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Internet Movie Database
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04 Jan

I.O.U.S.A.

Grade: B+

As far as documentaries go, I.O.U.S.A. is not quite as exciting or funny as one of Michael Moore’s films, but the impact is there anyway.  The main point of the movie is that the United States is in debt – big time – to the tune of around 45 TRILLION dollars.  The movie explains just how we got there.  As far as ways to get ourselves out of this mess, we need to be really aware of the leaders we elect, and also not get ourselves personally into debt.  Only spend what you have.  If there is one message that rings out loud and clear it is that: only spend what you have.

I think this movie should be required viewing for all high school and college students, and they are the ones who are inheriting this huge problem.
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04 Jan

I Love You Phillip Morris

Grade: B-

It’s really difficult to rate this movie because it’s so unlike anything I’ve seen before.  It’s kind of campy, and yet, it’s based on a true story.  At the beginning of the movie the caption reads: This really happened.  It really did.

Jim Carrey plays a character who starts out being a somewhat typical family man.  But then he has a car accident and decides to stop living a lie and start living life as he truly is.  He’s a con man, and he’s gay.  He gets himself into one outlandish situation after another, which is what makes the movie so entertaining.  Just when you think, “what else can he do” he does something even crazier!

Ewan McGregor plays Phillip Morris, the boyfriend that Carrey’s character meets in prison.  So in a way, this is a love story.  But the whole thing plays our very bizarre – it keeps you guessing.  I guess the sheer originality is what intrigued me the most.

Strong cast, terrific performances.
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04 Jan

I am Legend

Grade: B

I am Legend stars Will Smith in pretty much a solo performance.  For much of the movie, he’s it!  He’s a scientist, the only survivor of a virus that has left Manhattan, and much of the U.S. from what we can understand, virtually vacant.  Vacant, that is, except for the “infected,” which are zombie like flesh eating creatures who only come out at night.  Yikes!  Make no mistake about it, this is a horror movie, so prepare to be scared!  Our Will is once again put in a position to save the world, and he takes this responsibility seriously.  He’s a good man to have on the job.  Cameo by Will’s real-life daughter Willow as his screen daughter.  She’s a cutie!  The dog is great, too – good company and we get attached too easily.
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04 Jan

I (Heart) Huckabees

Grade: C-

Offbeat title for an offbeat film – “Huckabees” is the department store that ties several of the characters together. This is an ensemble comedy, and you can never quite tell where it’s going because it’s going places we’ve never quite been to before! It asks the big questions, and looks at the possibilities in a quirky, tongue-in-cheek-kind of way. But the bigger question is, can we sort through all the quirkiness to understand what’s going on here?

It’s a romp, and we’re along for the ride. As long as we don’t take it too seriously, we might just have a good time.

Not for everyone, but if you’re looking for something different, this just might be it. Great to see Lily Tomlin on screen again!
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04 Jan

How Do You Know

Grade: B

How Do You Know is a charming romantic comedy written and directed by James L. Brooks.  Reese Witherspoon is Lisa, an optimistic and determined pro softball player who is at a crossroads when she is cut from her team.  She starts dating Owen Wilson, a womanizer who is clearly wrong for her, but who offers a distraction from her sorrows.  Then she meets Paul Rudd, who is suffering from his own life crisis – and somehow they find a bond, despite their problems.  Jack Nicholson plays Paul Rudd’s big-businessman father who stirs up trouble.  Great cast, great dialogue, no violence, uplifting ending.  I thought it was great!
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04 Jan

House Bunny

Grade: C

House Bunny is sweet enough, just not meaty enough.  It’s a big puff of cotton candy, which makes for a nice little snack, but not a whole meal.  Anna Faris stars as Shelly, a Playboy playmate who is forced to move out of the mansion.  She stumbles upon a sorority house, and becomes house mother and image consultant to a group of misfit girls.  Of course, they have their awkward moments, but Shelly is able to bring out the beauty in each of them.  As their confidence soars, so does their popularity.  Shelly herself gets a bit of a makeover when she falls for the sweet and conservative Colin Hanks (Tom’s son!) and finds her inner intellect.  A rivalry with another house puts the chapter in jeopardy, and Shelly must choose between her old life and new one, and of course, there are happy endings all around.  Rumer Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, is one of the girls.  As is Katharine McPhee of American Idol fame.
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04 Jan

Hotel Rwanda

Grade: A-

Based on real life events. Don Cheadle stars as a hotel manager owned by a Belgium company in war-torn Rwanda. As turmoil turns to violence in this country, the hotel becomes a reluctant refugee camp. Cheadle gives a career-making performance. There is lots of violence, and some graphic scenes. But at the heart is the strong relationship of husband and wife, and the love that they have for their family and fellow man. Remarkably well done. A tragic, yet triumphant, story that needed to be told.
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04 Jan

Hot Fuzz

Grade: B-

British comedy/buddy movie spoof from the team that brought us “Shaun of the Dead.”  Lots of dry humor.  London super cop who is making the other guys look bad gets transfered to a rural town where nothing much happens… or does it?  None of the actors are really recognizable to the American audience except for Timothy Dalton, who shows up as a sleazy shopkeeper.  Lots of inside references to movies like Point Break and Bad Boys – a real hoot for those fans!  Some bizarre and gory violence.  Teens can handle it, and they’ll get it.  Some sharp editing techniques pick up the pace, but it’s still a little long.  Great characterizations, some good laughs.
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04 Jan

Hostage

Grade: B

Bruce Willis is the conflicted hero in this super-intense drama. Lots of action, lots of violence. And a lot of the violence is on an emotional level, not the typical “shoot-em-up” Hollywood violence. It’s a tough movie to watch for this reason, but it’s very well done. When a movie has me gasping the covering my eyes I know they’ve got me hanging on until the end. Bruce Willis’ oldest daughter, Rumer, plays his daughter in this film. It’s a small role, but you can see she’s got lots of potential as an actress!
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04 Jan

Hope Springs

Grade: B

Put Tommy Lee Jones together with Meryl Streep and you’re bound to get movie magic.  In Hope Springs the two play a long-married couple who have fallen into the doldrums with their relationship.  In order to get things back on track, Meryl signs them up for a couple’s retreat out of town.  Steve Carrell is their therapist, and it doesn’t take much of a therapist to get to the heart of where these two have gone astray.

The performances are spot on, and the writing is strong – I think there are many people who will be able to relate to these two characters and their circumstances.  There are some poignant moments, and some funny moments, and some heartbreaking moments as well.  All in all a well-done, character driven dramedy.
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