The Woman in Black

I took Darling Daughter and her Boyfriend to see The Woman in Black last night, because the 3 of us love, love, LOVE scary movies.  We weren't disappointed.  In fact, we did a lot of jumping in our seats, cringing, eye covering and clinging to each other. ( well, DD and BF were clinging)  It stars Daniel Radcliff, (yes, Harry Potter) who travels to a town for his law firm to close up the estate of a deceased client.  The house is, of course, empty and the town mysteriously doesn't want him to stay. Leaving isn't an option for him, so he heads out to the house.  He isn't there long when he starts hearing noises and seeing "things".  Children in the village  have a habit of dying horrifying deaths if anyone sees The Woman in Black, because she then appears to the children and forces them to their death. Daniels character tries to solve the mystery of the Woman in hopes to spare the remaining children of the village and to save his own 4 year old son, who is on his way with the nanny to meet him.  This is a good, old fashioned haunted house  movie,full of creaky doors and dark corners with things that jump out and make you scream. (And there are creepy dolls, always guaranteed to be spooky.)  It scared the pants off of the three of us and broke my heart in the process.  <-----And that's all I'm going to say about THAT.
 I give it a 10 on the Melscale.  Rated PG-13

Friends With Benefits

Stayed home from work with a sick kiddo yesterday, so when she was sleeping, I rented Friends With Benefits starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.  It's about a couple who decide they dont want a complicated relationship and instead just want to remain friends with "benefits."  (Those being sex without complications.)  But they both realize that sex does complicate their friendship.  It's funny and sweet and I thought Justin did a GREAT job as leading man.  Yes, there was a lot of sex, but not entirely throughout the whole movie.  Jenna Elfman appears as Justin's sister, who is taking care of their father.  The dad is suffering from Alzheimers which throws a whole new set of complications into the mix for Justin's character to deal with. All in all, it was a really good movie.  I give it an 8 on the Melscale.

Dream House Movie Review

Last night, my Scary Movie Buddy and I went to a late showing of Dream House.  (The rest of our friends were too chicken to go with us.  You know who you are and you know I love you anyway. )  Yes, I know it was a weekday and work was the next morning, but we HAD to see this movie.  The trailers led us to believe that this was a scary movie. And yes, Scary Movie Buddy DID scream once, but it turned out to be more of a murder mystery than a horror movie.  Which is ok by me, too.  True, there were ghosts and they were haunting, but not in the traditional horror- movie -kind -of- way.  The movie stars Dainel Craig (Bond, James Bond )and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy),a husband and wife who relocate from New York City to a quaint New England town with their 2 little girls.  As they settle into their new house, they discover that a mother and her children were murdered in it 5 years before.  When Daniel starts investigating the tragedy, his only lead comes from the next door neighbor, played by Naomi Watts. As he digs up the past, the mystery he exposes is heartbreakingly shocking.  I won't go into any more details than this because I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone else who wants to go see this.  And I highly recommend it!  It had a plot twist that I didn't see coming...and those are the BEST kinds of movies for me!!!  Scary Movie Buddy and I LOVED it.  I give it a +10 on the Melscale!! 

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

In 1973, (I was 9 years old) there was a movie on t.v. called Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.  It starred Kim Darby as "Sally".  She and her husband inherit and  move into an old house and in the restoration process, she discovers a sealed fireplace.  Her curiousity gets the better of her,  and despite warnings from the handyman, she opens the fireplace. Soon, she hears whispering and begins seeing small, demonlike creatures around the house.  Unfortunely for her, no one else sees them.  Until it's too late!  The creatures are intent upon possessing her and taking her to the fireplace with them for eternity.  Their only weakness is light of any kind.  Eventually, they drag Sally into the fireplace with them. The scene where Sally is being dragged by her ankles by the creatures, using the flash from a camera to try to hurt them,  was engraved in my memory. This movie is the one responsible for making me afraid of the dark and it was one of those rare movies that I have never forgotten.  About a year ago, I found out through IMBD that Don't Be Afraid of the Dark was being remade, starring Katy Holmes.  I can't tell you how excited I was to hear that news!  So I went online and found a copy of the original movie from 1973 and bought it.  The one that scared me silly and made me sleep with a nightlight to this very day.  I popped it in the DVD player with goosebumps on my arms and sat down with my kids  to watch it.  Imagine my disappointment in the creatures!! They were laughable! (and believe me...my kids were cracking up!!) The acting wasn't much better from the human actors, either.  Sally was a whimp and whined and cried her way throughout the entire story.  Nevertheless....I eagerly awaited the new version.  I was not disappointed!  In the new version, Sally is a young girl, about 8 or 9, who is sent to live with her dad and his fiance' in this ginormous old house.  She finds a basement that has been hidden and sealed shut for years and in the basement is the fireplace.  The story stays pretty much with the original, except the creatures in this one are akin to goblins or trolls.  More like evil tooth fairies, because they eat children's teeth.  Katy Holmes plays the step-mom-to-be who at first, is reluctant about becoming a mom.  However, as the story progresses, she and Sally form a bond.  Katy's character, Kim, is the heroine I hoped she would be.  She didn't lay down and give up, as Kim Darby's character did, but she stood up and fought for Sally.  As for the new creatures...all I can say is this: if I weren't already afraid of the dark, I sure would be now. 

