Mr. Woodcock

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Mr. Woodcock
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked it

This movie was pretty cute!  I remember seeing previews for it and giggling a little bit.  I also remember it being in theaters for about 12 hours total.

Sean William Scott used to be a pudgy Jr. High kid.   His gym teacher, Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thorton) was a total a-hole.  He's a hard arse teacher, although, I must admit, I was impressed by his teaching.  He was tough on those kids, but he was teaching them lessons about life.  Unfortunately the kids just think he's a jerk, they don't realize the lessons he's teaching.

Now Sean William Scott is a successful writer.  He's written a book about how to get over your past (as in, get over the past of a horrible gym teacher who embarrassed you in front of the entire class!).  He has won an award in his home town, so he head home (Nebraska I think?) to stay with his mom.

Oh no - his mom is dating Mr. Woodcock!  Oh no - his mom is engaged to Mr. Woodcock!  Sean (I forgot his name in the movie!) loves his mom, and really wants to be supportive, but he just hates Woodcock with a passion!  He tries to break them up, or prove that Woodcock is cheating or something!

There are some pretty funny scenes with Woodcock, Sean and a couple of Sean's old Jr. High friends, who all hate Woodcock and would love to ruin his life.  Sean also went on a date with a girl from Jr. High.  She was pretty, but not super model movie pretty.  She was just a normal looking girl.  I always find that refreshing when an average girl is on screen.

An American Carol

Who: Kerri & Scott
What: An American Carol
Where: Local Theatre
Why: It was my birthday

For my birthday Scott took me to the movies, and he knows I love the movies, and since he doesn't it's always a great treat for me to see something that's not for kids.

This is a hilarious parody of Michael Moore. He decides he wants to abolish the 4th of July and is visited by Angels to teach him a lesson on America.

If you are 'left leaning' politically you probably won't like this movie at all. As I am the face of the vast right wing conspiracy I found it absolutely hilarious! You don't get to see this point of view watching TV ever, so it was nice to have that outlet.

Spiderman 3

Who:  Amber
What:  Spiderman 3
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Something to watch while I clean the house

If you forgot Spiderman 2, here's a quick recap:  MJ finds out that Peter really is Spiderman, and they realize they love each other.  Peter still lives in his crappy apartment, but Mary Jane has made it to Broadway!

This movie is fun, but there is almost too much stuff going on.  First Harry (Peter's ex-friend) attacks him and winds up with a bump on the head.  Some criminal guy escapes from jail, winds up in some sand thing, and magically turns into the Sandman.  And then, some weird black stuff crawl out of the river, attaches itself to Spiderman's suit and turns him into 'bad spiderman' (otherwise known as Venom).

Of course, there are fights and fights and fights.  Will Spiderman actually lose one this time?  Riiiiiight.

A lot of people mocked this movie because Peter Parker cries after MJ 'fake' breaks up with him (a bad guy makes her do it).  Let me tell you, when you get broken up with (and you were about to propose!), you cry.  You cry like a little girl.  It's embarrasing, but you can't stop.  Kudos to the director and Tobey Maguire for crying like a little girl.

I also have a crush on Eric from That '70s Show, who plays a rival photographer, and who turns into 'bad spiderman' (Venom).  I forgot his name in real life (Topher Grace - that's it!), but I think he's super hot for some reason.

If you've seen Spiderman 1 & 2, then I recommend checking this movie out.  If you missed Spiderman 1 or 2, then don't bother.  Although, I'm guessing Spiderman 4 will be out eventually ...

The Secret Life of Bees

Who:Terry
What:Secret Life of Bees
Where:Rockford Theater
Why:Cause I love the book

Every since i heard this was a movie I just couldnt wait to go.  Kerri, Emily, Mitchel and I went today, and I wasnt disapointed.  They  stayed pretty much along with the book.  The movie is set in the 60's, racial strife, disfuctional family, ect.  The story is about Lily, who's mother left her father when she was 4yrs old and left her behind.  Lily's father is one mean ass jerk and is horrible to Lily who ends up running away from home with Rosaleen, their housekeeper to find out the truth about her mother.  I wont spoil what happens, but it's a good movie.  Dakota Fanning is one awesome little actress, she had me in tears in multiple scenes.  Queen Latifa was so perfect as the part of August Boatwright, and Alicia Keys as her sister, June,  is one person that I wouldnt want pissed off at me.  Man the looks that girl gave people!!!   I couldnt help but tear up about every scene with Jennifer Hudson, thinking of her recent pain and suffering, so heartbreaking.  This will be a movie I buy.   Go see it, you wont be disapointed. 

