Grade: B-
| Pretty standard dad-as-hero fare. Harrison Ford stars as the dad who runs security on a bank – the bad guys want to use him to rob the bank so they kidnap his family. Of course he won’t have that! Struggles, arguments, as they all try to outwit each other. Virginia Madsen is the savvy mom. Some great moments, but nothing surprising. Too violent, and emotionally scary for younger kids. A good thriller for families with teens. |
Grade: A+
| Wow. There is just so much good about this movie. The acting is wonderful. Johnny Depp is going to be the Marlon Brando of our generation, he’s amazing. Depp plays playwright J.M. Barrie, and the movie is “inspired by true events” that led to the production of his play “Peter Pan.” Kate Winslet is the single mother of 4 boys who comes into Barrie’s life at a time when he needs to get back to the “play” and away from the serious. Julie Christie plays the overly critical grandmother to the hilt.
The set design is spectacular, such a fantasy. The music, everything, is just beautiful. Although this film is rated PG, the ending might be hard for very young, or very sensitive, children to take. But I think this is a must-see for families with kids ages 10 and up. Or go without the kids and just enjoy it for yourself. |
Grade: B-
| Fever Pitch stars Drew Barrymore as the driven career woman facing the big “20-10” without a boyfriend. She opens her horizons, and her heart, to Jimmy Fallon’s school teacher and they enjoy a delightful winter together. When spring arrives, with the Red Sox schedule, Drew discovers just how important the team is to this die-hard fan. Can they get over his obsession and her workaholism? Clever writing by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandell, and some outrageous physical comedy by the directing/producing team of the Farrelly brothers. Most of the “adult” jokes will go over the heads of the younger ones, but remember, this movie is rated PG-13. We had some younger kids sitting behind us at the theatre, and when Drew talked about “missing her period” they started asking “what does THAT mean?”! I heard they had to change the ending of the movie when the Red Sox actually won the world series last year! |
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Grade: B
| Based on the true story of former CIA agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) and her husband Joe Wilson (Sean Penn). Very compelling script. This was very much in the news at the time, and it’s interesting to get some perspective about what happened, and see the events from these characters’ points of view. High stakes emotional drama. |
Grade: B
| Failure to Launch is a pretty much predictible by-the-numbers romantic comedy… and we don’t get enough of those anymore! It was really charming, light and fun. Sarah Jessica Parker plays a woman who helps parents get their grown sons to move out of the house. Matthew McCoughnahey plays the grown son in question, 35 years old and still taking up space at the folk’s place. Kathy Bates is endearing as his mom. Terry Bradshaw is a hoot as his dad. Gotta give the guy credit for parading his bare behind around like it’s no big deal! That scene got the biggest laughs from the audience – and a few shrieks of “eeeeew!” Great supporting performance from Zoe Deschanel as the roommate who lands the guy’s best friend. They try to throw in a few life lessons, and there are a few requisite pratfalls that I would deem unnecessary, but all in all, a nice little date movie. |
Grade: B
| What a cast – Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha Richardson (Vanessa’s daughter!), Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer (Meryl’s daughter!), Claire Danes, Toni Collette – this is a TOTAL chick flick! 🙂 Evening is one of those movies that goes back and forth between present day and the past. Vanessa Redgrave’s character is on her death bed and she’s having memories of this time in her life when she was young. It’s all about relationships and choices and friendships and family. It’s a really “big” movie in that there’s a lot going on and you have to pay attention. But it’s also a little slow. I loved it, but my hubby and my step-daughter were shifting in their seats quite a bit. Great clothes, lots of emotions, go with your mom or your girlfriends. |
Grade: B
| At a price tag of $175 million dollars, “Evan Almighty” is the most expensive comedy ever made. And it shows! Most of the money was spent on special effects, which include a huge action sequence of the ark in a flood. And then there are the animals – wow! I couldn’t tell which animals were real and which were computer generated – but it was mighty impressive. This is a sort-of sequel to Bruce Almighty from a few years ago which starred Jim Carrey. In this one, Morgan Freeman once again turns up as God Himself, with a mission for Steve Carell’s Evan Baxter, an anchorman turned politician with a wife and 3 kids. Of course, Evan is reluctant to take on this mission, but really has no choice – and once he gives in, his life is irrevocably changed for the better. Steve Carell has found success in this persona, the annoyingly charming goofball with good intentions. Fun movie for the family, or for date night. |
Grade: B
| This is a documentary along the lines of “Fahrenheit 9/11.” And the fact that the Bush family is a key player probably comes as no surprise to people who have followed this story in the news. What’s amazing to me is how truth really is stranger than fiction. You couldn’t possibly make this stuff up! It’s almost a horror movie, it’s so scary. It really happened, which makes it all the more dramatic. The final chapter has yet to be written, these “smartest guys” go to trial in January 2006. |
Grade: B+
| Enough Said isn’t a “big budget” movie by any means. The story is simple, there are no special effects or car chases. It’s all about the relationships, the characters, and the dialogue. And in each case we are treated to excellence!
Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as Eva, a massage therapist and single mom whose daughter is about to go off to college. Eva is at a cross-roads in her life when she attends a friend’s party and meets two new people who become an important part of her life. Marianne (played by the always awesome Catherine Keener) is someone Eva looks up to. She’s creative, beautiful, successful and a bit of a free spirit. Albert (played brilliantly by the late James Gandolfini) is someone Eva thought she’d never be attracted to, yet she is won over by his honesty, humor and charm. As Eva’s friendship with Marianne grows, and her romance with Albert blossoms, she discovers that the obnoxious “ex” that Marianne is always complaining about is Eva’s new beau Albert. Lots of great awkward situations that lead to relatable laughter. Kudos to writer/director Nicole Holofcener. Beautiful, meaningful, touching film. |
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