Galaxy Quest

It's a little surprising that this movie was made nearly 12 years ago. Just a funny, really funny parody of the phenomenon that happened to to actors that starred in "Star Trek."

But, what if REAL aliens contacted the washed up actors? I love this show! Tim Allen as the glory hound that believes in helping the aliens and going on the adventure. Allen Rickman is hilarious as the embittered Spock character and Sigourney Weaver is the communications expert who repeats everything the computer has just said.

"The Office" fans will recognize Raiin Wilson in a minor alien role.
Brandon Long is the head of the geeks who work to save the actors, you'll recognize him from Apple vs Mac commercials.

This is really clever while being FUN science fiction!
Time to revisit this great comedy.

Almost Famous

I don't often recommend "R" rated movies. But I recently watched "Almost Famous" for a second look and the film is still very good.

Cameron Crowe (who directed the film) took home the academy award for best screen play. The film came out in 2000 and marked one of the first memorable appearances of Kate Hudson in film.

The film is a fairly realistic portrayal of a kid who wants to write about rock and roll and finds an opportunity. It's loosely based on actual experiences of Cameron Crowe and so has an edginess that earned it it's R rating. By today's standards the number of "F" words would still put it over the P-13 rating, but it would be a very soft R.

I found the entertainment value of the film to be worth the small amount of bad language and I would recommend it for a second (or first) look.

New York Doll

You can rent this on Netflix. I liked it. It wasn't as engaging as many biographical films I've seen, but the story of a rock star who has hit rock bottom and joined the Mormon church is pretty unique.

I probably liked the documentary more than most folks because David Johansen, lead singer of the Dolls, plays an important role in one of my favorite movies. You'll remember him as the "Ghost Of Christmas Past" in "Scrooged". I remember him as "Looney," the goofy sidekick of Richard Dryfus in the movie "Let It Ride." You used to be able to rent it on netflix, but someone must have broken the last copy and they don't know when it'll be available again.

Towards the end of the documentary, David Johansen sings "A Poor Wayfaring Man Of Grief." This is an unexpected moment. one that brought tears to my eyes.

I don't expect others to appreciate this flick as much as I do, but to me, it was pretty enjoyable. Nominated for the 2005 Grand Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival, the film has impeccable credentials.

The IT Crowd

Occasionally crude, this British sitcom by the same producers that created the British version of "The Office" is quite clever.

The show is populated with 2 extreme geeks and a manager who knows little or nothing about computers.

Episode one opens with Jen getting the job and the boss telling her she would be working in the IT department because of her knowledge of computers. "You did say you have experience with computers, didn't you."
"Oh sure, I have experience receiving emails and ah..opening emails and ah..closing emails and ah..deleting emails..

You expect it to be a goofy sort of comedy, and it takes a couple of episodes to really get invested with these characters, but from the start, it's a clever, engaging comedy. I've been watching it on Netflix streaming and even Jeanne enjoys it! A little crass at times, there are some moments that are laugh out loud funny!

Ben Hur - 1959

Filmed in 1959, Ben Hur was a hit when it was made. Not many films in those days were produced for such a large sum. It cost $15 million, a huge amount then and the film took 11 academy awards.

I've seen it before and watched it again recently. Nearly Four hours on 2 discs from Netflix. This is a movie that requires a real commitment, but it stands up so well that the time just flies.

They used to show this film every year at Easter time, but with easier methods of getting your favorite movies, they don't seem to show repeats as often. Remember the old days when Wizard Of Oz was shown each year?

If you haven't seen Ben Hur, or haven't seen it for a long time, it's worth seeing it again.

Wild Target

This is a surprising little comedy. It's avilable on both watch instantly and DVD rental on Netflix. The situation is quite funny, a hit man sent to kill a con artist and Rupurt Grint (Ron Weasley in Harry Potter Movies) gets scooped up in the drama.

This isn't going to have to laughing out loud, but you may find it amusing, I did.

Captain America

I'm crossing over with this review because I am creating a stained glass Captain America shield for the couples art show in December that we're in.

But the movie! Very good! I didn't read the Avengers very often when I was a kid and Cap seemed to be a guest story in large comic books occasionally. So I was exposed to him as a reader, but not immersed in the story.

I really enjoyed the story line. After the movie, my son, Christopher and I had a conversation about movies in general. He overheard some youths talking about an action type movie and they were complaining that it spent too much time on the story and not getting to the action. We are both appalled at that attitude, since we've both been to "nothing but action" movies and they were horrible! The story line is what makes the action worthwhile, it's what makes us invested in the character, what makes us care if he suceeds or not.

We are both happy to report that the Captain America movie has a great story line. Chris Evans is made to look so wimpy in the beginning, you can't help but love the guy! And you can't have a great hero without a great villian, enter Hugo Weaving (agent smith from the Matrix), just a great actor! Tommy Lee Jones is a surprising character that is supurbly cast.

What the heck, just go see the movie, you'll find it worth your time.

Source Code

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan

Here's a science fiction movie that one of the actors describes as being a cross between Ground Hog Day and Speed and De'ja vu on a train.

It's very good, very entertaining, and could easily be ruined by hearing too much about it.

You should see it as soon as you can before someone ruins it for you.

You may recognize Jake Gyllenhaal from "Moonlight Mile" or "The Prince Of Persia". The director, Duncan Jones also directed "Moon", which was a selected film at the Sundance Film Festival.

This is one of those movies that has something for everyone, it's sf, but Jeanne even got engaged in it!

Adjustment Bureau

I waited till it came out on home video, but I've been excited to see this movie since it was announced. The short story by Phillip K Dick, who has brought so many great scifi stories to us is superb.

Just great, pure fantasy.

I highly recommend it.

Rango

I heard from several people that Rango was pretty good. "It has Johnny Depp as the voice of Rango." That was the only concrete statement about the movie. I had seen previews and it looked mildly interesting, so I didn't have high expectations, but I thought I'd give it a try.

Right off, it was very quirky and the animation was excellent, but then it just went on and on. I felt no real connection to any of the characters. None of them really stood out, so it was a one character drama that didn't work. Halfway through, there was a moment that Jeanne and I looked at each other and admitted we were pretty bored by it and yet we endured that last hour. Pain and suffering. Just a stupid movie.