The Pixar Story

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Pixar Story
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Pixar rules!

I love a documentary, but only if I'm interested in the subject.  The Pixar Story was a very enjoyable documentary!

I think a lot of people think Pixar was formed to make great movies.  Not ever close.  Pixar has been around for a while.  "Pixar" was actually the name of a computer they made, which had nothing to do with animation.  George Lucas used to own the company.  They were losing money every year, and Steve Jobs (the Apple guy) bought them.

They still lost money every year until they made Toy Story.  Even making Toy Story was a big challenge.  Besides the fact that a CGI animated movie had never been made before, they really struggled with the story and getting Disney to help them out.

Side note:  John Lassater, the director of Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Cars was a Disney animator, who was FIRED!  Smooth move Disney.

This documentary was great, because Pixar, and all the directors of various movies seemed to video tape their entire lives!  There was tons of old footage, and it was very entertaining and informative to watch.

Another side note:  This documentary was made by Leslie Iwerks.  Disney aficionados might recognize her name ... she is the grandaughter of Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney's right hand man.

I heard this documentary MIGHT be included in the upcoming Ratatouille 2-disc DVD, so stay tuned.

Final Destination

Who:  Amber
What:  Final Destination
Where:  @ home - I own it on DVD
Why:  Great movie!

This is the first movie that made me SCREAM out loud in the movie theater.  I won't give anything away, but in involved a bus.  And I'm taking about a loud scream in the movie theater.  And I'm not a screamer.

The entire high school is headed to Paris, but Alex is getting paranoid.  He's not a fan of flying.  Then, when he buckles in he has an intense vision of the plane going down (this vision lasts for about 15 minutes - and while it's sad when plans crash, it's a fabulous scene!).  He wakes up from his vision, realizes it was a dream ... but he knows it will come true.  He freaks out, and runs off the plane.  A couple of his class mates try to stop him from acting like a jack arse, and about 6 kids get kicked off the plane.  The plane takes off, and 2 minutes later is crashes.  The 6 kids who "escaped" were really mad that they are missing their flight to Paris, but now are dumbfounded and amazed ... they are alive!

Unfortunately, the 6 kids were 'supposed' to die.  It was their time.  So death eventually comes for them ... unless they can outsmart death.

What makes Final Destination (and it's sequels) such great horror movies is the simplicity of it.  This is not a crazed killer or a flesh eating virus killing people - it's every day objects, like a beach towel or a drive thru window.  And that is really freaky.  It actually makes you think that you could die any day by doing every day things.  It's a great movie, but it leaves you really creeped out in the end.

Plus, don't say I didn't warn you about that bus scene ...

No Country For Old Men

Who:  Jonathan & Amber
What:  No Country For Old Men
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked it

Normally I stay far, far away from award winning movies.  Normally I find them boring.  But why didn't anybody tell me about this movie before?  It was a violent massacre - right up my ally!

However, in true award winning movie format, it's hard to tell what the point of the movie was.  It was one of those movies that just ends, and you're like, "what the ???".

Luanne (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong - it's a guy!) is hunting in Texas.  He sees a bunch of abandoned trucks in the distance.  When walks closer, he finds a massacre of dead bodies and truck full of drugs.  Luanne is no dummy - he knows there where there are drugs, there is money.  One guy is still alive (barely) and points to the way to the money.  A mile down the road Luanne finds the last dead guy with a suitcase full of money.

Later that night, Luanne wakes up and decides to go help out the half dead guy.  Smooth move exlax!  He is where his life turns upside down.  When he gets back to the massacre site, the guy is dead (duh!) and some guys from Mexico show up looking for their drug money.

Luanne manages to get away, but the Mexicans are after him.  One other guy is after him too.  It's creepy hair guy (Javier Barden), which you may remember from the Oscars (he won best supporting actor).  Javier Barden is a bad dude.  He's got no morals, he just kills and kills and kills.  Luanne is a pretty smart guy, and this cat and mouse chase lasts for days.