I give it a 10+ on the MelScale!!

A few movie reviews

I spent the last 2 and 1/2 days sick at home, with not much else to do but watch movies.  It's the best part of being sick, besides not having to do a THING!  The reviews below are very brief:

1. Insidious: (horror)  I love scary movies.  This was not one of those.  Don't waste your time.  -5 on the Melscale

2. Killers: (comedy/love) starring Ashton Kutcher as a retired spy.  Yes, this one is a little old, but I LOVE the story line and he's some really nice eye candy. +8 on the Melscale

3. Rain Man: (drama) oldie but goodie!  Re-visit it if you haven't seen it in awhile. I think it's pretty obvious that Tom has had some corrective dental surgery.  Or sumthin.... +10 on the Melscale
4.  The Stepfather: (horror/drama) this is a remake of the one starring Terry Quinn.  Very good edge of your seat drama. +8 on the Melscale

5.  Rango: (animated) Johnny Depp and Timothy Olyphant lend their voices to this.  I was a bit disappointed in this one, as was my 12 year old son.  But I guess it's hard to follow a Pirate movie.  Or Justified. 1 on the Melscale

6.  Season of the Witch: (historical horror?)  Really couldn't tell...I got bored with this one after about 20 minutes.  Thumbs down despite having the ever entertaining Nick Cage in the starring role. minus a billion on the Melscale

7.  Grownups: (comedy) I am NOT an Adam Sandler fan, but this one is worth watching!  +8 on the Melscale

8.  Just Go With It: (comedy/love story) Again, another Adam Sandler one with Jennifer Aniston that is cute and entertaining.  He keeps THIS up and I may become a fan. +7 on the Melscale.

9. Knock Around Guys...okay, I admit, I only watched this one up to the part where Vin Diesel came on.  Then I turned it off. Technically, it's a bad movie with the only saving grace being Vin.

10.  Paranormal Activity 2 (horror) Okay, technically, I watched this last week with my daughter.  Scared the CRAP out of me!  Seriously had the biggest goosebumps all over me and nightmares for a week.  +10 on the Melscale, just because I can't forget it!

Carpe diem!

Vampires Suck

Okay, my Twilight Girlfriends and I had talked about going to see this movie together, just to maybe help us get through the year until Breaking Dawn is released.  We never did get around to it, and it's a good thing we didn't.  My Twilight Daughter and I rented and watched it last night and I have to say, that was the worst movie either of us has EVER seen.  We expected comedy, but nothing was funny.  Dont waste your money or your time on this one, folks, no matter how big a Twihard you are.  I give it a minus 5 on the Melscale. Worthless.

The Tourist

Rated PG13

Everybody knows I LOVE Johnny Depp. (Sorry,Zac)  So I was very excited to go see The Tourist starring Johnny and that chick living with Brad Pitt and all those kids. ;)  Before I get into my review, I just need to say, that I'm wondering who all the "critics" are that said this movie wasn't very good.  I NEVER listen to the critics anymore, because I have learned that if they hate it, I'm going to love it.  And if they love it, it's going to suck rocks.  Again, the professional critics were wrong.  This was a GREAT movie!!!!

Johnny plays a "tourist" caught up in a mystery when he meets a beautiful (albeit VERY THIN who I SWEAR looks like she had her lips done bigger!) woman on a train.  She's using him as cover.  The movie is set in Italy and the scenery was beautiful!  It had some action, some romance and even a little bit of comedy.  I especially loved it when Johnny kept speaking in Spanish instead of Italian. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming, and I won't go into details about those because I want you to experience it for yourself. The story was good, and the acting was great.  I give it a 5 on the Melscale.  (and NOT just because I've been a Depp fan since 21 Jump Street!!)

Robin Hood and Under the Mountain

I watched  two movies over the weekend.  AND I treated myself to another viewing of Charlie St. Cloud with Zac Efron.  YUMMY! Just sayin...

