Conclusion

So there you have it, roughly 75 years of my movie collection.  Going through it, I was surprised by what I owned and by what I didn't.  (In some cases, movies had been lost or they simply would no longer play.)  There are movies I don't own that are more meaningful than some I own.  Still, it's an interesting collection, eclectic in some ways, although it's certainly possible to say I have types I like.  As far as stats go, the overlapping genre tags offer 276 comedies out of 326 movies, so yes, only 50 are ones I would not describe as intending to be funny.  Fifty-four of the movies came out in the '60s, so they are mostly ones that I probably first discovered in childhood and adolescence, on television.  Paramount was the first studio, with the Marx Brothers movies, and remained number one, with 40 films in my collection.  And Groucho Marx stayed the most prolific performer in my collection, with 17 movies.  So I guess this means that Skidoo is the most typical of my movies, studio aside.



Since I gave three A's and seven A-s, that makes coming up with a Top Ten pretty easy, although the order is somewhat arbitrary.

1. Some Like It Hot
2. High Fidelity
3. Groundhog Day
4. Nine to Five
5. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
6. The Wizard of Oz
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
8. The Big Bus
9. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
10. Enchanted April

As for Bottom Ten, well, I never went below a D-.  Here it is, with the D's, D+s, and the worst of the C-s.

1. The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw
2. Togetherness
3. Never Been Kissed
4. Meet Me in St. Louis
5. Speedway
6. Scavenger Hunt
7. The Sex Files
8. Roadie
9. Transylvania 6-5000
10. Gidget Goes to Rome

Stay tuned for the television blog in the next day or two....

Into the Woods

Into the Woods
December 25, 2014
Disney etc.
Musical, Fantasy
DVD
B-

When I saw this in the theater months ago, I would've given it a B+.  I'd seen two stage productions and I thought it translated very well to the big screen.  This time, I was less drawn in.  The music (especially those intricate Sondheim rhymes) seemed more contrived, and I found the film less emotionally moving.  That said, there are some good performances, most notably Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife, probably the most complex character.  Christine Baranski and Meryl Streep are not quite reunited from Mamma Mia!, because (as Cinderella's Stepmother and The Witch) they don't really have any scenes together.  Johnny Depp again plays a creepy character, this time Little Red Riding Hood's wolf.  And Anna Kendrick is a bit miscast as Cinderella (as always, she seems like the smartest person in the room) but she does sing well.

Frances de la Tour is sort of typecast, since she was Madame Maxime in the Harry Potter series and is a much larger giantess here.  Gioacchino Jim Cuffaro was a Wizard Parent in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and is a Villager here.

They Came Together

They Came Together
June 27, 2014
Lionsgate
Comedy, Romance
DVD
B

This is better than Wanderlust, perhaps because director David Wain is again reunited with his Wet Hot American Summer writing partner Michael Showalter.  As it happens, they wrote the script a dozen years before this was released, soon after WHAS, and it is also a spoof, although definitely less rooted in a specific time.  I found it equally funny, but apparently it was even less of a success.  (I wanted to see it in a theater but had to wait for DVD.)  Like WHAS, it has a dark side, but there are moments where rom-com tropes are played very close to usual.  Certainly the casting of Paul Rudd as the "handsome in a nonthreatening sort of way" male lead leads to self-parody, although Amy Poehler always seems much too smart for her character.  The frame device of Bill Hader (among other things, The Voice in Scott Pilgrim) and Ellie Kemper (Bridesmaids) as Kyle and Karen, another couple they're having dinner with, helps give the movie structure.  (It was originally designed without this device.)  I also need to mention that the music is dead-on, including the in-movie Norah Jones video, with a confused-looking John Stamos.  I don't know that this movie will age well, but for now it's on a level with WHAS.

Michael Ian Black was McKinley in WHAS and is Trevor here.  Ken Marino was Victor in WHAS, Rudd's brother Rick in Wanderlust, and is Tommy here.  Zandy Hartig was Marcy in Wanderlust and is Katherine here.

Jason Mantzoukas was part of the Gay Couple in Baby Mama and is Bob here.  Alex Hartman was a Princeton Applicant in Admission and is '80s Dancer Party Guest here, while Barbara Vincent was a Birthday Party Guest there and is a Football Player here, and Gameela Wright is a Police Officer here and was Woman in Adoption Agency there.  Zak Orth has been showing up in small roles in my movies since In & Out, and here he plays the Waiter with Pole.  Cobie Smulders did the voice of Wonder Woman in The Lego Movie and plays Tiffany here.

It's like New York is another character.

The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie
February 7, 2014
Warner Bros. etc.
Children's, Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
DVD
B+

I didn't see this at the time it came out, although the trailer looked good.  I didn't see it until this past summer, when I laughed my head off.  I'm not into the Lego culture, and I didn't get every joke in this, but I found it to be one of the best scripts in years, both witty and thought-provoking.  That I had absolutely no expectations made it all the more enjoyable, although on this second viewing I felt it held up very well.  Also, the look is wonderful, all CGI but looking like it's made from actual Lego bricks.

The movie is full of contradictions, like the "Everything Is Awesome" song that is both annoying and catchy, or annoying because it's catchy, with lyrics that boost both mindless conformity and creative teamwork.  It's a corporate production set in a sunny dystopia run by a fascist capitalist, who turns out to be a redeemable bad guy.  Normally, I have a low tolerance for Will Ferrell, but he does well with both his in-universe villain and the live-action father.  There are serious themes, but mostly it's a giddy, quotable, fast-paced ride.  I don't know that it would stand up to multiple viewings and I can't say I fell in love with it, so I won't say A-, but it's definitely at least a B+.

The voice-acting obviously is a big part of the enjoyment of the movie, with the stand-out being Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius, wise and hilarious.  Elizabeth Banks, who voices Wyldstyle, was Beth in 40 Year Old Virgin.  Liam Neeson provides the voices for Bad Cop, Good Cop, and Pa Cop.  Charlie Day is Benny.  Jonah Hill voices Green Lantern.  Dave Franco, who was Perry in Warm Bodies, does Wally.  Chris Romano was Little Druid in This Is Spinal Tap and does the voice of Joe here.

