AAR

[Jean Wan AAR]

Have seen a few movies here and there in the past, oh, six months or so, and suddenly decided to chuck 'em down:

Nine
Pretty pointless, I thought. A phenomenal waste of talent, with the possible exception of Marion Cotillard, who is my heroine.

As It Is In Heaven
A Swedish film about a conductor who goes back to his childhood village and takes up the church choir. Not as enamoured of it as I thought I'd be, although it was by no means bad.

Young People F***ing
Chronicles 4 couples and 1 threesome getting it on. Has some damn funny scenes and awesome lines, but also stops short of greatness.

Pan's Labyrinth
Did not even make it past the 30 minute mark. Somehow, in hearing and reading about the movie, I had completely missed the fact that it is incredibly violent.

Frost/Nixon
Really enjoyed it. Good script + good acting = Marvels. Didn't love it, like The Queen (which is a constant re-watch), but liked it very much indeed.

His Girl Friday
The first movie starring Cary Grant that I actually like, probably because Rosalind Russell gives him a damn good run for his money.

The Proposal
Not bad at all. Had to brush off the Canadian line (grrr), and Ryan Reynolds doesn't do it for me, but Sandra Bullock is the bomb.

Moon
An actual, honest-to-God sci-fi movie with a plot and dialogue. Could recommend it for that alone, but did enjoy watching Sam Rockwell.

Matilda
A very enjoyable movie that transitioned well, chronologically and geographically.

Lars and the Real Girl
I found it interesting but just a tad too self-conscious and contrived. But it's always cool to see how far Ryan Gosling has come since "Breaker High", which (for the non-Canadians) was a very silly Disney-esque daytime series about a bunch of glossy students whose high school was on a cruise ship.
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Jean AAR
Reviews Editor

[jebe]

Avatar

It premiered on HBO last night. I was at once awed and put off by it. It was way more than I expected, but very violent. I can see why people felt there was overt messages about certain agendas. I'm a pretty devout tree-hugger and it felt too preachy to me. The stereotypes of who was bad and who was good didn't sit too well with me. I feel like I spent too much time trying to figure out the symbolism of everything instead of just enjoying the movie. Definitely agree with the poster that said it was Ferngully redux in 3D.
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Why put off til tomorrow what you can put off until next week?

[LizE]

Saw Nowhere Boy this weekend. It's about John Lennon's childhood and teenage years. A very interesting film and well-acted.

Got around to The Blind Side--didn't work for me. I think the Sandra Bullock character reminded me too much of some of my relatives. Tried an episode of Dr. Who (with David Tenant), and I'm not sure about it yet. Maybe it grows on you. Next up is Creation with Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.

[Cora]

The thing with Doctor Who is that the episodes vary wildly in style and setting, so even if you didn't like one, you might well like another. Which one did you watch?

Actually, with the new Doctor Who series I'd start with Rose, the first episode of the new series, and work my way through the first season. By the end of the first season (13 episodes), you should be able to tell whether you like the show or not.
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[LizE]

The episode I saw was called Partners in Crime. It was about a diet drug that turned fat into little beings. It was the first episode of something, but I felt like I'd come in at the middle... I'll see if I can find Rose and start again.

BTW, Creation was an interesting movie--a bit claustrophobic and brooding, but I'm such a die-hard Paul Bettany fan that I liked it. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch Legion, though. Has anyone seen it?

[Cora]

Partners in Crime is the first episode of season 4. It isn't too bad a starting point, since it introduces (or rather reintroduces, since the actress had been a guest star the year before) new companion Donna. But there's still a lot of baggage from previous seasons and towards the end of season 4 there is a cosmic crisis with lots of characters from previous seasons and spin-off shows appearing.

The thing with Doctor Who is that it shifts wildly in style, setting and tone. You have present day set stories, future set stories, historical stories, stories set on Earth and in outer space, you have family drama, comedy, adventure, gothic horror, costume drama, suspense, SF, even the occasional romance all in the same series. It is usually best to give Doctor Who a few episodes, preferably in order, because the new series is more connected than the old series.

