Film 73- Law Abiding Citizen

I forgot to breathe.

This was certainly a FABULOUS thriller, a little bloody/ gory, but completely packed with one surprising moment after another.

After a brutal beginning (beating and a rape scene) a man (Gerard Butler) awaits for his wife and daughter's killers to be brought to justice by the court but a young ambitious assistant DA (Jamie Foxx) makes a deal and one killer only serves 3 years in prison.

Ten years go by and people associate with this case start dying. There is a HUGE twist to this entire story...

Go see this movie. Take a friend who doesn't mind when you jump into his/her lap.

Excellent movie.

Film 72- New Moon

***This is only a spoiler alert if you've never read the books!!! If you read the books, you're safe to read; otherwise, consider yourself warned of a spoiler alert.***

I wasn't exactly thrilled this this newest installment in the world of vampires and werewolves. But I think some of the hype kills it for me.

Bella loves Edward, Edward loves Bella and Jacob loves Bella. Jacob learns he's a werewolf. Bad people want to hurt Bella so he breaks up with her and leaves Forks so Jake thinks its his big chance to make Bella fall in love with him.

Bad people come after Bella. Everyone tries to protect her and then she meets some super bad vampires- the Voltaire- when she runs away to Italy to save Edward from death.

And she breaks Jake's heart and gets back together with Edward.

The special effects were much better in this films that in Twilightt; Edward's sparkly skin was much cooler in this film.

And when Edward took his shirt off, that was really gross. Anorexic much?

Dakota Fanning is in this film--- yuck! Not one of my favorite people...

Kristen Stewart only has one look on her face: angst.

Taylor Lautner is RIPPED. Oh. My. God.

But all that being said, I'll watch the rest of the films. It's like a bad car accident; I just can't stop watching.

Film 71- The Blind Side

This is a feel good movie not matter who ya slice it. i liked it, I'm proud to say. It was entertaining as well as being a true story!

The story is there's a wealthy white family to takes in a poor black young man, Michael Oher, who has no where to go, because of lots of unfortunate reasons.

The matriarch of this family, Mrs. Touhy, makes sure he is fed, clothed and helps his get the education that he obviously didn't get. He also learns football. And the Touhy family learns along the way.

This is the true life story about NFL player Michael Oher, of the Baltimore Ravens.

This is someone's real life story, and I have't read anything about this film from the "real" people but I thought it was a great movie; I don't know what they think but as an audience member I was impressed.

Oh yeah, and I cried.

Film 70- 2012

I. Love. John. Cusak. I want to marry him. And I loved him in this film.

It has some of the best action sequences I've seen in a movie in years. Loved it! Oh yes it's the typical Armageddon type of flick, who will actually survive, see the people get killed by horrific natural disasters and all that, but it was just what I needed!

Cusak plays an author who writes a poor selling novel about the end of the world (I think that 's what it was about). He and his wife (played by Amanda Peet who actually kept her clothes in this film) are separated and they have two kids they want to save from 'the end.' Danny Glover plays the President of the USA who wants to try and protect humanity; Oliver Platt plays a big meanie who is important in the government... somehow. Woody Harrelson is a pot head pirate radio dj who is emceeing the end of days at Yellowstone National Park. Okay, these details don't really matter- this was a great action film with the best special affects in a LOOOONG time!

It's worth the watch; I thought it was going to be all Revelation oriented but nope, it was just a damn good action movie about the end of the world.

Film 69- Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

In honor of Halloween, I watched my favorite ghoulish musical with my favorite hunky actor, Johnny Depp.

Bloody tale of a man out for revenge and slits the throats of all those who find their way into his barber chair, aided by the cleavage baring Mrs. Lovett who owns a meat pie shop.

He's after one man, the man who ruined his life, and Todd wants to avenge his wife and daughter.

And I LOVE the music from this operetta! This version is directed by Tim Burton.

Originally Sweeney Todd came about as an 18 part serial in the 1700s. Some scholars even believe that Todd was a real person. This has seen many adaptations, one of the most famous, obviously, is its roots in the theater when Steven Sondheim adapted it to the stage and made is a musical/ operetta.

Happy Halloween!

Film 68- The American President

This is one of my all time favorite movies ever- and directed by the so talented Rob Reiner. I love love love this movie and I usually watch it at least once a year. It's also what I always watch when I'm doing a project and I can't give 100% of my attention to the film- I can just recite the lines along with the film on this one.

