Seven Pounds

Will Smith is a man searching for redemption in Seven Pounds. How and why he needs redemption is not clear until the end of the movie. Will Smith is believable and endearing in this romantic story. I watched a couple of interviews with Smith before I saw this movie and continue to be impressed by him. I'm not going to give much away here. I don't want to ruin it for you. I will say that this tear jerker is worth the effort. Bring tissues.

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Slumdog Millionaire

I don't know how the distributors decide which theaters, or how many theaters get a particular movie, but they should have been more generous with Slumdog Millionaire. The use of the game show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" as the backdrop for the life of 18 year old Jamal is genius. Jamal is being questioned by police just before he gets to his last question, worth $1,000,000. How could an uneducated "slumdog" know the answers to these questions? During the interrogation Jamal recalls incidents of his life... his street education. Jamal and his brother, Salim, lose their mother during a mob attack on Muslims. He meets the love of his life, Latika, while running for his life from the same mob. The three band together for food, shelter, and survival in war-torn India. Jamal looses, finds and looses Latika several times while growing up in the slums. Jamal and Salim make different choices as they grow up. Although Salim betrays his brother, he redeems himself by saving Latika in the end. This film was very well conceived. See it!

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Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Blake Lively are so much fun to watch! The girls come through with as much fun, angst, love, and great scenery as the first "summer of the pants". The story stays pretty true to the books. A great feel good movie for any age.

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The Day the Earth Stood Still

Today was the Day the Earth Stood Still... so still, I almost fell asleep. Keanu Reeves is an alien traveler, Klaatu, who has come to deliver the destruction of earth because people can't play nice together. Or, excuse me, was that Neo? Kathy Bates is believable as the bland U. S. President, a small part, played by a great actress. The 1951 flick, starring Patricia Neal and Billy Gray, was a sweeter, more touching story of the relationship between the alien visitor and a widow and her son. Keanu just didn't make the emotional connection with his benefactors that Michael Rennie did. I'd rent the 1951 version rather than viewing this new offering.

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Four Christmases

Geez, I guess I just hadn't prepared myself enough to sit through the slow, depressing, not-so-funny story of Christmas “family-hopping". I was expecting Four Christmases to give me something to laugh at, you know, get a couple of good giggles. Something to put all the Christmas hoopla into perspective. What I got was Vince Vaughn as Vince Vaughn, sort of a Breaking Up, Part 2 and Reese Witherspoon was less than I expected of her. The ending was particularly disappointing... no lesson learned here.

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Australia

What does a cattle drive, The Wizard of Oz movie, and World War II have in common?
Answer: The sweeping romantic epic Australia. It is hard to compete with the location, but Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman do an admirable job. Hugh with his shirt off and water cascading down his torso can take a girl's breathe away. Nicole is very believable as an English aristocrat and her portrayal of an uptight Englishwoman trying to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to a child is memorable. She does have a nice voice, as witnessed in Moulin Rouge. The real scene stealer is young Brandon Walters as the young boy who is half white, half aboriginal. There's a much more troubling story here, the treatment of aboriginal Australians until the early 70's. Australia's policy of relocating children from their families and sent to missionary schools. For more information on “The Lost Generation” click here. Australia is definitely worth a trip to the theater for three hours for the cinematography, the scenery, some wonderful actors, and a sadly enlightening story.

Check it out... Nesmith Library has eight of Nicole Kidman's films... only two of Hugh Jackman's. You can search the library catalog online from the Nesmith Library website. Type last name first, then first name and click the "author" button. Look for call number "DVD" or "VIDEO". You can even tell if the item is on the shelf or not.

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Quantum of Solace

I know Quantum of Solace has been showing for a couple of weeks but I just couldn't let my disappointment go unvoiced. I've been an avid fan of "Bond, James Bond" for some time. I got hooked when I saw Goldfinger with a date at the drive-in and have seen every movie since then. I was surprised when Broccoli (Cubby) put Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and relieved when Sean Connery showed up again in Diamonds are Forever. Connery, Moore, Dalton, and Brosnan are all suave, cool, sexist, strong willed, irreverent Bonds. After escaping the enemy, rescuing the secrets, and seducing the "bad girls", all with the help of numerous "toys" specially made just for him, he disappears into the sunset, ocean, space, or wherever with his lady friend until the next episode. I found Daniel Craig to be less than debonair but enjoyed Casino Royale immensely for its heart pounding chase scenes and strong story line. Quantum of Solace seemed to have no life of its own and despite some great heart-stopping special effects I missed the "toys" and found Craig to be brooding and moody. Besides, who ever heard of Bond without Bond girls?

Check it out... Nesmith Library has all the 007 movies!

Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye came out several weeks ago but I wanted to mention it. It touches everyone's "Big Brother's watching" fears. Talk about feeling self-conscious... left the movie feeling like someone was watching me drive down the street. I used my turn signal every time, stayed three car lengths behind the car ahead of me on the highway. Amazing to think that there are cameras everywhere, watching traffic, in stores, airports, government offices.
Check it out...If you are concerned about all this surveillance check out some of these titles at the library - Civil Liberties: Opposing Viewpoints; The Soft Cage: Surveillance in America from Slavery to the War on Terror; or The Unwanted Gaze: the Destruction of Privacy in America.

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Changeling

Of course I knew I would love Changeling. How could I not with Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) directing, and surprise, included in the music credits. Based on the actual incident that happened in California, Jolie plays the distraught mom who unrelentingly fights against a corrupt system to find her son. It doesn't hurt to have John Malkovich as the pro bono lawyer helping her and trying to take down the dishonest LA police. Michael Kelly (from TV series "The Sopranos"*) plays the sleazy LA cop running the investigation.
Definitely a winner. One of my old favorites, and a notable flick about police corruption is "The Untouchables"* with Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness.

Check it out... *both The Untouchables and The Sopranos are available at the Nesmith Library.

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