Movie #318 ........................."Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps"

Movie #318 "Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps" is a good sequel, and very instructive on what has been happening to our economy. And the movie has a capable cast, from Frank Langella, to Michael Douglas, To Shia LaBeouf to Carey Mulligan! Well done! Very tense drama that has some surprising moments that work. Good tight script. I just wished they would have watered down the economic discussions a tad more for people like me who don't seem to get all the intricasies. I recommend this, even if you haven't seen the first one. And Oliver Stone films are usually interesting to watch; he keeps the camera moviing, that's for sure!




Average rating: 3.494
I give it 3.7
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
(2010) NR
Trader Jake (Shia LaBeouf) tries to mend the broken relationship between his fiancée, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), and her father, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), while avenging the fate of his mentor, Lou (Frank Langella), by getting close to Wall Street's new megalomaniac, Bretton James (Josh Brolin). Centered on the 2008 financial crisis, director Oliver Stone's follow-up is a modern-day ode to unfettered capitalism and, of course, greed.

Movie #317 ........................."Dogville"

Movie #317 "Dogville" is one of the oddest films I've ever seen. It is staged like a play (such as Our Town) with minimal amount of furniture and sound effects --- no doors, no streets, we are talking minimal. Besides that, the show is full of really strange people --- make that creepy people walking around this town. So when they take Nicole Kidman in, is there any wonder that they treat her like a dog, including putting a dog collar on her to keep her restrained in her room? But wait until you see the shocking ending to this --- very powerful, and again very weird. All in all, this is one of the strangest, and one I'm still thinking about --- it's pretty violent and disturbing in some of the scenes, so I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, at all! But there was something about it (that same something that keeps us attentive to accidents and ambulances) that kept me glued to my seat!





Average rating: 2.933
I'd give it 3 stars
Dogville
(2004) R
When a mysterious woman (Nicole Kidman) claims she's being chased by hoodlums and needs a place to hide out, the residents of Dogville come to her rescue. But she must prove herself worthy of the privilege -- and win the trust of everyone in town. John Hurt narrates director Lars von Trier's meditation on small-town America, with an all-star cast that includes Paul Bettany, Chloë Sevigny, Stellan Skarsgård, Lauren Bacall and James Caan.

Genre:Indie Dramas, Experimental, Period Pieces
Format:DVD

Movie #316 ........................."You Again"

Movie #316 "You Again" had a lot of good stuff in it ----- the entire cast is all very competent and fun to watch, from Kristin Chenoweth as the salsa teacher, Kristin Bell, whom I have liked since Veronica Mars days, Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis, always fun to watch, and esp. in dancing scenes, the perennial Betty White, and the groom who has these big brown eyes. I didn't know Odette Yustman, but she seemed the only weak link -----even Dad (Victor Garber, of Sweeney Todd fame) and the little bro were quite funny in their small amount of screen time. I also liked most of the script ---- it seemed somewhat believable..............that is, until the hoaky ending ---- from the plate throwing on out, could have been less exaggerated and more grounded in reality, and with a better ending , this film would have been rated a 4 or 5 with me. As it is, it was a little better than average for a comedy and offered quite a few laughs. And it gets you thinking about high school experiences, high school friends, competition with friends, etc. Enjoyable, and not a lot of low, off color humor at all!





Average rating: 3.787
I would give it 3.6
You Again
(2010) PG
History -- make that high school -- may repeat itself when Marni (Kristen Bell) learns that Joanna (Odette Yustman), the mean girl from her past, is set to be her sister-in-law. Before the wedding bells toll, Marni must show her brother that a tiger doesn't change its stripes. On Marni's side is her mother, Gail (Jamie Lee Curtis); Joanna's backed by wealthy Aunt Ramona (Sigourney Weaver). Kristin Chenoweth plays wedding planner Monique Leroux.

