Ratatouille

G (2007)

Remy loves food and has a gift for cooking. Problem is he is a rat.

Linguini has a job in the kitchen of a famous Parisian restaurant. Problem is he can't cook.

But if they work together...

5 out of 5

Anyone can cook! But more importantly, follow your dreams and don't give up.

This is my favorite Pixar movie. The interactions between Remy and Linguini are sweet and funny. And while the premise of the movie is totally unrealistic, isn't that true of every great Disney movie?

Whip It

PG-13 (2009)
Sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material

Bliss Cavendar is a teenager who feels trapped in the world of beauty pageants. When she comes across a flyer for the roller derby in nearby Austin she decides to check it out.

5 out of 5
(I would call this one okay for most older teenagers, but please screen for your kids if you just aren't sure)

The movie is littered with great one liners and is all about girl power. Need I say more?
I bought this movie when I found out that it was Drew Barrymore's directorial debut. While I am not a fan of all of her movies (with a career that started in 1978 and covers most genres you can't make everyone happy all the time) I have liked almost everything she has done since the turn of the century. I wasn't disappointed. My expectations were met and exceeded.
I'm a total sap for coming of age movies, and this one, with its strong female characters, was a total winner. Ellen Page does a great job as a teenager torn between what her mother wants for her and what she wants for herself. You cheer for her when things go her way, and hurt for her when she gets her heart broken.



Random movie fact #1: Drew Barrymore comes from a long line of stars. Her grandfather John Barrymore was in both silent films and "talkies", her great-uncle was stage and film actor Lionel Barrymore, and her great-aunt was stage actor Ethel Barrymore of Singing in the Rain fame ("Well if it isn't Ethel Barrymore!").

The Help

PG-13 (2011)
Thematic material

An aspiring writer gets an idea to explore the lives of the serving women in Mississippi. Set during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, it is a social commentary on the time.

5 out of 5
(Anyone can and should watch this one)

I loved this movie. I would give it a 6 out of 5, but that would be cheating.
The women were real. I laughed, I cried (yeah, that's right... I cried). I wanted to punch a lot of people right in the face. They hit on a lot of subjects that are still touchy almost 50 years later, and I am SO glad they did.

Daybreakers

R (2009)
Strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity

Ethan Hawke is a vampire researcher looking for a synthetic blood supply. After a run in with a group of humans he is introduced to Willem Dafoe, a human who was once a vampire. There is a cure, and now he is going to find it.

3.5 out of 5
(I would go so far as to call this a gory movie, the blood is totally overdone)

Not the normal vampire movie (and not in a Twilight kinda way). Good balance of suspense and action. But really... a lot of blood. I think it lowered the overall quality of the film because it was more than was needed or realistic.

Scream 4

R (2011)
Strong bloody violence, language and some teen drinking

Fourth installment of the 90's slasher "trilogy". It has been ten years since the last attack on Sydney Prescott. A new book, a new life, and everything is great. But her book tour lands in her home town Woodsboro on the anniversary of the original murders. We all know what happens next...

4 out of 5
(Bloody, not kidding, and violent... did you miss the part where it is a horror movie?)

I've been wanting to see this movie since it was in theaters, it just never happened. I'm a big fan of the original three, and this one did not disappoint. Sydney, Gale, and Dewey are all back as main characters, and the young blood (no pun intended) really gives the story the new life. I will not lie, I pride myself in knowing what is going to happen in a movie before it happens, and I didn't catch this one.
If you like the first three I'm pretty sure (as in positive) you will enjoy this one.

In Time

PG-13 (2011)
Violence, some sexualty and partial nudity, and strong language

Humans have been genetically engineered to stop aging at 25. Extra time must be earned, and that time is the currency as well as life. In the poor areas people literally live day to day, minute to minute. In the rich areas men are well over 100 years old, and have thousands of years in reserve.

4.5 out of 5
(I would wait until about 16 before letting my imaginary kids watch this one, before that all they will see is the violence, they will miss the point of the movie)

I stumbled across this movie on VUDU (which, by the way, is probably not a good thing for my movie addiction). I had seen posters for it, but hadn't seen a preview or read anything about it.
I watched this movie expecting mediocre, and then Justin Timberlake blew me away. I know he has been in movies for a while now, but this is the first time I have seen him carry a movie. He was real, raw, and touching. The chemistry between him and Amanda Seyfried was believable. The action was intense.
Some elements of the movie are a little overdone (i.e. spoiled rich girl goes for angry slum boy), but it was good enough it didn't matter. And more than that, it was true enough that it didn't matter.
So, odds are, if you are reading this... you can and should watch it.

Why this blog?

I have spent a LOT of time watching movies over the last... well... forever. Not only that but I have opinions about most of them, opinions I would like to share. I'll be using this blog to write reviews on movies, both new and old, in the hopes that I can share some of my favorite movies, and save you from seeing some of those you probably don't want to.
I will be sharing with you as I watch, and re-watch, movies.


BTW: If there is a movie you want watched and reviewed, just let me know!