The first three

I'm running late tonight, so I am only going to post on the first three movies I watched this month. Too bad, really, since these were three of the weakest I've seen so far. I'll catch up with the rest this weekend. I can't wait to talk about the movie I just watched: Blackboard Jungle.


Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason - whoever made this movie either didn't understand why the first movie worked or didn't care. The first movie was a cute piece of fluff featuring a single woman who occasionally got into some embarrassing situations, but made up for it with her charm. Oh, and it had Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. I like the first Bridget Jones' movie, though I have noticed that it does not hold up well to repeated viewing. This second one is nothing short of a travesty. For some reason, whoever wrote this script decided it would be a good idea to take all of Jones' worst qualities and exacerbate them. The result is just appalling. Instead of being cute, Bridget Jones is just an annoying idiot who I would never want to meet. After the first 20 minutes, I was cringing at the fact that the movie kept moving from one embarrassing moment to the next. After 30 minutes, I couldn't recall why I even liked Bridget Jones. By the time Bridget was tripping on 'shrooms, I was trying to come up with a story of my own where Mark Darcy would leave Bridget and run away with me instead. This is no exaggeration. I decided to get this movie, for free, just because I like Colin Firth, but even he doesn't make this movie worth it. Heck, for most of the movie, Mark Darcy is a complete jerk. I don't care that I spent no real money on this DVD, I paid too much.


The Man in the White Suit - This was an interesting comedy starring Alec Guiness. It was one of a series of black and white Ealing comedies released in the 1940s and 1950s; The Ladykillers was another one. The movie is about a naive young scientist who invents a suit that will never get dirty and never wear out. Sounds great doesn't it? Try telling that to the textiles companies and union workers. The film is, as they say, "very British." Half way in, my husband asked me if it was supposed to be a comedy. The story moved slowly, and I didn't really laugh that much. And yet, it was a lot of fun. The satirical and ironic aspects of the plot are funny, and Alec Guiness is fantastic. The real strength to this film is its execution, and this is why even though I didn't actually laugh that much, I did find it to be funny. The choreography of all the actors in every scene is absolutely brilliant, and the editor did a great job of splicing in the reaction shots at just the right moment. I am looking forward to watching the rest of the Alec Guiness Ealing movies. It's such a treat to be able to watch someone like Sir Alec in an old British comedy.

Oh, and one of the guys in this movie actually played Alfred in Tim Burton's Batman. That was pretty cool.


The Journey of Natty Gann - I have loved this movie since I first saw it more than two decades ago. Set during the Great Depression, it's about a girl who travels from Chicago to Seattle to find her father after he was forced to leave her behind to find a job. Along the way, she picks up a wolf (ok, a dog that's supposed to look like a wolf) and a very young John Cusack. It's a fairly dark movie considering it's a Disney flick from the 1980s. I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to watch the movie so I could pretend to be Natty Gann, traveling across the country on my own, having strange, scary and wonderful adventures. After watching as an adult, I can honestly say it is barely all right (husband laughed through much of it), but I have a suspicion that kids would like it. My one real disappointment is that the movie is only available in Full Screen. Ugh. My abhorrence for that film aspect ratio aside, one of the true pleasures of this movie is its cinematography; the scenery is just gorgeous. Pan and scan really takes something away from this movie.

That's all for now. I've got class in six hours.