Mirkwood Reflections

Golf? A movie about GOLF? That was my first thought upon seeing the previews for The Greatest Game Ever Played . My second thought was - WOW! This movie makes golf seem exciting! From a person who thinks watching golf is slightly less exciting that watching grass grow, this is quite a compliment. But I wondered if the movie could live up to the previews. Short answer? Yes! It does! Now for the long answer....Shia LeBeouf plays young Francis Ouimet, an amateur golfer from the wrong side of the tracks, in this film based on real events. (Warning - Keanu-related fact: Shia played the earnest, but ill-fated Chas in Constantine also in 2005.) Francis loves the game of golf, but it is a game for gentlemen only in this pre-World War I story. So Francis caddies and hones his skills, until the time when he gets his chance. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was almost nothing to ruin the family friendliness of this surprisingly exciting movie. There was a mild amount of strong la...

Sadly, I have no time for writing reviews anymore. It makes me sad. I wish I had LOTS of time for it. So, here is my one sentence per movie, catch-all post of some of the movies I have seen recently. Memoirs of a Geisha (The book was better, although this was beautifully filmed!) Sky High (Story of a high school for developing superheroes; my kids just loved it. I thought it was OK.) Proof (Thoughtful and sweet; Gwyneth Paltrow plays a mathematics student whose father was a genius gone crazy. Jake Gyllenhaal is his earnest student. ) Matchstick Men (Nicholas Cage plays a con man who learns the value of family. I would have hated this if not for the last 5 minutes.) Pieces of April (Katie Holmes (yes, Tom's Katie) plays a young woman estranged from her family. She hosts Thanksgiving dinner and everything goes wrong. It sounds hokey but it is actually very sweet and touching.) Music of the Heart (Meryl Streep plays a violin teacher at a Harlem Ele...