Annie Hall (1977)

20091231:
This movie was hilarious and I like the variety of scenes.

One of my favorite used effects is when a character breaks the fourth wall or immerses him/herself in a memory.

This is the first Woody Allen movie I've seen and it's great. Diane Keaton is great and the relationship between the characters Annie Hall and Alvy Singer is great too.

A younger Christopher Walken (34 years old) is in this movie.

Opening Lines:

There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly. The... the other important joke, for me, is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I think it appears originally in Freud's "Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious," and it goes like this - I'm paraphrasing - um, "I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member." That's the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women.

Ending Lines:

After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I... I realized what a terrific person she was, and... and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I... I, I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs.

Conversation:

Alvy: You want a lift?
Annie: Oh, why? Uh, you got a car?
Alvy: No, I was going to take a cab.
Annie: Oh, no. I have a car.
Alvy: You have a car? I don't understand. If you have a car, so then why did you say, 'Do you have a car?' like you wanted a lift?
Annie: I don't, I don't, geez, I don't know. I wasn't. ...I got this VW out there. (To herself) 'What a jerk, yeah. Would you like a lift?'
Alvy: Sure. Which way you goin'?
Annie: Me? Oh, downtown.
Alvy: Down ... I'm going uptown.
Annie: Oh well, you know I'm going uptown too.
Alvy: You just said you were going downtown.
Annie: Yeah, well, but I could ...

Overall, it's a great and funny movie. It's not the typical sort of happy ending, but it's happy.

[20140927 Edit][20191003 Edit]

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20140927:
It's surprising to me that this is only the second time I've seen this movie. In any case, I'm definitely glad I saw it again today. In particular, I felt as if I connected with it more today, from a thematic point of view (five years is a long time, lots of room for change and perspective).

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20191003 Comment:
As I finished transferring this post from my main blog to my movie blog, I had realized that I didn't remember how this movie ends.

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Instant Comments:
2: "I'm into leather." Ha.
2: References Robert Redford.
2: "I heard Commentary and Dissent had merged and formed Dysentery."
2: "We use a large vibrating egg."
2: "I'm very shallow and empty and I have no ideas and nothing interesting to say." "And I'm exactly the same way."
2: At around 57 min, you can see pictures of Alvy holding the lobster on the wall behind him (in Annie's apartment).
2=20140927

---

Watched 20091231.
Watched 20140927 (Netflix, Instant, HD)
Annie Hall (1977) Woody Allen. 93 min

Relevant Links:
Annie Hall (IMDb.com)
Annie Hall (RottenTomatoes.com)

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

20091226:
I guess part of how I view films is that I haven't seen as many films as some other people have. As such, a lot of things that can be old for some, are still exciting and new to me. I'm also easily entertained, so that can play a role in how I view films too. With Sherlock Holmes, I love the scenes when he breaks it down in his head, before executing the sequence. There are many other parts that just allow you to dive into the characters mind and see what he's going through. For example, SH pointed out the sound blurring out when Holmes's sound would be blurring out from his point of view.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.)

I will definitely need to read Holmes to see how closely the movie was true to the books, but it had an appropriate mystery style ending, where you see the clues along the way, but don't know exactly how they'll come together until it's all revealed. As long as it's these little details that matter, that's where Holmes comes in.

The interaction between Holmes and Watson is pretty good.

As my friends and I discussed the movie after watching it, some of faults that can be said of the movie were that some of the scientific explanations were way out there, i.e., way out there in terms of uncommon substances, not in terms of impossible or improbable. It was fun exchanging what we knew before it was explained.

[20091227 2:18 PM]

---

Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams)

20111226:
Two years later, due to the release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), the crew gets together to watch Sherlock Holmes (2009). I think there are some who haven't seen the first yet. In any case, I absolutely love the pacing of the movie. Steph likes the scene where Holmes enters the restaurant and absorbs all the information. That scene, like the scene where Holmes is fighting for sport, does a great job of giving the viewers an idea of what goes through Holmes's mind. It's such an exciting movie. Watching the first movie the day before watching the sequel was a good idea.

[20120124]

---

20190409:
This movie recently got added to Netflix and I prioritized watching it again.

In comparison to other adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, this movie gives him a action-packed background. I suppose, given that Sherlock Holmes is a detective, that this makes him a little more like Batman.

