Made of Honor, 2008

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!
Patrick Dempsey--Sydney Pollack



Director: Paul Weiland

Stars: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Sydney Pollack





Womanizer Tom (Dempsey) met Hannah (Monaghan) in college, and since then, they've been best friends.  Tom is with a different woman practically every night, but Hannah is his special girl he can do anything with, including take home to his messed-up family.  Hannah wishes Tom would see her as more than a friend, but can't wait around forever.  While visiting Scotland for a few weeks, she meets, and gets engaged to, Colin (McKidd)-- just when Tom was thinking she was the perfect girl!

Hannah asks Tom to be her Maid of Honor, and after he discusses it with his friends, he says yes- because he wants to be in on the planning, and he really plans to steal the bride.

This is rated R, and it certainly deserves it.  It just reminds me of how much I HATE romantic comedies these days.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 1986

Director: John Hughes

Stars: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey, Ben Stein





Ferris Bueller (Broderick) decides he needs a day off of high school and comes up with an elaborate scheme in order to pull it off. (Including a recorded message that plays when the doorbell rings!) He gets his best friends off, too, and together they set out for a day in Chicago, doing whatever they please, and ending the day by singing in a parade.

I love love love this movie! Ferris is hysterical. It's the perfect film for a rainy day.

Oscar, 1991

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!
Tim Curry-- Eddie Bracken




Director: John Landis

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Ornella Muti, Don Ameche, Peter Riegert, Vincent Spano, Tim Curry, Marisa Tomei, Eddie Bracken, Kurtwood Smith, Kirk Douglas




Gangster Angelo "Snaps" Provolone (Stallone) is finally going straight like he promised his dying father he would.  But the day he decides to become a banker and has the board of directors over is the very day his entire household is under police surveillance, he finds out one of his employees has been stealing from him, and the thief asks to marry his only daughter.  A few identical suitcases full of jewels and cash and women's underwear, respectively, add extra intrigue to the whole situation.

I LOVE this movie!

The Man Who Knew Too Little, 1997

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!
Alfred Molina--Bill Murray



Director: Jon Amiel (Entrapment)

Stars: Bill Murray, Peter Gallagher, Joanne Whalley, Alfred Molina




It's his birthday, and Wallace (Murray) heads to London to visit his brother James, who unfortunately, is busy that night, so he sends his brother on a unique London experience for a few hours.  He gets him tickets for the "Theatre of Life", where you don't even have to learn your lines, and you can be an actor for a night in a thrilling plot!

James drops Wallace off at a phone booth where the "Theatre of Life" will begin, and Wallace gets  a mysterious call for "Spenser," giving him an address and instructions.  Wallace goes along with the evening, not knowing that he's in on an assassination plot, and that call was not from the "Theatre of Life!"

Obviously, this is a spy comedy of mistaken identity, and it truly is funny how it keeps going on.  It's not the cleanest, though not that dirty.  If you're in the mood for a spy comedy, you'll like it.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!
Helena Bonham-Carter --- Johnny Depp


Director: Tim Burton (Batman Forever, Edward Scissorhands)

Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Freddie Highmore, Christopher Lee, David Kelly





Charlie Bucket (Highmore) finds one of the golden tickets inside a chocolate Wonka Bar and goes on a tour of Wonka's Chocolate factory with 5 other lucky children.  They all get to see just how strange the mysterious Mr. Wonka really is.

I'm not a fan of Tim Burton and his strange films, but this one is kinda cute.  The Oompa Loompas are weird, but funny.

The Wedding Planner, 2001

Director: Adam Shankman


Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Justin Chambers, Judy Greer





Mary (Lopez) is a wedding planner who is about to become a partner in the company- all she has to do is successfully plan the Donolly wedding.  This becomes tricky when the man she recently met and has fallen for actually ends up being the groom of the wedding she is supposed to plan!

Very cute and sweet!  I have always liked this movie, as cheesy as it might be.  Romantic comedies too often go the dirty route, and I'm glad this one didn't.

Mirror Mirror, 2012

Director: Tarsem Singh

Stars: Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane





A Snow White story, made into a comedy.  Sometimes this was funny, but honestly, the best part about seeing this in the theater was that it was free because it was a gift, and there was a guy in front of me and ,my friends who fell asleep and started snoring.  The choking silent laughter with friends was worth sitting through the whole silly movie.