Genre:Romantic Comedies

Movie #315 ........................."The Believer"

Movie #315 "The Believer" is about a jew who happens to become a white supremicist and it's clockwork orange-tough to watch.........because there's so much violence from Ryan Gosling to everyone else in the film ---- he's generally a likable character, no matter what he plays (like Lars and the Real Girl) even a teach drug-head, but this was a bit too much. The film was just one violent scene after another --- if he wasn't kicking people, he was ranting and raving about how jews are secondary -------- which is ironic since he is one. Anyway, the film does do a good job to show that inner struggle, which develops into a pretty powerful ending. But the rest is too tough to recommend to watch.






DONNA's rating: 3.0 stars
Average of 182,694 ratings: 3.5 stars
The Believer
2001R99 minutes
Danny Balint (Ryan Gosling), a young Jewish man from New York City, is struggling with the conflict between his beliefs and his heritage and eventually joins a neo-Nazi organization, rising up the ranks to become a leader in the white supremacy movement. Director Henry Bean's gripping drama, which won the 2001 Jury Prize at Sundance, is a psychological examination into the forces of intolerance, both on the individual and society as a whole.

Cast:Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Theresa Russell, Billy Zane, A.D. Miles, Joshua Harto, Glenn Fitzgerald, Garret Dillahunt, Kris Eivers, Joel GarlandDirector:Henry BeanGenres:Drama, Indie Dramas, Social Issue Dramas, Lionsgate Home EntertainmentThis movie is:Suspenseful, Dark, Controversial, ViolentFormat:D

Movie #314 ......................... Paradise Now

Movie #314 "Paradise Now" is a good movie and very important to watch in this day and age --- it speaks for the Palestinian side of the conflict (a rarity in film). It is a very quiet movie with a powerful ending. But it has its faults in my eyes: it's a tad too preachy at times, could develop the characters a bit more (it took me a long time to tell the two main character apart --- maybe it's just me) , and the editing caused confusion at times ---- presented gaps in the narration that didn't need to be there. But overall, it was a very satisfactory movie experience, and I would recommend the movie with a few reservations (seen above). This one, I think, will linger for awhile in my head, and that's what films should do.





Average rating: 3.635
I'd give it 3.4
Paradise Now
(2005) PG-13
Hany Abu-Assad's disturbing yet moving tale examines two young Palestinians who are drafted as suicide bombers for an assignment in Tel Aviv. Both commit to their mission, but have second thoughts after spending a final night with friends and family. Instead of portraying the men as soulless monsters, Abu-Assad attempts to humanize them and find reasons why they would accept such a drastic, tragic fate. The film was shot on location in the West Bank.

Genre:Foreign Dramas, Middle East, Foreign Languages
This movie is:Understated, Gritty, Dark, Controversial

Movie #313 ........................."I'm Reed Fish"

Movie #313 "I'm Reed Fish" was a not-so-good movie. I liked Jay Baruchel, and the females were actually fun to watch. However, the plot and acting of the secondary people was amateurish. It seemed so pushy as far as the comedy, that I just resisted it. I didn't really like the big surprise at the end either.............a bit confusing and didn't justify the affectiveness and overacting of the characters. I wouldn't recommend it.




DONNA's rating: 2.0 stars
Average of 274,109 ratings: 3.1 stars
I'm Reed Fish
2007PG-1393 minutes
A big fish in the little pond of Mud Meadows, Reed Fish (Jay Baruchel) has it all: He hosts a radio show with the mayor (Katey Sagal) and is about to wed the town beauty (Alexis Bledel). But when his high school crush (Schuyler Fisk) resurfaces, he makes choices that throw his life into chaos. DJ Qualls and Chris Parnell are among the colorful characters in this quirky comedy about a small-town love triangle, penned by the real Reed Fish.

