I haven't posted any movie reviews in quite a while so I thought I do that today. Course, I haven't posted anything in a while... another long stint without home internet access. Anyway....

I just took a sick day from work (and trust me, it was a true sick day!) followed by my actual days off so I had time to watch some movies. I watched Dear John, Remember Me and Donnie Darko. Dear John was my own choice. Just my kind of movie. Remember Me was forced on me by my son and Donnie Darko was recommended by a friend at work who has the same taste in a lot of things we watch. So, how did they stack up?

Dear John. Got it because, as I said, it seemed like exactly my cup of tea. And it was. Channing Tatum is a doll and Amanda Sayfried is gorgeous but not the boring, hollywood barbie type of gorgeous. She actually has some personality. You can imagine she would be fun to hang out with. The fact that the movie dealt with autism was a surprise to me and I was delighted with the way it was handled. It was a romance and had drama with just a touch of humor here and there which is the perfect blend for me. It wasn't nearly as predictable as I feared it would be. Okay, the end was predictable but the path to the end wasn't... completely. I would definitely watch a movie from this director again and I now join the ranks of the many females who are smitten with Channing. If you rent this movie (or buy it as I plan to) be sure to watch the extra about Braeden, the little autistic boy who plays Alan. It was cool to watch Henry Thomas in an interesting and mature enough role that I didn't sit there the whole time going, "Wow, that is the kid from ET!" Probably my favorite role in the movie was Richard Jenkins playing an undiagnosed Aspergers syndrome sufferer and the father of our hero, John. Fabulous job by an underrated actor. And I have to make note that the small role of Noodles made me sit up and take note. Well actually, it made me sit up and look him up on IMDB. Now that guy is seriously hot. I might actually have to watch an episode or two of the cop show he is on. Dang. Overall I'm gonna give this movie 5 stars. *****

Remember Me was one I planned to skip. I intended to never watch it because I had heard it was horribly sad and I don't generally do horribly sad. I am too empathetic. I end up feeling sick with misery over a stupid movie. But I was sick in bed and Cameron brought it to me and said, "You have to watch this." I had forgotten anything I had heard about it except that it had the vampire from Twilight fame in it. I had a vague recollection that it was sad but Cameron said, "Well it is a bit sad but worth it." Right. Gut wrenching is more like it. I had to watch a stupid comedy to stop feeling weepy after the horrible ending of this tear jerker. I forgot entirely that my oldest daughter, who understands my problems with reality based tear jerkers MUCH better than my son, had told me I did NOT want to watch this movie. Damn.

Don't get me wrong. It is a good movie. It sets a nice broody mood and won me over to Pattinson. I've been saying repeatedly that I am NOT a Robert Pattinson fan. I have to amend that now. I'm not a Robert Pattinson as Edward fan. Didn't buy the appeal of him in that role. In this movie he is amazing. As a devoted Lostie, I was already a fan of Emilie de Ravin. Pierce Brosnan was perfect as the cold, aloof and demanding father but it was a little hard to buy the convenient turnaround at the end. Everyone has heard the real life story of the father who wasn't in the twin towers because he uncharacteristically drove his daughter to school that day. But the sudden, heart-melting, I really want to spend quality time with my daughter and we are going to all be a much more functional family now right at the key moment was just too... well I know I'm repeating myself but... convenient to the plot. All because some mean girls cut her hair? As far as that goes, I kept wanting Emilie's character to tell little Caroline that with the short hair she looked like an adorable little Amanda Bynes. Much more flattering than the long hair anyway! And who takes their kid to a sleepover at the house of a girl with a history of teasing and bullying their child?! Really?

Anyway, I could nitpick about lots of minor story lines but the overall story, acting and directing were really wonderful. I should give this movie 4 stars but since it left me feeling literally sick to my stomach with remembered grief from one of the worst days in the world and I really wanted to kick my son's ass for making me watch it, I'm giving it three. Those are straight up for acting and directing. I DON'T LIKE REALITY BASED SAD MOVIES!! I will never watch Titanic and I will never watch Remember Me again. ***

Now, Donnie Darko. I probably shouldn't write this review yet as I fully intend to watch it at least one or two times more before I really decide what I think. Of course, I like movies that require me to do that. The ones that leave you thinking, "Did I just see what I thought I saw?" Chris from work told me he thought I would like this movie. He said it was quirky and offbeat and had to do with timetravel. He had me at quirky. A slight aside - it blew my daughters away that the strange teenager in this movie was "The Prince of Persia" LOL. Okay, the first scene was a little off-putting for me. I am a mom after all and this was one messed up family. And there were more than a few times, including after the ending, that I wondered if this was a serious drug-trip movie. And I know some people will think I am a hypocrite for not freaking out over the ending of this movie after all I just said about Remember Me. Here is the difference. Remember Me is REALITY BASED. Based on real events. And in that case, real events that I remember clearly as tearing apart the world as I knew it! This movie is anything but reality based. I was wondering a few minutes into this movie if they were going to be able to make me like or care about this guy or his family but they did. This same movie could start out as this one does and go in ten different directions so I never really copped to what was really going on ahead of time. Okay, Grandma Death tipped me off a bit. There were so many little Easter Eggs in this movie that I think the writers and creators of Lost must have studied it for inspiration. Seriously. Not to mention the time twisting aspect. Okay, I really have to go watch it again because instead of thinking of my reaction to the movie all I can think of are the questions I still have. Four stars pending further investigation. It could go to 5 or it could go to 2 or 3. We'll see. ****.... maybe.

