Recently in Movies Category

We went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 yesterday. I won't put any spoilers in this entry. The comments, if I get any, may have some so beware. This Harry Potter film is, by far, the darkest and most grownup of the franchise so far yet there is still something truly wonderful that stirs when the lights go down and that opening scene music starts. Very rarely does a 2½-hour movie not seem like a 5½-hour movie to me but this one pulls it off. Part 1 did its job. It built strong momentum for a big finale. I hope the filmmakers are up to it.

Two matinee theater tickets, two large drinks, and a large, semi-scorched popcorn: $36. Pretty amazing, isn't it? We had two little girls in front of us at the concession stand. I'm guessing twelve and fourteen. Twelve paid with a Mastercard. Don't know who or how many they were buying for but the two of them could barely carry it all. It was $65-$70 worth of candy/popcorn/soda. Might have been just for them, though, and I'd kinda like to know what the final tally was for their afternoon. :)

Decided to set up the camera, use what I learned a few days ago, and try to capture their activity in the morning. Didn't think I had enough light but it turned out OK. You can hear the news in the background mentioning this week's Saints-Falcons game. This is what we get to watch just outside our living room window. It is one of our greatest joys. For what it's worth, there is another feeder out. It gets hardly any visitors. Not sure what the deal is with this location but it gets, by far, the most activity. They are swarming now because they're about to head south for the winter. Not sure if these are all regular visitors or if some of them are heading south from northern climes. They're all welcome. Enjoy.

The plan was to see Sherlock Holmes on opening day. We got to the ticket window only to find the showing we wanted to see was sold out as was the next one. We were there. What to do? We decided to go see Up In The Air instead.

The three main characters in Up In The Air are played by George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick. Clooney and Kendrick are in a tough business. Firms hire them to lay their workers off and they're shown telling the workers some of the most ridiculous things like "Don't take it personal" and there's another one I won't quote that is even more ridiculous. Business is bad for everyone else so business is good for Clooney and his young associate. They spend most of their time flying from one job to the next. Farmiga plays a love interest of sorts for Clooney. He meets her in a hotel bar and they swap travel anecdotes. They hook up on the road as their paths cross. They're always on the go but you think one or both of them may want something more. Clooney turns in his usual excellent performance. He's money in the bank for most film goers these days. If he's in it, it's bound to be good. What surprised me was how well the two women were able to keep up. The three of them should all get academy awards if you ask me. There's more to this fantastic, smart film for adults than those three delicious performances but I don't want to spoil it for you. Patsy and I both loved it and are both glad we didn't turn around when we saw our show sold out. See it when you can.

PS - We saw Sherlock Holmes the next day. It was OK but I think the next one is the one that the franchise is riding on.

Went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yesterday afternoon. Matinee tickets were $7/ea + $3 service charge for online purchase. We get the Number 2 concession special, which is a bucket of popcorn and two large drinks. With tax, that was $16+. A matinee for two with concessions used to be about $10. We're out $33 before we sit down these days. Enough of that. The first movie wasn't as good as its book counterpart. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th movies were actually better than their books in my opinion. Spoiler info below the jump. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is next, will be in two parts, and will have to be unbelievable to live up to the expectations it has.

Unless you don't mind reading the spoiler stuff, I recommend you wait until you see the movie to comment or read the continuation and the comments, if any.

Janice asked me to post this for everyone. Great idea for a video and a fabulous song.

I wonder if its possible for The Dark Knight to live up to its hype (See today's QOTD). Josh Tyler goes on to say about Heath Ledger's Joker, "He is at once funny and terrifying.". Bonus points if I'm ever terrified during this movie but I'll give Ledger this: Of the three Jokers I've seen and heard (Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, and Heath Ledger), Ledger has the best laugh. The laugh is such an important part of the Joker that it is reason enough for me to ante up. Circumstance has pretty much guaranteed that it will be this year's biggest blockbuster. I'll probably see it a week or two into its run. You?

Quote of the Day

Forget the great things you've heard about The Dark Knight. No matter how lavish the praise or how determined the hyperbole, it's all understatement.

Josh Tyler, CinemaBlend.com

Patsy and I are going to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on opening night next week. I'm a big fan of Indiana Jones and Patsy is basically indulging me by going with me on a week night. This would have been impossible for me just a few months ago. Thank the new job for that. While I've been scouring the trailers and whatnot for movies to use our free passes on, I came across another one that looks interesting. The Incredible Hulk normally wouldn't have interested me but the trailer looks awesome. I think I'm in. Score one for advertising. Are there any BIG movies this summer that you're hoping to see?

