Katie Über Alles

Angels and demons review

Blevins really wanted to see Angels and Demons, and I was curious having liked the book better than the DaVinci code. I promised him we'd go on opening night.

Without giving too much away for those who haven't seen it, I had two major problems: 1) they don't develop what should be one of the major characters nearly enough. 2) the best part of the book is all the philosophy and history. They are bit players in the movie; window-dressing.

Overall it was an average movie. I think I might have been less disappointed if I hadn't read the book.

Slumdog Millionaire

Go see it.  Some of the parts are somewhat contrived and Bollywood isn't for everyone, but I thought it was a really good movie.  I liked the flashback style they used and I'm generally a fan of Danny Boyle's work.  Plus, who doesn't love Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Bolt

I watch a lot of animated films that most "adults" probably wouldn't.  I have every Disney movie available (the classics, not the ones like Cinderella 2) on DVD, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I like most of them. 

I really wanted to go see Bolt when I was home for Thanksgiving, but I don't think my Mom and Dad were on board with it.  ;)  So, I went yesterday, and even with relatively high expectations, I was pleasantly surprised.  Bolt is a great movie...  It's renewed my faith in Disney post-Pixar.  I would really recommend it to just about everyone I know.  I would even say it's the best Disney animated feature since Nemo (5+ years ago). 

Plus, for music lovers, Jenny Lewis (one of my favorite currently recording singers) does a song for the movie that was really pretty good. 

Oh yeah, it also made me get on Petfinder again and look at doggies.  :)

Anyways, go see it. 

Chocolat

"Once upon a time, there was a quiet little village in the French countryside, whose people believed in Tranquilité - Tranquility. If you lived in this village, you understood what was expected of you. You knew your place in the scheme of things. And if you happened to forget, someone would help remind you. In this village, if you saw something you weren't supposed to see, you learned to look the other way. If perchance your hopes had been disappointed, you learned never to ask for more. So through good times and bad, famine and feast, the villagers held fast to their traditions. Until, one winter day, a sly wind blew in from the North... "

I love this movie (and the book is good too).  It's been on Starz all week (and is ONDemand) and I've been catching bits and pieces of it on the tv while I've had it on in the background doing other stuff.

I don't know if I like this movie so much because it has Johnny Depp in it, or because the town reminds me in some ways of the small, gossipy town I grew up in, or because it's just a good movie with a good script, good acting, and good music.  Either way, this is on my list of feel good movies.

Miss Potter

I don't know how I missed this movie.  I guess it was only in limited release in the US (2006), but I always liked the Beatrix Potter books, having grown up with them.  Plus it has Emily Watson, Renee Zellweger, and Ewan McGregor, all of whom I really like, in it. 

This is a movie in the style of the Jane Austen movie that recently came out (which was only OK, I thought); the autobiography (with liberties) of Beatrix Potter.  She seems kind of nutty in the story, but it is a good story if you like the Beatrix Potter books.

Melissa and I met for dinner and to study for our relpol exam tonight and walking through campus at twilight there were rabbits everywhere which made me smile and think of Peter. 

It's on Showtime right now and available OnDemand through them (at least on FIOS) if you want to check it out.

Definitely, Maybe

Saw this over the weekend and all I can say is that I wish all rom coms could be as good as this movie.  I loved the plot and it seemed fairly true to life (for a movie), not all sappy with a fake happy ending (e.g., Abigail Breslin's mom and dad are getting divorced and they don't end up getting back together at the end of the movie).  The acting was good, the writing was good...  all in all an underrated movie, methinks.

Netflix it when it comes out on dvd.

Snatch

How did I miss this movie?  Never saw it the first time around.  Got it on Netflix.  It's an awesome movie.  I <3 Guy Ritchie.

21 - not terrible, but not good, either

I had kind of a bad day today.  Getting out of the house always makes me feel better, and as tempted as I was to drive up to AC and hang up there for 36 hours, I figured it would be cheaper to go see a movie and grab some drinks.  So against the advice of everyone I know, I went to see 21.  The first hour is actually pretty decent, but then the plot kinda devolves in the second half.  Still, they clearly had a good technical (degenerate) advisor and it is fun to see a movie about Vegas and gambling.  It was entertaining and I suppose that is all one can ask for from a movie these days. 

Afterwards, went to Barking Dog for drinks and bar games.  It was good to get out of the house for a few hours.  :)

The Grand Pushed Back

So mark your calendars for 4/11 because that's when it's opening in DC.  Patience is a virtue.  *Sigh.*

There Will Be Blood

Just got back from seeing this at AFI.  It was a really good movie about greed, power, conning people....until the last few minutes of the film.  I won't spoil it but the ending was a little disappointing, I thought.  Of course, Daniel Day Lewis did a fabulous job.