AN UPDATE ON ME AND A MOVIE REVIEW OF "FRACTURE"

I haven't posted in a while because I have been so discouraged by my difficulty in getting my picture posting problems solved:( I got an expensive digital camcorder that also takes stills only to find that it costs a mini fortune to get set up to upload from it to the computer. I am pretty much back at square one. But, on the upside, I'll be able to get tons of video of the new baby when she gets here. Cheyenne is due in only 3 1/2 weeks!

I have been having a really bad time lately with my MG symptoms. Plus, my left knee has been giving me severe pain for weeks. I went to the ER for something unrelated and they ran tests on the knee to make sure there were no blood clots (like my right leg has). No blood clots but apparently my knee is "bone on bone" and I'm s'posed to see an orthopod for it.

I'm working really hard at getting healthy these days. I am eating right but getting the exercise is tricky in my sorry condition. So far, I am just trying to do aquatic exercise in my little pool for at least 30 minutes a day. When I see the doc, I'll ask him what is okay for me to do. I just started a little over a week ago and I've lost 3.5 lbs. It's a start!

I went to the movies with Cheyenne and Bonni yesterday. We planned to see Pirates 3 but it didn't work out for us. We saw Fracture instead. It stars Anthony Hopkins (first rate by any standard) as a very wealthy and brilliant man who discovers that his young and beautiful wife is cheating on him. He plans and executes the "perfect murder". He shoots his wife in the face and then makes sure that the only officer admitted to the scene is Detective Nunally (played to moody and haunted perfection by Billy Burke). He turns over his gun and admits to shooting his wife and knowing that it was wrong. Only when Nunally turns to recover the body of the victim does he discover that it is his lover "Mrs Smith".

At this point, Ryan Gosling, as a very ambitious Asst D.A. is pulled into the maniac's clever web. He is poised to move on to a lucrative private practice but must first win this "open and shut" case to maintain his perfect record. Uh-oh. The ensuing cat and mouse manage a trois among the murderous genius, the grieving cop and the driven attorney is absolute movie magic. Oh, did I mention that wifey was not dead but only in a vegetative state?

If you love thrillers and edge of your seat tension without all the gore and serial killers in horror movies, you will love this. Ninety percent of the "action" in this thriller is in the mind. Which is just how I like it.

I have only 2 minor complaints about this movie. One, I had a really hard time "buying" Ryan Gosling as an ambitious ADA. Others may not but I did. Two, I wish the wife had a bigger role in the movie because I love Embeth Davidtz and believe her to be one of the most under-appreciated actresses around. Those are minor beefs about a very worthy movie. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good suspense yarn.

Bottom Line: 4.5 stars

FREEDOM WRITERS

I'll make this brief. 5 stars. Watch it. Own it. Everyone who lives in this country should watch this movie. It will make you angry, it will make you cry but ultimately, it will give you hope. Thank God in Heaven for the Mrs. Gruwells in the world.

If you have often thought, "I just don't understand the gang mentality," watch this movie.
If you are worried that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, this movie.
If you care at all to understand how and why non-white races in this country feel disenfranchised, watch this movie.
If you don't believe that public schools are part of the problem more often than part of the solution, watch this movie. (And then go to UTube and watch this video of John Stossel's report "Stupid in America": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfRUMmTs0ZA
If you don't believe that one good teacher can make a real difference, WATCH THIS MOVIE.

ERAGON
Okay,a little background. I have been homeschooling for almost 15 years. When the news comes out that a 15year old homeschooler has been published, and in one of my family's favorite genres - fantasy - I get excited; my whole family gets excited. We read Eragon aloud as a family and 3 of us also read it individually. The same goes for Eldest when it came out. (Eldest is the 2nd book in the projected trilogy.) Let me be clear about this. We. Love. Eragon.

When we heard that they were making it into a movie and who all was involved, we were psyched!!! So, to be fair, we went into this movie with HUGE expectations. And, to be blunt, we were tremendously disappointed. Well, everyone except Gini. Gini is a huge book hound but she able to view the book and the movie as totally separate entities. That is probably useful but for me, I just hate when they make major changes in a story when they translate a book into a movie. Small changes are often necessary just for the function of making a movie but major plot changes just bug me.

