Hoodwinked 2

I never saw the first Hoodwinked movie so this was all new to me.

What I liked:

• Loved Bill Hader and Amy Poehler as Hansel and Gretel.
• Cheech and Chong!
• There was a funny joke about the Food Network.
• The story moved along.  Lots of action.  The kids in the audience seem to like it.

Water for Elephants

What I liked:

• Robert Pattinson looks much better with a tan and a proper haircut.
• Hal Holbrook generated a lot emotion for his 5 minutes of screen time.
• Christoph Waltz was perfect as usual.
• The costume design was lovely.
• The cinematography was beautiful.

The Conspirator

What I liked:

• Fantastic cast: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, and Alexis Bledel.
• An interesting courtroom drama.  
• Justin Long in a somewhat serious role.
• Directed by Robert Redford.

Bridesmaids

What I liked:

• Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph have great chemistry together.
• A comedic Jon Hamm!  
• Melissa McCarthy stole every scene that she was in.  She was no Molly or Sookie and that is a good thing!
• 5 appearances of people from The Office.  Can you find them all?
• I hate the character of Helen so much thanks to Rose Byrne's perfect portrayal.
• Chris O'Dowd played a lovable guy next door.
• The late, great Jill Clayburgh.
• It was funny and smartly written.  
• I liked that this was about 30 something year old women and not 20 year olds.  It gave the story a certain edge.

DVD Day

New to DVD:

The King's Speech - Grade A+
Read full review here
Academy Award winner for Best Film
Academy Award winner for Best Actor - Colin Firth


Rabbit Hole - Grade A-
Read full review here

Gulliver's Travels - Grade F
Read full review here

Soul Surfer

What I liked:

• Bethany is a great role model for kids.
• Great casting.  Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid were the perfect parents.
• AnnaSophia Robb did a great job.
• The special effects were pretty good.  Only a few surfing shots looked fake.  The arm or lack there of looked real.
• Helen Hunt's wardrobe was surfer chic.
• Blast from the past: Kevin Sorbo, David Chokachi, and Branscombe Richmond.
• Hawaii makes a beautiful backdrop.

Hanna

What I liked:

• Her name might be hard to say and spell but you will remember Saoirse Ronan.   She is such a fantastic actress for her age.  She played the perfect balance between trained killer and innocent child.
• So far, the best opening scene of a film for 2011.
• Fascinating storyline.  A great modern day thriller.
• Just enough of Eric Bana.
• Cate Blanchett was cold and calculating in a good way.  I could have done without the accent but her acting is top notch.
• The score was perfect.  Kudos to The Chemical Brothers.

Arthur

What I liked:

• Ben Gibbard (from Death Cab for Cutie) had two new songs in it.
• I liked Greta Gerwig in this movie.  (I was not a fan of her in Greenberg.)
• Russell Brand plays a good man child.
• Dermot Mulroney is on the soundtrack?!

Your Highness

What I liked:

• Natalie Portman looked fabulous and kicked ass.  
• James Franco looked like he had a blast making this movie.  There was always a huge grin on his face.
• There were a lot of creative characters.
• It was entertaining but probably appreciated best by 18-24 year old males or those who think like them.
• Zooey Deschanel!

The Adjustment Bureau

What I liked:

• Matt Damon is a charming politician.
• Once you buy into "The Adjustment Bureau", it's an interesting story.
• Anthony Mackie is an engaging actor.  He has a unique presence about him on screen.
• Roger Sterling (John Slattery) oh how I have missed you!  This will do until Mad Men returns.
• The men in "The Adjustment Bureau" have the best wardrobe.  The hats, coats, jackets, tie, shirts, sweaters, vests...all coordinated so well.  Mackie's character was especially dapper.  
• Michael Kelly's character has great chemistry with Damon's character.
• Jon Stewart!