Imagine That

Yes!
This is a very great movie. Eddie Murphy really hit the mark with this one and little Yara Shahidi was perfect as his daughter. This was a great movie and I hope kids get it the way we did when watching it. A very heart warming story about a clueless dad who learns to pay attention to his daughter.

Murphy proved that he can really act and brought the level of comedy up a notch without the kid comedy becoming stupid. Martin Sheen did a short cameo at the end that was also well done.

Year Of The Dog

You know that feeling you get at the end of a movie and you turn to the person you're with and you ask them, "Why do you think they even made that movie?" That's what I felt after watching this movie. Jeanne found it and wondered why we hadn't ever watched it. As it got underway, I remembered that Katherine had seen it and told us it wasn't very good, which is why we hadn't watched it in the past.
Boy! was she right Year Of The Dog is a dog! because it's a comedy that isn't funny! There seems to be a trend with movie makers, they make movies that make you uncomfortable and that's supposed to be funny. Just not something I'm in love with but this really was a dog, just wasn't funny.

Just Like Heaven

Jeanne and I watched this last night. It's a very well crafted story and, in an age when comdy's aren't very funny (See Year Of The Dog) it was surprisingly good. With a plot that kept you wondering throughout the film, It really was a treat!

Review Of Duplicity

I prefer to write favorable reviews about movies and videos, but I have nothing good to say about this one! It was extremely confusing with the story cutting back in time for a flashback, now we're back to today, then we jump to some other time. It was too much work to follow along. I found myself feeling weary with all the jumps back and forth and truthfully I could follow it by careful viewing, but I didn't really want to. We all sat watching (Jeanne and some friends) and the comment we all made was "surely it'll get better." But it didn't!

And the biggest problem was that Julia Roberts and Clive Owen had NO chemistry. They kept running into each other and there was just no connection. They could have cast any "B" level actors together and had an equally disappointing movie.

So, if you've already seen it, I'm sure you'll agree that this one is a dog and if you haven't seen it, I've saved you a few hours of boredom!

Defying Gravity

Okay, It comes on Sunday night and I really like it! They say it opened to disappointing viewing numbers and I say, "What else is new?"

Science fiction takes time to catch on, except to real fans of the genre. But I recommend it. Maybe you can catch up by watching episodes on Hulu. But don't miss it, it's pretty entertaining.

Duplex

Ben Stiller and Drew Barymore team up in this cute comedy about a couple who buy a home and have to deal with a rent control tenent.

It was released in 2003 and came out on video in 2004, so you've probably already seen it, but if not, you're in for a treat!

Arrested Development

We recently finished watching the entire series of Arrested Development. I had never seen it and Jeanne and I found it to be well worth watching. It's such a quirky comedy and Ron Howards narration is so great.

My favorite episode is in the second season. I think it was called "Good Grief." But they kept playing the music from the Charlie Brown Christmas when he's walking sadley home. It was funny, but it got more and more funny. You don't find yourself laughing out loud at many tv series, but we both were during that episode.

Arrested Development

Katherine Allens son, Stratton, loaned us his set of Arrested Development DVD's. We've watched the first 6 episodes and find them quite humorous and worth watching. They are a little "un-refined" but that's what makes the series so funny. This dysfunctional family will make yours seem normal and so you'll find yourself feeling better about your life. Ron Howard directs and narrates this quirky comedy.

New Show Premieres

There are so many new shows now that the summer season has kicked off. I watched the two episodes of "The Listener" they showed last night on FOX. I was watching and with all the Fall foliage, this had to have been shot last year, so even the producers knew the show was weak. I might give it another chance, but for now, it really wasn't excellent.

"Mental" is another FOX offering and it felt like a "House" wanna-be. The premises is allright, but the characters seemed pretty soft, not great but some good possibilities.

The winner was last nights premiere of the USA drama, "Royal Pains." Very well done, I liked the characters right away, they are flawed but not stupidly so. And it was an enjoyable storyline. As the episode was coming closer to the end, I found myself wishing that it would go on, that there was another episode to watch, it was that engaging.

Star Trek - 2009

Christopher and I went to see "Star Trek" tonight. He had already seen it, but was up to seeing it again.

Here's my review, "Man, oh man, oh man, OH MAN!!!! It was non stop, but not the kind that never lets up, there was a real plot, with real character development. The writing was smart, not at all like the original...but it was so true to the original...only so much better. Comedy is sprinkled through out, but not so much that it wrecks the show...just a well done ride! This has to be my vote for best summer movie, I can't imagine anything topping this!