Cursed Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Cursed”, which starred: Christina Ricci, Kristina Anapau, Shannon Elizabeth, Portia de Rossi and Jesse Eisenberg.
The storyline involved the following: “On a moonlit night in Los Angeles, something darting out of the shadows causes siblings Ellie and Jimmy to suddenly swerve their car off the road and plunge into a ravine. They escape with their lives, but are forever changed by the accident. Suddenly, the career driven Ellie and scrawny Jimmy find themselves blessed with increased physical strength, heightened sensibilities and undeniable allure to everyone around them. But, what happened to them that night wasn't just an accident and what seemed like fate was really something more. New impulses are taking over them, and Ellie and Jimmy can no longer control their newfound powers. They must solve the mystery and break the curse before it completely consumes everything in its path.”
I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. The movie was scary, and there was plenty of good action. At times it was humorous.
Man of the House (Cheer Up) Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Man of the House (Cheer Up)”, which starred: Tommy Lee Jones, Kelli Garner, Shannon Marie Woodward, Anne Archer and Paget Brewster.
The plot involved the following: “Directed by Stephen Herek, Man of the House follows hard-nosed Texas Ranger Roman Sharp (Tommy Lee Jones) in an undercover job as a cheerleading coach. Though his assignment is fairly cut-and-dried -- after witnessing the murder of a federal informant, a group of cheerleaders from the University of Texas need temporary protection -- he ends up forming a variety of unexpected and decidedly less simple relationships. Aside from his immersion into the struggles and triumphs of the UT cheerleading squad (Monica Keena, Kelli Garner, Christina Milian, Paula Garces, and Vanessa Ferlito), Roland finds himself dealing with a strong attraction to college professor Molly McCarther (Anne Archer). Formerly titled Cheer Up, Man of the House also features supporting performances from Brian Van Holt, Shea Whigham, and Paget Brewster. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. Generally it was a funny movie, but the movie script was weak.
The Woodsman Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “The Woodsman”, which starred: Kevin Bacon, Eve 'Eve' Jihan Jeffers, Benjamin Bratt, Kyra Sedgwick and David Alan Grier.
The storyline involved the following: “Writer/director Nicole Kassell makes her feature film debut with the drama The Woodsman. Co-written by Steven Fechter, the original script won first place at the Slamdance Screenplay Competition in 2001. Kevin Bacon plays Walter, a child molester who gets out of prison after serving a 12-year sentence. He returns to his old town and tries to start over by working at a woodyard. Fortunately, his brother-in-law (Benjamin Bratt) helps him get a place to live. He even strikes up a relationship with local gal Vickie (Bacon's real-life wife, Kyra Sedgwick). However, Walter still struggles with his past and the suspicions of co-worker Mary (Eve) and Detective Lucas (Mos Def). The Woodsman premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the dramatic competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. The acting was good, but the subject matter of the movie too serious.
Hitch Movie
On Friday I saw the movie “Hitch”, which starred: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James, Robinne Lee and Julie Ann Emery.
The storyline involved the following: “Alex ''Hitch'' Hitchens (Smith) is a dating consultant, of sorts. Working strictly from referrals, this legendary but strictly anonymous New York ''date doctor'' helps men all over the city woo the women of their dreams. He coaches the guys on how to make it to the third date. After that, they're on their own. When Hitch meets his newest client--the meek, bespectacled accountant Albert (Kevin James), who is completely smitten with the glamorous heiress Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta)--the self-proclaimed Michelangelo of love believes he has found what he calls his ''Sistine Chapel.'' But at the same time Hitch is prescribing his magic to Albert, he finds he can't take his own medicine. He's falling for the gorgeous, whip-smart gossip columnist Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), but their dates are more than disastrous. To top it off, Sara's biggest scoop could very well be the unmasking of Manhattan's most famous date doctor. Oh, what's a professional bachelor-turned-lovesick fellow to do?”