Robin Hood, starring Russel Crowe, seemed long and drawn out to me.  This version is supposed to be what happened BEFORE he was the famous bandit. Russel's character is fighting in the Crusades with the King when the King is killed in battle.  "Robin", along with a few of his friends,  also fighting with the Crusades, decide to leave then and there, since the King is dead.  They stumble upon the real Robin Hood in the woods, whose task is to take the crown back to Notingham. There was a brief battle before Russel's Robin arrived, where  the real Robin Hood is killed.  Russel's Robin assumes Hood's identity, and he and his men take the crown back. It's the only way they can get home. Maid Marrion, who in this version was already married to Robin Hood, knows he's an imposter, but she and Robin Hood's father play it off for the good of the kingdom.    The acting was good, there were some great battle scenes, but all in all, I didn't really care for it. It took me 3 days of starting and stopping it to get through it.  I prefer the Robin Hood starring Kevin Costner.  Maybe it's all about the eye candy?  :)

Under the Mountain was a gamble and a surprise.  I had rented it for the kids, not expecting much.  It's about twins who possess special powers and they need to work together to use those powers to save the world.  The special effects were great, as was the story line.  It was fast paced, well acted and well written. My kids liked it, too. 

I give Robin Hood a 2 and a half on the Melscale, and I give Under the Mountain a 3 and a half.  You can be your own judge!

Carpe' diem!

Life As We Know It

Life As We Know It
PG-13

Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel (YUMMY!) are 2 single adults who become caregivers to their shared god-daughter when the child's parents die in an accident.  Holly (Heigl) and Eric (Duhamel...did I say YUMMY yet? ) meet when they are set up on a blind date by the friends, who later become the parents of Sophie.  The date is disastrous and they actually never make it out of the driveway.  It sets the scene for years of dislike for each other, despite always being at the same parties and celebrations due to their mutal friends.  Then the inevitable happens...or maybe we saw it coming...the parents of baby Sophie are killed in a car accident and  much to Holly and Eric's surprise, they find themselves legal guardians of her. Despite their dislike for each other,  they move in together to take care of Sophie , all the while trying to live seperate lives and trying to ignore the chemistry between them.  Yes, there are some funny scenes, but for the most part, I found it to be a sad movie and a tad long with a running time of 1 hr. 52 minutes.  I have to admit, though, that Josh's dimples made it worth it!  All in all, I give it a 3.5 on the MelScale.

Me and Orson Wells

I had a request for more movie reviews and because I love to please my friends, here is one on the movie I watched last night:

Me and Orson Wells, starring Zac Efron.  Now first, let me just say that if I were 20 years younger, he wouldn't be dating that Vanessa chick! ;)  So since he is my latest "movie star crush",  ( and yes, you can TOO have these when you are over 40!  As long as you don't REALLY act on them.  That could get you arrested.)  this was the only reason I rented the movie.  I like to see Zac in something other than High School Musical.  Because I love his blue eyes!  ahem, Okay, back to the movie review. 

Richard (Zac) is a bored high school student intent on being an actor in New York.  He joins an acting troop led by Orson Wells (Christian McKay) in 1937.  The play they are doing is Julius Caesar, Orson Wells style.  Richard strikes up a friendship with Orson's assistant, Sonja (Claire Danes) but desperately wants it to be more.  The story takes us through the week of this kids life in the Mercury Theater where he's taken under Orson's wing, so to speak.  Orson is a very demanding director and wants things done HIS way, or no way with ridiculous expectations from anyone around him and because of this, Richard has to decide if acting is really worth it or not .  I liked the story, if it was a bit slow, and I thought Zac did a great job with his role.  (I think this guy will be this generations Brad Pitt.)  The play within the movie was really well done and made me wish it was something I could see in it's entirety.  I give it a 3 on the MelScale. ;) 

Carpe' diem!

How to Train Your Dragon

Run, do not walk, to your nearest movie theater to catch a showing of How to Train Your Dragon!  The 3D effects are the best I've seen YET!  It was funny, exciting, touching, scarey, heartbreaking and beautiful!  The detail on the characters was amazing!  You could even see the tiny hairs on the Vikings arms!  I don't know how many exclamation points I can use in one paragraph, but I'm really excited about this movie!   The movie opened with a terrific battle between the Vikings and the dragons, with a little narration from the "hero" Hiccup.  He's different and trying to find his place in the tribe while clashing with his father about who he WANTS to be vs who his father THINKS he should be.   And as it so often happens, dad doesn't listen.  Sometimes our kids don't fit into the molds we have in mind for them.  But Hiccup finds a way with the help of his dragon friend, Toothless, and the pair eventually each find their place.  I plan to buy this one as soon as it's available on DVD.  I guarantee you will enjoy this movie as much as me and my kids did.