Movie #413 - Life as a House

Life as a House

2001 - Rated R - 2 hr 5 min
Director: Irwin Winkler
Starring: Kevin Kline, Hayden Christensen, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jena Malone, Mary Steenburgen, Ian Somerhalder, Scott Bakula

Okay, okay. This movie made me cry.

No, not just cry.  Sob.  I sobbed at the end of this movie.  And Ellie was really concerned about me for a minute, then blew raspberrie in my face.  Which solved my sobbing problem.

But really... Kline as a divorced dad trying to spend a few final moments with his nearly-estranged teenage son before succumbing to terminal cancer; building a house that brings a family and neighborhood together; falling in love with his ex-wife all over again just days before... well, you know. Damn cancer.

Although it makes you cry, this movie does a lot of other things as well.  It inspires and it makes your heart swell, it makes you think about people in your life that matter to you, makes you want to be a good parent to your children (even if you don't have them yet.)  It may or may not make you want to build a house--that's up to you.  But this movie, even though it made me sob, made me feel good about some things.

That's saying something.

Movie #178 - Elf

Elf
2003 - Rated PG - 1 hr 37 min
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Will Ferrell, Edward Asner, Bob Newhart, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel, Peter Dinklage

Smiling may be my favorite, but this movie comes close.  It could so easily have been too much, but it's a perfect balance of real and fiction, belief and skepticism, with a side of maple syrup.

What makes this movie work, though, is Will Ferrell's utter committment to the role.  He buys into it completely, which makes it easier for us to get lost in the story of Buddy the Elf and his journey to New York City.  A half-assed performance wouldn't do the trick, and would have made the whole movie fall flat.  Thankfully, he's so excellent at this kind of thing, you half expect to be able to talk to narwals.

So even though Christmas is over, I still took much joy in being able to watch this one again.  Of all the elves in all the movies out there, Buddy is my favorite, hands down.

Movie #48 - Back to the Future Part III

Back to the Future Part III
Universal Pictures
1990 - Rated PG - 1 hr 48 min
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson, Elisabeth Shue

Alright, I'm going to come right out and say it. They weren't ready to kill the series, so they decided to screw with time some more. Now it's Doc's turn to start causing trouble... I mean, he does deserve it. And apparently, a little something-something from Mary Steenburgen.

That's not to say that I don't like this movie... actually, as a kid, I thought this one was the most fun. It's good to see that Marty isn't selfish with his time traveling pursuits and will step up and help Doc save his life and his love. He really is a good guy. And Doc is still a crackpot.

Anyway, enjoy the little Irish accents on Lea Thompson and Michael J Fox in this one. I was pretty impressed, actually. Mad Dog Tannen is clearly Biff in disguise. I wouldn't put it past that old bastard to follow them to 1855. He was a really big jerk, you guys. It could happen.

So Part III might not be necessary to the overall story arc of this series, but it does make a nice, neat package. Three movies always seems to be the magic number and this is a worthy addition to the movie wall. It's not necessary but it really is fun. Just enjoy this whole series. And if you can, I really recommend watching them in order, back to back. The consistencies are even more meaningful this way.