Saturday movie roundup, Oct 1 issue

Yesterday I felt lazy (to be read as, I didn't want to do any yardwork), and suggested that Kim and I spent the day watching movies, so we did just that.

After a hearty breakfast at the Huddle House (our new favorite of the "*-House" breakfast-all-day chains out here in Georgia), Kim and I were off to see Just Like Heaven.

(Pardon the interruption. Eyeore has decided that since I now have a wireless keyboard and can type from the comfort of a lazy chair, with the keyboard in my lap, that my wrists are the ideal place for her to lay).

So - Just Like Heaven, starring Reese Witherspoon and someone very un-leading-man-ish, in my opinion, who was perfect for this movie. Actually, the movie was very good all around, in my opinion - very near You've Got Mail in Romantic Comedy standings. (As you should know, You've Got Mail is rank one in that category, in my list.) I've told Kim she has my full permission to buy the movie when it comes out (not that she needs it). I like that it has a little bit of a supernatural aspect to it, but really the movie was just very well written (with a little bit of the requisite hokey to wade through), acted, and pulled off. I recommend it.

Next we scooted over to the other local movie theater so we could take advantage of their monstrous popcorn and drink sizes (to share), and to watch A History of Violence (Viggo Mortenson, Ed Harris, and a cameo by William Hurt). I had told Kim that the movie was very well reviewed (the truth), and that she was going to come out of it thanking me for taking her (a bold hope). The movie was strange. Not strange like Lost Highway - maybe more somewhere between The Village and Eyes Wide Shut. Strange is not entirely bad, and it added a mood to a movie that might otherwise have fallen a bit flat. It followed the trailers exactly for the first 20 minutes or so, then went off in a direction that now seems entirely natural, but was a surprise while watching the movie. I would recommend it with the following caveat: the R rating is very well deserved, as both the sex and violence were very well deserved. I saw a family with young kids walking out about two thirds of the way through, and can't believe they stayed that long (or let their kids in in the first place... Rated R means even more than it did 10 years ago!, as movie ratings slip). I have a theory that the director and I have similar feelings about sex and violence: that if you have violence in a movie, it should be accurately disgusting to see - not intentionally gory or glossed over, and that the acceptance of graphic violence over graphic sex by movie audiences is bizarre and disturbing. I liked the movie, and Kim thought it was pretty good, but she definitely didn't thank me for suggesting it.

We went shopping for Halloween accessories to bide the time between movies, and discovered that Jo-Ann's (Kim's old place of employment) is lax in their vigilence to make certain that only sale items are stocked in areas where sales tags are displayed.

Our first evening movie was Proof, with Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jake Gyllenhaal. This was Kim's big movie choice, but I've been a fan of Anthony Hopikins ever since 1994, so I was happy to see him in a movie again (plus, it was about maths!). The plot would sound a bit like A Beautiful Mind if I summarized it, but it's really not, and its a pretty good movie in its own right. While it was Kim's favorite movie of the night, I say it's a good, safe movie to see if you're not going to see Serenity or something else big and flashing. Definitely a fine rental.

Speaking of Serenity, Kim and I were thinking of seeing that fourth, but instead decided to skedaddle back home instead and see Starsky and Hutch, a Blockbuster rental we've had sitting around for a couple of weeks. What can I say - good for a few laughs, and about what you'd expect, but withough as much gross-out comedy as usual for a Ben Stiller movie.