Sense and Sensibility (BBC, 2008)

V: Here we are again, I think this is the last S&S we'll be reviewing - partly because this one really satisfied. Like Mike mentioned about the last one, this is better than the book. The main reason? Colonel Brandon. I think this is a better told story because they flesh out Brandon, all the way through the movie. It really adds to the tension and romance. (Probably because he reminds us of Darcy - and who doesn't love Darcy?) There's a particularly great moment when he catches Marianne - I was sold. True, it's not in the book. Who cares? If it's an improvement to an already good story, I accept it. I think we all (4 of us) agreed that this is a bit better than the Emma Thompson version. But giving credit, I do think it borrowed some things from Thompson's. And I preferred Thompson's Willoughby. (As did Thompson, actually, she married him. Well, the actor, anyway.) This Willoughby wasn't as handsome, and gave you reason to dislike and distrust him from the beginning. I preferred to be taken in. Keeps things complicated. This was a little more Villain-Hero simplistic. But I still liked it a little better than the other. 3 1/2 stars

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M: Great movie, great casting. I liked this even more that the last version we watched, which was also very good. As V said, the characters and their relationships were just a bit more fleshed out. This contained more from the book which the earlier version had cut out; it helps that it was 3 hours long. Although it was better that the prior version, and I gave that 3 1/2 stars, I just don't think this can quite jump to the 4 star mark for me. That is pretty prestigious company and this doesn't quite make it there, but it is close. See it. 3 1/2 stars

All About Eve

V: Today was a sick day for V. I usually don't like to watch movies without M, but since I had hours of lying in bed ahead of me, and it was an old show, I thought I'd go ahead. I had picked up a pack of old Best Picture winners from the library and out of four, this was the one I picked.

All About Eve (1950) garnered a record 14 Oscar nominations (not tied until Titanic in 1998). The star, Bette Davis, didn't win the best actress Oscar, (but got the Golden Globe, NY Critics, and Cannes award) though many felt it was the best performance of her career.

All About Eve is the story of a young woman who flatters and deceives her way into stardom at the expense of those who offered her help. It is also the story of an actress who is beginning to feel less valued because she has reached the ripe old age of 40, worrying about her identity as an actress and a woman. The script is great. The acting is really great. The story is interesting and engrossing as you follow the variety of characters. I'd heard of this movie and have meant to see it for a long time. I'm glad I did. It was especially fun for me to see Bette Davis in action, who is a Hollywood legend, but of whom I knew little. I would be embarrassed not to give this film 4 stars, since it is one of the classics, and who am I to say otherwise. But I also think it really deserves it. There is great tension throughout, great story, great characters. 4 stars

M: Oooh. Sounds good.

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

This is the Emma Thompson version, for which she won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. M&V read the novel just before watching this, and we'll be watching the 2008 version soon.

V: I'm always a fan of Emma Thompson. She's a great actress and did a good job adapting the novel into a screenplay - of which, editing, seems the biggest challenge. Lots of characters were chopped, which is good in an Austen movie. (Too many Miss This's and Mr. Thats and so-and-so's cousin...) So to cut a lot and keep it cohesive is a hard task. I thought it was really good. She gave Margaret a life, who was just a footnote in the book. I liked the casting of Edward (Hugh Grant), Lucy, Marianne (Kate Winslet) and Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman.) And though Emma Thompson did a great job, she was, I think, a little old for the part. (She was 36 at the time. Her character is in her early twenties.) One critique of the adaptation was that Colonel Brandon says he's offering Edward a parsonage in order to enable him to marry quickly, when in the book, he offers it just for some small financial support but says it's too small to allow him to marry - which was great because it gave the reader a bit of hope, before it was dashed again . . . (I'll try not to give the plot away.) I think it's tough to always be happy with an adaptation right after you've read the book. Oh well. All in all, it was a very good movie. 3 1/2 stars

M: Sense and Sensibility is not as good as Pride and Prejudice. Can you compare two books like that? I think so. Although the book is good, the characters are fairly static and the story is not as enjoyable as Pride and Prejudice (see our movie review, also right after reading the book). Still, the book is good, and this movie is even better than the book. Partially because, as V pointed out, many unnecessary characters were left on the editor's floor. Also because the characters were so well cast and the parts so well played. Also, is it fair to single out Emma Thompson as the "old" one. All of the characters in the movie were technically too old. For crying out loud, in the book, Maryanne went from 17, in the beginning, to the ripe old age of 19 by the end. So this was the 90210 of the Austin movies, thats ok. Who wants to watch adolescents act anyway. 3 1/2 stars

Midnight

V:This is an olllldie, but goodie. It was recommended to me by VSL (Very Short List) so I thought I'd give it a try. This 1939 movie stars Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche and John Barrymore (Drew's grandpappy). A penniless singer poses as a wealthy baroness and has to decide between marriage for love or money. This is a fun little romantic comedy. I liked Claudette Colbert, she was very charming. There were some funny, silly parts in the thick of the mix-up. Like a lot of romantic comedies, there is a lot of silliness, and not enough development of the romance. But it was cute. 3 stars

M: This is an oldie . . . .

