Sunday, November 28, 2010

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part I

Saw this opening weekend  at the 10:30 a.m. show along with many parents and their kids. I had to see the final installment of Harry on the big screen. Wasn't sure where they would end part 1 at but I  could have watched for 6 hours straight. And I hope they re-release Part I, when Part II comes out - so you can see them back to back if you want to.

Part 1 lays the groundwork for the finale and started off with a clever masquerade to get Harry to the safe house. With Voldemort and the dark forces working against Harry at every turn, Harry decides to  hunt down the horcruxes himself so he can destroy Voldemort for good. Hermoine and Ron help Harry with this quest, risking their lives to protect him.

The special affects were as good as ever. But I was a tad bored. 2 1/2 hours was long for something so gloomy. But for Harry Potter fans it's a must see to Part 11. Hopefully the showdown will be spectacular. It certainly was in the book.

Worth the money: $$$

Tangled

I don't recall the whole Rapunzel story - the ending especially.  I do remember the prince crawling up the tower to rescue her, though. And this rendition gave his rescue a fun spin.

As you know, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) has golden hair. And an evil witch stole her away from her parents to use her magical powers to keep her youth. When Rapunzel turns 18, she wants to see the floating lights in a kingdom far away that appear on her birthday every year. Luckily a male thief sneaks in her tower to hide from the King's soldiers. She strikes up a bargain with him, and he becomes her guide to seeing the floating lights she's dreamed of. 

Once freed from the tower, the two make their way to the kingdom dodging King's knights, scary thugs, dutiful horses, and singing. Is it a happy ending for Rapunzel and her smoldering guy? You have to watch to find out.

Worth the money: $$ 1/2

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Social Network

Of course I went to see this movie the moment it came out. Just late in posting... The opening scene for this movie with Jesse Eisenberg set the pace for a fast-talking, fast friend- and foe-making insider look at the rise of Mark Zuckerberg, founder/creator of FACEBOOK.

In a short video clip of an interview with Zuckerberg that I saw, he stated charismatically that the film makers took big liberities with the story. He wishes he was partying etc. but he was in fact "coding" the whole time. Also, I'm not sure about the whole, he created FACEBOOK to impress a girl who had dumped him. And this is well, not an autobiography or biography - it's a movie that takes you for a fun ride based loosely on the truth. The truth is something only the real people involved would know.

This movie had everything I wanted to see in a movie and possibly in real life. And made, I'm sure a great recruitment add for already aspirational colleges Harvard, MIT, etc. schools. Kids all over are dreaming of being the next youngest billionaire and coming up with the next big idea.

Justin Timberlake was attractive as Sean Parker, the founder of Napster. His acting resume is getting fatter and his talents further revealed in each movie he makes. I liked his swagger as Parker and how his "slimeball" personality clashed with the "good guy" persona of Eduardo. The Winklevoss twins played well by Armie Hammer Jr. added some nice eye candy, pedigree and drama to this tale.

All in all, it was a wonderful tale of greed, deception, success and, unfortunately, the loss of friendship. When you have 500 million friends, how do you know if any of them are real?

Worth the money: $$$$ 1/2

Life As We Know It

Katherine Heigl will soon be the next Doris Day. Her string of romantic comedies is a-plenty. Not all of them great (the Ugly Truth was pretty ugly), but usually easy viewing. I probably would have waited to see this movie on NetFlix, but I was curious to see whether or not she and Josh Duhamel had chemistry on screen. I didn't think she and Ashton did in "Killers". But it wasn't bad here. Or maybe, I was just in the mood for a feel-good story... I have to say I miss the depth Katherine had as Izzy Stevens and hope she chooses a part aside from this Doris Day thing every once in awhile and surprise us. No offense Doris.

Basically Holly (Heigl) and Messer (Duhamel) are like oil and water, but are best friends of a seemingly perfect married couple who have a baby girl, Sophie. Their lives are interrupted when the perfect couple dies and leave Sophie with both Holly and Messer. Since neither have kids, they discover together how to be parents together, which changes their lives. As I imagine having that kind of responsibility would.

Even though it was predictable, I found it to be charming by the end. Partly because of the supporting cast - Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama) as the sweet doctor and Christina Hendricks of "Mad Men" as the wife in the perfect couple. Duhamel did alright too, playing felt playing what I imagine his real-life self to be if he weren't famous- am I wrong?.... Anyway, it's also nice to have some wholesomeish shows to choose from among all these action/special effects movies. So see this on the matinee.

Worth the money: $$ 1/2

Secretariat

I loved "Seabiscuit" from 2003. And I loved this movie almost as much. First, Diane Lane is always fun to watch. She plays a housewife, Penny, whose father is ill. While visiting him in Virginia, she see's that his horse farm is in trouble and in order to save it, Penny decides to take a chance on a new born colt she calls "RED" and a veteran trainer Lucien (Malkovich).

Despite the odds (her lack of knowledge on horse training, objections from her husband and her brother), Penny's strong determination and the love for "Secretariat" make her a winner. "Secretariat" becomes the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

Seeing the movie makes me want to read the novel “Secretariat: The Making of a Champion” by William Nack. It's on my holiday list. The racing scenes were spectacular and a true story is always inspiring - even if it was dramatized by Hollywood. That being said, I wish the movie had been a little bit longer. I wanted to know more about Lucine, Penny and Penny's family. I guess, they concentrated on the racing. Of course, I'd have to read the book to actually see how good a job they did staying true to the story.

All in all, I recommend seeing this film...If you're feeling down. Hate your job. Hate your boyfriend/girlfriend. Or even hate traffic. You'll forget all about it after seeing this film. You'll feel as though you can take on anything. And if you're not feeling down, this movie will keep you inspired.

Worth the money: $$$ 1/2

Morning Glory

How cute was this movie? Really cute! Rachel McAdams is an optimistic producer who interviews to run Daybreak, a failing morning news program. While exiting the building, she runs into two men, an attractive male producer from upstairs and a legendary anchorman, Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) and makes an impression on both.

Soon Becky finds herself on a date and making out with the hot producer guy from upstairs. [Yes, I can't remember his character's name because the important thing was that he was hot.] ... Becky gets Pomeroy to be the new co-host of Daybreak with Diane Keaton to help turn the show around...But he's stubborn and doesn't want to do "soft" morning news stories. Keaton is also a pain in the butt as well. Low ratings and an angry boss drive Becky to get "creative" with her production choices for morning broadcasts, making for a fun movie.

I'd get up early to see this one. And I heard boyfriends didn't hate it either.

Worth the money: $$$ 1/2