Elegance - Kathleen Tessaro

I read this forever ago, but I think I forgot to comment on it. Lovely book. Kind of reminded me of a not so crazy shopaholic book how the girl kept spazzing in and out of doing what someone suggested and going back to her old habits. Easy to read and had fun romance parts, but the romance wasn't the main focus.

Good book. Check it out.

Doubt

The cinematography was wonderful. The acting was superb, definitely Oscar-worthy. Meryl Streep was at her finest, and Amy Adams proved she can do more than sing and dance with her role as Sister James. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was fantastic as usual.

Nothing was actually proven by the end of this movie, and that makes it better than just really, really good. It leaves you wondering and debating with your thoughts about tradition and liberalism, and I like that about it. The ending made the movie.

I think the best thing about this movie is Meryl Streep and all her dragon-lady qualities, but I really enjoyed the little compassionate nuances we get to see - most of all in the way she is about Sister Veronica.

I like this movie. Doubt is certainly for thinkers.

Knowing

This movie makes you think about this question - Does everything, in fact, happen for a reason?

If we're all part of something that is already decided, do any of us really make the choices we make or are we somehow being lead to moments and places in our lives that have already been set up for us to get to? I love movies that make you think in circles like this one does. This movie is like a blend of science fiction and faith, and it's a whole different kind of end-of-days type film. The graphics are fantastic, the acting is pretty solid, and the main characters are not the typical cookie cutter Hollywood father and son.

This movie is sort of scary and definitely very suspenseful, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The ending really holds up and makes the film feel complete and sort of refreshing. It's fun and a little scary to think about afterwards. It's fiction so it's not like a revelation or anything, but it's supercool. I really recommend it. It was definitely worth a full theater ticket price.

The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice

I saw this on Amazon while browsing for movies to rent. Once I learned that Noah Wyle is the main character, it was on my list. Plus, it has a four-star rating from reviewers so I figured it must be good. It was. I didn't want to spend money buying this just to watch it because it's not at Blockbuster, but luckily I was able to use a freebie at a local Redbox (whoever came up with that contraption is a genius).

This movie is actually the third installment in a series, and Flynn, the main character, is a librarian who goes on missions collecting rare and historic relics for the Metropolitan Library of New York. The library has a secret amazing basement filled with treasures from all over the world, and getting a glimpse of its wonders really adds to the fun of the show.

Flynn's character works well because he knows so much and adds pieces to the story through his random factual interludes and references. The Librarian's vast knowledge and love of information really brings the whole story together. He kind of teaches you, and the action and suspense are almost like extras. I doubt that all of the things he says are true, but they sure captured my attention and made me want to know more.

I liked the idea of the Judas Chalice having a vampiric history. Definitely a good twist in the plot. I am not usually into the vampire thing, but it was fun and suspenseful and not the boring, same-old stuff we're used to when it comes to those creatures of the night. I also liked the little love story between Flynn and Simone. It had its own little twist as well.

Bob Newhart is loveable as kooky Judson, and Jane Curtin is also good in her nerdy role. Noah Wyle really surprised me, though. He's funny and nerdy-hot and an action hero all at once. I think he makes the perfect Librarian. I definitely want to see the rest of the series now. I hope they make many more. Definitely recommended. I think you would like this Heather. It's Indiana Jones-esque.

The Secret

I had no idea what this movie was going to be when I read the summary for it. I thought it was going to be like a spooky horror type film, but it was completely different. I've seen transference films before like Freaky Friday, etc., but this is the only one I have seen that is truly dramatic. An overbearing suburban mother gets a chance to understand her daughter and see who she really is in the most personal way before it is absolutely too late - a repeated premise, but this one takes the cake for me.

And, this may sound kind of perverted or gross, but I thought all the sexual tension and innuendos that came across between David Duchovny and Olivia Thirlby, the actress who played his daughter/spiritual wife, were kind of hot. This movie almost crosses that line, but it doesn't go there which I was totally afraid of in one particular intimate scene.

Olivia Thirlby reeled me in with her dual role in this movie, and I look forward to seeing her in more films in the future. David Duchovny was delicious as usual. I don't know what it is, but I just love to watch that man.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Just what I expected it would be from the trailers, and of course I cried. Brad Pitt did an excellent job as Benjamin Button, and wow did he ever look hot in the middle where he is the perfect age! Whew! I was stunned, though, towards the end when he comes back as a teenager. He looked so realistically young. The CGI and make-up crew did amazing with his facial features.

I thought the story was interesting and engaging, very sweet and sad. I would watch it again.

Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa

Very funny and much better than the first movie. The adventure and the story is more complex and interesting to watch this time around with the animals being in their all-natural habitat of Africa.

I like to move it, move it!

The penguins were hilarious as usual, but the character I was more pleased to see in a larger role was King Julian. His accent and his lines were all so funny. I especially love the part where he is consoling Melman, the giraffe, when he is down about love. That part was my fave. Oh, and Julian's story about making a sacrifice to the volcano was funny, too.

All the little animals in this were so cute, and I especially loved the mini deer. Adorable.

Good family fun.

Wanted

Hot movie right here! James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie - two hot people to start. This is based on a graphic novel I believe, so the action and the story were more enjoyable just knowing that that is where this originally stems from. I liked the story set up with Wesley's boring life and how he gets so irritated by his boss all the time. Cracked me up. When the actions comes into play, it comes in fast and hard and is great! Bullets curving and flying to unimaginable distances, riding the tops of trains, car crashes and so much adrenaline - I loved it all. I especially liked the humor in this flick and loved the surprise twist, and the ending was fantastic. Don't expect this movie to be anything like The Matrix or other action movies of that bad-ass calibur, but it was still pretty darn bad-ass.

Seven Pounds

Wow. This movie was something else. Will Smith was perfect in this movie. He played his character so well, and I couldn't believe how attached to him I got. I hate that, too, because of the ending. I cried so much and so hard it hurt. Summer was right there with me crying as well. We really let ourselves get too into movies sometimes. Whew! I don't want to go into detail about the plot because I don't want to give it away to people who haven't seen it, but let me tell you that it was really inspiring and sad and wonderful and just so moving. Also, I normally don't like Rosario Dawson, but she was great in this movie, too. I recommend this to everyone, but I won't be watching it again because once was too much - emotionally.