It's pretty suspenseful, and also pretty graphic.  Javier is such a great killer, that you assume he'll get him in the end.  But Luanne shows off his skills and smarts.

I don't want to give away the ending or anything.  If you enjoy artsy movies - check this out.  If you enjoy violence - check this out.  If you like it when a movie gives you no closure what so ever (grrrrr!) - then check this out!

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Who:Terry & Mitchel
What: Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Where:Beloit, Wi.
Why: Cause I am the Crazy Puppy Lady

OMG, Kerri is right, I *am* The Crazy Puppy Lady.  I guess I can confess to using Mitchel as a ploy to go see a dog movie.  And I must say, I was not disappointed!!!  I laughed, I cried and I cried again.   The dogs are totally cute in this movie, and the voices that talk for them are perfect.  Drew Barrymore as the BH chihuahua, Chloe was a great choice and George Lopez as Papi.   Chloe's owner goes off on a business trip and leaves Chloe with a niece which of course doesnt take proper care of the dog and she gets lost and the adventure begins.   Enter the cutie pie gardner with his dog Papi to help look for the dog that has gotten loose in Mexico.  There is also a rat and an iguana that are quite funny in this too.   I guess what got to me was the scenarios they set up and I was thinking how they happen in real life, minus the talking of course.   The dog fight scene made me cry cause  I know that is very real, and very sad what they do to these dogs.   Mitchel cracked up at the movie and he loved it.    So i guess from us it's a double thumbs up!!!  I will buy this movie.   Along with a herd of chihuahua's, a pit bull, a German Shepard (who was gorgeous in the movie) and a load of mutts!!!!    

Nights in Rodanthe

Who: Monica (and my Mom)
What: Nights in Rodanthe
Where: Theater near home
Why: B/C it's a Nicholas Sparks story

Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors. He writes mostly dramatic chick flick sort of books and they are usually somewhat predictable. They are always great stories though and turn into wonderful movies. Examples include: "The Notebook", "A Walk to Remember" and "Message in a Bottle".

Having read "Nights in Rodanthe" several times, I was very anxious to see the movie. With the two main characters being played by Richard Gere and Diane Lane, it was sure to be a good movie.

The setting is beautiful, on the beach at a Bed & Breakfast Inn, off the coast of North Carolina. Doctor Paul Flanner is coming as the only guest for a weekend to talk to the family of a former patient, he has some serious things to deal with as he leaves his practice, his house and his way of life. He is headed to patch a relationship with his estranged son, after he deals with the family of his former patient. Meanwhile Adrienne is "Inn sitting" for the owner and her friend who has left town, in the midst of a coming storm, for a wedding.

Paul and Adrienne must spend the weekend together at the Inn, alone. They need to prepare for the coming storm and find a way to relate to each other. I'm sure you know what happens next.

The main characters are mostly "the only" characters during the major length of the movie. While that makes for a fantastic read, it seems to drag on a little slow on the big screen. I enjoyed how the story was adopted to fit in a 2 hour movie and don't think anything from the story was really added or taken away. It's different, but not enough to make you feel like you don't know this story.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a serious chick flick/drama and Nicholas Sparks stories. I do have to say it's probably a renter due to it's predictability and lack of serious action.

The Greatest Rescues of Emergency

Who: Bill
What: The Greatest Rescues of Emergency
Where: Retro Television Network
Why: I used to watch Emergency! every week

One of the first television shows I remember watching as a young boy was Emergency! During the past few months, I’ve been catching some episodes on the Retro Television Network (RTN), which is available on Bright House Cable channel 1028 and over the air on digital channel 27.2. Whereas cable mainstay TV Land has added movies and original reality garbage… uh, programs to their schedule, RTN specializes in a lineup almost entirely of classic television shows, which is what TV Land used to do-- and should still be doing. But I digress.
Recently I contributed a review of the Emergency! pilot movie. So it is somewhat fitting to look at the movie that ended the series.

