Becoming Jane (2007)

Synopsis

Title: Becoming Jane (2007)

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG

Running Time: 120 Minutes

Director: Julian Jarrold

Main Actors: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, Joe Anderson

Plot: Becoming Jane follows the life of early 19^th century writer Jane Austen. The movie is loosely based on fact, but the story about her personal life is somewhat unknown. Austin is credited for writing 6 novels including huge successes Pride and Prejudice and Emma. The movie was edited for re-rating and was originally PG-13.

My Take

I have a feeling that although this was not exactly my favorite type of movie, Becoming Jane will be hugely popular among females. I know my sisters will love this movie. I say it isn’t exactly my type of movie because I found it slow and boring at times. I also think it is a little bit too wordy. I know that Austen is known for her humor in her books and witty dialogue, but it got a little annoying to me. The storyline is familiar and good although I think the I-love-you-I-love-you-not can get a little tiresome. The costume design team did a good job making the costumes and set look 2 centuries old. I have no real complaints about the acting or directing. With this movie, you get about what you expect going in to the movie.

Should You Watch???

If you like Pride and Prejudice, you should love this movie. They are very similar. Could this be because Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice? I actually prefered Pride and Prejudice to this movie, but I thought both were pretty good. This movie clearly attracts the female audience, but it is watchable if you are male. If you are a guy and want to do something nice for your female partner, offer to watch Becoming Jane. Just be aware that you may want to check the sports ticker on your computer or phone when the movie hits a dead spot.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

A Cool, Dry Place (1998)

Synopsis

Title: A Cool, Dry Place (1998)

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 97 Minutes

Director: John N. Smith

Main Actors: Vince Vaughn, Monica Potter, Joey Lauren Adams, Bobby Moat, Devon Sawa

Plot: A single father (Vince Vaughn) balances his work as an attorney with the care of his five-year old son (Bobby Moat) and his work as a high school basketball coach in rural Kansas, where he moved after his wife abandoned him in Chicago. Just as he starts to develop a new relationship with a veterinarian's assistant (Joey Lauren Adams), his ex-wife (Monica Potter) suddenly reappears and wants to re-assert herself in her husband and son's life. On top of the romantic conflict, he is also suddenly presented with the opportunity of a lifetime to join a major firm in Dallas. Written by John Sacksteder

My Take

Usually when you hear about a single parent, you assume it is the mother who takes care of the kid. A Cool, Dry Place looks at the life of a single father whose wife left him. If there was one word for the film, I would say cute. The beginning of the film really emphasizes the father-son relationship. As the film moves on, it focuses more on the difficulties of managing a career and being a parent. This storyline is unfortunately very common in today’s environment. As I watched the movie, I found myself hoping that they would send some messages that were never sent. For example, the teen sex issues. The whole sub-story about the teen was awfully executed and never became resolved. Marriage is about unconditional love. This story proves that several people simply don’t understand what marriage is, and that’s sad. After watching The Locusts however, it was nice to see a little bit lighter hearted movie even if it had its sadder moments.

What About Vince?

Once again, Vince plays the nice guy that you like. He interacts well with his son. His character is believable. I have no complaints with his part.

Should You Watch???

It is not a bad movie. You could do much worse. I think they failed to deliver in the story department, but the story had potential to be very good. Vince Vaughn is good. I think you could watch this movie and be at least somewhat satisfied.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

John Q. (2002)

Synopsis

Title: John Q. (2002)

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 116 Minutes

Director: Nick Cassavetes

Main Actors: Denzel Washington, Kimberly Elise, Daniel E. Smith, James Woods, Robert Duval, Anne Hache

Plot: Is there a national health care crisis in the United States? When a man’s son is stricken with a heart condition, he is not able to pay for the operation. He decides he must take matters into his own hands.

