Chick 2 says:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is very curious indeed. What was once a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald perhaps should have stayed a short story, or at least been a shorter version of a movie. Born with an unknown ailment (perhaps brought on by a clock that ticks backwards) that causes him to age backwards, Button (played by Brad Pitt) begins his life as an infant eighty-year old man not expected to live. Read more
-Mal Johnson (Danny Glover)
Silverado 1985
Chick 1 says:
I like Jim Carrey. I think he’s both funny & he can act. He’s proved himself in movies like Ace Ventura, The Truman Show, Bruce Almighty, & one of my favorites, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But he’s also put out quite a few mediocre projects and Yes Man, about a man who is challenged to say “yes” to every opportunity, looked like it might just be Jim Carrey Comedy #48. So I went with limited expectations. Read more
Chick 1 says:
Having wandered through the first round of holiday movies with varying enjoyment, the start of December seemed to bring a lull in good films. Seems that dry spell may end on Friday.
The Tale of Despereaux
This little fairy tale starring Matthew Broderick as the tiny mouse Despereaux and Emma Watson as Princess Pea, looks absolutely delightful. Beautiful animation, fun cast, and a sweet story. Opens Dec 19th. See the trailer here. Read more
Chick 2 says:
Right now, Michael Bay wishes he were Baz Luhrmann. Australia touted epic and it delivers. It introduces the characters in typical Luhrmann fashion, a bit silly and showy, but within 15 minutes or so it begins to improve and, in my opinion, proves to be the director’s best work. The leads, played by Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, are both people of tremendous character, the kind of people the world needs today. Lady Ashley (Kidman) comes to Australia and immediately must decide between the easy choice of returning to London and ignoring the injustice that’s being done Down Under, or making the tough decision to fight the battle of saving her husband’s ranch and the people whose lives would be affected. Read more
Chick 1 says:
Yummy Daniel Craig follows his debut as James Bond in Casino Royale. Did I notice anything in the movie besides the ludicrously attractive Craig? Surprisingly, yes!
What I Liked: The movie goes straight to the action, and it doesn’t let up. Director Marc Forster employs the increasingly popular handheld camera to capture the fights & it really gets you inside the action. The plot is driven in quick terse scenes, barely giving you time to catch your breath before you’re pulled into the next sequence of bone crunching stunts. Things move fast & the ride is awesome. The cast does a fine job & there are some very nice cinematic storytelling moments from both director & cinematographer. Read more
Chick 1 says:
A few more projects in development that have piqued my interest. Apparently, this week the theme is Harry Potter.
Old News: I’ve been mildly interested in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, currently filming in London. Naturally, it features Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter but when Alan Rickman (Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series) was announced as the Caterpillar, I was completely sold. I adore Rickman and would pay to watch him sort socks. This movie has officially been moved to my I Can’t Wait list. Check out the rest of this cast: Mia Wasikowska as Alice (Thank heavens Burton was original enough to cast someone besides Dakota Fanning or Abigail Breslin! Yes, they’re talented but they’re not the only fish in the sea.), Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Michael Sheen as the Cheshire Cat, & Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts. Yes, this will be weird but it could also be freakin’ awesome! Read more
Chick 1 says:
To the 3 people who check this blog; sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Fall has been crazy! But hopefully I’ll be able to post more consistently from now on. Thanks for stopping by. I will do my best to make it worth your time.
Chick 2 says:
Director Danny Boyle definitely has a style about his movies (Trainspotting, Millions, the Beach), and I always enjoy the way he likes to push barriers. Sunshine is a film that brings up philosophical questions about creation, natural selection, and preservation of life in a sci-fi setting. Eight astronauts are on their way to a dying sun carrying a nuclear bomb with which they hope to restart it, the second mission following a mysteriously failed first attempt. The closer we get to the end the further off the deep end this film steps, not quite to the extreme of 2001: A Space Odyssey. (As far as landmark films go, I get Citizen Kane; I don’t get 2001.) Perhaps some needed exposition was cut from the beginning of the story in order to quicken a still slow start, but the hand-held close-ups of the actors during the climax only adds to the confusion. “Is he trying to get away or running to his death?” It was hard to tell. In the end you realize that this movie is actually “pro global-warming” – apparently death by solar fire is beautiful and pleasurable. The cinematography is very stylistic, gorgeous, and just plain cool, as were the CGI effects. There are also good performances by the cast and it’s nice to see Cillian Murphy, who I think is a decent actor, in a good guy role.
IF you like stylish, weird, philosophical, and not entirely lucid, THEN GO (rent it).
Chick 2 says:
I recently revisited Cinema Paradiso, a classic Italian film about a boy who befriends the grumpy projectionist at the local movie house. We watch Salvatore grow up in that theatre, learning about life and love in 1950’s Sicily along the way. This is a story with lots of character and well deserving of the Best Foreign Film Oscar it won in 1990. I rented the director’s cut – Nuova Cinema Paradiso. This version is quite a bit longer but makes more sense of the ending, providing a little more resolution (emphasis on little) than the original theatrical release. But how can you go wrong with Italy and movies as the backdrop?
IF you are a movie lover, THEN GO rent it subito – at once.
