Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I wish all of you a very happy day. I've list the movies I've seen recently, since VD is all about date night (if you've planned ahead, and don't have kids around...). Most of these are DVDs, but there's a lot to be said about staying in and watching a movie...I'm just saying.

Me - I've got a fashion show/luncheon today. I'm on the Go Red For Women committee here and we put on an annual event to raise awareness about women and heart health. A massage has been booked for me following the show - and then I have to step it into high gear for a family Valentine's celebration.

Crazy Love – I was very eager to see this documentary about an unconventional couple who met while he was married. When she tried to break if off, he basically threatened her with life and limb that if he couldn’t have her, then no one would. He ended up in jail after being responsible for blinding her in one eye. When he got out of jail, they got married. Make sure that if you put this movie in your Blockbuster On Line or Netflix queue, you specify the 2006 version. If you don’t, you might end up getting some Japanese porn. Ask me how I know.

This Is England – This movie is a semi-autobiographical look at the skinhead culture in 1980s England. It is about a preteen whose father was killed in the Falklands war and who is befriended by the neighborhood’s chapter of skinheads. It was okay.

After the Wedding – This film, in Danish with English subtitles, is about Jacob, a Danish man, who lives in India doing humanitarian work. He funs an orphanage and does what he can to keep child prostitutes off the streets. He is summoned back to Denmark by a rich potential benefactor, Jorgen, who will not consider donating funds unless he meets Jacob in person. It is really, really good – although I figured out the plot early on.

The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T – When I was a little girl, I had seen a movie about a little boy who hated practicing the piano. One day, he fell asleep at the piano and dreamed about a fantasy world. I don’t know why this movie has stuck with me all these years, despite the fact that I never saw it again. I never even knew the title of the movie. The other week or so, on a lark, I googled the phrase “a boy falls asleep while practicing the piano and dreams about a fantasy land.” The result was The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T. I immediately checked Blockbuster, and they had it in their collection; so, I queued it and I got it and I watched it. It was written by Dr. Seuss and made in 1953 – many years before I watched it the first time. Anyway, I liked it for the nostalgia value, and kids would probably get a big kick out of it.

The King of California – A man (Michael Douglas) is released from a mental institution bent on finding gold that was buried long ago. His daughter, Evan Rachel Wood, joins him in this madcap adventure. Interestingly, the gold is supposedly buried right under the local Costco. It was pretty good.

Breach is based on a true story about Robert Hanssen, the FBI traitor, who sold classified documents to the Soviets. Chris Cooper plays Hanssen and Ryan Phillippe plays the younger agent assigned to keep tabs on the big guy. Laura Linney also stars in this picture. It was pretty good, but definitely a renter.

Talk to Me is based on a true story about an ex-convict turned radio disc jockey in 1960s Washington, DC. Don Cheadle plays Petey Green, who played the music the real DC wanted to hear. His show frequently caused problems with the FCC at the time, but he was just “keeping it real.” It was pretty good. Cheadle does a great job, but it was definitely a renter.

Offside – It's a cute movie about six Iranian girls trying to get into the stadium to watch a qualifying soccer match. The problem is that girls aren’t allowed to watch soccer matches in stadiums, because there are too many males there…something might happen. Hey, I can’t make this stuff up. It is in Farsi with English subtitles.

Fierce People – Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland and Elizabeth Perkins star in this psychological study of the tribal class system in America. It is not as stiff as that last sentence might insinuate, but it is definitely deeper than it lets on in the beginning…and it is not really all that good of a movie.

Feast of Love starring Greg Kinnear, Jane Alexander, Morgan Freeman, Alexa Davalos, Radha Mitchell and Selma Blair is about that complicated little thing called love. Kinnear plays this coffee shop owner who just does not really see what is in front of him. Freeman and Alexander are a wise older couple who have suffered a recent tragedy. Davalos is one-half of a young love couple. It’s cute, but it’s a renter.

There Will Be Blood – I did not like this movie set in California at the turn of the century. It is about the early oil boom, and how one man rises to power. Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, who is as despicable a person as he can be. I hated this character; so, I guess you can say that Day-Lewis deserves the nomination for best actor. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

Merry Karma out.