting, the characters and of course the amazing dream imagery. Very well done and in my opinion, deserving of any praise that gets thrown its way...

Easy A http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1282140/ (another second viewing for me) great stuff. The highly entertaining, and very beautiful Emma Stone, who rocks my world these days...plays a young, smart and witty girl who gets caught up in rumors about her sexual encounters...comedy/drama ensues. This movie made me laugh more than once, which is rare for me these days in these "chick flick" type of movie. I loved everything about this movie and I recommend it to everyone who loves a good sweet but smart comedy. Definitely one of my favorites of this past year.