Admission

Admission
March 22, 2013
Focus Features etc.
Comedy, Drama
DVD
B

Based on a book I've never read, this has a refreshingly not-quite-resolved ending.  It is happy, in a bittersweet way, but not all the problems have been solved.  I was on the fence about the grade, whether B- or B, because I'm not sure how much of my fondness for the film is for its cast, particularly those I've tagged.  Tina Fey is of course a soft-hearted Type A and Paul Rudd is an amiable, boundary-crossing idealist.  It's good to see them work together, but their romance is too much in the background for this to be a rom-com, or even a dramedy-com.  (Their relationship, in the sense of how they relate, matters, but not the romantic side so much.)  Perhaps needless to say, Wallace Shawn, as Fey's boss, and Lily Tomlin, as Fey's mother, are perfect, giving the roles much more than expected.  (The details are great, too, like the vintage late '70s picture of Tomlin on the back of her character's feminist classic, The Male Mistake.  Or her Bella Abzug tattoo.)  The supporting cast is good, too, notably Michael Sheen as Fey's ex that thinks she's not over him, and Gloria Reuben as Fey's rival.

The blend of humor and drama generally works and I felt like even the more exaggerated scenes (like a cow giving birth) rang true on some level.  At the time (two and a half years ago), I saw this shortly after Warm Bodies, and probably would've ranked that a bit higher, but now I find that this is the movie that stays with me more afterwards.  Warm Bodies is entertaining, but this one made me think more, even if it doesn't quite live up to its potential.  And, yes, I need to read the book someday, although I hope it's better than the print version of Warm Bodies.

Alex Hartman, who's a Princeton Applicant here, would be '80s Dancer Party Guest in Rudd's They Came Together, while Barbara Vincent, who's a Birthday Party Guest here, would be a Football Player there.

Yes, I didn't say anything about the whole "Is this kid her son?" plot.

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies
February 1, 2013
Summit etc.
Comedy, Romance, Horror, Sci-Fi
DVD
B-

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2014/01/warm-bodies-novel.html.  The main thing I want to add is that my enjoyment has faded after so many viewings in 2 1/2 years, although it remains better than the book.  I think part of the problem is that as the film goes on, it loses its contrast between R's internal monologue and his inarticulate zombie shell.  The movie becomes more of a standard apocalyptic narrative, although still with moments of humor and sweetness.  And it remains impressive that a zom-rom-com is actually a workable sub-sub-genre.

Dave Franco, who plays Perry, would do the voice for Wally in The Lego Movie.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
August 3, 2012
Fox
Comedy
DVD
B-

Diary of a Wimpy Kid regulars include:

1. Dalila Bela as Taylor Pringle
2. Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley
3. Karan Brar as Chirag Gupta
4. Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson
5. Christopher Thorgard De-Schuster as Chris the Bass Player
6. Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley
7. Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley
8. Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley
9. Bryce Hodgson as Ben Segal
10. Alf Humphreys as Mr. Jefferson (this time actually with lines!)
11. Terence Kelly as Grandpa Heffley
12. Jeff Kinney as Mr. Hills
13. Peyton List as Holly Hills
14. Laine MacNeil as Patty Farrell
15. Andrew McNee as Coach Malone
16. Melissa Roxburgh as Heather Hills (formerly Rachel in DWK2)
17. Grayson Russell as Fregley
18. John Shaw as Mr. Draybick

As the subtitle suggests, this is set in the summer, which means we get much less of school, and classmates and teachers, than in the previous films.  I don't know if it's this, or that Zachary Gordon has hit puberty (like Harry and Ron in Chamber of Secrets, his voice seems to have dropped several octaves), but I generally didn't find this entry as entertaining as the first two.  And yet I am giving another B-, because it contains what is easily the funniest sequence in the series:  Rodrick's cover version of Justin Bieber's "Baby."  (Yes, each of my 2012 movies has a song or a band called Baby as the highlight.)  Bostick remains the best thing about these movies, and he has the moves like Jagger as well as a very expressive face.  Even the moment between Rowley and the bestie of the girl that Rodrick has spectacularly failed to impress is good.  If only the rest of the movie were on that level.  Still, it's nice that Zahn has more to do, with the central relationship this time being between Greg and his dad.  It's not a bad place to leave the characters onscreen, although of course in the books Greg and company continue to not age.

Dawn Chubai was a newscaster in the second movie as well.  Nicole Fraissinet, who was a Megastore Girl in Josie and the Pussycats, plays Receptionist Julie here.

Wanderlust

Wanderlust
February 24, 2012
Apatow Productions etc.
Comedy
DVD
C+

More than a decade after Wet Hot American Summer, David Wain co-wrote and directed this story about a bunch of weirdos living in the woods.  There are definite differences.  For one thing, instead of looking back about twenty years to the '80s, this is about a 40-year-old commune in present-day.  For another, this time there are two outsiders, a married couple, George and Linda Gergenblatt, played by Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston.  Unfortunately, this movie never quite, well, comes together.  (You see what I did there.)  The combination of Wain and Apatow doesn't really work.  I don't think the movie is as bad as its reputation is, although it's not as good as WHAS, or for that matter Object of My Affection.  (Interestingly, Alan Alda, who was Aniston's brother-in-law there, here plays commune founder Carvin.)  If you set your expectations really low, you might laugh a few times, as I did.  Still, the best thing about the movie is the Baby song "Get Your Body."

Jessica St. Clair was Whitney in Bridesmaids and is Deena Schuster here.  Carryovers from Wet Hot American Summer include Michael Ian Black (McKinley,  himself, also Trevor in Wain's They Came Together), Nina Hellman (Nancy, Protester), Peter Salett (Guitar Dude, Manfreddie), and Michael Showalter (Gerald Cooperberg and Alan Shemper, himself).

Zandy Hartig, who plays Marcy, would be Katherine in They CT.  Keegan-Michael Key is Marcy's Flunkie here and would do the voice of Foreman Jim in The Lego Movie.

The Graduate XXX

The Graduate XXX
2011 (exact date unknown)
Cinnamon Productions
Porn, Historical, Comedy, Romance
Download
C-

Needless to say, when I reviewed the book (http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/07/graduate.html), I did not imagine  that three years later I would be giving a porn parody of it the exact same grade.  The flaws are very different, but let me first talk about what I like.  The movie is easily the funniest of the three Anthony Rosano parodies I own, much of the humor coming out of juxtaposition, whether the '60s look with a more modern sensibility, or the way that lines from the original movie appear in a hypersexual context.  (Mrs. Robinson still denies she's seducing Ben even as she gives him a blowjob!)  There's a cheesy montage of Ben and Elaine falling in love, paired with heavy-handedly suggestive visuals and no dialogue, and then later they claim to have exchanged important personal information during "the montage."  Also, the music is great, not just the instrumentals but the Simon & Garfunkel satires.  ("A Hazy Shade of Winter" somehow becomes scolding of Ben for not washing his fingers.)

