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Internet Movie Database
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04 Jan

Star Trek

Grade: A-

What a surprise!  Star Trek is a really fun movie.  It’s sci-fi, but not heavy handed.  It’s more of a space themed action/comedy, with lots of nostalgic references for all of us who grew up with the original TV series.  The two leads are wonderful, and have great chemistry, which is essential to carry the film.  Chris Pine plays James Kirk, the young, cocky, impulsive and adventurous new Star Fleet Academy graduate.  Zach Quinto plays Spock, the intellectual, rational, cautious and reserved half of the team.  They balance each other out.  The rest of the crew fills in the gaps – the beautiful and smart Uhura who is able to find Spock’s heart – Scotty, the tecchie hero – Bones, loyal to his friend Kirk.  They all end up on the Starship Enterprise, their first mission filled with challenges, including Eric Bana’s ruthless Romulan.  Best of all, we get re-acquainted with Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, who comes in as a kind of mentor to the young crew.  It all makes sense in the time and space where the movie takes place.  Kudos to director J.J. Abrams on a job well done

 

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04 Jan

Spiderwick

Grade: B+

Based on the popular children’s books, Spiderwick is rated PG, and has enough action to keep the whole family entertained.  There are some scary parts, I wouldn’t recommend the movie to kids younger than about age 7.  Talented young Freddie Highmore (August Rush, etc) has a dual role as twin brothers.  One is more skeptical, withdrawn and serious, the other is angry, curious and outgoing.  Mary-Louise Parker is the mom.  She moves her kids out to her aunt’s old home in the country to start a new job.  When their mom is at work, the kids discover that there is more to this old home than they ever imagined.  A whole new world of other-worldly creatures opens up!
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04 Jan

Spanglish

Grade: B+

James L. Brooks directs – he’s so good. What’s great about Spanglish is that it’s not another one of those “dumb dad” movies. Adam Sandler plays the dad in a pretty straight role, a stretch from his usual slapstick fare. He’s good in this, I liked him a lot. Tea Leoni is the mom, and she just might get a nomination for her performance. Really real, raw, and at the same time relatable. She’s always been one of my favorite actresses, and this is a great role for her. Cloris Leachman is a hoot as her mother. Priceless! Paz Vega is the housekeeper who comes in and exposes the family to another world and forces them to look at themselves more closely.
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04 Jan

Smart People

Grade: B+

Smart People is a smart movie with a smart cast.  The irony is that it’s about the stupid things that people do, even when we know better.  It’s a movie about relationships, and how much we need each other even when we try not to.  Dennis Quaid is a widowed professor.  His life has been pretty much on hold since his wife’s death – he’s bitter, he’s lonely, and he’s pushing people away.  His teenage daughter (Ellen Page) is a right wing conservative, trying desperately to take care of her dad.  When the professor hurts his back and is unable to drive, she recruits her adopted uncle (Thomas Haden Church) to be an on-call chauffeur.  Meanwhile, the professor meets Sarah Jessica Parker, his new doctor and his former student.  What she sees in him is a mystery, but she gives him a chance, and then another chance, and a strange romance begins.  Somehow, just when it looks like the dysfunction will continue with this family, everything falls into place.  They learn life lessons, as we all should.
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04 Jan

Slumdog Millionaire

Grade: A

Danny Boyle directs “Slumdog Millionaire” with a stellar cast of up-until-now unknown actors.  The story is about a boy who grows up in the slums of India, basically living off the street with no education.  When he turns 18 he ends up on the Indian version of the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and because he wins, getting some tough questions right, he is suspected of cheating.  As he’s in the police station, being grilled (to say the least) his life story comes out, and we learn how he knew the answers.

This boy has lived a tough life.  He and his older brother managed to survive many trials and tribulations.  And in the course of it all, the boy falls in love.

This is a wonderful movie, so original and poignant.  I absolutely loved it.

