Take a Chance

M: This is another in the series of Mormon movies. But, although it has all the same actors as the other Mormon movies, and although it is clearly filmed in Provo, Utah, the characters in the movie aren't Mormon. Or, at least, it is pretty vague. I guess they hoped to expand the viewer base. Whatever. It made it a bit weird. So, two guys from Texas meet a guy from Idaho who looks like a missionary. Texas guy falls in love with Idaho guy's sister after looking at a picture of her. So he goes to Idaho and pretends to be an exchange student to meet her. Pretty funny. Not great, but good. I liked the main guy and the main girl. The story was tough to buy, and I didn't care for some of the secondary characters. 2 1/2 stars

V: It was pretty cute. Both the main guy actors were fun. One problem was that a girl who tells this guy that she'll help coach him so he can successfully woo her roommate gets mad at him because, and I quote, "You were just using me to get to her!" Uh, yeah, that was your plan. So a tighter script there would have been good. But, it was still pretty enjoyable. 2 1/2 stars

Whip It

V: So, I kinda liked this movie about a high school girl who wants to join the roller-derby. It had a lot of actors that I like. The dad and the coach were always funny. The mom, just really good - Marcia Gay Hardin - she's just such a great actress. Kristin Wiig is great - one of our favorite SNL staples. Ellen Page is very natural. You kind of know how it's all going to turn out, but it wasn't one-sided. Ellen's character, Bliss, comes to see her parents' point of view, just as they come to see hers. So she grows up a bit. The movie's got that mellow indie feel. Directed by Drew Barrymore, who plays Smashley Simpson. I enjoyed it. 3 stars

M. Great cast, Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Jimmy Fallon, and Kristin Wiig (whose Penelope Character is change-your-life-funny). Unfortunate, not a great movie. In fact, I give Whip It this years Worst Use of Talent Award. V and I really differ on this one. For the most part, I found it predictable, cliche, and annoying. It was a bizarre mixture of inspiring sports movie, slapstick comedy, and family drama. For me, it was really disappointing. 2 stars.

Kill Bill (Edited)

M: Kill Bill is 111 minutes long. The edited version V and I watched came in at 88 minutes. So, with 23 minutes missing, I suppose this review should be taken with a grain of salt. I didn't buy it. It was quirky, but, between the quirkiness and the editing, I didn't know what quirks were purposeful and what quirks were simply editing. Extremely violent. I mean, extremely. The editing may have made it choppy, but without the editing it would have just been vulgar. I just wasn't a fan. 2 stars.

V: So they fought a lot. And then they fought a little bit more. And sometimes when they fought they flew through the air, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon-style. And sometimes they were cartoons. So, it was kind of stylish, but otherwise, y'know, they just fought. So, yeah, meh. They fought. 2 stars.

Inception

V: What an interesting, unique movie! M and I sat through the credits and then walked out of the theater in silence, just so much to think about. It was a cool concept involving dreams and dreams within dreams. I won't include any spoilers, here. There are times with wild action and violence, but it's inside dreams, so the people are "pretend", and it doesn't seem so bad. Leonardo DiCaprio and the rest of the cast are great. There are some super-cool effects, and amazing images. I was thoroughly captivated and interested. I loved it. 4 stars

M: Great show. Took a while to figure out what was going on. Then, at the end, V and I could agree on what it all meant. But, I think that it is a deep and well thought out movie that is absolutely worth seeing. I would love to go further, but I can't think of what to say that would not include spoilers. After you watch it, which you should, call me, we can discuss. 3 1/2 stars

News Radio

M: This is one of my favorite TV shows ever. I just finished watching the first season and half of the second on Hulu.com. Hulu has the first 4 seasons right now. A fantastic show with a great cast, including Phil Hartman. Check it out. 3 1/2 stars.

V: Pretty funny. It is good to see Phil Hartman. 3 stars.

Ben-Hur

V: So I dragged out another classic for M to see. (It had been a long time since I'd seen it -- as evidenced by the fact that I remember the burping scene as my favorite. Yes, there's a burping scene, not really the most important part of Ben-Hur - which you surely realize if you've seen Ben-Hur. I mean, deep and heavy sweeping epic BEN-HUR . . . and I remembered the burping scene. I was young, OK?) The movie goes a little slowly for our modern taste. The people kind of pause and stare at each other for uncomfortably long, dramatic periods of time. And I wonder . . . did people really used to do that, y'know, back in the day? Were they actually slower than we are now? I digress. It is really, still, a very cool movie. Did you know it held the record for most academy awards until 1998's Titanic? Almost 40 years! It has amazing costumes and sets - and the chariot race! Even people who haven't seen Ben-Hur have seen the chariot race. And M's boss's dark humor was revealed when we watched the galley scene. "We keep you alive to run this ship. Row well . . . and live." Hey! says M, That's what my boss is always telling the associates! Ha, ha, ha. (watch this scene and you'll see. It's hilarious.) It's long. It's good, though. And I even watched the long making-of documentary afterward. (Well, this spread over a couple of days.) It's a winner. Who am I to say otherwise? 4 stars

M: I agree that Ben-Hur is, well, epic. It is absolutely amazing how many costumes and actors are in this movie. No special effects, just tons of man-power and time. And a 3 1/2 hour originally composed sound-track to boot. Really pretty amazing. For me, the whole religion thing clashed a bit with the rest of the show. I know it was an important part, and I am probably a bad person for saying that, but it didn't quite fit for me. That is perhaps the only thing keeping this movie from getting absolute top marks. Even still, Ben-Hur is amazing to watch. There is no way this movie could ever be made today. No way. I cringe when I hear that Titanic broke the record for academy awards. Titanic?! My nemesis. Check out Ben Hur. It is worth seeing an epic that doesn't rely on computerized graphics. A classic. 3 1/2 stars

Invictus

M: This was only ok for me. I thought that Morgan Freedman did a good job as Nelson Mandela, and Matt Damon was likable as always. But the movie itself was a bit much for me. I can be inspired by sports, but this was too inspiring. It is too simplistic to accept that rugby alone saved a nation and changed everybody's perceptions and biases. There were also a few scenes that absolutely bugged me to no end, namely the airplane scene and the scene with the guy scoping out the rugby stadium for, what was at least inferred to be, a good sniper location. The movie tried to add some suspense by inferring danger or assassination potential, but then later completely ignored the fact that it had ever mentioned it. Anyway, that is my take. 2 stars.

V: Interesting. I liked this movie. I didn't think that they were portraying that rugby saved the nation. Rather, I was intrigued by the careful attention that Mandela gave to the rugby team, and the world cup, as a way to reach across barriers and to unite the country. It made me want to know more about Mandela. There was a strong message of forgiveness portrayed, which is particularly poignant given the way things had been for the country and for Mandela, personally. I liked the phony teeth they had Morgan Freeman wear when he appeared in the crowds, smiling that great big Mandela smile. Even though this was a sports movie, I liked it. "Invictus", meaning "unconquered" is the title of the poem that Mandela quotes and gives to the rugby team captain: "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." That's quite the mantra after 27 years in prison. 3 1/2 stars.