The three leads are well cast, not just Rosano as nervous Benjamin Bradcock (ha ha) and India Summer as posh Mrs. Robinson (although the movie gets very lampshady when she says she's "twice his age"), but also Raven Alexis as a generally serious Elaine.  Both fathers/husbands (James Bartholet and Herschel Savage), although their hair is grayed up in a distractingly fake way, do well with their roles.  Ron Jeremy, as Mr. Braverman/ Bus Driver, has a funny bit about "plastic novelties."  Rod Fontana (Skinner of Sex Files) has a good scene as the Night Clerk playing deadpanly off of Rosano, but I could've completely done without the return of Evan Stone, here playing a creepy Bouncer.

Which brings me to what I don't like about the movie, which is, as with other porn parodies, unfortunately most of the sex.  (I thought at one point I might wind up a porn addict, but I was apparently buying porn for the wrong reasons.)  The sex here is mostly BDSM, which is definitely not my cup of tea, although at least it's not overly violent here.  I suppose it could be said that it's used to reveal Mrs. Robinson's character, that she's a bitch who secretly wants to be dominated, but then why do we also get Stone bullying the poor stripper?  As for the more vanilla scenes, the threesome earlier on isn't bad, but we don't find out until after the fact that the man is Elaine's cheating boyfriend.  (Lexi Belle, who was Sam's friend in the Who's the Boss parody, is one of the two baby-voiced coeds.)  The Ben and Elaine scene is the only sex I actually liked, especially since it pays off in a surreal moment when her boyfriend shows up and she claims Ben is just an old friend of the family, when it is extremely obvious they've just had sex.

In fact, quite a bit of the movie is surreal, to the point that I was half seriously considering using a "fantasy" tag.  Characters can suddenly arrive at lightning speed, like they've been Scott-Pilgrimized.  And for no reason at all, both sets of parents show up on the bus when Ben & Elaine run away.  They're not angry, they're actually quite cheerful, like this is all some Candid Camera stunt.  It makes plot holes like Mrs. Robinson's consequence-less seduction of Ben's mother after he falls for Elaine perhaps not matter.  Maybe this whole thing is just meant to be a drug trip, since there are scenes of drug use at the frat house (Delta Kappa Smegma, hee hee) of the boyfriend (Parker Cameron Stevenson, ho ho).  Or maybe the source material (both book and movie) never made much sense to begin with.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
July 7, 2011
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Action
DVD
C+

Harry Potter regulars:

1. Afshan Azad as Padma Patil
2. David Bradley as Argus Filch
3. Scarlett Byrne as Pansy Parkinson
4. Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown
5. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
6. Louis Cordice as Blaise Zabini
7. Warwick Davis as Griphook/ Professor Filius Flitwick
8. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
9. Amber Evans as Twin Girl 1
10. Ruby Evans as Twin Girl 2
11. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
12. Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort
13. Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore
14. Domnhall Gleeson as Bill Weasley
15. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
16. George Harris as Kingsley Shacklebolt
17. Guy Henry as Pius Thicknesse
18. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
19. John Hurt as Ollivander
20. Ralph Ineson as Amycus Carrow
21. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy
22. Isabella Laughland as Leanne
23. Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback
24. Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell
25. Katie Leung as Cho Chang
26. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
27. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood
28. Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy
29. William Melling as Nigel
30. Nick Moran as Scabior
31. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
32. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
33. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
34. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
35. Leslie Phillips as the voice of the Sorting Hat
36. Clémence Poésy as Fleur Delacour
37. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
38. Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
39. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
40. Anna Shaffer as Romilda Vane
41. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
42. Timothy Spall as Wormtail
43. Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen
44. Natalie Tena as Nymphadora Tonks
45. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
46. Suzanne Toase as Alecto Carrow
47. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
48. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
49. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

Also, Christian Coulson and Ian Hart appear as Tom Riddle and Professor Quirinus Quirrell in archival footage.  Kelly Macdonald of Gosford Park appears as Helena Ravenclaw.  Gemma Jones and Miriam Margolyes are back, although not given much to do.  I put as many people under tags as I could.

While it's nice to see everybody one last time, I do feel that this is the weakest movie in the series since Goblet of Fire, and like that entry, it is sometimes unintentionally funny, as with the horrible makeup that Rickman wears both in present day and in flashbacks.  (I don't care that he was in his 60s.  It's distracting to see his expressive face puttied over like that.)  Also, the finale has far too many action sequences, which was perhaps true of the last third of the book, but there were more moments of humour and pathos.  Not that those elements are entirely missing, but the film does feel off and unbalanced at times.  (I do like Julie Walters's silent reaction to Maggie's Smith's "I've always wanted to do that," as if she still remembers McGonagall as her teacher some thirty years ago.)  The series as a whole still averages out to a B, and it remains an impressive achievement overall.

Lisa Osmond and Mark Sealey were also Gringotts Goblins back in the first movie.  Rusty Goffee was an Oompa-Loompa in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, as well as a Goblin here and in Order of the Phoenix.  Jamie Dunlop is a Wizard, as he was in the first two movies.  Paul Davies is a Death Eater, as he was in Fire, Half-Blood Prince, and DH1.  Death Eaters who are just in the two Hallows parts are Jon Campling, Graham Duff, Emil Hostina, Tony Kirwood (also in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Penelope McGhie, Ashley McGuire, Peter G. Reed, Granville Saxton, Judith Sharp, and Bob Yves Van Hellenberg.  Ninette Finch was an unidentified extra in Prince but is Augusta Longbottom here.  Arthur Bowen was Boy at Chestnut Stand in Prince, but has the more prominent role of Albus Severus Potter here.  Sarah Jane O'Neill was a Ministry Wizard in DH1 but is a Wizard Parent here.

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids
May 13, 2011
Universal
Comedy
DVD
B-

When I first saw this movie, it made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me consider walking out at the really gross food-poisoning scene.  My reaction on watching it for I think the fifth time was not as extreme in any regard.  I still think Kristen Wiig does a good job, as star and co-writer, of capturing a particular kind of woman who's messed up her life but not as much as she thinks.  Also, it is nice to see female friendship, in various forms, put at the center, even if the subject is ostensibly a wedding.  This does mean unfortunately that the men are really short-changed, some of them not even getting lines.  I certainly would've liked to have seen more of Chris O'Dowd's nice Irish cop.  And even some of the women have unresolved plot threads, including Wiig's own.  (Does she start another bakery or what?)  That said, Melissa McCarthy comes close to stealing the movie in what I recall as her first significant big-screen role.

