Saving Mr. Banks

Emma Thompson was great. Tom Hanks did all right too - although because I remember watching Walt Disney every week on TV when I was young, it was harder for me to project Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.

I've only seen a couple of movies this year. Christmas morning we woke up and Ray said, "Do you want to go see a movie?" I've wanted to see Saving Mr. Banks, so we went to the earliest showing. There were only 10 of us in the theater. 

I liked the movie. It wasn't really what I expected, although I don't know what I was expecting. It's the story of P.L. Travers' life as a young girl with her father, interwoven with the story of getting her to approve the movie Mary Poppins as Walt Disney wanted to have it. It's not a movie for children only because I don't know that they would enjoy the story so much. I thought it was very good.

Red 2

Two things:

1. I am so far behind on my blog posts. My blog is also a journal for me, so I need to catch up on some vital events that have not been recorded yet. This movie is not one of those vital events, but it sure was fun.

2. It's sad how few movies I see. This is my first movie of 2013. The last movie I saw was Les Mis on Christmas day.

I liked the movie! I screamed at the suspenseful parts, giggled and even laughed out loud a few times. The people next to us really enjoyed it, which was also fun to see. This is just the kind of movie I like Bruce Willis in. Of course, you can never go wrong with Helen Mirren or Mary-Louise Parker.  I like John Malkevich better in this movie than any other I've seen him in. (see #2 above to give that last sentence its correct perspective).  It's too late to see this movie in the theater, and quite frankly I bet even the dollar theaters don't remember it by now. But it's worth renting, or netflixing, or whatever you do to see a movie that is no longer in the theater. 

Les Miserables

I've seen the play at least a dozen times. It's my all time favorite. I've been excited to see the movie and bought the tickets a few weeks ago. We saw it first thing Christmas morning.

One word: Magnificent.

Breaking Dawn part 2

I must admit, I went to see this movie purely for social reasons. I enjoyed the books, but hated the first movie. I couldn't get past the bad hair and make-up. This is the only Twilight movie I've seen since.

I liked the movie. Hair and make-up were much improved, as was most of the acting. Kristen Stewart (Bella) and Robert Pattinson (Edward) never looked happy. Here they are with their dream come true--together forever--and not a decent smile out of either of them.

The movie was much better than I expected, but I had such low expectations that that wasn't much of a challenge.

Skyfall

I just love a good James Bond movie, and that's what this was. All the action you could ever want, a few pretty girls thrown in, a decent plot, and of course, Daniel Craig. Add the Imax factor, and I was in heaven.

The Bourne Legacy

In the summer we usually see a lot of action movies. We'll head out to a matinee and enjoy the air-conditioned theater and an exciting (hopefully) film. Ray and Ray have gone to a few movies this summer, but I haven't seen a movie since The Hunger Games in April. I was long overdue for a movie of any sort.

We hit the matinee today to see The Bourne Legacy. I liked it. It was a teeny bit confusing at the beginning, but I knew it would sort itself out as we went along, in true Bourne fashion. And it did. There were some great chase scenes--both on foot and on motorcycles.

Was it as good as the ones with Matt Damon? Probably not. But I still liked it, and they left plenty of room for sequels with the ending.

Now to find a nice romantic comedy.

The Hunger Games

If I hadn't been lounging about the beach in Hawaii, I would have seen this movie on opening day. I couldn't wait to see it. Ray (husband), Ray (son), and I just saw it together.

I loved it! Thank you to Hollywood (for once) for great casting, costumes, make-up, performances, and screen play adapted from the book. It was fun to see it with my son, because he also read all the books, and we've had some good discussions about them. I wondered what my husband would think, because he went in completely cold - not a single clue what any of it was about. He really liked it too. His comment at the end was: is there a sequel?

If you liked the books, it's worth seeing. If you haven't read the books, it's worth seeing.

I can't wait to see the next one.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

I didn't see the first Sherlock Holmes movie. My son saw it and gave a shrug when I asked how it was.

