The Princess and the Frog

Pam: Every Friday night we have Family Movie Night at our house. We let the kids eat dinner in the front room (a major rule breaker!), or at least have popcorn and a drink and we all watch a movie together. We did not see this in the theater, so I put it on our Blockbuster queu. It's about time Disney created a princess of color, and they did a beautiful job with this one. The setting of New Orleans, LA is perfect for tying in many different influences: voodoo, bayou, cuisine, big daddy's money, and a poor working class daddy. The time period is turn of the century, but the ideals and opinions of the princess are decidedly modern. She wants to open her own restaurant using her dear daddy's gumbo recipe, which is symbolic of the varied mixture of cultures represented in the Louisiana society. Her best friend is the white daughter of a family that her mother cleans house for (hmmm?) who is set on marrying a visiting prince. The hilarity ensues at the girl's engagement party - the humor comes from a mixture of magic and mistaken identities. There are cute side characters, one of my favorites being a lightening bug named Ray. Sweet story with a good message - classic Disney. 4 stars out of 5

Love Happens

Pam: Aaron Eckhart has always been one of my favorite actors, ever since Erin Brockovich. His character is very interesting in this movie - he's not comedic, and is rather serious as he's dealing with the death of his wife. The viewer doesn't know the whole story, and you won't until the end, so some of his behavior is a little hard to understand at first, but he does keep your interest. Jennifer Aniston spends the whole movie letting him know how they are not suited for each other, and yet continues to spend time with him. It makes you wonder why he pursues her, but maybe he's just looking to make a change in his lonely life and she's the one he chose to try it out on. Her break-up at the beginning of the movie with her live-in boyfriend seems a little contrived, and I would have appreciated more time spent exploring her sense of betrayal and sadness, but that would have made her less available for Eckhart's character, so in movieland, she resolved those feelings rather quickly. There's a great supporting appearence by Martin Sheen, another of my favorite actors. Overall, the movie is watchable, but I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it. 2.5 stars out of 5

Zombieland

Pam: You'll have to be in the right frame of mind for this one, and if you are in the right mindset, it's really funny. The world is full of flesh-eating zombies, except for the narrator, Jesse Eisenberg (reminds me alot of Michael Cera), who gives the viewer his rules for staying alive in this post-apocolyptic world. Luckily, he comes across another human survivor played by Woody Harrelson. They pair up for some pretty hilarious adventures, but like I said, you have to be in the mood for a bit of campy gore and violence. Bill Murray has a very funny cameo appearence - don't get up for a coke or a pee, or you'll miss it. 3 out of 5 stars

Law Abiding Citizen

Pam: Jamie Foxx cuts a fine figure as a district attorney in this movie that pitts him against a "law abiding citizen" turned criminal. Gerard Butler is an okay actor - there's something about him that seems disingenuous, but a lot of people really like his movies, so maybe it's just me. Could be that he's gorgeous to look at, but eventually you have to act if you're going to carry a movie. Although it starts out with a lot of suspense, this movie begins to unravel toward the end. About half way through, I started looking at Nelson saying "no way, there's no way he could be doing that." Once I started doing that, the movie lost me. I kept watching because Jamie Foxx is engaging and it was fun watching the interplay between him and Butler. I will warn you, the ending is far fetched and will probably disappoint, but it wasn't a complete waste of my time. 2.5 stars out of 5

A Serious Man

Pam: The Coen Brothers wrote and directed this movie, and it has their quirky flair. This "serious man" is a professor at a college in the midwest somewhere and has a series of bad things happen to him that seem to test his faith. He's a Jew and seeks advice from three rabbis who don't seem to help him much. He's dealing with a troubled brother who lives with him, a daughter that doesn't want much to do with him, a bratty son, a wife who wants a divorce, a betrayal by a best friend, a threatening neighbor, and on and on. It's funny in a dark way, typical for the Coen brothers, but in the end it's a little depressing. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

HERE IT IS: THE TOP 5 can you stand it?