I find that sometimes when I watch an older film I rank it on a sort of scale. I say to myself "that was good . . . considering how old it is." But, I don't think that is a fair way to rank a movie, so I am trying to base my review strictly on how the movie struck me, today. I have to say, it didn't strike me all that well. I don't know exactly why the romantic couple ever fell in love. So he drove her around in a cab for a few hours, and threatened her with a little physical abuse and kidnapping. Does that love make? Maybe in the 30's. In fairness, there were a few pretty funny parts. But mostly silliness and overacting. 2 1/2 stars

The Great Debaters

M: Denzel Washington stars in this movie about an all black debate team from a small college in Texas in the early 1930's. This is a touching movie about standing up for what you stand for and breaking barriers of racial intolerance. The acting is good, especially by Denzel. Having said that, the movie feels a little long and tends to drag in parts. Also, the message, though good, felt a bit heavy and pushy to me at times. Worth seeing, but don't expect an action packed movie, or a movie you can laugh along with. 3 Stars

V: I guess I liked this a little better than M. I thought it was well done. It isn't lighthearted, as it shouldn't be. It is worth seeing. Denzel does a nice job acting in and directing this movie. All in all, it is uplifting and interesting as it is based on true events. 3 1/2 stars.

Iron Man

V: I've been a long time fan of Robert Downey Jr. - even annoyed my college roommates by posting an ode to him on our shared refrigerator. He did a really great job in this, and I'm glad things are good for him right now. So, Iron Man . . . First of all, it says a lot when we see a movie in the theater - and not even the dollar theater. This happens 3 or 4 times a year, at most. (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for watching our kids!) It means we expect big, big things, and Iron Man didn't disappoint. The pace of the movie was great, always kept you into the action, moving forward, not too much or too little, and never boring. Downey, as Tony Stark, was funny and cool. These movies easily find themselves in cheesy, bad-lines territory, but this one never did. The bad guys were bad. The gizmos were awesome. The love interest was well-handled. It was exciting! You may find yourself searching for something to hold on to. (Sorry M). I really enjoyed it. The end really surprised me. Not good or bad, but I just wonder what they're going to do with it. One small critique and that is that I thought Pepper (Paltrow) was moving pretty slowly when being pursued by a big, bad robot monster thing. But she did have on some really tall heels. And maybe she didn't know he meant her as much ill will as he did. But anyway, even with that I give it 4 stars. (And don't forget to stay all the way through the end of the credits. It's important to know who the Additional Second Assistant Director is.)

M: It took me a while to suspend my belief in this one. I suppose I should have been prepared upon entering the theater to accept without question what I saw, after all, the movie is based on a comic strip about an iron man. But still, there I was saying, how did this guy build this contraption in a cave in the desert in a few days . . . no way . . . couldn't happen. Well, once I allowed myself to get into the show, I thought it was really good. Downey did a terrific job, as did Paltrow. The effects were sweet and the show, fairly unpredictable. Go see this show. 3 1/2 stars.

The Sea Inside

It was foreign film night at our house last night. We thought, hey, let's watch a film in Spanish since it's Cinco de Mayo. But this film is actually from Spain, not Mexico. Anyway . . . This film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film 2005, and stars Javier Bardem (Best Supp. Actor in No Country for Old Men) And just an interesting note, I kept seeing the same name pop up in the credits: Alejandro Amenabar. This guy is a true auteur -- co-writing, directing, producing and even writing the music for this film. (Incidentally, he also directed "The Others", our favorite scary flick.) This film is about euthanasia, and Ramon, who wants to die. (This same year the Best Picture Oscar went to Million Dollar Baby. Hmmm. Whoever said Hollywood isn't political?) Rated PG-13.

V: This is a beautiful film. (You gotta call foreign movies "films" y'know, because you feel kind of cool and important watching them in the first place.) The filming, acting and music is really great. There are particularly moving sequences when the main character imagines himself out of his confining position and the camera takes you away with him, in impressive single shots that are minutes long, travelling over land and sea. Bardem does a fabulous job. His character is touching, sympathetic and frustrating. The film is a little long (125 min), but I felt, worth it, as you really feel compelled to stay with the characters. It is thought-provoking, poignant and not simplified. Euthanasia is one of those tricky subjects, and though the movie does eventually take a stance, it is not overwhelming in that they give you plenty of reasons to be persuaded both ways. But mostly, it's a moving personal story about Ramon. 3 1/2 stars

M: V is right that this is a very moving film. However, for me, it was frustrating to see this man, who was capable of having such a positive impact on the lives of those around him, want so desperately to end his own life. Nevertheless, Bardem gave a stirring performance and the movie is a show that is worth seeing. A bit thick on the political persuasion. 3 stars