With that being said, the character, Sherlock Holmes, still retains his characteristic sharp observations and logic. Speaking of which, this movie did a great job of visually portraying Holmes's thoughts. It would, however, be interesting to see him think through a sequence of thoughts, but have the sequence play out differently (I can't remember if this interest is fulfilled in the sequel).

Sherlock and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law)

On a related note, it was interesting to see watch and compare the depiction of both Holmes and Watson - both individually and together - in this movie and in the BBC television series Sherlock.

Overall, I couldn't help but feel I didn't enjoy the movie as much as I was expecting to enjoy it or as much as I remembered. However, the movie was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend it to fans of the character, Sherlock Holmes.

Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie a thumbs up.

[20190412]

---

Instant Comments:
3a: I love this slow-motion bit!
3a: Watching Sherlock's initial interaction with Watson, I was surprised at the stark difference in relationship as compared to the relationship between Sherlock and Watson in the BBC television series Sherlock (granted Sherlock's personality is generally different as well).

Sherlock (right) and Lord Henry Blackwood (left, Mark Strong)

3a: The ringing. Love it.
3b: "How did you see that?" "Because I was looking for it."
3b: Hahaha. So childish. "Wear a jacket." "You wear a jacket."
3b: "Ability to spit in the back of the head. Neutralized."
3b: Hehe. "Where did that come from?" (someone watching the fight makes a comment about Sherlock winning)
3b: Hahaha. "How did you lure them in?" "Good question. Individually. I've been at it for six hours."
3b: Hahahaha. "Should I answer alphabetically or chronologically?"
3b: Haha. The sound he makes when he jumps down. Almost like "hyah" mixed with "awaa."
3b: Haha. "Beneath this pillow is the key to my release."
3b: Impressive. But I guess the gun ignited a chemical that blew up.
3b: I remember this explosion, but I neither remembered the cause or the aftermath.
3b: Hmm. Lord Coward was standing among the men. He would have been killed too. [Oh, it is explained later.]
3b: "Case reopened."
3a=20190409, 3b=20190410

---

Released 20091225.
Watched 20091226 Theaters. Bella Terra [SHERLOCK HOLMES] 10:20P $10.00
Watched 20111226.
Watched 20190409 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles)
Sherlock Holmes (2009) Guy Ritchie. 128 min.

Relevant Links:
Sherlock Holmes (IMDb.com)
Sherlock Holmes (RottenTomatoes.com)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

20091225:
I fell asleep during a small part of this movie, but I'm sure I didn't miss anything, because all the fight sequences in the movie seem exactly the same. Unlike well-choreographed kung fu movies, fight sequences here are just a bunch of huge robots bashing each other.

The movie also lacks a dramatic escape sequence like in an action movie.

In other words, the movie is just a bunch of missiles that constantly miss the protagonist and instead hit objects that cause a lot of flying pieces to launch in every which direction, like a helicopter.

Consequently, it was boring to watch the good guys defeat the bad guys. In fact, I only assumed the good guys were winning, because most of the time I couldn't tell which Transformers were Pretacons and which were Decepticons. Half the time, I just watched a bunch of robots fighting and dying. Speaking of which, it's strange to have Transformers dying like flies. I guess it makes them more realistic, compared to the cartoon where both parties tend to live to battle another day.

Here's an example of boring: Optimus Prime gets a temporary upgrade, but there's no fancy battle, just a straightforward win.

So the movie sums up to be 1) A couple of hot scenes with Megan Fox, 2) A lot of short action sequences where many missiles are fired and things explode, 3) Shia LeBeouf sees symbols everywhere, which to me seemed irrelevant.

Bleh.

[20091225][20101223 Edited][20130830 Edited]

---

Watched 20091225 (DVD)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) Michael Bay. 150 min.

Relevant Links:
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (IMDb.com)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (RottenTomatoes.com)

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I don't remember the movie that well, but needless to say, this HISHE (How It Should Have Ended) episode is undoubtedly a good representation of the movie.