Originally aired on NBC Sunday, December 31, 1978, The Greatest Rescues of Emergency is exactly what the title says-- a clip show compiled of some of the most dramatic and a few amusing rescues performed by Firefighter/Paramedics John Gage (Randy Mantooth) and Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe). The opening credits are a montage of big fires and massive explosions that are simply over-the-top. But they grab your attention, which is the intent. After all, the show was called Emergency! with an exclamation point! Anyhow, Gage and DeSoto have been promoted to Captain, and are each assigned to their own fire stations. It is a bittersweet advancement. They can no longer work as Paramedics and thus no longer work together at fire station 51. But before parting ways, they reminisce over the six years they have been partners, beginning with how they met in training and the early days of being Paramedics. From there a variety of clips demonstrate the hazards and rewards of fighting fires, assisting accident victims and overall saving lives-- sometimes their own. Among the highlighted rescues include a paint factory fire, a plane crash landing, Gage being bitten by a rattlesnake and a young woman who gets her toe caught in a bathtub faucet. The final scene sums up the true friendship of Gage and DeSoto (and by that same token, the actors themselves) without needing to say a lot.

For syndicated reruns, The Greatest Rescues of Emergency was re-edited into a two-part format. Unfortunately this results in a very murky and scratchy film that was certainly not the case when first presented as a two hour movie. Compared with the relatively pristine-looking pilot film, this is a minor distraction to see. Some of the early episodes of Emergency! have been digitally re-mastered for DVD releases and RTN showings, while the later shows don’t yet look as good, although certainly watchable.

This movie was designed to serve as a wrap-up to the series, but two more Emergency! movies set in San Francisco followed in the summer of 1979. Their scheduling in rerun season only underscored how terrible NBC’s overall ratings were at the time. Ironically, Nielsen numbers perceived as awful then would probably be welcomed by the struggling network in 2008.

Dan in Real Life

Who:  Jonathan and Amber
What:  Dan in Real Life
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Jonathan really likes this movie

Jonathan and I first saw this movie onboard the Disney Cruise Line (during our 1 year anniversary trip - awww).

This movie stars Dan (Steve Carrel) in an unfunny roll.  He's really good.  Dan is a widower with 3 daughters.  He write a column for the newspaper giving advice.  He's a good Dad, with great advice, but he's a little dimwitted sometimes.

The family is going away for the weekend to Grandma & Grandpa's cabin by the lake.  All the brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins will be there.  It's a huge group of people.  It's so cute seeing this normal family have a cross word puzzle tournament and put on a play.  I wanted to be a part of this family!

On the way to the cabin, Dan stops at a bookstore and meets a girl.  Meeting a girl to Dan is a big deal!  They talk for hours, until she gets a phone call and has to run.  Dan speeds to the cabin to tell everybody about this new girl.  Unfortunatly, the girl is already at the cabin.  It's  his brother's (Dane Cook - another funny man playing an unfunny role) new girlfriend.  Dan and the new girl pretend to just meet, and the rest of the weekend is very awkward.  It was love at first sight for both of them at the book store, but now they have to pretend to be strangers.

There are a ton of side stories involving Dan's 17 year old (he won't let her drive), Dan's 14 year old (she's in love too!) and Dane Cook.

It's not an action packed movie by any means, but it's got a lot of heart, it's cute, it's funny at times, and the ending is really sweet.  I highly recommend it.

Reno 911! Miami

Who:  Jonathan & Amber
What:  Reno 911! Miami
Where:  @ home - borrowed the DVD from a friend
Why:  We love the TV show

This movie was really funny.  Although, if you've never seen the TV show, I don't think you would enjoy this movie.

The movie features our 8 favorite police officers from Reno.  They get invited to Miami for a Police convention.  Of course, they give the registration info to Weigel (the most moronic cop) and of course she screws it up.  So now they are in Miami with no convention.

Long story short, the Miami PD needs their help!  Like the TV show, they go on 911 calls, and hilarity ensues.  Just wait until you see 2 of the beach officers - yowsers!

The best part of the movie is that all the random regulars from the TV show are there too.  Patton Oswald, Terry (the guy on rollerskates), Pee Wee Herman (almost unrecognizable!) and others are all here.

Again, if you're a fan of the show, then I would recommend this movie.  I'm guessing it will be on Comedy Central in about a year, so just wait it out.  And if you've never seen Reno 911!, I recommend that too.  I've seen commercials for it forever, and I thought it looked so lame, but it's actually quite good.  All the cops are so funny, and their personalities really shine.  None of them are 'bad' cops, they all do their job pretty well, but funny stuff always happens to them.

