Movie #110 - The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe
Walt Disney Pictures
2005 - Rated PG - 2 hr 23 min
Director: Andrew Adamson
Starring: Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Liam Neeson

I was pretty psyched when I found out they were making a live-action version of this book - one of my personal favorite stories as a kid. I looooooooooooved the animated version so, of course, I had to see this in the theater and then own it on DVD. Of course.

Fortunately for me, this is a worthy incarnation of the classic tale.  In my opinion, the kids are perfectly cast, plus Liam Neeson as Asland rocks. And Tilda Swinton is my girl. So creepy too.

Anyhow, there's nothing earth-shatteringly wonderful about this movie. It's pretty to look at and it follows the book, more or less.  The casting is great, the sets and costumes and effects impressive.  There's not much to say but that it's a great big-budget production of a time-honored classic.  And just to be totally cheesy, I'll also add that the "entire family will love it."  That's probably true.

Movie #109 - The Christmas Toy

The Christmas Toy
The Jim Henson Company
1986 (TV) - 50 min
Director: Eric Till
Starring: Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Kathryn Mullen

I saw this movie as a kid and man, it's been a while.  Watching it, I had that vague recollection thing going on and it was kinda weird to be seeing it again.  It's short and sweet, playful in that Jim Henson way, and perfectly timed for a Christmas season viewing.  Ellie enjoyed it too.

However, watching this made me a little bit angry.  If you haven't seen it before, or in a while, seeing it now might give you a sense of deja-vu. Especially if you're familiar with the movie Toy Story.  I'll recap some of the important cross-overs:

1. Toys come to life when you're not looking.
2. The favorite toy is going to be replaced by a new toy.
3. The toys band together to rescue the lost toy from certain doom.
4. The new toy thinks it's really from outerspace and does lots of funny things around the house until it learns it's only a toy... which depresses it tremendously.
5. The old toy learns that peaceful coexistence with the new toy isn't so bad afterall.

Some familiar? I didn't know Toy Story was so blatantly recycled.  Sure, there are differences but it's hard to watch one without thinking of the other.  That said, this was a fun one to revisit from my childhood.

Movie #108 - A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol
TNT
1999 (TV) - 1 hr 35 min
Director: David Hugh Jones
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Joel Grey

Right in time for Christmas, this movie popped up in the queue (yes, my reviews are taking longer than my movie-watching, ironic isn't it?)

And this is my favorite version and my very favorite Scrooge, so hooray!  Michael Caine's pretty good in the Muppet version, which we watched on Christmas Eve (but doesn't come up in this list until M) but I love Patrick Stewart, as does any true Trekkie. Or fan of bald men.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard aside, this version is also the most true to the text (that I know of).  So it may not have Muppets or 3D like Jim Carrey's version, but it remains a staple of my holiday movie-watching every year.

Movie #107 - Chocolat

Chocolat
Miramax
2000 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 1 min
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lena Olin

Squee! Johnny Depp as a not-pirate, before his Pirate days. Oh joy!

This movie is full-on chick flick-tastic, if you haven't seen it, but God do I love it.  It's about chocolate, and repressed French people, and hot gypsies, and an invisible kangaroo. I love love love it and I don't care if you judge me.

The whole repressed village coping with the risque chocolatier plot line is predictable, and soooo overdone, but they still manage to keep it fresh and interesting enough that you don't mind.  Juliette Binoche is lots of fun to watch and sometimes I want to be her when I grow up. Especially if it means Johnny Depp will show up to "fix my squeaking door."

Anyway... just watch it and enjoy the decadence. And if you don't like it, I feel bad about that...but oh well, more for me!

Movie #106 - Children of Men

Children of Men
Universal Pictures
2006 - Rated R - 1 hr 49 min
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine

Here's a bleak futuristic movie for you... yikes.  Although I admit upfront that this one is disturbing and tough to imagine (but probably not that unlikely), it's still one that I really do enjoy.  No babies at all, not for 18 years.  Wow.

And then a chick gets pregnant, has no idea what that's all about, and all hell breaks loose.  Lots of people die for this little baby too... it really puts the fragility of the human race into perspective, you know?  It's dark, it's sad, but it's just soooo good.  And don't even get me started on Clive Owen, who is seven flavors of awesome in this movie.

Just watch it, seriously.  This one will make you think.

Movie #105 - Chicago

Chicago
Miramax
2002 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 53 min
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Taye Diggs

Movies of musicals... what a refreshing revisit to the early cinematic triumphs of the 30s, 40s, and 50s :)  And Chicago, with all that jazz (pun intended), harkens back to those happier, more care-free, get-away-with-murder days.  But there's something dark about this movie version, dark but very appropriate.  They don't just burst into song, they live the song through repressed fantasies in their heads.  It seems more real this way, less Broadway-y and less Hollywood-y. 

My only regret is that Taye Diggs doesn't sing at all.  Hugely missed opportunity, if you ask me.