Movie Review: The Lake House

I considered not reviewing this, so you wouldn't know I'd watched this unpopular chick-flick, but the Husband brought it home for free, so I gave it a whirl. I expected to hate it, but didn't totally hate it.

A woman living in a lake house in 2006 begins corresponding with a man living in the same house in 2004 via a magic mailbox. Yup. That's the basic plot. They go through the basic "prove you're not making this up" stuff then become pen pals and fall in love. It's kind of cute, somewhat predictable and with a schmaltzy ending that if you think about it for more than a few seconds, you'll immediately realize makes no sense.

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves both seem comfortable almost to the point of boredom in roles so flat that I have already forgotten their names. They both have the predictable previous heartbreak/tragedy in their lives, etc.

I don't recommend this one, unless your only other option is Titanic, which is both longer and dumber . . .

1 out of 5 stars.

Stage Review: Spamalot

Definitely do not see this musical if you don't like Monty Python. You might think that goes without saying, but while in the ladies' room at intermission, I heard one person say "It's a little raunchy" and another say "I don't get it".

That being said, I don't think you really need to have the movie memorized to enjoy this musical, but you do have to have an appreciation of the style of humor unique to Monty Python. In the musical, let's say loosely, based on the movie "Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail". I appreciated that the musical was different enough from the movie that it didn't feel like watching my nerdy high school friends act out the movie, but that it also had all the scenes/famous lines you'd expect, as well as borrowing from a few other Python productions.

King Arthur, assisted by faithful Patsy, sets off on a quest to gather a band of knights, then find the Holy Grail. Along the way they encounter rude French soldiers, the Lady of the Lake, the Knights Who Say Ni and more. Progressing with a cheeky wink to the audience, they have shocking lavish musical numbers (including the show stopping "Find Your Grail") and without a doubt, the sparkliest costumes ever in one musical, and I saw Dreamgirls.

The musical has a far more fun and satisfying ending than the movie. I enjoyed it thoroughly, especially once it deviated from the movie. Even the program had several "joke" pages.

I don't plan to get the soundtrack to Spamalot, but I'd see it again if it came back.

4 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review: Little Miss Sunshine

Paperback Writer here.

Little Miss Sunshine is not your typical road movie. It's not your typical family bonding movie. And it's not your typical little girl pagent movie. It's a little bit of all three and a whole lot more.

At the very beginning of the movie you meet the people who form the Hoover family - Olive, the seven year old obsessed with pagents; Richard, Olive's father and self help guru; Sheryl, Olive's mother; Frank, Sheryl's brother and recent suicide attemptee (my second favorite character - just because he's Steve Carell); Dwayne, Olive's half brother (and my favorite character in the movie); and the grandfather, who happens to be a recent cocaine useer.

Most of the movie takes place in the Hoover's yellow VW van on the way from Arizona to California for the Little Miss Sunshine Pagent in Redondo Beach, California. We see the family dynamics and dysfunctions on this 800 mile road trip. From Dwayne's vow of silence (He wants to fly jets and has vowed not to speak until he gets into flight school) to Frank's downward spiral as the nation's number one Proust scholar (and if you know who Proust is, then it is very funny that there would even be a number #1 Proust scholar) to his love for a male grad student to his suicide attempt to Richard's eventual unraveling book deal to the grandfather telling Dwayne to sleep with a lot of girls.

The last 15 minutes of the movie is what happens when the Hoover family finally gets to the Little Miss Sunshine pagent. You are rooting for Olive to win, but at the back of your mind you know something, something will go wrong.

And it does. :)

Go see this movie before it leave theatres.

Elisabeth wrote a better summary/review on her website, by the way.

Movie Review: Stick It!

The Husband brought this teen-angsty movie by the makers of Bring It On. We both enjoyed that movie (okay, him more than me, but it's not bad) and Stick It is in the same vein, but different enough to not feel like a retread.

Missy is a former world-class gymnast - hated in the world of gymnastics for her mysterious walkout at the World Finals. After her famous desertion, she retired and turned to a life of juvenile delinquency. As punishment for her latest crime, she is sent to a private gymnastics academy and has to deal with her feelings about the sport, teammate/competitors who hate her, a coach with a reputation for allowing risky stunts that cause injuries, etc.

The movie is surprisingly less cliche-filled than you would expect. Oh, there are the standard Parents Who Don't Understand, the Tough but Loving Coach, the Popular, Dumb, Mean Girl. There are enough clever retorts and insults to amuse you, and the plot isn't so predictable that you'll be bored.

Teens will love this movie, I'm sure, as the girls stand up to various authority figures and take control of their own destinies. There's some cussing, but no nudity or violence.

3 of 5 stars

Book Review: Worth More Dead: And Other True Cases

This is Volume 10 in Ann Rule's Case Files. Rule is my favorite writer in the True Crime genre, and the only one I read regularly. A former police officer herself, Rule not only has an understanding of procedures and the like, she also is better able to get cooperation, interviews and information from authorities.

