Mirkwood Reflections

I wish I had time to write reviews for all these movies, but I just don't! Dear Frankie (Awesome drama!) Daredevil (didn't watch the whole thing - bleh) Van Helsing (couldn't even get into it) The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (the kids LOVED this!) My Life So Far (Thought it would be good, but it....wasn't.) The Village (Oooh, pleasantly surprised me! And I didn't guess the ending!) The Day After Tomorrow (Oh, so implausible.) Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (An oldie, but a goodie - and with Christian Slater too!)

Dirk Pitt!!! A Dirk Pitt movie! I have enjoyed Clive Cussler's novels since I read Raise the Titanic in high school. Dirk Pitt is the hero of Mr. Cussler's novels, an explorer for NUMA - the National Underwater and Marine Agency . I haven't read many lately, but perhaps I should! Then I found out that Sahara was a Dirk Pitt movie and I was excited! But it didn't get very good reviews, so I didn't bother seeing it in the theatre. When it came out on DVD, however, I was RIGHT THERE waiting. Netflix sent it promptly. Sahara is the story of a World Health Organization (WHO) doctor who is tracking down the source of some mysterious disease in Africa. She is attacked by an evil stranger, but then rescued by none other than Dirk Pitt himself (played in Sahara by Matthew McConaughey). Of course, they go on to track down the source of this disease, facing tons of obstacles, villains, and SAND. Dirk himself is in Africa on th...

Let me preface this by saying that I am not really a huge Star Wars fan. Yes, I saw the first Trilogy (oddly called Episodes 4,5, & 6) in the theatres when they came out. In fact, I remember my sister and I begging my dad to let us PUH-LEEEEZE go see Star Wars when it was HELD! OVER! 52 WEEKS! Everyone we knew had seen it, except us. So we finally got to do it. Must have been 1978. I didn't really like the looks of Episode 1 when it came out a couple years ago. That Darth Maul.... :::shudders::: Ew..... And why would anyone need the backstory anyway? *shrug* But then I realized I had a son who was more into Star Wars than he was into Lord of the Rings. (How did that happen, you ask? I am in no way responsible. I did everything in my albeit limited powers to influence him the other way.) So, he missed Episodes 1 and 2 in the theatre, due to me, but ended up watching them on DVD. And of course, he loved them. So when Episode 3 came out, he begged and begged. It's PG-13, I sai...

Ocean's Twelve was one of the most interminably tiresome movies I have ever watched. I didn't even bother to finish it. (Which is really so unlike me!) I turned it off 10 minutes before the end (Thank God for that feature on DVD - to know how much more is in the movie) because whatever happened at the end held not the slightest bit of significance to me. The only part I thought was interesting was when Julia Roberts as Tess was pretending to be Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis showed up. I also liked some of the camera techniques. Catherine Zeta-Jones was totally unbelievable in her role as some sort of European detective. Brad Pitt and George Clooney were nice to look at, but uninteresting otherwise. The rest of the characters were uninspired and one-dimensional. It probably doesn't help that I didn't like Ocean's Eleven either. I don't generally like books or movies where the protagonists are "bad guys". So, I am not sure why I even brought Oc...

Reviewed Vickie Farris's A Mom Just Like You on my homeschooling blog. Go HERE to read it.

Most thirtysomethings grew up watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) starring Gene Wilder every year on TV. Yes, that was back when there were no DVD players and no VCR's. We actually had to plan our lives around the TV shows we wanted to watch. But, I digress. Of course, the Willy Wonka movie was based upon a book by Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , written in 1964. The book has turned out to be a classic, beloved by children (and adults) everywhere. The Gene Wilder movie took a great deal of liberty with the book, however. I suppose, with the plethora of remakes of shows from the 60's and 70's, it was inevitable that someone would decide to try his hand at reworking the Willy Wonka story. Tim Burton was an obvious choice, with his love for the slightly (ok, MORE than slightly) unconventional storyline. Burton has a coterie of actors that he seems to rely on, and many of these show up in Charlie . You'd have to live under a rock not to r...

While camping I read 3-1/2 novels. Finished the 4th one when I came home. Here they are, in the order I read them, and incidentally also from worst to best. The Cure - David Shobin - Dr realizes drug is causing terrible side effects This predictable book was not nearly as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. Far better examples of the medical mystery genre (best exemplified by Robin Cook) are easily found. The characters were not believable and the plot itself was quite far fetched. However, I did enjoy reading it, probably mostly because I actually got to "Read A Book" for the first time in ages! Summer Island - Kristin Hannah - Famous mom's relationship with her daughters My next choice was Summer Island. About 70 pages in, I realized I had read the book before. I imagine that it was possibly a Reader's Digest Condensed Book, which I read a lot of a few years back. This one made me cry a lot, but some of the underlying themes made me wary. (Example: H...

