Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Wow.  I really loved this movie.  It’s beautiful.  I rarely see any live action Disney movies that are more than a guilty pleasure, but this one stands far above the rest.   It is one of those rare movies that enlighten and excite a person.  It makes you want to live!  I really don’t have much else to say about it… I’m rather speechless.  I must read the book now.  Please see this movie, it’s not just another Disney kiddie movie with a lame story and lame characters.  Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb both give splendid performances along with a scene-stealing Bailee Madison.

Parent’s Guide:  A small amount of swearing (all from Jesse’s father), thematic elements (rough family situations, bullies, tragedy, etc.), and some fantasy sequences that might upset the especially young.

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)

This movie has intrigued me for a long time.  I would see it at the library, pick it up, read the back, and then put it on the shelf again.  Last week I finally checked it out and watched it.  I’m glad I did, but I’ll admit it’s an oddball.  The plot/story was well done, but the whole ESP reincarnation thing was taken a little too seriously for me.  I am a big fan Barbra Streisand in her early films (Funny Girl, Hello Dolly, and What’s Up Doc?).  She didn’t disappoint in this film either.  In fact, I would almost say it was one of her (if not the) best performances.  She handled it’s absurdity wonderfully, not to mention she’s hilarious!  I love the Daisy Gamble character (I could have done without Melinda…. but then where would the story be?).  Yves Montand really got on my nerves.  His character didn’t really develop at all; that might not have been his fault, but he’ll take the blame.  I’ll probably watch it again someday, but for now I’ve had my hippie/psychic dosage for a while.  Good filming, music, acting (Jack Nicholson was fun), and awesome costuming! 

Parent’s Guide: Very odd.  Deals with psychic abilities, ESP, reincarnation, and hypnotism.  Daisy’s “past life” was as a very seductive woman named Melinda.  I would skip the song early on called “Love With All The Trimmings” or something like that.  There’s a small amount of swearing.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

I waited a long time before seeing this movie.  Partially because I am not a huge fan of westerns and partially because I didn’t know anything about it.  Well this weekend I finally saw it.  It was different, in a way, than I expected it to be.  I laughed pretty hard, the dialogue is awesome (what dialogue there is).  The cinematography that won the Academy Award was very good, if not a bit hippyish.  The music, although good, really threw me off.  But I like things that throw me off, so it’s all good.  Seriously, just thinking about the characters and some of the lines makes me smile. :)  There really is no clear point to the film, except to portray a little bit of history.  Paul Newman and Robert Redford give awesome performances of two very well written characters.  It’s great to watch their friendship play out on screen.  Fun stuff, I’d watch it again.

Parent’s Guide:  This is not a movie kids will really enjoy.  There is some swearing as well as two brief scenes that are inappropiate.  A lot of western style violence.

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Haha!  This movie was way too much fun!  I was a little scared during the first few scenes - it seemed like Harrison Ford had lost his touch, but boy did he get back in the swing of it!  Shia LaBeouf did an awesome job portraying Mutt - another awesome character.  I laughed a lot during the whole thing.  It was a lot like a great roller coaster: breezy, fun, silly grins, adventurous, ridiculous stunts, etc.  I am dying to see it again… and again… and again. 

Now to the part everyone rolled their eyes at: the “mystery” of the crystal skulls.  I won’t give anything away for all you pre-viewing review readers.  Just know that most of you will be slightly disappointed at the lack of originality.  The good news is, it more than likely won’t ruin the entire movie for you - at least it didn’t for me.  Please keep in mind, it’s just as “out there” as the holy grail was in The Last Crusade.  I think it fit nicely with the series, in fact it might be second only to Raiders of The Lost Ark (though I know many would disagree).  One thing stuck out in my mind and kind of bothered me throughout: why did everyone keep calling Indy Henry!  I thought he hated the name, yet everyone was using it!  Haha, that’s my only complaint (despite the obvious).  Please see it and try to look past the little goof in the end; I promise, you’ll like it a whole lot more if you do.  Oh yes, one more thing, I love Karen Allen as Marion.  She’s such a great character!  I guess that’s what I love about the Indiana Jones movies: 1) Great action/adventure and 2) Great characters.

