2008 Movie Log
Flash of Genius
♥♥♥
Greg Kinnear is great. True story, “feel good” movie—except I didn’t feel so good afterwards. Dr. Kearns sacrificed 12 years of his life and his marriage to save his integrity & rights as an inventor. He did the right thing – and what he HAD to do, I believe – but it came at a price. Thank goodness Hollywood didn’t gloss-over the realities of this story.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Transsiberian
♥♥1/2
This suspense thriller would have been a four-star film except for one pivotal scene that didn’t ring true. The scene could have easily been shot to be believable with just some minor tweaks — and it bugs me! Definitely still worth seeing.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Burn After Reading
♥♥♥1/2
I love the Coen brothers – and I really liked this movie; it’s satirical & laugh-out-loud funny. Brad Pitt is hilarious. It takes a very smart, intelligent actor to play a complete bumbling idiot with such abandon. This movie, set in DC, pokes fun at everyone – adulterers, losers, romantics, fitness buffs, US marshals & the CIA.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Vicky Cristina Barcelona
♥♥♥
Woody Allen’s latest. Two girlfriends (Rebecca Hall & Scarlett Johansson) spend the summer in Spain and fall in love with the same painter (Javier Bardem). Things really heat up when his ex-wife (Penelope Cruz), with whom he has a love/hate relationship, shows up. The movie will make you want to travel to Spain and take photographs of beautiful architecture and eat outside at quaint restaurants and drink lots and lots of wine. Excellent acting–especially Cruz. The film is narrated throughout – which is sometimes annoying, but it works in this film very well. Usually when a film uses a lot of narration, it’s the same as saying “I couldn’t figure out how to get this point across on film so, what the hell, I’m just going to tell you…..”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The Wackness
♥♥♥1/2
The Wackness takes place in NYC in the summer of 1994–pagers were hip; and hip hop music was even hipper. Recent high school grad Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) is a pot dealer who forges an unlikely friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley), a psychiatrist. Both are lost souls. I loved this movie—I thought it was brilliant. Don’t vomit – but Mary-Kate Olsen has a small role in this film and she was good. I’m cutting her some slack.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Pineapple Express (sneak preview)
♥♥♥
This film was unbelievably, shockingly violent and bloody and gory. I haven’t laughed so hard in my life. Imagine a blend of Cheech & Chong and Steven Segal – and you get the odd mix of Pineapple Express—a stoner movie with lots of action and really big guns. Exceptionally clever dialogue. Tongue-in-cheek cheesiness. Superb, believable acting. I loved it.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The X-Files: I Want to Believe
♥♥
I was a huge fan of the TV show–so I enjoyed seeing Mulder and Scully together again on the big screen–smooching even! The movie’s storyline was very macabre and creepy. Folks who aren’t familiar with the TV characters won’t appreciate parts of the movie – the appearance of Skinner, the subtle inside jokes. I could have waited for the DVD and saved myself some moolah.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Mamma Mia!
♥♥♥♥
We loved, loved, loved it! We just saw Mamma Mia! on Broadway in early May – so we’ve been eagerly awaiting the movie version. The scenery was GORGEOUS – and so was the cast. Meryl Streep was wonderful – especially her rendition of “The Winner Takes It All”—-I got a little teary-eyed. My husband thought Pierce Brosnan was a horrible singer – but I thought he was very believable and authentic. (I’ve been a HUGE fan of his since “The Matador” !!!) Stay through the credits, people.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )WALL-E
♥♥♥♥
Pixar’s latest is one of its greatest. The whole family went to an opening “day” screening (at 12:01 AM). Yes, we are nuts, I know. I thought our soon-to-be 13-year old would be the youngest in the sold-out gamer/geek/Pixar-lovin’-filled theater–but there were a couple of kids around 10 years old. What a GREAT movie – with an important, non-preachy message. We exclaimed “Aaaah!” and “Ooooh!” so many times that I lost count. My husband agreed to come along on our midnight-2am adventure, but announced that he’d probably take a snooze during the movie. Ha! He didn’t even blink for the entire 1-hour & 43 minutes. However, he wasn’t quite as animated as our 18-year old (who is Pixar obsessed) – she was literally bouncing in her seat during the whole screening. A must-see on the big screen.
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