I was channel-surfing the other day when I came across a program on one of the high-definition channels about the making of Star Wars. It was not about the first three that I saw back in the 70s and early 80s but the newer ones that I never bothered to see. I never saw the first one, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, in the theater when it came out. I didn't want to see the other two in the theater because I hadn't seen the first one. Seeing them in chronological order has been elusive for me ever since. Now, I'm glad it was. After seeing a visually-magnificent couple of scenes on that making of Star Wars program, I decided to go looking for them. On Friday, June 1, one of the high-definition channels was broadcasting all three of them. I set the DVR to record them all. For reasons I mentioned yesterday, we had a good old-fashioned Saturday afternoon triple feature yesterday. Actually, we started Episode One Friday night.

To say they were visually rewarding is understatement of the highest order. They are spectacular and high-definition is the way to see them. They were shot digitally and this is their native format. I wish I had room on my DVR to save them indefinitely but, unfortunately, I don't. OK, enough of that. The story, particularly Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, is told in a matter-of-fact manner, which is the main knock on all three films. Aside: Do we still call them films when they're entirely digital? I guess there really is a difference between a movie and a film now. I digress. The dialog is served up cold in all three of these and it's pretty bad, which is OK because the action is pretty much non-stop. George Lucas should have stuck to the story and let someone else write the screenplays. That said, let's have a show of hands. Who watches these movies for the dialog?

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is, by far, the best of the three. It takes us from the first two movies in this new series to, as Roger Ebert puts it, "where we came in" in 1977. Some have expressed sympathy towards Anakin Skywalker and his reasons for turning to the Dark Side of the Force. Make no mistake about this: By the last third of this film, he is the monster, Darth Vader. Seeing these three movies in succession was fun and seeing some of these well-known characters in a different time was a real treat. I'm glad I finally did it. Patsy enjoyed them, too. Do it one day if you ever get the chance. I recommend a couple of big bowls of popcorn.

Anyone going to see Grindhouse? I'm dying to see it but I know I'll never talk Patsy into it. It's another Tarantino/Rodriguez flick.

The TMNT movie about to be released reminds me of a story. TMNT stands for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and they were all the rage before Harry Potter. Unbeknownst to me, nephew Lars was a big fan. When I asked him about them in passing one day, he shouted “Kowabunga, dudette!” at me.

Best of luck to Phil. His new restaurant, Phil's Grill, is almost ready. Patsy and I ate there Saturday night. It's in an an area with a lot of traffic, a lot of office workers, a lot of residents, but also a lot of competition. The service was good and the food was excellent and affordable. I think he can hold his own. Thanks for the invite, Phil and Christina. It was a real treat.

A link from Stephen. I'm not sure I want to see an anime feature at the theater although I did like Sin City. I'd watch it when it came to Pay-Per-View or HBO, though.

Okay. Here I am again. The movie I thought you might want to watch a few weeks ago is going to be on again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. American Movie Channel made this movie, a first, and they really did a wonderful job. I thought it was worth watching and hope you will too. And then let me know if you liked it, okay? And listen. If you don't ever watch Westerns, don't look at this one just to please me. And then complain. But if you do like Westerns, this is it.

Well, even though I understand that NOBODY watched the movie I touted in my last entry, I just want to say it was excellent and then some. It was made by American Movie Channel (AMC) and it showed twice on Sunday and the second half twice on Monday. I hope it plays again and I'm sure it will. The story was wonderful. The cast was wonderful. The scenery was wonderful. I had one complaint: the subtitles were in miniature, too fast, and were often white print on white background. What is wrong with people who attend to this feature? But then, this is my common complaint about any movie with subtitles. I never mind subtitles and can read them, follow the action, and never miss a beat. IF they are readable. One time I saw a foreign film that had a white ribbon across the bottom with large black print and it was just wonderful, but I've never seen that again.

Again, in reference to my last entry, I checked the Internet for a remedy recommended by Katie Tompkins called Bitter Apple and saw that I could buy it for $4.50. Plus $4.45 S&H. So I went to my pet store and bought it for $8.25 plus gasoline for my car. Pretty close to a tie -- but I did have to leave my house and that is a plus. I try to leave my house -- that is, put on shoes and lipstick -- at least once each day.

Okay. I think the caffeine is used up and I can go on to other things.

Anyone going to see A Prairie Home Companion? I've read a few great reviews but then I saw the trailer. I'm drawn to it and I think I can talk Patsy into going to see it next weekend. I like Garrison Keillor and I also like Robert Altman movies. This one looks like it is right in his wheelhouse. I usually don’t like to see this kind of film at the theater. I usually prefer big budget blockbusters at the theater and quieter movies at home but I think I’ll make an exception this time.

Cool video of a Lyrebird. Make sure you listen to the whole thing.