RIP, Sydney Pollack...

Another one of the greats is gone. The producer, director, and actor died of cancer at 73 on Monday. He directed Tootsie, one of my favorite films of all time, and won Oscars for producing and directing Out of Africa in 1985. Most recently, he appeared in Michael Clayton as George Clooney's boss. He really was a good actor, too! I especially enjoyed his "Silence is Golden" ad for movie theaters- "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting your phone call?". He will be missed.

Not a good year for the film industry, is it? Director Anthony Minghella also died recently. He and Pollack produced films together, including Cold Mountain.

Happy Birthday, Jimmy Stewart...

100 years ago today, James Stewart was born. To celebrate, Turner Classic Movies ran a marathon of some of his best films. I only got to watch the end of Vertigo and then all of Rear Window- two of my favorite movies of all time. I remember going to see them in a theater as a child- at a Hitchcock film festival. Stewart was one of the great actors. I'm thankful for channels like TCM that continue to show the really good old movies!

A new movie and a classic!

I forgot to update last week- I saw Leatherheads the Friday before last. It was a hilarious screwball comedy about the beginnings of professional football (obviously not a true story!). George Clooney directed and starred with Renée Zellweger. It was set during the 1920's and Prohibition. I loved the costumes. Zellweger was just born to play characters from this era (like Chicago), and she and Clooney worked very well together. I'm sorry this didn't do that well at the box office. The football scenes were so much fun. This was a great movie for guys and girls!

Last week on American Movie Classics, they aired WarGames to celebrate its 25th anniversary. I can't believe it's been that long. I was in the sixth grade when it came out! It's a little dated now (loved the old computers!), but the idea of someone hacking into the defense computers is still a scary thought. It was also fun to see a young Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, both in their first big movie roles.

Not much in theaters now that I want to see. I might see Baby Mama next week- it looked good.

Funniest movies ever? Meh.

I only watch Bravo's series of "100 best" shows when I'm sick or bored. Today I was a little of both, so I watched a repeat the 100 Funniest Movies. I have to say I don't agree with their choices. Honestly, There's Something About Mary ranked higher than The Producers, Blazing Saddles, M*A*S*H, and Dr. Strangelove? No Spaceballs on the list at all? Animal House over Airplane? What the heck was Shrek doing in the Top Ten? That was funny but hardly one of the greatest. I think I like AFI's funniest film list better. It relies more on smart comedies as opposed to gross-out films like American Pie. That was another problem with the Bravo list- too much new stuff like Wedding Crashers and too few classics. The selection panel (or however they did it) must have been made up of men in their 20s-30s.

Oh, well, it's just my opinion. Personally I'm sick of gross-out comedies- it's okay in small doses, but not when the entire movie is based on it. I like good parodies and well written dialog, with some visual humor thrown in.

*is happy*

I just picked up the Sweeney Todd DVD. Don't know when I'll get to watch it, but it's mine!

There Will Be Blood is out tomorrow. I don't know if I want to own that one or not. I still haven't picked up Michael Clayton.

Almost missed it!

My mom and I saw Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day last night. It was the last night our local theater had it. I'm surprised we had it at all!

It was a delightful movie. I think it may end up being my favorite of 2008.

Set in 1930's London, the film tells the tale of Miss Guenevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand), a mousy, starving governess who can't find steady work. She steals an appointment card from the employment agency, and finds herself as the social secretary to an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams). Over the next twenty four hours, she helps Delysia sort out her various boyfriends and get a part in a West End musical. She undergoes a transformation of her own, and in the end, helps Delysia find her true love and true self.

There are lovely performances in this movie. Amy Adams is so adorable, and Frances McDormand is believable as Miss Pettigrew. Lee Pace is fabulous as Michael, the poor pianist Delysia really loves. Shirley Henderson is perfectly nasty as a conniving fashion queen who knows Miss Pettigrew isn't what she says she is, and tries to blackmail her into getting back her boyfriend (Ciarin Hinds).

The film's atmosphere is perfect- from the grim beginning with Miss Pettigrew at the soup kitchen, to the shopping/makeover frenzy Delysia takes her on (the lingerie show is a hoot!), to a wild party, and finally a jazzy nightclub. The costumes were fantastic. I was drooling over some of the clothes...I think I may have been born in the wrong decade! There are a few heavy moments, such as an air raid (the film takes place just before WWII breaks out), and the glimpses of poverty- the Great Depression of the 1930's was world-wide. But otherwise, the film is a bright, happy treat.

I'm still looking for the novel by Winifred Watson. My library doesn't own it, and it has only recently been reprinted.

*dies from the cute*

Possible spoilers ahead....

I went to see Penelope on Friday. It was adorable. It was a nice, sweet piece of candy after all of the gloom and doom of the Oscar winners. There aren't enough movies like this- the ones that are funny, cute, and sweet without making the viewer want to throw up. The last one I can think of was Enchanted!

How can someone not love a tale of a girl cursed with a pig's nose until she finds true love with one of her own kind? Yes, that is the plot, such as it is. It doesn't need to be any deeper than that. There are charming performances all around, from Christina Ricci as the cursed girl of the title to James McAvoy as a potential suitor who isn't what he seems. Reese Witherspoon appears briefly as a friend to Penelope when she leaves home for the first time. There's also Peter Dinklage as a reporter who tries to expose Penelope's secret (and has a change of heart about that), Catherine O'Hara as her overprotective mother, and Simon Woods as the nasty Edward, a blue blooded suitor who is afraid of Penelope. It was hard to think of the nice Mr. Bingley from Pride and Prejudice as the bad Edward, but he was perfectly nasty and snobby.

I loved Penelope's delight at being out in the world for the first time. The movie is very colorful and playful in showing Penelope's world, both behind the walls of her home and beyond them. The whole Penelope/Max romance was a little bit rushed, but it is a fairy tale after all. Finally, I loved the film's "I like myself the way I am!" message. No magical first kiss to break the curse- it's more like Dorothy saying "There's no place like home".

This movie was on the shelf for two years. What a shame. It could have been seen and enjoyed so much sooner! And of course, it's getting trampled at the box office by 10,000 B.C.- give me pig-faced girls over woolly mammoths any day, please.



I would not be a very good Torchwood fan if I didn't point out that Burn Gorman (Dr. Harper) has a small role- he's the boss of the reporter. I'm wondering if his part got cut. His American accent was weird. Some British actors just don't do them well.

More sweetness and fluff at the movies next week for me- I'm going to see Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. It's based on a forgotten 1930's novel that is being rediscovered. It looks good.