The Big Lebowski

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Big Lebowski
Where:   @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked it

I've heard so much about this movie, but I've never seen it.  I wasn't impressed.  Maybe I just don't get these 'weird' movies.  Or maybe it's a Coen Brother's thing that I don't get.  Either way, this isn't my kind of movie.  But don't listen to me - this seems to be a cult classic!

"Dude" Lebowski is a slacker.  The movie opens with 2 guys breaking into his house and demanding the money!  One guy dunks him in his toilet (gross!) and another guy pees on his rug.  Then the bad guys realize that this isn't the Mr. Lebowski they are looking for.  They want a millionaire Lebowski, and "Dude" is a total slacker!

Dude is annoyed by his stained rug.  He goes to the millionaire Lebowski's house to ask for a new rug, since it was kind-of his fault that his was peed on.

One thing leads to another and Dude and his moronic friend (a hilarious, potty mouth John Goodman) are in the middle of a random drop.  It's botched, and everybody wants to know where the money is.  There are 3 different groups of people after the money.  In addition, Leboowski bowls a lot!  That's basically the plot of the movie.

Make a special note of the GIANORMOUS cell phone that Lebowski has.

The Hoax

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Hoax
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  I finally got to pick a movie!

This movie actually let's you know exactly that will happen at the end (for the most part), but it was still pretty suspenseful.  Kodus to the editor!  

Cliff Irving (Richard Gere) is a down and out writer.  His latest book was rejected, so he comes up with a brilliant plan - write an autobiography of billionaire Howard Hughes.  This is the early '70s, nobody has seen Howard Hughes in about 20 years, and he's a media darling.

People are going nuts about the idea about a book about Howard Hughes!  It's weird to think about in this decade.  Is there a celebrity or figure (who is still alive) that a possible book would make us go nuts?!?  I guess in the age of the internet, we know everything about everybody.

Back to the '70s.  Cliff forges documents "proving" that he's in contact with Hughes.  He steals some documents to get even more in depth knowledge.  After he gets a huge bonus to finish the book, he finds himself in hot water.  He can be sued and go to jail if he gets caught!

If you read the cliff notes (pun!) about this movie, you know Cliff Irving will get caught.  But the movie still is fairly suspensful.  Will Cliff get caught before or after the book is published?

And, my favorite part about stories based on real people, they told us what has happened to the characters in real life.  We found out a little about Howard Hughes, a lot about Cliff and his wife, and about Cliff's writing partner.  I recommend this movie!

The Bridge

Who: Jaclyn
What: The Bridge
Where: @ Home
Why: Read an article about it

When I have free time at work (which is a rarity) I like to read news sites. I found an article on this documentary about people who commit suicide off of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The guy who created this film had different cameras constantly recording the bridge for I think the span of a year. He wanted to capture these instances. It sounds morbidly disturbing but it is really interesting. It's not just bodies constantly jumping off of the bridge.

Families and friends of the jumpers tell their stories of what the people were like and what mental state they had been in before they jumped and most of them believe the jumpers are now at peace. Even one of the jumpers lived to tell and talks about his experience.

Overall, a very dark yet interesting film. Nothing gory. You only see them fly through the air and hit the water. Only seeing a splash and nothing else.

Shutter

Who: Jaclyn
What: Shutter
Where: @ Home
Why: Who doesn't like a scary movie and Joshua Jackson?

I don't know what possessed me to rent this from Netflix, but I did. I think maybe I'm going through a Joshua Jackson phase since his new series "Fringe" started.

Anyhoo...this movie is about a newlywed couple, Ben and Jane (Joshua Jackson and Rachel Taylor). They go on their honeymoon in Japan since Ben is a photographer and has to go there for work.

On a dark and icy night, while driving in Japan, Jane hits a girl with their car. Freaked out by this, she drives Ben crazy since he didn't see anything and thinks she didn't see what she thought she did.

Later on, they start noticing weird images in the pictures they have been taking on their trip. Who is this mystery person? Further into the movie Jane finds out the woman is somehow connected to her new husband.

Even weirder things start to transpire as this girl haunts their lives. Will Ben ever be rid of his past?

