Movie #352........................."Speak"

Movie #352 "Speak" I found very well done, and a must see for a teenager. It should be shown in a high school setting in a family values class because it deals with all kinds of issues for kids to talk about ---- rape is the subject, and the film gives a clear signal about the importance of TELLING people, esp. adults, of the problems you, as a teen, are going through ---- Besides the importance of communicating (thus, the title of the film); the film also shows the influence one teacher can have (the other teachers shown don't come across as well, but that's okay --- they are still oftentimes found in a high school setting); I really appreciated how realistic this movie was ---- lots of quiet moments of looking into the eyes of the very, very capable Kristin Stewart (of vampire fame). Her parents are utterly clueless, but theirs is a journey in the film, as well. My favorite moment is when the teacher looks at all of her drawings for her final project --- as a teacher, as a student, as a human being, you will feel how powerful that moment is when someone finally "gets you". I LOVED the book (and highly recommend it -- we used it for speech team a couple of times through the years) so I was a bit fearful that the people in Hollywood wouldn't do this novel justice, but they did. Nice job, Hollywood. I think you got this one right.




Average rating: 3.717
I give it 4
Speak
(2004) PG-13
A violent crime against Melinda (Kristen Stewart) has left her shunned by her friends and completely traumatized as she enters the ninth grade a selective mute, isolating herself from everyone at school until a sympathetic teacher (Steve Zahn) encourages her to express herself. Elizabeth Perkins and D.B. Sweeney co-star in this powerful teen drama from writer-director Jessica Sharzer, which debuted at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Genre:Indie Dramas, Social Issue Dramas
This movie is:Understated, Emotional
Format:DVD

Movie #351 ........................."The Girl Who Played with Fire"

Movie #351 "The Girl Who Played with Fire" was more violent than the first one, more intense, more confusing, I would think, for people who haven't read the book. Gee, I read all the books and I was confused from the start. It's those darn names and places. They left A LOT out --- like the whole opening of the second book --- and I really missed all the texting that I remember went on between the two leads (where was all of that?) and lots of characters (They didn't introduce any female cops, weren't there a bunch of them, at least Modig, Bublanski's assistant? --- I think she was there, but named I think once) Another thing missing was all the smarts Salander always uses to get info............missing. She shows up and the viewer assumes she looked up all this stuff, but missing in film --- I guess it wouldn't be so interesting to see someone messing with the computer (just look into our windows now and you'll see two (what looks like ) sedentary people plucking away at the computer), but film people are creative --- they could show some of it. So I guess I was a bit disappointed --- I really, really liked this book ---- almost as much as the first (sorry, I liked the serial killer storyline (as gruesome as it was) in the first book) But the cat and mouse chase I still liked in this book and some of it was here, but there were just too many unanswered questions, and don't even bother with this if you haven't read the book. uh uh~ no way~



Our best guess for DONNA: 4.2 stars
I give it 4 stars
Average of 277,424 ratings: 3.9 stars
The Girl Who Played with Fire(Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden)
2009NR 129 minutes
Tech expert Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) becomes the prime suspect when two journalists, including Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin), die after Millennium magazine publisher Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) launches an exposé of the Swedish sex trade. In Part 2 of the trilogy based on the action novels of Stieg Larsson, the vampiric Salander vanishes as Blomkvist digs deep into a possible conspiracy.

Cast:Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, Hans Christian Thulin, Sofia Ledarp, Peter Andersson, Georgi Staykov, Yasmine Garbi, Micke Spreitz, Tehilla Blad, Annika Hallin Director:Daniel Alfredson Genres:Foreign, Foreign Thrillers, Scandinavia, Swedish Language, Blu-ray Language:SwedishThis movie is:Violent, Dark, Suspenseful Format:DVD, Blu-ray and streaming (HD available)

Movie #350 ........................."Timer"

Movie #350 "Timer" is an interesting premise, and it might be intriguing to viewers who are especially out there in the dating world because it is a sci fi idea that involves implants that count down to the moment you are suppose to meet his or her perfect match --- if you know that information and you are dating, it greatly influences your choices and your relationships with those who have the implants and those who don't. I liked this, but I found the pacing a bit slow in parts; otherwise, I would have given it a 4. I wouldn't call it a "comedic" fantasy, as the blurb says below. Not all that funny, at all.