This time around I didn't wait for his rating. Ray and I were bored, so we went to the movies. We had great seats, and I must admit to being riveted from the outset. I saw a few things coming, but was delightfully surprised by most of the things that were foreshadowed. It might be fun to see it again, knowing the end from the beginning.

Robert Downey Jr. makes a great Sherlock, and Jude Law is well cast as Watson. The movie bears just enough resemblance to Conan Doyle's stories to make it very fun for me. I've read every one of the Sherlock Holmes stories. That was when I first felt the shiver from a thrilling story. I almost had a heart attack while reading The Hound of the Baskervilles and my dad startled me. But I digress.

I'm now going to watch the first Sherlock Holmes movie. It may not be as good as this one, but I know I'll enjoy it.

Mission: Impossible, Ghost Protocol

If my typing is shaky, it's because the adrenaline is still pumping.

• I thought I might wet my pants from the excitement. 
• I think I crushed Ray's hand during the anxious parts. 
• At one point I had to hide my face in his shoulder so I wouldn't explode from the tension. 
• No chance I was checking my watch or wondering when it would ever be over.
• Good thing the movie was so loud (no one heard my screams).
• Great action.
• Good plot.
• Fabulous supporting cast.
• Whew!

Footloose 2011 - the movie

Two words: huge disappointment.

I was looking for a fun remake with lots of great dancing. There were only two great dance scenes - the opening "flashback" scene, and the closing scene. In between were 100 minutes of my thoughts careening in these directions:

1. This is too racy (for the first 30 minutes)
2. Only a teenager would like this, but I wouldn't want my teenager (if I had one) to see it (at least for the first 30 minutes).
3. If I run to the bathroom I know I won't miss anything.
4. (Peering at my non-glow-in-the-dark watch) I wonder how long until the movie is over?
5. I bet if I made a phone call the 10 people in the audience would find it more fun to listen to than this movie.
6. I should start thinking about my blog post now.
7. I wonder if we should just leave.
8. I've seen Andie McDowell act and enjoyed those movies. How come she's not acting now? Is it her, or the script?
9. Repeat number 8 for all known actors in the film.
10. Why in the few good dance shots there are, do the cameras show only a limb here or there, and not the whole body dancing?
11. The guy lead is pretty good.
12. The guy who plays Willard is good.
13. I'm disappointed in Julianne Hough. She's really the reason I wanted to see the movie. She can dance, but they don't show it enough.
14. If Bomont is supposed to be such a conservative small town, why are all the girls' chests so exposed, and their skirts non-existant?
15. Why can't Dennis Quaid tell his daughter is having problems just by her appearance?
16. Why did they put the best part (it's relative) of the movie in the last 20 minutes? Corny, yes, but at least more like what I wish the rest was like.
17. There is too much drinking and driving in this movie.
18. Thank heavens this is matinee prices and not full price.
19. Why didn't I borrow the original from a friend, and watch it again at home? For free.
20. What shall we have for dinner?

The Help - Movie

Ray and I ventured out yesterday afternoon to see The Help movie. I thought it was fantastic. 

I loved the book, so was a little worried about whether the movie would hold up. I think it is the best screen adaptation of a book that I've ever seen (for a movie where I have read the book). I got caught up emotionally  more than I thought I would. 

I wondered if Ray would like it. He hasn't read the book. He thought it was very well done, and really liked it.

There you have it, our two cents worth: two thumbs up, four stars.

See it.

Movie Marathon

All Jane Austens. It was wonderful. I spent a couple of days doing hand work and other things where I could sit and watch the television (and hear it) at the same time. I pulled out the Jane Austens and watched one after another. I didn't make it to Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice this time around. Next time I'll start with those.

Comments: Catherine (with a c or k? I haven't read it) seemed very young. I mean Felicity Jones looked like she was about 14. Other than that, fun. Jane Austen lite.

