Movies Galore!

Happy New Year dear friends and fellow bloggers!  I know, tsk, tsk, to me for not blogging a bit.  As much as I was itching to blog, I barely kept up with the everyday things at home.  I fully intended to recap our December too, but after a bit of a hard year we took full advantage of the quiet moments in December.  Time we also all spent catching up on movies, old and new.  Actually we saw more movies the two weeks around Christmas than I have seen all year...so here is my round up...first of course...

HELLO!...HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (in November):

We went the first day it was out and took my Dad who was a HP newbie.  I loved it for sure, but my Dad who is not into the series, nor any kind of movies with their own "lore" said he was lost yet the story was intriguing.  The final installment is in July and I will save my raves for then, but if you have read my blog before you know I am so very, very biased about this series that, of course the
VERDICT: A MUST SEE for those who enjoy Harry Potter
 
SECRETARIAT (saw it in November)....

going to have to first state that I am an absolute sucker for underdog stories: Rudy, Invincible, The Natural, Babe, uh, hello, Seabiscuit....don't like watching most sports in real life, but put it on the little or big screen and give it an underdog and I am watchin' it.  Diane Lane is the womanly, yet formidable Penny Chenery, wife/mother of 3 who in 1969 takes over her father's stable of breeding horses and puts everything on the "underdog" Secretariat.  Guess what happens?  Well of course we all know, but the joy is in the journey of faith in the face of trials.  This movie had me from the verse spoken at the beginning to the hymn rejoicing at the end...Oh, Happy Day! 
VERDICT: Highly recommend, and will see it again..

KNIGHT AND DAY 

This movie did not get great reviews but I was charmed by the previews and even more delighted when I saw it back in June.  But when Lou (my lovely Mother in Law) was staying with us over Christmas week, I knew this was one Action/Comedy/Romance flick she would appreciate.  And she loved it. It was pushed as an action movie and has a couple of sharp sequences but hello, what have we NOT seen action wise in these days of CGI and multimillion dollar blowups...no big surprises here in that arena. But I cannot tell you how much I appreciated the banter, the fun it seemed to have with the casual action, and the rapport between Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. 
VERDICT: pass me the popcorn, I want to see it again

TOY STORY 3: 

 This was so very hyped for the holiday season as the must purchase DVD and I had yet to see it.  As we wrapped gifts, we watched it on Pay per view.  Sophia liked it and I thought it was a fitting final chapter to the heart-tugging series but I don't have raves about it.  Maybe the hype got my expectations too high but ..
VERDICT: It was a good finish but I don't need to see it again

A CHRISTMAS CAROL:

Again a pay per view selection (since we saw it when it came out in 3D in November 2009) for Lou.  This is something else I am a sucker for, a Christmas Carol retelling and this one is up there, but my guilty pleasure favorite is still A Muppets Christmas Carol

with Michael Caine.  This Robert Zemekis version was very nice and was especially cool visually in 3D but honestly, sometimes the CGI characters are kind of eerie, so
VERDICT: Quite nice, but for more chuckles with your morality tale see A Muppets Christmas Carol

SHERLOCK HOLMES (first viewing Jan 2010):

I have always liked the Sherlock Holmes mysteries in its various forms (Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett) but lets face it, this character is so very brilliant, aloof, and lacking in social graces that he is not the most attractive protagonist.  But in the hands of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, Holmes and Watson (respectively) are a stupendous buddy team.  I certainly enjoyed the fact that in this version Watson is an equal to Holmes and not the almost-clueless step-behind side kick.  Plus the music is so spot on, I say thank you to Guy Ritchie (director) for this fresh and lively take on an old favorite.
VERDICT: so good I am gonna buy it

TANGLED:

After the hype let down of Toy Story 3, I was going to opt out of this one family Christmastime cinema experience (I had post Christmas clean up to do people!), but I am so glad I didn't.  We saw this in our small town old timey movie theater with a full house of all ages and I was completely delighted in this new version of the tale of Rapunzel. 
VERDICT: well worth the price and time


JANE EYRE: (2006, Masterpiece Theater with Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson)

What did we watch New Year's Eve? This beautiful, hands down best version EVER of Jane Eyre.  As far as period romances go, I loves me my Jane Austen but over all those words-made-to-film this story and little screen gem are tops.  In most other versions Mr. Rochester is too brute-ish and Jane such a simpering/frail girl, that it is hard to see their romance and attraction.  But here Mr. Stephens fleshes out Rochester as a hard, broken-hearted man drawn to the quiet but strong character in the plain but lovely Jane (hired governess to his young ward).  Ruth Wilson is entrancing as Jane, who tho' raised unloved and in an orphanage is always upright in character and so full of hope that you cheer for her along the way. 

Here's a clip (only a bit of a spoiler if you have never read or seen Jane Eyre)

Enjoy!

VERDICT: of all the movies listed, it is my top recommendation.

Happy watching, and I love recommendations if you have any.  Blessings to you this New Year. 

In Christ,