Average rating: 3.642
Rate 5 starsRate 4 starsRate 3 starsRate 2 starsRate 1 star
TiMER
(2009) R
In this comedic fantasy, science has facilitated the search for a soul mate via biotechnological implants that count down to the moment one is supposed to meet his or her match. But Oona (Emma Caulfield) is worried: She's nearly 30, and her TiMER isn't ticking yet. Will her dream guy get snatched up by someone else? John Patrick Amedori co-stars in this film from first-time writer and director Jac Schaeffer.

Genre:Indie Comedies, Fantasy, Indie Romance
This movie is:Romantic, Imaginative
Format:Streaming (HD available)

Movie #349 ........................."Enduring Love"

Movie #349 "Enduring Love" was a bit of a surprise for me. Though not rated a 5 to me because it seemed a tad long in the middle, I found it quite a good thriller with a rewarding ending. It was well acted with Daniel Craig and Rhys Ifans playing totally different roles from what I know them from (Craig for James Bond, Ifans for the underwear guy in "Notting Hill"), and Samantha Morton doing her always good thing! It opens with a sequence that deserves to be shown in a film class because it is THAT good, and the rest of the movie is quite Hitchcockian (and I don't usually say that because to me Hitchcock put an indelible stamp on all his films so he isn't easily copied). In a Hitchcock way, the director (who happens to be Morning Glory's director (a film I saw yesterday) was able to keep you watching while only really dealing with the psyche (you don't need car chases or dead bodies to keep some of us interested) Nice framed shots, good editing, excellent music to set mood, symbolism set up with props, and a tight chase scene that steers the audience very expertly into the very exciting closing scene. It's got that voyeuristic pov of the camera that seemed a lot to me like "Rear Window" (which is a huge compliment for me to say, because "Rear Window" is one of my very favorite films of his). So now I recommend two of this director's movies and I intend to look up some others --- he evidently likes to work with the same people because he worked with Ifans in "NottingHill" and Craig in "The Mother," another film of his. I plan to investigate further because I like his directing so far. ("Nottinghill" has always been one of my favorite romantic comedies)






Average rating: 2.856
I gave this movie 4 stars
Enduring Love
(2004) R
Joe's (Daniel Craig) placid, circumspect life is thrown wildly off kilter when he becomes the target of another man's obsession after witnessing a horrific hot-air balloon accident and attempting to rescue its passengers. This harrowing drama also stars Samantha Morton, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy and Alexandra Aitken. Roger Michell (Notting Hill) directs from his own script, an adaptation of the novel by Ian McEwan.

Genre:Dramas Based on the Book, Indie Dramas, Mystery
This movie is:Suspenseful, Dark
Format:DVD and streaming

Movie #348 ........................."The Celluloid Closet"

Movie #348 "The Celluloid Closet" is a very good documentary on homosexuality in films through the years. The people they interview are very articulate and knowledgeable, the film clips are well chosen, and I now have about 20 more titles of films I plan to add to my queue that this documentary deemed important on the topic. The Subtexts, the trends, the brave, risk taking actors and directors and writers who tried to push past the prejudice, are all dealt with and more in this film, and I recommend it. I also spent another hour watching the special features (something I miss when I stream films directly from netflix to Roku).





Average rating: 3.813
I gave it 4 stars
The Celluloid Closet
(1995) R
Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this acclaimed documentary takes its name from Vito Russo's groundbreaking book. The filmmakers examine the subtext of more than 100 Hollywood movies -- including Spartacus, Rope and Thelma and Louise -- and chart the cinematic journey of lesbian and gay characters. Film clips are paired with director, producer and actor interviews featuring, among others, Gore Vidal, Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg.

Genre:Social & Cultural Documentaries, Historical Documentaries, Indie Documentaries
This movie is:Witty, Heartfelt, Cerebral
Format:DVD

Movie #347 ........................."Megamind"

Movie #347 "Megamind" is just one of several really good animated films this year (it will be competing with "Toys Story 3" which in my opinion is better), and it has a really intelligent script and involved plot parts and intense editing (perhaps too involved for a little kid? not sure he/she will follow the whole plotline, but that's why you would go along, right?) What I liked about it is a bit of a switch (kind of like "Wicked" in a way) because first there is a longer backstory on the bad guy and reasons why he is the way he is, and then he's forced to do good by the end of the picture --- I liked that. Kind of gives me faith after the bloodbath of an election last Tuesday! Anyway, the characters are excellent, and Brad Pitt is used just enough for me! Tina Fey and Will Ferrel steal the show!