Cast:Jay Baruchel, Katey Sagal, Alexis Bledel, Schuyler Fisk, A.J. Cook, Victor Rasuk, DJ Qualls, Chris ParnellDirector:Zackary AdlerGenres:Comedy, Romantic Comedies, Indie Comedies, Indie RomanceThis movie is:Romantic, QuirkyFormat:DVD and streaming (HD available)

Movie #312 ........................."O'Horten"

Movie #312 "O'Horten" was an unusual film with very little dialogue (and what's there is Norwegian) , and the subject matter is very strange, as well. It's about this guy who is a train engineer and he is taking his last ride (it's an overnight) and on his way to his own retirement party, he gets unexpectedly detained and never does get his award, nor his last trip home. From there, he wanders around from one eccentric person he meets to another, one venture to the next (some seem way out there) One scene he was locked in the sauna room because he fell asleep in there, comes out and swims nude in the pool, but is interrupted by a nude couple that jump in the water, and he is able to sneak out. H tries to find his niche in life wherever he turns, and i'm happy to say the ending is satisfactory. It's hard not to be detached from the film and the lead character and the place, because they are all detached anyway ---- it's cold, dull and he is lonely through most of the film, but IDO recommend it to people at a crossroads in their lives ---- misery loves company.





You rated this movie: 3.0
O'Horten
(2007) PG-13
Odd Horten (Baard Owe) is having trouble adjusting to retirement. In the skewed vision of filmmaker Bent Hamer (Factotum), Horten's restlessness launches encounters with a host of strange characters, new behavior and unlikely adventures. He makes new friends, including a doctor he finds sprawled on the sidewalk and a blindfolded motorist, reconnects with an old flame and tries wearing heels -- all representing the end of 40 years of routine.

Movie #311 ........................."The Ramen Girl"

Movie #311 "The Ramen Girl" is another Brittany Murphy film, and since she died a couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to see what she had done before leaving this earth so early. I had been a fan of hers for most of what she did early on, and I couldn't remember seeing something the last 5 or 6 years, so I put all of those titles on my queue. This is just okay. She's good, as she always is --- and the film is interesting --- it's about what it takes to be a great ramen noodle cook --- it takes the spirit, and it is something she works hard at developing. The guy she works for is grouchy, for sure, and would easily push anyone away, so she proves she is worth of being his successor. They both come into each other's lives at the right time, and I liked that about this film. But the film itself seems to lack "spirit" at times. It could be because there are long passages of people speaking Japanese and she doesn't understand them ---- and long passages where she speaks, and they don't understand her. The comedy is there for those scenes but it wears thin after awhile. It just proves what you can communicate through your eyes, your gestures, and the food that you cook. Incidentally, 99% of the film is done in Japan, and that was cool to see!




Average rating: 3.428
I gave it 3 stars.
The Ramen Girl
(2008) PG-13
When her boyfriend leaves her high and dry in Tokyo, spoiled American tourist Abby (Brittany Murphy) finds solace in a neighborhood ramen noodle house run by a cantankerous old chef (Toshiyuki Nishida), who agrees to take her on as an apprentice cook. But will the dirty grunt work and endless criticism drive Abby away before she discovers the serene beauty in the perfect bowl of soup -- and in herself? Robert Allan Ackerman directs this comedy.

Movie #310 ........................."Edge of Love"

Movie #310 "Edge of Love" was not a movie I would recommend to lots of people. It wasn't sure what story it wanted to tell, trying to go back and forth among 4 people === Dylan Thomas's wife, girlfriend, Thomas himself and William, who ends up marrying Keira (the girlfriend). It is only a couple of years of Dylan's life, when he was in Wales writing. The environments are gorgeous, the women are gorgeous, Dylan himself is nice looking, but it gets a bit weird with the foursome --- everyone is friends but jealous of everyone else. So it seems so high schoolish --- I wanted to say, Hey you are adults --- sort it out and make it right! The one redeeming factor that it holds on to is the fact that the women really liked each other and were friends, in the true sense of the word. And the last moment when they connect was a good one, and one that makes the ending more satisfactory than the rest of the movie.




DONNA's rating: 3.0 stars
Average of 134,960 ratings: 2.9 stars
The Edge of Love
2008R111 minutes
Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys) is torn between his free-spirited childhood sweetheart, Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley), and his fiery wife, Caitlin MacNamara (Sienna Miller), in this lush, fact-based period drama. Despite their rivalry over Dylan, Vera and Caitlin develop an unlikely friendship, but jealousy enters the picture when Vera marries William Killick (Cillian Murphy) and the threesome becomes a quartet.