This movie was a creepy concept for sure. Scary though? Not so much. Sure, it had its "EW!" moments, but nothing that would have any horror fan rattled.

My Best Friend's Girl

Who: Jaclyn
What: My Best Friend's Girl
Where: AMC (in MI)
Why: Dane Cook!

Ok, so if you've read any of my posts involving Dane Cook you know I'm a fan. So of course, I was excited to see this movie. That is, until I saw the movie.

The premise is simple: Tank Turner (Dane Cook) is a jerk. Men pay him to "woo" their exes so they will see what great guys they were. You'd think this would be full of wacky antics but it's really not. He's really quite the bastard.

His cousin, Dustin (Jason Biggs) is in love with his co-worker Alexis (Kate Hudson) and wants Tank to work his magic on her. Unfortunately, this backfires and Tank and Alexis really hit it off.
Of course there's anger between the two of them and when Alexis finds out about the scheme, she's infuriated.

The acting from Jason Biggs is really bad. Not that I expected an Oscar worthy performance but he didn't even live up to Jim standards from American Pie. That is truly tragic.

Overall, I enjoyed it because it was Dane, but it's pretty raunchy and somewhat dull.

12 Monkeys

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  12 Monkeys
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  I wanted Jonathan to see it

I really like this movie.  First of all, it's got hot, short haired Brad Pitt (for the first 1/2 of the movie anyways - then his hair gets long and he's got a scary mustache).  Second of all, it's a very unique movie.  It really makes you think.  You're not thinking about life or anything important, just thinking about the twists and turns of the movie.

Bruce Willis is a prisoner in the future.  The "scientists" (creepy people!) send him back in time (to the early 90's, or "present day") to help figure out what happened.  You see, everybody in the future is living underground.  Turns out 90% of the world's population died in 1996.

Unfortunatly, when you travel back in time, and try to convince people that you're from the future, they think you're nuts.  Bruce Willis ends up in the nut house, where he meets Brad Pitt (who is also nuts).  His shrink thinks Bruce Willis looks really familiar, but thinks he's nuts none the less.

Bruce Willis escapes from the nut house, kidnaps the scientist, and tries to prove to her that he's from the future.  Bruce Willis knows what radical group is going to kill 90% of the world ... or does he?  Will be able to stop them with the scientists help?  Will crazy Brad Pitt successfully kill pretty much everybody?

I highly encourage you to find this movie on cable.  It's very different and it's a good time!  Did I mention hot short haired Brad Pitt is in this movie?

The Devil Wears Prada

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Devil Wears Prada
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  We like Anne Hathaway

This movie was really cute.  Although it didn't end the way I assumed it would.

Andie (Anne Hathaway) is a college grad with a journalism degree.  She is struggling to get a job in NYC, but manages to land a job as Miranda's (I forgot the actress's name!) assistant at Runway.  Runway is the magazine to top all magazines in the fashion world.  The only problem is that Andie is 100% unfashionalbe, and Miranda is the worlds BIGGEST WITCH!

But, if you can last 1 year with Miranda, you can pretty much get any job in jouralism that you want, so Andie tries to tough it out.  Miranda doesn't make it easy on her.  Get my coffee, hang up my coat, get me this, call this person, blah, blah, blah!

Andie struggles, but get's the hang of Miranda's jerkyness.  She also decides to get fashionable and borrows a ton of clothes from the Runway closet.  Even though she is a "huge" size 6, and all the fashion clothes are 2 or 4 (boo-hoo!).  There is a great montage of Andie walking around in her brand new digs, and Miranda really starts to take notice.  So much notice that Andie is now her #1 assistant!  The #2 assistant (Emily) is pretty P.O'ed, especially when Andie is chosen to go to London.

Will Andie do the snooty thing and take Emily's spot in London, even though Emily has been talking about London, and dieting for London for the past 6 months?  Will Miranda finally turn un-witchy for 5 minutes and tell Andie that she's doing a kick butt job?  I don't want to give anything away.  I highly recommend this movie.  Even if you're not into fashion, this movie isn't so much fashion shoved down your throat.

One more thing, the Miranda character is so mean.  I'm not sure if I've ever seen a meaner character on TV or in real life EVER.  It's kind-of amazing.  Like a train wreck, I can't turn away because I'm curious to see what horrible thing she'll do next.