My Best Friend's Wedding, 1997

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!
Rupert Everett--Julia Roberts



Director: P.J. Hogan

Stars: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett, Cameron Diaz




It's almost Julianne's (Roberts) birthday, and she remembers that she and her best friend Michael (Mulroney) once promised each other that if they weren't married by the time they were 30, they'd marry each other.  When he calls her that night, he tells her he's getting married to Kimberly (Diaz), and she suddenly realizes she loves him and wants him for herself.

It's only days before the wedding, and Julianne must act quickly if she wants Michael for herself.  She has her gay friend George (Everett) to pretend he's her boyfriend, just to make Michael jealous.  That makes for some funny stuff.  

I remember watching this one a lot when it was new.  I haven't seen it in years, so maybe it's not exactly what I remember.

The Trouble With Harry, 1955

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: John Forsythe, Shirley MacLaine










When a body is discovered in a small Vermont town, trouble and hilarity ensue!  I don't want to give anything away- just watch it.  Not your typical Hitch film, as you can see from the poster.  

French Kiss, 1995

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!!

Meg Ryan-- Kevin Kline

Director: Lawrence Kasden

Stars: Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton

Kate (Ryan) heads to France to surprise her fiance Charlie (Hutton). The trip is a disaster from the start, as she is terrified of flying, and the man seated next to her, Luc (Kline), tries his best to irritate her, and it doesn't stop when she gets off the plane. Having used her to smuggle something, Luc must now follow Kate. So he is there when she arrives at Charlie's hotel and finds him kissing another woman.

Kate goes off the deep end, and Luc helps her plan her revenge on Charlie.

Very sweet, funny, and romantic! I can't do it justice and of course I don't want to give anything away!

Hello, Dolly! 1969

Director: Gene Kelly

Choreographer: Michael Kidd

Stars: Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford

With a director like Gene Kelly and a choreographer like (my favorite) Michael Kidd, how can you go wrong?)

I'm ending my month of musicals with one of the very, very best.

Matchmaker and widow Dolly Levi (Streisand) has set her sights on Horace Vandergelder (Matthau), and it's quite an adventure, how she wins his heart. And while Vandergelder's gone to New York to woo a different woman, his employees Cornelius (Crawford) and Barnaby ditch their store duties and escape to New York for some adventure, and they won't come home until they've each kissed a girl. Well, when you make that vow, something great is bound to happen, right?

My favorite part is the dancing waiters in the Harmonia Gardens restaurant, and when they dance with Dolly and sing "Hello, Dolly". And "Sunday Clothes" runs a close second. Wonderful movie!

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, 1967

repost (original post: May 17, 2011)

Director: David Swift

Choreographer: Bob Fosse

Stars: Robert Morse, Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee

James Pierpont Finch (Robert Morse), a window washer, begins reading a book that will forever change his life- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Soon he is lying and deceiving his way to the top of the World Wide Wickets Corporation, in his own wonderfully entertaining style. (Don't ask what a "wicket" is- nobody knows!)

It's BRILLIANT!

A few things I love: 1. Robert Morse's goofiness. His physical comedy is just astounding- I laugh at practically everything he does. "Groundhog!" "Finch, F-I-N-C-H" (You'll see what I mean.) 2. Finch's girl's name is Rosemary (played by Michele Lee), and he even sings a song about her entitled "Rosemary", which is just SO cool! 3. There's a song entitled "A Secretary is Not a Toy". Enough said. 4. The dancing. Wow, the choreography in the "Brotherhood of Man" number at the end literally makes me laugh OUT LOUD! I've probably said "hilarious" several times already, but it's just so true! (Okay, so maybe I didn't say "hilarious" several times. It deserves it, though.)

The list doesn't end there, but I'll stop. There's too much to love in this "feel-good" musical comedy!

The Princess Bride, 1987

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!!

Christopher Guest-- Robin Wright

Director: Rob Reiner

Stars: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, Billy Crystal, Peter Cook, Fred Savage, Carol Kane, Peter Falk

Now that's an all-star cast!