Season 1 of the new series is IMO the best place to start, because it was deliberately designed to introduce the Doctor to new audiences and because it cycles through all of the different styles in its first few episodes, going from present day X-Files/Fringe type story to far future SF with loads of strange creatures to Victorian set gothic horror to present day conspiracy thriller cum political parody to pulse racing suspense all in the space of 6 episodes. Of course, season 1 stars Christopher Eccleston rather than David Tennant, but I've always preferred Eccleston's Doctor to Tennant's anyway. And towards the end, you also get Captain Jack Harkness, who is an absolutely delightful character by that point and sexy as hell.
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[maggie b.]

The Good Wife, Season 1
Pilot date, fall 2010
B


I've been intrigued by the idea of this show since it first came out. Alas, I did not get it in the DVR que in time but I did get the chance to purchase season 1 used. Liked it a lot. My one quibble is the love triangle. I don't like Will or Peter and kept wishing she would dump them all, turn cougar and get with that adorable Cary. (Well, he was adorable before he went to the Dark Side.)

Anyway, good series, interesting premise. I do wish the series dealt more with how she was handling having Peter at home. They are doling it out in tiny pieces.

maggie b.
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[Tee]

The King's Speech

Went with my daughter to see The King's Speech with Colin Firth. We both thought it was an excellent movie. I felt it was a bit slow in the beginning, but she didn't think so. Very well acted all around by everyone.

[Niftybergin]

BLACK SWAN
Saw this in the theatre last weekend and quite enjoyed it. I don't think it was thebestmovieever! but I enjoyed it, and my friend and I enjoyed debating the ending at dinner afterwards.

MIRACLE (DVD)
This was a present to myself. I love this movie, and really never get tried of watching it.

SUPERNATURAL (TV show)
Been on a huge Supernatural binge lately -- had about 40 episodes recorded on the DVD. Such a good show: good acting, great dialogue, interesting characters.

THE HANGOVER
Watched this yesterday while my dad and I were playing Phase 10. He liked it a lot. I can't say that I enjoyed it much. Didn't hate it, and there were a few funny parts, but overall just not my type of movie.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Disney)
Caught this on TV the other day. I've seen it before, of course, but it was a delight to watch again. Such a cute movie. I love the "Gaston" number. Makes me laugh everytime. And this movie really makes me miss actor Jerry Orbach.

[JMM]

"The Next Three Days".

Now THERE is a romantic hero; willing to do anything for his beloved.

[Linda in sw va]

The Last Song - A- I can't believe I gave it that grade! I was prepared to hate it because I knew it would have it's sad moments and Miley Cyrus..please. My teenage daughter has been recovering from getting her wisdom teeth cut out and stocked up on movies. I sat and watched this with her and couldn't turn away, I was completely pulled into the story. I cried at the end and smiled at the end. I thought Miley did a good job with her acting and so did whoever it was that played the dad and the little brother.

Linda
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"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner

[xina]

Little Fockers. Grade, B

I saw this with my daughter last Thurs. after we dropped our cat off for her surgery. We had to travel an hour away, so didn't go home. We decided to go to a movie, and chose this one. Well...I chose, mostly. I lke the Stiller/DeNiro/ combo. Ben Stiller looks very thin though, and I can never quite get used to Robert DeNiro in a comedy, but I liked it. A nice comedy on a day when we needed to laugh.
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[Niftybergin]

[merryweather]

I saw The King's Speech on Christmas Day. Excellent, very touching--and Colin Firth as wonderful as usual. I hope he finally gets his due at the Oscars this coming year. It was very strange to see him and Jennifer Ehle together on screen for a few moments together. Elizabeth and Darcy reunited!
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For the first time in her life, she saw exactly what she’d thrown away when she decided to have him by means fair or foul……that she’d not saved him but wronged him by consigning to him all the ability of a box turtle to make his own choices. ~Gigi

[Tee]