Movie Review: Seven Pounds

I want to talk about a very interesting new movie I watched last night, but it's difficult to talk about without giving away the premise. I am so accustomed to movies that are so obvious and easy to figure out the ending that this one threw me for a loop. Basically, Will Smith plays the main character, who has it in his power to drastically alter the lives of seven people who each have a medical condition. One person is blind, one has a bad heart, one has mesothelioma, one has leukemia, one needs a liver transplant, one with kidney problems, and a woman in an abusive relationship.

He specifically seeks out genuinely good people to help in his own special way, which will blow your mind when you watch this film. Well, I don't want to give it away, but it is definitely a unique film and I recommend it. Check it out at the library!

Movie review: Sicko

I watched the Michael Moore documentary Sicko last week, and it really effected my husband and myself. I knew the health care in the United States was expensive and difficult to deal with, but I had no idea the level of corruption that takes place within the system. The documentary covered several individual cases where the patient was approved for a procedure, the insurance company paid for it, then later came back and refused payment, therefore demanding the money back from the patient. They actually have detectives who research patient histories in order to find any possible mistake in their application to warrant a refusal of payment to get the insurance company's money back.

The documentary also had interviews with many different citizens in countries with universal health care, including Canada, France, Cuba, England, and Norway. These countries all have excellent health care, without insurance, copays, deductibles or fees. No one feels oppressed by socialism and they are all happy with the level of care they receive. In the United States, medical bills account for a large percentage of bankruptcies and home foreclosures. This is very sad. A person should not lose their home and their way of life simply because they could not afford the health care they deserve. Health care is a right, not a privilege. I recommend viewing the documentary and visiting Michael Moore's website for information on what we can do to help.

Sweet revenge

Revenge is a common theme in great movies. Of the movies that have left the most impact after viewing, revenge was almost always the motivating factor for the main character. Take Mel Gibson's character Mad Max in the classic Mad Max trilogy. In the first movie, a vicious biker gang unmercifully murders the family of a cop (Mel Gibson) and from then on, every move he makes is for revenge. This raw, action-packed, amazingly low budget Australian film has become a classic among movie lovers around the world. Revenge is one of those raw emotions that many of us experience, but not many of us get to act upon. When we see someone in a movie get the revenge they deserve, it is very powerful to watch and makes for a great movie.

This is why I am so excited about Tim Burton's new movie "Sweeny Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Revenge is the main theme, and it stars Johnny Depp, who is my favorite actor. It is a movie adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller "Sweeney Todd." After being unjustly sent to prison, Johnny Depp's character is released along with his rage. He takes out his revenge on those deserving when they enter his barber shop and some are never heard from again. This is the first movie which features musical numbers by Johnny Depp and I am anxious to see him in this new vein of acting.

For information on this movie opening in theaters December 21st, visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site or you can also visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace.

Sicko in my future

I am excited to watch the new Michael Moore documentary entitled "Sicko." We had a showing last week at the library and 75 people showed up, which was our highest turnout to any documentary viewing. I did not attend since I have small children, but since we ordered it for check-out, I just put my name on the waiting list. I picked it up a couple of days ago, but have not had time to watch it yet. I am planning to watch it tonight after putting the kids in bed.

From what I've heard, it is all about the lack of decent health insurance and affordable life insurance in our country. It compares the insurance as well as health status of many different countries with the United States and apparently some of the comparisons are staggering. I have enjoyed other documentaries by Michael Moore, so I'm sure it will be very interesting and informative. I'll post a review after I watch it.

Beware the Mist

Stephen King is a remarkable author who has the uncanny talent for exposing mankind's deepest fears, even ones we don't realize we have. This is what I find true in the new movie The Mist by Stephen King. After watching the trailer, I remembered one particular time in college when my husband and I were driving with my mother and we got caught in a very sudden and very severe thunderstorm. We were already in our own neighborhood, and even then, the fear that comes with sudden lack of visibility is definitely real. I guess it's the mystery of what is in front of you, worrying that you may hit something or someone else who has the same lack of vision. In our case, relief came fairly quick and we were able to just drive extremely slow until we got home. But now I can understand how people find themselves caught unexpectedly in a bad storm or tornado, or even a really dense fog that suddenly rolls in.

In the movie, a mysterious mist rolls over an entire town and people are forced to choose either to stay where they are, or to confront the mist. People are split in their religious beliefs as some think the mist is some sort of "second coming" of Christ. Others just think it is the weather and are not scared at all... Until strange things start to happen related to the mist that surrounds them. The movie definitely looks creepy and will scare people on a deeper level than they probably realize, which is what usually happens with Stephen King's material. Check out the information on the website and definitely view the trailer to see what all the buzz is about.

Halloween the movie

I must admit I am not a huge fan of scary movies, mostly because I am somewhat of a chicken and I have nightmares when I watch them. I like the adrenaline rush of being frightened, but then I regret it when I am walking around the dark house alone later at night. I'm one of those people who will watch the movie, cover my eyes during the scary parts, but peek between my fingers.

