Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011

Director: Joe Johnston

Stars: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci

I really like what they're doing, making a bunch of movies about superheroes that are separate in themselves, and then at the end of each one, they bring them together as one: the Avengers! At the end of Captain America, after the credits, is a preview for the Avengers, coming out in May 2012. Though superhero movies can be depressing, I am looking forward to this.

It's 1941, and Steve Rogers (Evans) is a short, weak, asthmatic kid from Brooklyn who wants to join the U.S. army, but is rejected multiple times. Then he meets Zola (Tucci), a German doctor who developed a super drug-injection thingy that would basically make you better in every way. He sees the greatness in Rogers, and gives him the injections. Now Rogers is a tall, muscular super-man, and he's ready to fight the Nazis.

Lots of explosions. Lots of action. Lots of army green.

This one was good, and I really enjoyed it, though I can't say I was crazy about the ending. You'll see.

NOTE: Chris Evans also played "The Human Torch" in The Fantastic Four. I guess he likes to be a superhero!

It Could Happen to You, 1994

Director: Andrew Bergman

Stars: Nicholas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez, Stanley Tucci

Nicholas cage stars as Charlie, a cop who plays the lotto with his wife. When he doesn't have money for a tip to leave for waitress Yvonne (Fonda), he promises to split half of what he wins with his current lottery ticket, or he'll come back the next day and give her a tip anyway. Having just filed for bankruptcy that day because of her deadbeat husband, whom she can't afford to divorce, she isn't in the mood to care if he comes back or not. Charlie does come back the next day, with great news. He won $4 million- so she gets a $2 million tip! But his greedy wife Muriel (Perez) isn't thrilled about it.

The ending is sweet. It's worth a watch. Except...... I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle Rosie Perez! Is that her real voice? She gives all Rosies a bad name.

Letters to Juliet, 2010

Director: Gary Winick

Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Christopher Egan, Vanessa Redgrave

Aspiring writer Sophie (Seyfried) travels to Italy with her fiance on a pre-honeymoon vacation. When he ditches her for tours of his vendors and suppliers (he owns an Italian restaurant in New York), she explores Verona on her own. When she comes across "Juliet's house", she discovers a wall filled with letters written to Juliet by women who need advice on love. She then finds out that a group of women reply to each letter that has a return address, writing as Juliet. Intrigued, she joins them and replies to a letter written 50 years ago.

So she is very surprised when, a few days later, she meets Claire (Redgrave), the woman who wrote the letter to Juliet, asking for advice on whether or not to run away with Lorenzo, the man she loved. Inspired by her letter and comes back to Italy to find her love Lorenzo and apologize for leaving him.

But they never kept in touch, so it's up to Sophie, Claire, and Claire's grandson Charlie (Egan) to find this Lorenzo, among all the other Lorenzo's with the same surname.

It's a really sweet story, and the only fault I find with it is that it's cheesy. Cheesy but lovely!

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 2010

Director: Michael Apted

Stars: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter

If you don't mind it when Hollywood takes beloved children's stories and brings them to life completely incorrectly, with no real care for the story or the purpose of certain things, basically changing EVERYTHING, then by all mean, do watch this.

I never will again. I recommend the older BBC version of the Chronicles of Narnia, made in 1989. They are not as grand, and have silly acting at times, but they are true to the story. They must have done something crazy like actually read the books!!!! (A couple can be found on Netflix, but otherwise I don't know!)

I also recommend Focus on the Family's Radio Theater's presentation of the Chronicles of Narnia. Not all of the Chronicles have been made into movies, but Radio Theater did all of them, so it's really enjoyable and a complete story.

Father's Little Dividend, 1951

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett, Don Taylor

The sequel to Father of the Bride, of course! Kay (Taylor) and Buckley (Taylor)--haha, taylor and Taylor!-- surprise the whole family with more news: they're having a baby! There isn't much more to say: that's the gist of it. Then after the baby is born, it's the story of how Stanley (Spencer) goes from not caring for this crying baby who doesn't seem to like him to being wrapped around his little grandson's finger.

Unlike the first movie and it's remake, this second one and it's later remake, Father of the Bride Part 2, are very different, though the same basic story. I don't want to say too much about the remakes, because I still want to review those two.

Father of the Bride, 1950

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett, Don Taylor

I grew up watching Father of the Bride- the 1991 version. I didn't know until probably a year ago that there was an older version, the original. If you've seen either of them, they are very similar. Extremely similar! But I did enjoy the remake better. Steve Martin is funnier than Tracy, and Martin Short is brilliant! The music is modern and more enjoyable, and I always cry no matter what, because the story is just lovely.

The story: Kay Banks (Taylor) surprises her parents Stanley (Tracy) and Ellie (Bennett) with news of her engagement to Buckley (Taylor). The journey from engagement to wedding day is the story, with the focus being on Stanley, the "father of the bride", as he deals with paying for the wedding, and more importantly, losing his only daughter to her husband.

