Friday, November 05, 2010

Let's go to the movies!!!

I don't get to a lot of movies in the theater. Mostly, I watch movies on TV when they're past their prime and everyone's seen them BUT me. For some unknown reason, however, I've gone to the theater twice in the last two weeks and wow, I'm so glad I did.

Last week I saw RED. Okay. Up front: I adore Bruce Willis. Just adore him and he didn't disappoint me in RED. Nor did Helen Mirren, John Malcovich, Morgan Freeman or Mary Louise Parker. From the moment I saw the trailer I knew I was going to love this movie. For an action adventure romantic suspense author, what's not to love? A CIA conspiracy, operatives on the run, a sweet love story, lots of shoot 'em up bang bang scenes and above all else a generous dose of humor mixed in with all the drama. Seeing Helen Mirren firing a machine gun and sighting down the barrel of a sniper rifle was worth the price :o) I loved everything about this movie!!

Yesterday, I saw SECRETARIAT. Now, I'll admit, I was on the fence about going to this movie but went anyway 'cause I'm a sucker for an animal story. I was afraid, however, that it would be schmaltzy and cheezy so I went in to the theater a bit skeptical. I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I really, really liked this movie. Turns out, it wasn't just an animal story. It was a story of a very strong woman in a male dominated sport during a time in our history where a woman's place was 'in the home'. It was a heartwarming, touching family saga that tugged at my emotions and tapped into some very core values that made me glad I'd paid the price of the ticket. Diane Lane was convincing and sincere in the role of Penny Chenery and John Malcovich (yes him again) was perfect as the French spewing, reluctant trainer, Lucien Laurin. Yes, there was one moment when I was hard pressed not to roll my eyes, but I resisted and just went with it because of the over all feel of the story. It was refreshing to see a feel good family movie.

So what about you? Has anyone seen either of these movies and if so, what's your take? And if you haven't seen them, do you think you might? Any other movies I should add to my list? And finally, can you tell I'm off deadline for a minute or two? :o)

19 comments:

KylieBrant said...

Bruce Willis AND Morgan Freeman??? I have got to see this one! Two of my all time favorite guys! I've loved Willis since his Moonlighting days.

Cindy Gerard said...

Willis is CLASSIC Willis in this role. I loved everything about his character. And Morgan ... well, he was Morgan :o0

This was one time when NO surprises was a good thing - you can always count on those two for great performances.

Helen Brenna said...

Can't wait to see them both! Thanks for the suggestions, Cindy.

Cindy Gerard said...

Artemis - thanks for the recs. Want to see The Town and Social Network. Also a new Angelina Jolie and Johnny Deep - the title escapes me - that I want to see.

Anonymous said...

Red was very entertaining. It was fun just to watch and John Malcovich had me rolling.


Stephanie G
Paranormal Haven

Playground Monitor said...

A friend and I were talking about going to see Secretariat and now you've convinced me we need to see it. I'm all about strong women standing up for themselves.

Marilyn

Gail Chianese said...

I've wanted to see RED since the trailer - love all the players in it. Will definitely have to make time now.

I also want to see Morning Glory; come on it's got Harrison Ford in, how could I not. Not to mention Rachel McAdams usually does a very good job. Not even sure what else is out there right now. Will have to put Secretariat on my list.

Thanks for sharing.

Michele Hauf said...

I loved RED> Thought it was almost perfect. Though Helen Mirren could have had more screen time . That scene with her and that Huge Freakin' Gun. It was awesome. Might have to see that one again.

Looking forward to The Tourist with Depp and Jolie, because I need the gorgeous overload (even though Depp looks a bit pudgy for that one). And really want to see Due Date, though I don't care for stupid comedy movies, but love Robert Downey Jr., so may check it out next week.

Terry Odell said...

We're still Netflix people. Since we've moved, the nearest theater is about 15 miles away, and it only has 2 screens. We haven't even checked it out yet. I know Hubster would never pay to see Secretariat for all the reasons you liked it. He wants slapstick or explosions (which is another reason we don't go out to movies often!)

Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery

Unknown said...

Loooooooooved RED. My favorite line: Well, I hoped you'd have hair, so I guess neither of our dreams are coming true. :) Hee hee!

Went to see Secretariat just to big horses run in slow mo. If that wasn't the highlight of my life, however, not sure it would have been worth $5 to me.

Has anyone seen A Team?? I missed it in the theatre and I love Liam.

Cindy Gerard said...

Stephanie - Malcovich and his pink pig?? had me rolling on the floor!

Marilyn - I think you'll really like it. As I said, I was kind of a skeptic going in but I left a fan of the movie

Cindy Gerard said...

Gail - Morning Glory DOES look good. And Harrison Ford? He's still dreamy, I actually channeled his Indy Jones character for my last hero and had a blast.

Michele - I agree completely about RED. Loved everything about it. The set up, the pay off, the action, the humor. Struck every single right note with me.
And yes to Depp and Jolie. I want to hear about Due Date. I have a bad feeling about it so do let me know. I hope I'm wrong because I love Robert Downy Jr as well!

Cindy Gerard said...

Terry - if he likes explosion he will LOVE RED!!

Cindy Gerard said...

Lois - interesting take on Secretariat. They did have some amazing high definition racing scenes which really made you feel like you were on the race track. I'm curious about what didn't work for you...

Kathleen Eagle said...

I'm looking forward to "Red. With that cast, how can it miss? And I adored "Secretariat." Love a great triumphant underdog (underhorse?) story.

Leanne said...

I want to see both of these, but I'm on deadline, so I'll probably see them in my living room -- my favorite place to watch movies.

Cindy Gerard said...

You'll love them both, Leanne
And Kathy - I'm glad you enjoyed both movies!

Unknown said...

Saw Red with my daughter and the whole pink pig thing threw her off until it was revealed why he was carrying it. Now, she's a huge fan of pink pigs.

Secretariat was wonderful. I love how gripping it was and how caught up I got in it even knowing how it ended. Her faith really spoke to me. She took some huge risks based on her belief in her horse.

Saw Megamind this weekend. Loved it. Dreamworks does a great job of putting heart in a movie. And talk about character arcs. This one has it in spades.

On my list of must sees, Harry Potter, Tangled, Morning Glory, The Tourist. I'm up in the air on Skyline. No pun intended. Burlesque, The Next 3 days (Russell Crow), Unstoppable (Chris Pine, Denzel). It's going to be a busy holiday season.

Cindy Gerard said...

Great list Cat! I'm writing them all down.

And yes, the pink pig was a gas!