April's Christmas Countdown 2008!

Even though I really don't have time for this, I am committed to you, dear reader. So here it is, my top ten Christmas movies. (Even though it was only supposed to be five, so I'm doing two per post) Also, the order is kind of loose.

#10 Scrooged

One of the better interpretations of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Bill Murray is the cold and ruthless TV programming exec. Frank Cross. Cross overworks his secretary, Grace, and abandoned his family and girlfriend (Karen Allen) in favor of career advancement. He is visited by three spirits (including David Johansen and Carol Kane as the ghosts of Christmas past and present respectively) Lots of sarcasm and laughs along with the classic happy ending make this a holiday must-see.

#9 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Out of the seemingly infinite number of Rankin/Bass holiday specials, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is my favorite (aside from the Snow Miser/Heat Miser song from The Year without a Santa Claus). I love that there is an elf who wants to be a dentist who befriends a reindeer with a bulbous, glowing red nose. (Who comes up with this stuff?!)

And who can forget about the island of misfit toys? (Um, me. For some reason I thought that it was in one of the other specials.) Also, did anyone else think that "Hermey" was actually "Herbie"? I believed this for years, but a couple years ago someone said that it is actually "Hermey".

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

"I'm here to erase Joel Barish. He's boring. Is that enough reason to erase someone?"

Clementine Kruczynski wants to erase Joel Barish from her mind. Every memory, every look, every touch, every feeling... Gone. Within one night, Joel Barish is wiped from existence in every sense.

After an unsettling encounter with his ex, Joel realizes (with the help of his friends) Clem's actions. He decides to make an appointment with the same clinic. Through a brain mapping procedure, Joel sees his memories with Clem disappear. As he relives each moment, he comes to regret his decision. If only Joel could wake up from this nightmare before his love for Clementine disappears forever.


My Commentary: As hard as we might try, it's impossible to deny the change that someone makes in your life. People make an imprint on your soul - whether you'd like to admit that or not. The connection that is made between two people cannot be prevented.



Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)



Author's Note: Watch this film at least 3 times before you critique it. It's quite the cinematic experience. The line between memory and reality blurs and blends within seconds. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is worth the confusion. Buy it. Love it.

100 Movie Spoilers in Under 5 Minutes... MUST SEE!

The Secret Life of Bees

Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) runs away from home, accompanied by her friend Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) seeking answers about her mother's death. Lily and Rosaleen soon find refuge with the Boatwright sisters, August (Queen Latifah), May (Sophie Okonedo) and June (Alicia Keys). Rosaleen helps May in the kitchen while Lily becomes August's apprentice beekeeper.

My Commentary: This is a great movie with a stellar cast, but make sure to bring a couple of tissues just in case because not all of this movie is the heart-warming love-fest that the preview makes it out to be. The story is set in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement and the conflict violently intrudes upon the lives of the characters. Ultimately though, the ending still gives you that nice, warm, satisfied feeling without too much saccharin-sweetness.

Rating: ******* (7 out of 10)

Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Typical Indiana Jones format in that there is some incredibly unusual/valuable/intriguing item that some "other" (such as the Nazis or Russians) has stolen for some vague reason. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) obtains/loses said item and inevitably goes back to teaching until the next adventure. This time the item is a crystal skull of uncertain origin, the "other" is the Russians, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett). It is soon revealed that Raiders of the Lost Ark alum Marion Ravenwood Williams (Karen Allen) and Indy's old pal Harold Oxley (John Hurt) have "disappeared" aka captured after discovering the skull in Peru. It is up to Indy and Marion's son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) to find Marion, Oxley and the skull before the Russians discover the secrets of the skull. My commentary: The more I watch this movie, the more I like it. Initially, I was a bit disappointed by the shiny new computer effects, but they are pretty cool. As much as I like Harrison Ford in the role of Indy, I probably wouldn't object if he moved on from the role (if the franchise keeps going). Heck, I would have been content with just the original three movies, but Crystal Skull is a better continuation of the original series (aesthetically) than say, Episodes 1-3 of Star Wars compared to Episodes 4-6 Rating: ****** (6 out of 10)

Raising Arizona v. Fargo

Joel and Ethan Coen, recent winners of four Academy Awards for No Country for Old Men, have established themselves as today's directing/producing powerhouse.  Recently, I've begun watching their work and will provide commentary for some of their first works: Raising Arizona and Fargo.

Set in the wilderness of Arizona, Edwina "Ed" (Holly Hunter) and H.I. "Hi" McDonnough (Nicholas Cage) meet at a local jail.  Ed is a police woman in charge of fingerprinting Hi after he is arrested for convenience store robbery.  The two fall in love and marry, only to discover that Ed is unable to conceive.  Ed and Hi embark on a journey that begins with kidnapping and ends with a bounty hunter.  Will the couple survive parenthood or die trying? 

My Commentary:  I'm probably not the first to question Nicholas Cage's acting abilities, but my goodness, get this guy a dialect coach!  His accent was extremely distracting throughout the film.  Holly Hunter is the redeeming character in Raising Arizona.  In one of my favorite scenes, she abandons Hi at the convenience store after watching him in mid-robbery garb (complete with hosiery and pistol).  Hi is forced to outrun the authorities by foot - with a pack of stray dogs on his tail - all for a package of Huggies.  

Rating:  ***** (5 out of 10)

An event not based on true events, Fargo is set in winter-laden Minneapolis tundra.  The film revolves around the events set in motion by Jerry, played by William H. Macy.  Money problems bring out the worst in people and Jerry is the prime example of that notion come to life.  He employs two men to kidnap his wife, demand a lump sum, and divvy up the cash accordingly.  Of course, nothing goes to plan and people are brutally murdered by woodchippers, axes, and hand guns.  

My Commentary:  Like Drop Dead Gorgeous, this film was emerged in Minnesotan culture and dialect.  France McDormand performed the best faux Minnesotan accent I've heard.  My favorite scene went like this:

Rating:  ********* (9 out of 10)

Hardcore chick flick: P.S. I Love You

I know that we've been pretty harsh with chick flicks in the past, so you might be wondering why we insist on continuing to watch these films. I certainly can't speak for Tiffany, but I think that I am eternally searching for a decent chick flick. One that will make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, but not so sweet and mushy as to make my teeth hurt. With that said, I'm still kind of on the fence with P.S. I Love You.
Basically, the plot is this: Holly's husband Gerry has just died and (understandably) she is doing very not well. On her 30th birthday, Holly gets a cake and the first of several letters that Gerry pre-arranged for her to get on specific days in specific ways after his death. The letters take her on a journey of re-discovery.

My Commentary: Okay, so this movie is pretty close to the edge as far as overall gooey-ness goes, but I kind of liked it. HOWEVER, I think that the reason that I liked it was because I haven't watched any hardcore chick flicks for a long time. What I liked about this movie is that *almost* every time it started to get to the point where I would want to puke, something horrifyingly embarrassing happened to Holly, lessening the awkward/sappy/sad level of my movie watching experience. So while the movie wasn't exactly good, it wasn't as painful as it could have been. Rating: ***** (5 out of 10)