The Second Shelf

The next shelf is a bit bigger, containing 45 DVD's, so I'm going to give myself a little bit more time on this one. I would like to finish these selections by Friday, October 29. That gives me 21 days to watch 45 movies. Now that I know I can do a few a day on rainy days, I won't panic if I need to skip a day here or there and take a break. If I can make the last goal, I can do anything, right?


So here's what's on the shelf:

• Anchorman
• Anchors Aweigh
• Angels & Demons
• Apocalypto
• The Aristocats
• Armageddon
• Art School Confidential
• As You Like It
• Assassins
• Atonement
• Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
• Austin Powers: Goldmember
• Australia
• Away We Go
• Baby Mama
• Back to the Future
• Back to the Future, Part II
• Back to the Future, Part III
• Bad Boys
• Bad Boys II
• Balls of Fury
• Baseketball
• Basic
• Batman
• Batman Returns
• Batman Forever
• Batman & Robin
• Batman Begins
• Batteries Not Included
• Battle Royale
• Be Cool
• Be Kind, Rewind
• Beauty & the Beast
• Becoming Jane
• Bedazzled
• Beerfest
• Beetlejuice
• Beowulf
• Best in Show
• Big Fish
• The Big Lebowski
• Big Trouble in Little China
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

If you want to catch any of these flicks with me, you'll have to time your visit! Let me know :)

Recap: The First Shelf

I made it!! I finished all 26 movies in 7 days, as promised. And I'm pumped to keep going... this is actually kinda fun. Plus, I'm learning to watch movies while doing other things around the house, so the process is going by much faster. Hooray!

On this shelf of DVDs, in case you were curious, I watched 46 hours 13 minutes of movies.
Holy crap. When you break it down like that, it makes me look like I have no life. Truth be told, movies go by quickly when you're multi-tasking. Also when it's rainy. This week, there wasn't much to do but watch movies. I'm sure other weeks will be different.

The shortest movie here was a tie at 1 hr 15 min for Alice in Wonderland and The Adventures of Milo & Otis. The longest movie was a snore-inducing 2 hr 47 min for Alexander.

As for actors that I saw frequently, there were a lot of double-acts on this shelf. These actors appeared in at least two movies apiece:

• Christopher Plummer
• Bruce Willis
• Catherine Keener
• Jim Sturgess
• Kevin Spacey
• Chris Cooper
• Crispin Glover

The oldest movie was Alice in Wonderland (1951) and the newest movie was also Alice in Wonderland (2010). Doubt that'll happen again!

And since that's what this project is all about, I'll mention that I had to open a whopping SEVEN sealed DVDs of this 26-movie list. That's an unacceptable 27% !!!

Anyway, onward to The Second Shelf!

Movie #26 - Anaconda

Anaconda
Columbia Pictures
1997 - Rated R - 1 hr 29 min
Director: Luis Llosa
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, and Owen Wilson

Say it with me, everyone, J-Lo can't act. But if you can get past that, the bad CGI snake, and Jon Voight's ridiculous accent, you're all set to enjoy this late 90's thriller. It's action-packed from beginning to end. Honestly, there's never been a fiercer snake lurking in any body of water, anywhere. This thing is ruthless and wants to eat everyone. It gets all manner of things done to it and still won't die. (Maybe that's because it's clearly robotic, but no one told J-Lo and friends.)

It's not very high quality, sure, but Anaconda still remains a guilty pleasure.

Movie #25 - American Dreamz

American Dreamz
Universal Pictures
2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 47 min
Director: Paul Weitz
Starring: Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein and Jennifer Coolidge

"Imagine a country where the president never reads the newspaper, where the government goes to war for all the wrong reasons, and where more people vote for a pop idol than their next president."

That's the tagline for this one, and it pretty aptly sums up the premise. On one hand, you have a hugely successful pop idol selection show (sound familiar?) and on the other, you have a bumbling president who suddenly decides to start learning about foreign policy (ahem). Anyway, what happens when these two collide on one night of television? Did I forget to mention the terrorist cell that has a plant on said pop idol selection show?

It sounds overly satirical and too tongue-in-cheek to be funny, but the political undertones are well hidden. Subtle, even. You just get to sit back, relax, and pretend this stuff would never happen in the US. Right?

Good times.