My Take

I heard really good things about this movie, so when I saw it on tv I used my good old DVR. Let me begin with what I didn’t like so much about this movie. Firstly, although Denzel did an excellent job as always, the rest of the actors did average at best. Kimberly Elise received recognition for her acting in this movie, but I didn’t feel it warranted attention although she was probably better than the rest of the cast. It was a drama but it almost felt like a documentary on the health care system. I felt like the movie should be intense, but it felt more like watching a video in health class. I found it amusing when Denzel beats the crap out of one of the hostages and the other hostages were laughing. I know they wanted to show that his character was a nice guy, the hostages liked him and he was just put in a bad situation, but I don’t see any hostages laughing in this situation and it makes the whole movie almost a mockery. The cheering crowd outside? Give me a break. Let me be clear, this movie was more about sending a message than it was about telling a great story. Those two things should be the same, but they aren’t always. I felt the plot had some obvious question marks. I made it sound like this is a terrible movie, but it’s not. I actually liked this movie for the most part. It will make you think about the health care system in our country, and you will feel for Denzel and his family. Things are not always black and white, and this movie drives home that point.

Should You Watch???

I think you should watch this movie. Denzel is an awesome actor and he gives a very good performance here. I think about another Denzel Washington movie, Inside Man, which was a very good movie dealing with a hostage situation only he was on the outside instead of the inside. I realize I was pretty harsh on my take, but it was only because I expected something a little better than what I got. It was entertaining enough despite it’s flaws for me to give you the go ahead to watch this movie.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

Munich (2005)

Synopsis

Title: Munich (2005)

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 164 Minutes

Director: Stephen Spielberg

Main Actors: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds, Ayelet Zurer, Geoffrey Rush

Plot: This movie focuses on the Israeli retaliation to the 1972 Munich games tragedy when Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli Olympians.

My Take

If you plan on watching this movie, make sure you don’t have any plans for an entire night because this movie is long. Too long and slow for me. It is not that I can’t watch movies that are long, some of my favorite movies are long, but there is not enough consistency and flow in the story to keep me involved for such a long time. The acting by all accounts was good. The story was good and based at least loosely on historical fact. Spielberg did a good job directing, taking aim at another film surrounding important historical events in recent Jewish history. This was a very good movie, but I felt that it could have been better than great. It had potential to be exceptional.

Should You Watch???

Munich is aptly rated R, mainly due to graphic violence and some sexual content. No children should be exposed to this movie. It runs over 2 ½ hours long, so expect a long sitting. If the above mentioned things do not bother you, I suspect that you will not be disappointed with Munich. The acting and directing is good. The basic story was good, but could have been told in a more captivating and time efficient way. If you can stay actively involved as a watcher throughout the entire movie, you may even feel emotionally moved by the end. Give it a try if you have time, but make sure to watch the documentary, One Day In September, before you do so you have some historical background to the events leading up to this story.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn

Reign Over Me (2007)

Synopsis

Title: Reign Over Me (2007)

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 128 Minutes

Director: Mike Binder

Main Actors: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, B.J. Novak

The Plot: Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) runs into his old college roommate who lost his family in the 9/11 attack. The story is about love, friendship, and healing.

My Take

First off, Adam Sandler did a standout job in this movie. I knew Adam Sandler from great comedies such as Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, but I think his performance in this movie is his best yet. I’m a big Adam Sandler fan, and I’m also a big Don Cheadle fan. He was great in Hotel Rwanda and I like him in this movie as well. He shows a little of his humor, which was nice. However, not all the acting was great. The two actors who played Adam Sandler’s inlaws gave perhaps the worst performance I’ve ever seen, especially the mother-in-law. Please, I could make better facial expressions lady! Thankfully they were minor characters in what I found to be an entertaining story. It was also funny to watch B.J. Novak’s, Ryan from The Office, character get scolded by the judge.

Should You Watch???

This is worth a watch if only to see Sandler’s performance, but it is much more than just him, and it is well worth the watch. The movie touches various emotions ranging from anger, humor, sadness and sympathy. It was not a perfect film and I think the director could have done a better job overseeing some details, but over all I thought it was a very solid film. It’s rated R, so it won’t be a kids movie. Adults should be able to appreciate this movie for the depth of the main character. We should sympathize with the anguish and pain he endures and be proud of the strong bonding friendship of a man who sees a former roommate in need of help.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn

The Nativity Story (2006)

Synopsis

Title: The Nativity Story (2006)

Genre: Religious/Historical/Drama

Rating: PG

Running Time: 101 Minutes

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Main Actors: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Ciaran Hinds, Shohreh Aghdashloo

The Plot: The story about the birth of Christ. One of the greatest if not the greatest stories ever told! Finally we get to see the Nativity Story on the big screen!

