Movie Monday/Travel Tuesday - The Man from U.N.C.L.E

Maybe not exactly "elegant"... and not entirely 60s, either, but Christopher and I saw the new movie "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." tonight. And there was a decent amount of travel in it.

We start in Berlin (both East and West), then head for Italy and wander around Rome for a bit through the ruins as well as some really swanky hotels and office buildings.

All of which takes place while watching British Henry Cavill (who plays an American), American Armie Hammer (who plays a Russian), and a host of other people who play various other nationalities.

(from the official "Man from U.N.C.L.E." website)

Here's the thing, though: I had a blast. It was kind of "buddy cop movie meets James Bond" or maybe "White Collar meets the Cold War" or something like that. The two protaganists antagonize the heck out of each other, and they do it while being dashing and rugged and (kind of) getting the girl(s).

And, of course, at the end the set-up arrives to make this the start of a possible new movie franchise - so you know that everyone survives to the end of the movie. Because, of course, they're the good guys.

Was it the best movie ever? No. Was it a great way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy night? Definitely. Heck - I'd even go back and spend those two hours on a sunny day to see it again. (Though I'll probably wait and do that when it's out on DVD.) I'd totally give it an A.

And, yes, when/if a sequel comes out, I'll definitely go see that, too.

Movie-ish Monday - "Clipped"

Christopher and I have been having problems finding new shows to watch. So we pretty much watch the same shows until they die - and some of those we continue watching for a while through repeats and syndication. 

But occasionally we'll decide to try something new. Usually, this seems to result in the show being cancelled just as it gets good (like last season's "Forever"). But this summer, as "Melissa & Joey" and "Hot in Cleveland" (and "Phineas and Ferb") were wrapping up, we figured we really needed to try to find a new half-hour comedy to watch. We decided to try "Clipped."

It's an ensemble comedy set in a barber shop in Boston. There are the high school sweethearts - now in their twenties - who have an on-again/off-again thing they don't admit to. There's the owner, who mainly just walks around kvetching all day. There's the owner's best friend and comic straightman. There's a caustic young black woman who cuts hair right next to an overweight gay white guy (who used to own the shop). And in the middle of it all (figuratively and literally) is a very Catholic young woman who is the receptionist. 

Sounds pretty lame, doesn't it? 

And the first episode was. But the creators also created "Will & Grace" so we decided to give it a chance and watched the second episode. It was... better. And tonight - after 5 or 6 episodes - we found ourselves laughing out loud at some of the jokes. 

It's on TBS, which probably helps them get away with some of the jokes and the topics, but it's not exactly R-rated, it's almost entirely G, with just a little PG-13 thrown in. 

If you try watching it and the first episode you see doesn't do it for you, give it a week and try the next one. Much like the hair they pretend to cut, I suspect it will grow on you over time. 

Stumbling Upon Movie Monday

My book club meeting just ended and - since it was here at home - I cleaned up and then turned on the TV. Tons of channels. Nothing on. As usual.

But then I saw "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was on. Sure, it started about 19 minutes earlier. Yes, I have seen it a bunch of times and have favorite lines. Yep, we own a copy of it and can watch it whenever we want - without missing the first 19 minutes. No, I'm not sure I'll watch it all the way through.

And that all makes me ridiculously happy.

One of the best kinds of serendipity, to me, is stumbling across a movie I love on TV. There is something so fun in the surprise and unexpected joy that comes with turning on the TV and being greeted by characters you love and a story you already know. It's like finding a warm, fuzzy blanket on a cold night. Or an ice cream cone in one of those cake cones that you always used to get at your grandmother's house.

It's familiar. It's friendly. It's the perfect way to round out a Movie Monday.

Movie-ish Monday - "Girl Meets World"

I fully admit it, and I am not ashamed to do so: I watch "Girl Meets World" on the Disney Channel.

If you've never heard of it... well... I'm not overly surprised. It's a spin-off (16 or so years after the fact) of "Boy Meets World," which was all about watching this awkward kid go through junior high and high school (and college), surviving by his own wits - but also great support from family and friends. It was never about fitting in with the crowd. It was always about creating your own space and letting people crowd in around you.

I liked that. And so I thought I'd try out the new series when it premiered last year.

It was okay. The "boy" from the original series is now the dad. And his girlfriend (they got married in the final season) is now the mom. And they are raising two kids of their own. Pretty basic. I watched a few episodes and then kind of forgot about it.

Then, while travelling back and forth across the Atlantic last spring, I watched a few episodes of it during that point in the flight when I couldn't sleep but also couldn't focus long enough to watch a movie. And I got hooked.

So I've been watching it and using the TiVo to try to get caught up on it. And I'm becoming more and more impressed by it.

"Girl Meets World" is quirky and silly, and fluffy and tear-jerky, but it's also about being yourself and finding the friends who will let you do that - even when you disagree with each other.

And - even cooler - they've been bringing in characters from the original series. Of course, we expected the immediate family to show up, and even some of the original "best friends" types, but we've been seeing all sorts of people, and they've been adding really great depth to the show.

I have no idea how long it will be on the air. Typically, when I blog about a TV show it goes away pretty quickly. But I hope this one sticks around. I think they've got some great potential places to go in the world.

Movie Monday - That Awkward Moment

A couple of months ago, I made the mistake of going to see "Neighbors," in part because Zac Efron was going to be in it and... well... he was going to be shirtless. I know... I know... that's kind of weird and creepy and all that. But he's over 21, so it's not so bad.

Unfortunately, the movie was so bad. It was awful. Horrible. Not even good horrible, but just bad horrible. Like when you crack open a rotten egg horrible. (Not to say that I didn't have fun at the movie, but that's because of who I went with - not in any part due to the movie.)

This week, though, my Netflix account did one of those weird shuffles and sent me a disc that was supposed to be about three layers down. It was "That Awkward Moment", which starred Efron as one of three guys who make a pact to not date any more after one of them has a really bad breakup.

It's a strange little movie. It's got some frat-boy-ish humor, but it gradually pulls you into their lives. And their lives are good, but not great. Sure, they have good friends and bad relationships, but they also have sparks of good relationships and the realizations that friendships are often malleable.

Sure, the movie gets a little predictable along the way and you kind of guess what's going to happen in the end. But, along the way, it actually seemed to get... well... good.

Which, I guess, means that this is that awkward moment when I admit that I liked the movie against my original prejudice, and that I'd actually recommend it.

Overall rating - B+. It's not a really great movie. But it's good. It even hit a few of those "ohhh..." chords along the way.

Movie-ish Monday - with Special Guest Shirley Jones

Sorry. No. Shirley Jones isn't going to be writing this blog post. And she's not actually here at the moment. But I did see her last weekend. Oh... But not in a movie. Live. On stage. Which means, of course, that the title of this post is way off. Perhaps I should back up a bit...

I have a friend who goes to concerts with her dad. They apparently go to a bunch of rock concerts - or things of that type - where there is the definite chance that the band won't be doing another tour again. Ever. Due to age-related mortality.

I know. Morbid. But kind of creative and funny, too. And it's a good way to kind of force yourself to go out and see shows that you might never see, if you really think about it.

So, a month or so ago I heard an ad on the radio for "The Music Man in Concert, starring Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy." And I fully admit that I almost immediately thought "I wonder if she'd like to go to that."

She did. So we did. We even got "box seats" for us - and her new boyfriend - right in the middle of the theater. (Christopher didn't think it sounded so interesting, so we left him at home.)

I wasn't really sure what to expect of the show. Or, rather, I do know what I expected. I expected her to kind of stand on stage and tell stories about filming the movie and the two of them to do a few songs and maybe a dance or two.

She looked like this in the show. She wasn't wearing the wig and hat from the website photos. But, then, the show is scaled down from what you see on the website, too. 

What we got was... well... a little of that. What we mainly got during the first act was kind of a strange semi-pro staged concert of "The Music Man" with black and white images from the movie projected on a screen (not sure why they were in black and white, since the movie was in color). They did about 80% of the songs, with Shirley Jones playing Mrs. Paroo, Patrick Cassidy playing Harold Hill, and about 10 other people playing all the other roles, along with a small orchestra, and about 10 people at the back of the stage singing the chorus parts.

At the start of intermission, I turned to my friend and said - with absolutely no malice - "It's incredibly mediocre. It's wonderful!"

The second act was much more interesting - for me, at least. There was more of Shirley Jones talking about the show. There was more interaction between Shirley and Patrick. There was a local high school band at the appropriate climactic moment. And, at the end, there was a short Q&A, where we got to see how much people really love them and... ya know... get reminded of why we were there.

It really was wonderful. Shirley looks wonderful. She and Patrick shipoopied well together. She was funny and I would have happily sat and listened to her tell stories for another hour.

Was it the best show I've ever seen? No. Would I go to it again? Definitely.

(Check the website link to see where they'll be performing in the near future. Seriously. Do it. It's totally worth it.)

Movie Monday: Neighbors

You know those times when you think that maybe the movie you've chosen to go to may not have been the best choice?

You know how you often think, during the previews, that if those previewed movies are aimed at the same audience as what you're seeing it might be a bad choice?

Yeah. I went to one of those kinds of movies, yesterday: Neighbors.

The best way to describe it is a "frat house comedy." Or maybe a revenge comedy. It's also a grown-ups versus youngsters comedy - where both sides kind of lose, and both sides kind of win.

Unfortunately, I'm old. I was never in a frat. And the only revenge I want to take is on the people who make really bad movies that play to the lowest common denominators.

Yes, I had fun because I was there with a good friend, but that fun was before and after the movie, not during it.

Overall score: D. Yes, it played to its audience, but it could have been so much better...

Movie Monday - A Three-fer

Yep. Tonight's movie review is a three-for-one. Three very different movies. One very abbreviated blog post.

Maleficent - I really wanted to like it. I mean, I really wanted to like it. But I'm not an Angelina Jolie fan, so it had that against it from the outset. It wants to be dark, but it's not. It wants to be a kids' movie, but it's not. It wants to be Wicked, but it's not. It's a perfectly fine movie (some of the people we went with absolutely loved it), but the sacrilege part, for me, is that Disney mucked about with their own mythology. That did it in. Score: C+. 

Mr. Peabody and Sherman - Taken from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. Lots of very smart humor that goes over most kids' heads. Some action and stupid humor to keep the kids interested. Some fun historical "facts." And, actually, a quite touching story about a dog and his boy. Did I love it? No. Did I laugh a lot and rather enjoy it? Yes. Score: B+. 

The Way, Way Back - A kind of coming-of-age movie with this quiet teenager who is dealing (poorly) with his divorcee mom's new boyfriend, which is made worse by the fact that they go to Cape Cod for the summer and have to deal with this all in a much more claustrophobic way. He accidentally gets a job at a water park and the people there give him a self esteem boost, but he still has to go home at the end of each shift. I liked it, for the most part. It's a quiet, kind of melancholy, movie. But here's my problem with it: it felt like someone had written a script and wanted it to be set in the early 60s, but had realized that they didn't have the budget for the sets and costumes for the 60s, so they set it in present day. That really threw me a few times. And it was a clumsy choice by the director/designer/whoever, which could have easily been avoided. So the more I've thought about it, the more I've been bugged by that. Which is too bad, because the cast was really good, and I liked the story. Score: when I first finished watching it, I probably would have given it an A-, but a few days later, having had more time to think about it, I'm going with a solid B. I definitely recommend it, but try to ignore the very 2014 aspects (like iPods and cellphones) and think of it as a period piece, instead.

Movie Monday - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

In the middle of the Memorial Day weekend, Christopher and I headed out to go to see a matinee of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

Let's go ahead and go straight to the point on this one.

As we were leaving, I turned to Christopher and said "Well, that was fun," and he replied "It helps that he's cute."

It is a fun movie. It gets a little into some ethical/moral dilemmas, but mainly it's all about the action and the fights and the CGI'd technology and the attractive people in tight clothes.

I'm glad we didn't see it in 3D, because it worked really well in 2D. Even so, I'm glad we saw it in a theater, because it would lose a little on a TV.

Overall score: A-. It was fun. He was cute. It just wasn't an A+.

Movie Monday - R.I.P.D.

You know those times when someone you watch movies with says to you "I saw that. Don't waste your time on it." But you already have it at home from Netflix? That happened to us a couple of weeks ago.

We'd had "R.I.P.D." at home for a couple of months, actually, and just never gotten around to watching it. When some friends were over for dinner and a movie, we put that out as an option, and it was immediately panned. The actual description came down to "If you watch the first ten minutes and don't already hate it, then you might be okay."

So, this weekend, when Christopher and I were hanging out and trying to decide what to watch - but weren't sure how well we'd be able to pay attention, what with both of us feeling less than well - we pulled it out.

It's a fairly basic premise: Cop dies just after doing something bad. Gets sent to purgatory with a sentence of 100 years of service in exchange for a clean slate and a ticket "upstairs." Of course, he's paired with a crotchet-y partner and they don't get along well, and buddy-cop hilarity ensues.

I'll admit that I put it onto my Netflix queue because it stars Ryan Reynolds. And, yes, he looks pretty good in the movie. And it has a decent supporting cast, really cool special effects, and a premise which is very easy to follow (because, of course, we've seen most of it before).

Was it the best movie we've seen? God, no.

Was it worth watching on a weekend when we didn't have anything to do and wanted to watch something we didn't have to care about? Yes.

Was it a case of low expectations delivering a better outcome? Definitely.

Overall score? C. Really... It's a mediocre movie, but even mediocre movies have their time and place.

Movie Monday - The Sequel

I made the mistake of watching a sequel over the weekend. A sequel of a kids movie which I really kind of liked. The sequel... well... it wasn't as good.

The series (of two) movies was the "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" set of two movies. The first one was really fun. The second one... it tried way too hard. It was the leftovers that probably should have remained leftover, instead of being a new dinner.

Yes, the animation was fun. Yes, the puns were many. But... ya know... beyond that I probably should have stuck with just the first one.

Overall rating: C. It just wasn't really all that interesting. Which is sad, because it did have potential.

Movie Monday - Whoa.

You can only make one first impression. I know it's cliche, but it's also true. 

When you first meet someone at a party, and his handshake is kind of limp-fish-y, you know that you're never going to forget that. He's always going to be "limp-fish handshake guy." 

If the first time you meet someone in the office is when she is standing next to a cubicle wall gossiping about another co-worker, you're going to assume that she's always going to be gossiping. 

And when the first time you see an actor is when he's Harry Potter, you're probably always going to think of him as Harry Potter. Until he performs in Equus on the West End in London, then transfers to Broadway with the production after he comes of age enough that the show doesn't get shut down for child pornography. One stint on stage as the crazy naked kid blinding horses, and suddenly he may look like Harry Potter, but you know there's another side to him. 

Then there's Keanu Reeves. Unfortunately - for all of us - he will always be that spaced-out dude from the Bill and Ted movies. Or the surfer cop from Point Break. I mean, even in the Matrix movies, he still had that same kind of speech pattern going on. I absolutely love the movie Speed, and I don't think he says "Whoa" at all in it, but for some reason that didn't break the spell. 

So tonight, when I went to see 47 Ronin (which is based on the true story of 47 warriors who defeated an army in Japan - a "ronin" is a samurai without a master), and I watched him on screen, I was of two minds. 

On the one hand, I thought he was quite good. The movie is gorgeous to look at, with effects that a lot of movies try really hard to get, but only end up looking like they tried really hard. In this, the effects are gorgeous (as are the costumes), and it all seems kind of effortless. 

Many of the actors - I'm guessing - may not be native English speakers, and they have strong accents which make the dialogue a little hard to understand at times, but at no point is the movie hard to follow. It's a pretty straightforward piece, really. Even one of the kids in the family seated at the front of theater was able to figure out "This is where the action part of the movie starts" (which was okay, since we were at the Cinema Grill, and you just don't expect quite the same level of quiet as you do in a regular theater when your waiter keeps coming in and out to check on you as you munch on waffle fries). 

I went to the movie with low expectations, and it was definitely better than I expected. But, even so, when we got to the end, my not-a-date date (oh... yeah... the waitress said, as she walked away early on "You're really picking on her - this must be a date!" and we LAUGHED...) turned to me and said "He never once said 'whoa.' I was paying close attention." 

And we were back to that angle of Keanu. I mean... we'd just seen him doing all sorts of cool stuff in Japan in amazing clothing. He really doesn't even look like the same person any more. His body shape is different, his face is different. There's nothing about his look that says "I'm the surfer dude." But, still, you expect the "whoa." For better or worse. 

What I definitely will say, though, is that the next time he shows up in a movie I'm going to expect that a lot less. Granted, he didn't blind any horses in this, but maybe - for me at least - he finally found his Equus.

Overall score: I totally give it a B+, dude. (Sorry. Had to.) Honestly, it was gorgeous to look at, some very cool effects and all, but there were a few moments that were supposed to be emotional that fell flat. And a few emotional moments that worked, but not well enough. Definitely either a big screen or Blu-ray/HDTV kind of show, though, if you can. 

Barefoot at the...

...Cinema?

When did it become a thing to take your shoes off wherever you go? I mean... aside from taking off my shoes to go through security at the airport, I seldom feel like taking off my shoes in public.

I work with people who take off their shoes in the office. And while I know that the floors are pretty clean there, I just don't really want to take my chances to find out what someone dropped on the floor while bringing their lunch back from wherever.

And I have a LOT less faith in the cleanliness of the floors at a movie theater. Even in the "VIP" section of the reserved seat theater in the area. Sure, it's not the sticky-floored situation that you get in a theater with linoleum floors, but I'm not about to put my stocking feet on the carpets.

Yet, tonight before the movie, I got up to use the restroom and there were two people - one man in canvas loafers, one woman in sandals, not together - who had taken off their shoes. Which means that they were both barefoot on the theater floor.

At the end of the movie, the guy sitting next to me took the time to put his shoes - ankle-high lace-up boots - on before leaving.

So that makes three people in the same area who had all taken off their shoes. In the movie theater.

And, no, they weren't making noise or texting or anything else, so they really didn't bother me. But knowing that they were mostly barefoot did creep me out just a tad.

Movie Monday - Dystopias

Labor Day, traditionally, marks the end of the summer movie season. And, by the looks of the trailers, it was a really good season of movies. But Christopher and I had problems getting the time to go out to many movies. So I just kept adding things to my Netflix queue, and checking the cheap seats theaters in the hopes that I might catch movies before they're gone.

In the past 10 days, though, we actually got to see two of the summer movies. The first was Elysium, which stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. It's a movie that is, at the base, a statement about the haves versus the have-nots. Matt Damon, a have-not, decides he wants to be a have. Jodie Foster, a have, decides she wants to be a have-more.

There's cybernetics and action and some really cool visual effects. And, actually, a bit more story than you might expect.

There's also more graphic violence than I had expected. Not that it was inappropriate, it was just really kind of sudden and shocking at times.

On the other hand, we also went to see The World's End, which has been - in some circles - referred to as the third installment of the Cornetto Trilogy, which started with Shawn of the Dead, and was followed by Hot Fuzz. Granted, the stories aren't connected, but the two lead actors are the same in each.

This one, instead of being a Zombie movie or a Buddy Cop flick, is a cross between a high school reunion movie and an alien abduction movie. And, you know, it's a really good combo.

As with Elysium, there's cybernetics and action and some really cool visual effects. And, well, maybe not all that much more story than you'd expect.

Two versions of dystopian society - one serious, one serio-comic. Two movies very much worth seeing.

Elysium - B+. I'd have been okay with it without the shocking violence, although Christopher said that the director does this kind of thing in his movies, so if I had seen anything else by him I might have been okay.

The World's End - A-. Because I had seen a movie by these folks before, I knew what to watch for, and I laughed out loud a lot, but also found myself liking the serious aspects from time to time.

Movie Monday - The Words

I promise not to give any spoilers. But I will say that I liked this movie up until about the final 15 minutes of it.

The Words bases itself on an interesting premise. It's a story within a story within a story.

Dennis Quaid is an author who has written a story about Bradley Cooper, a writer who has found and published a story by Ben Barnes without giving Ben Barnes any credit. But then Jeremy Irons shows up to say "Wait. I'm Ben Barnes." and things get all wonky. But, of course, this is all happening in the story which Dennis Quaid had written. So there's actually no Bradley, Ben/Jeremy in the "real" world.

And, you know, I was perfectly okay with that for most of the movie. I thought it was all handled really well. I liked the characters (for the most part), and I thought the movie was styled really believably (we watch Bradley's character go from unemployed to best-selling author - and his hair styles changed with him, which is something that usually only happens to women in movies).

There's a very cool kind of morality play happening throughout the movie, too. Not only are we watching Bradley deal with the fact that he's taking credit for someone else's work, but we're watching the characters around him react and deal with it all.

And then there's the whole writerly aspect of it, too. That was cool. Watching the different writers and their processes.

But then there was the end. Which just left me wanting... something different.

Still, I'd recommend the movie - and I'd recommend it for watching at a time when you can truly focus because the first 3/4 of it are quite beautiful at times.

Overall rating: B-

Bonus review: Oblivion. As with The Words, I recommend this movie, but I'd also recommend leaving this one about 15 minutes before the end. Unless, of course, you have any fantasies of... well... boinking with Tom Cruise and, let's say, a stunt double Tom Cruise. In which case, watch the whole movie. (And, no, there is no Cruise on Cruise boinking - that's just... well... you'll understand what I mean if you watch the full movie.) Overall rating: C, because it wanted to be more than it was and simply didn't live up to its potential.

Movie Monday - The Broken Hearts Club

I feel like I should have named this post "The Way We Were."

You see, over the weekend - the second weekend when Christopher has been gone and I've been home with the pup - I watched "The Broken Hearts Club."

If you haven't heard of it - or if it doesn't ring a bell - I won't hold that against you. You see, it came out in 2000, and it's "a romantic comedy" with an almost entirely male cast. In the middle of the movie, they actually talk about the fact that there are no gay movies about "normal gay life" - which, of course, is exactly what they're trying to be.

Amazingly, it has a pretty star-packed cast. It's just that a lot of the people weren't big stars, yet. Timothy Olyphant is the de facto main character, and he's flanked by Zach Braff and Dean Cain, with John Mahoney as the "den mother" of the group of about 5 best friends.

Sure, there's some dating and hooking up and partying that goes on in the movie, but it's more about the friendships of that group of guys than anything else. It's a movie about being just past the point of being "young and cute" but being nowhere near the point of being "middle-aged and sad." Or, in the case of Mahoney's character, being "average" - and being all the stronger for it.

I could wax rhapsodic about the movie for a while longer, but I fear I'll eventually have to admit that one of the main reasons I like it so much is what my life was like when I first saw it.

In 2000, I was living in Baltimore. I wasn't rich or pretty or a club kid or a gym bunny. I didn't have the fabulous - or dramatically tragic - gay lifestyle that a lot of movies (either gay or straight) seemed to think I was supposed to have. I had, for the most part, a really "normal" life. Decent job. Okay life. Amazing friends. A world of potential. (If you watch the movie, you'll know why I mention that.)

I think we all live our lives looking back at some golden period when (in hindsight) everything looks amazing. And I fully admit that there are a few different points in my life that I look at through pleasantly rose-colored glasses. But in the middle of winter, home with the pup while Christopher is on vacation, the memories that "The Broken Hearts Club" brings to mind are pretty amazing.

The best I can hope for all of us, as we bask in the afterglow of movie award season, is that we can each have a movie that takes us back to that place in time when life was good and the world was ahead of us.

And maybe, just maybe, that will propel us forward into a future we never could have imagined all those years before.

Les Movie Le Monday

It'll come as no surprise to most of you that I went to see Les Miserables this past weekend. Or... well... it may be a surprise that it took me so long to see it, I guess.

While I was really excited to see it - I'm a huge Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman fan - I was also a little nervous about it. I wasn't sure how much "Hollywooding" would have happened to the show. And I really wasn't looking forward to seeing (or, rather, hearing) Russell Crowe in it.

So I bided my time to watch some of the reviews come out (mostly from friends of mine - not from professional reviewers), so that I could have my expectations mitigated. And then I went this weekend.

Now, I have to admit that I saw Les Mis on Broadway a number of years ago in its nearly four-hour-long glory. I was in the cheap(-ish) seats way up in the balcony, and it was hard to tell which character was which, and I really didn't get into it until people started dying. Which just happened to be about the same time that probably 1/4 of the people in the balcony all had to get up to leave to go catch their busses. So... Not the best experience.

Even so, I wanted to see the movie. And with my expectations appropriately lowered, I headed out.

Here's the thing you need to know (which was explained to me a week or so ago by Christopher): You can't go to it expecting a Broadway musical. You have to go to it expecting a movie.

What he didn't explain was that, once you get your mind wrapped around it being "just" a movie (which helped, I have to admit, with sitting through Crowe singing a few clunkers), you find yourself totally enthralled by the movie.

Yes, the plot is intense. Yes, the scenery and costumes are incredible. Yes, the cameras being two feet from people's faces at all times got to be a bit much at times.

But the singing. Holy crap. Watching those people on screen sing "live" (not over-dubbed and singing to a pre-recorded track), and doing full songs in what appear to be single takes. That was powerful. (Because I haven't, yet, said it enough: Anne Hathaway is amazing.)

I believe I've admitted, before, that I am a movie cryer. It just happens for me, and I deal with it. Luckily, I found myself 20 minutes from the end of the film trying to figure out when one of my favorite songs was supposed to show up, and so I didn't get too emotional - but I did shed a couple of tears, and I watched a number of people mop themselves up before going out into the light of day.

Is it the best movie of all time? No. Is it an amazing example of how a Broadway musical can transfer to film and still have incredible impact? Yes.

Rating: A. (I'm so close to giving it an A+, but Russell Crowe just took that one percentage point away.)

Movie Monday - New Year's Eve

If people celebrate the whole "Christmas in July" phenomenon, then "New Year's Eve in September" makes sense too, right?

Okay. Maybe not. 

But I did watch the movie "New Year's Eve" on Netflix last weekend. It's a Garry Marshall film in the same style as "Valentine's Day." Of course, I don't know how many people actually saw "Valentine's Day," so I should probably just explain the premise. 

You've got about a dozen storylines, all populated with interesting people, all taking place on the same day. And you know that they'll probably connect, but you're not sure which ones will connect with which other ones. 

Oh. I know. It's like "Love Actually" - you've seen that one, right? 

Anyway... The thing is that I kinda love this kind of movie. I love the blended stories that you're pretty sure you understand, but which still can give you a twist that makes you laugh a little or smile or tear up. 

And the cast in this is really fairly A- -list. (Yes, that says "A-", not "A".) It's got Michelle Pfeiffer in a storyline with Zac Efron. Sarah Jessica Parker and whatshername from "Little Miss Sunshine." And there's Robert DeNiro, and Jon Bon Jovi, and Halle Berry, and Sofia Vergara, and Lea Michele. 

And it all takes place on New Year's Eve in New York City. And some of the stories are happy, and some are sad, and some of the people you really just want to throw out the window. But, in the end, I really have to admit that I liked it. 

Overall rating: A. Yes, it's full of schmaltz. But it didn't overpromise. It didn't overtry. And if my own New Year's Eves turn out as well in future, I'd be happy with that. 

Marvel Movie Monday - The Avengers

Yes. I like alliteration. Why do you ask?

So I finally made it out to see "The Avengers" last week. I waited long enough that it was at one of the cheap seats movie theaters and - even better - it was one of the cheap seats places where you can get real food at your seat.

And, with all that in mind. I thought it was pretty much what I expected it to be. It was funny, and actiony, and explosive, and even witty (which might have been a surprise for some people, I admit).

Let's see... plot... umm... Bad guy from another world shows up, turns some people evil, begins mayhem. Good guys from around the globe assemble and bicker because they've got wackily different personalities. Bad guy escalates. Good guys come together for a massive battle scene that lasts for about the final 20 minutes or so of the movie.

Lots of fairly muscle-y guys (Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth) in tight costumes . Scarlett Johansson kicking butt alongside them. Special effects. NYC getting mostly destroyed. Basic superhero movie stuff.

And, since I was expecting a basic superhero movie, I had a great time. I ate my dinner and listened to the kids ooo-ing and ahh-ing around me, and just let all the noise and color and all that wash over me.

Oh, I should mention that - as a bonus - the movie was directed by Joss Whedon, so the witty factor was very high. Lots of throw-away one-liners, and such.

But... well... Because I was enjoying the wit, when we got around to the huge battle in the final 20 minutes, I started to get really bored. I felt bad about that, actually, since I was pretty sure that was the part of the movie that they paid the most money to make.

So... rating: Solid A-. It would have been an A if they had carried the humor all the way to the end.

Movie Monday - Archery Season (?)

In the past couple of weeks, I've seen more movies with archery as plot points than... well... ever. How many movies? you ask. Two. Which was one more than I should have watched.

Let me get the griping out of the way, first.

What is with "The Hunger Games"? Why is it a hit? Why are we supposed to be cheering for 12- to 18-year-olds when they kill each other? Who decided that these were good books and should be made into movies? Yes, cinematically it was well done. Yes, the acting was very good. Yes, I probably would have liked it better if it was adults. Yes, it reminded me of a cross between "The Running Man" and "The Lottery." No, I'll never get those 2 hours back.

(Although... Truth be told... I spent those 2 hours - and about 30 minutes more - having dinner and watching the movie with a couple of good friends, so I'm okay with the time spent. I just wish I hadn't been spending it with that movie.)

Oh. And I went to a book club last week where we talked about the movie and the books. I started to see why the books have such a following. But, no, that doesn't mean I'm going to read them or watch the movies when they're made.

The other arrow-filled movie was much more on target. (See what I did there?) I really enjoyed "Brave." I liked the main character and her relationship with her family (especially her mother). I liked the animation and the 3D-ness of it. I liked the plot and the music and the animation. Have I mentioned the animation?

This is a Pixar movie, so we know that the animation is incredible before it even starts. But then you start to hear about it and see it and it's just amazing. The main character's hair took something like 500 different pieces of programming to get it to move just right. And then there's the fabric of the "costumes." No one is wearing smooth flat fabric. Everyone has bumpy, woven, rough cloth. In great tartans. If the world of "Avatar" had been done by these folks, it might not have re-made me hate James Cameron.

Sure, there were some odd moments. I didn't love some of the humor aimed at the younger audience members - but they probably didn't love some of the grown-up stuff, either. Overall, it was a win.

So... Ratings:

"Hunger Games" - B. The movie, itself, was really well done. But the plot and the "world" it's in... I can't give that an A.

"Brave" - A. And not just because "A is for Animation," but because it's just that good.

OH. And "Brave" has a short film at the beginning called "La Luna" which is absolutely amazing and was Oscar-nominated last year. Probably worth the price of admission all by itself. THAT I would give an A+ to.