Just a quick note

to thank all of you who have been supporting me in my new movie review venture.  I am having a whole lot of fun with this.  Right now I am working on viewing a new (to me) television series and a BBC mini-series.  What was I  thinking when I started both at the same time?  You will hear about both when I get through with them.

Be sure to enter the contest for the gift certificate!

Thanks again.

The Proposal.....................Finally

The Proposal

PG-13

Yeah, I know.  You've already seen it.  Unless you are like me.  I am so busy watching stuff nobody has ever heard of, so by the time I get around to the ones everyone is watching it is old news.  But on the off chance you haven't seen it, here we go.

This is the perfect movie for one of those night where you really don't feel like thinking about anything.  It's fluff but enjoyable fluff.  Margaret Tate is so busy building her career in a large publishing company that she forgets to take care of those little things, like her visa (It's fluff people just roll with it).  Then she comes up with the perfect solution!  If she forces her assistant to marry her, everything will work out just fine.  Apparently these characters have never seen the movie

Green Card but what the heck.  

HEY WAIT!!  Look!  The posters aren't even that different.  Hmmmmm..........  So while the characters may not have seen Green Card the folks who made the movie, almost certainly have.  

Now back to business.  Attractive guy, attractive girl, comedic relationship tension, and Betty White.  All you need is a ginormous Coke and an even more ginormous bowl of ranch popcorn (air pop the corn, coat with melted butter, sprinkle with Hidden Valley Ranch powdered Salad Dressing mix.  You won't regret it.) and you are good to go!


Things to know before viewing


1) Betty White is a hoot but you knew that.  Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson are also along for the ride.


2) I like Ryan Reynolds' character very much but I'm not quite certain what all the brouhaha is about him.  He's cute but he's not THAT cute.


3)You can't not like Sandra Bullock.  


What about the kids?


My kids watched it but it is PG-13 and there are some sexual references.


Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD and Blue-ray


3 1/2 Stars- "Liked It" (plus)


I think I need to go re-watch Green Card.  I have referenced it two or three time in the last couple days.     

Harry and Tonto..............Catman

Harry and Tonto
R

A road trip film with old people.  I think I am in love.  Seriously, this is a good movie.  Harry is on old man that has lived his entire life in New York City.  When his apartment building is torn down, he sees the end of life as he knew it.  Instead of giving up, in a round about sort of way, he decides to embrace it and reinvent his life.

Art Carney, who plays Harry, did win an Academy Award for this performance so you might think I should have heard of this film before.  It was, however, in 1974.  I was six at the time and it somehow escaped my attention. (I do however remember the Barbie house with an elevator I got for my birthday that year.) The supporting cast is terrific and some familiar faces show up along the way including Ellen Burstyn and Larry Hagman though nobody shoots him here and there is no genie involved.

Now, I must tell of my favorite thing about this film.  The open scene.  It shows old people going about their business.  Shopping, walking, sitting on benches.  And here is the kicker, they look old.  They look old like my grandparents looked old.  They had gray hair, buns on their head, side burns, and hats.  I hadn't realized how much I missed this and it made me sigh inside.  I went back and watched it twice I liked it so much.  Now mind you, I don't plan to look like that in 30 years but it sure did bring me back.

Things to know before viewing


1) Art Carney deserved that Oscar.  You won't be scratching your head and thinking "Really? For this?"

2) Unlike some other films from the 1970s that have become caricatures of themselves, this one holds up. It feel like a slice out of time in a good way.

3) All points Kleenex alert.

What about the kids?


I'm going to say no.  Even though I am not certain it would receive and R today, there is a scene with a hooker, one very brief shot of a topless female,  and fair amount of sex talk.  It was the 70's after all.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD


4 1/2 Stars- "Really Liked It" (plus)

Give Away- Netflix Gift Card

In my hand I hold a Netflix gift card valued at $14.99!!! And it can be yours, all yours. Those sweet, red envelopes can appear in your mailbox for FREE.  Who doesn't love free?

"How do I enter?" you inquire.  Well, I am glad you asked.  Turns out you can enter multiple times.  Stay with me here.

1) Comment on this post.  Tell me the movie you have seen most recently.  (entry #1)

2) Follow this blog.  After you do the deed, post a comment that says you are a follower.  Feel free to use your own words on that since being a follower is so passe.  As long as I know what you mean, we are good.  (entry #2)

3) Like me on Facebook. Yeah, it looks totally lame but I am working on that.  The up side is you get to see the ugly couch I use for viewing.  Ugly but comfy.  Post a comment after you have done the deed. (entry #3)

4) Post a link to one of my reviews (or even my give away post) on Facebook.  Let me know you did it in another comment.  (entry #4)

5) Post a link to one of my reviews (or even my give away post) on every blog, website, or forum you have access to.  Adding it to you signature is acceptable.  Post a comment here each time telling me where you posted.  (entry #5 through entry # you decide)

Please note each entry needs its own comment or it only counts as one entry.

Comments will close at 10pm on Tuesday, March 8th.  The winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day.    The gift certificate code will be emailed to the winner ASAP.  

