Videos I've watched lately

I'm still ODed on politics so here's another non-political post.

Blades of Glory (2007)

When a scandal strips them of their gold medals, two world-class skaters (Will Ferrell and Jon Heder) skirt their way back onto the ice via a loophole that allows them to compete together as a pairs team. Will Arnett ("Arrested Development") and Amy Poehler ("Saturday Night Live") co-star as their competitive on-ice rivals who vow to use their triple axel to the fullest advantage.

Every now and then I enjoy a really good dumb comedy. This was dumb but it wasn't that good. Two stars.

Broken English (2007)

Writer-director Zoe R. Cassavetes' charming indie yarn follows 30ish New Yorker Nora Wilder (Parker Posey), a single woman in a dead-end job whose friends are all happily engaged romantically. But love seems to elude Nora -- until she meets an oddball Frenchman (played by Melvil Poupaud) who helps her discover life beyond her self-imposed boundaries. Gena Rowlands, Griffin Dunne and Drea de Matteo also star.

John Cassavetes' daughter directs her mother, Gena Rowlands, and the kooky Parker Posey in a "quirky" chick-flick. Three stars.

Meet the Robinsons (2007)

In this animated adventure, brilliant preteen inventor Lewis (voiced by Daniel Hansen) creates a memory scanner to retrieve his earliest recollections and find out why his mother gave him up for adoption. But when the villainous Bowler Hat Guy steals the machine, Lewis is ready to give up on his quest -- until the mysterious Wilbur Robinson (Wesley Singerman) shows up on the scene, whisking Lewis to the future to find the scanner ... and his mom.

I loved every minute of this movie. It has a clever story. It's funny and the art is beautiful, original and almost psychedelic in parts. Four stars.

Ratatouille (2007)

Brad Bird (The Incredibles) co-directs this Oscar-nominated Pixar offering, following the antics of a passionate rat named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who yearns for a sip of the good life. Growing up beneath a five-star Parisian restaurant owned by a famous chef (Brad Garrett), Remy inherits a taste for fine food. But his culinary ambitions only anger his practical father, who wishes his son could just eat garbage like everyone else.

I'm usually not all that enthusiastic about animated films and don't expect too much from them so it was a pleasant surprise to watch two great animated movies in a row. This one is brilliant. Four stars.

The Servant (1963)

This BAFTA-winning drama stars Dirk Bogarde (awarded Best Actor) as Barrett, a seemingly dedicated manservant hired by dim-witted playboy Tony (played by James Fox). As Barrett earns his master's trust, he plots to take control of Tony's affairs, and soon, the servant becomes the master. Written by acclaimed playwright Harold Pinter, this landmark film was directed by Joseph Losey, in the first of three collaborations between the two.

When this was released on DVD, I thought "Great! How can you go wrong with a movie by Losey starring Bogarde and Fox?" I forgot to read the fine print - "written by Harold Pinter." I met Pinter through his nephew who was a friend of mine. He's an asshole - oh sorry - he's a nasty, communist asshole and his sour view of life marks everything that he writes. As good as Bogarde and Fox are, I can't recommend this movie - unless you need something to inspire yourself to commit suicide.

A Good Year (2006)

Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott directs this adaptation of Peter Mayle's best-selling novel, following the romantic misadventures of an Englishman in Provence, France. After inheriting a French vineyard from his uncle Henry (Albert Finney), failed banker Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) moves abroad, where he meets a beautiful American woman (Marion Cotillard) who claims to be his long-lost cousin -- and his uncle's true heir.

Netflix's description is wrong. Marion Cotillard plays a local French woman. She is gorgeous in this movie. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Edith Piaf in which she is decidedly not gorgeous. Yes, it's a chick-flick but everyone needs a little magic and romance once in a while and you can't have enough beauty ever. This movie sure is magical, romantic and beautiful. Four stars.

The Nanny Diaries (2007)

College-educated Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson) gets a crash course in child care when she plays nanny to the 4-year-old son of grossly dysfunctional parents (Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti). Directed by Shari Springer Berman (American Splendor), this all-star comedy was adapted from the best-selling novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, who based their book on their experiences working for Manhattan's wealthiest families.

Not another chick-flick! Yep. I enjoy them especially when they star Scarlett Johansson who is awfully easy on the eyes. Three stars.

The Prestige (2006)

At the dawn of the 20th century, rival magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are desperate to reveal each other's secrets. Obsessed by the escalating competition, the two illusionists begin to perform increasingly risky tricks -- which soon turn deadly. Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie also star in this taut psychological thriller from director Christopher Nolan.

The best movie that I've watched recently. It's tense, scary, clever and has a surprise twist in the end. Four and a half stars.

The Alice (2004)

In this engrossing made-for-TV drama, adventure, mystery and romance collide as Aussies from across the land Down Under -- drawn by inexplicable forces -- converge on the outback town of Alice Springs to observe a total solar eclipse. When they cross paths, the lives of washed-up rock star Jack Jaffers (Erik Thomson), jittery nurse Helen Gregory (Caitlin McDougall) and botanist Matt Marione (Patrick Brammall) will never be the same.

I've enjoyed oddball Aussie movies ever since I saw Priscilla in 1994 and Welcome to Woop Woop in 1997. This was fun and funny but not as brilliant as the aforementioned farces. Two and a half stars.

Hippies (2006)

In this comic tale, a quintet of contemporary hippies takes to the road in their Volkswagen bus -- dubbed "Kosmic Freedum"-- to attend Preservation Week, an event dedicated to saving the planet. But when they can't get into the festival, they find themselves on their own -- and facing off against loggers, sport utility vehicle owners and, of course, the fuzz. Matt Keating, Amy Renner, Kurt Richter, Kevin George and Michael Roberts star.

I got this because it was filmed in the nearby city of Eugene. It's hilarious. The actors all look like hippies but play their parts with such scathing satire that I wondered if they were really Young Republicans who hated hippies. It's fun but amateurishly produced. Two and a half stars.

Jericho: Season 1 (2006)

Another entry in the new serial genre, this CBS drama revolves around a small town in Kansas that finds itself cut off from the rest of the world after a mushroom cloud appears on the horizon and a TV and radio blackout ensue. Has there been a terrorist attack or a pre-emptive nuclear strike? Faced with terrifying uncertainty, the town -- including the mayor's (Gerald McRaney) prodigal son (Skeet Ulrich) -- begins to come apart at its seams.

This was cancelled by CBS but apparently there was an uproar so they brought it back. It's currently being rebroadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel but we missed recording the first episode so we got the DVD. I absolutely hated the first two episodes because of the hideous melodramatic music, the formulaic "disaster movie" cliches and Hollywood's perverse take on a small town. Maybe people whine and moan and fight each other on Hollywood Boulevard after a disaster but they sure wouldn't do so in my small town. It's basically a sci-fi/disaster soap-opera - but like all halfway decent soaps, it's addictive. You get hooked on the characters and the next thing they're "family." So, yes, I'll watch the rest of it. Two and a half stars.