Up The Academy 1980 (w/ Ralph Macchio, Tommy Citera, Wendell Brown) - 1/2 star - This movie stinks. I only saw it because it is the 61st Robert Downey Jr. movie I've now seen, but he was only in the soccer scenes. His father directed it, and all his movies are horrible to me. A bunch of troublesome boys go to a strict military type of school to help them out. One of them has a girlfriend he loves who is in the girls' version of their school and he wants to be with her. They want to get their one teacher in trouble, so they try to set it up so they can do so. Lots of language and sexual innuendos that disturbed me (loads of various issues that seemed to promote sex between adults and underaged kids). It just isn't worth seeing.
The Last Song 2010 (w/ Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear, Liam Hemsworth) - 3 stars - A girl and her brother go to visit their dad for the summer. Little miss Ronnie isn't too happy about it and has an attitude until she finally gives into dating a volleyball player/aquarium worker. Her whole world seems to open up and she starts to play piano again, which her father loves to play himself. Oh but drama ensues that was not expected. I didn't really know what this was going to be about, but I assumed it was a full out love story. It was more than that, it was a sad story but also happy at the same time. Miley's acting at first wasn't very convincing but in time she did a better job, although I think she had to try to poop out a few tears that weren't easy for her to do, so I wasn't convinced enough. Anyway good story. clean as well other than the usual bare midriffs and cleavage showing.
Godspell 1973 (w/ Victor Garber, David Haskell, Katie Hanley, Merrell Jackson, Joanne Jonas) - 4 stars - One of my all time favourite musicals that I've seen many times since my husband first showed it to me about 9 years ago. It tells a colourful way of the life of Jesus. My only problem I've always had with this film is that they never show Jesus coming back from the dead. Anyway the music is amazing and fun and I love it. The only content I have problems with is that "John the Baptist" smacks the one girls' bum cheeks in the fountain when they are being baptized. I don't know how many people would understand much of it if they don't know the actual Bible stories, but still. . .good to see.
Jane Eyre 1996 (w/ Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt) - 2.75 stars - Oh goodness the lead girl had no soul and just seemed bored as can be in her acting that it made me bored. William Hurt of course ruled in this film and did a great job. Even little Anna Paquin did an amazing job in the beginning of the movie as little Jane. Jane is orphaned and raised in a pretty strict school. Eventually she becomes a governess to teach a young girl in an estate of Mr. Rochester. This man has a bit of a secret that she can't figure out and he is falling for her. Anyway I was a little bored because of the acting or I'd probably like this more. Pretty clean film. I don't think I recall anything bad in it at all.
Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger 2008 (w/ Keisha Castle-Hughes, Danielle Catanzariti, Toni Collette) - 2.5 stars - A girl gets so mocked at school and doesn't really have any friends. She has to deal with her mom putting pressure on her so often. She makes friends with a girl from another school who is a bit rebellious. She becomes popular and starts acting differently while hiding secrets from her mom. This movie was a bit cute but a bit dry at times. There was some teenage smoking, a scene of Toni Collette stripping (no nudity), and talk about sex. There also was some language in it. I thought it was interesting how the school sang a lot of songs all choir-like when they were old hits throughout the film.
Love Nest 1951 (w/ William Lundigan, June Havre, Frank Fay, Marilyn Monroe) - 2 stars - This was such an unconvincing story for me at first. A guy comes home from his military service all cheery and his wife bought a house that is really an apartment area that he now has to run when all he wants is to do is spend some time with his wife and have a little time to relax. This guy seems like he never had a hard time ever like he is just a happy guy. Anyway when one of the tennants comes in, he has a questionable past as he is old in age and always with different older lonely women. They try to investigate while hoping they'll have the money to run the place at all. of course Marilyn Monroe always seems to play that same role that bugs me.
To Save A Life 2009 (w/ Randy Wayne, Steven Crowder, Sean Michael) - 4 stars - This is about a kid who transforms his life around after watching his childhood best friend kill himself. He struggles with his own issues at home, his girlfriend, and his faith. This movie was really good. There was some language (mainly in a song played at a party) and there were some girls not really wearing modest things and sexual tones, but nothing bad (because this is a faith-based film). There also was some suicidal tendencies shown. Great movie though. I cried. It was really good!
Columbine: Understanding Why 2007 (documentary) - 2 stars - too short. I have read so much on this issue and remember it so well when it happened that it just seems to be missing too much information, but at the same time they did understand a bit of why it might have happened due to what the boys were going through.
Corvette Summer 1978 (w/ Mark Hamill, Annie Potts) - 1 star - After a kid rebuilds a Corvette Stingray (one of my favourite cars), and someone steals it, he goes on a hunt for it. What a lame film. haha. nice cars though. There was language & sexual instances & nudity. No wonder why he was only known for Star Wars - he took horrible movie jobs like this in between them.
King Creole 1958 (w/ Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau) - 3 stars - I loved the way they opened this film. A kid who is about to finish high school gets mixed up with a mobster when he sings for him and his club and tries to help a girl who is pretty much ruled by the head mobman. There is a lot of singing in this movie. A lot of punching and such too. It was a good film. Elvis is always a confused womanizer in movies, it seems though!
Dogtown and Z-Boys 2002 (documentary) - 5 stars - This is my favourite documentary. We saw this in 2004 originally and loved it so much that now that my husband has purchased a longboard skateboard, he had to rewatch it. It tells the history of how the Z-boys came about and how they started to skate and have revolutionized the entire skating world because of what they would attempt back in the 70s. Amazing. There is language in this as well as a couple photos of nudity and drugs. It is excellent!!!
Music I've been listening to lately:
The Dodos - Visiter album - favourite tracks: "The Season", "God?", "Jodi", "Ashley", "Walking"
Hanson - Shout It Out album - favourite tracks: "And I Waited", "Use Me Up", "Make It Out Alive", "Thinkin' 'Bout Somethin'"