Tron

Who: Bill
What: Tron
Where: Rented DVD from Netflix
Why: Believe it or not, I’d never seen the whole movie!

I admit it-- it took me 26 years to watch Tron from start to finish. There were opportunities to see it before, but for one reason or another, I never got around to watching all of it until now. But I’m glad I finally did.

Tron is one of the first movies to make extensive use of computer-generated graphics. In the early 1980‘s, the emerging field of computer technology was taking hold in the workplace. Video games were capturing the imagination of people not only in dedicated arcades but in homes thanks to Atari. The timing could not have been better for a film such as Tron to take advantage of the fascination with computers and computer-based games. For Walt Disney Productions, Tron was a story well beyond the typical boundaries previously put forth by the studio. Just two years earlier for example, lackluster efforts such as Herbie Goes Bananas was standard fare when it came to Disney’s live-action product even though the studio was beginning to try out different concepts such as 1979’s The Black Hole.

Most of the action in Tron is set within the fantasy world of computer gaming. An ambitious programmer named Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has made numerous attempts to remotely hack into his former employer’s mainframe to prove the thievery of co-worker Ed Dillinger (David Warner), who stole ideas of Flynn’s in order to advance to an executive level. Dillinger has created a self-running Master Control Program or MCP and it is the MCP that prevents Flynn’s efforts to gain access. Meanwhile, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) has developed a security program called TRON to watch over the MCP. But the MCP, which has evolved to nearly outsmart its human counterparts, doesn’t take kindly to being monitored by anyone or any program. After Flynn is brought back to the lab by Bradley and co-worker--and former girlfriend-- Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan), Flynn directly confronts the MCP and is transported into the gaming world where his program counterpart Clu is challenged to a series of games. Its up to Flynn/Clu to outsmart the MCP and stay alive to destroy it, or be erased forever. Characters in the real world have digital counterparts. Thus, Dillinger is the meanacing leader named Sark as well as the MCP’s voice, Lora is Yori, and Alan is Tron.

The visual effects make Tron stand out. It amazed audiences in 1982 and when seen from that perspective, it still looks impressive in 2008. For years, rumors of a sequel had come and gone. On July 24, 2008, guests at San Diego Comic Con were surprised when Disney presented test footage from what was termed “TR2N” or Tron 2. The projected release date is for 2011. Jeff Bridges is scheduled to return as Kevin Flynn. Director and co-writer Steven Lisberger will also be involved in the sequel as a co-producer. With the incredible advancements in CGI since Tron was released, antcipation should be high for another stunning visual achievement in how movies are made.

No Reservations

Who:  Amber
What:  No Reservations
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  Figured it would be decent

This movie was pretty cute.  Definitely a chick flick.

Catherine Zeta Jones (Kate) is a work-a-holic chef - one of the best in NYC.  Typical chick in a movie, she's great at her job but has no social life and lives alone.  Tragedy strikes her sister, forcing her niece (Abigail Breslin) Zoe to come live with her.

Side comment:  Zoe is one of my favorite names.

While Kate is taking care of family stuff and helping Zoe move in, Aaron Eckert (Nick) is subbing for Kate at her super famous restaurant.  Kate was a hard butt in the kitchen, and Nick is very laid back.  The restaurant staff love him, and the manager loves him as well.

In typical movie style, Kate and Nick work together, kiss, have a great 'family' montage with Zoe, then get in a huge fight.  Turns out the restaurant wants Nick to run the entire place and Kate is furious!

Does Nick take the job?  Does Nick move to San Fransisco instead?  Do Kate and Nick get back together?  Is Zoe a stable child after having a great movie montage moment with Nick, but now she knows they aren't going to hang out anymore?  Tune in to find out!  Or, you can probably assume that will happen, b/c this is a very predictable movie.

Two more side notes:  Zoe has some really great knit hats and scarfs.  I was jealous of her wardrobe.  And Abigail Breslin always seems to play the super smart kid.  In this movie she was more like a mini adult than a child.  Same thing in Definitely, Maybe (with hottie Ryan Reynolds).  She knew all about complex relationships and was talking about them with her father.  I miss the Dakota Fanning craze - she always seemed to play a great "kid".