Serenity 2005 SPOILERS

4/5

Saw "Serenity" yesterday in an evening showing, have had time to think it over before writing my review. Let me say at first that I am still a little melancholy over some parts, but still smiling when I think of the movie as a whole. As a recent Firefly fan I haven't had to wait years for this movie, just a few months. Still, it's been the most anticipated movie on my list since George Romero's "Land of the Dead", and one of the nicest things about anticipating "Serenity" is that critics weren't panning it before it even came out.

But anticipation can be a backhanded slap to the other cheek sometimes. If you anticipate too much, can any movie live up to what you expect? Oftentimes that is the case, but I'm relieved to say it wasn't here (nor with "Land" if you really want to know. I loved it.).

Some of the characters and the ship looked a bit different, but no one acted out of character. This was the same ragtag, bickering, smart-mouthed, intensely loyal crew we got to know on the small screen and just that made the movie worth seeing for me. Then add in an excellent story with nail-biting suspense, a very odd mystery that eventually answers some questions regarding River, and several gasp-out-loud moments, and you've got satisfaction where you were afraid you'd be disappointed. On top of that, there was the excellent acting, sets, cinematography and effects, and my feeling went from satisfaction to elation and beyond.

I read a couple of fan reviews that said the dialog wasn't quite as good or snappy as in the series, but I didn't see that. This is a much darker and leaner story than the series usually had, but it wasn't an episode of the series and it's clear that Joss didn't treat it as such. If he had it wouldn't have been a good movie, it would have been like other movies from TV shows where people say "it was a 2-hour episode". This wasn't, and it makes me willing to pay another $10 to go see it again before it leaves the theater.

As most fans know, Wash and Book die in the film, and that really makes me sad when I think of it; I feel like I'm mourning real people. However, now that I think about it, those plot twists really did make the whole Firefly universe feel more real. I mean, come on, how many times should all of them have died on some of those TV adventures?! So when it did happen it was shocking but not unexpected, I have to admit. It's taken me a bit of time to get used to it, but now that I have I agree that Joss made good choices.

The Warriors 1979

4/5

I saw this movie shortly after its release in 1979, while I was pregnant with my first child. The two scenes that stuck in my mind all this time was the prom kids on the train, and of course "Warrior, come out to plaayyyy". I recently found out that I work with David Patrick Kelly's sister, which revived my interest in this movie. I'm very glad I rented it, because it was even better than I remembered! It's a good story with good acting and outstanding cinematography and direction. It was a little more violent than I like, although nowhere near as graphically detailed as many movies nowadays. I highly recommend it if the description interests you.

Must Love Dogs 2005

5/5

Most who know me know I'm not a real fan of "romance genre" movies. I was deeply disappointed by "You've Got Mail", irritated by "Bridges of Madison County", and count a lesbian film ("Desert Hearts") as one of the best romances I've ever seen. I enjoyed "He Said She Said", "Hitch", and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" but that's about it for the "romance genre" that I can think of. I am a sucker for a happy ending, though a sad or ironic one is fine with me as well depending on the movie.

That said, I had heard the buzz that this movie was worth seeing if you liked John Cusack, Diane Lane, or just plain old good storytelling with snappy, funny dialog and characters you ended up caring about. And that's the bottom line. Within 10 minutes you're emotionally involved with the two main characters, you know enough about them to care and are intrigued to find out more. All of the supporting cart are outstanding as well; Christopher Plummer is spot-on perfect as the seemingly-shallow yet surprisingly deep dad of a large caring Irish brood, Elizabeth Perkins is outstanding as the nosy but caring sister, and Stockard Channing wins your heart with her candor and vivaciousness. The really neat thing about this movie is that the leads are 35 or older, and the beautiful young people are made out to be a bit insipid or, at worst, shallow. I know I was pretty shallow and insipid at 21 and am pretty sure that's all gone now that I'm 44, so this movie rang well with me.

I won't say the movie isn't predictable, but only in parts. Several scenes surprised me with having the characters do something unpredictable but not totally out of character, yet others I winced as I saw it coming. The dialog is absolutely perfect, with quite a few LOL moments and a speech from Plummer's character regarding his late wife that just about had me in tears.

I wouldn't say there's anything really wrong with this movie other than I felt it wrapped up too fast; I could have watched another 10-15 minutes of just Lane and Cusack together. They have beautiful chemistry but are believably awkward in the first few date scenes.

And the dog(s) are adorable--if you see this movie, be sure to wait through the credits until the dog scene, and then read the trivia on IMDb--it's a perfect touch.

