Movie #391 ........................."The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest"

Movie #391 "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" --- I waited for weeks and weeks to see this ---- never came to a theatre "Near' me in either home, and I don't get it. Why make it so difficult to see and then when it gets available in DVD it is streamable almost immediately? So I watched it right away and really, truly enjoyed it. I am sorry this is the last one --- though, I can't believe the book and the movie end the way they do ---- there has to be another book/movie ! His girlfriend says there is, so I'm waiting for it. I still like the first movie better, can't remember lots of the second one, and this one is amazing how it tells the story with sooooo many changes from the book ---- and there would have to be changes galore with the length of the book ---- the movie is already 147 minutes (they have all been long) so be aware of that before you sit down and watch it --- U.S. audiences are used to 120 or so minutes. The big change I noticed was in Berg's character -- there had to be a big adjustment in her character to provide some conflict and intrigue that would have been missing otherwise. I bought it, and no one would notice it, if you haven't read the book ---- but can you honestly see this movie and follow it without reading the book? I don't think so ----not this one. The film seems FOR all those people that read all three books! For example, All the cops that had individual characters in Book 3 are just listed for a minute in this one, as if it's just a wave to the reading audience out there who were expecting them mentioned. I was a little disappointed that the little cat and mouse stuff between Salander and Blomquist on the computer in Book 3 was missing ---- and the film tried to deal with all the political intrigue (because it's probably the reason Larsson wrote all these books, anyway) but it was tough to follow, even if you know the names.............of which there are many here! I was also disappointed in the very end --- just like in the book ---- after following S/B's relationship throughout, you have to say to yourself --"That's it?" There's gotta be another book/movie! There's just gotta be! But vengeance is sweet! When Salander is face to face with the demon doctor, you want to stand up and cheer! It feels good!



Average rating: 4.171
I would give it 4.2
Average of 14,625 ratings: 4.2 stars
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest(Luftslottet Som Sprängdes)
2009R 147 minutes
Third in a trio of films inspired by Swedish author Stieg Larsson's "Millennium Trilogy," this thriller follows feisty computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) as she finds herself hospitalized, suspected of murder and targeted for death by thugs. Meanwhile, Lisbeth's journalist pal, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), crusades to prove her innocence. Daniel Alfredson directs this film that also stars Lena Endre and Jacob Ericksson.

Cast:Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Annika Hallin, Jacob Ericksson, Sofia Ledarp, Anders Ahlbom, Micke Spreitz, Georgi Staykov, Mirja Turestedt, Hans Alfredson Director:Daniel Alfredson Genres:Foreign, Foreign Thrillers, Scandinavia, Swedish Language, Foreign Regions, Foreign Languages, Blu-ray Language:SwedishFormat:DVD, Blu-ray and streaming (HD available

Movie #390 ........................."Heaven's Fall"

Movie #390 "Heaven's Fall" concerns a huge black mark in the history of our legal system. I had never heard of the Scottsboro Nine" and I'm quite ashamed people in the United States would treat others in this way. This film starts with the NYC lawyer going to Alabama to defend one of the Scottsboro 9 after the court had found all of them guilty. (this was an appeal) Because the film didn't show the actual incident (it's done in quick clips in the opening 1 minute of the film), the whole film is the lawyer coming to town, getting hassled and the long courtroom scene --- the problem is there really isn't a lot of drama in the courtroom because you know he's not guilty, but that they probably will find him guilty no matter who takes the stand.........therefore, the film felt a bit long and drawn out. However, the time period and what happened is important for us to see, so if you don't know about the case, I think you will find this enlightening. I plan to look up more on the subject because it got me interested in the topic, for sure. And I'm a huge Tim Hutton and David Strathairn fan , and they both are great here!





DONNA's rating: 3 stars
Average of 23,506 ratings: 3.7 stars
Heavens Fall
2006PG-13 105 minutes
Inspired by the true events surrounding the "Scottsboro Nine," this compelling drama follows the plight of nine young black men, unjustly sentenced to death in the spring of 1931, following the false accusations of raping two white women. Defended by New York attorney Sam Leibowitz (Timothy Hutton), the case became a watershed event in the history of the American legal system. David Strathairn and Anthony Mackie co-star.