My Take

The Nativity Story is the first movie that I am aware of that tells the story of the birth of Christ! This is amazing to me considering the importance of this event. It is safe to say that this is the best movie about the birth of Christ ever made. It is not flawless, but it was very accurately told according to biblical writings. I was paying very close attention to details to see how the director interpreted the nativity story. I found it to be very accurate, which is the most important thing in my mind when telling the story of Christ's birth. I was paying particularly close attention to how Mary and Joseph were portrayed. It is very hard to make a movie like this accurately without taking artistic liberties that would ruin the film. The only fault I find with The Nativity Story is that it does not live up to the actual event, although it is not possible to show how truly amazing and important this event was on the history of the world. I already know the story and many already do, so I guess maybe that is why I felt it lacked some of the excitement we should all feel at the birth of Christ.

Should You Watch???

You should buy this movie and watch it as a Christmas tradition. Jesus is the reason for the season, and what better way to remind you than to watch The Nativity Story? The movie itself is not perfect although it was very well done, but the story is perfect. This is the first movie to make my Hall of Fame list because it is a must watch for Christians and people of all faiths. It is the best movie depicting the birth of Christ that was ever made. What other reason do you need to watch? Buy and watch over and over again!

Popcorn Rating

Bag of Half-Popped Kernals

Legends of the Fall (1994)

Synopsis

Title: Legends of the Fall (1994)

Genre: Period Drama/Romance

Rating: R

Running Time: 133 Minutes

Director: Edward Zwick

Main Actors: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Henry Thomas, Julia Ormond

The Plot: A early 1900’s story about three brothers, their powerful father, and a woman loved by all three brothers.

My Take

Legends of the Fall is a movie that I’ve been wanting to watch for a long time, and just now had the opportunity to watch. While I can’t agree with Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who said that Legends of the Fall was his favorite movie of all time, but it was a very good film. The acting was very good. I thought Anthony Hopkins was the best. I am also a fan of Brad Pitt and he does a great job as usual. It’s just my luck that I happened to watch two extremely sad movies in a row. I will not go into detail, but you will not be cheering and laughing in this movie. It is over twenty years old and it is noticeable especially in the war scenes, but it doesn’t really detract from the over all movie. Entertaining story, albeit sad, and good directing with great acting equals a very solid movie.

Should You Watch???

Most definitely. There are some sexual situations, but they don’t show much. If you’re a youngster, you might need to close your eyes a couple times, but this is a must watch for everybody else.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn

Thumbsucker (2005)

Synopsis

Title: Thumbsucker (2005)

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 96 minutes

Director: Mike Mills

Main Actors: Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D’Onofrio, Keanu Reeves,

The Plot: Justin Conn is a teenager who has a difficult time with his peers. In response to all the anxiety in his life, Justin resorts to sucking his thumb. The boy struggles to find an identity for himself.

My Take

Thumbsucker is a unique film in many ways. The direction of the film was unusual, but not all bad. There were times when the screen went all pink and random images floated across the screen. This would have made since perhaps in certain situations, but it seemed out of place. I also thought that some of the scenes were too choppy and repetitive; it gave me the feeling of low budget. However, the acting in this movie was excellent! Vince Vaughn is one of my favorite actors and although he was not the main actor, I enjoyed his part. He plays as the teacher Mr. Geary and provides some humor in a story that is at times almost overwhelmingly sad. Lou Taylor Pucci does a good job as the troubled teenager, and the whole cast did a good job with their parts. Like I said earlier, the story is sad but it is also engaging. I think they used too much dialogue to explain the story instead of letting it come naturally, and the directing was a little too weird at times for my taste, but over all I enjoyed the film.

Should You Watch???

You should watch for the acting and for an engaging story. It is not uplifting and I did not like the teenage drug use or the profanity from young children. If these things in particular turn you off, then you might not want to watch the film but I will say that it is not like that throughout most of the movie. If you can look past some of these things and take the movie for what it’s worth, I think it’s worthy of a couple hours of your time. You will see how poor parenting can affect a child, and how anxieties in a child’s life can become overwhelming without faith, help and understanding from those who are closest to them.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn