The Water Horse (2007)
Posted by Erin Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:32:17 GMT
The historical elements in this movie are surprisingly good and informative. Good story, too.P.S. I Love You (2007)
Posted by Erin Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:10:03 GMT
Wow. If I'd paid attention to the real plot of this, I don't think I would have rented it--too sad and painful. But it's really a very good movie, and I'm glad we saw it. Strangely enough, we laughed more during this movie than we did during 27 Dresses, because it has some great comic elements. It's a painful movie to watch, but the ending is hopeful and at least somewhat happy. Definitely recommended, but not if your loved one is away on a business trip or anything like that.27 Dresses (2008)
Posted by Erin Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:03:02 GMT
Pleasant and mildly entertaining. The best thing about this movie was the believability of the characters. The hero and heroine who hate each other at the beginning of the movie but end up together at the end is not a new concept in a romantic comedy, but in 27 Dresses, I thought their antagonism was particularly realistic. Instead of their differences being overcome by their physical attraction or whatever, these two actually seemed to complement each other. I could believe that they would be better together than apart, which seems unusually thoughtful for a rom-com, though probably accidentally so.People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Posted by Erin Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:56:59 GMT
I was so eager to read this novel
--it seemed like exactly the kind of thing I'd love--but I struggled to keep interested through the first half of the book. The second half picked up a lot, and I thought the ending was good--entertaining and suspenseful. It's possible that my expectations were too high, because it's well-written and has some very good historical parts. Anyway, I think I'd recommend it, if only to get some other people's reactions to it.
Just Like Heaven (2005)
Posted by Erin Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:51:05 GMT
Jon and I saw this first at the drive-in when it was new. We liked it fine the first time, and it was still entertaining the second time, though nothing special. At the drive-in, we noticed during the closing credits that the film had apparently been playing slowly--we could tell because "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure sounded a little slow and weird. I felt better after seeing it at the right speed. Not that it made any difference, really. I mean, we didn't notice until the very end. But whatever. I was happy to hear "Just Like Heaven" at the right speed anyway.Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Posted by Erin Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:39:07 GMT
This was the second time I've seen this movie, and it's a pretty amazing story. I'd like to read the book someday, which is by Frank Abagnale, the guy who actually did successfully pretend, at a young age, to be a PanAm pilot, a pediatrician, and a lawyer, cashing millions of dollars worth of fraudulent checks. It's a fascinating story.
Vitus (2006)
Posted by Erin Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:16:16 GMT
An excellent film in Swiss German about a child prodigy and his creative ways of coping with the pressure he feels from parents, teachers, etc. We watched it with the kids, and aside from a little dialog that's probably too mature, it was great. Recommended.Anxiously Engaged (2007)
Posted by Erin Fri, 23 May 2008 05:58:14 GMT
This was released as Picadilly Cowboy, which is kind of a dumb name. But it's kind of a dumb movie. At least they were actually in London for the filming, which made it interesting to look at. And the characters are somewhat likable. It's loosely based on Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," but it's an LDS version.Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Posted by Erin Fri, 23 May 2008 05:25:05 GMT
This novel about a certain area of 19th century China is fascinating. For one thing, I learned about the secret women's writing called nu shu that has been passed down from mother to daughter in one rural Hunan province for about a thousand years. Also, the book has a vivid but fairly unemotional description of foot binding that made me feel physically ill. That's just evidence of my ignorance rather than a recommendation not to read the book. I knew about foot binding before, but only in the vaguest way. Then there's the heavy stuff about the friendship between the main character and her "old same," a friend bound to her by contract when they were young. Anyway, it wasn't a light read, but it was fascinating and important.
An Ideal Husband (1999)
Posted by Erin Fri, 23 May 2008 05:02:56 GMT
This movie based on an Oscar Wilde play is clever and funny but more meaty than The Importance of Being Earnest. This was my third time watching it (I've been trying to knit at night, and I have to watch TV while I knit, right?). I can't remember if I've read the play, and I wonder how close the movie follows it.