Wilson Phillips appear as themselves, and Chynna Phillips was the love interest Cindy in The Invisible Kid.  Nancy Carell was the Health Clinic Counselor in The 40 Year Old Virgin but is less memorable here as Helen's Tennis Partner, while Joe Nunez was Man Buffing Floor there and is Oscar the Security Guard here.  Jessica St. Clair, who plays Whitney at the bridal salon, would be Deena Schuster in Wanderlust.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
March 25, 2011
Fox
Comedy, Children's
DVD
B-

DWK regulars are (* means new to the series but will be back for #3):

1. Dalila Bela as Taylor Pringle*
2. Owen Best as Bryce Anderson
3. Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley
4. Karan Brar as Chirag Gupta
5. Christopher DeSchuster as Chris the Bass Player*
6. Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley
7. Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley
8. Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley
9. Bryce Hodgson as Ben Segal
10. Ava Hughes as Marley
11. Alf Humphreys as Rowley's Dad, Mr. Jefferson
12. Terence Kelly as Grandpa Heffley*
13. Peyton List as Holly Hills
14. Laine MacNeil as Patty Farrell
15. Andrew McNee as Coach Malone
16. Belita Moreno as Mrs. Norton
17. Samantha Page as Shell(e)y
18. Melissa Roxburgh as Rachel (although she'd be Heather Hills in the next one)*
19. Grayson Russell as Fregley
20. John Shaw as Mr. Draybick*
21. Jake D. Smith as Archie Kelly

Also, author Jeff Kinney makes his first appearance as Holly's Dad, Mr. Hills.  Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs again collaborated on the script, but the director is new: David Bowers, who did Flushed Away. I would say that this movie is a shade better than the first, not quite a B since it's not quite as funny and it does feel a little unbalanced, focusing much more on Greg's home life than on his school life.  That said, everyone, especially the kids, seem to have settled into their characters more, so that much less time is spent on set-up.  Just as DWK1 gave us Greg's friendship with Rowley, #2 tracks the shaky brotherhood of Greg and, as you may've guessed from the subtitle, Rodrick, allowing the whole Heffley family to shine.  There are funny moments (like Susan's "mom dance") but also more heart and realism than in the first movie.  A B- and a half I guess.

Dawn Chubai would return as a newscaster in DWK3.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
November 11, 2010
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Action, Drama
DVD
B

The Harry Potter regulars this time (* means newbie who will be back for the finale):

1. Afshan Azad as Padma Patil
2. Arben Bajraktraj as Antonin Dolohov (formerly playing an unidentified Death Eater)
3. Scarlett Byrne as Pansy Parkinson
4. Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown
5. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
6. Louis Cordice as Blaise Zabini
7. Warwick Davis as Griphook (new to the role)
8. Francis de la Tour as Madame Maxime
9. Amber Evans as Twin Girl #1
10. Ruby Evans as Twin Girl #2
11. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
12. Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort
13. Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore
14. Brendan Gleeson as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody
15. Domnhall Gleeson as Bill Weasley*
16. Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley
17. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
18. George Harris as Kingsley Shacklebolt
19. Guy Henry as Pius Thicknesse*
20. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
21. Rod Hunt as Thorfinn Rowle
22. John Hurt as Ollivander
23. Stanislav Ianevski as Viktor Krum
24. Ralph Ineson as Amycus Carrow
25. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy
26. Toby Jones as the voice of Dobby
27. Isabella Laughland as Leanne
28. David Legeno as Greyback
29. Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell
30. Katie Leung as Cho Chang
31. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
32. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood
33. Angelica Mandy as Gabrielle Delacour
34. Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy
35. Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
36. Nick Moran as Scabior*
37. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
38. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
39. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
40. Clémence Poésy as Fleur Delacour
41. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
42. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
43. Anna Shaffer as Romilda Vane
44. Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley
45. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
46. Timothy Spall as Wormtail
47. Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen
48. Natalie Tena as Nymphadora Tonks
49. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
50. Suzanne Toase as Alecto Carrow
51. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
52. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
53. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

Also, Miranda Richardson appears in photographs as Rita Skeeter.  Rhys Ifans appears as Luna's father Xenophilius, and Bill Nighy as Minister Rufus Scrimgeour, both very different roles than in Pirate Radio.  Other regulars who've done others of my films are under the tags.

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2014/01/harry-potter-and-deathly-hallows.html.  The movie isn't as good but it is as solid as most of the series.  I think both the action scenes and the more dramatic scenes work, as do the moments of humour, such as the Seven Harrys transformation.  The sets and costumes, including at the wedding, are just right.  The most impressive visual aspect, however, is the animation for "The Tale of the Three Brothers." The central trio are all at the top of their game, which matters since much of the movie is about just the three of them, and even when they interact with others their dynamic matters.  Ironically, one of my favorite sections is the Ministry raid, where they've been Polyjuiced into middle-aged adults (Emma Thompson's sister Sophie among them).

What doesn't work?  Well, no offense to Nick Moran, but I don't see why the character of Scabior is built up here and in Part 2, when there are other Death Eaters (including Greyback) who could've been used more.  Also, with all the plot threads to be tied up in the finale, giving Harry the fragment of Sirius's mirror without explanation is odd.  And other details are rushed through, such as the eye on Umbridge's door.  Still, these are quibbles and this is the better half of Hallows onscreen.

Daisy Haggard is the voice of the Ministry Lift, as she was in Order of the Phoenix.   Elliott Francis is again a Slug Club Member, as he was in Half-Blood Prince.  Ifeoma Oboko was in Gryffindor in Prince but is just a School Child here.  Sarah Jane O'Neill is a Ministry Wizard here but would be a Wizard Parent in Part 2.   Paul Davies is a Death Eater, as he was in Goblet of Fire and Prince, and would be again in the finale.  Graham Duff, Emil Hostina, Tony Kirwood (who was Finckelgruber in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Penelope McGhie, Ashley McGuire, Peter G. Reed, Granville Saxton, Judith Sharp, and Bob Yves Van Hellenberg would all return as Death Eaters.

And Rose Keegan was Emma Pagent in Grint's Driving Lessons, while she's Red-Haired Witch here.

