"Fun with Dick & Jane"

“Best things in life are free” is the song that is playing at the end of the movie. What a superbly fitting tune. It’s ALWAYS nice to get something for free!!!
“Fun with Dick & Jane” is enjoyable, silly and just an all around fun film for the entire family to watch. Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni are living the good life. They are raising their son in a good neighborhood; they have a nanny who takes care of him, and pretty much anything else they desire. When Dick gets promoted, Jane quits her job to stay home and spend more time with their son. All of a sudden out of nowhere, Dick loses his job and they both end up looking for new work; but of course they find nothing! They resort to robbing stores, but lack the necessary skills for this type of job to say the least. It’s a funny, and silly riches to rags and back to riches again story line. At one point Dick actually tries to rob a store and gets away with a slushy drink!!! Eventually Dick plans revenge upon his ex boss (Alec Baldwin), the high powered corporate exec responsible for Dick’s demise. Ultimately Dick finds himself back on top once again. Both Dick and Jane hold the movie together as a team, which makes it even more fun. Carrey and Leoni are a good contrast to watch on screen and allow the audience to of course shed a few laughs. If you are a Jim Carrey fan, and you like comedy, this one is for you.

Juno

Juno is a pregnant teen, who is still in high school, and chooses to give her baby up to be adopted. She is witty, smart and sometimes even hilarious, as well as very down to earth. Juno pretty much just says it like it is! I just love this type of personality. She does though lack formal social tactics and skills, but hey so do a lot of teens these days! Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman play the supposed happily married couple who answer Juno’s add in the paper to adopt her baby. As Juno grows to know the couple on a more personal level, things eventually start to change. I think what we all need to remember is that change can be good and bad. We just need to look for the good and positive spin in everything!
This is by far one of the best movies I have seen this year. It not only depicts the fun side of life, but also shows the sensitive regions too. Stellar performance by Ellen Page (Juno). She is the love of the movie, and keeps things moving on every beat! With little to no effort at all she is pleasantly entertaining. The movie totally revolves and evolves around Juno’s life changes and her personality. If you like humor and great acting, you definitely have to check out Juno. Fun for everyone.

Chaos Theory

Here’s a very profound statement from the end of the movie Chaos Theory: “Most important thing about love is we choose to give it and we choose to receive it; which makes it the least random act in the entire universe”.
I have to say great acting performance by Frank (Ryan Reynolds). Frank is the father of the bride to be, and striving to do be sure that his daughter Jesse is marrying “the right man”. Chaos Theory is full of fun, drama, comedy, and testing love with some very interesting twists. Just goes to show you that life if absolutely FULL of surprises. The movie is mostly circled around Frank and his experiences.
Frank is one of those list makers if you know what I mean. He writes everything down, categorizes things, and places his ideas (things to do) in numerical order of importance, etc. You get the picture. He is also very punctual – he does not miss a beat. So, as he is engaged in conversation with his soon to be son in law, he reflects back on the story of how and when life changed for him and what interferences could very well begin to take over what was once the perfect life for him. In other words, nothing is ever perfect. Be prepared for “things” to happen to test your love and marriage. You watch this movie just to see how Frank’s world hits rock bottom right before his (and the audience’s) eyes! Is it luck? Is it chance? Maybe fate? I personally always believe that the truth will prevail. Think about it. Eventually the truth typically does come out!

Hotel New Hampshire

“Hotel New Hampshire” – well….if you don’t have an open mind, don’t pick this one. It depicts so many diverse and at time twisted personalities, demented minds and desires, you name it. It’s definitely NOT a chick flick, but a well staged movie for those who are open to unique, and interesting minds and lives of other people. Now we know that everyone is different, but I could not ever imagine that every person in this family was so incredibly different to say the least. Be somewhat cautious of the children watching this movie. They more than likely will not understand most of it.
Good acting by both very young Jodi Foster and Rob Lowe who play brother and sister. They find each other experiencing life in very unique and intriguing ways. It’s an older film from the late eighties just to put things into perspective. The family situation is nothing close to normal. I’d say closer to dysfunctional as a whole. Also, there seems to be a lot of disconnected thoughts and feelings throughout the film.