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04 Jan

SkyFall

Grade: B

SkyFall is the latest in the James Bond 007 franchise.  Daniel Craig returns as the super spy – and starts off the movie by dying!  Of course our hero is not dead – but what happened to him?  This movie is fun because we get to know M and Q a bit better – and we get all the same gadgets and gizmos that come with the Bond films.  Amazing action sequences – pretty much what you’d expect from Bond.  Judi Densch is wonderful, as always.
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04 Jan

Sideways

Grade: C-

I really wanted to like this movie. I liked the previews. And I like to support independent film. The story is good – but where the whole thing fell apart for me is that the two lead characters are just so darn unlikable. Paul Giamatti plays this kind of sad-sack loser who just can’t get his life together. You would feel sorry for him except he makes such bad decisions it’s no wonder he’s in his situation. His sidekick is played by Thomas Haden Church (he was the mechanic on the TV series “Wings” years ago), an out of work former soap star with issues of his own. They’re on a road trip, and it’s just not all that fun.

The wine and wineries featured have a co-starring role, but it was a little heavy-handed, making me feel like these characters were alcoholics rather than true connoisseurs.

Interesting premise, but could have been so much better.

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04 Jan

Side Effects

Grade: A-

If you’re looking for a Hitchcock style thriller – Side Effects is IT!  This is edge-of-your-seat, hands-over-your-mouth, non-stop, keeps-you-guessing drama!

First we meet Channing Tatum (People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive 2012), half of our perfect couple, just out of jail for insider trading.  His other half, the beautiful, sweet, devoted Rooney Mara (who made a quick name for herself as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) is adjusting to his being home again.  After what might be described as a nervous breakdown, the young wife meets a smart psychiatrist, played by Jude Law.  With the doctor’s help, the couple navigates through the world of prescription medication to try to alleviate the wife’s depression.  With, some side effects – hence the title.

As the story continues, more and more questions arise, and things are not quite as simple as anyone believed them to be.

Well written, well crafted, totally worth seeing.  Rated R for some graphic violence.  For adults only.

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04 Jan

Sicko

Grade: A+

It’s very rare that I give a movie an A+.  I can’t even remember the last time I did it.  But Sicko totally deserves it.  This movie takes a very complex topic, and makes it totally easy to understand.  And it does it in a way that is not only entertaining, but enlightening!  Michael Moore is a documentary genius.  What I love about his latest effort in Sicko is that while he’s making the movie he’s totally putting forth a work of humanitarianism.  He helps several people get the health care that they’ve been denied by taking them to, of all places, Cuba!

Sicko looks at the American health care system.  It’s a system that is dysfunctional at best.  We pay way too high premiums for our health insurance, and still have to pay deductibles and co-pays, and even after all that we’re often denied the services we desperately need.  The alternative?  A universal health care system like they have in England, France, Canada – and yes, Cuba!  Moore addresses all the “socialized medicine” fears that the government has instilled into us over the years, and takes us to these other countries to compare.  Wow.  It’s a very effective approach.

I think this movie will affect people in one of two ways.  It will either make them want to move to a foreign country – as many Americans have already done, and it’s very tempting to do!  Or it will make them want to stand up and fight for what should be a basic human right: affordable health care available to everyone in the U.S.

In California we have a proposal for a Universal Health Care Plan: Senate Bill 840.  Unfortunately, our governor has already vetoed it once – but we’re trying again with a grassroots effort.  For more information, go to the website: http://www.OneCareNow.org

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04 Jan

Shrek the Third

Grade: B+

Delightful!  All of our favorite characters are back, as funny as ever.  Mike Myers voices Shrek, who has now inherited the throne from his father-in-law.  He doesn’t want the job, so he goes off with his buddies Puss-in-Boots (Antonio Banderas) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) to find Arthur (Justin Timberlake), the only other heir.  Meanwhile, back in Far Far Away, Prince Charming has taken over the Kingdom and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) leads Snow White and the other princess in an attempt to make things right again.

Sweet and funny, the animation is colorful, the action is fast and fun.  A nice early summer escape, an entertaining night at the movies for fans of all ages.

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