Cast:Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys, Simon Armstrong, Ben Batt, Geoffrey Beevers, Rachel Bell, Nick Stringer, Lisa Stansfield, Joel Dommett, Anne Lambton, Richard Clifford, Alastair MackenzieDirector:John MayburyGenres:Drama, Romantic Dramas, 20th Century Period Pieces, Period Pieces, Dramas Based on Real Life, United Kingdom, Foreign Regions, Blu-rayThis movie is:Romantic, Dark, CerebralFormat:DVD, Blu-ray and streaming (HD available)

Movie #309 .........................."High Heels and Low Lifes"

Movie #309 "High Heels and Low Lifes" is a funny heist film, which is one of the reasons I found this enjoyable. I also liked the chemistry of the two women (and I ordinarily don't like Minnie Driver), the witty script, and the goofiness of everything. But what I really liked about this film is that you have two women, "one blonde and one brunette, both attractive" (as the film keeps repeating) and they were able to make the film interesting without one love scene --- this movie proves that every woman doesn't have to "get her man" ---- that like lots of films that have two guys, there doesn't have to be the proverbial love scenes to sustain interest in the viewer. And I liked that about this film. It put the women through the paces the guys usually go through, and I guess because it was women wielding a machine gun, they played it for laughs --- and found it funny and refreshing!



Average rating: 3.039
I give it 4 stars
High Heels and Low Lifes
(2001) R
When two girlfriends (Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack) eavesdrop on a phone conversation describing a bank heist in their London neighborhood, they decide to blackmail the culprits for $2 million rather than report the crime to the police in this hilarious action comedy. Refusing to give up the money, however, the robbers (Kevin McNally and Michael Gambon) start pulling some dirty tricks to try to outwit the two women.

Genre:Action Comedies
This movie is:Quirky, Goofy

Movie #308........................."Mostly Martha"

Movie #308 "Mostly Martha" is a pure delight. I wanted to see it after I saw the remake "No Reservations," which I also liked, but this one I would highly recommend. Everything is really good about it --- so few mistakes --- with casting, with sets and props, with lighting, with characterization, the chemistry, the kitchen scenes, the reality of it all --- I liked it a lot! I would rank it right up there with "Big Night" as an appetizing movie about food. You'll want to eat out at a really good restaurant after this one!




Average rating: 3.805
i gave it a 5. (rottentomatoes gave it 91%)
Mostly Martha
Bella Martha
(2002) PG
German director Sandra Nettelbeck whips up this tragicomic tale about an uptight professional chef named Martha (Martina Gedeck), who finds her world turned upside down when she takes in her newly orphaned niece, Lina, and tries her hand at parenting. Martha's obsession with precision gourmet cooking extends to discussing recipes with her bewildered therapist (August Zirner) and verbally attacking anyone who attempts to send her food back.

Movie #307 ........................."Love and Other Disasters"

Movie #307 "Love and Other Disasters" is enjoyable, but don't think Bloom and Paltrow are in it for any length of time --- they come on for a 5 minute scene that is pretty funny. I recommend this movie if you like stuff like Bridget Jones' diary or Notting Hill --- terribly British, rapid-fire dialogue with lots of Brit slang, quick on its feet, liberal in presenting sex..........I found it refreshing for a romantic comedy in that while it is doing its thing showing you the rise of one love story dealing with the main female (B. Murphy) with a male (whom she thinks is gay), it also shows her homosexual best friend trying to find love in all the wrong places, suggesting that love problems are universal for everyone! And that we tend to make wrong decisions based on looks. Not an earthshatteringly new idea, but I liked the ease of friendship between the always capable Brittany Murphy (so sad she left the earth so early) and Matthew Ryhs (the gay lawyer from t.v.'s brothers and sisters). I liked it and found it refreshing.





