April 21st, 2008
A fast-paced, romantic, fairy-tale adventure. Mixes equal parts swashbuckling, whimsy, satire, and risqué humor. Violence runs the gamut from slapstick to quite serious. Not scary. Captain Shakespeare was hilarious and the ghosts provide satisfying comic relief throughout. Stardust is in many ways like The Princess Bride with higher production value. Recommended for the whole family. [...]
April 18th, 2008
Daughter: Mom, the boy in this movie is the same boy that was in the original Willy Wonka. Wife: No, I don’t think that’s possible. Daughter: It looks like him. Wife: But he was like 10 in 1963. Daughter: Oh my gosh, he’s DEAD?!
March 26th, 2008
Daughter: Once you know how a movie ends then it starts to get boring if you watch it again. Me: Didn’t you watch the same movie yesterday four times? Daughter: Yah, but you have to watch it like 100 times. Me: Why 100 times? Daughter: So it has a chance to get boring!
March 18th, 2008
This is a remake of the classic musical The Music Man (1962). It is faithful to the original with strong performances by Matthew Broderick and especially Kristin Chenoweth (who I was first introduced to as Olive Snook on Pushing Daisies—now I see her everywhere). The supporting cast (Victor Garber, Molly Shannon, Debra Monk) does a [...]
March 15th, 2008
A quest for the fountain of youth spanning the interlocking timelines of a 16th century conquistador, a present day research scientist, and a 26th century astronaut. Not what I expected. The film, drenched in a feeling of desperation and sadness, is sometimes far out, often very beautiful. Poetic. The climax didn’t move me but I [...]
March 14th, 2008
Very funny. A crescendo of British comedy with a satisfying and touching ending. The scene with the friend and Uncle Alfie is worth the price of admission. Alan Tudyk (Wash from Firefly) has moments of genius. Also, it’s directed by Fozzie Bear so this is one of the few DVDs where watching the extras is [...]
March 3rd, 2008
We’re making our way through the Indiana Jones movies as part of my fatherly duty to introduce the children to the classics. We popped in The Last Crusade a couple of nights ago. Son: Which one is this? Me: This is Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade! Son: What’s it about? Me: Well, it’s got [...]
February 7th, 2008
Lovely and Talented Wife: What’s that? Me: Oh, it’s a DVD your sister sent us. I wrote her back and thanked her but said we hadn’t watched it yet. Wife: It looks… interesting. Me: Yah, I told her I was a little scared of it. She said she was, too—that’s why she sent it. Wife: [...]
January 17th, 2008
A quiet and seemingly simple love story about a German mail-order bride attempting to start a new life in a Minnesota farming community in the 1920s. Inge and Olaf show us what commitment, friendship, and strength of character really are. Beautifully written, beautifully acted, beautifully photographed. Recommended. Sweet Land (Netflix)
January 13th, 2008
I just finished watching the premiere episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. It wasn’t terrible and it’s got Summer Glau (who shall always be River for me). But the first episode was essentially an abridged version of Terminator 2 (right down to a visit with the Dyson family) and ended by setting up the [...]