Slumdog Millionaire

It isn't hard to imagine what my opinion of this movie was. I'm with the 94% on Rotten Tomatoes that thought it was excellent. I was captivated by the way the story shows all sides of India and that so much of the background is true. I'm sure that many of the people who live in India were upset at this film. It shows the gritty underbelly and if they wanted a pristine image of the country to be presented to the world, this was not the movie for India. However, it shows how resilient and resourceful their people are and I think that speaks volumes more than a series of pretty pictures. I have a feeling that more people will be intrigued by the idea of India as a place to visit than will be discouraged from it after seeing this film.

What was most striking to me was the way in which this movie conveys the information that you would find in a heartbreaking documentary about a child's life in the slums of Mumbai, but at the same time it is uplifting, funny and heartwarming. Amazing. The careful balance of pain and pleasure that makes this movie not only one that that you should see but one that you will want to see again and again.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2 sec. review: LOVE it. No past tense here since I just watched parts of it again this afternoon.

This movie is wonderful. If you didn't find it during the writer's strike (way back when), don't worry, you can still find it on the web at www.drhorrible.com or on itunes or on amazon.com. So, go forth and view!

This is a creation of Joss Whedon and (what I assume are) his brothers. Joss is a known entity in the worlds of Buffy, Firefly and Serenity. Not being a great fan of any of those (haven't watched them yet - they are on my netflix [calm down]) I wasn't sure what to think about Dr. Horrible but I watched it anyway. Now I will certainly be a fan of those other shows! That is how much I LOVE Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

If you don't like musicals, don't watch it. If you don't like campy sci-fi, don't watch it. Otherwise, enjoy!! Even ye ol' Doogie Houser is quite wonderful in this movie - makes me want to watch "How I Met Your Mother" and I can honestly tell you that feeling has never occurred before!

So, "that's the plan. Rule the world. You and me, anyday."

Happy-Go-Lucky

2 sec. review: Loved it.

I met up with the gals for an evening of Mexican food and a movie-night at The Dragonfly Theater and Pub in Boone. What a bargain when compared to regular movie prices! Though I must admit I wished for some sort of "stadium seating" when my neck was hurting from craning it up toward the screen for two hours. Maybe some sofas will grow at the back of the room, too, instead of just tables. Oh, I hope so!

This movie was slow to start, but I never mind films like that. You can't help but fall in love with the quirky main character within just a few minutes and you worry about what awful thing will happen to her in the course of the film. No character that is presented as so simply-minded ever survives life unscathed. Reality will have it's way with her! Or, so I thought. Poppy, played by Sally Hawkins, is like that fancy pill that Alice takes in Wonderland to make her life become technicolor and full of joy. You have to smile. You really HAVE to - you can't help it! (Even when some guy is slurping on his drink and hacking up a lung directly behind your head.)
During our viewing, I felt at times that this was England's answer to Amelie or Breakfast at Tiffany's with the same sort of fabulous woman whose whimsy is catching and who manages to create a great life in the process of purposefully making each day a jewel in most ordinary lives. She was brilliantly cast and acted and you genuinely worry for her (as I've found - similarly - myself doing on many episodes of Pushing Daisies) but with mostly no need. The story is a good one, the characters are fantastic and you wish that you had such friends that are so true to themselves. So glad I went to see this with my very own happy-go-lucky friends!

Twilight - Pre-review of the Midnight show

I am quite worried that this movie will not be good. I loved reading the books and even got Henry to read them (and about 20 people that I work with!). Because of that love of the books I am terrified that the movie will fall flat in comparison. We shall see... Henry is extremely optimistic about it, but he is a heterosexual guy and therefore did not fall in love with Edward unlike most of the women I know. Cedric Diggory (whatever his real name is...) will have to do quite a bit to impress me in this role. I hope he's up to the challenge!! Go here to see a preview: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810010670/trailer


3am Update:
We've just driven the snowy roads home from the Midnight show of Twilight and I thought I'd get down my first impressions of the movie. I liked it. Completely against my better judgment, I must say. This is not to imply that it is a good movie, but I will say it is a fair and decent 2-hour interpretation of a 500 page book. The acting was pretty poor across the board and Bella only has one expression, but I will admit that Cedric Diggory (who's name is actually Robert Pattinson) was a good portrayal of Edward. Not perfect - but then who really could be the perfect Edward?