Movie #24 - American Beauty

American Beauty
DreamWorks
1999 - Rated R - 2 hr 2 min
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, and Chris Cooper



Now here's an Oscar-winner I can get behind. I love this movie, from beginning to end. Well written, great cast, spot-on dialogue, artistically filmed (without going overboard), and all those rose petals. Really, after watching this movie, can you ever look at rose petals the same way?

I first saw this movie in the theater and loved every thing about it. From the instant knowledge that Lester Burnham is not long for this world, to the disintegrating marriage right before your eyes, to the damn plastic bag. I'm not sure I get the whole plastic bag thing, but whatever. Wes Bentley and Thora Birch play some of the world's first emo kids and that's pretty cool, okay? Let them be emo however they like.

The suspense is beautifully crafted in this movie. You know he's going to die, so you spend the first half of the movie trying to figure out how. By the time you get to his narrated line about "the day I died," you've forgotten. Oh my God! It's going to happen soon! And then even up to the moment it happens, you're still wondering when, when! How? And then - holy crap! And of course, you can't figure out who it was until that helpful montage uncovers the killer. So many people have motives... it could've been any one of them!

And still, this movie is not a thriller or a mystery. It's just a story about the last year in a man's ordinary life. It's just about him. And it's so enjoyable to watch, even when you do know what's going to happen.

Movie #23 - Along Came Polly

Along Came Polly
Universal Pictures
2004 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 30 min
Director: John Hamburg
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing, Hank Azaria, Alec Baldwin

Ben Stiller plays the same goofy, lovestruck, hopeless guy he does in most of his movies. In this, he's an insurance adjuster who can't take risks. When his wife unexpectedly cheats on him (on the first day of the honeymoon), he freaks out, goes home, and bumps into the least likely woman to be interested in him... Surprisingly, she is interested (What is it that the ladies love so much about Ben?)

Overall, it's just a funny rom-com with a basic plotline, cast of characters, and a few choice one-liners thrown in for fun. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Alec Baldwin are probably the best parts about this movie. Still, I enjoyed watching it for the first time in a few years.

Movie #22 - Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Alice In Wonderland
Walt Disney Pictures
2010 - Rated PG - 1 hr 49 min
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Mia Wasikowska

Alright, I really really wanted to love this movie when I saw it in the theater last spring. To be honest, I didn't hate it but I really didn't love it either. It's another Burton/Depp/Bonham-Carter collaboration, so of course, it's dark and quirky, with just a side of mania. I liked the premise of the grown up Alice returning to Wonderland (or Underland) to slay the Jabberwocky, since it was a fresh way to adapt the classic story. Still, there were times where I felt like Tim Burton was too busy being Tim Burton... you know what I mean?

Overall, it's not bad. Johnny Depp does a great job, since he is at his core a talented character actor. The Scottish accent thing, I didn't even mind, although some people did. Helena Bonham-Carter is also entertaining, as usual. And they cast a great newcomer as Alice. I really enjoyed this movie, but I didn't feel like it lived up to all the hype. I don't know how it could have been improved, I just know that it could've been. Does that make sense?

Movie #21 - Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Alice in Wonderland

Walt Disney Pictures

1951 - Rated G - 1 hr 15 min

Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson

Starring: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Verna Felton

This was a trip back to my childhood for sure. I recently acquired this one with my Disney Movie Club membership because it just came out of the "Vault" again. Next year is the 50th anniversary of this movie, too! Wow!

Anyway, as a kid, this version of Alice in Wonderland was a favorite VHS. It was probably where I first heard a British accent, consequently (and most likely where I learned to sing with one too.) It's short, sweet, full of nonsense, and leaves out all the scary bits of Lewis Carroll's classic (drug-induced) romp through Wonderland. No Jabberwocky here, thank you very much. In fact, I didn't even know about any Jabberwocky until I saw the TV miniseries at age 15 or so... that changed this story for me, just a wee bit.

Knowing so much more about the Carroll version, this one seems so tame it's ridiculous. Still, it has all the magic of a classic Disney-spun fairy tale, including catchy songs. Ellie really enjoyed "Golden Afternoon" and all the singing flowers. So in the end, this movie still does exactly what it was meant to do - entertain viewers of any age.

Movie #20 - Alexander (Director's Cut)

Alexander (Director's Cut)
Warner Bros Pictures
2004 - Rated R - 2 hr 47 min
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins, Jared Leto

The best thing they did while making this movie was to choose a little boy who looks like like a young Colin Farrell. The worst thing they did while making this movie... hold on, I'm gonna need a minute here... I really can't decide which is the worst. Why don't you decide?

