Movie #550 ........................."The Adventures of Tin Tin"

Movie #550 "The Adventures of Tin Tin" is not my type of movie at all. Way too busy for naught kind of film. More for a 12 year old boy. It has no deep messages, no love story (there isn't even a woman in it that I can remember), very little humor, just one escapade after another, like those serial t.v. shows they have in early t.v. There's no emotional tie to what is happening on the screen, just one close call after another after another after another. Much like "Raiders of the Lost Arc," except that one I cared more about --- this one, not so much. However, that being said, I can value the film making ---- I kept thinking: what must the story boards be like for this film? (because I know Spielburg storyboards everything) I also thought the decisions on what to show in the action were good, because they were often that which they could never film with real people and animals. One more thing --- when you see it, notice the homage in the opening to Hitchcock, and also notice that the pickpocket looks just like Spielburg!




You rated this movie: 3 out of 5 stars
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn
(2011) PG
Blockbuster filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson team up for this 3-D motion capture adaptation of Georges Remi's classic comic strip, centered around the adventures of fearless young journalist Tintin (Jamie Bell) and his trusty dog, Snowy. Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook and Cary Elwes also lend their talents to this action-packed family adventure.
Genre:Children & Family Movies, Family Adventures
This movie is:Feel-good

Movie #549 ........................."Rancid Aluminum"

Movie #549 "Rancid Aluminum" is not for everyone. It's very very quirky and full of dark humor. I thought I would love the movie --- afterall, Rhys Ifans, from "Nottinghill" and Joe Fiennes (from anything he has done --- Will Shakespeare in Shakespeare in love is enough) star in it ---- but it is so uneven to me, that I fell out of like with it, halfway through ---- ended up not caring by the time the ending came. Maybe I was just tired ---- don't know ---- but the Russian Mafia was terribly boring to me, esp. the russian woman. So didn't much like this. Crossed the silly line.





I gave this 3 out of 5 stars
Rancid Aluminum
(2000) R
Pete Thompson (Rhys Ifans) lives footloose and fancy-free. But following his father's death, Thompson discovers the family business is going bust, and his only option for restoring the family fortune involves the Russian mafia. What's more, his relationship with his girlfriend is on the rocks, he's having a fling with his married secretary and he's spending too much time at Harry's drug den. In short, Pete's in trouble.
Genre:Comedies, Independent Movies, Thrillers, British Movies, Independent Comedies, Independent Thrillers, Crime Thrillers, Gangster Movies

Movie #548 ........................."Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio"

Movie #548 "Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio" I really enjoyed. Based on a true story of a mother who is able to feed and clothe her 10 children from her prize winnings, while her husband drinks his salary away, the movie really shows the desperation at times this mother went through to keep a roof over her kids' heads while they were growing up. The story is written by one of the daughters, so we see the movie through her eyes, so it's a bit kinder to the dad than probably he deserves. I was really impressed with Woody Harrelson in this movie --- saw something different in him, and it worked ----and Juliana Moore is always fun to watch. I can't say enough about this film --- very different topic, very honest, biographical, and of the times. Funny and tragic, sometimes all in the same scene. I highly recommend it.






I rated this 5 out of 5 stars
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
(2005) PG-13
With 10 children to feed, postwar Ohio housewife Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore) has gotten used to being resourceful, stretching her husband's meager salary to the limit. But when clipping coupons won't cut it, she's forced to rely on her creativity. Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern co-star in this uncommon comedy-drama based on a heartwarming memoir by Ryan's daughter, Terry, who recounts her mother's knack for winning contests.
Genre:Dramas, Independent Movies, Dramas based on a book, Dramas based on real life, Independent Dramas, Dramas based on contemporary literature, 20th Century Period Pieces
Availability: DVD

Movie #547 ........................."Double Wedding"

Movie #547 "Double Wedding" was the 7th out of 14 movies that William Powell and Myrna Loy were in (the two stars of all the Thin Man movies, some of my favorite). The director of this one directed 184 movies (12 alone in 1932) with a career that spanned from 1923 to 1967, several some of my favorite movies like "A Date with Judy," "How the West Was Won" ()some sequences) and the last in the Thin Man series. This is one of the screwballiest of all screwball comedies I've ever seen, and I can't believe I hadn't seen it before. I watched it on TCM this a.m. and was chuckling quite a bit --- dialogue is fast like "His Girl Friday" and the storyline is a bit crazy, but what do you want for a screwball comedy! My favorite parts happened when Myrna Loy would call this one big guy "The Ape Man" and he'd yell at her! This was really different for the two of them, and then when I read some trivia about the movie, I found out that Powell was grieving during the filming of this (Jean Harlowe had just died) and everyone was really sad making this, I couldn't imagine how they got through this. Must have been difficult, but I found it quite a gem, and I recommend it if you like screwball comedies!