I couldn't recommend it more if you like a plain old good movie of any genre. This one will come to live with us.

Flushed Away 2006

1/5

As a fan of computer-generated animation, Dreamworks, and Aardman, I was excited about this movie and looking forward to it. But when I fell asleep about 20 minutes in, I knew that this one just wasn't going to work for me. It simply did not hold my interest. The story was sadly predictable, the slugs quickly went from cute to annoying, the animation was average for a movie of this type, the action sequences dull, and while the voice talent was stellar (I just can't fault Sir Ian no matter what he does) that couldn't save this movie. My first miss from both Dreamworks and Aardman; I can only hope it doesn't happen again.

Cars 2006

5/5

I went to the theater to see Pixar's newest, "Cars" fully expecting not only not to like it, but possibly to dislike it. Those who know me know I'm a huge Pixar fan, but I don't follow car racing of any kind and don't particularly care for cars (though I do know a little about classic cars--come on, I grew up in Detroit). I was really put off by the long-running teaser that had Larry the Cable Guy as the tow truck, and went into the theater prepared to be underwhelmed. To put it bluntly, I was wrong.  Very, very wrong.

Though not with the type of amazingly original story that fueled the likes of "Toy Story", "Monsters, Inc" and "The Incredibles", this film is a worthy addition to the Pixar family and is, IMHO, their 7th home run in a row. And while I didn't get the car racing jokes, it really didn't matter. One of these days I'll sit down with a friend who does follow car racing and have her explain it to me, but in the meantime I plan to see this film at least once more before it leaves the theater. Maybe twice. Hey, how often is it that you don't tear up at the end of the movie, you get misty-eyed at the end of the credits? Oh, and, as you may have heard, DO NOT MOVE FROM YOUR SEAT until you see the Disney logo! Especially if you're a fan of the other Pixar movies, you won't regret seeing the adorable extras they threw in all along and past the end of the credits.

Now I know better than to doubt them, and Pixar has won me beyond the shadow of a doubt. Whatever they do next is fine by me!

High Fidelity 2000

2/5

I was very disappointed in this movie, being a Cusak family fan. While the beginning is interesting, the middle drags so bad that you just want to fast-forward to the end. The two record-store clerks are annoying and non-sympathetic. The ending almost makes up for having to sit through this entire movie--barely. I would not watch this entire thing again and I am a repeat movie watcher.

Sahara 2005

4/5

Just got done watching "Sahara" with Matthew McConaughey, Penélope Cruz, and Steve Zahn. First let me say that 'it is what it is', and it is exactly what it looks like on the DVD case. If you like formulaic action-adventure movies (Indiana Jones, National Treasure, etc) you will probably like this one. Unlike many movies of this type I've seen, this one had no glaring mistakes that knocked me out of their world and back into mine. Oh, there were some serious plot holes and points that were never cleared up, but I didn't realize them until after the end credits rolled. Not once did I yell, "Oh, come on, you gotta be kidding!?" :-) At the beginning of the film I did remark on the odd uniforms which weren't any Confederate uniforms I've ever seen, but I soon forgot about it. The acting was good in all cases, the action/stunts very well done and nail-biting in parts (even when you knew the good guys weren't going to buy it), the CGI works pretty well with the real stuff, and the locations/music are outstanding. The use of older rock music was a real treat in this movie, it really helped set the mood. So. Remove brain, insert DVD, and enjoy :-D

Little Miss Sunshine 2006

3/5

While I couldn't say that this was one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, I will say that it has some of the funniest moments I've ever seen. With an absolutely perfect spot-on cast, realistic situations and decisions from the characters in said situations, and an ending that couldn't have been any more true to the story, "Little Miss Sunshine" is a wonderfully refreshing look at a dysfunctional family with a heart. It's not a cutesy family movie, in fact it's more dark than light and depressing than uplifting, but it's true to real life and eminently satisfying. Highly recommended for those open to something just a little bit different.

Ladies in Lavender 2004

1/4

It's really sad that two amazing talents such as Judi Dench and Maggie Smith can't save this rather muddled, messy, and badly edited movie. The major flaw is that not enough regarding what's going on is explained at the beginning, so if you haven't either read the story or a detailed synopsis of it you're probably going to have trouble following this. I wanted so badly to like this movie and while it has its moments, overall I was disappointed. I would say that if you're a fan of Judi, Maggie, or the violin definitely see this and make up your own mind. If not, give it a miss. One of the biggest "almost" movies I've ever seen.