The types of movies that scare me the most are the ones that I think could actually happen, like the Exorcist, Poltergeist, and Halloween the movie. Did you hear about the new Halloween movie being released on August 31st? It was written and directed by Rob Zombie, that crazy guy from the band White Zombie. I think it will be pretty gory and bloody, from what I gathered watching the trailer.



It is actually a remake of the original classic Halloween the movie, showing Rob Zombie's vision of the Michael Myers legend. Of course, the soundtrack kicks butt because Rob Zombie did the music as well. The soundtrack of a horror movie can make or break the film, as it is crucial to set the mood throughout the scenes. I think the movie will be a big hit and I'm looking forward to its release.

Movie review: Night at the Museum

Upon the recommendation of my mother-in-law, I checked out Night at the Museum from the library. The main character is played by Ben Stiller, with many well-known supporting actors like Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Carla Gugino, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams.

We watched it as a family and it was very entertaining. There are lots of surprises and the kids absolutely loved it. They woke up the next morning and wanted to watch it again right away. The special effects are very good and the characters believable. It reminded us a lot of Jumanji, which also stars Robin Williams. I would definitely recommend this one for the whole family.

Movie review: Little Miss Sunshine

I checked out "Little Miss Sunshine" from the library last week and we were pleasantly surprised. I thought it was a total "B-movie", but my mother-in-law saw it in the theater, so maybe not. But there weren't any big name actors in it and all the previews were of B-movies, so that's what led us to that assumption.

Let me tell you, this movie is hilarious. We were laughing hysterically many times throughout the film. It reminded me of National Lampoon's Vacation for today's family. We watched the rated R version, which is not for kids at all because of the obscene but hilarious grandfather, but apparently there is a PG rated version also. I would definitely recommend this movie - we haven't laughed that hard at a movie in years.

The "techno" generation

While technology sometimes gets a bad rap for all the health problems it causes for kids: bad eyesight, laziness, lack of sunshine, attention span disorders, etc. I believe there are good things for the kids of today as well. For example, my daughter loves watching the "special features" on DVDs. She enjoys learning how movies are made and especially how they do the make up on characters in movies like "The Grinch" and "Planet of the Apes". Also, if the movie is a little scary, we can show the kids that it is just a mask or animatronics. I would've loved that as a kid, since I got scared of movies lots of times.

The other side of the coin is this - do they lose the magic of the movies? If they know that everything is made up, can they truly enjoy the film? I believe my children still enjoy the movies very much, and we only watch the special features after viewing the film in its entirety.

Celebrity obsession

Upon hearing the news of Anna Nicole Smith's recent sudden death, I found myself wondering why people are so obsessed with her - and with celebrities in general. I mean, they are just people like us with really good personal trainers and hair and make-up artists. We've all seen the shows where people get "make overs" and in the end, they look just as fabulous as a celebrity. So what is the obsession?

Is it just the fact that we've seen them on TV or a movie screen, so if we see them in public or even in a magazine it seems surreal? My husband plays music and has a few very devoted fans around the world. He once got a letter from a girl in Russia that was very over-the-top, saying how much she loved him and on and on. I remember thinking that I was glad she lived so far away. I can't imagine getting letters like that on a daily basis, like some celebrities do.

If you pick a career in the limelight, you can never have a private life again. This is just the price of fame and fortune. I say, no thank you.

Movie Review: A History of Violence

We saw "A History of Violence" starring Viggo Mortensen yesterday, which we checked out from the library. First let me say, do not even think about watching this movie with kids anywhere around. I knew it would be violent from the title, but we're talking brutal, graphic violence. There is also a very graphic sex scene. In many ways, this movie reminded me of "The Secret Window" with Johnny Depp because it involves split personalities.

My husband thinks it is a cop-out when movies blame mental disorders for a character's behavior. The movies don't really go into detail about it, they just have the character start acting like someone else. If they are going to use schizophrenia as the reason, they could at least educate people more about the disorder in the process. I'm not sure if I would recommend "A History of Violence" or not. There were good parts to the movie and it moved along pretty quick. I guess if you like very realistic and gangster-type violence combined with small town living, you might like this movie.

Movie Review: Mission Impossible 3

I checked out MI3 from our local library this week and watched it for the first time. I enjoyed this one more than the previous two. I tend to have a bit of trouble following the plot on action movies when characters change sides and you don't know who's against who or who the "good guys" and "bad guys" are anymore.

This one explained everything pretty well - I only got confused for a little while. Although still being a total action flick, Mission Impossible 3 is geared more toward females than the previous MI movies, since there are two females on the MI team this time. The movie was just long enough and didn't drag on at all. Highly recommended.

Movie review: Million Dollar Baby

I just watched "Million Dollar Baby" which I rented from the Carnegie Public Library. I wasn't sure if I would like it because it is about the life of a female boxer, which didn't seem like my cup of tea. But I actually liked the movie very much and so did my husband. It's more about working toward your dream, even if you are the only one who believes in it. I can't say much more about it because I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just say I definitely recommend it.