[20111021]

Enchanted (2007)

20091222, 20091224:
Amy Adams! She played Susan in Talladega Nights and played Brenda Strong in Catch Me If You Can. I've seen Patrick Dempsey in the television series Grey's Anatomy and also in the romantic comedy Made of Honor (in-flight movie between Maryland and California). James Marsden played Scott Summers (Cyclops) from the X-Men movies, John Wilkes Booth from Zoolander (2001), and Richard White from Superman Returns. Timothy Spall! (Harry Potter series and Sweeney Todd)

The songs catch on quickly. I love the character development throughout the movie. Especially Giselle who starts out from a completely different world and behaves so differently from the people of New York (stereotyped). I quickly got into the movie, mainly because I love these types of movies.

For example, when the Ogre sings, "True... love's... kiss..." Or the song I heard before I even watched Enchanted: "That's How You Know." I love the beat in that song. It's hilarious when Robert says, "He knows the song too? I've never heard this song before! What the hell is it?"

Alan Menken's music is awesome.

[20091225 1:15 PM]

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20110617:
I didn't read my post above and so I was surprised for a second time to look up on IMDb.com that James Marsden played Scott Summers (Cyclops) in the X-Men movies.

I only watched the movie once before today, but I have listened to the soundtrack a number of times and as a consequence felt like I've see the movie the movie many times already. My sister says she's probably seen it at least ten times by now. That created a strong desire for me to watch it. However, between Enchanted and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), I decided to watch the more serious-toned Letters from Iwo Jima first.

Enchanted is a great family movie, a great love story, a great musical, and simply magical. It has a great cast, a unique introduction, and a unique ending. Musicals are great movies to watch again and again, and this movie is no exception. If you haven't seen Enchanted before, and any of the previous descriptors tickles your fancy, please give the movie a chance.

---

Instant Comments:
2: I forgot that the beginning is animated.
2: @5 minutes Ogre sings "True love's kiss."
2: ::smile:: Amy Adams in a big puffy dress in NYC. "Grumpy"
2: ::smile:: pigeon eats cockroach.
2: hahaha "I don't know if you're waiting for Prince Charming or what?" "Prince Edward."
2: I love how the cuts in the curtain clearly make a nice shape in the curtain.
2: I love how the animation pulls the apple down and it resurfaces as a real apple.
2: HAHAHA I love Pip's (failed) game of charade with Prince Edward. "It's good."
2: My sister said the face on the caramel apple is a death face, she said the first time she watched it she said it was so gross as a dripping apple.
2: HAHA I forgot the apple landing on the cyclist's helmet.
2: @48 minutes "That's How You Know" Patrick Dempsey's remarks are great.
2: HAHAHAHAHA Prince Edward: "Giselle!" ::begins singing:: ::crash::
2: Also Patrick Dempsey's expressions.
2: LOLOL Caramel apple burns away the cyclist's hair.
2: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA "Be careful it's poisonous."
2: HAHA "It's chewing off her face."
2: Haha "The pizza's breathing."
2: Isn't the water boiling? He just dips his hands in.
2: I like how her question fuels itself, "Is that all you can say, no?"
2: HAHA "I'm angry!" ::slap:: That's so interesting...
2: UGHOH!! Pip poops.
2: Jon McLaughlin's "So Close" @1 hour 22 min.
2: I like how Nathaniel has redeeming qualities.
2: HAHAHAHA "I don't know what melodramatic means but..."
2: Now this ending is done right and magical!
2: I love the pop-up book style and just all the happiness.

Special Features Watched:
2: Fantasy Comes to Life
2: : Happy Working Song
2: :: Many parts with the pigeons and the rats are real. Other props and effects used were also made to be real. Interesting to watch.
2: : That's How You Know

---

Watched 1st half 20091222, 2nd half 20091224 (DVD)
Watched 20110617 (DVD)
Enchanted (2007) Kevin Lima. 107 min.

Relevant Links:
Enchanted (IMDb.com)
Enchanted (RottenTomatoes.com)

Avatar (2009)

20091222:
Actors/Actresses which I recognize: Zoe Saldana from Star Trek plays Neytiri. Michelle Rodriguez plays Trudy. Giovanni Ribisi as Parker. Sigourney Weaver as Grace.