Is it...

A. Dyeing Colin Farrell's hair blonde?

B. Making Angelina Jolie have a Russian accent? In Macedonia, no less.

C. Casting Colin Farrell, who brought his Irish accent with him?

D. Filming a slapping match between Colin Farrell and Rosario Dawson?

E. Turning an epic war hero into a whiney bitch?

My biggest beef with the movie is probably Jared Leto and that whole lover subplot. It is speculated that Alexander might have "lain with men," but so did everyone else! Instead of making it part of the story, it takes over the whole second half of the movie. It was an aspect of his life--maybe--but the way this movie depicts it, the relationship was largely scandalous. Ummm... probably not. That's probably modern culture painting its own perceptions onto this story, which takes place in an era when sexual relations (with anyone) were much more accepted. Some may applaud it for being so "open" about it, but I think they went overboard. I hope that makes sense without insulting anyone.

Beyond that, the movie is toooooo long, jumps back and forth too much, and doesn't really paint Alexander the Great in a favorable light... his father (Val Kilmer) either, for that matter.

But oh, the actor who plays Thomas Boleyn on The Tudors is in this. Cool.

That's all I got on this one...

Movie #19 - Aladdin

Aladdin
Walt Disney Pictures
1992 - Rated G - 1 hr 30 min
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker
Starring: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Gilbert Gottfried

Ellie got to watch this one with me and danced along with the songs. I think it was her first Disney movie. I also think she's hooked :)

I have to admit that I had fun watching this too. Kids movies are fun to watch, and Disney does a good job squeezing in jokes for adults too. As a kid, I watched this movie one way and now I notice other things.

A few things, though, bothered me...

1. Jasmine has a pet TIGER. Why didn't I think that was weird in 1995?
2. Abu is supremely annoying... and also sounds like Donald Duck.
3. Gilbert Gottfried is no funnier animated than he is in real life.
4. Watching Robin Williams as the Genie is the best way to experience his standup routine without watching him sweat like a pig onstage.
5. Magic carpet ride... can you say innuendo?
6. The whole thing is kinda racist. Awesome, but kinda racist. Arab nations don't like us? Really? Huh... I wonder why.
7. Jafar looks just like Prince, only taller.

Even so, I still no all the lyrics to the songs. Lea Solanga has the best voice in the universe, by the way, and I still want to be her when I grow up. This was my first Disney film, but by no means is it the last.

Movie #18 - Airplane!

Airplane!
Paramount Pictures
1980 - Rated PG - 1 hr 27 min
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty

Everyone loves this movie. For the longest time, this movie was eternally on television. Chances were, if you turned on the TV and flipped channels, it would pop up somewhere. What a testament to this classic's staying power !

I'll be honest and admit that I probably don't get every reference or joke, since this movie was made just before I was born. But there are few things that I don't find funny about it, and all the major references (i.e. John Travolta's disco dancing) still work. I had forgotten how late in the movie Leslie Nielson appears, but once he's on screen I basically don't stop laughing. This guy made literal humor an artform... "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." Classic.

Anyway, this was a great way to continue my light movie fare for the day and also lots of fun to revisit. I think it was probably the first time I'd watch this the whole way through in many years.

The end of shelf one is in sight! We're two-thirds of the way there!
Only 9 movies left to go after this... I can do it!

Movie #17 - The Adventures of Milo & Otis

The Adventures of Milo & Otis
Columbia Pictures
(adapted from Japanese version)
1986 - Rated G - 1 hr 15 min
Director: Masanori Hata
Starring: Dudley Moore

Alright, folks. I'm not embarassed that I own this movie, not one bit. In fact, it's the quickest way to get a full dose of cute for, like, a whole year.



If you haven't seen this, it's a late 80's movie narrated by Dudley Moore about a dog and a cat. They journey from their farm through the woods, get lost, meet a female cat and a female pug, have babies, and have many run-ins with wild animals. It's live action, not animated, and I'm not exactly sure how they go this dog and cat to do these things. In one scene, the dog pulls the cat out of a ditch with a rope. What?!



The animals are cute and furry, so it's got that going for it. Dudley Moore does all the narration, voices included. It's actually pretty good too, and I remember thinking he was just the funniest thing when I was a kid.



Anyway, this one brings my back to my childhood. It's not as epic as I once thought, but I was not disappointed anymore. If you didn't see it as a kid, you probably won't get what the big deal is. And you'll probably make fun of me. Oh well. I still think Milo and Otis are adorable.