Easy A

Easy A
September 17, 2010
Screen Gems etc.
Comedy, Romance
DVD
B

Like Going the Distance, this is better than it should be, although not as good as that, and no, it does not earn an A (easy or otherwise) from me.  I put it on a level with Juno, which it resembles in some ways, in that the main character is a witty, cynical, but good-hearted teenage girl with awesome parents who support her, even as her sexuality makes her an outcast at school.  In Juno's case, it's because she's pregnant, while here Olive (played by Emma Stone) is both victim and manipulator of rumors about her promiscuity.  The title and much of the plot are inspired by The Scarlet Letter, but this is not based on a book per se.  The movie is at least as much about the effect of social media, from texting to videoblogs, giving a very modern touch to a movie that in some ways could've made back in the mid-'60s, or at least in the '80s that Olive idealizes in a different way than Gen-Yers Erin and Garrett do in Distance.  Like Juno, she looks up to a time she wasn't even alive in.

On the one hand, it seems a bit much to believe that an entire high school (even in a small town) could get spun up about one girl losing her virginity to a college guy.  On the other, it's not like slut-shaming isn't alive and well, in the real and the cyber world.  I like how the movie argues that Olive's sexual experience is nobody's business, although of course this is ironic since we're meant to care about it as the audience.  Olive is a "good girl" in the sense that she's seventeen and never been grounded or sent to the principal's office, until the events of this story.

Her parents aren't as gruff as Juno's, but instead, as played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, they are whimsical and playful, although still attentive and caring.  They're named Dill and Rosemary, and her kid brother is named Chip, so the whole family is "edible."  (I've heard that there's another brother, named Kale, off at college, and it's his nonexistent friend that Olive supposedly loses her "V-card" to.)

The other stand-outs in the cast are Thomas Haden Church as Mr. Griffith (his delivery on "Don't forget, tomorrow is Earth Day" understandably kept breaking Stone up) and Dan Byrd as Brandon, the gay friend whose plot thread is both poignant and funny.  But it's mostly Stone's movie, and she carries it well.  I don't feel like the movie is well structured, and some things, like Lisa Kudrow's betrayal, just seem to happen so that the movie can keep moving.  But overall, entertaining enough.  The "romance" tag by the way comes from her involvement with "Woodchuck Todd," played by Penn Badgley.

Andrew Fleming, writer/director of Threesome, has a bit role as a Doctor.  Yolanda Snowball, who was Mrs. Yeager in The Brady Bunch Movie, is a Receptionist here.

Going the Distance

Going the Distance
September 3, 2010
New Line etc.
Comedy, Romance
DVD
B+

Although not on the level of High Fidelity, this rom-com is much better than it should be.  Like High Fi, it is mainly told from the man's perspective (although less so of course), and perhaps that's why it's cruder and yet more believable.  Not that that made The Wedding Singer or Apatow and the like any more realistic of course.  And although Erin, played by, yes, Drew Barrymore again, is very much a one-of-the-guys kind of girl, to the point that when she's drunk she tells the stranger she's arguing with to commit sex acts with "her penis," she is also definitely a modern woman, one who confides in her blabby friend Harper (Sarah Burns, in a smaller but similar role to I Love You Man's Hailey).  Garrett, played by Barrymore's real on-again-off-again boyfriend Justin Long, responds to the explanation of girl-talk with "I know how it works.  I've seen Moesha."

That is just one of many hilarious lines that sound off the cuff, said the way that witty, pop-culturally savvy people, like Garrett in the music-industry and Erin in newspapers, talk.  Within the first five minutes, I was laughing very hard and thinking about how much I adore this movie.  That it also acknowledges that its main couple are in dying businesses, as things move more and more into the cyber-world, is another strain of realism that I appreciate.  (I said of Never Been Kissed, "This film...does not have a moment in it that is believable even within its own poorly constructed world," and Barrymore's journalist roles is one point of comparison.)  Technology also has its impact on the long-distance (New York to San Francisco) relationship, with Erin and Garrett keeping in touch through not only cell phones but videochatting, but it only adds to the frustration that they feel that they are physically separated.  And have you ever seen another rom-com that has the couple decide not to visit at Christmas because airline tickets are too pricy?

Even the supporting performances, while exaggerated, are believable on some level, rising above stereotypes that we see elsewhere in rom-coms, Barrymore's Music and Lyrics among them.  Christina Applegate has the role of the germ-phobic, nagging but loving older sister, which she does so much more (comedically and dramatically) with than Kristen Johnson in M & L.  (Even the henpecked husband is better here, and in fact Jim Gaffigan had the best line in the trailer, if YouTube comments are any evidence.)   Jason Sudeikis as Box and Charlie Day (who would do the voice of Benny in The Lego Movie) as Dan are over the top at times (Day especially), but even at their most outrageous they give the lines such sincerity that it only adds to the humor.  The main cast's chemistry, not just romantic, is perfect, and it's a treat to hang out with the various combinations of these five people.  But, yes, it's Barrymore and Long's real-life chemistry coming through, that we totally buy, for instance, that he makes her laugh that hard, which makes the movie so special.  We want to see them kiss and we (well, I anyway) cry with them when they cry.

So why not an A- or even higher?  Well, I don't think the movie maintains the high level of the first half to full hour.  Not that it sours but it does lose its giddiness, and not just as it turns more serious.  Even the funny scenes feel less funny.  Still, it remains an underrated genre-buster that stretches and even shatters a few of the rom-com tropes (like the way jealousy is handled), while staying comedic and romantic most of the time.

Matt Servitto was Arty in Enchanted and is Hugh here.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
August 13, 2010
Universal
Comedy, Sci-Fi, Romance, Action
DVD
B-

This is based on a graphic novel series I've never read, other than what appears in the movie itself and its DVD extras.  As such, I'm not going to get into a discussion of how well it translates to the screen, but I will note that I like the comic-like elements, such as the sound effects that we can read as well as hear.  There are also elements of video games, especially but not limited to the fight scenes.  And then are bits of less classifiable whimsy, such as some characters' ability to do things very quickly, even if asleep.  It is an interesting stylistic blend.

Unfortunately, the central couple in this anti-rom-com are the two least appealing characters in the movie (well, other than some minor characters we see much less of).  Scott is in a way the typical adorkable Michael Cera character, but he has to do a lot of very un-Cera-like things, including make various women unhappy, although this is admittedly unintentional.  And his dream girl Ramona Flowers has no real personality; she's just as much of a cypher at the end as she is at the beginning.  It's hard to be invested in their relationship, and I'm not even sure if we're supposed to be, but it does get a lot of screen time.  Luckily, the supporting characters are much more vivid and, even when they do unlikable things, entertaining.  My favorites are Wallace, the gay roommate, and Julie, the foul-mouthed friend of an ex.  The title of the movie is somewhat of a misnomer, since Scott battles Ramona's seven evil exes, but there is a sense that everyone, even his friends, is against him.  This viewing, I was rooting for the world, and I completely agreed with Knives Chau when she said that she's too cool for him.

