As You Like It: I am a fan of Shakespeare and I am a very big fan of Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare movies and this is one of them. As You Like it is an enjoyable comedy but it is brought to it's best set in 19th century Japan. I never would have thought of a Shakespeare play in such a setting but Branagh makes it simply beautiful. I heartily recommend it.

Sydney White: A silly retelling of Snow White, this time it's Sydney White and the seven dorks. It's a fun and far fetched movie, I watched it with a roomie and we had a great time seeing it, it's one of those movies.

Miss Potter: This movie is about the life of Beatrix Potter, as I know very little about her I could not tell you as to how accurate it is but I found it a very charming story. I had no idea... well quite frankly all I knew about Beatrix Potter was that she wrote those stories, the ones about Peter Rabbit and all those other animals; I didn't realize that it might be though improper for a woman to be writing and illustrating her own stories. I also wasn't aware that she bought large amounts of land in the Lake District which she donated for preservation and I think that was a very wonderful thing to do. I found this movie rather inspirational it makes me want to do more, be better, do something really great.

Becoming Jane: I was curious, I admit it, despite hearing poor opinions of it; I think sometimes you still just to see something that you've heard was bad in order to confirm it for yourself. It's not wonderful, it's not terrible, it's just kind of blah, and frankly I don't know that I buy it. I think it's sort of funny, avid Austin fans would have this be another one of her stories with a lovely happy ending, but it cannot be, Jane Austin died young (well relatively) and she was unmarried; to a man she loved or any one else. Rather ironic isn't it?

For Whom The Bell Tolls: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman in a story about the Spanish Revolution by Hemingway. Yes Hemingway, bingo, interesting plot about the underdogs and an unhappy ending...ish.

Captain Horatio Hornblower: Before there was Piarates of the Carabean, there was Captain Horatio Hornbolower of the Royal Navy...I think that's what it's called. Anyway this movie takes place durring one of the Napolionic wars and Captain Hornblower is pretty much a sailors super hero and so who else could play that but Gregory Peck, it's a fair movie, nothing spectacular but not the worst you could do either.

Footloose: This movie is pretty awesome, Kevin Bacon, the 80s, dancing, Kenny Loggins, what more could you ask, except for an impromptu dance party after watching.

Atlantis: I thought this movie was soo cool when it first came out, and now, I still think it's a pretty awesome movie, it's fun to think about those sort of mysterious things, could there really still be an Atlantis out there? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that you can't still make a movie about it.

Soylent Green: If you enjoy the occasional Charlton Heston - Armageddon movie, then you should see Soylent Green, the world in 2022...11 years from now. I think over all I prefer the unintended humor of Planet of the Apes to Soylent Green's unintentional humor but it's still pretty good. I was first introduced to this movie by some friends...I think it might have been for St. Pactrick's day? perhaps not, however we did eat green food.

Return To Me: So this is one of the best known chick flicks I know of and has the recomendation of multiple guys I know as their chick flick of choice. Yes it's cheesy, it is a chick flick, but it's sweet and funny. A friend of mine observed that a wonderful cast of supporing characters can really make a great movie, here is the proof.

Spy Kids 3-D: This was the movie of choice last night when I was babysitting. I haven't really loved the spy kids movies since the first one. I've never actually seen this one with the 3D glasses and that might be fun but I doubt it'd really make me like this movie much more. It might be chalked up to the fact that this movie takes place in a video game and I'm not a gamer, but over all I wasn't impresses, however Elijah Wood's cameo was pretty funny.

The Queen: This movie is sort of a dramatized documentary...if that is a term, it covers the events following Princess Diana's death from the points of view of Queen Elizabeth and her family and the Prime Minister who at that point was Tony Blair. I find this movie interesting because of the way it looks into life as a royal etc.I don't know how accurately the events are represented but it was interesting to see another point of view on those events. Frankly I don't really remember much of them, I didn't really know much about Princess Diana. Quite honestly I wonder what the Queen thinks of this movie.

Life is Beautiful/La Vita E Bella: This may be my favorite movie, and for me that's quite a concession. This is an Italian movie, written, directed, and staring Roberto Benigni. I don't know that I have the words for how wonderful this movie is but I strongly believe that it's a movie that everyone should see and has something that everyone will love. One of the things I love is that the little boy in the movie is probably the cutest little boy I've ever seen. This movie is funny, sweet and inspiring.

To Kill A Mockingbird: I love this movie, I love the book even more, but the movie is almost as good. Gregory Peck is the perfect Atticus Finch, I don't know that anyone could have done a better job, from caring father to powerful orrater and lawyer to first class human being. This is such a powerful story about good and bad people and the world that we live in, it's a classic.

Love Story: This movie is famous, if not infamous, and though I'd never seen it before I realized that I'd seen it in different incarnations: A Walk To Remember, Charley, and others I'm sure. This movie is a well known romance and tear-jerker - in other word it's not something that should be watched after a break up or with a bunch of girls...unless you really want to cry, I've never had that urge but to each their own. It was a pretty good movie and I'm happy to say that I didn't cry. I will admit that my eyes got moist at more that one point because of Ryan O'Neil's puppy dog face but there were no tears. One thing I liked was that it was a slightly more innocent age and though there are love scenes, you're safe watching them. While it was a good movie, I stand by the famous line "Love means never having to say you're sorry." when it was spoofed in What's Up Doc? where Barbra Streisand says the line and Ryan O'Neil replies "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."

