Recent Movie Viewing

Hi,

It's been awhile since anyone has posted on this blog, so I thought I would write briefly about some recent movies that we've seen...

1. Atonement. A well-made, sweeping love story with lots of interesting plot twists. The cinematography is wonderful and the soundtrack is terrific.

2. Charlie Wilson's War. Fine cast in an amazing behind the scenes look at American politics, diplomacy and foreign policy. Tom Hanks is excellent as Charlie Wilson and Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers another incredible characterization. Definitely my vote for best supporting actor!

3. Away From Her. An exceptional and sensitive Canadian film dealing with Alzheimer's. Julie Christie gives a very strong performance as a woman afflicted with the disease and Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent as her husband is excellent. This was especially moving to me in light of what mom must have gone through with dad's dementia.

4. Juno. A witty, relevant movie about a teenage girl's pregnancy and the choices she makes. Excellent cast!

5. The Kingdom. A good action thriller that is respectful of Muslims. Fine cast includes Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner.

6. Michael Clayton. George Clooney is terrific as the fixer for a large law firm. Tim Wilkinson as Arthur gives another strong supporting actor performance. Tilda Swinton is also strong as the in-house counsel for the large company.

7. Rush Hour 3. Horrible! Didn't even finish watching it. Humor was forced and dialog was uninspired.

8. Enchanted. Charming and very funny satire of early Disney animated films. As usual, the music by Alan Menken is great! Amy Adams is adorable as Giselle.

9. 3:10 to Yuma. A very good remake of this classic Western. Russell Crowe is always multi-dimensional and interesting to watch. Christian Bale is good as the farmer. The essence of the the original movie with Van Heflin and Glen Ford is there but this remake is much darker and graphic. Good score!

10. Ratatouille. Wonderful, funny and wildly entertaining! Loved it!

Top Grossing Films of All Time

All-Time Worldwide Box office
Rank Title Worldwide Box Office
1. Titanic (1997) $1,835,300,000
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1,129,219,252
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $1,060,332,628
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) $968,657,891
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) $958,302,628
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) $931,555,714
7. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $922,379,000
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $921,600,000
9. Jurassic Park (1993) $919,700,000
10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) $892,194,397
11. Spider-Man 3 (2007) $885,430,303
12. Shrek 2 (2004) $880,871,036
13. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) $866,300,000
14. Finding Nemo (2003) $865,000,000
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $860,700,000
16. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $848,462,555
17. Independence Day (1996) $811,200,000
18. Spider-Man (2002) $806,700,000
19. Star Wars (1977) $797,900,000
20. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) $789,458,727
21. Shrek the Third (2007) $784,106,665
22. Spider-Man 2 (2004) $783,577,893
23. The Lion King (1994) $783,400,000
24. The Da Vinci Code (2006) $757,236,138
25. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) $756,700,000

The Simpsons Movie

Hilarious!

Stardust

Cool fantasy movie with Michelle Pfieffer as an evil witch and Robert DeNiro as a swishy pirate.

Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip "Thou Shalt always Kill"



Example You Cant Rap



Example Vile

The Color of Paradise

Mohammad, a boy at Tehran's institute for the blind, waits for his dad to pick him up for summer vacation. While waiting, he realizes a baby bird has fallen from its nest: he chases away a cat, finds the bird, climbs a tree, and puts it back. His father finally comes and takes him to their village where his sisters and granny await. The lad is a loving student of nature and longs for village life with his family, but his father is ashamed of him, wanting to farm the boy out to clear the way for marriage to a woman who knows nothing of this son. Over granny's objections, dad apprentices Mohammad far from home to a blind carpenter. Can anything bring father and son together?



Today I finally had a chance to watch this beautiful Iranian film. The performances were all excellent--especially Hossein Mahjoub as the Father, Salameh Feyzi as Granny and, of course, Mohsen Ramezani as Mohammed, the blind son. The cinematography was beautiful and I also enjoyed the film score by Alireza Kohandairy. I was looking on the Internet Movie Database Site and it said the young boy playing Mohammed is actually blind. I love this quote from the movie: Mohammad: [crying] "Our teacher says that God loves the blind more because they can't see. But I told him if it was so, He would not make us blind so that we can't see Him. He answered "God is not visible. He is everywhere. You can feel Him. You see Him through your fingertips." / Now I reach out everywhere for God till the day my hands touch Him and tell Him everything, even all the secrets in my heart."

Charlotte's Web--2006 Version

Janae, Erik, Jocelyn and I watched the new "Charlotte's Web" with Dakota Fanning last night. It was excellent with great voice over work by several fine actors and Dakota was terrific as Fern. Highly recommend! I also recommend the film score by Danny Elfman.

Pulp Muppets

Paradise Now--Trailer & Review

Janae and I watched "Paradise Now" this afternoon--an excellent Palestinian film. The film deals with two young Palestinian friends who decide to become suicide bombers for the Palestinian cause against Israel. The movie does a great job of exploring the issues and gives a fresh perspective on a very difficult situation. It was interesting to see things from the Palestinian point of view. Highly recommend this thought-provoking film! The acting and directing are excellent.

One of my favorites