A "G" rated movie! About girls ice skating! And academics! Sounded good. But then I had second thoughts. Disney. Feminism. Hmmm... But I decided to go see it anyway with my girls, ages 8 and 3. James, age 5, tagged along. (David, age 10, declined my offer. LOL) 20 minutes into the film, my three-year-old lost interest. She decided that ballet dancing in the aisle was far preferable to sitting watching the movie. The lovely ice skating (as well as the ballet classes the skaters take) motivated her to dance, dance, dance! So, I spent much of the movie standing in the hallway into the theatre (with a view of the screen). This is the same child that watched ALL of The Incredibles. This movie is much shorter. Go figure. My eight-year-old was utterly enthralled. Afterwards she said it was the best movie she had ever seen. The fickle opinions of a young girl! Michelle Trachtenburg glowed as the main character, a high school physics 'geek' who develops an in...

GQ has picked the 25 worst films ever made. Here's the list and my own comments. Movies I have seen are in bold. How many have YOU seen? #25 Smokey and the Bandit 1977 - I haven't seen this. #24 Purple Rain 1984 - I loved this movie!! Loved the music! Loved Prince!! #23 The Godfather: Part III 1990 - Haven't seen ANY of the Godfather movies. #22 Rocky III 1982 - If I have seen this, I don't remember. #21 Perfect 1985 - Another one I haven't seen. (Probably because I am definitely NOT a Travolta fan.) #20 Boxing Helena 1993 - Still another I haven't made time to see. #19 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1966 - OK, this is getting repetitive. #18 Black and White 2000 - OK, THIS one I HAVE seen. Only because Elijah Wood was in it. He kisses Brooke Shields. And THAT I had to see. But it is a BAD BAD movie. Yep. Highly NOT recommended. #17 Point Break 1991 - [Looks indignant] I suppose I should be thankful that the previous 8 movies weren't Keanu...

Well, I am getting excited about a few movies coming out, and NO, Star Wars is not one of them! LOL I don't plan to see that. I don't go to the theatre for every movie; I save lots of them for DVD. There are a few that I will pay full price in the theatre for, however, and these are them: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - July The Libertine - August in limited release A History of Violence - September The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - December A Scanner Darkly - March 2006 There could be others, but these stand out!

Kingdom of Heaven is a film I have been anticipating for a long time. It was released on Friday and I made it a priority to see on its release date. Maryann, Ann, Tracy, and Lynn went with me. Balian (Orlando Bloom) is a blacksmith who finds out that he is the illegitimate son of a knight who comes to recruit him for the Crusades. Balian ends up in Jerusalem, taking a stand to protect the people of the city. I often found myself making Lord of the Rings comparisons, not least because of Orlando Bloom's presence in both films. Unbeknownst to me until after viewing was that Marton Csokas was also in both films - playing the evil character Guy (husband of Sybilla) in KOH and Celeborn (husband of Galadriel) in LOTR. Many lines and scenes reminded me of LOTR as well. At one point, I thought Balian would shout, "What say you!" One reviewer pointed out that the viewer nearly expects ents and elves to come to the rescue! ( http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/05/kingheav.htm ) Altho...

On Saturday at Maryann's, we watched 4 movies in one day. It wasn't the first time I had seen any of them, and we watched as we scrapped and talked and cared for the children. But since I haven't reviewed any of them here, I will give you the list at least. 13 Going on 30 Finding Neverland The Cutting Edge Bridget Jones 2: The Edge of Reason I am hoping this week to put up at least some short reviews of some of the unreviewed movies I have been listing for you. 5/17/05 Or not. ;-)

Two more movies: In America Runaway Jury (too much different from the book) One More Book: Don't Cry Now - Fielding One of these days I will do a marathon review session. But not today! My new computer has arrived! 5/17/05 The marathon reviewing session never occurred. So, here are my Legolas icons anyhow.

OK, I am still not caught up. LOL More movies.... Surviving Christmas Sweet November Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (watching tonight) National Treasure (watching this week) More books... He Had It Coming - Spencer Obsessed - Ted Dekker Edited 5/17/05 with Elf Prince icons.....

