Movie Time!

I've gotten a little behind in chronicling my movie watching so it's time to catch up.  I'll keep them short(er) than usual.

August Rush  - (2007)  This is a lightweight little movie about fighting for what you believe.  The plot suffers from fairly large holes but the performances almost balance it out.  I'll usually watch anything that Robin Williams is in (even though he burns me as often as not these days.  He picks interesting stuff).  If you want something that will make you feel good with a big if somewhat unbelievable Hollywood ending then just leave your logical side at the door and enjoy.  Some really good music in this.  And Keri Russell is worth my time just to look at.

Don Juan de Marco - (1994)  I'll pretty much watch anything Johnny Depp is in too.  He takes interesting risks as an actor.  This is a romance that happens to focus on a young mental patient and his doctor (played by Marlon Brando).  I won't give away the ending but if fantasy was more interesting and fulfilling than reality which would you choose?  And are you sure you can tell the difference?  Often labeled a chick flick I liked it.  But then the older character of the doctor and his wife (Faye Dunaway) may be speaking to me.

The Astronaut Farmer - (2006)  So if you really could live out your dreams but everyone thought you were crazy would you give up?  It may seem like I'm on a theme here but it was total happenstance that I saw these movies within days of one another.  Billy Bob Thornton plays a former engineer who always wanted to go into space but family obligations got in the way.  Add in the August Rush "follow your dreams" theme and you're there.  A fun movie with some flaws but worth the ride.  Which sums up the plot as well, LOL!

Quantum of Solace - (2008) Daniel Craig back as 007 and great fun once again.  This is drawn from a Fleming short story and is the beginning of the Bond mythos.  I had a few small quibbles with the movie but only and few and they were small.  Could have used a bit less action/explosion footage but we're probably stuck with it as the next generation of movie fans have been taught that it's actually entertaining.  It's not, it's tedious and repetitive but there you are.  I'm actually kind of looking forward to the next Craig Bond movie.  One final curmudgeonly comment - the Bond girls used to be a LOT better looking.

The Simpsons Movie - (2007)  What is there to say?  If you love "The Simpsons" you probably loved the movie.  I do and I did.  Pretty much exactly what you would expect.

The Trouble with Harry - (1955) What a hoot of a movie.  Harry's dead.  And that's the trouble, no one is quite sure what to do about him.  Alfred Hitchcock directs this comedy (yes, flat out comedy as only Hitch could make it) starring Shirley McClaine(her first picture), John Forsythe, Edmund Gwenn and Jerry Mathers (the Beav!).  This is one (and probably the least well known) of the " 5 Lost Hitchcocks" that only came back into public view after 30 years in the wilderness (the others are "Rear Window", "The Man Who Knew Too Much", "Rope" and "Vertigo")   Too much fun to pass on, find it and watch it.

Hearts in Atlantis - (2001) A Stephen King story brought to the screen.  I really like the performances and I like the story (a young boys life changed by a mysterious man who comes into his life for a short time).  Yet somehow the movie just feels like it comes up short.  It's a story about being different and being true and living with memories and dreams that get broken by reality.  Certainly worth a quiet weekend's viewing.  Only "name" is Anthony Hopkins  although if your eyes are sharp you may recognize Anton Yelchin as the boy (he played Chekov in the latest Star Trek movie)


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 - (2010) In the classic sense this is not a complete movie.  It's basically all exposition for Part 2 which arrives in the first half of next year.  That seems to really bother some people.  Don't count me among them.  It was nice to see a little more character growth in the three main characters.  The books grew darker and more complex as they went along and so do the movies.  Enjoyed this a great deal and am very much waiting for the final installment.

RED - (2010) Take a great cast, give them a fun script and then stand back and let them have a hell of a good time working together.  That's the idea of "RED" the story of a group of retired Black Ops CIA operatives (and one clerk from the government retirement fund) who get marked for elimination.    Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine (yeah, I thought he was dead too).  Come on how could you NOT have fun with this cast?  Just way, way, WAAAAAAY too much fun.  Don't miss this one.