Average rating: 3.257
I would give it 3.5
Our best guess for DONNA: 3.2 stars
Average of 246,006 ratings: 3.3 stars
Love and Other Disasters
2006R90 minutes
Director Alek Keshishian unspools a charming tale that finds a young American (Brittany Murphy) attempting to play matchmaker for friends and co-workers -- with mixed results -- while interning at a major British fashion magazine. Problem is, she's so busy hooking up everyone else that she can't see her ideal match right under her nose. The supporting cast of characters includes Matthew Rhys, Santiago Cabrera and Catherine Tate.

Movie #306 ......................."The Back-Up Plan"

Movie #306 "The Back-Up Plan" is a romantic comedy. Donna normally likes romantic comedies, and this one offers a different, more modern retelling of the age-old genre. I liked that part, no doubt. I found it interesting that she was going through a pregnancy and changes in her body, while trying to look her best because she is just falling in love. And as far as romantic comedies go, as long as the two people are winning and the film doesn't cross the stupid line, a romantic comedy would usually rate higher than a 3 in my books. Here's the thing with this one. I like Jaylo, and the guy is pleasant, as well. But there were down and out just plain annoying scenes in the film that kept pulling it back from charming this viewer. I'll just give one example. The birht of a baby in a swimming pool that I think was supposed to be funny, but it was so down and out loud and annoying that it just wasn't funny. It made this person watching it quite happy I never had kids. and I don't think the scene was supposed to make you feel that way. I can't recommend it to many people at all. You skip this one.





Average rating: 3.494
I gave this 3 stars
The Back-Up Plan
(2010) PG-13
When Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) tires of looking for Mr. Right, she decides to have a baby on her own. But on the day she's artificially inseminated, she meets Stan (Alex O'Loughlin), who seems to be just who she's been searching for all her life. Now, Zoe has to figure out how to make her two life's dreams fit with each other. Alan Poul directs this hilarious, heartfelt tale of confusion, confession and romantic slapstick.

Movie #305 ........................."City Island"

Movie #305 "City Island" - quirky doesn't begin to describe this family. At times funny, at times just quite strange, this movie takes a lot of chances in presenting a very dysfunctional family who doesn't tell the truth to each other AT ALL! That makes most of these people unlikeable ---- if the lead actor, Andy Garcia, didn't have a big dream to be an actor, the film wouldn't go anywhere at all ---- That's the line that reeled me in somewhat, but I still didn't like this movie as much as I thought it would. It goes so crazy at the end, that it passes the stupid line for me. And I never warmed up to the Mortimer character, and I think we were supposed to. Not one I'd recommend to many people at all ---- But I try to see all Andy Garcia films --- he's THAT good! (the one I'd recommend is "When a Man loves a Woman")





Average rating: 3.643
I would give it 3.5
City Island
(2009) PG-13
When he recognizes his son, Tony (Steven Strait), whom he hasn't seen in more than 20 years, among a crop of new inmates in the jail where he works, Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) decides to bring the troubled young man home with him, much to the surprise of his wife and kids. Writer-director Raymond De Felitta helms by this offbeat comedy that also stars Julianna Margulies, Emily Mortimer, Dominik Garcia-Lorido and Alan Arkin.

Movie #304 .........................."Kinamand"

Movie #304 "Kinamand" was an unusual film in that it took place in Denmark, but mostly in a Chinese restaurant ---- two very separate languages and cultures come together for an arranged marriage ---- a good love story, but the ending was very surprising to all of us watching it. What a nice, likable cast in a script we've seen before -- the only creative thing here is the meshing of the two cultures. Nice love story and I'm a sucker for those! Kinamand refers to the name he is called when he agrees to marry the chinese lady!




Average rating: 3.71
I would give it 3.9 stars
Kinamand
Chinaman
(2005) NR
In this poignant Danish tale, hapless plumber Keld (Bjarne Henriksen) finds his world crumbling when his wife of 25 years (Charlotte Fich) walks out on him. Dejected, Keld falls into a routine of eating at the local Chinese grill, whose owner offers Keld a sizable sum to wed the man's sister (Vivian Wu) in a marriage of convenience. Will love bloom despite the language barrier and clash of cultures?