Rule has a natural way with unfolding the tragic and sometimes unbelievable stories. Clearly well-researched, her books always contain background on both the victim and the perpetrator, sometimes a generation or more back into their families. She also frequently includes detailed histories of the police or DAs involved. While this can be a bit much, in this book, Rule steers away from this trend, mostly because the initial story is so complex and bizarre.

Like the other Case Files books, this contains a "main" story followed by several short-story length cases. The main story in this volume is the story of an arrogant man who killed people in his life who became inconvenient. It's an odd and engrossing story, and another warning to people not to be purposely blind when it comes to love.

Unlike her other Case File books, this volume's shorter cases don't seem to follow any theme or common thread, but as always are interesting and well-written.

As always, Rule includes pictures of the people and places involved. There seemed to be less pictures than usual, though that doesn't detract from the storytelling.

4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Ladder Of Years

This Anne Tyler book was recommended to me (sort of) by EDW. It's a story similar to an idea I had for a story years ago. Delia, the heroine of the book, is a wife and mom who works in her husband's office in their home and is starting to feel lost in her own life. Her kids depend on her to do things for them, but also are old enough that they don't "need" her anymore. Her husband doesn't even seem to really see or hear her.

One day, after a frustrating argument, Delia gets up and stalks off - and basically just keeps going until she unintentionally finds herself in a new town, and sort of starts her life all over. She finds a place to live, buys a few clothes, seeming to think that both her family will come and retrieve her AND that she is here forever.

It's very easy to slip into Delia's shoes and I think we've all had moments where we've considered chucking it all moving to a new place and reinventing ourselves. Delia does it almost accidentally, but in a believable and charming way. The story really "flows", and I found it enjoyable. In fact, I really loved it, right up to the ending, which I am not sure I "got". I reread the last several pages at least 4 times trying to figure out what I'd missed. The ending also hit rather abruptly, as though Tyler simply ran out of pages and said "Oh, okay, then this is the end."

4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I picked this book up at the library on a whim purely because of the title. Honestly, you see that (as well as the upside-down dog) on the cover - how can you pass that up? Lucky me, it was an excellent choice.

The book is written (by Mark Haddon) from the perspective of Christopher, a 15-year-old boy with autism who lives in England. Not being any kind of expert on the subject, I can't speak to how well it portrays the actual thought patterns of someone with this condition, but I did find it totally engrossing. From numbering his chapters with only prime numbers to refusing to touch things that are yellow, Christopher's actions and thoughts are clear and logical, when seen from his point of view.

Accused of a crime he did not commit, guileless Christopher decides to solve the mystery himself, despite his obvious difficulties. The combination of his interpretation of events and our understanding of what "really" is going on makes the story at times beautiful, at times heart-wrenching.

I read this entire book in one day, something totally unheard of since I've become a mommy, but I found it almost impossible to tear myself away.

5 out of 5 stars!

Movie Review: Beerfest

This movie is for people who have laughed until they cried at something while still saying "Oh, that's soooo wrong!!" This movie is NOT for people who are offended by, well, anything. I loved it.

Written and starring Broken Lizard (a comedy troupe), Beerfest is the story of two brothers who put together an American team for the titular annual international beer games and drinking competition. There's some intrigue about a stolen beer recipe, some turmoil within the team, but if you are looking for high drama and thoughtful insights, you won't find them here. The story is really rather fun, if simple and there are a few minor twists and turns.

Props go to Jay Chandrasekhar who directs and to Steve Lemme, who seems to be the most versatile actor in the group (though all are good). The always spectacular Cloris Leachman does an excellent turn as Great Gam-Gam, taking me back to her Mel Brooks' movie days.

If you haven't seen the other Broken Lizard movies SuperTroopers, Club Dread and Puddle Cruisers (which was a direct to video) and you like this kind of clever-but-wrong humor, they are worth checking out.

Beerfest gets 4 out of 5 Stars.

TV Review: 'Justice'

This slickly produced courtroom drama is brought to us by famed producer Jerry Bruckheimer. It features Victor Garber (of 'Alias' and 'Titanic') and Kerr Smith (formerly of 'Dawson's Creek') as attorneys who represent the rich and famous (think OJ's Dream Team). The pilot episode revolves around a man who is accused of killing his wife. The law firm of TNT&G (which includes Garber and Kerr's characters as well as two other attorneys) take the case to defend the husband. The show takes you into every area: discovery, reenactment, press manipulation, jury selection.

At first, I was put off by the slickness of it. It all seemed a little staged. But as the show progressed, I found myself believing the story more and getting into the characters. I do have a problem with the similarities to 'House'. The lead attorney is brilliant, but a jerk. He has three younger attorneys working for him. But ultimately, I found it worthwhile enough to watch a second episode next week.

Rating: 3.5 out of a possible 5.

There is a neat trick the show uses. At the end of the episode, you see how the actual crime (or non-crime) occured. I'm not telling you anything about this episode. But don't miss the last five minutes.