As the movie progresses, it turns from the “bad” dad and “good” mom to the polar opposites. Unfortunately, it turns out sainted mom was having an affair. So, Clooney and his teenage daughter must process that while they ...]]> Much better than I expected it to be, The Descendants reminds me that George Clooney can act besides just being “George Clooney.” (Though I love him in Ocean’s Eleven and movies like that, too.) As a wealthy dad who wasn’t around much for his kids, he finds himself unsure of what to do when his wife has an accident and goes into a coma.

As the movie progresses, it turns from the “bad” dad and “good” mom to the polar opposites. Unfortunately, it turns out sainted mom was having an affair. So, Clooney and his teenage daughter must process that while they realize that she won’t return from her coma and then carry out her wishes to be unplugged.

In a twist, Clooney and his daughter decide to inform her boyfriend of the accident and that he may wish to say goodbye to her before she’s unplugged. What happens is not what you might expect.

There’s a great subplot where Clooney’s family who’s owned a large part of a Hawaiian island for generations must decide to sell and develop the land or keep it but possibly lose it to the government. When it turns out the real estate agent is the boyfriend of Clooney’s wife, well, the decisions get a little stickier.

A good movie and really, really beautiful to boot.

While Earhart is flying, she’s also enjoying her life on her own terms. Though she agrees to marry Gere, she insists that the ceremony ...]]> Even if you’re not a big fan of Hilary Swank, this is a great movie. It shows the life of a woman who was both famous and unconventional in an era when that was hard to do. Nicknamed Lady Lindy, Earhart is still known today for being one of the early women pilots. What started out as a lot of publicity for her basically just being a passenger eventually turned into her actually learning to be a pilot.

While Earhart is flying, she’s also enjoying her life on her own terms. Though she agrees to marry Gere, she insists that the ceremony not include the word “obey.” She also demands the right (though not during the ceremony) to an open marriage. It’s a really beautifully filmed movie, one that you can enjoy as an armchair traveller. This is an easy one to recommend. A good one for a group of people together, too.

A group of artists in 80s New York is put out because they suddenly owe a year of rent. (Some of this is genuine social criticism and some of it is whining twenty somethings with no sense of reality. I mean, darlings, did you ...]]> I used to have a copy of this but wore it out, literally. I went to the library to check it out, but it was spoken for. The clerk, though, loves the movie too and offered to lend me her own copy! So, that shows the kind of devotees this opera turned Broadway show turned movie has.

A group of artists in 80s New York is put out because they suddenly owe a year of rent. (Some of this is genuine social criticism and some of it is whining twenty somethings with no sense of reality. I mean, darlings, did you REALLY think you were gonna get a whole year without rent?)

That being said, this is one of the few musicals with topical social issues that you can sing and dance along to. How often do you get that? And, the cast is diverse. It’s not just “the gay guy,” or “the black guy,” there are gay couples and a wide range of incredible singers and actors.

I’ve rewatched it I think three times in the past three days. It’s like the Sound Of Music for adults. Don’t just watch it, buy two. One for you and one for someone else or for when you destroy this copy from overuse.

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson barely know each other, but through random moments keep being tossed into each other’s lives. Hoffman has wrecked his marriage and his relationship with his grown daughter. He only begins to realize that when she chooses her stepfather to give her away at the wedding.

Along comes Thompson who’s good at not listening to his b.s. and quick to put him in his place. In a bizarre moment, ...]]> This is a very You’ve Got Mail kind of movie. You’ll either hate that, or love it. So, either keep reading or go finish your orange juice. Your choice.

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson barely know each other, but through random moments keep being tossed into each other’s lives. Hoffman has wrecked his marriage and his relationship with his grown daughter. He only begins to realize that when she chooses her stepfather to give her away at the wedding.

Along comes Thompson who’s good at not listening to his b.s. and quick to put him in his place. In a bizarre moment, she actually goes to the reception with him even though they’ve known each other for a single day. From that moment on, they’re meant to be together. Yes, it’s hokey.  Yes, Hoffman has all his Hoffman like speeches that you already know he will. But, it’s cute. If you’re bored (and maybe even if you’re not) stick it in the dvd. It won’t hurt as much as you think.

In order to help him to heal his delusion that the “love” doll as it’s called is real, his family and even his town accept “her” as his fiance. The relationship is so chaste, despite what you might otherwise think, that they even have separate rooms. She ...]]> I’m a little scared to say that one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time is about a man who falls in love with a sex doll. But, it’s true. What could have been played for really tacky laughs (and occasionally is) turns out to be a genuinely sweet love story.

In order to help him to heal his delusion that the “love” doll as it’s called is real, his family and even his town accept “her” as his fiance. The relationship is so chaste, despite what you might otherwise think, that they even have separate rooms. She was a missionary, it seems and had a strict religious upbringing.

