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

Leather Heads

M: A movie about the coming of age of professional football starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski (Jim of the Office). A relatively funny and quirky movie that at times tried too hard to be quirky and came off silly. I enjoyed Clooney and Krasinski's characters, but did not care for Zellweger's character and did not believe the romance side of the film. It also bugged me when they tried to turn Krasinski's character into an antagonist. It felt awkward for the movie to try to force me to root against the character that was the most likable and that I most liked. 2 stars

V: It's fun enough, but it tried to go in too many different directions and fit into too many different genres at once. The effect is a pretty discombobulated show. The actors are fun. I always say I don't like Rene Zellweger, but then usually find that I lose the actress in her character. So she is a good actor, after all, I admit. George Clooney and John Krasinski are loveable actors, and their characters are fun, too. But it still is jumbled, ending in a joke that was fun, but still, what's all this running around about? Seems like Clooney, as director, was trying to sandwich the slapstick from his 20 favorite old movies into this show, and it just got silly sometimes. 2 stars.