They took many liberties with the story, but I believe that a lot of them were improvements to the visual and intellectual sides of the story. No matter how they mashed up the scenes in the woods, they were beautifully shot and made me want to go the the Pacific Northwest even more than ever. The buildings and sets were excellent and the mood of the movie was spot on. The Port Angeles scene actually flowed more easily in the movie than it did in the book (aside from the weird waitress they used) and even the somewhat cheesy baseball scene was executed well. We all know that Bella wouldn't be caught in her underwear with Edward, but I'll let that one slide for all the guys who go to see the movie with their girlfriends. They throw in the "evil" characters earlier in the movie than they appear in the book but it works because they help tie in the action scenes that Stephenie Meyer likes to put only into the last 75 pages of any of her books. Another scene that was altered was the fight scene which Bella misses entirely in the book (because she is passed out) and I was glad to see in the movie. Go Alice!

Speaking of Alice, she was one of the few actors I liked in this movie but I wish they'd been able to explore more of her relationship with Bella. I know they only had two hours and it isn't a movie about friendships but I look forward to more of that in New Moon. Rene, Bella's mom, was just the right amount of flaky but like most of the acting, it fell a bit flat. Jacob was good (but his hair got on my nerves) and I liked all of her friends in the movie MUCH MORE than the friends in the book. The ones in the book come across as place holders who fill time when she isn't with Edward and are not interesting people, but the ones in the movie are actually people you'd really want to be friends with - she just isn't paying much attention to her surroundings or the people in those surroundings.

Do I wish there was a little bit more of Edward's angst? Yes. However, that was also the stuff that made me crazy in the book (read: became very irritating). Bella does not come across as confidant in the book but she also isn't the odd Eeyore-like character that is portrayed in the movie. I also thought the very last moment of the movie was weird. We didn't stick around to see the credits since there were 600 people at the theatre all trying to leave at the same time and maybe there was a bonus scene. I guess I'll find out when I go back to see it with the entire gang from work.

Sparkly. Didn't work for me but a valiant effort. Maybe they will tweak it in future like was done with Star Trek's "beam me up" sparkle effects.

My favorite aspect of the movie was how they portrayed Bella's scent and how it affected Edward. It was actually that scene that made me decide to like Cedric - uh, I mean Robert. He did an excellent job with the tension and could have taken images out of my brain from when I read the book.

One of the best parts of being in a crazy big audience were the collective sighs when new (male) characters would appear on screen and the moment during the weird awkward kissing scene someone shouted, "This is awful!!" about how the scene was going. I concur. Not my favorite part of the movie.

I am also glad they didn't allow Edward to have stubble. That was one of my big concerns actually and it worked out in the end.Speaking of the end, my ability to construct sentences has disappeared, so I am headed to bed at 4am. ugh.
General summary: See it if you liked the books, if you like vampires, or if you like chick-flicks.

Here's a shot of that worrisome stubble. :

The Grinch on TV - in November!!

I know it is time to start thinking about the holidays - hey, I was working on our Christmas cards on Sunday when this happened, but still...
I was putting addresses together and filling out some of the postcards we are sending out this year and had the fire on and some music. I was actually considering putting on some Christmas music just to set the mood for my project, but hadn't gotten up to do so yet, when Henry came in the room and said he needed to show me something. He turned on the television and what should be on (on November 16th) but How the Grinch Stole Christmas! I love this movie and (much to Henry' surprise) know almost every word, but it seems more than a little bit crazy to have this on before December, much less before Thanksgiving! Crazy, crazy. I'm also sure that retailers are not too keen on the message of this movie in this economic crisis. The message that Christmas is about more than buttons and boozangs but rather about love and friends instead of stuff.
Maybe next year they can wait until after Thanksgiving to show it - at the very least!!

