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Movies
I love movies, but I haven't seen many while the kids were young. Thanks to Hoyts' 10-trip concession booklets, I'm starting to make up for lost time. Here are some of the ones that I have seen that are really worth catching.
If you want to find out more about these movies, visit the Movieweb site and follow the links. I have included separate links for some which are not represented on that site, and some of my favourites.
Catch Me If You Can
This looked like a lightweight movie, but turned out to have an unexpected depth, thanks to some very subtle acting by Tom Hanks as FBI agent Carl Hanratty and Christopher Walken as Frank's father, Frank Snr. Leonardo di Caprio as the conman Frank Abagnale is pretty good - maybe even as good as the other two, but I'd have to see it again to confirm. All three bring a poignant and vulnerable element to their characters, making for a very human story, rather than another action flick. It's long, 2 1/2 hours, and ambles along at a fairly relaxed pace, but it's worth it. Martin Sheen as the Southern lawyer & prospective father-of-the-bride is a real treat!
Shrek
This is one great movie. Don't miss it just because you haven't got kids - if you've ever read fairytales, or had them read to you, or watched a classic Disney movie, you'll love Shrek. With plenty of action, soppy bits, mystery and gore it's got something for everyone. Mike Myers stars as the voice of Shrek, with Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow in supporting roles.
Galaxy Quest
Don't miss it! This is one of the all-time great spoofs. It has some absolutely brilliant comic moments, especially for anyone who's ever watched Star Trek (the first experience of the transport beams, steering the ship Protector out of the docking bay, the baby-faced aliens...)
A rather tired and seedy bunch of actors from a retired Sci-fi series find themselves giving the performance of their lives. I can't say much more without giving too much away. Wait for it to catch on, then join the queues to dress up and "do" it along with the screen characters.
A complete hoot!
"Never give up, never surrender!"
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Girl, Interrupted
I wasn't sure I was going to like this one, but I did. In spite of the bring-you-down "based on a true story" build-up, and some definitely downbeat issues, it manages to be off-the-wall enough, and hopeful enough, to be an enjoyable movie. Take some time to think about the issues these characters, and thousands of other young women face, as well.
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Shakespeare In Love
It's gorgeous, irreverent, and very good fun. The allusions sprinkled through the film from "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter" to the pillow-talk between Shakespeare and Viola, are delightful. Gwyneth Paltrow is growing on me. In this one she does a lovely job of the girl-as-a-boy-as-a-girl routine.
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Twelfth Night (Directed by Trevor Nunn)
Set in Cornwall in the 19th century, this is a perfect movie to watch after Shakespeare in Love. Beautiful settings, good cast, starring Helena Bonham Carter, Nigel Hawthorne, Ben Kingsley, Mel Smith ... well worth getting hold of.
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Star Wars
A New Hope
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
The Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones ...Yup, all of 'em. We've got the first three on video - widescreen version, and they've kept Anthony company through many a day's illness with more patience than I could.
We had a family outing to see The Phantom Menace when it came out, and all enjoyed it. So what if the plot is weak, and the acting a bit wooden. The robots are great.
Attack of the Clones has some nice moments too (and better acting, especially from Ewen McGregor who was a bit of a disappointment in TPM).
Want to see more about the original Trilogy?
Want to see more about The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones?
A Life Less Ordinary
A story of star-crossed lovers, with a twist or two along the way. Light hearted escapist, bizarre fun starring Ewen McGregor and Cameron Diaz. Worth watching lots of times when you need cheering up.
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As Good as it Gets
Another nice feel-good movie, starring Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson, & Greg Kinnear. I'm starting to notice how many of these movies have really flaky characters - this one certainly does. Well worth seeing.
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Well, what can I say? Either you know Rocky Horror or you don't. More of the bizarre and the escapist. It's gothic, upbeat, naughty, and fun. The movie that launched Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon & Barry Bostwick, and brought audience participationto the movie theatre.
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The Phantom of the Paradise
An eighties dark fantasy, borrowing heavily from the story of Faust and the Phantom of the Opera. I dobn't think I'd go out of my way to see this based on the synopsis, but I would have missed quite a treat. Very '80's, with soundtrack written by the love-him-or-hate-him John Williams (the short, blond one) who is also cast as the diabolocal Swan.
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The Nephew
A beautiful, funny movie set in rural Ireland & featuring a rather blowsy Pierce Brosnan.
It's a story of love, loss, and reconciliation that will leave you feeling a bit gooey. The Nephew of the title, Chad, arrives from the States to visit his uncle in a small Irish village after his mother dies. The culture shock is mutual - he's young, black and hip, and there's a secret that nobody's telling...
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The Full Monty
Don't I just love the feel-good, people-prevail-over-circumstance story lines!
Another somewhat poignant comedy where the losers win out - at least this time. Set in Sheffield, in the heart of the UK's industrial area, the irony of the introductory travelogue from Sheffield's glory days soon becomes obvious.
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Brassed Off !
Another one just like the other one, almost. This story focusses on a group of coal miners whose pit is being closed down. When not working, they are members of a brass band. The band leader (Pete Postlethwaite) is obsessed with winning the next national championship. Although the social commentary gets a bit clumsy and threatens to derail the story at one point, the story prevails and so do they...
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Men In Black
A beautie of a sci-fi movie, one of those delightful ones that doesn't take itself too seriously, but doesn't compromise your involvement to acheive it. Will Smith gives one of his best performances, and Tommy Lee Jones manages to be endearing. This is another that bears seeing more than once.
Want to See more ? or: Check it out at Movieweb
Muppet Treasure Island
I love this movie! In spite of the fact that Kermit isn't played by Jim Henson any more, he's still Kermit - and you only really notice in the soppy lovesong with Miss Piggy. Steve Whitmire doesn't have quite such a good singing falsetto.
Apart from that, the story is extremely silly, the non-Muppet cast (including Tim Curry, Billy Connolly and Jennifer Saunders) all do spectacularly well. The music is very good, from the singing Easter Island statues to the rat cruise passengers, to the native pigs. And as for Cabin Fever and the Big Blue Wet Thing... brilliant!
The computer game is pretty cool , too.
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101 Dalmations (Live Action)
This is the movie that really reconciled me to Glenn Close. It's not easy to upstage 99 cute spotty puppies, but she does. For me, Jeff Daniels has two speeds, OK and !shudder!. In this one, he's OK. Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams as the mean and stupid Baddun brothers are absolutely spot on. I even forgive them for leaving out the original Cruella de Ville song.
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This page was last updated on 2 February, 2003
