Untraceable

Today mom and I went to see Untraceable with Diane Lane. She plays a widowed, cybercrime-investigating FBI agent on the trail of a guy who kills people in various grisly ways and broadcasts it live over the internet, on a website called killwithme.com.

The problem is that the more people who visit the site, the quicker his victims die. Worse, this sicko is extremely internet savvy, and knows how to prevent the cops from determining his IP address. In addition, every time the authorities attempt to shut down his site, he has it back up and running in a matter of moments.

This one got plenty of bad reviews and it is pretty grizzly and very intense, but all in all mom and I liked it.

The Orphanage

Mom, Sharon and I went to see The Orphanage today. We didn't know much about this movie, other than that it was supposed to be scary. I LOVE scary movies - though they are rarely ever scary to me - and couldn't pass up a chance to go see this one.

The movie centers on Laura, who as a young girl was raised in the orphanage before being adopted. Now in her 30s, she has returned with her husband Carlos and their young son Simon to buy the orphanage and run it as a home for handicapped children.

Soon, Simon begins reporting conversations with new imaginary friends.

Then, an ominous woman claiming to be a social worker shows up and we learn that not only is Simon adopted, he's HIV positive.

The son goes missing. Six months later, Laura is convinced Simon is still alive, though probably desperately ill without his medications. A medium is called in and Laura seems to be walking a fine line between fantasy and reality.

If you don't mind sub-titles, this is a pretty good movie. The scenery was beautiful and the acting was superb. Although this one wasn't really "scary" to me, it was suspenseful enough to capture and hold my attention.

Mad Money

Mom, Sharon (our new movie buddy) and I went to see Mad Money today. I knew this was one to add to our "must see" list as soon as I saw the previews for it, some time back in December.

Bridget (Diane Keaton) is an upper-middle-class Kansas City housewife whose husband, Don (Ted Danson), lost his job in a corporate downsizing and they're now in debt. When Bridget learns that Don is about to put their home on the market, she scans the help-wanted ads and takes a job as a janitor at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, where they shred old, worn-out currency.

After a few days of scrubbing toilets, Bridget comes up with a plan to pocket the cash just before it's destroyed; but to pull it off, she needs some inside help, which she finds in shredder Nina (Queen Latifah) and iPod jammin cash-cart pusher Jackie (Katie Holmes). Bridget trusts her accomplices, but she's soon tripped up by the one factor she never took into account: her greed.

This was a cute movie - no deep thoughts required. Although it had some very funny scenes, I have to admit that I was a little dissapointed. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy it, I just expected it to be a little funnier than it was - this is what usually happens when I go to see a movie with expectations; more often than not, I end up leaving with a feeling of being let down.

The Bucket List

Mom and I found a new friend to with us to the movies and today we went to see the Bucket List.

Edward (Jack Nicholson) and Carter (Morgan Freeman) meet in hospital because of cancer. After some initial bickering, this odd-couple pair of cancer-stricken coots - who have been told they have less than a year to live - bond and set out on a trip around the world, bankrolled by Edward and organized by his personal assistant (Sean Hayes), to complete a bucket list - a list of all the things you want to do in your life, before you "kick the bucket".

On the agenda: Skydiving. Getting a tattoo. Dinner in the south of France. Racing Mustang Cobras. Chasing the wildlife on an African safari. Visiting the Pyramids of Egypt. Absorbing the wonders of the Taj Mahal. Cruising across the Great Wall of China on a motorcycle. The postcard views are breathtaking.

Working with each other for the first time, Nicholson and Freeman thrive as replicas of screen persona's both have built for decades. Jack is the forceful wild man; Morgan the methodical dispenser of wisdom. Two great actors come together for one great movie!

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

I tried really hard to wait for the hubby so that we could watch this movie together - especially since he forbade me to see it without him. I waited as long as I could then this weekend came along and mom and I wanted to go to the movies, just like we do every almost every weekend, but there wasn't anything else worth watching - not to mention it would probably no longer be in the theaters by the time he finally got around to going with me, so...National Treasure: Book of Secrets, here we come!!!

There's not much to tell you about this movie, it's pretty much the same as the first one and just as good. If you liked the first one, you'll enjoy this one too.