Parents Guide: It is rated PG-13.   Some say it should have been PG.  I disagree.  The language and innuendo is practically nonexistant, but the violence is prevalent.  It is cartoonish, but it’s also a little gross.  Giant ants, old skeletons all over, a bloody fist fight, etc.  Keep in mind it might scare the little ones.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

I went into the theatre with very low expectations, yet I secretly longed to be surprised by a marvellous film.  I left secretly disappointed.  It was flat, so utterly flat.  The performances lacked life (excepting Skander/Edmund and Peter Dinklage/Trumpkin).  Though it seemed very much like the fault was shared by the actors and the director.  In fact, the story was in itself lifeless.  Perhaps if they had stuck to the way C.S. Lewis wrote the original story, things would have fallen better into place.  I agree, though, that not every page to screen adaptation can be exactly like the book; that there are some liberties that can and should be taken.  For instance, if Peter Jackson had included every adventure account in Tolkein’s masterpieces, we would have sat through films of at least four to five hours.  Some would argue in favor of that, but I find them to be the true fanatics.  But for Prince Caspian there was a good story in the book that somehow got lost in the transfer to film.  I hate to say it, but I found it to be mindless entertainment.  It almost hurts to say that because I know that Lewis never meant for his works to become mindless.  In his own words: “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.  It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.”  I would say these words apply very much to film as well as literature.  The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (though I disliked it at first) did very well in being not only good entertainment, but also a good and enriching adaptation.  I think that’s about all I have to say about this film without being too rude and ripping into things.  Props for the special effects, costumes, cinematography, slo mo, and most of the other tech aspects. 

Born Yesterday (1951)

This was an excellent first encounter with Judy Holliday.  I loved her!  I was pleasantly surprised by the touching story.  I had expected just another screwball comedy, but rather encountered a lovely and moving plot along the lines of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Meet John Doe.  There are some wonderful moments along with Holliday’s brilliant performance as Billie Dawn.  There has been much controversy over the years about her Oscar win over Bette Davis (All About Eve) and Gloria Swanson (Sunset Blvd.).  Yet I would dare to agree with the Academy’s decision.  Davis and Swanson’s performances were indeed brilliant, but they were also normal for that period of Hollywood.  I would venture to say that Judy Holliday’s performance was very different and extraordinary.  She wasn’t some high maintenance egotistically heiress who has a tragic tendency to ruin the lives of people around her.  She was an individual with a level head and a clear mind.  Billie is a character that I could believe in, one that wouldn’t surprise me to bump into on the street.  Rarely does one meet a Norma Desmond or a Margo Channing, but meeting a Billie Holliday (especially in that era) is plausible.  Judy Holliday deserved her Best Actress Oscar and this film the Best Picture nomination.

Speed Racer (2008)

Awesome.  An extremely fun movie!  It looked like summer and felt like a breezy drive with the music blasting and the top down!  I desperately want to see it again before it’s out of theatres… I’m thinking IMAX.  Great film making, great performances, great music, great effects.  Go see it, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.  I will admit it was borderline PG with swearing and quite a few indecently clad women (fortunately most were lost in the background).  This film was a feast for the eyes and pure adrenaline.

Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

This was sweet.  A lovely story of three women living and working in Rome and the three men in their lives.  Nothing entrancing, yet everything enchanting.  Especially the charming Louis Jourdan and Rossano Brazzi.  My only complaint was the shallowness of Maggie McNamara’s performance… though at times it was sweet.  A very tasteful romantic comedy, good any day of the week.  Unless you don’t like the Trevi Fountain or the kind Georgio - if not, there’s always Prince Louis Jourdan and the cinematography.

The Grass is Greener (1960)

I really enjoyed this movie.  I can’t completely understand it’s underratedness.  Yes, I do see how Cary Grant is not an English Lord, how Deborah Kerr is not the adulterous type, and how Robert Mitchum is not the sly American bachelor, but that is part of this film’s charm.  Everything (excepting Jean Simmons and the butler) is so out of place that it’s almost as if Stanley Donen (the director) did so on purpose.  It’s almost a satire of sorts (though I can’t think of what).  The dialogue is superb, as with most stage-to-screen endeavors.  I laughed out loud several times; the banter is really great!  Keep in mind, this is not a sweeping epic of emotions or a high tale of life as we know it (or don’t).  This is exactly what I said: an out of place piece of witty banter and chuckles that jumped off the screen.  Ah yes, there is a sweet conclusion and forgiveness (though light) and marriage win out (good message overall; there is a bit of slightly discreet innuendo as it began sneaking out into the open in the late 50s).  Definately enjoyable and worth several viewings.

The Europeans (1979)

I saw this film because 1. I enjoy period romances and 2. I have a slight taste for Merchant-Ivory films (Remains of the Day esp).  Though slow and not overflowing with outstanding performances, one cannot help but enjoy the Felix’s smile or the hideous eyebrows of what’s-his-face-the-priest/pastor.  I laughed, but I did not cry.  Even my laugh was more like a snicker.  Cute, sweet, but shallow and lacking in color and variety.  I would watch it again, but not much more than that.  Keep in mind, the film making was superb.  The cinematography was admirable and simplistic.  In fact that is exactly how I would describe this film: simplistic.