Nelson Franklin was one of Sydney's Buddies in I Love You, Man and has the small but scene-stealing role of Comeau here.  (He's the one who says the comic book is always better than the movie.)  Bill Hader, who is The Voice, would be Kyle in They Came Together.

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon
March 26, 2010
DreamWorks
Children's, Fantasy, Action, Comedy
DVD
B+

Chris Sanders co-wrote Aladdin, while Will Davies co-wrote Flushed Away, so perhaps it's not surprising that they do well here, directing as well as writing.  What is surprising is that this movie is actually better than either of those.  It's not due to the source material, since this is clearly another example of the movie being better than the book.  The Cressida Cowell series has ugly illustrations and forgettable characters.  This movie is visually stunning and the characters are endearing, because of rather than despite their imperfections.  Also, it's a rare action movie where the relationships are more important than the battles.  We watch as our young hero Hiccup improves how he relates to his father, his potential girlfriend, and of course his dragon.  And, yes, the movie is funny, but it's also poignant.  I found the sequel somewhat disappointing, and the TV series doesn't interest me, but here they got everything just about right.

David Tennant, who voices Spitelout, was Barty Crouch, Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but of course had meanwhile hit it big as Dr. Who.  Jonah Hill's rise was not as dramatic, but he had become better known since his appearance as the eBay Customer in 40 Year Old Virgin.  Kristen Wiig, who voices Ruffnut, would be Annie in Bridesmaids.

Sometimes dragons are just scaly cats, and sometimes they're your vehicle to Heaven.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
March 10, 2010
Fox etc.
Comedy
DVD
B-

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid regulars are:

1. Owen Best as Bryce Anderson
2. Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley
3. Karan Brar as Chirag Gupta
4. Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson
5. Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley
6. Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley
7. Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley
8. Ava Hughes as Marley
9. Alf Humphreys as Mr. Jefferson (Rowley's dad)
10. Laine MacNeil as Patty Farrell
11. Andrew McNee as Coach Malone
12. Belita Moreno as Mrs. Norton
13. Samantha Page as Shelley
14. Grayson Russell as Fregley
15. Jake D. Smith as Archie Kelly

Also, Steve Zahn, who was the brother in Object of My Affection, plays Greg's dad.  The movie is surprisingly well-cast, considering it's based on a book with exaggerated characters who look and act like cartoons.  As the book is very episodic, there are some changes in terms of plot and characterization, with self-absorbed Greg learning a few life lessons here, although not changing entirely.  Which is just as well, since there would be two more movie sequels, and the book series is still running.  (Book 10 is due out this Fall.)

Watching this again, I realized that a lot of my favorite moments came in the later movies.  I do have to single out Bostick as giving my favorite performance.  He looks nothing like Rodrick in the book but he puts a lot more into the mean-big-brother role than expected, even in a simple line like, "And then they planted trees!"  Also, as a Gen-Xer I enjoyed the little moments of '80s-ness, like the Awesome to Be Me classroom movie.  DWK itself is designed to not look like it's from a particular time period and, as in Juno, there are no cell phones.

Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs would also co-write the second movie in the series.  Brandon Barton was on the Dancing Elk Track Team in Juno and is the '80s Jock Boy here.

Who's the Boss? A XXX Parody

Who's the Boss? A XXX Parody
February 14, 2010
New Sensations Video
Porn, Romance, Comedy
Download
C+

To make a long story short, a year ago I rediscovered Who's the Boss? in time for the 30th anniversary.  I'd watched it at the time but it was very interesting to revisit it.  And part of that revisiting ended up being watching this porn parody in the sub-sub-genre of "sitcums."  Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, it's porn with a laugh track.  And with the "audience" squealing over kissing and suggestive lines.  (Luckily, both tracks are silent during the sex scenes.)  The comedy portions are pretty contrived, and the funniest thing about the writing is the writer's name, Crystal D. Lite.  (Which seems fitting, since Bud Wiser produced the actual show.)  The movie is directed by Lee Roy Myers, who appears to be the king of the porn parody.  And, yes, with this source material, the movie is also a rom-com, since we want Tony & Angela to get together, and, oh, yes, they definitely do.

However, as with Sex Files, there are other pairings and groupings.  I generally enjoyed these more than in Files, since there was more set-up for why these people were together and the sex seemed less interminable.  In fact, the Sam & Marcy pairing is actually a bit sweet and sexy.  Yes, "Marcy" with a Y rather than an I.  The movie is not exactly canonical to the show.  The Tony & Angela dynamic is similar to the first season, with him walking in on her in the bathroom, as he did early on in the show.  (Rosano also walks in on Kimberly Kane in Sex Files, although it's less farcical there of course.)  This Angela pulls rank more than the TV version usually did, especially in later seasons.  In fact, there are unresolved class issues here, unresolved even after consummation, not that I expected a serious political treatise of course.

The biggest change is that "the kids" have been aged up by about a decade, so that they're in college and thus able to have girlfriends.  Sam has a boyfriend, too, Jesse, who, unlike his TV counterpart, who was very much the late '80s activist, is sexist enough to think girls don't need to go to college.  He ends up with Mona in the kitchen, even though Sam and Marcy are in the next room.  In fact, the entire movie is set in the house, with a very tiny cast (ten people), none of whom walk in on anything more than mild making out.

The casting in the movie ranges from way off to dead on.  I don't at all care for 43-year-old Payton Leigh as Mona, or the final sex scene, where she has slaves up in her room (proving that she's the boss) and she hardly interacts with them.  She doesn't look or sound a bit like Katherine Helmond, not even a younger, Soap-era Helmond.  And obviously she's much too young to be playing the grandmother of a college student.

Anthony Rosano and India Summer were both 33 at the time this was released, she a few months older than he, so they're not too far off from the ages of first-season Tony Danza and Judith Light, although, again, too young to be the parents of college "kids."  (Rosano and Summer would reunite in The Graduate XXX, as respectively Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson, despite their lack of age difference.)   Twenty-three-year-old Alyssa Reece plays Sam and 22-year-old Sonny Hicks is Jonathan and they're reasonably well cast, looking and sounding enough like their TV counterparts to not be distracting like Leigh.