Dear Frankie: This movie was an instant love and not just because it takes place in Scotland where people have beautiful accents. This movie is probably a bit cheesy, but it is such a heart warming movie and I at least, find it hard not to get emotionally involved. A woman, her mother and her son move around a lot so as not to be found by her abusive husband. The woman has a secret from her son: the letters he writes to his father go to a box where his mother gets them and writes back to him as his father. When the boat his father supposedly works on comes to port she tries to find someone to pose as Frankie's father. An interesting note is that the film features BSL (British Sign Language), which is very different than ASL.

Death On The Nile: This was a very good whodunit, I've never read Agretha Christie but the two movies I've seen of her movies have been very good and slightly unnerving. In this you can see Angela Lansbury play a crazy, sex obsessed old lady, and Betty Davis as a thieving old lady and probably some other people you know of. I didn't really see the ending coming.

Back To The Future: Part III: So scientifically this movie is even more far fetched than either of the other two movies, but it's still a fun one. Doc ends up getting sent back to 1885...or maybe 1855, I can't quite remember. Marty goes back to the past (1955) to get Doc's help fixing the time machine although now that I think about it I'm not sure how Marty gets to 1955 but maybe that's in the second movie and I just don't remember. Anyway, it's fun, utterly ridiculous and I'm guessing, unlike any other western out there.

The Manchurian Candidate: SEE THIS MOVIE! It was soo amazing, so wonderful. I should clarify that this is the original with Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury (is it just me or has that woman looked old her entire life?). I don't quite know how to explain it but early on in the movie I began to get excited, I knew that it would be an amazing movie; there are some movies that we love because they are dumb, some because they're mildly amusing, some that make us cry, so on and so forth but rare are the movies that can really thrill, movies that are intelligent, that might just blow your mind a little, that keep you utterly captivated- this was such a movie for me. I think this movie has earned itself a place in my heart with Casablanca, possibly even higher.

Glory Road: This is loosely speaking, the Remember The Titans of basketball. It's a sports movie and all that goes with it, defying the odds and being all around inspirational. I think this movie and Remember the Titans are different, and stand out from your average sports movie because these movies, both based on real events are about black/white integration and people who helped to break down the bigotry and hatred. Sports may not be everyone's cup of tea but I'm for anything that can help make the world a better place. I think this is a great story about great people in history.

Stardust: I quite enjoy this movie, I still remember going to see it with my roommates and a friend of ours. This movie, as the directer more or less said, is not going to change the world or anything like that, but it's terribly entertaining. Like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow it's a dazzling world of fantasy and the kid inside me is just thrilled. In Stardust there are witches, stars, murderous princes and best of all pirates who's ship flies through the air. I absolutely love the idea of flying pirate ships, if they ever come about, I would probably join the account.

Casablanca: So the AFI named Citizen Kane as their number one film and Casablanca as number two, if I did it I don't think that I'd put Citizen Kane on the list at all and Casablanca would most deffinatly be number one. Casablanca was a serindipitous movie where dispite being writen as it was being filmed and noone knowing what the ending would be, everything sort of worked out and it's still a classic today. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman both shine in this movie, but not alone, I've come to believe that in a great movie there's also a great cast of minor characters and this Casablanca has in Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreets, Claude Rains and others who's names I don't know. I love this movie and think that everyone should see it, it's got action, drama, comedy, romance, it's wonderful. Favorite line: "Are my eyes really brown?"

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Let me start of by clarifying that I have no interest in the books whatsoever; I was drawn to this movie because Jim Carey was in it. This is a very funny movie, there are great actors in it like Jim Carey and Meryl Streep. Carey plays multiple characters, all of which are superb. I like it, but I don't love it as I do some other movies.

Gigi: This is an older musical about a group of Parisians, lovers and mistresses...that might not be the right term but anyway... It's a sweet little story, nothing earth shaking, but amusing, it's a nice comforting sort of movie, one just to enjoy and not worry about anything too much. Despite the lovers and mistresses it's not inappropriate. I quite enjoy this movie every time I see it.

Back To The Future: This is an awesome, crazy, funny, 80s movie. Michael J. Fox goes back in time and sees his parents when they were his age. He has to get them together or he won't exist in the future. It's a fun movie.

Friday, May 8

The Bourn Identity: I love these movies, I love a spy type action thriller well done, and that serise is just that. I have the spy fascination but I've found that I now prefer to watch something that at least seems like a more realistic spy world, than the gadgeted, and farsical world of spies. This being said I also love Chuck, so it goes both ways I guess. Anyway, if you're into spy/ action coolness, I highly recomend Bourn, however I didn't love the books...and they have a way different plot.
Anything Goes: I got this musical because it has Donald O'Connor and I'm a fan, however it wasn't one of those amazing musicals I felt, just mediocer, but maybe if you really love Cole Porter you'd think better of it, who knows. Bing Crosby's also in it but I'm not a huge fan of his.
Mr. Deed's Goes to Town: I got this to see more of Frank Capra's movies. It wasn't bad but also not my favorite. I assume that Mr. Deed's with Adam Sandler took it's plot from this.
The Big Sleep: Bogie, Bacall, it was the first time I'd seen a movie with both of them. I liked it a lot. I have no idea where the title came from though.
The Bachelor and The Bobby Soxer: I love Carey Grant, however not a favorite, I probably won't watch it again.
The Nun's Story: I got this to see Audrey Hepburn and it was not what I was expecting. It was very interesting, I can't say how accurate because I've never been Catholic, I learned a lot, hopefully not things that aren't true. However even if I ever became Catholic, I never, ever want to be a nun.