The movie was beautiful and action packed. It had enough storyline to keep me happy, though perhaps wouldn't make everybody happy. The 3D was great, though I would absolutely consider watching this movie again without the 3D. I mentioned in my post on Coraline how I love entering a new world. This movie did that in a big way. The planet lights up, has creatures that fly, winged creatures with four eyes, and practically everything links with the main inhabitants of the planet. As the main character progresses, we learn a bit more about the connection and grow with the character. At first he is all for helping the cause of gathering information for the Colonel, but he eventually learns about the connections (similar to John Smith with Pocahontas in Disney's Pocahontas) of people and nature with each visit. This all culminates in the epic battle at the end of the movie, and all the connections sort of come together making for an emotional and action packed sequence. Josh mentioned how he couldn't think of a better sequence at the moment. Topping scenes from Star Wars, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings... Whether or not it is the best, it is certainly high on the list. Since I want to reduce what I'm giving away, I'll just stop at that and say you should watch the movie, because it just looks great. The 3D is definitely impressive, but as Phuong mentioned, the 3D glasses makes things dark, and as such, the movie which is impressive colorfully, loses some of that beauty.

Movies that come out in both 3D and regular versions is a good form of boosting revenue, provided the movie is good enough. Like I said above, I would probably want to watch this again in non-3D.

There is much discussion on the plot, and what issues the movie hits on, but I'll leave that alone, at least for now.

[20091223 3:47 AM]

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20111224:
While I absolutely enjoyed the movie the first time I saw it, I understood the story much more this time around. In particular, I was focusing on Jake's attempts at confessing to the Na'vi. To be honest, the HISHE episode (below) threw me off.

[20111227]

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Released 20091218.
Watched 20091222 Theatre. Belle Terra [AVATAR] 3D 7:45P
Watched 20110904 (Cable On Demand)
Watched 20111224 (Blu-ray) (Theatrical Release)
Avatar (2009) James Cameron. 162 min.

Relevant Links:
Avatar (IMDb.com)
Avatar (RottenTomatoes.com)
Na'vi Dictionary

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This HISHE (How It Should Have Ended) episode is lacking in entertainment value. The only good bit is a reference to Aliens (1986) at the very end.

[20111021]

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Overview: A prince has been turned to a frog, and a young woman named Tiana gets turned into a frog while trying to help him return to a human. Tiana dreams of starting a restaurant, but now she first has to worry about turning back into a human, as does Prince Naveen.

Tiana (Anika Noni Rose)

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20091217:
Anika Noni Rose is the voice for Tiana, and she also does the singing. Oprah Winfrey is the voice for Tiana's mother Eudora, and John Goodman is the voice for Eli 'Big Daddy' La Bouff. When I saw Oprah Winfrey in the credits, I didn't remember who Eudora was. After I found out that she was Tiana's mother, I still couldn't recognize Oprah's voice, perhaps because of the Southern accent. I didn't know John Goodman lended his voice until after getting home, but after I found out, I could hear it. Speaking of Goodman, on the ride home, Daniel and I were thinking about celebrities who've done voice acting in Pixar films, e.g., (Daniel named) Tom Hanks and (I named) Tim Allen in Toy Story, and at one point Daniel named John Goodman for his role as Sulley in Monsters, Inc.. I also named Ellen DeGeneres for her role as Dory in Finding Nemo.

Dr. Facilier (Keith David)

Anyways, after we noted how Anika also performed the songs, we figured this would be less likely if the movie casted a celebrity to voice the character. However, celeberities appearing in movie versions of musicals are probably the exception, e.g., Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Chicago.
On the topic of songs, it turns the voice actors all provided their own singing voices: Anika Noni Rose (Tiana), Keith David (Doctor Facilier), Michael-Leon Wooley (Louis), Bruno Campos (Prince Naveen), Jim Cummings (Ray), and Jenifer Lewis (Mama Odie). While my first impression is that the music was good, I had no intuition on which of the tracks might be memorable. These songs certainly don't catch on as quickly as those in films from my childhood, e.g., The Lion King, Pocahontas, and Hercules. I'd say the first candidate for most memorable is "Dig a Little Deeper," and the runner-up would be "Almost There."

Prince Naveen (Brunos Campos) and Tiana

I'm also happy to see a 2D animation done by Disney. There is a section in the Wiki page summarizing the animation process for this movie; it's a short and interesting read. All those 3D movies really spoil the kids. I don't think they enjoy the classics as much when they grow up with so many 3D movies and cartoons. Of course those are great, but 2D animation is its own form of art that, while it might cost more to produce, adds to the magic of the film. Plus, a person in a classic Disney 2D film looks "real" compared to a person in any 3D film. Note: It's been five years since the last Disney hand-drawn animation: Home on the Range (2004).