Summer somewhat has the look of Judith Light, although she's wearing an obvious blonde wig.  She's tall and slender with a small chest and long legs.  She doesn't really sound like Light and she does seem overly uptight, except of course when she lets herself go in the sex scene.  Rosano on the other hand is perfectly cast.  (And Danza-ly cast, considering his screen name is Anthony, so he is another Tony playing Tony.  He also was Tony in the porn parody of Taxi that same year.)  He doesn't quite look like Danza but he sounds like him.  Even during the sex scene, he's perfectly in character, yes, with an "ay-oh" here and there.  If everyone were on his level, I would give this movie a much higher rating.  Watch this movie for him, especially with Summer.  They have good chemistry together, in the sexual tension scenes as well as the release of tension scene.  And they're actually adorable in the post-coital goo-goo eyes scene.  Pity that the movie doesn't end right after that.

Lexi Belle, who plays Marcy, would again be a College Student in Graduate XXX.

The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog
December 11, 2009
Disney
Children's, Romance, Comedy, Fantasy, Historical
DVD
B-

Partially based on E.D. Baker's The Frog Princess, which I can't remember if I've read, this is a Disney Princess movie with a difference, well, many differences.  It has a relatively modern and real setting, New Orleans in the 1920s.  (The prologue is set the day Wilson is elected President, but I'm guessing this is 1912 rather than '16.)  The "princess" is an African-American waitress who dreams of opening her own restaurant.  She does get her prince, but he's not her main goal.  And, yes, both of them are turned into frogs, because of voodoo.

Co-writers/directors Ron Clements and John Musker also did Aladdin and, while this isn't as dazzling, it is a worthy successor as a "not a typical Disney Princess movie."  There's no razzle-dazzle performance on the level of Robin Williams's genie, although the voicework and acting are generally solid.  The two biggest standouts are Keith David as villain Dr. Facilier and Jenifer Lewis as wise-woman Mama Odie, who, in their songs especially, show the dark and light sides of voodoo, and of changing your life.  The use of light and color is sometimes impressive.  And a couple of the characters, particularly Charlotte and Ray, end up having more substance than expected.  I would say the biggest flaw in the movie is pacing, too many stops and starts.  Otherwise, I would probably go with a B, as with Aladdin.

Phil Proctor did additional voices in Aladdin well.  (And, yes, this is the Firesign Theatre Phil Proctor, who co-wrote Americathon.)

Since I've gotten more 21st-century films in recent months, and since there are more films from 2000 to '09 than there were in, for instance, the 1970s, I've decided to split off the 2010s, unlike with my book blog.

The Sex Files: A Dark XXX Parody

The Sex Files: A Dark XXX Parody
Sept. 30, 2009
Digital Sin
Porn, Romance, Horror
Download
D+

My porn collection has doubled to six movies since I reviewed Different Strokes.  This is entirely due to the acting talents of Anthony Rosano, who here plays Mulder.  After watching him in Who's the Boss?: A XXX Parody, I wondered what else he'd done.  I watched some trailers and (non-pornographic) clips, and this and the Graduate parody seemed the best of the lot.  In fact, I quite enjoyed the porn-less version of this movie on YouTube, even though I've seen maybe one episode of The X-Files.  He and Kimberly Kane, who's apparently a dead ringer for Dana Delany, are both quite good (she won an adult film acting award, and he was nominated, for this movie) and also have an appealing chemistry.  The mood of the film is appropriately atmospheric, although it seems that it's more horror-focused than the more sci-fi-oriented source material.

So why the low grade?  Well, unfortunately I didn't care for any of the sex scenes besides Rosano's and Delany's, which manages to be both hot and romantic, coming as it does after a believable confession of love.  With all the other pairings, and group sex, I hadn't the slightest interest in seeing those people together, and I found the sex boring and seemingly endless.  If the movie were just what's on YouTube, plus that love scene, I'd probably go with a B+, but the running time would be more than an hour less than it actually is.

The "parody" in the title by the way is misleading.  Unlike most of the other movies in the parody-porn subgenre (more about that under WtBXXXP), this is not played for laughs, although there are moments of humor, mostly in Mulder and Scully's quips.  I think the "dark" was put in there to suggest this but it makes it sound like it'll be black comedy porn, which it isn't either.

Evan Stone, who's the male Club Goer, would be a Bouncer in The Graduate XXX, while Rod Fontana, who's Skinner, would be the Night Clerk there.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
July 15, 2009
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Drama
DVD
B-

Harry Potter regulars this time include (* for newbies):

1. Afshan Azad as Padma Patil
2. David Bradley as Argus Filch
3. Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn*
4. Scarlett Byrne as Pansy Parkinson (new to the role)*
5. Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown (new to the role)*
6. Shefali Chowdhury as Parvati Patil
7. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
8. Louis Cordice as Blaise Zabini*
9. Warwick Davis as Professor Filius Flitwick
10. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
11. Amber Evans as Twin Girl #1*
12. Ruby Evans as Twin Girl #2*
13. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
14. Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore
15. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
16. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
17. Rod Hunt as Thorfinn Rowle*
18. Ralph Ineson as Amycus Carrow*
19. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy
20. Isabella Laughland as Leanne*
21. Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback*
22. Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell (new to the role)*
23. Katie Leung as Cho Chang
24. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
25. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood
26. Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy*
27. William Melling as Nigel
28. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
29. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
30. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
31. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
32. Anna Shaffer as Romilda Vane*
33. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
34. Timothy Spall as Wormtail
35. Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen*
36. Natalie Tena as Nymphadora Tonks
37. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
38. Suzanne Toase as Alecto Carrow*
39. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
40. Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
41. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
42. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2014/01/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince.html.  And, yes, I consider the movie to be roughly equivalent in quality to the book, although the flaws are different.  As I noted there, the Horcruxes are mishandled in the movie in the sense that Dumbledore says they could be the most commonplace of objects, when in fact this better describes Portkeys (like the "manky old boot") and it's unlikely that Voldemort would entrust pieces of his soul to worthless objects.

One flaw is that, as in Order of the Phoenix, a romance is left unresolved, in this case that of Ginny and Dean.  (Poor Alfie Enoch is once again underused, even as a point in a triangle.)  We're told that Ginny and Dean argue, but we never actually see them break up, so when Ginny flirts with Harry at Christmastime and later, it's difficult to know how to take it.  I will say though that the girls and women are less out of character here than in the book, and I think this is Emma Watson's best performance so far.  (When she attacks Ron with conjured birds, he's not actually pecked and injured, like in the book, just frightened.)

My other gripe is that while some of the shots are lovely and/or haunting, too many of them are dark, which means losing detail on a television screen.  On the plus side, Yates turns out to have a gift for comedy, especially when characters are acting drunk or stoned, most notably Daniel Radcliffe's "pincers" moment.  And the Ron-on-Love-Potion scenes are everything they ought to be, with Radcliffe a fine straight man to Rupert's loopiness and handsiness.

