Last Movies You Have Rented

[Critical]

Robin Hood - This is the newer one with Russell Crowe. I didn't really know what to expect from this film, but I ended up really enjoying it!! It is more gritty and grounded in the time period than past Robin Hood movies. I totally bought the chemistry between Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett and thought they did a great job. There were also some nice moments of humor and camaraderie. It was definitely brutal, but in keeping with the time period.

Thank you for the reminder! I totally forgot this one was out. I just moved it to the top of my Netflix queue

This weekend, I watched In the Loop, a kind of Wag the Dog-ish political comedy focusing on US and British government/military and the start of war. While I enjoyed it, the trailer was WAY funnier than the film. Still, there were some good moments. I especially enjoyed James Gandolfini as an army general.

I also watched the first 4 episodes of The Fortsythe Saga. I thought I'd seen this when it was on PBS, but I don't think I did - I just read the book! I'll get the third and final disc with the last two episodes on it this week from Netflix. I really loved the first four. Gorgeously filmed and costumed, great acting and wonderful storytelling. Just a terrific family saga. I can't wait to see the last two episodes - I read the book so long ago, that I can't remember how it ended!

[CCL]

I finished up with Dorian Grey starring Ben Barnes in the title role. I'm embarrassed to say I've never read the Oscar Wilde book, but I did enjoy the film. Fans of the Ben Barnes from the Narnia movies shouldn't rent this thinking they'll get more of that. This is a pretty amoral character and there's lots of sex and drugs and it's a bit frightening as well. I thought it was well done and I'll watch anything with Colin Firth

I saw this in a London movie theatre waiting out a rain storm. It was good for that at least. Otherwise I found it very boring and repetitive. I've never read the book so I can't make any comparison there.

Last movie I saw on tv (not rented really but whatever) was Year One. It was rather stupid but I was a in a stupid movie frame of mind. It was kind of interesting seeing biblical characters in another light.

[ClosetRTWatcher]

Immortal Beloved - This is a 1994 film that Netflix recommended to me. The premise is that Beethoven has died and in some letters left everything to a mystery woman he refers to as his "immortal beloved". Apparently such letters were found and the women portrayed in the film are ones that have been speculated as potentially being the woman he was referring to. The film was very well acted and had a great cast. Gary Oldman was outstanding (as usual) as Beethoven. Unfortunately I went into this film expecting it to be amazing (think Amadeus), and it didn't really reach that level. It was a solid film and since I knew nothing of this aspect of Beethoven's story, I didn't see the ending coming ahead of time.

[Miss Scarlet]

I finally got around to watching Avatar.
Every review I've read & everyone I've talked to kept going on about the visuals & special effects & CGI. Seeing that I don't watch movies for ANY of these 3 things, I figured this wouldn't be my cup of tea. I like stories, characters, believable acting, emotions.
I must admit I was amazed & facinated by the visuals etc. I could have watched this movie with the sound off & still been amazed & facinated. It must have been absolutely stunning in a theater in 3D.
With that said, the story was great, the characters & acting were wonderful - they really pulled me into the feel of it.
For a movie that was nearly 3 hours long, it kept me involved the whole time & didn't seem over long.
I can't see why anyone wouldn't have loved this movie.
4 Thumbs Up!

[Critical]

Since it's been raining here, I've been watching lots of movies. I finished all of my Netflix movies this weekend!

Yesterday was the very okay Clash of the Titans remake. It wasn't great, but I enjoyed it. I like big, splashy scifi/fantasy films, as long as they're done well (can't understand why I didn't like Avatar - I should have ). I LOVE the original film, which was cheesy and over-the-top. This one was very different, but I still thought it was fun. I'm not altogether sure that Perseus should have an Australian accent, but whatever.

Also watched The Greatest with Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon as a couple who have lost their young son and Carey Mulligan as the son's girlfriend, who is pregnant with his child and has nowhere to go. It was - as you would expect - very sad, but also really well done. The relationships were realistic and the performances were terrific. Carey Mulligan is really becoming one of THE young actresses.

I also watched the final two episodes of The Forsyte Saga, which ended in a very satisfying way. Great cast, especially the dreamy Rupert Graves. I read the book many years ago and, while the actors weren't necessarily doubles for their counterparts on the page, I still thought the casting was really good. The actor who played Soames was perfectly slimy.

[Miss Scarlet]

Grey Gardens: The movie with Drew Barrymore & Jessica Lange based on the documentary.
This is a really facinating character study of a mother & daughter raised in a time when girls became Debutants & then were expects to "marry well" to a young man who could take care of them & then had servants to take care of the household & all the details of life. Ultimately things didn't go as planned & they continued to live in their own dream world in their own minds of parties, dancing, glamour & what they thought they could have been.
I guess this type of life still goes on with people like Paris Hilton & the Kardashians.
They were at the same time likeable & strong, while still being helpless, odd & sad. I liked it enough to watch the special features & then rewatch it with the full movie comentary.
It did leave me with a very strong urge to clean my house & throw away last year's old Christmas cards.
Thumbs up

[ClosetRTWatcher]

The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Surprisingly enjoyable. Good special effects, fun story, and just all-around enjoyable to watch.

The Expendables - I sat down to watch this action movie with my husband and ended up wandering off to get chores done and never got back around to finishing it. He liked it, but it didn't draw me in enough to bring me back.

Earth - Not the Disney documentary. This is an Indian film about the division of India into India and Pakistan after the British colonization of India ended. It was very well made and the characters were well developed. It was difficult to watch due to the brutality - nothing explicit, but strongly implied. I really felt like I got to know the characters and that just made it more heartbreaking to watch as the story progress and their relationships changed along with the political climate.

[waywyrd]

We just watched The Expendables too - I was a bit disappointed. The dialogue was severely lacking (but really, I should have expected as much) and while it was fun to have all the action stars in one movie, it was nothing but an explosion-fest. Just when I thought they had run out of things to blow up, they'd find something else. But, Jason Statham was in it, and I'll watch anything he's in, no matter how crappy.

Also watched The Book of Eli (excellent!) and the new Robin Hood (also excellent).

[Miss Scarlet]

The Backup Plan
I usually like Jennifer Lopez's comedies. Not goundbreaking cinema, but cute, funny & fun. This was none of those.
Her character was very unlikeable. A self-centered clod with no manners whatsoever, who was manipulative & jerkish to her sweet new boyfriend & bitched at him the whole movie.
A lot of the humor was just offensive & disrespectful to women.
I only finished it because I paid to rent it.

Huge Thumbs Down.

[ActMax]

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" The BEST BEST thing ever IMO, and I watch a lot of TV and movies. This totally blew me away, great, highly recommend.