I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. It was a delightful romantic comedy, though it gets too serious at the end of the movie.
The Assassination of Richard Nixon Movie
On Thursday I saw the movie “The Assassination of Richard Nixon ”, which starred: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Jack Thompson, Don Cheadle and Brad Henke.
The storyline involved the following: “The true story of a man who, on February 22, 1974, was thwarted from an ambitious plan for political assassination provides the basis for this striking psychological drama. Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) is a salesman for an office-supply company whose life is slowly beginning to unravel. Bicke's job is going nowhere, his wife, Marie (Naomi Watts), has left him, and his boss (Jack Thompson) keeps pushing self-help books on him that make a mockery of his state of mind. One of Bicke's few friends is Bonny Simmons (Don Cheadle), an auto mechanic, and together they come up with an idea for a tire shop on wheels; while neither has the money to finance the project, Bicke has learned of a program for small-business loans instituted by President Richard Nixon, which he's certain will come through for him. But Bicke is denied his loan, which dovetails with his increasing suspicion of the president's Vietnam policies and a sudden interest in the "by any mean necessary" political activism of the Black Panther Party. Desperate to seem important in some way, Bicke becomes increasingly obsessed with the duplicity of Richard Nixon, until he chooses to take it upon himself to stop the president once and for all. The Assassination of Richard Nixon was the first feature film from director Niels Mueller. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. Sean Penn’s acting was the redeeming element of this movie.
The Wedding Date Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “The Wedding Date”, which starred: Peter Egan, Sarah Parish, Jolyon James, Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney.
The storyline involved the following: “Weddings--they're always fun. The tension, the drunkenness, the cold feet, the wacky family dynamics. Good times. For single gal Kat Ellis (Debra Messing), going to her sister's wedding in merry ole England also means hiring one of New York's premier male escorts, Nick Mercer (Dermot Mulroney), to pose as her new boyfriend. Kat's primarily goal is to make her ex-fiancéé Jeffrey (Jeremy Sheffield), who dumped her two years ago, jealous. Yes, her solution crosses a few morally dubious lines, plus costs her a tidy $6,000, which she had to drain from her 401K. But no matter. The insightful and charismatic Nick is a showstopper, ''the Yoda of escorts,'' convincing everyone that he and Kat are madly in love, including Kat. She's soon feeling things she's never before felt. Well, duh. He's, like, the perfect guy--that's his job. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure how this is going to turn out.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is worth the price of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. It was a good romantic comedy, which turned into a drama at the end of the movie. I thought Debra Messing did a good job of acting.
The Boogeyman Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “The Boogeyman”, which starred: Emily Deschanel, Barry Watson, Lucy Lawless, Tory Mussett and Skye McCole Bartusiak.
The storyline involved the following: “Little Timmy Jensen is your typical 10-year-old kid who's afraid of the big, bad Boogeyman lurking in his closet. But one night, when Timmy's dad comes in his room to do the usual ''Nope, nothing's there'' routine, he opens the closet-and, right before Timmy's eyes, is immediately sucked in by some unknown malevolent force. That's got to screw with a kid's head. Now, 15 years later, Tim (Barry Watson) is indeed messed up, inherently apprehensive of closets and the dust bunnies under the bed, but trying to move on with his life. That is until his mother unexpectedly dies, sending Tim back to the point of origin: his dilapidated childhood home in the sticks. He decides he'll spend one night in the house to get over his fears once and for all and accept the fact his dad just ''left.'' Ah, if it were only that easy.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. The movie script was weak, and the actors were not likeable. However, the movie was scary but not because of the acting.
Writing Project Update
I've been making good progress on writing my novel manuscript: The Omak Lake Monster.
On Friday I bought a new pocket computer, because my old one (a HP Jornada) quit working. I bought a Palm Tungsten E. My old pocket computer had far better software, but the Palm Tungsten E was less expensive. Both pocket computers has Word as a word processer. I'm using Word to write my novel manuscript.
