Sweet Land, 2005

Director: Ali Selim

Stars: Elizabeth Reaser, Tim Guinee, Alan Cumming, Alex Kingston

Inge (Reaser) arrives in a small Minnesota farming community to marry Olaf (Guinee), but without her immigration papers, plus the fact that she is German and the time is right after World War I, both the minister and the county clerk refuse to marry them. At first Inge stays with Olaf's good friends Frandsen (Cumming) and his wife Brownie (Kingston), but soon, sleeping in the same quarters with their nine children becomes insufferable. She ends up living at Olaf's house with Olaf, though he sleeps in the barn since they are not married. Assuming scandal, the minister preaches a sermon against them, and Olaf's friendship with Frandsen suffers, as well.

I don't want to write anything more, because I don't want to give anything away or make it sound stupid, which I probably do sometimes. I absolutely loved it. It's a quiet, slow movie, very sweet and emotional. There's lovely music, when there is music, but there isn't a lot of it. Which makes it more realistic to me.

I absolutely despise Alan Cumming's accent, but it's very accurate; so good job, dude!

Rebekah, I really, really think you'd like this one!

Coming Soon!

Soon to be viewed and reviewed!

--Since You Went Away, 1944 (Claudette Colbert, Joseph Cotten, and Shirley Temple)

--To Catch a Thief, 1955 (Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, directed by Hitch)

--His Girl Friday, 1940 (Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell)

--The Birds, 1963 (directed by Hitch)

--It Happened to Jane, 1959 (Doris Day and Jack Lemmon)

--Witness to Murder, 1954 (Barbara Stanwyck and George Sanders- IF it's good; I haven't seen this one yet)

The Philadelphia Story, 1940

Director: George Cukor

Stars: Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart

Tracey Lord (Hepburn), the former wife of C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant), is getting married again. But the editor of a tabloid magazine has some dirt on her father, and to protect her high society socialite family from embarrassment and scandal, she very reluctantly agrees to have reporter Mike (James Stewart) and a photographer stay at her home and do a story on her wedding. Dexter shows up, too, to make things interesting, and Mike starts to make her fiance George uncomfortable with his attentions towards her.

This is one of my favorites of all time! Just look at those leads! Cary Grant, Katherine, and Jimmy! They are absolutely wonderful!

FACT: When I write these "reviews", I utilize Imdb (Internet Movie Data Base) and Wikipedia to make things a little more interesting, and also to make sure I get the right information on the director. Usually I know who the stars are, but the director (unless he's Hitch) is often a forgotten name. All that to say, when I looked up George Cukor, the name sounded familiar. And no wonder! First, he also directed "Pat and Mike", which I just reviewed a couple weeks ago; and second, he was the director of "My Fair Lady"!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, 2011

Director: Rob Marshall

Stars: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane

My brother and I saw this the other day. I normally prefer to pretend that Pirates 1 is the only Pirates movie out there, because I HATED the sequels. (Way to go, ruining a great story!) But then I heard Penelope Cruz was in this one, and, in general, Johnny Depp wouldn't do anything too stupid, right? (Well, he was in Pirates 2 and 3, so maybe that logic doesn't work....)

It was ok! A big adventure in search of the Fountain of Youth. There's a little bit of romance, or at least sexual tension, between the leads Cruz and Depp. Geoffrey Rush returns as Barbosa, and Ian McShane as Blackbeard. How many more famous pirates or legends are there to do? They've got Blackbeard, and Davy Jones, and this film even has mermaids, which, by the way, are apparently evil creatures that lure men out of their boats and then drag them to the bottom of the sea! The Little Mermaid never said anything about this!!! I'm never going swimming again!

I didn't mean to make the review sound dumb. I really thought it was cute. It was a fun, pirate-adventure-high seas movie.

The A-Team, 2010

Director: Joe Carnahan

Stars: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel

If you're familiar with the tv show from the 80's of the same name, you know that these men were sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit, and that they promptly escaped from prison. Well, this movie is about how they meet, and then, skipping ahead, years later, we get to learn about that crime they didn't commit which drove them to prison, and then to the Los Angeles Underground! So basically this is the prequel to the classic tv show.

I LOVE THE A-TEAM!!!!

Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith (Neeson), Lieutenant Templeton "Face" Peck (Cooper), Sargent B.A. Baracus (Jackson), and Captain H.M. Murdock (Copley) are The A-Team! They're the best Alpha team out there. But then they're set up- framed!- and sent to separate prisons (well, three prisons and one Veteran's Hospital for Murdock - he's a little nuts). Six months later, they all break out, and their mission is to find the one who framed them and clear their own names.

(There is even a little bit of romance between Lieutenant Carissa Sosa (Biel) and Peck. So that keeps things interesting.)

I was surprised at how much I liked Murdock (played by South African Sharlto Copley- who is he? He came out of nowhere!), the crazy pilot of the group, and in true A-Team fashion, there are quite a few scenes where Murdock gets to show off his moves in flight! I'd have to say he was my favorite.

Brilliant!

Stardust, 2007

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Stars: Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Mark Strong, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert de Niro, Rupert Everett, with Rick Gervais and Peter O'Toole

I think it's funny that the photo I found for this has a "two thumbs up" on the bottom. I agree!

It's a fairy tale! We need more of these!

Tristan Thorne (Cox) lives in England in a village called Wall, so named for the wall that runs alongside it, which, according to legend, hides a mysterious and magical land called Stormhold.

His life is turned upside-down when he witnesses a shooting star that falls somewhere beyond the wall.

There are several story-lines in this movie, including: 1. Tristan's mission to find the shooting Star-who, he is surprised to find, is actually a beautiful woman named Yvaine (Danes)- and bring her back to Wall for his "love" Victoria. 2. The princes of Stormhold (Mark Strong and Rupert Everett, to name 2) search for the necklace that their father the King (O'Toole) threw into the heavens on his deathbed, saying that whoever finds it will become the next king. This is what knocked the star out of the heavens, by the way. 3. A witch (Pfeiffer) and her sisters also search for the star, because if you eat a star's heart you will live forever, of course.

And there's so much more!!! I absolutely love Robert de Niro's surprising role as Captain Shakespeare! He's hysterical!

5 stars easy. I think this movie has a little bit of everything for everyone, really. You can't not be entertained! Okay, so I really love it.

Vertigo, 1958

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak

There are a few films out there (well, probably a lot more than a few, actually) that are truly meant to be watched on a rainy day. And Hitch knew how to make them.

Detective John "Scottie" Ferguson (Stewart) was on the force for years before he discovered he has acrophobia (fear of heights) while chasing a criminal. When the man dies, having fallen from a building while being pursued by Scottie, Scottie takes an early retirement, knowing he can't do his job while suffering from acrophobia.

A few months later an old friend, Gavin Elster, looks him up. Elster heard about his early retirement and acrophobia, but wants Scottie to follow his wife. Elster suspects that the spirit of his wife's grandmother, Carlotta, who committed suicide many years ago, is possessing his wife. He fears that Carlotta's spirit will cause his wife to commit suicide, as well.

Scottie begins to follow the beautiful and mysterious Mrs. Elston (Novak), and begins to become obsessed with her. A wonderful and chilling mystery follows......

I can't give too much away, it's brilliant! It's very suspenseful, very colorful, very crazy! I especially love the effects of Scottie's dream/nightmare. Stewart's disembodied head against a swirl of color. It's so funny! Sorry, Hitch.

But this movie was made for a rainy day, I promise!