I did like the remake better, but it was totally entertaining and enjoyable! 5 stars in my book

(5 stars for the great movies that are worth it---6 stars for the ones you must own and watch over and over again!)

NOTE: just so you know, Elizabeth Taylor and Don Taylor (who play the happy couple) just happen to have the same last name. They weren't married in real life!

How to Steal a Million, 1966

Director: William Wyler

Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, Eli Wallach, Hugh Griffith

"That's why...........Explain it to me again....."

Nicole (Hepburn) is worried about her father, a master forger of paintings, who decides to donate his Cellini "Venus" statue to a museum in their hometown of Paris. When the museum tells him that someone will need to authenticate it for insurance purposes (it will be insured for $1 million), both Nicole and her father know that disaster is looming, because of course the Venus is a fake, having been sculpted by Nicole's grandfather many years ago.

After catching a thief in their home, Nicole comes up with a plan to save her father from prison. She hires the thief (O'Toole) to steal the Venus before it can be authenticated. The only problem with this is the thief isn't exactly who he seems to be.

This is a fun heist film. It's hilarious and romantic. Bottom Line: You'll love it.

Peter O'Toole's eyes! Swoon!!

more reviews to come!

How to Steal a Million, 1966

Father of the Bride, 1950

Father's Little Dividend, 1951

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 2010

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953

Director: Howard Hawks

Stars: Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn, Elliot Reid

"I can be smart when it's important. But most men don't like it."

Best friends Lorelai (Monroe) and Dorothy (Russell) set sail for Europe, which was supposed to be a wedding trip for Lorelai and her rich fiance, who was forced to stay in New York by his meddling rich father. Unbeknownst to Lorelai, her fiance's father has hired an investigator to follow her and make sure she stays away from the men on the ship. But Lorelai is a faithful, though a man-magnet (did I mention she's played by Marilyn Monroe?). One of the detectives, Malone (Reid), begins to romance Dorothy, but when the girls discover who he really is, he will have a tough time convincing Dorothy it wasn't all an act.

Featuring the song "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Actually, the the other one they sing about being girls from Little Rock is the one that gets stuck in my head whenever I watch it. I LOVE this musical. Marilyn is SO funny!!!! Such a cute comedy, and there is a musical sequence with the men's Olympic team doing all kinds of gymnastic stuff. Yeah!

That was sort of a joke.

Charade, 1963

Director: Stanley Donen

Stars: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau

"One of these days you could wake up dead, Mrs. Lambert...."

I love this comedy! Murder, spies, romance, suspense, missing money! Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn! What else could you want?

Charles Lampert is murdered, leaving behind a widow, Reggie (Hepburn), confused and homeless. Having planned on divorcing him, Reggie isn't heartbroken, just confused, especially when a CIA agent contacts her, and tells her that her husband was wanted by the US government for stealing $250,000, and that his real name wasn't Lampert. He tells her to look for the money, and the search produces nothing, which doesn't help Reggie because she soon finds out it's not only the CIA who are after the money! And Peter isn't who he seems to be!

Okay, that is the best I can do for a short synopsis without copying someone else's. Basically it's brilliant, and I recommend it without reservations! Watch it! If you are a fan of Audrey Hepburn, it is a must see. Ditto Cary Grant. Ditto classic films.

I hate the word "ditto". I really do!

That Thing You Do! 1996

Director: Tom Hanks

Stars: Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Tom Hanks, Steve Zhan, Ethan Embry, Charlize Theron

The story of the one-hit wonder: The Wonders!

Actually, this is not the first time I have seen this one. I really like this movie! So funny, so cute, great music, crazy clothes, a handsome drummer....what more could you want? It's the story of the rise and fall of The Wonders in the early 60's. They become famous with their hit "That Thing You Do", and then quickly fall apart.

It's great! I promise, it's worth the watch! Totally fun! But I haven't seen it for 5 years or so, and I thought, until I just looked it up, that it had been a real story from the 60's. Like "fictionized" non-fiction, you know? But apparently not. I can't figure out if The Wonders ever really did exist, but I did figure out that the song was written for the movie! Wow! Didn't see that one coming. I feel fooled. Of course I never cared to look it up before, so I'm not that dumb, right?

The word "Gullible" slows up after the end credits of this movie.

Lover Come Back, 1961

Director: Delbert Mann (really? Delbert??)

Stars: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall

It is too ridiculous. Maybe because it was directed by a guy named Delbert.

Okay, I am just being mean. It was like any other comedy of mistaken identity. Bachelor playboy Jerry (a very handsome Hudson) has very unethical ideas about advertising. And Carol (Day), also in the ad business, finds out about his ways of stealing clients and so decides to get the "vip" account before he does- the right way. The problem is: "vip" is not an actual product; only a figment of Jerry's imagination. When Jerry meets his rival Carol, he is smitten, and, to protect himself and impress her, he pretends to be the scientist who is developing the "secret product". Since Carol has never met Jerry, this works for a while. She, the classic "good girl" will do whatever it takes to get the "vip" account from this "good" doctor. The ending is dumb, sorry. I just didn't enjoy it and the love story was extremely unbelievable.