I loved all the references to past Disney movies.

Disney references I noticed:
- Obviously all the Disney princesses at the beginning sitting on the shelf. I'm pretty sure I saw Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle.
- There were also many other references in that room. One that I saw, but forgot was the teapot set, a reference to Beauty and the Beast. [20211225: Looking at the screenshot, the colors don't match, so it's more likely just a standard tea set]
- Since Disney animals tend to be drawn consistently across movies, Charlotte's white cat looks like Marie from Aristocats.
- There's the ribbon on the dress frame that resembles that of Cinderella's dress.
- King Triton as a parade float.
- One of the characters (I can't remember who) split something in two as a reference to Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone. [Louis takes some leaves and parts them, just like Madam Mim did with her own hair in one of the scenes from The Sword in the Stone]

- "Prince Naveen" and Charlotte standing on top of the wedding cake, like the cake in The Little Mermaid.
- The house that can be seen at the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean, or from the Blue Bayou restaurant, at Disneyland.

References that I missed:
- Apparently a reference that I don't remember is someone shaking out Magic Carpet (Aladdin).
- I also don't remember Aladdin's lamp as Mama Odie is searching for something.
- I totally didn't realize that when looking at the stars, Timon says "Easy, they're fireflies... Fireflies that got stuck up there in that bluish-black thing."
- Apparently Big Daddy was dressed as Hercules during the masquerade ball and there was a couple dressed as Aladdin and Jasmine.

Ray (Jim Cummings)

- The riverboat being based on Mark Twain's Steamboat at Disneyland.
- Apparently Tiana had Pocahontas's necklace.

By no means is the above meant to be an exhaustive list. All these references are a call to Disney fans to go back and watch this movie and all the classics over again. I certainly want to! What great marketing by Disney!

[20091218 8:47 AM][20211225 Edit]

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20101125:
I needed to start studying, but I already watched three other movies today. As such, I put this movie on in the background, because I had seen it before.

Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley)

[20211225 Edit]

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Instant Comments: 2: Toys in Charlotte's room.
2: Stella!
2: Louis (Armstrong): During the song that soon follows he says, "I ain't no Louis Armstrong..."
2: Haha, Madam Mim.
2: "If I can mince, you can dance."
2: "I'm six and a half."
2: I had forgotten the credits were done so beautifully.

Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis)

2: Though it's a beautiful song for the credits, I suddenly thought how funny it was when a movie plays a pop song of some sort during the credits which is totally different from the music composed for the main movie. You get a little of the New Orleans type music after the song ends, but yeah... sometimes a movie does that and it takes me by surprise.
2=20101125

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Released 20091211.
Watched 20091217 Theatre. AMC Downtown Disney 12 [PRINCESS &] 12:45pm $8.00
Watched 20101125 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20210131 (Netflix, Instant)
The Princess and the Frog (2009) Ron Clements and John Musker. 97 min [botn The Frog Princess (2002) by E. D. Baker which is bot story The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm]

Relevant Links:
Check out the The Princess and the Frog page at IMDb.com.
Check out the The Princess and the Frog page at RottenTomatoes.com.

Coraline (2009)

Plot Summary:
Coraline's parents are working on a furniture catalog and are too busy to really notice her. Through a series of events, she is led to a door in the wall that leads to another world. Personally, I couldn't tell if it was in fact Coraline's imagination or if she was actually visiting another world.* This becomes clear at some point near the middle or end.

Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning)

*I also couldn't tell for Pan's Labyrinth.

---

20091216:
To start, I have to say I have a positive bias towards stop-motion films.*

One of the thoughts that crossed my mind was that this movie makes me think of Alice in Wonderland. According to Wikipedia, the book Coraline, on which the movie was based, has indeed been compared to Alice in Wonderland. Other movies I'm reminded of, with respect to seemingly imaginary worlds, are Pan's Labyrinth, Chronicles of Narnia, and Bridge to Terabithia. In any case, this was heavily due to scenes in the movie where there was so much action and visually wondrous objects. For example, the snapdragons.

Wyborne "Wybie" Lovat (Robert Bailey Jr.)

There's always the plus that the movie is done in stop-motion, because that adds to the magic of the scenes. I enjoy movies that have the ability to show you a different world and mesmerize you. This movie did just that.