Movie #16 - Adventures in Babysitting

Adventures in Babysitting
Touchstone Pictures
1987 - Rated PG - 1 hr 42 min
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Elisabeth Shue, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, Maia Brewton

Oh, Elisabeth Shue! I love love loooove this movie, and it's one of the few that still hold up after 20 years. Outrageous 80's hair and fashion aside, this movie is a great one.

Rent alum Anthony Rapp plays the annoying teenage neighbor, which is just hysterical. During the scene where they get trapped and stage and sing the blues, you can kinda hear Mark in there somewhere... And did anyone else know that the mechanic/Thor guy is Vincent D'Onofrio? Seriously!

This movie also has the best "singing in her bedroom" opening ever filmed, just sayin'.

If you haven't watched this one recently, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how much fun it still is... even as a grown up. This movie was another unopened one, after a year sitting on that shelf. See? Movies like this are the reason I'm doing this project.

Movie #15 - Adaptation

Adaptation
Columbia Pictures
2003 - Rated R - 1 hr 54 min
Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper

This movie is just weird, from beginning to end. But Chris Cooper won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for it, so there's that...

It's a movie about a book being adapted into a screenplay and the screenwriter who can't quite get it done. Written by Charlie Kaufman, it focuses on Charlie Kaufman and his twin brother Donald. In real life, there is no Donald. In the movie, both Kaufman's are Nicolas Cage. Balding Nicolas Cage.

Meryl Streep is the author of the book and the movie goes back and forth between her experiences recounted from the book and her real life in the present (3 years after living the content of the book). Still with me?

Anyway, the title is clever, the acting is good, but the premise is a bit daunting. In one sentence, the movie really is about learning how to adapt yourself. But it sure takes it's time getting you to that message.

Not a bad movie, just not something too watch when you want to be entertained mindlessly.

Movie #14 - Across the Universe

Across the Universe
Revolution Studios
2007 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 13 min
Director: Julie Taymor
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson

Time for a musical interlude!

The first time I watched Across the Universe, I was surprised that I liked it. I'd been afraid that maybe the Beatles music overlaying the storyline would be too forced, the numbers too theatrical, the premise too thin. For the most part, it's very well done. The songs fit well into the story and the theme. Julie Taymor and company work songs in from the outset so it's not a shock that there's talking then random singing.

At times, however, it gets a bit long-winded. They squeezed in quite a few songs, maybe a few more than needed. And the trippy scene in the middle, with Bono no less, could also be a tiny bit shorter...

Even so, it's artistically fun to watch and a very unique idea for a movie. Definitely recommended. :)

Movie #13 - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Morgan Creek
1994 - Rated R - 1 hr 27 min
Director: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Jim Carrey, Sean Young, Courteney Cox, Tone Loc, and Dan Marino

This movie was not as funny as I remembered it being... big shocker. Of course, some of the lines are still pretty good, but for the most part there was no knee-slapping from me. Ace Ventura is the quintessential 90's Jim Carrey - absolutely nuts, able to grotesquely disable his face, and willing to do just about anything for the laugh.

I can't quite understand why every woman in this movie wants to do him. Is it the Hawaiian shirts? The no-holds-barred comedy? The outrageous haircut? The talking butt hole? No one knows. I'm especially baffled by Courtney Cox's attraction to him, but her relationship with Ace certainly explains her marriage to David Arquette.

Anyway, I was glad to check this one off the list... and not exactly thrilled to return to it anytime soon.

Movie #12 - Accepted

Accepted
Universal Pictures
2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 33 min
Director: Steve Pink
Starring: Justin Long, Blake Lively, Anthony Heald, Lewis Black

Here's another unopened DVD. This one, I bought last October for Mike's birthday. I think it was time to open it, don't you?

Anyway, despite this movie's ridiculous premise (kid invents college so he can tell his parents he's going to college, accept letters accidentally get sent to other college-less high school grads), it's an interesting commentary on the modern university. It has everything else a good comedy should have: adorable dork (Justin Long), funny fat kid (Jonah Hill), the cute blonde girl who's the object of the dork's affections, the questionable adult role model (Lewis Black), surprisingly insightful kid sister, weird pool cleaner, scantily-clad girls in bikinis, preppy villain, and ultimate test of fortitude by which the motley crew must come together to triumph or forever be parted (or arrested for fraud).

I mean, who wouldn't want to take college classes from Lewis Black?