Cast:Timothy Hutton, David Strathairn, Leelee Sobieski, Anthony Mackie, Bill Sage, Azura Skye, Bill Smitrovich, James Tolkan, Maury Chaykin, Joseph Lyle Taylor Director:Terry Green Genres:Drama, Dramas Based on Real Life, Indie Dramas, Period Pieces, African-American Dramas This movie is:Heartfelt, Understated Format:DVD and streaming (Streaming available until 1/31/2011)

Movie #389 ........................"You Don't Know Jack"

Movie #389 "You Don't Know Jack" is a biopic on Jack Kevorkian, a man I knew little about except that he supports euthanasia and has assisted several people. What I had read and seen, I tended to side with him; in fact, he seemed to sound like he wanted to help people and they seemed so sad and physically in pain, that it seemed he was doing a good thing. I never picked up on how eccentric this guy really is --- how "goofy" and yes, dare I say a little "crazy"? Through the whole movie it was really tough to respect what this man was doing --- he seemed to like to be on display, make big dramatic scenes in the courtroom, etc. The film ended and I was confused as to what I should feel --- I no longer saw the subject as a black and white issue. I watched the special features to see if Al Pacino was playing up the dramatics here to make a better movie, but when Kevorkian talked, he came across the same way as Pacino had played him ----nutty. I guess what the film did for me is make me want to find out more about this doctor who might be a hero or who might be a madman, Kind of intriguing.





I rated this a 3.
You Don't Know Jack
(2009) NR
Al Pacino stars in this Emmy-winning biopic that focuses on the life of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the controversial physician who boldly advocated the legalization of euthanasia and personally helped more than 100 terminally ill patients commit suicide. Directed by Hollywood veteran Barry Levinson, the made-for-cable drama also stars Susan Sarandon as vocal activist Janet Good and John Goodman as Kevorkian's trusted friend and supporter Neal Nicol.
Genre: Medical Dramas, Social Issue Dramas, Dramas Based on Real Life
This movie is: Emotional, Controversial, Dark
Format: DVD

Movie #388 ........................."Race to Nowhere"

Movie #388 "Race to Nowhere" I saw with Dave at a Naperville North screening and found it very interesting, and I think a must-see for parents and teachers. As with all films there are positive and negatives. One big negative is that it seems the director/writer has an axe to grind ---- she's upset about how much pressure is put on her kids in their schools (elementary, middle and high school) and she blames everyone for it ---- teachers, administrators, parents, colleges, etc. She puts herself in the movie/documentary , and she has a lot of screen time to gripe --- to make sure the scope of the movie does not appear to be just about her and her kids, the camera goes everywhere and tries to cover a lot of ground --- too much, I thought. At one point halfway through, the topic didn't even seem related to the original topic, but she eventually came back around . If she does nothing else, she points out how overwhelming the problems with our schools are ---- and this is just concerning the good kids, really. What, the upper 15% maybe? the ones who really get stressed out because they CARE! How about all the kids that don't care --- the parents that don't care ---- ? Another movie, I guess. Now the positives abound, as well. She manages to light a fire under many people --- parents, kids of all ages, teachers of all kinds, counselors, college professors, college recruiters, etc. She lets them speak, and there is somewhat of an organization as she moves from one person to the next. Another positive is the solutions she lists at the end for all of the people involved with the problem that she presented in most of the movie. There's some documentation, but I would have wanted even more (Michael Moore is able to do that in a documentary much better with graphs, pictures, etc. Everything is done in narration here) But the huge thing here is that I think it's about time we started the dialogue to make BIG changes in our educational process and do it now! This film could make a difference if everyone would see it. So, once again here's my plea. If you are a parent or teacher or administrator or anyone dealing with schools, see it and then start talking about it. We could make a change if we all got on the same bandwagon!




Average rating: 3.776
I give it 3.5
Race to Nowhere
(2009) PG-13
Director Vicki Abeles interviews numerous teachers and children in this cautionary documentary that focuses on the potential adverse impacts of parents' increasing obsession with their children's academic results. The collateral effects of this extra stress on students and the impacts on entire families are hard to quantify, but the highly emotional reactions of parents and kids captured on camera underscore its importance as a social issue.
Genre: Social & Cultural Documentaries
Format: DVD availability date unkno

Movie #387 ........................."No Strings Attached"

