Movie #372 - Devil's Advocate

Devil's Advocate
1997 - Rated R - 2 hr 24 min
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones, Judith Ivey, Connie Nielsen, Craig T. Nelson

Oh man.  I haven't seen this one in years but I was so excited to pick it up to add to the collection.  What a great movie to revisit after so long!  And you know what, still awesome.

It has a perfect title, too. Perfect on so many levels.

Anyway, Keanu Reeves is a lawyer in Florida who always wins. Always.  And he'll do anything to keep it that way.  When he gets discovered by a New York city firm, he thinks it's because of his talent.  He lets himself get wrapped up in the "blood money," as his wife (Theron) says later.  They live the life for a while but as their marriage falls apart, so does her sanity... or so it seems. 

I really don't want to spoilt this one because, if you haven't seen it, you need to.  There are a few gory scenes, but you'll live.  And the ending of this movie is so perfect... you gotta love it.

Movie #306 - The Incredibles

The Incredibles
2004 - Rated PG - 1 hr 55 min
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Craig T Nelson, Samuel L Jackson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee, Wallace Shawn

This one's got a lovable cast, creative premise, and the genius of Brad Bird. What's not to love?  This has always been a favorite of mine - retired superheroes and their children come out of hiding to defeat the forces of evil.  Of course, there's much more to it that makes this family of superheroes likable and, heck, even realistic.  The love between Bob and Helen, the everyday struggles these superkids face in extraordinary ways, and even the troublesome infant... it's normal stuff made not normal with the addition of super powers.

The villain is kinda lame: a childhood fan of Mr. Incredible who gets shunned by the superhero.  He's older now, plus he's evil. He's been killing other superheroes and has finally tracked down his old "nemesis" and hopes to eliminate him as well.  Is Mr. Incredible too out of shape to triumph over evil?

As with most Disney/Pixar creations, this movie is fun for kids but also appeals to adults, almost effortlessly.  And Edna Mode is just hysterical no matter how old you are.

Movie #82 - Blades of Glory

Blades of Glory
Dreamworks
2007 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 33 min
Directors: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Jenna Fischer, Craig T. Nelson, Romany Malco, lots of skating pros

Any time I need a pick-me-up, I turn to a good Will Ferrell comedy.  (You'll notice I said "good," so Semi-Pro is strategically missing from the movie wall.) When I was pregnant with my daughter, this was often found in the DVD player just because it makes me laugh.

For pure entertainment purposes, this movie is fantastic.  The plot is a bit fantastical, but the satire of figure skating is a lot of fun.  A huge list of skating pros appear in this movie, which just makes it that much better.  And how can you not love "Coach" playing their coach? Craig T. Nelson is a quiet tyrant in this movie and it's awesome.  Ferrell is outrageous and Jon Heder is the farthest thing from Napoleon Dynamite that a man can be.  From start to finish, I love these characters and this movie.