Nelson: Well tonight we are giving you our top 5 movies all time. Due to a small glitch, I had to come up with a number 5, I had a movie on my list twice, I wonder who can guess which one, hmm?!?!?!?!?!?
5. "Notting Hill" I really love this movie, as I stated earlier I had had a movie on my list twice, but this movie would have made my list if I hadn't thought I already had 35, and it is definitely one I would grab on my way to the bomb shelter, I can watch it over and over. It always gets me at the end when they are on the bench and she is pregnant. 5+ stars
4. "The Godfather" Classic storytelling here, great cast, and story. Really strong enough to be even higher on my list because I can watch it anytime. The way Michael is drawn in, is compelling, at one point he wants nothing to do with the family business, then all of a sudden he is in. By the third movie he wants out desperately, but , "everytime I think I'm out, they drag me back in." 5 bajillion stars.
3. "Avatar" I have seen this movie twice, in a few years after I have seen it 10-20 times it will work it's way to the top I am sure. As I came out of the theatre I said it was the best movie I have ever seen, and I still believe that but I do not have enough time invested in it yet to be no. 1 here. 5+ stars
2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This is the trilogy, all three movies together because really if you have 6 -8 hours to kill, it is really just one long well thought out and acted movie. Each one is as good as the last, not like some trilogies or sequels that are just not as good as the original. The fault there is that the first movie is typically written to stand on its own, and since it is a hit, they have to manufacture more story to make more money. I wish I could tell all you readers how hard it is to sit here and type with an English major over your shoulder. This one as well 5+ stars
1. This is also a trilogy, The Bourne Trilogy. I know that some of you may be let down by my choice, but if I could only take these 3 movies with me into solitary confinement for a few years, i would be ok with that. I really enjoy the action, drama, romance, scenery, locales, plot, just everything. The story is so intricate and well thought out, Matt Damon is at his best here. 6 stars, so really off the chart, for me.

Pam:
5. "It's a Wonderful Life" - Jimmy Stewart filmed this movie right after he returned from WWII, and was hesitant to do the love scene with Donna Reed, but you'd never know it. The scene of Mary and George kissing and embracing while on the phone with "Hee Haw" is beautiful and passionate and sets the stage for the rest of the movie. Nelson says this movie is comparable to "Family Man," but I disagree. This has an almost horror element to it in that George gets to see what the world would be like had he never been born. It's almost like the Angel of Death scene in "A Christmas Carol," where Scrooge is horrified by his own gravesite. Imagine seeing your mom, but she has no idea who you are. Scary. This movie helps me put my problems into perspective - and realize I have so much to be thankful for. Watchability: 5 stars Emotional Appeal: 5 stars
4. "Love Actually" - All the story lines in this movie are interwoven in such a wonderful way that it took me a few times watching it to get it all figured out. It shows love in all forms from young adolescents to newly marrieds to a mature couple facing infidelity. There's only one story line I don't like out of about eight that run through the movie, but the rest of the movie is so good, I'm willing to sit through those few scenes. This movie makes me cry every time: once when Emma Thompson's character realizes her husband has been unfaithful and she sits in her bedroom listening to Joanie Mitchell's song "Both Sides Now." Meanwhile, in the other room, her husband and children sit under the Christmas tree waiting for her to return, unaware that anything is wrong. It's a feeling I can identify with - women who are mothers and wives sometimes have to suppress the pain and keep going for the sake of the family. My heart hurts for her in that scene. The other scene is at the end in the airport when Liam Neeson and his stepson meet up with the little boy's girlfriend and she plants a kiss on the boy's cheek. What's so uplifting is the boy's faith in love. He believes, and so do I. W: 5 stars E.A.: 5+ stars
3. "Sex and the City" - These are my girls, whose lives I have followed since the beginning of the series. In my mind, I have sat at breakfast with them gossiping, and I have been out on the town with them drinking cosmos. They're my fantasy of what girlfriends should be. This movie has all the payoff I was looking for: I got to see how everything turned out for all four women. The joy and the pain in the scenes is so real, I felt like it was happening to me. When Carrie goes to Mexico and sleeps for days in the condo, I thought, that's exactly what I would have done. It shows that the pain of her breakup was real and that it lasts and it takes time to heal and recover. I cried when Miranda and Steve met on the bridge, I cried when Charlotte told Carrie she was pregnant, I cried when Carrie and Big met in the closet. Jennifer Hudson adds a lot to the mix of sisterhood as Carrie's assistant. Wouldn't mind seeing her again in the next movie. W: 5+ stars E.A.: 5+ stars
2. "Star Wars" trilogy - There are some things that are not all that great in this series: Ewoks, Jar Jar Binks, Hayden Christiansen's acting...but despite these faults, these movies are nearly flawless to me. I love the idea of the Force and that there is something possible for humans besides warfare and hatred. W: 5+ stars E.A.: 5 stars
1. "Lord of the Rings" trilogy - I agree with Nelson, these movies really fit together as one long film and if you've got the gumption, try sitting down and watching them all back to back. To understand the world created in these movies, it's important to have read the books written by J.R.R. Tolkien. He wrote his own Elfish language, drew maps and atlases of locations and worlds, wrote family histories and mapped family trees, and outlined various races and groups of people. Of course a movie would never be able to reveal all of that, especially to a casual watcher, but these three movies come close. Every aspect is perfect: attention to detail, a true adaptation of the books, accuracy, scenery, casting and acting. Special effects are seamless - I never really noticed them, which says a lot. Viggo Mortensen's characterization of Aragorn is perfect - he's the reluctant hero, humble yet fierce, a true leader ready to sacrifice what's needed, and in love with a beautiful, powerful Elfin princess, Arwen. It's Arwen's love, passion and vision that carry Aragorn through the worst battles and moments of self-doubt. I think she is the true heart and soul of these movies. Beautiful, inspiring, and my favorite. W: 5+ stars E.A.: 5+ stars