Being Julia Movie
On Wednesday I saw the movie “Being Julia”, which starred: Annette Bening, Catherine Charlton, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon and Bruce Greenwood.
The storyline involved the following: “A woman scorned unleashes her fury in this droll comedy based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham. Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is a famous and well-respected actress, but though her life in the limelight seems glamorous, things are not going well for her off-stage. Julia's husband is unfaithful to her (and not especially discreet about it), her son is angry with her, and she's afraid she's losing her looks and allure as she advances further into middle age. In the midst of this, Julia meets a handsome and dashing young American named Tom, who is close friends with Julia's son. Tom makes no secret of his attraction to Julia, and the feeling is mutual, leading the two into a torrid affair. But, while Julia at first dives into this adulterous romance with little care for how it could affect her reputation, she becomes livid with rage when she learns that Tom is also involved with a younger actress, and is only using Julia to advance his own career in the theater. Julia plots an elaborate revenge against Tom in a scheme that will help her win back the pride and confidence life has recently stripped from her. Being Julia also stars Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon, Bruce Greenwood, and Shaun Evans. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide”
I give the movie a “B”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a small soft drink. Annette Bening was great, and the movie dealt adult subject matter with humor.
Hide And Seek Movie
On Tuesday I saw the movie “Hide And Seek”, which starred: Robert De Niro, Dakota Fanning, Famke Janssen, Dylan Baker and Robert John Burke.
The storyline involved the following: “David Callaway (Robert De Niro) is having a tough time dealing with the apparent suicide of his wife (Amy Irving). His young daughter, Emily (Dakota Fanning), also has taken her mother's death very hard, retreating into her own little world. As a psychologist, David decides the only way to help Emily is to move from the big city to a house in the country. Sure, that kind of thing usually works like a charm. Emily does perk up a bit when she finds a new ''friend,'' Charlie, who likes to have fun and play hide and seek with her. Of course, we can't actually see this new friend but that's beside the point. The imaginary Charlie is still a powerful force in Emily's life, instructing her not to talk about him much and hating pretty much everyone else in her life, including her dad. In short order, bad things start happening--yes, the family pet gets whacked--which Emily blames on Charlie. This leaves David wondering how his little girl could have turned so psychotic. But wait. Maybe Charlie isn't imaginary after all, but actually a flesh-and-blood, malevolent presence. Oh god, do you think so?”
I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. The movie was scary enough to rate a “B”. The film has a surprise ending, but it is not original ending. The acting of Robert De Niro was excellent.
Million Dollar Baby Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Million Dollar Baby”, which starred: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Christina Cox.
The storyline involved the following: “Painfully estranged from his daughter, old-school boxing trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) hasn't let anyone get too close to him in a very long time. Even his best friend and former trainee Scrap (Morgan Freeman), who manages Frankie's rundown boxing gym, has a tough time getting through. Everything changes, however, when Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) walks into the gym. A spitfire looking for someone to believe in her, Maggie also has a painful past. But with unshakable willpower, along with some tremendous raw talent, Maggie has found that her love for boxing could be her ticket to a happy life--and she wants Frankie to turn her into a champion. Naturally, he doesn't want to have anything to do with her and doesn't want to take that risk, especially with a girl.Yet Frankie is soon won over by the young boxer's dogged resolve to be the best. The road to glory isn't easily paved for these two stubborn mules, but Maggie and Frankie rediscover a sense of family they both thought they'd lost long ago. Theirs is a bond that will carry them through one of the hardest journeys either one of them will ever take. Oh, yeah, you're going to need a wad of tissues for this one.”
I give the movie a “B+”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a medium soft drink. The acting in the movie was excellent, and dialogue was again excellent. But the storyline kept leading into different directions, and, thus I like the first half of the movie. The second half of the movie was less satisfactory, because I was not prepared for such a dramatic shift. It turned from a happy movie into a dark movie without a satisfactory ending.