Well, I am way behind in my reviews. So, here is what will be coming soon to this blog. Movies/DVD's: Vanity Fair Shall We Dance Quantum Leap - Season 2 My Own Private Idaho (maybe....) Books: Sugar Cookie Murder - Fluke He Had it Coming - Spencer Can You Keep a Secret - Kinsella That's all I can recall right now, but I am sure there is more. EDITED: Went back in and added the Elf Prince icons since I am apparently never going to get around to reviewing these. 5/17/05

Call me skeptical, but when I first saw the ads for The Incredibles, I was quite sure that it wouldn't be a film my family would be seeing. My imagination concocted all kinds of unsavory scenarios that could be included in such a film. So, when I began hearing positive reports from friends who had taken their children to see this computer-animated film, I was surprised and encouraged. My sons (then ages 4 and 9) went with a friend to see the film last year and sang its praises when they returned home. However, I didn't have a chance to view this wonderful movie until March 6, when I took all four of my children (ages 10, 8, 5, and nearly 3) to see it at the local bargain theatre. I was blown away by this movie. Original storyline, sophisticated animation, family values, genuinely funny jokes - everything combines to create a truly outstanding film! Mr. Incredible and his wife Elastigirl, along with their 3 children, are in the superheroes equivalent of the witness protection ...

Keanu Reeves didn't want to make this movie, and I can see why. The director was a friend and Keanu agreed to do a cameo in the movie as a favor. His name was then used to get Marisa Tomei and James Spader to sign on. Then the script was changed and Keanu's character became one of the central characters. His salary didn't increase, but he was obligated by contract to continue. This probably would have been fine, if it had been a well-written movie. By all accounts, Keanu doesn't usually choose his parts by how well they pay or how well they will be recieved. However, this film was not well-written and Keanu continued with it only on the condition that he would not have to promote it nor would he be featured prominently in promotional materials. Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about the film. Keanu plays a serial killer David Griffin who has a vendetta against cop Joel Campbell (played by James Spader). Marisa Tomei plays psychologist...

I'm sure the fact I read There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me. I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan and a voracious reader, so a book written by one of the principal actors is a shoo-in! Sean Astin played the hobbit Samwise Gamgee, loyal friend to Frodo Baggins. Two issues come to mind when I think of Sean Astin's book. First, I am enthralled by all the Lord of the Rings movie trivia that he includes. Second, I am taken aback by the extremely candid manner in which Sean tells his tales. The son of Patty Duke and adopted son of John Astin, Sean grew up in Hollywood, acting in his first TV movie at age 8 (co-starring with his mother). The book details much of Sean's journey as an actor, culminating with his experience making Lord of the Rings. The insider look at Hollywood intrigued me. Sean describes everything from how he interacts with his agents to how much salary an actor might actually keep from the gross. Learning new trivi...

I went on Friday night with 2 friends to see Constantine. Neither one of them is a Keanu fan. Amy hated the movie. She said it wasn't the worst movie she'd ever seen, but that's the highest praise she can give it. LOL Maryann said it was better than she thought it would be. But me?? I did like it. I don't think it's my favorite Keanu film, although I am feeling a draw to go back and see it again. This is not the kind of movie I would usually go see, and, yes, I will admit that it was Keanu who was the main attraction for me. I wasn't sure I'd go see it even with Mr. Reeves as the main character, but I had heard discussions about the spiritual aspect of the film beforehand and this convinced me to go. I wanted to see how Hollywood would manage to do a film like this with spiritual themes. Would it be effective? Convincing? Would it draw people closer to God or push them away? Ok, a quick plot summary for those of you who haven't been eagerly anticipating...

I saw Constantine tonight! Really liked it! Will update my blog tomorrow.

Next up in my extended Keanu Reeves film festival is Johnny Mnemonic , a futuristic cyberpunk tale from 1995. I KNOW where I was in 1995 - being a first-year mama to David who never left my side. I wouldn't call this one of Keanu's best movies. In fact, I would say this is probably one of his worst. :-( Keanu plays Johnny, an information courier who makes his living by transporting sensitive data stored in a memory module wet-wired into his brain. A particularly important memory load puts Johnny and the entire world at risk. The movie is based on a short story by William Gibson, and the plot line is definitely original. Even though the movie is mostly a dud, I did enjoy it. I was curious to see how the plot worked itself out. And even though Keanu's performance is on the stiff side for most of the movie, I still liked it! ;-) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113481/ This movie has not been reviewed at screenit.com.

