Movies
Juno (imdb)
A great movie with a teenage girl as a strong leader character. She is the mature and responsible one (after she gets pregnant), while the adults are immature and can’t deal with their responsibility. Great acting and good soundtrack. Is this the only movie ever penned by a former stripper?
Charlie Wilson’s War (imdb)
A decent movie, but Philip Seymour Hoffman stole the movie. Both Hanks and Roberts seemed like they were trying on Texas accents, but PSH’s character was bitter and real and the kind of guy who deep down cared about change.
Atonement (imdb)
I saw this movie with few expectations. A friend told me it was not a chick flick. Early on, it felt like a chick flick with high class British pretensions. I nearly left, but I hung in and stayed. As the movie progressed, it got better for me as the story telling methods changed. The lead character was a 13 year old girl, and she turned out to be the ultimate unreliable narrator. In the end, we find out why.
The Bucket List (imdb)
Morgan Freeman is better than Jack is this overly sentimental view of a couple old guys who make a list of things to do in their last six months to live. And yes, I did get choked up at the end.
To Be and To Have (imdb)
This French documentary from 2002 shows the life of a teacher in rural school in France where he teaches all elementary grades in one room. He has a great way with the kids, and interactions with the kids are hilarious.
DVDs
Pan’s Labyrinth (imdb)
A layered and complex visual fantasy from Spanish director, Guillermo del Toro that is enhanced by watching the “making of” extras on the DVD.
Sin City (imdb)
A bit uneven, as many anthology movie are, but the Frank Miller look was way cool.
The Office (US) Seasons 1,2,3
Rushmore (imdb)
(My 1st Netflix Disc)
An early Wes Anderson movie with a forced happy ending. A young Jason Schwartzman is great as he begins his connection with Anderson.
I just joined Netflix on Friday and I already watched my first movie. And my online queue of movie to watch has nearly 100 movies in it already. I better keep watching them.