It's light, it's fun, there's something any college grad can relate too ("Apparently, there are photography classes that won't count toward my photography major..."), and if all else fails, there's chicks in bikinis if that's your thing.

Movie #11 - (500) Days of Summer

(500) Days of Summer
Fox Searchlight Pictures
2009 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 35 min
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend

This is probably my favorite "relationship" Indy flick since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Except this movie has Zooey Deschanel, who is amazing. Love her.

So this movie also has an interesting structure, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's story jumping back and forth within the 500 days that he was in love (or obsessed) with Summer Finn (Deschanel). He's the clean-cut, love-sick puppy guy and she's the off-beat, living and loving life girl who can't be tied down. A classic story of unrequited love with a twist: the presentation.

Gordon-Levitt does a good job of being whiney without getting on your nerves and Deschanel isn't so quirky you can't connect to her. Both characters have their own journeys, and this movie tells the story of the intersection of those stories and how it sends them both in opposite directions.

But as the narrator warns you in the beginning, this isn't a love story. It's more of what I call a "life movie" or a character piece that picks up and leaves off abruptly. I think most people will enjoy it for its realism and the characters.

Movie #10 - 300

300
Warner Bros Pictures
2007 - Rated R - 1 hr 56 min
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West

While Gerard Butler makes some fantastic eye candy, that's not the only reason I love this movie. It's fun to watch, the action is visually interesting, and the blood and gore are impressive (I love some good blood and gore once in a while). What also impresses me about this movie is how cinematically interesting it is. It looks like the comic on which it's based, which is artistically speaking pretty cool.

As for its accuracy, I can't really speak to either the comic book or the history it's based on. Haven't read the comic and I'm not Mike, so you got me if it's accurate. From what I hear, it's not bad. But I've got some questions about certain aspects of this movie...

1. Was Xerxes really an ancestor of Ru Paul?
2. Did all Spartans have six-pack abs?
3. Could they really fight dressed like that, without any armor at all?
4. Why on earth would they listen to some drunken teenage girls about prophecy?

I guess that about sums it up. Great, fun movie to watch. Just don't think too hard about it.

Movie #9 - The 40-year-old Virgin

The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Universal Pictures
2005 - Rated R - 1 hr 57 min
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd

It was nice to get a good comedy in between 28 Days Later and the pending 300. Nice for some Steve Carell/Judd Apatow hillarity. And my God, do I love Paul Rudd!

Anyway, this is one of the mountain of funny movies created by this lot in the last decade. Apatow, Carrell, Rudd, Seth Rogen... even Jonah Hill pops up in this one. And that doorman guy from Baby Mama, he's in this too. Add Jane Lynch (yay!) and Catherine Keener and it's a perfect cast.



This is the movie that made Carrell more than a side character, Kelly Clarkson a swear word, and virginity hillarious. Love it :) If you haven't seen this, take a peak. Totally worth the watch and you'll probably laugh your butt off.



I can't believe I hadn't seen this movie since we rented it!

Movie #8 - 28 Days Later

28 Days Later
Fox Searchlight Pictures
2003 - Rated R - 1 hr 53 min
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christoper Eclleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson

I'm going to get through the numbered movies today, I swear! I would love to jump into the A's, so I can actually feel like I'm accomplishing something. Right now, it feels like eating an eternal appetizer... it's time for the salad course, people.

Anyway, I love this movie. I forgot how much. But I guess that's the point of this whole project - to rediscover great movies that I haven't given their due and to discover other classics that I've been missing out on. Of course, I have to deal with all the fodder in between, but for the most part, there's good ones on the wall.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I credit 28 Days Later with starting today's zombie craze. It brought the classic horror film character back into the main stream and scared the bejeezus out of people. Could a virus really make us run around screaming, biting each other? It's like home Jurassic Park convinced us all that DNA in ancient mosquitos could make us a dinosaur zoo. Cinema and loosely accurate science combine to start a craze.

So 28 Days Later, I discovered, also features Brendan Gleeson who I truly love in everything he does. Great guy. He does not disappoint in this, blending well into the cast of no-names and making this movie less-Hollywood and more-real-life in its feel. It was also kind of fun to see landmarks in London now that I've actually been there myself. It's a bit bleaker when it's abandoned, but I still felt more connected to the movie from having been there myself. You know what I mean?