"The Waitress"

Jenna (Keri Russell) is shy, fun, and inviting in her role of a waitress at a local restaurant where she creates and bakes incredibly awesome pies. She is a genius when it comes to new flavors and unique combinations. Unfortunately, she is in a horrible marriage that she desperately wants out of, but cannot figure out just how to leave her husband. She tries to save and hide money, but is caught. Then when she becomes pregnant with his baby, she is saddened and confused to the point that she doesn’t even want the baby. You could say it just isn’t a happy time for her. At least until she meets her new doctor, who she winds up having an affair with.
Now Joe (Andy Griffith) is the owner of the pie shop and he is always coming into the restaurant and giving the waitresses a hard time. Jenna is the only one that will wait on him due to his negative and sometimes insulting demeanor. If you listen closely though, Joe does seem to have a little bit of wisdom hidden within his negatives.
There are sad times, happy times, and some OMG what is she thinking… but in the end she finally makes the right decisions for her and the baby!
That's what life is virtually all about……make the right decisions & follow the right path! AND, by the way, if things don't go exactly the way you planned, so be it. Move on from there and learn from your mistakes!!! Have faith that you WILL make the right decisions and figure it all out along the way.

"Shattered"

Gerald (Neil Randall) and Abby (Maria Bello) seem to have it all. They have a great home, wonderful lifestyle, a beautiful daughter and more. But, everything starts to shatter when they decide to have a night out and leave their daughter with a babysitter. An armed man (Brosnan) emerges from the back seat of their car and the rest of the night is absolutely intense and frightening. Intense emotions are flying, and the perfect marriage feels like it has lost its elasticity.
Pierce Brosnan, whom I really like in most of his movies, plays a very strong forceful and believable ‘bad guy’ in this mystery / thriller. This is not your typical Brosnan movie like you’re thinking. He’s no James Bond in this film! He takes the couple and the viewer on a wild roller coaster ride of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the bitter end of the movie; and definitely keeps you guessing what the heck he is doing and why.

"Mad Money"

Diane Keaton & Ted Danson portray a typical married couple who do not communicate very well, especially when it comes to finances. Bridget (Keaton) is a non working wife, who finds out that her husband has lost his high paying job and they may lose their high class comfortable lifestyle and have to sell their beautiful home. Bridget decides that she should get a job to help pay the bills. When she lands a job as a janitor at a Federal Reserve Bank; she is determined to find a way to steal some of the money that she so badly needs. Bridget devises a scheme to get the money out of the bank to recycle into the economy. She realizes she cannot do it alone and calls upon Nina (Queen Latifah), and Jackie (Katie Holmes) to help carry out her plans. The three of them are fool proof for the most part, until all of a sudden something goes wrong. As they eventually get caught, they wiggle their way out of the legalities and are free themselves of any jail time. Diane Keaton is witty, fun, and quite charming as she strategizes and finds ways to stash the money so it will not be found. The film is a lot of fun to watch and keeps you on your toes thinking at any time they may be caught in the act of stealing from a federal bank. I just kept thinking they are going to jail for a long long time. You will be humorously surprised to see what happens to them in the end.

P.S. I Love You:

Okay, it’s another romantic comedy. Gotta lov'em though. This is a pretty good one too. Given the fact that Hilary Swank (Holly in the film) is not one of my favorite actresses, I was hesitant. Surprisingly, she was even funny at times. I enjoyed her subtle humor and apprehensiveness. She was candid, and yet believable as the woman who lost the true love of her life too early! Holly’s charming and lovable Irish husband, who plays a very short lived role, is a lot of fun to watch too. He becomes her key to surviving the future with his notes and riddles from so far away (in the grave). It is a combination of humor, heart break, and some family and friend support. I think everyone can relate to Holly in some way. Just goes to show you how short life can really be.
My thoughts after this move, - Live life to the fullest; spend your time and energy on the precious and important things that matter! You never know when they will no longer be part of your life!

27 Dresses

I suppose we could categorize 27 Dresses in with the "chick flicks". It's definitely a fun romantic comedy for everyone to see in their spare time.