Movie #387 "No Strings Attached" -- couldn't miss this one - romantic comedy with one of my favorite female actors (Natalie Portman) ---the bar isn't set high for me when I see these films in my favorite genre. Story just has to be believable to me, have two winning people that have chemistry, some laughs, realistic conflicts in their relationship, not too long, good fleshed out characters, and just a little variety --- i.e. I don't want to see the same thing over and over, but it doesn't have to be a total makeover of the whole genre. Oh, and funny bits that don't pass the stupid line! This film fulfills all that and more --- it has heart. I didn't like the Kevin Kline character, though he did his best to get across as fleshed out a character as he could --- but he still did not come across as believable (but who knows? In Hollywood, his kind of character might be a dime a dozen) As far as a changeup to the genre, there was a little bit of a switch here where the woman goes into the relationship wanting "no strings attached" --- usually, it's the guy. Other than that, there is no groundbreaking stuff here --- but if you have been a fan of Portman, this is a biggie for her, and for Kutcher, as well. She seems to have a reputation for being prim and proper and he's a goofy t.v. guy that goes around punking people and married Demi Moore. Most people would say he would have to act his butt off to look good by her, but they BOTH looked good --- together. And that's what sold the film for me!




I give it 4 stars
No Strings Attached
(2011) R
Emotionally unencumbered and sexually satisfied, friends with benefits Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) have an open relationship that suits them just fine. That is, until those pesky little things called feelings enter the picture. Ivan Reitman directs and Kevin Kline and Cary Elwes co-star in this comedy that explores the perks and pitfalls of modern romance.
Genre: Romantic Comedies
This movie is: Romantic
Format: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #386 ..........................."Tangled"

Movie #386 "Tangled" --- loved this! In a year with rather weak movies, to have two OUTSTANDING animated films (along with Toy Story 3) is amazing --- I didn't quite give it a 5 because the mother was way too wicked all the time and she got very annoying --- I thought should could have been more fleshed out more --- seemed hard to believe that the girl would even want to ever stay with this "witch" (with a b), so I found her hard to take. One other comment was the end --- I don't want to give anything away, but I thought the girl could have saved the day and wielded the piece of glass rather than the guy. But other than that, loved all the supporting characters, esp. the chameleon, the horse and the mime! The two lovers are different and refreshing --- I liked the way they talked and related to each other, and the script was very, very good. The music was lots of fun, too! All around, a great film and I highly recommend it! If just for the mime!~




4.5
Tangled
(2010) PG
Disney animators take on the classic Grimm Brothers story of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), a long-locked beauty imprisoned in a secluded tower by evil hag Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), who needs the rejuvenating powers of Rapunzel's tresses to remain young. When a bandit on the lam (Zachary Levi) helps Rapunzel escape, the old crone plots to recapture her and end her budding romance with the thief in this Golden Globe nominee for Best Animated Feature.
Genre: Family Animation, Book Characters, Disney
Format: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #385 ........................."Mother & Child"

Movie #385 "Mother & Child" is a slow moving character study on the effects of giving up a baby for adoption on the life of the mother and the child. This is one of tbose New Year's Eve movies (this is a sarcastic comment --- i.e. a film that is so sad maybe we'd be better off in life NOT seeing it because it leaves a bad taste in your mouth -- and it certainly would take away from any New Year's Eve celebration that you had planned) when the film travels from one story to another and to another --- Annette Bening is the mother who gave away her child 37 years ago and she's mean spirited and dour (of course, she lives with an ailing mother, so that might help the meanness on -- It's really hard to like her --- once again (like in "The Kids Are Okay" we are asked to find something redeeming about Bening's character (and we finally do, but well past the time most people would care); her story is juxtaposed with her daughter's, who is now 37 and also mean spirited, cold, empty, who happens to be a good lawyer. The third story was the most interesting to me --- Kerry Washington and her husband have been trying to conceive a child with no success, so they go to Cherry Jones to adopt one. Cherry Jones is the link because she's the one that set up Annette Bening's original adoption, and the movie works toward a satisfying conclusion, but it's painful along the way. There is one really good scene that should be shown to every high school student --- anti abortion scene, and it's handled really well --- shows the emotional and physical trauma that goes into that decision. Well done. And the acting is good --- all three women are very strong.




You rated this movie: 3
Mother and Child
(2009) R
Fifty-year-old Karen (Annette Bening) regrets giving up her daughter, Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), for adoption; years later, Elizabeth questions her own approach to life. Their stories intersect with that of Lucy (Kerry Washington), who hopes to fulfill her dreams of motherhood through adoption. Rodrigo García writes and directs this drama about parenting, sacrifice, romance and self-fulfillment. Eileen Ryan and Samuel L. Jackson co-star.
Genre: Social Issue Dramas, Romantic Dramas, Tearjerkers
This movie is: Emotional, Heartfelt, Romantic
Format: DVD and Blu-ra