When Buttercup (Wright) learns that her love Westley (Elwes) has been murdered by the dread Pirate Roberts, she vows never to love again; not even 5 years later when Prince Humperdinck (Sarandon) chooses her as his bride. Before the wedding, she is kidnapped by 3 men, who've been hired to help Humperdick start a war with their sworn enemy across the sea. But following these three is a man wearing black (even a mask), whose goal is to take Buttercup from them.

But when he kidnaps her, and they're running from the Prince, she finds out his true identity: the man in black is her true love, Westley!

Okay, so there's much more to it. It's very funny- so many memorable lines! This one is an absolute MUST SEE, ESSENTIAL, whatever you want to call it, for EVERYONE! Watch it!

One of the best movies ever, and today is my birthday, so happy birthday to me!

On the Town, 1949

This week, it's pretty much about Gene Kelly.....

Director: Stanley Donan, Gene Kelly

Choreographer: I think this might be Gene Kelly, but neither Wikipedia nor Imdb are clear....

Stars: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen, Jules Munshin

Gabey (Kelly), Chip (Sinatra), and Ozzie (Munshin) are three sailors on 24 hours leave in New York, so they hit the town. When Gabey sees a poster of a "Miss Turnstiles" (Vera-Ellen) in the subway, he thinks she's famous, and then seeing her right there in person, he falls for her quickly. So the guys' plan to see the town and meet girls becomes a reality as they hop in a cab driven by Hildy (Garrett)- who turns out to only have eyes for Chip- and head to a museum, where they run into anthropologist Claire (Miller), who falls for Ozzie, her very own prehistoric man. All the while they're searching for Ivy - that's Miss Turnstiles' real name.

But Ivy isn't famous, and of course, she feels awful for deceiving Gabey. But he continues to look for her, even after she runs away again! And who would have thought that a sailor on leave in New York would find romance with a small town girl- from HIS own small town, even!

Only in New York....or rather, Hollywood. This musical is notable because it was filmed in both Hollywood and New York on location, and apparently "on-location" wasn't done back then. Or perhaps not very often. But Gene Kelly insisted.

I absolutely adore the dresses! Check out Hildy's dress on the roof when she and Frank Sinatra are singing "You're Awful". And the green and plaid dress Ann Miller wears during "Prehistoric Man". Wow! So cool!

Shall We Dance, 1937

Director: Mark Sandrich

Choreographer: Hermes Pan

Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore,

Pete Peters (Astaire), otherwise known as the great "Petrov", in the ballet world, lays eyes on dancer Linda Keene (Rogers), and falls in love. He hops aboard her ship to America, and trouble begins when rumors fly that the great Petrov has married the dancer Linda Keene. Now, Linda can't stand him.

When they reach New York, they are booked into the same hotel, quite accidentally, and they eventually figure that the best way to avoid scandal is to actually get married. This way, they can get a divorce right away and go their separate ways.

This one includes "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (and a dance on roller skates to go with it!), and "They All Laughed". This is my favorite of all the Fred and Ginger films. It's such a sweet story!

Leap Year, 2010

Director: Anand Tucker

Stars: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, John Lithgow, Adam Scott

Anna (Adams) decides to follow her boyfriend Jeremy (Scott) to Dublin, after her father tells her of an old Irish tradition: on February 29 women are allowed to propose to their boyfriends. (I would just like to say: I think it's a cute concept, except I would never do it, and a woman is allowed to propose any da*n day of the year, so it's all kind of stupid!)

So, of course, this is an Irish road trip movie, because every bad thing you can imagine happening happens. Her plane hits turbulent weather and is rerouted to Wales, where Anna is forced to take a boat over to Ireland, and because of the bad weather, she lands on the far side, a long way from Dublin. And so she has no choice but to hire ruggedly handsome, American-hating innkeeper Declan (Goode) to drive her to Dublin.

Yes, this is the part where it gets really interesting....

Okay, two things I hate, and otherwise, I love this movie.

1. I hate how it's always the rich, city girl who goes places and everybody laughs at her because she knows nothing and she's a fish out of water and she's wearing high heels, and of course, we all know that no one in Ireland wears high heels. So, I hate that movies are always like this----BUT I thought about it, and it makes sense, because rich girls who wear impractical shoes are the only ones who can afford to go to Ireland and other exotic places to make fools of themselves. We practical girls with our practical flats are busy working normal jobs and just can't afford it.

2. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the wedding reception scene. Why did THAT have to happen??? I hate it when people in movies embarrass themselves, and I don't think other people feel this way, so you probably won't mind.

It's good, I just had to get those two things taken care of. Thanks for reading my rant. Now go watch the movie!

Flushed Away, 2006

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!

Kate Winslet--Hugh Jackman

Directors: David Bowers, Sam Fell

Stars: Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno

Roddy (Jackman) is a rat living in High Society London, where he has everything he could ever want in the home of his owners. One day when his owners are on vacation, and he is on a pleasant stay-cation, settling in for a movie on the big screen, when a dirty sewer rat shows up and throws a wrench into Roddy's plans for relaxing. The rat eventually tricks Roddy, and flushes him down the toilet, sending this townie rat into a very unfamiliar world beneath his feet.

There, Roddy meets Rita (Winslet), captain of the Jammy Dodger, and convinces her to take him home, in exchange for helping her on the boat. Soon they are on the run from some French toads (who are hilarious!) because Rita stole something from them.

It's brilliant! Very, very funny!

Iron Man, 2008

Director: Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man 2, Cowboys and Aliens)

Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard

Playboy bachelor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), has taken over his father's weapons manufacturing company, and lives like a crazy genius king in his gorgeous Malibu mansion. So his life is a little upset when on a trip to the Middle East for a weapon demonstration for the military, Tony is kidnapped by terrorists in a violent encounter. When he wakes up as their prisoner, he finds some kind of weird circle thing in his chest, visible to the outside, which is keeping him alive (keeps the shrapnel away from his organs). So, that's disturbing. And then the terrorists want him to build them one of his famous weapons, but instead, he builds himself a suit that will protect him on the way out of the cave.

Obviously, he gets free, and now his whole outlook on life has changed. He sees what his weapons really do to people and what happens when they get into the wrong hands. And soon he finds out that there may have been more to his captivity then he originally thought.

Okay, so I wrote a lengthy paragraph that covers the beginning, and then just kind of leave it. If you like action movies, you'll love it. Tony is very funny. His assistant, Pepper Pots (Paltrow), is a very cute character, and I love how they interact together.

True Lies, 1994

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!

Arnold Schwarzenegger-- Bill Paxton

Director: James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar, The Terminator)

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton

Harry Tasker (Schwarzenegger) is a secret agent, whose cover as a salesman has his wife Helen (Curtis) bored with her life, and when someone contacts her pretending to be an agent, she goes along with him, wanting some excitement in her life. Harry uses his government surveillance abilities to spy on his wife and find out if she's cheating on him. He begins to take this a little too far, eventually interrogating her and then pretending to turn her into an agent. (She doesn't know who she's dealing with.)

In one part, Jamie Lee Curtis strips and dances for her husband, though she doesn't know it's her husband at the time because he's sitting in shadow and disguising his voice. I think he just does it for fun, so it's kind of amusing, but also awful! And awkward. I always fast forward.

And the other part of the story is some terrorists who are trying to kill everyone, of course, kidnap him, his wife, his daughter, and he has save everybody. It's funny, and action-packed (hello, it's Arnold!), but with too much sex and language for my taste.

Dream Wife, 1953

Director: Sidney Sheldon (writer of I Dream of Jeannie, Hart to Hart, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, Easter Parade)

Stars: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Walter Pidgeon

Sorry, but besides Houseboat, this is the most ridiculous Cary Grant movie I have ever seen.

Clem (Cary Grant) just wants the perfect wife who will take care of him. So, he ditches his modern state department official fiancee Effie (Kerr), and tries for a princess. He wants to marry the Princess (of a fictional Middle-Eastern country), whose sole ambition in life has always been to marry and please her husband. Sounds great to Clem, but the problem is: she's a Princess and there are strange rules to follow as they begin courting. Plus, the US is trying to sign an agreement about oil with this fictional country, so that makes things extra complicated as the state department gets involved in Clem's love life.

"Ridiculous" would accurately describe this one.