Comment: Billie Piper is not the typical Jane Austen heroine look. Her performance was great, I just had to battle the image in my own mind. I have not read this book for at least 10 years. Really liked the movie.

Comment: years ago Debra and I tried to watch another version of Persuasion, and couldn't get past the first 15 minutes. I like this version much better. The only problem is the kiss at the end. He looks like he is resisting  having to kiss her with all his might. Really??  This is a man who has been pining for her for over seven years. Get real. Almost wrecks the rest of the movie (almost).

Comment: My favorite of the four films watched. In my opinion this is far superior to the Gwyneth Paltrow version. I have nothing negative to say. Jonny Lee Miller is great as George Knightley.

BBC really knows how to do Jane Austen.

Green Hornet (and Kato) in 3D

My first 3D movie ever. The 3D was fun, and spending the time with Ray was fun. The movie was so-so. I had higher expectations than what I watched, and those expectations were fairly low. For one, the language was unnecessarily bad. No f-bombs, but plenty of other gratuitous cursing flying around. It was off-putting for me. The story was okay. I felt like the action movies and remakes I saw last summer were a lot more fun.

The real bummer is that we paid full price. We usually see a matinee, but I've just had too much going on. So we went last night.

Red

Moonlighting. Die Hard. These are where Bruce Willis first tickled my funny bone. I love light-hearted shoot-em-ups, and Red is one of his best. 

It's jammed with fun actors: Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Richard Dreyfus, and others.

It's a blast.

Knight and Day

Three movies in eight days?? Who would have believed it. I guess we are in "summer" mind mode.

This was another fun movie - completely unrealistic, but fun. As my son Ray said: "Even the original James Bond movies were more believable than this." An action comedy, the first half was more fun than the last, but I liked all of it.

These totally fun movies are good for my psyche.

Killers

We saw this movie today. I can't believe I've seen two movies in four days. I haven't seen two movies in the last six months!

It was an okay movie - no-brainer, light, lots of shoot-'em-up, some very funny parts. Pretty clean language until the very end of the movie when she drops the f-bomb. Totally unnecessary. Not a must-see at all, but I enjoyed it.

A-Team Movie

Completely diverting, action-packed and fun. Just what I needed.

State of Play

Excellent movie--twists and turns, suspenseful, great acting. I don't want to give it away - go see it!

Two for $10 Tuesday movie night at Jordan Commons

Duplicity starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owens.

Confusing. Poor plot. An ending I'm still trying to figure out. 

Save your money.

Twilight - the movie

After months of refusing to see the movie, I finally caved in and saw it last night.

Hmm, where do I start? I think I'll make a list - I haven't done that for awhile.

1. I read the entire series, and enjoyed it.

2. I have avoided seeing the movie for various reasons - the two main reasons being that a) I didn't like the look of Edward, and b) a movie is never as good as a book.

3. Both of those things remain true after seeing the movie.

4. I thought Edward did as well as anyone else acting, but his hair was SOOO distracting that I could hardly stand it. It was a bad style, and much too stiff. It was impossible to squint at the screen and fade out his hair, so I had to just live with it. I even chose a picture for this post that showed the least amount of his hair.

5. The only one with worse hair in the movie was Carlisle. I could even take the obvious make-the-skin-look-pale make-up. But the hair? Get new stylists if there are more movies made! Or rather, new wigs, because they seemed so obviously not real hair. Where was quality control on the set when they needed it?

6. They did an okay job adapting the story. I wonder how it was for people who had not read the book, because I know I filled in a lot of gaps with book knowledge. 

7. Ultimately I went to see the movie for social reasons. I was invited by friends, and it was fun to spend time with them.

Am I glad I saw it? Hmm, I'm still not sure. I think I feel rather indifferent about it. At least now I know that I would have been fine not ever seeing it. I still prefer the movie I saw in my mind as I read the book. I don't think I'll see any sequels for that very reason.