Katherine Heigl plays Jane who is always a bridesmaid never the bride. Jane is a really great person and a friend to everyone. She spends her free time helping all of her friends with their problems. She helps them plan their wedding, coordinating anything they might need for that special day! The problem is that Jane never really takes care of herself. She does not know how to say 'NO'. She is so busy running back and forth to weddings, at one point going to two on the same day, that she does not leave any 'real' play time for herself. Jane's untold desire is to be with her boss George (Edward Burns) when all of a sudden Jane's sister Tess comes to town for a visit and sweeps George out from under her. "Well, this is a reality check for Jane, you never really had him anyway! He is just your boss"

At one wedding, Jane meets Kevin (James Marsden), who appears to be very negative on the subject of marriage and weddings, and cannot think of anything to say that doesn't irritate the heck out of Jane. The word cynical comes up a few times. Then Kevin ends up writing an article about Jane and her life. This of course creates a huge emotional down turn for Jane until she realizes that Kevin is really a great guy and George was well again just her boss.

So, some thoughts for everyone... Live life with your own goals closer to the top of the list instead of putting them at the bottom and taking care of everyone else!!! We all deserve to fulfill our needs and desires.

Spider Man III

My inspiring thoughts from Spider Man III:

At the end of Spider Man III Peter Parker reminds us:

“Whatever comes our way
Whatever battle we have raging inside us
We always have a choice
(My friend harry taught me that
he chose to be the best of himself)
It’s the choices that make us who we are
And we can always choose to do what’s right”

I’m sure we have all at least heard of Spider Man, even if we have not seen the series of three (I, II, III) movies. Not my favorite type of film, but worth seeing if only for the inspiring words Peter Parker leaves us with and the special graphical effects. I’m sure your kids will love all three movies.

"Joe Jedermann"

"Joe Jedermann" starring Tim Allen. Now this was a very entertaining movie. Tim Allen, who is always great to watch, plays the role of a divorced father. Now this isn’t just any father, but a real schmuck of a guy! He doesn’t seem to run with the ‘in’ crowd, or have really expensive clothing. I think you know what I mean. All of a sudden he is sick and tired of feeling down and depressed, after an incident (a fight in the parking lot) at work that took place right in front of his daughter Natalie (played by Hayden Panettiere). It was supposed to be bring your daughter to work day, but he ends up taking her back to school because he is so embarrassed about the incident that took place.
Now, Tim Allen alone is usually funny, which helps to render a comical film. Add to that the daughter Natalie’s humor, and you have an enjoyable comedy! Natalie is incredibly intelligent, happy, cute, fun, witty, and a real smart arse, for lack of a better word. She really keeps the movie rolling and keeps the audience wondering what she will say next. The wit just doesn’t seem to end. She was, very amusing, and a fantastic little actress. I was thoroughly impressed with her style and her ability to antagonize her mother and father, and get them to think about the outcome of their actions. Usually this is the parent’s role to keep their children in line, but not in this film. Here, at a few instances, the child and parent seemed to have switched real life characters. I realize that it must have been good writing, and she didn’t think of these lines herself, but it sure seems like it just comes natural to her. Keep in mind, I would not especially like my own daughter to talk the way she does, but it is just a movie. If you like a good love story, or some witty comedy, this is a good choice.

"Instinct"

"Instinct" is a real mind thrilling drama to see

Excellent Movie!

Now here is are real mind thrilling drama for you to see. This story really makes you think. Anthony Hopkins is forever playing the scary roles, or strange characters. Recall silence of the lambs for instance. If you like Anthony Hopkins, you will enjoy him in this film where he plays Doctor Ethan Powell, who was lost for a couple of years in the jungle while studying the mountain gorillas. He lived among the wild somewhere in Africa, and made friends / family with the gorillas! Subsequent to some tragic experiences he encountered on his journey, he no longer wishes to speak. Powell was deemed extremely harmful and psychotic. Dr Theo Caulder is the one person who thinks he can ‘figure it all out’ and unveil all the truths that lie within Powell’s mind. He believes he can get Powell to speak again, and tell him the events as they took place back in Africa. This is a pretty exciting story to follow. I was so intrigued, and sat on the edge of my seat just to see what Powell was going to do or say next; or if he was going to speak at all. It was hard to anticipate what the next action would be on the part of Powell or Caulder. The two are in fact playing mind games with each other to see who is ‘really” in control of the situation, and even in control of their own lives. Bottom line question is...are you in control of your life or is someone else???