Counting down 10-6 tonight

Nelson: It gets hard to align these top movies because each one is really a number one for me on some level.
10. "The Matrix" and I don't mean the trilogy, I mean the first movie of the trilogy, it was far and away the best one I felt. I could lump them together because really I like to watch them all and own them all, but the first one was my favorite. I enjoyed the religious theme running through this movie in that Neo was like Jesus in the future matrix world, and he was sacrificed for the good of all men. Great special effects. 5 stars
9. "Animal House" This movie will always hold a dear place in the hearts of all the kids who went on the basketball trip to Lousville and somehow the chaperones got the idea that it would be ok to take us to this movie, what a mistake on their parts, but at least I got to see the best movie I had ever seen up to that point of my life. I think I was in 10 th grade, and this movie was AWESOME!!!!! Perfect cast, perfect story, perfect everything. As Randy Jackson would say 5 bajillion stars.
8. "Star Wars" Here I will take the latitude of lumping the entire 6 movies of "Star Wars" together, although I feel the first one (in its time) was the best of all of them. Again, perfect cast, perfect story and just very well done. This movie made sci-fi as a genre cool for me. Luckily our kids love these movies as well and we watch them as a family often. 5 bajillion stars.
7. "Love Actually" I recommend this movie a lot to people, and many say they have never heard of it. If you have not watched this movie you have missed a treat, it is smart and funny and poignant. It tells a story of lives that are interwoven, and how love can be , and should be. We cannot watch this movie with our children, there is nudity and sexuality in it, so it is not for kids, but Pam and I watch this movie several times a year, I cry at certain parts every single time. This movie also has some very good music in it. I recommend this move (once again as Randy Jackson would say) 100 bajillion percent. 5+ stars.
6. "Family Man" This is a modern telling of "It's a Wonderful Life" where Nicholas Cage's character gets a glimpse of what his life may have been like if he had made one different choice in his past. He goes to sleep in his penthouse apartment, one of the richest and most successful merger men on the planet, and wakes up with a family and financial struggles, real life. I also recommend this movie early and often, if you have not seen it, you are missing out on a great one. 5+ stars

Pam:
10. "Bourne Trilogy" - I am including all three together, even though I liked the first one best. I never would have thought Matt Damon would fit the role of action hero, but he is a BAD ASS in these movies. The idea that he has all these skills, but can't remember his identity is fascinating - it's like he just keeps surprising even himself. I like Franka Potente as his girlfriend - she's both vulnerable and a source of strength for him. W: 5 stars E.A.: 4.5 stars
9. "Ironman" - This movie totally surprised me. Just like Matt Damon, I would never have cast Robert Downey, Jr. as an action hero, but he delivered. The special effects in this movie were dynamite - I love the detail and engineering the designers put into the Ironman suit - really great. Story plays out a little weak at the end, but who cares? It's Ironman. W: 5 stars E.A.: 4 stars
8. "Family Man" - I've already reviewed this movie on this blogsite, so I won't say much more here other than this is a family favorite. Something I didn't mention before - I love Jeremy Piven in the role of Nick Cage's friend in his "glimpse" of life in the suburbs. Through his best friend's eyes, he gets to see what kind of person he could have become. The love story is simple and sweet, and I almost always cry at the end when he realizes the life he loves is really just a dream. W: 5 stars E.A.: 4.5 stars
7. "Avatar" - Very rarely will a movie leave me speechless, but this one did. Nelson and I saw it in 3-D when it first came out, then we immediately took the kids. The scenery, the story, the special effects, the imagery were so beyond anything I had ever seen before that I couldn't find words to describe it, so the kids had to see it. The social message is good, but it does kindof hit you over the head. W: 4.5 stars E.A.: 4.75 stars
6. "Gone With the Wind" - As a child, I was convinced that I was really a southern belle who had found herself somehow mistakenly trapped in modern day times. I remember thinking, where is my nanny? My cook? I should have somebody here taking care of me. I longed to walk along magnolia-lined lanes leading up to my plantation home, or sip lemonade while lounging on a wide porch in the shade. This movie fulfills all my childhood fantasies of the old south, along with exposing the harsh realities of slavery and war. Is it realistic? No, but I love it. Will I ever understand Scarlett and her obsession with Ashley? No, but I still love her. The movie has held up over the last 70 years, and that's a mark of a classic. W: 4.5 stars E.A.: 4 stars