2011 was an interesting year of films with I realized NOT ENOUGH DOCUMENTARIES!! Changes ahead in 2012.
December 18-24, 2011
222) The Good Witch's Gift. A criminal comes back in town as a good witch and the town's police chief prepare for their Christmas wedding. I guess it's cute enough and sappy but it didn't feel very Christmas-like. Not my favorite. 2.9 stars
223) Christmas Magic. A woman must help a man and his young daughter to get into heaven. I would've liked this film a lot more without the poor lip-synching on a terrible song played ad nauseum at the end. Ugh. Maybe not a lot more. It was too stripped of the things that make movies interesting; it was too predictable. 2.9 stars
224) Christmas Wishes. An orphan and a spoiled brat magically change places at Christmas time to the rich girl's chagrin. The plot was decent, the dialogue was bad, the acting was ABYSMAL!! You could feel everyone acting like a caricature of their character sketch. Bad. But the end? Outrageously bad. So, so bad. 1.5 stars
225) Comfort and Joy. A single woman (Nancy McKeon aka Jo from Facts of Life) is knocked unconscious and wakes up with a family she doesn't remember. Dixie Carter is pretty awesome as her mom. The biggest problem with these time loss movies is how much you have to suspend your disbelief. This was a bit better than others I've seen but it was still rather ridiculous. 3.2 stars
226) Broadcast News. The story of a network news producer, reporter and green, pretty boy anchor. It was pretty amazing how this story still rings so familiar 25 years after it was first told. You could still have the pretty face who knows next to nothing about making the news getting promoted for superficial reasons, massive cuts, a great worker getting hosed, newsroom romances ebbing and flowing. Wow. 4.3 stars
227) Mr. Lucky. Cary Grant stars as a casino operator and con man who convinces an heiress to host her ball for the war effort with his games. The set-up of the story was ridiculous. Just get to it and show me Cary, please and thanks. But I still enjoyed it. Even gangster Cary is still lovable and charming. :) 3.5 stars
228) Will You Merry Me? A Christian and his Jewish fiancée bring their families together to meet for the holidays. Some craziness ensues, of course, but not too over the top. The acting was pretty good. I enjoyed the film for what it was-- light-hearted Christmas hijinks. 3.5 stars
229) Three Wise Women. A woman's past and future selves have to help her fix her life now to make it better in the future... but she doesn't know who they are. Amusing, strong start. Didn't really hold my attention, though. 3.2 stars
230) A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride. A woman comes back from a trip suddenly engaged to a stranger and her wedding-planning daughter decides to break up the wedding. Meh. 2.9 stars
231) Prelude to a Kiss. Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin star as a young couple whose life is changed by a kiss to the bride from an old man on her wedding day. I usually love magic, rom coms and Meg Ryan. But... this one didn't really do it for me. I'd probably have liked it better if I saw it 10 years ago. 3.2 stars
232) It's A Wonderful Life. An angel's sent to earth to help out a man ruined by a miser at Christmas. Aw! I don't know why I avoided this movie for so long. Maybe my mom doesn't like it?? (Turns out that was why.) I usually find him corny, but I thought Jimmy Stewart was very endearing. Feel-good movie for certain. 4.5 stars
December 25- 31, 2011
233) Apocalypse Now. LAST MOVIE ON THE AFI TOP 100 LIST!!! PUMPED!! Martin Sheen plays a Vietnam-era Green Beret sent on a secret mission to murder a rogue colonel (Marlon Brando). Pretty amazing film from Francis Ford Coppola. 4 stars
234) Fame. The original version of the story of the ups and downs of life for students at a performing arts high school. Quite entertaining. From my brief stint at a performing arts school, they sure minimized the competitiveness among the students. Still, an interesting film. 3.8 stars
235) The Dilemma. Vince Vaughn plays a man who has to figure out whether to tell his best friend his wife is cheating on him. Too long. There were a bunch of unnecessary moments. And to be a dark comedy, there weren't enough funny moments. 3.1 stars
236) Wild Cherry, A teenage girl plots revenge when she finds out her boyfriend's participating in a school get laid book. Wow. Really bad. Don't bother. 2 stars
4 comments:
I love Prelude To A Kiss!!
Mind you, I saw it when it was first released and I've always been a huge fan of the "old Meg Ryan".
Happy New Year.
I was always a Meg Ryan fan, too. I really thought I would like this one more. I loved the beginning and different parts of it but overall it didn't really do it for me. I'd be interested to see what Meg would do today. I wonder what acting role would get her back out there.
I understand what you say about Prelude To A Kiss, I know a lot of people who don't like the body swap element of it.
As for Meg I don't think she wants to act any more. It's sad, but we may have seen the last of her on the big screen.
I actually mostly liked the body switching element. I enjoyed Alec's character "recognizing" her. It was more the plot holes and inconsistent character behavior. I wonder if there's a film that would bring her back. I'd be intrigued by her in a "Girl, Interrupted" or "Young Adult" role.
Post a Comment