Christopher Paolini created a world. An entire world with different races of beings and ecosystems and the whole nine yards. He created characters that you could really care about. He created tension and resolution in fair proportions. He did not copy Harry Potter or Dragonriders of Pern or any other fantasy book. I am sure that he was inspired by masters of the genre as any author would be. The problem is that the movie reduced his world to a shadow of itself. They left out entire characters and plotlines that made the story more interesting and well-rounded. They completely left out the relationships and people of Carvahall, which will be of much greater importance to the understanding (and whether or not you give a crap about) the second movie. They reduced Murtagh to a bit part, left out the testing and the Twins and Orick and the dwarves and the Morning Star. The whole bit with the Varden was cut into about a fourth. They reduced Angela to a silly bit part as a fortune teller and omitted Solembum, the werecat, completely. Harmoni was especially disturbed by thefact that they left out Brom's horse, Snowfire, and changed Brom's death and Arya's condition.

I could go on and on. Let me just say that if you can, like Gini, completely separate book and movie, you should enjoy this movie. Assuming, of course, that you are a fan of fantasy films. I have tried to imagine how I would have felt about the movie if I didn't know what I know. Unfortunately for me, it is like trying to imagine how i would feel about an orange from looking at a photo of one if I had never bitten into a ripe, juicy one. I really don't believe they developed the characters into people you really care about; especially Murtagh and Brom. And I am really curious to see how they are going to deal with the second movie since they didn't have Eragon injured in the battle. The people of Carvahall and Eragon's inury, among other things, are very central to Eldest.

My final diagnosis: Gini will buy it. Iwill not have problem with the kids watching it; no earplugs required;o) But, really, left to myself my opinion is, why bother? The book is infinitely richer and more rewarding. 4 (of 6 possible) Stars

STRANGER THAN FICTION

I was looking forward to this movie even though I am not ordinarily a Will Farrell fan. I don't like the Will Farrell, Ben Stiller, Farrelly Brothers brand of comedy. I do like Emma Thompson, though. (Of course, I like Matt Damon, always, and Greg Kinear, often but I'm never going to watch Stuck on You.) But, the previews intrigued me. And, if you pay attention, even though the previews are funny, the movie is billed as a drama. So, I took the bait.

Farrell plays IRS agent Harold Crick who begins to hear a woman narrating his life. His Deadly. Boring. Life. Noone else hears this voice and we are not really informed whether or not he has any memories of his life before this begins. I presume he remembers anything that his author has written into his book. Because, of course, he is the protagonist of a book, he just doesn't know it. Lots of things aren't really explained and we are asked to swallow whole some pretty weird premises. Crick is motivated to find his "author" when he hears her announce that he will by dying soon. Emma Thompson, of course, is the author in question. She is being prodded to work through her writer's block by her assistant, played by an understated and classy Queen Latifah. It was nice to see her branch out into playing something other than a street smart, sassy sistah. I personally think she is gorgeous and smart and worthy of better roles. Anyway, Crick enlists the aid of a really weird college professor played by Dustin Hoffman! Weird, weird, role. Not getting that one.

Emma T. outperformed the movie, in my opinion. Farrell did not. I had a really hard time believing that the Maggie Gyllenhaal character would fall for him. Except maybe because she was a major nurturer. And boy, did this guy need nurturing. Actually, what he really needed... was a personality.

Bottom line: 2 stars; break out the cable needles.

Next to knitting and crocheting, one of favorite obsessions is movies. I LOVE to put in a good movie and knit. And I have very eclectic taste in movies. So, to try to spice up my blog a little bit and because I just love talking about movies (just ask my knitting friend Erin;o) I am going to start posting my personal reviews of movies that I watch. I usually watch DVDs but I will go to an actual theater once in a while. And, from now on, I will be sharing my thoughts on those movies, including whether or not they make a good knitting movie of course! I will rate the movies as:
0 stars - I would never watch it again, period. Fugedaboudit
1 star - If the kids just had to watch it and I was incapable of leaving the room, I would knit something with a complicated lace pattern... and possible put on headphones and listen to Gavin DeGraw.
2 stars - Again, I wouldn't waste my rental dime on it but if the kids or grandkids just had to watch it, I would feel free to knit cables or the heels of socks cuz the movie wouldn't distract me.
3 stars - It may not be something I would buy but if the family rented it, I would probably keep the knitting fairly simple.
4 stars - This would be a movie that I would actually suggest renting. And I would knit mindless things like hats, scarves and slippers.
5 stars - Movies that I love and would own if possible. Totally mindless knitting, or crochet because it is easier to frog if I mess up.
6 stars - One word. Bliss. Very rare. Of course, I realize that my bliss is very different from anyone else's.

Remember that these are all JUST MY OPINION.