Michale Douglas is President Andrew Shepard, widower and father to a wonderful daughter. Sydney Ellen Wade, played by Annette Bening- Beatty, is a lobbyist hired by the environmental lobby working on a fossil fuel omissions bill. They meet and date. This is a wonderful romantic comedy with a kick ass cast. The writing is funny and witty. And I found as I watched it today, for the first time since President Obama was elected, I find the political undercurrent of this film is very relevant with today- a message of hope and doing what's right.

Michael J Fox, Martin Sheen, Richard Dreyfuss, Josh Malina, John Mahoney, David Paymer, and Samantha Mathis round out this great cast. (Ironic note: Josh Malina and Martin Sheen also went on to play in The West Wing, a political tv series similar to this film.)

I LOVE this movie!

Film 67- Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Okay, here the synopsis: Steve and Darren are best friends. Steve is the "bad" boy with a rotten home life and is always in trouble. Darren is the good kid with a great loving family and does well in school.

The go to a freak show. Bad stuff happens. Steve begs the freak show's vampire to make him one and is turned down. Steve gets hospitalized. Darren wants to save Steve's life so he offers himself up to the vampire and he joins the ranks of the human bats.

He moves in with the freak show folks. Then a vampire war starts with the bad vamps against the good vamps. Lots of fighting, blood sucking jokes, amazing costume and make up, and FABULOUS special affects.

I had no idea this was a book series so I most certainly have no point of comparison- I could watch this as just a straight up Vampire film. And let me tell ya: since Vamps are ALL the rage right now, this is a very refreshing change from the Bella and Edward saga. It certainly won't win any acting awards but it wasn't bad. And it certainly left room for a million sequels.

John C. Riley plays the main good vampire Crepsley and I was impressed with his performance; he also had one ugly hair style going, which is ironic since his girlfriend was the bearded woman played by the always hot (even with facial hair) Selma Hayek.

Film 66- Fame

This wasn't exactly a "remake" but it took the idea of the older movie and made a new one.

Bunch of kids audition to enroll in the School of Performing Arts in NYC. Then the films follows the story lines of some of the kids who get in. This is fiction.

And this makes me sound like an old fuddy-duddy but I think the original 1980's version of the film was far superior in every way: music, acting, casting... I missed Debbie Allen pounding out"here's where you start paying, in sweat", Bruno and Mr. Shorofsky on the piano, angry LeRoy learning to dance, and Coco living her dream.

In this new one, the story arcs were seriously weak, the acting was poor and the script was nearly non-existent. The production numbers were incredible and anytime the kids were 'performing" was awesome- otherwise- weak, weak , weak.

It was sad to see Debbie Allen, who was the original dance instructor, be old and not so svelte any longer. And the title song "Fame" wasn't even performed in the film until the credits rolled- bummer! and much of the original score was omitted like "Hot Lunch Jam" and "Dogs in the Yard." I do want to say it was nice to see some original talent in the 'students'. And Megan Mullally (best known as Karen in Will & Grace), who was the voice teacher, sang a solo and it was AWESOME- it was tied for my favorite part of the film. I knew she was a singer and Broadway actor but it was great to hear her belt one out!

I hate growing up because this Fame wasn't nearly as magical to me as the original. So now I'm heading to the video store to watch the classic and see if it's as good as I remember.

And a side note: I am desperately in need of a blockbuster because the last several movies I've watched have all basically sucked. (The Time Traveler's Wife was the last one I saw that I LOVED! Holiday movie season, please save me!)

Film 65- The Invention of Lying

I didn't like this movie. It was just not my thing; meanness run amok. Ricky Gervais starred as the man who invented lying so he could make his mom feel better and then continued the lie so he could get laid, by Jennifer Garner's character.

Ick.

Gervais was funnier with his off the wall commentary at the Emmy's...

Film 64- Extract

Ick.

So ick I can't remember character names and I'm so un-impressed I'm not going to waste any more time looking them up.

Jason Bateman plays a guy who owns a flavor extract company and a tragic accident happens to one of his employee's, Step (faux tragic because it involves testicles and an ambulance chasing lawyer played by Gene Simmons).

Enter con artist girl who gets a job working at the plant and tries to become Step's girlfriend.

The Bateman character wants to sleep with the con artist girl 9who he doesn't know is a con artist until near the end) so he and his drug addict weirdo friend played by Ben Afflick devise a plan for a gigolo to sleep with Bateman's character's wife, so he can then cheat on her since she cheated first.

This movie was so stupid and the longest 90 minutes of my life that I'll never get back that I don't want to waste any more time writing about it either.

Don't see this movie.