What I Liked About the Plot:
The great thing about the plot is I kept waiting for when the happiness turns bad. I knew it was coming, but I just didn't know when.

Strongest Scene in the Movie (with respect to emotion):
When Coraline finds her parents missing and before going to sleep, she forms her mom and dad out of pillows.

Other Father (John Hodgman), Coraline, and Other Mother (Teri Hatcher)

*The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Corpse Bride (2005), Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit. The first two of which were also directed by Henry Selick, the director of Coraline.

[20091217 7:46 PM][20170407 Edit]

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20170407:
I didn't remember much about this film, and I initially passed it as I moved my mouse across various movies on Netflix's My List. However, highly rated for me at 98%, I decided not to waste time looking through items in the list and just watch Coraline!

I'd happily report, that even within the first ten or so minutes, I was glad I decided to watch Coraline. I love the stop-motion animation, the artistic direction, and the story. Oh wait, the music and sound was wonderful as well.

Coraline

With that being said, it might be too scary for little kids. Perhaps the movie would be better suited for kids of age eight and older.*

Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie a thumbs up.

*The movie is currently marked as appropriate for ages 9+ on commonsensemedia.org. However, actual reviews range with some parents saying their three-year-old enjoyed it and others pushing towards 13+.

---

Instant Comments:
2: A gravy train.
2: The fact that she wakes up in her real room is mysterious. Like with Pan's Labyrinth or Chronicles of Narnia, I'm made to wonder if any of it is real.
2: Lol. "Just looking ahead."
2: I didn't catch it. Was there a time-limit set

The Cat (Keith David) and Coraline

Credits:
2: After the credits end, there's a short example of the stop-motion animation process.

2=20170407

---

Watched 20091216.
Watched 20170407 (Netflix, Instant)
Coraline (2009) Henry Selick. 96 min [botnotsn (2002) by Neil Gaiman]

Relevant Links:
Coraline (IMDb.com)
Coraline (RottenTomatoes.com)
Coraline (film) (Wikipedia.org)
Coraline (Wikipedia.org)

Miss April Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Miriam Forcible (Dawn French)

Four Christmases (2008)

Review (No/Little Spoilers):
I hadn't seen any previews for this movie, so I had absolutely no idea what this movie was about. As such, I liked the introduction to slash first part of this movie, because there is an element of surprise. While there are some funny scenes scattered throughout the movie, there aren't enough, and most aren't funny enough to make the movie a good comedy. (Legally Blonde was a better comedy.) The development of the conflict was okay, but the conflict and resolution lacked suspense. There's no feeling of "is he going to get her back?" or "is he going to get her in time?" Thus, the movie fails to be a good romance movie.

Summary (Possible Spoilers):
Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon play a couple, Brad and Kate, who come from dysfunctional families and this causes them to avoid getting married and living a carefree, fun lifestyle. In past Christmases (two or three) they have gone off on vacation and tell their parents they are doing charity work, etc. This Christmas, However, their flight to Fiji has been cancelled and they are caught red-handed. They now have to visit their families, and because their parents are divorced, this makes four Christmases. Brad's dad, Kate's mom, Brad's mom, and finally Kate's dad. The funny scenes: @Brad's dad's: UFC, Brad's nephew streaks, setting up satellite dish @Kate's mom's: bounce house with pregnancy test, Joseph and Mary @Brad's mom's: his best friend with his mom, Taboo @Kate's dad's: Brad returns @End: Same camera crew that started it all, barges in.

[Actual Post Date and Time 12/17/2009 11:41 AM]

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Watched 20091215 on flight to California.
Four Christmases

Relevant Links:
Four Christmases (IMDb.com)
Four Christmases (RottenTomatoes.com)

Public Enemies (2009)

20130122 Comment:
I don't remember much about the movie. I vaguely remember the acting being good, but that the pacing was slow, and that I left the theater not being too satisfied.

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Released 20090701.
Watched 20090706 Theater. Bella Terra [PUBLIC ENEMIES] 6:25P $10.75
Public Enemies (2009) Michael Mann. 140 min [adaptation of the non-fiction book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34 by Bryan Burrough]

Relevant Links:
Public Enemies (IMDb.com)
Public Enemies (2009 film) (Wikipedia.org)