License to Wed

Fun Loving Comedy

I’m sure we all know what it’s like to be ‘in love’ with someone. We all know how tough marriage can be. We all know how hard any relationship is for the most part. The divorce rate alone scares me to death! Now, take a newly engaged couple (man and woman) who is totally in love, never fight, and in the midst of planning their wedding. Bride to be Sadie is played by singer / actor Mandy Moore and her other half Ben is played by John Krashinski. Sadie and Ben feel that they are so compatible that nothing can go wrong, or pull them apart. Robin Williams plays Reverend Frank, who insists that in order to marry in the family church, they must pass his personally developed marriage prep course. The course concentrates on trust, communication, fair fighting, and more. Keep in mind that one of the rules is no sex, and the reverend has bugged their home so he knows EVERYTHING! The prep course even takes them through a trial run of what it would be like to have children. Not just A child, but twins. Twin robots that is; they poop, cry, etc.
I especially like the part in the movie where Ben is asked to describe something about each member of Sadie’s family. Need I say more? I’ll leave it at that, and you probably already have an idea where this goes! Can’t imagine what I would say about my in laws! My favorite scene in the whole movie was when Reverend Frank stops over to the home of the couple and Sadie begins to talk to the reverend about their sex life. Ben becomes a bit disturbed by this, and thus he is not a happy camper! Of course this leads to some disappointing words between the newly engaged couple. The bottom line is to help the couple understand each other, communicate, and everything else that goes along with making a marriage work.
All in all, the movie is quite amusing, and at times absurdly entertaining. It eludes to educate the audience about marriage to some degree. It seems that Robin Williams is the key to holding the entire film together with his sense of humor, and witty responsiveness to the developments or subjects at hand.

88 Minutes

Mind boggling and intense - 88 Minutes

Well, of course someone wants to kill Al Pacino. Isn’t that the story of his life on screen? In this murder mystery thriller, 88 Minutes, it seems that everyone he knows may want him dead, and his head is spinning trying to figure out who the real killer is. Pacino plays Dr Jack Gramm, who is a college professor, and also works with the FBI. The whole adventure revolves around Jack after he receives an anonymous phone call telling him that he only has 88 minutes to live. The tension continually builds as Jack is framed and eventually named as the key suspect in the murders. 88 Minutes is mind boggling, and intense. If you think you know who did it, give it a few more minutes, and guess again!

"Bent"

"Bent" - with Clive Owen

We can watch movies, we can watch people walking down the street, we can become friends with people we meet, ignore them, the list of possibilities goes on. Don’t you sometimes wonder if they are happy, or sad, or working class people, rich, or poor, etc? Wouldn't it be interesting to know who and what they are without even asking? Maybe everyone wears a badge of some sort. Well…..the more I think about it….maybe not. It would take all the excitement out of meeting people, and choosing who you meet. Another thought is, do you believe in destiny, and that if you were meant to be here / there / anywhere, then you are exactly where you are supposed to be for the time being???
These thoughts, and countless others came to me while watching a rather out of the ordinary film titled "Bent" starring Clive Owen. In some ways I don't believe he knows himself at all, and then all of a sudden he seems to figure it out. It just goes to show you that some of us can skip through our lives and not even know who / what we are. This is an interesting war story that depicts the lives of homosexuals and people of Jewish faith. As a prisoner of war, the unknown is quite scary to everyone, but Clive Owen never fears his outcome, and claims he will live through it. He stays steady and strong throughout the film, and only shows his ‘true colors’ at the very end, when he feels it's time. Freedom at last I suppose. This movie should be approached with a very open mind. There are adult nudity and sexual scenes that some people would hesitate to watch. I though, have a very open mind for the most part, and like to understand what makes people tick. Very unique settings. Unique acting by Clive Owen. I have never seen him in a film quite like this, but he is very good in the role.

"HOAX"