So the main character, Jim, is one lucky bastard in this movie. Waking up during the day, wandering around aimlessly, and getting rescued by two people... only to cause one of them to get killed, like, the next day. He's not the world's best zombie fighter, but you do find yourself rooting for him. In fact, all the characters end up quite likable by the end of the film (except those creepy army guys, led by not Kevin McKidd who really looks just like him. Weird).

If you haven't seen this, I highly recommend it. 28 Days Later has blood and gore, sure, but it also has something to say about what's important after society goes mad and eats each other. Oh yeah, and it's suspenseful too, without being too horror-flicky.

Movie #7 - 27 Dresses

27 Dresses
Fox 2000 Pictures
2008 - Rate PG-13 - 1 hr 51 min
Director: Anne Fletcher
Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Judy Greer, and Edward Burns

I got this movie as a Christmas present, thought it would be dumb, and avoided watching it until last summer when I was stuck in the house with morning sickness. Oddly enough, Katherine Heigl won me over in the end. But I hadn't watched it in well over a year, so for this second viewing, I had to remind myself that it wasn't so bad.

And it isn't so bad, but this is another case of "it is what it is." If you go into this movie expecting to watch a chick flick with pretty standard conflicts and resolutions, you're all set. If you want anything else, pick another movie from the Movie Wall. Meanwhile, those of you looking for a chicky movie will enjoy this one. Heigl is annoyingly adorable, torn between two good-looking guys, and victimized by every bride in New York City. Once again, the failure to communicate is at the root of every single problem in Heigl's character's life. In that respect, it's so predictable it hurts. So don't get too cerebral on 27 Dresses, just watch it with a bowl of popcorn and be entertained.

Movie #6 - 21

21
Columbia Pictures
2008 - PG-13 - 2 hr 3 min
Director: Robert Lukatic
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishbourne, Kevin Spacey

This DVD was another unopened one, so the last time we saw it was when we rented it from Netflix. It's not one of my favorites, completely independent of the fact that it has Kate Bosworth in it (eww), but I don't hate it either.

Basically, it details the journey of a smarty pants math genius living in Boston (who is neither good nor Will Hunting.) He gets in with a band of card-counting students led by professor Kevin Spacey (who successfully negates the Bosworth drawback) who travel to Vegas and win lots of money at Blackjack. I know counting cards isn't illegal, but the fact they you can get the crap beaten out of you for it is a testament to the rigging of the modern casino. Winning too much? Cheater! What happens if you're just really smart and accidentally count cards? That doesn't happen? Oh.

Anyway, things start going great for him. Money, women (er... Kate Bosworth), and limo rides abound. He's graduating MIT, heading to Harvard Med, and now has the money to pay for his education. Granted, his nerdy best friends now hate him and kick him off the science project team, but whatevs.

Then he sleeps with Kate Bosworth and everything starts to fall apart. I repeat, he sleeps with Kate Bosworth and it all falls apart. Coincidence? He gets his face beaten up by casino security guy Laurence Fishbourne, has all his money stolen from him by Kevin Spacey, and finds out he can't graduate. Time to get revenge...

All in all, it's not a horrible movie. Predictable and traditional in its plotline? Absolutely. Stunning cast of quality actors? Not exactly. So, only watch this one for enjoyment (and to watch the pole dancers in the nightclub, if that's your thing.) Otherwise, it's not really action or adventure, it just is what it is. Entertainment purposes only.

Netflix Movie: The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli
Silver Pictures
2010 - Rated R - 1 hr 58 min
Directors: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, and Jennifer Beals

I figure if I'm reviewing the entire wall, I might as well include reviews for the non-wall movies that Mike makes me watch. Not that I didn't want to watch The Book of Eli, I just would rather spend the time chipping away at that list of 600+ movies.

Anyway, we watched the Netflix DVD yesterday and I did thoroughly enjoy it. Denzel, as always, was fantastic in this post-apocalyptic movie (my third apocalyptic movie in three days... and 28 Days Later is only two short movies away). I was a little skeptical of Mila Kunis, the would-be bad ass runaway who tags along, but in the end, her wielding a machete wasn't quite so unbelievable as you'd think. The plot was fairly predictable, but the twist at the end got both Mike and I (which is saying something, because he's tough to surprise). Although it would have been nice to see Denzel do his own action sequences, but I guess that's what happens when awesome actors start aging. Oh, Denzel!

Overall, I highly recommend it for an action/adventure with a spiritual twist. Great casting, strong plot, and really interesting look at what society after the nuclear "flash" would be like.

Now, back to the wall.