Movie #303 ........................."Greenberg"

Movie #303 "Greenberg" is not near as funny as the trailer made it out to be........I usually like Noah Baumbach's stuff, but the two characters were so unlikable, that it was really, really difficult to like either of them. That's not to say that there aren't some raw, real moments in the film, and some actually work, but they were few and far between. No one in the room that i was watching this film with liked it, so I wouldn't recommend it to many people at all. There are so many other films that you could watch that were a lot like this one -------- a person with baggage finds himself at a crossroads in his life ---- does he love himself enough to be able to fall in love with someone else. If this had more laughs, and more likable characters, it would have succeeded with me, but this does not.





Average rating: 2.528
I gave it 3 stars
Greenberg
(2009) R
At a crossroads in his life in New York, Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) takes some time to figure things out and travels to Los Angeles, where he house-sits for his brother and forges an unlikely bond with his brother's assistant, Florence (Greta Gerwig). Acclaimed director Noah Baumbach's (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding) finely observed relationship comedy also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rhys Ifans.

Movie #302 ........................."Slaughter Rule"

Movie #302 "Slaughter Rule" was kind of a disappointment, since it was starring Ryan Gosling and David Morse, two of my very favorite actors. And I DID enjoy their performances, very honest and gritty, but anyone following my blog knows how I don't really get into sports movies, esp. ones with a lot depending on the sport itself. And this one did. The players were either playing football, drinking, fighting, or having sex with the young girls in the film (one of which was Amy Adams, whom you hardly see, but who gets top billing for all the other girls). I guess Gosling's actions are the consequences of the death of his father, and the lack of interest of his mother. But one can only wonder why Morse acts the way he does ---- the script is weak, but these two guys still make these characters so layered that they are compelling to watch. But that isn't enough for a movie to recommend. So unless you, like me, like these two, you don't need to see this movie. It's just ok.








DONNA's rating: 3.0 stars
Average of 20,743 ratings: 2.8 stars
The Slaughter Rule
2002R116 minutes
A dreary Montana winter teaches teenager Roy (Ryan Gosling) how to be a man. First, he loses his father, a possible suicide; then he's cut from his high school football team. So when Gid (David Morse), a pariah in his own hometown, suggests that Roy play for his six-man team, Roy has nothing to lose -- or so he thinks. But all too soon, Roy is overwhelmed by his love for an older woman (Clea Duvall) and pressure from the brusque-but-paternal Gid.

Movie #301 ........................."The Lady Vanishes"

Movie #301 "The Lady Vanishes" was actually a Hitchcock film I hadn't remember seeing, and I'm glad I got to see it. What fun! The only drawback is that they don't get to the train and the lady actually vanishing until about 30 minutes into it, so there's a bit of a set up, but after that, it's all lots of thrills, spills and fun! I especially love these two brits who just want to make it to some sporting event and they don't care if the lady is there or not, and one ends up facing several guns because he doesn't believe there's anyone really trying to kill them and............lo and behold he gets shot in the wrist, and in true British form, just says oh dear and walks back to the others and informs them that he was wrong. It was a funny scene, and typical Hitchcockian. My one regret is that I didn't see Hitchcock in the background and I know I missed him because he appears in all his films. My big delight here is to finally see Michael Redgrave at work --- I do believe he is the father of Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave, and he was very "dashing" --- I know, a terribly British word, but he was!





Average rating: 3.718
I give it 4 stars
The Lady Vanishes
(1938) NR
Traveling aboard a transcontinental train, young Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) becomes alarmed when an acquaintance, elderly governess Miss Froy (Dame Mae Whitty), suddenly vanishes. Inexplicably, all the other passengers deny having seen the woman. So Iris turns to her lone ally -- handsome music scholar Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave) -- for help. As the two search for clues to Froy's disappearance, they uncloak a sinister plot.