Sanctum 2011

    Inspired by actual events, a master diver and his team explore the Esa-ala cave system in the South Pacific.  A massive storm collapses the entrance, supplies are decreasing, light must be rationed and water levels are rapidly rising.  The best hope for survival is to follow an underground river which may empty into the ocean.
    I like the Australian accents but the background music is terrible, it's supposed to increase the drama and suspense but it is just annoying with no way to be turned off.  Many of the characters seem too vacant to ever have been real?  3* (This movie is OK) 

109 min, Drama directed by Alister Grierson with Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Parkinson, Daniel Wyllie, Nicole Downes.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 5.7 out of 10, 30% critic 39% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

The Company Men 2010

    Bobby Walker has a big house, a new Porsche, golf club membership, a wife and two kids and now he's out of a job with severance pay for four months.  He's confident he'll have another job within a couple of days or weeks.  This doesn't happen, 12 years at his job, a lot of experience but a struggling economy.  The four months pass quickly and Bobby has to do something?
    Are possessions and your job the true measure of how much you are worth as a person?  Can it be something else that is more lasting like relationships with family, friends, former co-workers and even people you meet on your job hunt?  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

105 min, Drama directed by John Wells with Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kevin Costner.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 6.8 out of 10, 67% critic 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

A Summer in Genoa 2008

    An English family goes to Italy after the wife/mother is killed in an auto accident while they were living in the United States.  Dad is hoping a change of scenery will help him and his two daughters with their grief.  Oldest daughter Kelly, meets a lot of new friends but seems lacking in supervision.  Mary is still having problems, during the day she seems OK but she cries for her mother in the night.  A former university colleague tries to help the family, she's knowledgeable about the language, history and the city.
    You can see the intense grief in Mary and you really feel for her plus the struggles of her dad trying to take care of them, cook for them and teach students.  I enjoyed the movie but did not like the ending, it seems like falling off a cliff instead of providing closure.  3* (This movie is OK)
 

93 min, Drama directed by Michael Winterbottom with Colin Firth, Catherine Keener, Hope Davis, Willa Holland, Perla Haney-Jardine.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, 6.1 out of 10, no reviews yet on Rotten Tomatoes.

Bridesmaids 2011

    Annie is happy her best friend is engaged and planning her wedding.  Inside, she's unhappy because she feels like a failure, she loved her bake shop but she lost a lot of money due to the economy and it closed.  She doesn't have a boyfriend and her mother got her a job.  Things are become more complicated when she meets Lillian's new friend Helen.  Wealthy, beautiful, stepping in to take control of the wedding details, where does Annie fit in? 
    This is funny and good except for a lot of body humor, how can that be missing in a Judd Apatow movie?  You really begin to feel the hurt welling up in Annie and hope she makes better choices.  4* (I really liked this movie.)

121 min, Comedy directed by Paul Feig with Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Jon Hamm, Jill Clayburgh, Chris O'Dowd, Melissa McCarthy.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 7.4, 90% critic 81% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Midnight in Paris 2011

    Inez and Gil are an engaged couple visiting Paris with her wealthy conservative parents.  Gil is a writer struggling to finish his first novel, he's thinking about moving to Paris but Inez would like to live in Malibu.  Gil starts to walk the streets of Paris in the late evening and he discovers a world of the past.  He's surprised to encounter Cole Porter, Josephine Baker, Zelda and F.Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway and Gertrude Stein.
    The blend of the past and the present begin to open Gil's eyes to the reality of his own life.  This is good, everything seems magical in Paris.  I enjoyed this and it did help that I was on a flight to Paris myself!  4* (I liked this movie)

94 min, Comedy directed by Woody Allen with Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, Adrien Brody, Michael Sheen.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 8.1, 92% critic 86% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

You Don't Know Jack 2010

    Dr. Jack Kevorkian was an outspoken assisted suicide advocate and activist.  He is sentenced to jail several times, he refused to post bail and went on a hunger strike each time.  His attorney posted the bail for him but the last time he was in for a longer stay which made him very weakened.  He was tried for second degree murder and delivery of a controlled substance, this time he went to prison for 8 years.
    Dr. Kevorkian may have had more success in his endeavors if he had not been so abrasive.  He didn't want to be dictated to by the law or anyone else and he took risks trying to be charged so he could take his case to the Supreme Court which didn't happen.  A different aspect is that this is the first time I've seen Al Pacino not trying to look younger than his age.  3* (This movie is OK)

134 min, Drama directed by Barry Levinson with Al Pacino, Brenda Vaccaro, John Goodman, Deirdre O'Connell, Todd Susman, Susan Sarandon.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 1/2*, imdb 7.8 out of 10, 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cards on the Table 1989

    A group of people are invited to a party hosted by one of London's wealthiest men, Mr. Shaitana.  No one in the group knows very much about Mr. Shaitana but they are interested in the party because there will be two separate games of cards.  Before the night has ended, Mr. Shaitana will be discovered dead in his chair and not asleep as they thought.  The party group consists of four detectives and four possible murders or are there eight possible murderers?
    Everyone is questioned thoroughly by the police and also Hercule Poirot.  Monsieur Poirot has his own methods which includes the purchase of 19 pairs of very fine and expensive silk stockings?  This is good, of course you are going to try to solve the case but are there missing clues, hints not provided, backgrounds not included?  It's still worth a try!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

120 min, Mys directed by Sarah Harding with David Suchet, James Alper, Philip Bowen, Cordelia Bugeja, Zigi Ellison, Tristan Gemmill.

Note:  Not listed on Blockbuster, imdb 7.4 out of 10, not listed on Rotten Tomatoes.