Movie #414 - A Life Less Ordinary

A Life Less Ordinary

1997 - Rated R - 1 hr 43 min
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Ewan McGregor, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo, Ian McNiece, Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, Ian Holm

Weird movie, this one.  Weird, but weirdly cute too. Diaz and McGregor are an unlikely pair -- although their respective hair-dos are both awesomely 90s-tastic! -- who find themselves in very unlikely circumstances. Mainly, as kidnapper and kidnappee... although it's not always clear which of them is which.

Anyway, the whole angels-meddling-in-the-business-of-love bit turns this regular rom-com into something otherworldy, full of strange scenarios where Hunter and Lindo (the love angels assigned to the couple) are either trying too hook them up or kill them.  If they don't get these two together, they're doomed to a life stuck on earth. Bummer.

There is indeed as much going on here as the above synopsis suggests, and somehow, the movie doesn't get bogged down.  The plot moves along at a good clip, with lots of great scenes, and some actually believable scenes between our young lovers.  It's cute. Weird, like I said, but cute.

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.