Double Up on the 007

Daniel Craig = yum.

To prepare for the viewing of Quantum of Solace, Henry and I decided to watch Casino Royale again before heading to the 10pm show. We went over to a friend's house and had some PizzaPizza while we watched what is the definitely the best James Bond movie ever made. I love it. I have never been very into the James Bond movies - if they are on the t.v. I can take it or leave it. I don't feel compelled to watch. However that all changed with the casting of Daniel Craig. Man oh man. I could watch him just look at things for hours (as long as it was his face we were looking at during that time) and then he speaks and the accent slays me. Then he takes his shirt off or goes swimming or puts on a well made suit and I'm done for...

Aside from the eye candy (which I suppose isn't why most guys watch the movies) the story is a great one. At the start of it, he isn't yet "double O" status and has to complete his kill to gain that rank. So he's just a baby Bond! We see his crazy misadventures and his constant entanglement with women. The most stressful part is the torture scene but they even make that happen in such a way to make it less painful for the viewer. Overall we are seeing the moulding of a character that we all grew up with and it is quite intruiging to see how that develops and the role of M (Judi Dench) as a maternal figure. One of the things I like about the new Bond films is that there aren't quite as many rediculous names or characters. The actors are stunningly beautiful but they are more believable than the Pussy Galores and Goldfingers of the past. Le Chiffre was the most outrageous of the characters in this film and still you buy it with no problem - the name and the tears of blood. Anyway, on to the new one!

Quantum of Solace actually isn't as yummy as the first movie - on many levels. I did enjoy this movie very much and highly recommend seeing it on the big screen. However, it didn't have quite the same feel as the first one, Casino Royale, and it didn't have nearly as much shirtless Bond (always a sad thing to miss). It was a good movie and an engaging story and moved at a pace unrivaled even by the others in the 007 series. What was most strange to me was that it was not a stand alone story but rather an immediate sequal to the first film. This approach is a departure for the Bond series, out of which you can pick any movie and not feel like you need to watch twenty others to know what is going on. I'm a fan of sequels, so this didn't bother me per se, but it was an obvious difference. Another difference was the missing line of, "Bond, James Bond" but I will agree it wasn't really needed in this one. Kudos to the director for doing his own thing and leaving that line out. I will be watching this on again - perhaps when it goes to The Dragonfly Theatre in town - but will always find Casino Royale to be a superior movie. Cheers!

Stranger Than Fiction

What an outstanding movie! Odd, yes, but I like them that way (as you have surely figured out by now). Oftentimes "odd" isn't also able to be endearing, however this film was very much so! Who would ever have thought it believable - but it is! Anyway, to the premise...

A man with a very static (many would say boring) life starts to hear a narrator of his life story in the moment as he is living it. Disturbing indeed, but would it work as a premise for a story? Yes! I was intrigued by the previews but didn't know if it would actually fly as a full length film. I was pleased to find that the parts in the previews did not ruin anything, unlike so many teasers and trailers for films.

Emma Thompson was amazing in her role as the writer of the story and Will Ferrell wasn't annoying! Yeah, that's what I said - he wasn't annoying!! Not a big Ricky Bobby or Ron Burgundy fan, I do love him in Old School and a few other flicks. However, this was certainly his most subdued of characters. He was outstanding. Maggie Gyllenhaal was amazing as always. I just love her. She is a baker being audited by the IRS and is her usual fiery little self. Queen Latifah was understated, which made it a good role without being outlandish. Dustin Hoffman made me want to go over to his office and ask him about novels (he was a literature professor). So, everyone was great. That's all I'm saying. Yeah. Watch it.