Without giving too much away, we'll review some movies here, and some books. Finding good entertainment is always important. Updated periodically, please check back.
We almost turned off Law Abiding Citizen when our rightfully avenging father begins dismembering the murderer with a chain saw. But knowing there was over an hour left and Jamie Fox, we stuck with it. Excellent film with Gerard Butler out maneuvering the authorities to reek revenge and drive home the absurdities of a broken judicial system. Good reigns, and thankfully we see how he accomplished his feats. A definite recommendation.
The Pledge and The Bucket List are just two of Jack Nicholson's best movies. Very different, the Pledge is about a retiring cop who gets involved in a murder case just 6 hours before his final shift is over. His pledge to find the child's killer leads to much soul searching as he battles the retirement dilemma. A very serious film. The Bucket List is a funny, heartwarming collection of adventures that two dying men undertake together. Morgan Freeman, a genius himself, does a memorable job here. Both movies worth owning.
The Break-Up is a comedy, yet a tragedy as well. We see two beautiful people on the verge of marriage, find they aren't compatible. Yet, the strings of commitment are hard to break, and mind games and pranks form the comedy of errors. I also own this one, a watch-more-than-once film.
If you're into Apocalyptic films, check out The Road, a close adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece. We found it to be a life changer, realizing not money, but survival skills, were all important.
Another of that genre is The Final Storm, not as believable, yet interesting take on the earth's convulsive end. 2012 also speaks to the earth's restructuring, detrimental sun events interacting with volcanic elements in our crust. An escape plan is hatched for and by the elite of the world. Of course, good eventually prevails. A good watch. A comic rendering of this topic is Zombie Land. Hilarious in spite of graphic blood gulping scenes. The casting is fabulous, the actors do an excellent job.
Frozen, a new movie with college age kids trapped in a ski lift is much better than I'd feared. The youthful greed and motto of just one more leads to much pain and destruction. Believable, we couldn't help but coach from our seats while watching their misadventures. This is the same mom reaction we felt watching Into The Wild. The young man's life seems perfect on the outside, yet family skeletons lead him to fatal attractions in Alaska. His journey there finds many friends and mentors along the way. The scenery, story and emotions are true. Also a watch-more-than-once film.
Some older favorite classics are Pulp Fiction, a story unfolding with comic twists, great acting, and time frames intermixed. A movie that requires a couple viewings, at least, to get all the jumps in sequence.
I love Amistad, although not a popular film. We have a gifted lawyer working to free the Africans who have been kidnapped from their homeland, mutinied on the ship, and ended up in the USA. Funny, moving, historically interesting. Great work.
Cold Mountain, another in my collection, deals with the Civil War. A love story with great detail to reality of that historical period, provoking. Gettysburg compliments this theme, and we wonder why on earth the Civil War wasn't somehow averted and the issues solved non violently.
You can't help but love Fiddler on the Roof, a musical with songs to be sung just for the fun of it. A Jewish family must deal with three daughters marriage choices, a purging by Russian authorities, and final relocation. We love the father, whose religious dedication is both wonderful, and hilarious at times. A classic.