I rated this 4 out of 5 stars
Double Wedding
(1937) NR
For four years, Margit (Myrna Loy) has planned every move of her sister Irene (Florence Rice) and Irene's fiancé (John Beal) and has big things in store for their wedding. But Margit's well-ordered life falls apart with the appearance of freewheeling Charlie Lodge (William Powell). Polar opposites, Margit and Charlie clash over Irene's impending nuptials. Famed screen team Loy and Powell pair for the seventh time in this lighthearted comedy.
Genre:Classic Movies, Comedies, Romantic Movies, Classic Comedies, Romantic Comedies, Classic Romantic Movies

Movie #546........................."We Bought a Zoo"

Movie #546 "We Bought a Zoo" is a very likeable, amiable film, that surprisingly is really a lot about grief, dealing with the death of a mother of two kids. This is 6 months afterward, and the son has been acting out, the little girl sleeps with her mother's shirt, and the father no longer delights in his job --- they are all ready for a big change, a move forward, but this time without an integral part of their family, the mom, and they are all hurting. In come a group of likeable people who run the zoo (one of which is Scarlett Johanson, in a very different role for her --- no makeiup and no cleavage) and a bunch of animals with distinctive traits, as well. Brought the whole family to it, and we all found it very enjoyable. We recommend it . Thank goodness the director and two lead actors and the kids all do well --- otherwise, this could have been a maudlin mess!




Average rating: 3.646
I gave it 4 out of 5 stars
We Bought a Zoo
(2011) PG
In this adaptation of Benjamin Mee's memoir about buying and saving a run-down zoo, the locale shifts from Britain to southern California. However, the wacky spirit of the original is retained, complete with escaped tigers and a zoo crew of misfits.
Genre:Children & Family Movies, Dramas, Dramas based on a book, Dramas based on real life, Family Comedies, Family Dramas
This movie is:Sentimental
Availability: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown

Movie #545 ........................."The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo" (Am.)

Movie #545 "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" (American, 2011) is not for everyone. I bet I said the same thing about the Swedish version, and I intend to resee most of the first one now that I have the American one still fresh in my mind, for comparisons because people are already beginning to ask me which I liked best. Right now, I say the Swedish one -- maybe because it was the first one I saw, but mostly, the way I remember the film, the biggest difference is the relationship between the girl and Mikhail. I thought it was tenderer and more real in the swedish film --- but that's from memory. So I will go back and rewatch and update this in a few days. However, Be warned --- if you are seeing this movie without reading the books, you need to know there are a few scenes that are raw: the rape scene, the revenge scene and the end scene to name the three biggest. I think the swedish ones were even worse because they have less of a public watching their films to be accountable to ------but the American ones were still hard to watch......again. For sure, those are the scenes I will fast forward through in the swedish scene --- do not need to see them again (didn't need to see them the first time) There's nudity in this (which I'm sure was in the swedish film, but once again, it's swedish, so there 's an expectation there -- hah!) I remember the darkness, the snow, the buildings (all in Sweden) in the Swedish version, and Fincher doesn't disappoint here (although, I heard some of it was filmed in LA) The accents were all over here ---- which was kind of annoying, because the people aren't in the movie that much (it's the vanger family, if you read the book, and in the book, we had a family tree that took up two pages, to follow) and they are hard to understand at times --- And Craig has a british accent --- why? The Girl is okay --- but she mumbles and clips words (which is in her character) but without the subtitles, we miss things --- so see it with subtitles, if you can? (I know, this critique is suggesting you wait and see this movie (or he Swedish one) when it comes to Netflix and you can put on the subtitles so you don't miss a thing and fast forward through the three raw scenes). One more thing --- the American ending is where Dave (who didn't read any of the books) got lost (from my feeble memory I think it was manufactured that way (not from the book), but I plan to check), and I agree. I couldn't completely explain the money thing --- it was easier in the book and set up better for an ah hah moment! Overall, not a christmas movie and not sure it's an oscar contender (maybe the girl, but the "help" secondary people were better, and if she's catapulted into best actress, it seems silly contending with Glenn Close or Meryl Streep or Viola Davis, but whatever).


I rated it 4.0, average rating 3.8
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
(2011) R
When a young computer hacker is tasked with investigating a prying journalist, their separate missions become entangled amid a decades-old conspiracy. David Fincher directs this English adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel.
Genre:Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
This movie is:Violent, Suspenseful

Movie #544 ........................."Sylvia Scarlett"

Movie #544"Sylvia Scarlett" is one of 4 movies that Grant and Hepburn starred in and it's my least favorite (in order: Philadelphia Story, Holiday, Bringing up Baby and this one). When I saw it advertised, and I hadn't seen it before (Huzzah!) I was very anxious because it sounded like my type of film --- Kate dressed like a man, Edmund Gwen (Kris Kringle) playing her dad, and Cary Grant playing a flim flam man ---- but it was loud, frenetic, and annoying to me. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood ---- and maybe it was provocative for its day (with the infamous kiss and all), but it just seemed way over the top --- pushy---- and melodramatic in parts ---- I know that's the style for many movies of the day, but this one with this cast .......well, I felt it should have been better.





3 stars out of 5
Sylvia Scarlett
(1935) NR
Disguising herself as a man, Sylvia Scarlett (Katharine Hepburn) boards a ferry with her improvident father (Edmund Gwenn) to smuggle some expensive stolen lace and sell it for a handsome profit. But complications ensue when the duo hooks up with a rakish jewel thief (Cary Grant). This classic comedy is notable in part for a then-scandalous on-screen kiss between Hepburn and her female co-star, Dennie Moore.
Genre:Classic Movies, Comedies, Romantic Movies, Classic Comedies, Romantic Comedies, Classic Romantic Movies