Fake /Phony / HOAX

A true story about an aspiring author named Clifford Irving (played by Richard Gere) who is desperate and down on his luck. His recent fictional book, which he thought would be a big hit, has just been rejected by a big New York firm. In turn, Irving decides to create a magnificent story that will capture the firm’s attention and yield him millions of dollars. Irving’s inventive new book would be an autobiography of none other than Howard Hughes. Knowing that Hughes does not take to the lime light and do interviews, etc Irving believes he can produce a best seller and put himself back on top of the writing industry. Irving and his partner in crime, Dick (actor Alfred Molina) lie, steal documents, forge documents with Hughes’ signature, and create fake interviews between Irving and Hughes. Irving’s actions and the events that take place are creative and simply brilliant. To see what Irving and his partner strive to accomplish in order to obtain a fortune is totally amazing. Irving’s wife even decides to help. She deposits a check made out to Hughes into a Swiss bank account. Not a good move for her. Irving is eventually stopped in his tracks with legalities and accusations of falsifying almost everything he wrote. Yes, the book is a fake / phony / HOAX, and also provides implications that would impeach President Nixon at the time. Thus, in the end, the book is not published. This movie is at times funny, but mostly deceitful, and just plain wrong doing! Ultimately, Irving, his pal Dick, and his wife are all brought to justice. If you like history you will enjoy this film. As for the acting, I feel that Richard Gere may not have been the best choice for the main character in this film. He seems to remain flat and distant throughout the film, and does not bring about the true essence of the real story. I think the film would have had more of an impact on me had they chosen a different actor for the lead character Clifford Irving. All in all it is a good story and provides the audience with a recap of true past events in history.

"Death Proof"

"Death Proof" - NOT a film for everyone!

Well….not sure how to begin to explain this Quentin Tarantino film. The words demented and twisted actually come to mind. I picked this movie because it starred Kurt Russell, and figured it must be pretty good. Geez, did I think wrong! Stunt Man Mike (Kurt Russell) seeks a good time by simply killing women and he knows just how to play the game to keep the law on his side. This movie delivers a warped sense of right and wrong. Yet there are no legal implications that he has done anything wrong! How does he get away with this I thought? He follows women, practically stalks them, and listens to their conversations to get to know them before he actually meets up with them to kill them. In the end, the tables are turned and the women start fighting back. Boy was Kurt Russell surprised when the women begin to attack him instead! This movie reminds me of a Kill Bill, or Pulp Fiction type of film, both of which I still don’t quite get either. It has to take some strange minds to come up with this type of suspense, murderous thriller. The acting was okay, but not great. I would definitely NOT recommend this for young kids to watch.

"A Crude Awakening"

This is a wake-up call for everyone! It’s the future of all of our lives, and the relationship between our world’s progress and oil. Crude Awakening is the projection of the lengths we will go to obtain oil, and most of us don’t even know that we are headed for a crisis. Oil is everywhere, it’s the basis for everything, but the days of cheap oil are no more! The statistics are a scary, and the alternatives are scarce and costly. The end result is that if we don’t discover more oil, or come up with an inexpensive substitute or alternative, we as a nation / world will be in distress and potentially face a very dim future.
The expert cast refers to oil as the cause of all wars since WWI.
If you enjoy politics, history, and world news, you should see this film.

My thought at the end.....nothing lasts forever. Like oil, things eventually come to and end, and we all just have to find a positive way to deal with what comes our way!

"The Contract"

“The Contract” - a thriller filled with action, adventure and a political twist. Ray (John Cusack) takes his son for a hiking / camping trip only to find himself literally on the edge of a cliff in the wilderness after stumbling upon Frank (Morgan Freeman) a hit man, who is attempting to escape the law. Ray thinks he can just walk the prisoner back to the proper authorities and continue the camping trip with his son. What Ray does not count on is that Frank has some friends tracking them through the woods, and they will stop at nothing to get Frank back in order to carry out their contract to execute a high powered businessman. Eliminating anyone who gets in the way is all part of the game. I liked the nice background settings in this film, beautiful scenery, action, and adventure…... I also like Morgan Freeman too.

"Bridge to Terabithia"

Magical……. Disney's - “Bridge to Terabithia”:
Disney fun time with the kids!
It’s Magical…….

Bridge to Terabithia is one of those Magical Kingdom movies, where you can imagine away. For two young school children, they imagine giant trolls, and all sorts of things in their newly found kingdom, they call “Terabithia” across the creek from where they live. The only way to get to their new world is by swinging across with a rope. They refurbish an old tree house that they find in the woods and claim it as their secret place.
The story is a lesson on how to keep an open mind, be creative, express yourself, understand others, and grow from all encountered experiences. It is also the discovery of inner feelings, and making something yours. The two children have a special bond of make believe and fantasy. A vivid imagination is key to this Disney tale.
I think this is good for all ages, IF your children are not afraid of strange creatures in the woods and giants. There is also a funeral scene that might be a bit disturbing to some young people too. It’s always hard when a friend or loved one dies.