Tony Randall was funny!

Conspiracy Theory, 1997

Director: Richard Donner

Stars: Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart

Crazy, paranoid conspiracy theorists shouldn't be this handsome.

Don't get me wrong, Mel does a great job, I think. You can't help but think he's totally dreamy because he's Mel, even though he lives in an apartment that has a combination lock on everything, even the canisters of food inside the locked fridge. And he has to purchase a copy of The Catcher in the Rye every time he goes to a bookstore.....

Jerry (Gibson) is a paranoid conspiracy theorist-- but this guy isn't just crazy for no reason: he's got lots of secrets of his own. His lawyer friend Alice (Roberts) soon gets caught up in his troubles as well. But some things don't add up, and Alice begins to investigate with Jerry the mystery behind Dr. Jonas (Stewart) and his secret project.

It's a bit hard to explain. It's hard for me to explain, anyway. (Wikipedia has got it covered, so I don't have to.) It's a thriller, and just to warn you, there are some torture spots. Not fun! But there are a few funny moments- Jerry's lines can be quite amusing.

I'll Be Seeing You, 1944

Director: William Dieterle

Stars: Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple

Mary Marshall (Rogers) is given special leave from a women's prison to visit her relatives for the holidays, and on the train she meets Zach Morgan (Cotten), a troubled soldier on leave from a vet hospital. They hit it off, and Zach ends up spending Christmas with the Marshalls. As he and Mary spend more time together, they both struggle with their own secrets. She can't tell him she's on leave from prison, and he doesn't think she could handle his troubles of PTSD.

This is one of those holiday war movies. I liked it. Next Christmas, I will have to add it to my Christmas movie list. Along with Since You Went Away, which also stars Cotten and Temple. I'm seeing a pattern here!

I always like to see stars in movies where they are doing something different than what they usually do in movies. And that is a very long way of saying this isn't a musical, and Ginger Rogers doesn't dance! Well, actually there is a dance scene, but it's only because they're at a party, and there's no focus on Ginger. I like that- way to go, Ginger, expanding your horizons!

Not that I don't love to see Ginger dancing! I love Fred and Ginger! I need to get Shall We Dance soon!

Coming Soon from my "Instant Queue" on Netflix....

Lover Come Back, 1962

I'll Be Seeing You, 1944

That Thing You Do! 1996

Charade, 1963

Conspiracy Theory, 1997

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953

With Six You Get Eggroll, 1968

Director: Howard Morris

Stars: Doris Day, Brian Keith

Abby (Day), a widow with three sons, begins to date Jake (Keith), who is an old friend of her late husband. Jake's a widower with a daughter, and soon it becomes tricky to blend the two families. That's basically it. Silly, but not bad.

I adore Brian Keith from The Parent Trap. He's so sweet!

Sabah: A Love Story

Director: Ruba Nadda

Stars: Arsinee Khanjian, Shawn Doyle

Sabah (Khanjian) is a 40-something, single Muslim woman, who dutifully takes care of her mother, and deals with the strict rules of her religion within her close-knit family in Toronto. She decides to take swimming lessons (a big no-no, apparently) and meets a non-Muslim named Stephen, and falls in love. Keeping the relationship from her family is complicated, and eventually they decide to tell them.

It's one of those quiet, slow-moving stories. A kind of real life story. It was a lot like Sweet Land, which I reviewed a few weeks ago. I liked Sweet Land better, but still this was sweet, and definitely worth watching.

Please Don't Eat the Daisies, 1960

Director: Charles Walters

Stars: Doris Day, David Niven, Richard Haydn

This was just like a classic Disney movie from the 50's and 60's! Except it wasn't Disney. And it wasn't about teenagers or kids. And I doubt it's a "classic", even if it does have Doris Day, because I had never heard of it til Netflix suggested it to me. But it did have a dog, AND a house to fix up....

This is a story of a marriage and how a new job for Larry (Niven) changes his relationship with his wife Kate (Day). Larry becomes a theater critic, and suddenly life is full of busy-ness for Kate and Larry and their 4 sons. Larry's job becomes a huge distraction as his whole character seems to change, and Kate suspects that he gives bad reviews just for the attention it will bring.

It wasn't bad, just not amazing. And it had nothing to do with eating daisies. It was a song in the movie, and one of the boys ate some daisies, but otherwise, no daisies. So the title is silly.

The Castle, 1997

Director: Rob Stitch

Stars: Michael Caton, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Eric Bana, Charles "Bud" Tingwell

An Australian comedy about a family being forced to leave their home because the airport (next door) wants to acquire their land to expand the airport and runways. It's the story of how Darryl Kerrigan (Caton) fights to keep his "castle".

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!

"You won't stop laughing!" --totally true.