She volunteers at the local hospital and even wins a seat in a local election. As the town helps his fiance live her own life, so to speak, the man in question begins to resent her being away all the time. After a time their relationship begins to crumble, but even knowing that, you can never guess the ultimate end to the movie. It’s a real joy.

It’s a movie within a  movie (I seem to be watching a lot of those lately!) The director is far behind on his obligations and keeps putting his actors and producers off. Um, the script’s in the mail, etc. They finally chase him down to where he’s run away, in essence bringing the film to him if he won’t come to the film.

The only problem is, he can’t stop his womanizing and dreaming long enough to actually make the film. His costumer, for instance, begins ...]]> WOW. I haven’t seen a musical this great since Chicago. Funny, sexy and over the top.

It’s a movie within a  movie (I seem to be watching a lot of those lately!) The director is far behind on his obligations and keeps putting his actors and producers off. Um, the script’s in the mail, etc. They finally chase him down to where he’s run away, in essence bringing the film to him if he won’t come to the film.

The only problem is, he can’t stop his womanizing and dreaming long enough to actually make the film. His costumer, for instance, begins making beautiful wardrobes just on instinct alone. In the end, his wife leaves him and the movie is never made. Though it sounds like a downer, it’s actually sort of nice.

The movie is filled with his daydreams of what his own film WOULD be like, were he to actually make it. So, you get lots of dancing and vamping and beautiful dancing. Very, very nice. Definitely one to buy not just rent.

The story involves a bachelor named Henry who lives in Hawaii. He has no intentions of making a commitment to one person and only has short term relationships. Henry loves living the carefree lifestyle in beautiful Hawaii. Then he meets Lucy in a diner and he is immediately smitten with her.

They get along well together right away. They seem to have a lot in common and enjoy their ...]]> 50 First Dates is a romantic comedy with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. This movie is charming and quite funny. What really makes it work is the chemistry between the two main characters.

The story involves a bachelor named Henry who lives in Hawaii. He has no intentions of making a commitment to one person and only has short term relationships. Henry loves living the carefree lifestyle in beautiful Hawaii. Then he meets Lucy in a diner and he is immediately smitten with her.

They get along well together right away. They seem to have a lot in common and enjoy their time together.

However, Henry is shocked the next day when Lucy does not know who he is. He does not believe it at first. Then he discovers that Lucy has short term memory loss. This is as a result of a car accident. Lucy does not remember things from one day to the next. Each day she wakes up unable to remember what happened the day before. She is not even aware she has a problem. Since Lucy has no memory of Henry, he must win her over every day as though courting her for the first time.

One of the things I liked about this movie was how the character of Henry changed in the movie. He is transformed into a thoughtful, caring person and it is done in a way that is not contrived. Henry really wants Lucy to be able to move on in life and recover her memory. Above all, he wants her to remember him when she wakes up the next day. Without giving away the ending, I will say the story does conclude in a way that is very satisfying.

I consider this one of the best romantic comedies. It certainly is romantic to think of falling in love over and over again.

What marks it is the plot with a great emphasis on the novel, since the film deals with excellence the marriage and honeymoon of Edward and Bella, who was very faithful to the book, and certainly is one thing that makes any woman dreams of one day find true love and to live a perfect marriage with a wonderful honeymoon. But the plot also shows that not everything is flawless, after all, Bella ends up being ...]]> The fourth film in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn Part 1, for me, a big fan of the saga, was simply one of the best.

What marks it is the plot with a great emphasis on the novel, since the film deals with excellence the marriage and honeymoon of Edward and Bella, who was very faithful to the book, and certainly is one thing that makes any woman dreams of one day find true love and to live a perfect marriage with a wonderful honeymoon. But the plot also shows that not everything is flawless, after all, Bella ends up being pregnant and that pregnancy makes her and Edward move away from each other. Edward afraid of losing Bella turns up against her pregnancy. But Bella shows that the maternal instinct speaks much louder than her love for Edward. Of course that all this had to bring something good, because the vampires, Jacob, Leah and Seth end up teaming up against other wolves to protect the brave, insane and feeble Bella, now that the enemies are others.

The plot was very well done, the soundtrack is great because it plays the songs of the first Twilight film, and it makes us remember the first glances exchanged between Bella and Edward. The special effects used in the wolves, the struggles and Bella herself during pregnancy were also very well portrayed.

For me, only a few things left to be desired for example: The film does not explain clearly about the other clans of vampires, which are essential for Breaking Dawn part 2, also the fact it had not been clear that Jacob actually becomes the leader of the wolves, and not simply cease to be part of the group, and of course the affectionate “nickname” that Jake gives the little Renesmee which is a Nessie, in honor of the Loch Ness monster, which in the film was forgotten.

Surely, divide the movie turned out to be necessary, because now the second part of Breaking Dawn, will finally address the question of the Volturi, and the “problem” between the vampires and wolves, especially the differences between Edward and Jacob. And of course Bella will make a difference in the plot, trying to protect his new family and his beloved daughter Renesmee.