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.