I've Been Very Busy

The kids left Sunday before last. The hub left last Thursday. I've been in single woman heaven. And tomorrow I'm off to San Fran with 2000 other "single" women. (WOOHOO!!) Ever since the hub left I've been very busy...watching movies.

I never get to watch movies. Not ones for adults anyway. Most movies I see feature Barbie as a Grimms Fairy Tale heroine, or they showcase singing animated farm animals. Or singing high school students in loooove. Here's a rundown of what I've watched since Thursday. I've placed them in order of least liked to best liked, but it was hard. I thoroughly enjoyed each movie for different reasons.

National Treasure 2
I know a lot of people really liked this movie, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Everything was too convenient, too many deductions were made from thin air, and Nicholas Cage's hair looked odd. It was too easy to kidnap the president, break into oval office, find the hidden plank in the president's desk, and pour out their bottled water on the exact rock amongst acres of rocks to show the hidden eagle. And thank goodness Cage's mother was an expert in ancient Native American languages. I've always liked Nicholas Cage but not in this movie or the first one.

Lars and The Real Girl
I do not know what to make of this movie. Man orders a full size, anatomically correct, real woman looking doll and tells everyone it is his girlfriend. His brother, sister-in-law, and doctor convince their town to support his delusion for fear of worsening his newly apparent mental illness. Ever heard of a more stupid premise? BUT the townspeople go along with it because of their love and affection for the young man; they want him to get better. They talk to the doll, loan her clothing, make her dinner, buckle her seat belt, appoint her to the school board, get her a job, have her volunteer at the hospital and so on. It's touching and funny. And weird and freaky. Watching the brother and sister-in-law give the doll a bath in the tub was surreal.

The Other Boleyn Girl
I adore Natalie Portman, and I've lusted after Eric Bana since Troy. I've read many novels set in the times of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, so I enjoyed immersing myself in this historical. The costumes and settings are rich, and the writers nailed the hopeless position of women in this time period. Good movie, but none of the characters are redeeming. Portman plays a selfish, conniving brat. Scarlett Johansson's character is appropriately spineless, and Eric Bana wrings his hands a lot. Plus it ends badly. But you already knew that.

Juno
I wish I'd never heard or read a single word about this film. I would have enjoyed it a million times more. It's fresh and witty, but I'd already heard every clever line and knew about each scene. Still it was fun to watch and I love to say "Diablo Cody" over and over. Can anyone come up with a better name than that?

Fools Gold
I like to watch Matthew McConaughey in movies but hate to read in the tabloids about his weird life. Something tells me that his reckless, immature character in this movie is pretty close to how he truly he is. Kate Hudson is as cute and spunky as ever. The movie is a fun treasure hunt romp, but I couldn't get the latest article I read about McConaughey out of my mind. He did a Brazilian tribal dance between his girlfriend's legs as she gave birth?

Dan in Real Life
I adore Steve Carell. I can't get enough of Steve Carell. In the film, his wife died a few years back, and now he and his three difficult daughters are spending a long week in his parents' home with his siblings and their families. All of whom want him to find a new woman. He falls madly in love with his brother's new girlfriend, Juliette Binoche, who secretly loves him back. Wonderful film. This extended family's togetherness and energetic game playing reminded me of film clips of the Kennedy clan. Too happy together.

Becoming Jane
Anne Hathaway is so utterly beautiful on film. I first saw her in Ella Enchanted and The Princess Diaries and found her to be a terrific actress. This is a great period piece about the life of Jane Austen and how her relationships influenced her writing and her characters. She falls in love with a poor lawyer, James McAvoy, when her parents need her to make a good marriage to a nobleman with money. She marries neither one. I don't know about the historical accuracy of the film, but I'd like to believe she suffered this tragedy.

P.S. I Love You
Here is the winner of my movie bender. I'd never heard of this film and I'd never read the book. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed this movie. It's simply beautiful. The love between Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler is incredible, indescribable. True soul mates who made my heart ache. I nearly turned it off after the first annoying ten minutes but cried and laughed through the rest. Harry Connick, Jr. is fun as a blunt, rather rude bartender who admits he lacks the ability to pick up on social cues. The movie is based on the debut novel of the twenty-one-year old daughter of the prime minister of Ireland. Not bad for a first effort, but I don't want to read the book; this movie was perfect. Maybe it takes the mind of a ingenue to create a love so pure. Now I want an Irishman. Who sings.

I watched nine movies, but I turned off one because it was lame. And I won't count the three DVDs of TV's Firefly.

Seen any good movies lately?