The Postman, 1997

Director: Kevin Costner

Stars: Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams, Scott Bairstow

It's 2013. Wars and diseases have killed off most of the people on the planet, and in the US, small groups of people band together in their towns, and fear the outsiders. The Postman (Costner) wanders around performing Shakespeare for the townspeople, trying to brighten their lives a little.

This movie seems to have two parts (it's based on a book): in the first part, Costner's character is shanghaied by a group of soldiers ruled by a man who wants to take over the world, basically. He runs an army of slaves and kills anyone who can't keep up.

Eventually, Costner escapes and wandering through the woods, comes upon an old, wrecked Postal Service jeep, filled with letters and packages. He decides to take them to the nearest town, and deliver them to the people there. He impersonates a Postman and tells the people that the United States is a nation again, with a new government and everything. He is only doing this to be fed.

So, eventually there's a showdown between The Postman, who has united the people again, and the psycho who wants to rule the world.

There's a LOT of violence, so don't watch this if you can't take violence. And there is one sex scene, through which I fast-forwarded, but it seemed to go on for a while anyway, and you basically see her naked.

So, yeah, not for kids, but in the end, it's ok. I thought I would hate it, but I ended up kind of liking it.

The Last of the Mohicans, 1992

Director: Michael Mann

Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means

Nathaniel (Day-Lewis) is a white man who was raised by a Mohican family, of whom only his father and brother are left. They live and trap in the mountains, and happen upon an ambush one day. Two sisters and their military escort are being attacked by a group of Indians. The trappers save their lives, and escort them the rest of the way to the fort where their father, a colonel, is under attack, and the situation looks hopeless. The men continue to protect the women as the story goes on.

For a war-time story, I thought it was pretty good. And the music is lovely, of course. The story is very emotional and dramatic. And it's not a completely happy ending. It was hard to get past the fact that he had long hair. Sorry! I like short hair!

Also, would the two leads really have slept together after 2 days of knowing each other, and in the 1700's, when this was really considered quite sinful? I doubt it. But at least they don't show much.

My favorite part is near the end, when Nathaniel's brother goes after the younger sister to save her, pretty much knowing he is facing his death. It's kind of beautiful.

Titanic, 1997

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!

Bill Paxton-- Kate Winslet

Director: James Cameron

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Bill Paxton

Searching for a blue diamond they tracked to the wreck of the Titanic, a team of explorers finds only a drawing of the diamond. When she sees the drawing on the news 100-year-old Rose recognizes the diamond and the woman wearing it: it's her, at age 17.

In 1912 on the Titanic, Rose (Winslet) is moving to America with her fiance Cal (Zane) and her mother. But she feels trapped in her life, promised to a man she doesn't love, being forced to live a life she doesn't want because she and her mother need to survive somehow. When she decides to take her own life, a third class passenger- Jack Dawson (DiCaprio)- talks her out of it, and the two become friends. Over the next few days, they fall in love, and have to hide it from everybody, of course.

It really sucks when the ship hits the ice berg, and begins to sink. It's very emotional, dramatic, and quite sad, of course, as many people die. You seen Rose naked, and there's a sex scene too, but all in all, I like the movie. It's excitement and action, but in an old-world setting. It is quite cheesy, but you can't have everything.

Patriot Games, 1992

Director: Philip Noyce

Stars: Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Anne Archer, Patrick Bergin

Jack Ryan (Ford), an analyst for the CIA, is visiting Ireland with his wife (Archer) and daughter, when he happens upon an assassination attempt, and saves the life of the intended target. In so doing, he kills one of the radicals, a young kid who was dragged along by his older brother (Bean). Now the brother wants Ryan dead, and will stop at nothing to harm him and his family.

Very suspenseful!

Iron Man 2, 2010

Director: Jon Favreau

Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell

Iron Man continues to protect the innocent and annoy everyone in authority. The government wants him to hand over his technology that is the Iron Man suit, but he refuses to do so. But it's a problem when this crazy Ukrainian guy (Rourke) makes his own Iron Man-type suit in order to defeat Iron Man! Oh, dear! Honestly, it's good- very funny! But I just don't want to dwell on the plot. In the end Tony saves the day and gets the girl - what more do you need to know, really? And don't take that as "Oh, it's stupid". I actually really like this movie! But I don't want to say anything more.

Oh wait-- Bill O'Reilly has a cameo! SWEET! That made me like it even more.

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.