Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Cate Blanchette and Clive Owen bring magic to the screen in this beautifully filmed and costumed tale of ELIZABETH THE GOLDEN AGE.

In this movie, Queen Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchette) prepares for war against Spain and King Philip II (Jordi Mollà). But as she readies for a major fight to save her crown, she also finds herself falling in love with the adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). While an official relationship is strictly forbidden for the Queen, she comes up with a devious plan to keep Raleigh by her side that may actually end up breaking her heart.

There were a few scenes that were gory but all in all this was a good movie. Mom and I both enjoyed it.

Michael Clayton

The movie of choice this weekend was Michael Clayton. In this Legal-Eagle thriller, Clooney’s Clayton is trained as a high-class lawyer but works the lower end of the judicial spectrum. So low, in fact, he has not set foot inside a courtroom for over a decade. Michael is the firm’s “fixer” - a guy who knows the right people for the right circumstance, a somewhat shady character and hard to define- until you need him.

After spending 6 years defending a phosphate conglomerate in a multi-billion dollar toxic poisoning case, veteran lawyer Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) has lost his mind and is threatening to change sides. On the orders of his boss (Sydney Pollack), Clayton is told to bring his powers of persuasion to bear on his friend. However, Clayton’s instincts tell him there could be some truth to Arthur’s insane ramblings.

This movie reminded me of a combination of The Firm and Erin Brockovich. If you liked those movies, your sure to love this one - Not to mention, George Clooney is always nice to watch...ha!

The Jane Austen Book Club

I've not read any of the Jane Austen books but I've seen a few of the movies based on her books and I've enjoyed them all. Recently, I watched a movie - Becoming Jane - that was loosely based on her life; I enjoyed this one much better.

The Jane Austen Book Club is about Six people who start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find that their relationships begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels. The members of the club are hopeful about love, but helpless when it comes to relationships. The characters in this movie are interesting and likable, the acting is good, and it isn't filled with violence and vulgarity - something that's increasingly hard to find these days.

Mom and I both very much enjoyed this movie.

Feast of Love

The movie that mom and I chose this weekend was the Feast of Love, an adaptation of the 2000 book by Charles Baxter.

The story begins with a brilliant theory on love, “There is a story about the Greek Gods. They were board, so they invented human beings. But they were still board, so they invented love. Then they weren’t board any longer; so they decided to try love for themselves….and finally, they invented laughter – so they could stand it.” quoted by philosophy professor Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman). The couplings and uncouplings in Feast of Love are observed and pondered through the wizened eyes of Professor Stevenson who is a regular at Jitters, the coffee shop owned by the good-hearted if less observant Bradley Thomas (Greg Kinnear). This is a movie about love, the chances we take and the things that connect us together.

I really enjoyed the wit of Freeman’s character in this movie, as well as the story lines. However, if you are uncomfortable with sex and nudity then this is not the movie for you!

In the Valley of Elah

When Mom asked if I wanted to go see In the Valley of Elah this weekend and then went on to tell me it stars Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Surandon, and Charlize Theron, I was on board. I went into this movie knowing nothing about it, I had never even heard of it before mom called.

This movie takes its name from the story of David and Goliath, which takes place in the Valley of Elah. But it has nothing to do with the Bible.

Instead, it is based on the July 13, 2003, murder of Richard Davis, a 23-year-old Army soldier who had just returned to Fort Benning, Ga., when he was declared AWOL. The young veteran’s charred remains were discovered in the woods four months later.

The murder trial that followed revealed disturbing information about Richard Davis and the Army unit he had belonged to, including alleged war crimes they committed against civilians in Baghdad and the fact that some of the soldiers were suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, the father of Mike, the murdered soldier and a retired Army criminal investigator. In the films beginning we learn that Mike has gone is considered AWOL. Jones' portrayal of Mike's worried father is painfully realistic.

Unfortunately, as a murder mystery, “Elah” is lacking. Once we learn the who, what, where and when about Mike’s death, the looming question of “why” — the one the PTSD angle is supposed to address — never gets answered.

Personally, I like to go to the movies to escape from reality and this one - although the acting was on point - was just a little too "real" for my liking.

The Brave One

It's been a few weeks but mom and I got back on track with the movies this weekend. Our pick this time was The Brave One starring Jodi Foster and Terrence Howard. As usual, both both actors gave a stellar performance.

Radio personality Erica Bain has the perfect life - the perfect boyfriend, the perfect dog and the perfect job; but one fateful night, as she and her family stroll through a New York park, life as she knows it suddenly comes crashing down around her.

Mercer is a New York detective, who is passionate about his job and works diligently to put away the bad guys. Suddenly there's a string of murders and it appears the city could have a vigilante, but what's the common denominator?

As Erica works through her demons from that life altering event. Mercer works to put the pieces of the puzzle together in order to stop this person before he kills again.

The intensity of this movie reminded me of the intensity you felt in the movie Crash. Jodi Foster's performance brings you on the journey with her and makes you identify with her character and the trauma she's been through.

Mom and I both really enjoyed this movie.

The Lion King

Although mom and I didn't get to see a movie this Labor day weekend, we had plans to take my daughter to the Broadway musical, The Lion King. Unfortunately mom wasn't able to attend, due to an unforeseen family matter, so we ended up inviting her teacher from last year. It's a miracle that we arrived on time since I thought it started at 2:00 only to find out, an hour before the show, that it actually began at 1:00. I guess I was getting the date and time mixed up....I'm not sure but we made it there with time to spare - thank goodness for Michelle and her lead foot..ha!

If you've seen The Lion King movie/cartoon and enjoyed it, you must go see this play. In fact, even if you haven't seen the movie, which I can't imagine, this is a show that you really should purchase tickets for when/if it comes to your area.

As a side note, if you haven't seen the movie...I highly recommend it too!

This musical was amazingly beautiful, absolutely outstanding! I was in awe of all the actors and actresses that performed this show. If you are looking for something to do that the whole family can enjoy, this is it! I would not recommend it for children under 8, just because they may have trouble following along and some parts could be scary for them. However, there were several small children at the play today and I thought they all did very well.

This show was well worth the money spent for the tickets. I absolutely loved it!