Hail to the Chief

This month has been crazy busy. I was sick for a few days, had a bout of insomnia, and have just now regulated my sleeping. On top of all that, I've been busy with school and watching depressing after depressing Cubs game. I am so ridiculously behind on the reviews, but I am only 2 movies behind schedule. The weird thing is that I'm moving right along with the TV DVDs. I'm already done with Looney Tunes, almost done with CSI and a third of the way through Hercules.

So, I have some catching up to do.

First up, Shadowlands, the true story of how C.S. Lewis went from an old, arrogant, and comfortable bachelor to a man in love with a divorced American poet, but only admitting it after she is diagnosed with cancer. I love, love this movie. There is much to admire about it on an intellectual level, but the real draw for me is that it is one of the few chick flicks I can stand. Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger are absolutely wonderful together, and the rest of the cast complements them well. This is also the first movie I really cried while watching, but it wasn't because I found it so romantic (I do). I was a teenager when I saw this for the first time, and the idea that true joy and pain are tied together seemed quite profound at the time; it still does today. On another note, the direction and cinematography are fantastic. Sir Richard Attenborough directed this the same year he was in Jurassic Park. It's too bad that he hasn't done much since.

Next, Cinderella, the black white televised musical starring Julie Andrews. Wow. What an absolute bore. The guy that played the prince was particularly awful. The saving grace of the entire thing is Ms. Andrews. Her performance is sparkling and her voice is a joy to hear. This aired years before she got her start in movies, and even this early it is clear she's going to be a star. I can't believe the people that made My Fair Lady gave the role of Eliza Doolittle to Audrey Hepburn because they weren't comfortable with someone who had never been in movies. At least she got the last word at the Oscars the next year.

A little over a week ago, my husband and I watched In the Valley of Elah. I hadn't scheduled the movie on a day he could watch it, but I had coincidentally switched the order. I am glad things worked out the way they did. He and I were both in the Army, and it was nice to watch it with someone who understood it the way I did. As you may have guessed, this movie focuses on the Army. In particular, it's based on a true story of a soldier who ended up dead under mysterious circumstances shortly after getting back from Iraq. Starring Tommy Lee Jones (love him), Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron, this was an interesting movie. Primarily, it's a murder mystery. Jones plays the father of the dead soldier, a military vet himself. He does everything he can to find out what happened to his son. He's also a dick, which ends up helping him get to the bottom of what happened. Underneath the main story lurks an examination of what the war in Iraq is doing to our soldiers. Spoiler alert: it isn't pretty. Overall, the movie has some interesting things to say, but I found it a bit unsatisfying. On the other hand, there is nothing satisfying about the real story, so this is to be expected. Oh, and though Sarandon is not in it much, she is particularly memorable.

Tonight, my husband and I watched My Fellow Americans. A hilarious movie about two ex-presidents who loathe each other yet wind up helping each other when they get caught up in a dangerous conspiracy and hunted across the country by the NSA. My husband and I repeat some of the lines in this all the time, yet I had forgotten how truly funny this movie is. This is one of the funniest movies made in the past couple of decades. It's a shame it's not mentioned more. James Garner and Jack Lemon are wonderful (when are they not?) and have wonderful chemistry, but the script is just as good. A minor rant: the DVD was full screen. I had no idea, and I'm angry because I know, at least when I bought it, it was the only version available.

There are a few movies I own only because I love one of the actors in them so very much. January Man is one such movie. I don't even want to summarize the plot. Look it up on imdb if you're interested. The fact is, it's mediocre at best, despite a pretty good cast. And yet, Alan Rickman is in it, playing a role very different from what we normally see him play in American movies. So, I bought it. *sigh* At least he's good in it; as always.

Well, that's it for tonight. I still have 5 reviews yet to do, along with the 2 movies I plan on watching tomorrow, Mean Creek and The Agony and the Ecstasy (was supposed to watch this last week). We'll see how it goes tomorrow.