Angels and Demons

M: I wonder if it is better to have read the book or not. Very violent, and not a good as the book, which was also violent, but which was also a page turner. I don't think that the Dan Brown books, and their thinking and talking about conspiracies and symbols, translates well to the big screen. But, in any event, pretty good movie, with good actors, that was a bit too long. 2 1/2 stars

V: I thought is was a good adventure. It kept my attention. There was no reason for the girl, except to have a female counterpart, so that bugged me. 3 stars

Miss Potter

V: We checked this out in the library only to find that my parents own, and love, this movie. Rene Zellweger is an actress who I always think I don't want to see, only to find that she always does a really good job. This is a fun movie based on the life of Beatrix Potter. Who, come to find out, is owed a huge debt of gratitude from those who like some land preserved and not turned into heavy residential or industrial sludge. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Sweet story. The only thing I didn't really love was the way Miss Potter spoke to her "friends", that is, her illustrations. It was more childish than charming for me. I understand the imagination bit, the whimsy, and the loneliness. Maybe I'm a humbug - but Miss Potter seemed to think they were a little too real. It made her look crazy, OK? BUT - that aside, I really liked this movie. 3 1/2 stars.

M: *SPOILER ALERT* I agree with V that, in the beginning of this movie, the use of cartoons is distracting and annoying and probably filled with artistic license (unless Beatrix Potter was schizophrenic). Having said that, the sweetness of the Ms. Potter character, as well as the character played by Ewan McGregor, won me over in the end. My hat's off to McGregor and Zellweger. It was fun to read about Ms. Potter on Wikipedia afterwards and learn that she is the person responsible for the preservation of the lakes district in Lancashire, England. It was weird to learn that she was married, and the love of her life was not the man portrayed as such in the movie. The movie really gives the impression that she didn't marry (it is called Miss Potter - oops spoiler). Anyway, good show, worth seeing, just get past the weird animation bits. 3 stars