Average rating: 3.996
I give it 4 stars
Megamind
(2010) PG
When a cunning supervillain (voiced by Will Ferrell) accidently kills his crime-fighting nemesis, the rogue suddenly finds life boring and uninspired. So, he creates a new enemy (Jonah Hill) who seeks to destroy the world, forcing Megamind to play the hero role for once in his life. This hilarious 3D animated feature from director Tom McGrath (Madagascar) also features the voices of Brad Pitt and Tina Fey.

Genre:Family Animation, Comic Books and Superheroes

Movie #346 ........................."Grace Is Gone"

Movie #346 "Grace Is Gone" is sad, sad, sad, sad, sad. Did I say sad? The whole movie is intense, bordering on weepy, and a big problem is EVERYONE knows the end. Yet, in its defense, it is an important film to see because it reminds us of all the sacrifices that are being made by our military, and how families are greatly affected. At one point in the film, the kids question whether there was a good enough reason for their mom to be away from them, and I thought of how President Bush should be answering THAT question! How different John Cusack is in this film --- he even walks differently. He's very much an odd duck, and so is his first born, but then universal feelings kick in when faced with the tragedy. I kept wondering about his wife's family and how they needed to know and why nothing was mentioned about them. Anyway, you certainly don't want to see this if you want to see people smiling once in a while, because you won't see it in this film at all! Very uncomfortable to watch, but very valid to see.





Average rating: 3.144
I gave it 3 stars
Grace Is Gone
(2007) PG-13
Director James C. Strouse's indie drama stars John Cusack as Stanley Phillips, an ex-military man trying to find the courage to break some devastating news to his two daughters: Their mother has died while serving in Iraq. As he works through his complex feelings about his wife's death and the war, Stanley delays telling his girls the truth, instead taking them on an excursion to a theme park. The film won the Dramatic Audience Award at Sundance.

Genre:Indie Dramas
This movie is:Understated, Dark, Emotional
Format:DVD

Movie #345 ........................."Conviction"

Movie #345 "Conviction" is on a topic I don't remember ever seeing a movie about ----- how a sister spends her whole life while putting her life on hold to save her brother . It seems like this blurb and the one below tells the whole story, but watching it unfold is the magic being spun here. Well acted, well directed, well told, this is a story that needs to be told. I highly recommend it.





Average rating: 3.676
I give it 4.5
Conviction
Betty Anne Waters
(2009) R
Convinced that her brother, Kenneth (Sam Rockwell), has been unjustly convicted of murder and incompetently defended by court-ordered attorneys, high school dropout Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank) puts herself through law school in order to represent him in his appeal. Inspired by a true story, director Tony Goldwyn's stirring drama also stars Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver, Peter Gallagher and Clea DuVall.

Genre:Courtroom Dramas, Crime Dramas, Dramas Based on Real Lif

Movie #344 .........................."Driving Lessons"

Movie #344 "Driving Lessons" is a film stolen by the likes of actress Julie Walters, whom I have been a fan of since "Billy Elliott" and "Educating Rita." Without her, the film would be nothing, in my opinion. In fact, I did not like this movie for a good 30 minutes or so --- I found it dragged, and the characters had thick accents and mumbled their lines --- and the lines I did hear were full of British idioms and I felt the film was leaving me, the audience, out of a lot of the characters' comments. But then Julie Walters made her entrance, and I didn't seem to care more if I understood every single word/phrase --- I liked her character, but I still found the film a bit dull ------however, what redeemed it was a very good third act --- I esp. liked her entrance into the church dramatic production doing a take off of Shakespeare while freeing Ben, her friend, from the apronstrings of his Mother (Laura Linney). So, all in all, this tried to be Harold and Maude, but failed. Really, like H & M the relationship is between a young man and a much older woman, but this time they are just friends, and I was happy with that. I really liked the last scene. It kind of made the whole experience of watching this film worthwhile. Nice theme!








Average rating: 3.279
I gave it 3 stars
Driving Lessons
(2006) PG-13
Looking to earn some cash -- and to get out from under the thumb of his domineering mother (Laura Linney) -- shy teen Ben Marshall (Rupert Grint) accepts a job working as an assistant to a retired soap opera actress (Julie Walters) with an unquenchable thirst. But what begins as a simple summer job blossoms into a life-changing experience. Nicholas Farrell plays Linney's henpecked spouse in director Jeremy Brock's affecting coming-of-age drama.

Genre:Indie Dramas, United Kingdom, Indie Comedies
This movie is:Understated, Quirky
Format:DVD