Movie reviews!

Since Wayne's been home (well actually, since Christmas), we've watched our share of movies, some fantastic, some bombs. Two theatre movies we saw were The Day the Earth Stood Still (bomb, even though my FIL worked on the set) and Marley & Me (a.k.a. the story of Meghan and Wayne to-be). At home, however, we've hunkered down with our pup and watched the following five flicks, not including all of Season 4 of LOST (which was very short, due to the writers' strike).

Lars and the Real Girl

We watched this last night - what a fabulous show! There are so many parts where we were on the verge of tears, then burst into giggles for the sheer absurdity of it all! You have to watch it to understand, but the premise, while quirky and odd, is awesome. I love how the entire town participates (inadvertently?) in helping Lars overcome his phobias and fears in life, and his social shortcomings, and in the end, grieves with him for the mother he never met. 5 stars!

Married Life

Another quirky find, so brilliantly acted and shot. I love, LOVE the costumes in this piece, and it's the only time in my life I've wanted platinum blonde hair afterward. Wayne caught a teeny flub - when Kay and Richard stop at a local diner for coffee, the camera angle switches to chin-level on Kay as she sips from a (what's now considered antique) tea cup. On the bottom of the cup is a hand-written price tag, much like you'd see now in an antiques shop. Our guess is that the prop guy failed to remove it. Chris Cooper is wonderful in this feature, and, as twisted as his plot is, his love for his wife is very sweet. 4 stars.

The Visitor

Wow, wow, wow. This story captured both Wayne's and my hearts! Walter, a lonely widower, university prof and author, gets mixed up in the lives of a couple whose status in America is not exactly legal. But their plight intrigues him and he finds purpose in life again by helping them. It is amazing to watch his character transform from a lonely drifter to a passionate man in search of love and meaning and pleasure out of life again. After watching this, I felt like my heart had been squashed over and over again with his, but that a ray of hope would always guide me forward. Touching. Another 5 star movie.

Step Brothers

Well, not for the faint of heart or weak of ears (?). This, while hilarious, could be quite offensive to some. But Will Ferrell really can't do much wrong, and John C. Reilly is his perfect counterpart. If you want a good hearty laugh, and you have the ability to turn off your brain for an hour-and-a-half, check it out! 4 stars for sure.

Tropic Thunder

Under the impression we'd be laughing as much as with Step Brothers, we rented this. Not so. In fact, it was a little gruesome for me (the parts I looked at, anyway), and really not funny. Like, at all. Robert Downey Jr. does a decent job, I guess, but Ben Stiller is falling farther and farther out of favour with me. I give this 1 star our of 5.