And now, without any further ado.....................

Let the games begin.


P.S. for Susan and anyone else who is wondering, this gift certificate can be used to pay down your Netflix bill so it is totally cool if you already belong there.

P.P.S for Thea and anyone else who is wondering, the phrase "Like me on Facebook" is a link.  Click it, then click like.  Wa la.  (Is that how you spell that?) (I was just informed by a good friend it is Voilà.  I am going to keep there though cause I think my error is funny)


P.P.P.S if you already "liked" or "followed" me, posting that you have done so is acceptable.

Give Away is now closed.  I will have the drawing tomorrow and will post the results.

Italian for Beginners..............Ciao!

Italian for Beginners
R

So, given this film's name and the fact that the picture (ignoring the legs) is of Venice, I sat down to watch this movie fully expecting the lilting tones of Italian. I was looking forward to it really.  One minute in and I had to pause.  This was certainly not Italian.  Was it German?  Nope.  Save yourself the trouble of a Google.  It's Danish.  The film is set in a sleepy town in Denmark. And most of the Italian that is spoken, is spoken by, brace yourself, beginners so nothing lilting there either.  Alright, now that that is out of the way, onward and upward.

At the start, I thought this was going to echo Robert Altman as there is a large cast of characters whose lives seemed to touch each other tangentially.  Luckily for me, I was wrong on that count, as I am not really an Altman fan.  In this case, seven lonely people connect in an Italian community course and in the end, find that they are a little less lonely.  It's a pretty slow mover but the characters are folks that you wouldn't mind knowing and there is a big enough emotional pay off at the end to make it worth your while.

Things to know before viewing


1) I think I like the pastor character best.  If you watch, or already have, post who you like best in the comments.

2) There are several scenes in a bakery that really made me want some pastry.

3) This is one of those films that has a hand held camera.  It was kind of annoying in a couple of scenes but I got over it.

What about the kids?


It is rated R and rightly so.  This one is for grown-ups.  As a side note, it really isn't fun to watch a movies with subtitles when you have to read them all aloud anyway.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD


3 1/2 Stars- "Liked It"

Better Off Ted................Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Better Off Ted
TV-PG

Two seasons of hysterical, laugh out loud, goodness.  This is the funniest television show since EVER.  When the family and I watch it, we sometimes have to pause and rewind to hear because we are laughing so hard. We even laugh that hard on second viewings!

Ted is middle management in the research and development department of a company called Veridian Dynamics.  Veridian Dynamics is the epitome of all that is wrong in corporate America.  Linda is the employee/love interest, Veronica is the maniacal boss,  and the team of Lem and Phil are the scientists.  These five are a tremendous ensemble that will keep you in stitches and leave you wanting more.

The real star of this series though, is the dialog.  Snappy, witty, and fresh, I don't remember it letting me down a single time.  I am going to try to give you an example but if you don't like it blame me, not the show.  "Oh, God, we have unhappy Germans. Nothing good has ever come from that."  Ta Da!!!!  Funny, right?

Things you need to know before viewing


1) When it is driving you absolutely mad trying to figure out who the actress that plays Veronica is........the answer is Portia de Rossi.  She is Ellen DeGeneres's partner.

2) The biggest surprise of all here is that the series didn't last longer. When you get to the last episode, you will be sad.

What about the kids?


I'm gonna have to go with iffy on that one.  I let my kids watch but there were times I regretted it.  As the series went on, it got more and more sexual.  I guess my advice would be to preview for yourself and see what you think.

Currently Available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD 


5 Stars- "Love It"

For Your Consideration.................A Mockumentary

For Your Consideration
PG-13

Christopher Guest.  For those of you familiar with his work, all I need to add is "takes on the film industry" and you are good to go.  For those that aren't.......well...........where the heck have you been.  (joking) (sort of)  Seriously though, for those that aren't, Guest is the master of the mockumentary.  A genre that has the feel of a documentary but in reality it's poking fun at it's subject.  In this particular movie, we watch as the fake film "Home for Purim" is made and Hollywood buzz is created.

All of the actors that Guest likes to use are here.  Catherine O'Hara rocks it as a work a day actress. Ed Begley Jr.made me laugh as a makeup artist. Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Micheal McKean, and Parker Posey all show up plus a bunch of new folks. (I almost certainly forgot someone there so if you notice who it was, put it in the comments and I will add it.)  Sandra Oh's cameo was the biggest surprise for me. These are terrific comedic actors and it is a treat to watch such a cast

Things you need to know before viewing

1) This one has a much more solemn undertone than most of the mockumentaries.  I am guessing this subject is a little close too home for the people involved in making it and that always complicates things.  Parts of it border on heart breaking.  It is still really funny though.

2) My biggest disappointment was that Jane Lynch has a small role.  A picture of her makes me smile. When she walks onto the screen I giggle.  When she played Julia Child's sister in Julie and Julia, she stole the whole movie for me.  Can't explain it.  Just love her.

What about the kids?

PG-13 is about right.  Nothing egregious.  Just adult themes.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD

Four Stars- "Really Like It"