Crazy Movie Lady 20

May 31- June 7, 2009
Wow! 20 weeks already! I didn't watch enough docs again this week and I have been indulging my desire to read more. Much slower pace this week than last week. Last week was nearly frenetic! Lol.
312. Cinderella Man. Leisurely pace with heavy investment into Russell Crowe's character as a down and out former Golden Gloves champ. You know I like my biopics and though I don't like the blood and the sound of the pain but boxing movies are pretty thrilling and high intensity. I have to admit I like them. But this one was grueling and I felt sympathy rib pains which means laying off the boxing movies for a while. This was looong at 2hr25m. Still 4.6/5 stars.
313. Changing Lanes. Fast-paced (for the most part) thriller about two men (Ben Affleck & Samuel L (side note: why is it the latter always plays an unstable person?)) whose lives collide when one of them leaves the scene of a traffic accident, creating chaos in their lives. The ending was a bit of a cop out but the rest of the movie was pretty good. 3.9/5 stars.
314. Love Story. Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal as a young couple who fall in love regardless of their opposite backgrounds and have to face tragedy. Pretty good despite the repetitive score which I will likely have in my head for the next 5 years. 4/5 stars.
315. The Great Debaters. Great film based on a true story about a black debate team at Wiley College in 1935 that competed against the top white debate team of the time (Harvard in the film, USC in actuality). There were some historical things that threw me off but overall, I really enjoyed this film. And I'm going to need every last one of the hats Jurnee Smollet wore. Especially the black one before she got on the train to Boston. HAWT!! 4/5 stars.
316. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in a classic movie about an interracial couple in the 1960s. A little too obvious and preachy for my tastes at times. Why was KH teary-eyed this entire film? Very strange. Also the ages of KH and ST (who died 17 days after filming ended) were so creepy and odd since their daughter is supposed to be 23 and they look 70. It's amazing to me that almost 50 years later things are so different and yet still so similar, the opposition by some to interracial relationships. 3.8/5 stars.
317. Music and Lyrics. I was really surprised to like the first 1/3 of this movie. Then it really started to drag. The premise is Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore meet by chance and compose a song together in less 2 days which may make the 80s has-been (Grant) a star again. The plot was predictable, as you would expect from this movie, but after the first 1/3 I really hoped it would be less predictable. But Grant has great comedic timing. He cracks me up. So thanks also to whatever writer put those words in his mouth. 3.3/5 stars.
318. Kiss the Girls. Wow... really good serial abductor/killer thriller with Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman as a woman who escapes and the forensic psychologist who tries to help her find her abductor before he kills again. The only thing I couldn't get with was a serial anything who goes with all white girls except one. Come on. That's not how they operate. Nevertheless 4.8/5 stars.
319. Blame it on Fidel. French film from the perspective of a little girl whose parents decide to join the revolution on the side of the communists, much to her chagrin. Cute. I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the film. It began to drag in the last 20 minutes or so almost as if the screenwriter didn't know where to end. 3.9/5 stars.
320. Walk, Don't Run. Cary Grant movie set in Tokyo during the Olympics (his last film). The hijinks you would expect from one of his films were present if not overplayed in one or two scenes. The film had some drawn out sections but still overall quite amusing. I approve. Lol. 4/5 stars.
321. Real Women Have Curves. America Ferrera as a recent high school grad who has to decide whether to apply for college against her immigrant mother's wishes. Bizarre to have to fight to go to college, huh? Very slow plot and some bad acting despite the rather interesting concept. 3/5 stars.
322. The Ladykillers. Slow-moving classic (one of Peter Sellers' early major roles) about 5 robbers who try to kill an old lady when she finds out about their scheme. It was kind of boring for the first 80 minutes. Interesting enough that I didn't necessarily want to turn away but not riveting until the last 10 minutes. Then it was riveting and hilarious. The end saved the film. 4/5 stars.
323. Breakfast at Tiffany's. Another Audrey Hepburn classic. This one about essentially a fabulously-dressed gold digger with a mysterious past. Her jail visiting hat? NEED! NEED NEED NEED!! Wow! I see why people go crazy over the fashion in this film. So fab. The plot was just okay for me. It was interesting enough but over the top in some respects. The fashion gets 4.8 stars, but the film gets 3.4/5.