Evidently someone thought it would be a good idea to do a remake of Psycho. I only watched this movie because Maryann made me. Viggo Mortensen is in it, which is reason enough for her. At least he doesn't play Norman Bates. That unenviable job goes to Vince Vaughn. A garishly costumed Anne Heche takes the role of Marion Crane, made famous by Janet Leigh. Admittedly we used the fast forward feature liberally, but I did know the story beforehand. This appears to be nearly a shot-by-shot remake of the Hitchcock Psycho , which of course is a classic, although not the type of movie I usually enjoy. WHY remake a classic? Very strange choice. I think it is safe to say that the original was far superior. Don't bother with this one. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155975/ http://www.screenit.com/movies/1998/psycho.html

I'm a sucker for an English accent, so when I saw the preview for Around the World in 80 days, it got my attention! It looked like an entertaining light film, and I put it on my Netflix queue and waited for it to come out on DVD. I am glad I made time to watch it! I found it engaging and amusing, as well as inventive in many ways. I didn't expect it to be profound cinema, so I wasn't disappointed that way, nor have I read the novel by Jules Verne, so I wasn't bothered by concerns that the film didn't correctly represent the book. (If YOU feel like reading the book, here is a link to it online! How cool is that! http://www.literature.org/authors/verne-jules/eighty/ ) I found Fogg's inventions to be cleverly rendered onscreen - the electric lights, the beautiful mansion with its spinning ornamentation, the horseless carriage, and more! The costuming was beautiful; I quite enjoy a period flick! Steve Coogan was marvelous as Phileas Fogg. He has such an expressive f...

I watched Napoleon Dynamite on January 31. I had high expectations for this movie after hearing it raved about by so many people I respect. I am sad to report that I really didn't like it much. I guess I am not the angsty type. The story really didn't go anywhere and the main character wasn't that interesting to me. I didn't get much of a sense of his thoughts, hopes, and dreams. In fact, the majority of the characters were strange and unlikeable. The best of the lot was Deb, the teen girl that befriended Napoleon and had a tendency to wear her hair in an extremely unflattering side ponytail. She at least seemed to have something beneath the surface. I have put off this review too long and I had more to say, but I can't remember it now. It doesn't help that I have a bad cold. Maybe I will think of more to say later. Feel free to berate me for my dislike of this movie. LOL http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374900/ http://www.screenit.com/movies/2004/napole...

OK, I just have to turn into a drooling fangirl for a sec here. ::::cheers madly::: Keanu Reeves received a star today on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Congratulations, Keanu! OK, I'm done. :::composes self::: Back to your regularly scheduled blogging. :-D

Oh! The joy of perusing the New Titles shelf at the library and discovering a new Goldy mystery by Diane Mott Davidson! Double Shot is the 12th in a series of mysteries featuring Goldy Schulz, a caterer in Aspen, Colorado who has a penchant for getting involved in criminal cases. The Goldy series is one of my favorite crime series. Davidson writes light-hearted murder mysteries in an entertaining clever manner. Gore is kept to a minimum and there are lots of amusing side plots. I also enjoy that Goldy's life continues on during the novels, instead of staying static, as is the case in some series novels. Her son grows up, she gets remarried, her business grows and changes. Also, recipes for some of the dishes Goldy cooks are included in the books. (I haven't tried any of them, for, unlike Goldy, I am no cook.) This particular novel, however, was not one of the best in the series. Especially at the end, the writing seemed half-hearted and not as charming as usual. Also, since th...

Well, in 1988, I was busy - graduating college, getting married, setting up our apartment, student-teaching, adjusting to married life, etc... So it isn't surprising that I missed this movie then. I am glad that I finally discovered it! Permanent Record tells a story of two best friends. David is a talented popular college-bound student; Chris is also a talented guy, but aimless and happy-go-lucky. When David commits suicide, Chris and the entire community must deal with the aftermath. This story unfolds through snapshots of the lives of the teens involved, rather than an action-driven straightforward plot. A young Keanu Reeves shines as Chris, struggling to make sense of his friend's death and agonizing over what he could have done to prevent it. The actresses playing the teenage girls gave strained performances, with the exception of the actress playing Kim. Interesting to note: Keanu Reeves auditioned for the role of David, but instead was cast as the more pivotal role of Ch...

I am definitely not a sports enthusiast. Nope, the closest I get is watching my own kids play soccer. (Actually I was duped into coaching soccer this year too, but that's another story.) However, Miracle is more than a sports movie. To me, it was a movie about becoming all you can become. It's about teamwork and overcoming differences. Kurt Russell plays Herb Brooks, the coach of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team. In a nutshell, the team goes to the Olympics and, against all odds, wins the gold medal against the Soviets. This is one of the most memorable sports triumphs ever and makes me wonder where MY head was in 1980. The hockey sequences are exciting and clear enough for even a non-hockey fan like me to follow. There is some awesome skating in this film! Being someone who has never really watched hockey, I was amazed at the action. The group of young actors playing the gold medal hockey team worked together well to portray the difficulties the team members faced on their way ...

Welcome to my new blog - Mirkwood Reflections. My purpose here is to create a place where I can review movies and books that I have recently watched and read. Feel free to comment on any of my reviews. Thanks for visiting Mirkwood! Lisa