Paul Davies is again a Death Eater, as he was in Goblet of Fire and would be again in both Deathly Hallows movies.  Tabatha St. Vincent was an extra in Order of the Phoenix as well.  Nathan Clarke is a Gryffindor Student, as he was in Order.  Neil Findlater was a Ministry of Magic Panel Member there and is a Wizard Teacher here.

Ifeoma Oboko would again be a Hogwarts student in Hallows I, although not specifically Gryffindor.  Elliott Francis would again be a Slug Club Member there.  Ninette Finch is an extra here but would be Augusta Longbottom in Hallows 2.  Arthur Bowen, who's Boy at Chestnut Stand, would be more prominent towards the very end of the series, as Albus Severus Potter.

In the Loop

In the Loop
April 17, 2009
BBC Films etc.
Comedy
DVD
B

This is a very funny documentary-looking film (but not a mockumentary per se) about British and American politics, with a profanity-laced script, most notably in the lines of Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker.  In fact, some of the funniest lines are funny because of the witty use of profanity.  The humour obviously has faded upon repetition, but it's still a very entertaining movie, with a good solid cast, of whom I will reluctantly single out three:  Steve Coogan as Paul Michaelson ("I'm fucking zen!"), James Gandolfini as Lt. Gen. George Miller (probably the best actor of the bunch, very believable), and Tom Hollander as Simon Foster, a role that, like that in Gosford Park, uses his short height to advantage, so that he's a little man who can't keep up with the "big kids."  If I can't rate the movie higher it's that most of the characters are unpleasant and that does get to be a bit draining after awhile.

Pirate Radio

Pirate Radio (AKA The Boat That Rocked)
April 1, 2009
Universal etc.
Comedy, Musical, Historical
DVD
C+

I'm ambivalent about this movie, so let's get the negatives out of the way first.  This is the fictional, if inspired by true events, story of, yes, a pirate radio station in the days when the BBC did not like to play rock or pop.  Specifically, it's 1966-67, and as such I recognize that it's a period piece and this was not the most feminist of times or places.  That said, I feel that the way that sex and women are presented is excessively retrograde.  The next British movie I'll review, In the Loop, is not really feminist either, but it does treat the women as people with believable motivations, and there is nothing as creepy as the scene where a man tries to trick his partner into deflowering another man.  (Perhaps he's also trying to trick the other man, since it seems unlikely they would've gotten away with it, but this makes the scene no less creepy.)  Considering that writer-director Richard Curtis did The Tall Guy about twenty years earlier, it's fair to expect better than this.

The movie was released in a longer version (with the "boat" title) on the date I've listed, and perhaps there are fewer dangling threads in that.  To take a minor example, what the heck does Thick Kevin do on the boat?  Everyone else has a clear job but he just hangs out.  To take a more significant example, how does Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the "spirit of rock" character the Count, manage to survive after the boat sinks, while the Swedish crew disappears without comment?

The soundtrack and costumes are good at least (although the former is sometimes anachronistic), and there are some enjoyable performances, most notably Bill Nighy as Quentin, whose every line delivery and movement is perfect.  I might've rated this higher at the time, although what bothers me about it now bothered me then.

There are some Harry Potter connections here, with ex-spouses Kenneth "Lockhart" Branagh and Emma "Trelawney" Thompson playing respectively the main villain and the mother of the character closest to being the film's main character.  David Sterne was a Ministry Wizard in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and is Marianne's Captain here.  Rhys Ifans, who's Gavin, would be Xenophilius Lovegood in Deathly Hallows, Part I, while Nighy would be Minister Rufus Scrimgeour.

Tom Brooke played a Production Assistant in Bridget Jones 2 but is more memorable here as Thick Kevin.  Kirsty Mather, who's John's Boat Girl, had recently been a Hen in Mamma Mia!  Chris O'Dowd, who's sweet and goofy as Simon (the most-betrayed-by-a-woman character) would be the love interest Rhodes in Bridesmaids.

I Love You, Man

I Love You, Man
March 20, 2009
DreamWorks etc.
Comedy
DVD
B-

This is one of the better not-quite-Apatow movies to emerge in the last dozen years or so, although not without its flaws.  It is not, perhaps surprisingly, very gross (a couple vomiting scenes aside), although it is undeniably crude.  (Mostly in sexually frank dialogue.)  It is much less sexist than average for the sub-genre, and in fact Rashida Jones as Zooey Rice, the patient but not infinitely patient fiancee of the "I" of the title, gives the most believable performance.  The "bromance" at the center of the movie, between uptight and awkward (but self-aware) Peter Klaven, played by Paul Rudd, and uncivilized but nice Sydney Fife, played by Jason Segel, generally works.  However, the three characters have a lot of issues with each other that are brought up but not fully resolved.  There are moments when it feels like the movie is going to go dark and it never quite comes back from them, as if, just like in a rom-com, this bro-com has to get its happy ending no matter what.  Also, some of the humor has faded after six years, although I did still laugh out loud a few times.  Furthermore, I wish there had been more of J.K. Simmons and Jane Curtin as Peter's parents, although they're perfect in their few scenes.

David Krumholtz was Michael in 10 Things I Hate About You and is Sydney's Buddy #3 here.  Carla Gallo, who's one of Zooey's Friends here, was more memorable as the Toe-Sucking Girl in The 40 Year Old Virgin.  Jon Favreau was Leo in Something's Gotta Give and is the utterly despicable Barry here.  (And meanwhile had done Iron Man, not a remio movie obviously.)

Nelson Franklin, who plays another of Sydney's Buddies, would be Comeau in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  Greg Tuculescu, who's I believe the guy who "farts at the open house," would be Kevin in Bridesmaids.  Mather Zickel, who's Gil here, would be Jim Stansel in Rudd's Wanderlust.  Wedding Photographer David Wain would be Keith in Rudd's They Came Together, while Wedding Band Member Craig Wedren would be Saxophone Player there.  (And they both have non-acting credits in common, such as Wet Hot American Summer.)

Sarah Burns, who plays Hailey here, would if I recall correctly have a similar single friend role as Harper in Going the Distance.

Rushing into it.

Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia!
July 18, 2008
Universal etc.
Musical, Comedy, Romance
DVD
B

This at times feels like a throwback to, no, not ABBA's glory days in the '70s, but rather the early '80s, when the cheesy, nonsensical musical sub-genre reached some sort of pinnacle, or depth, with Grease 2 and Pirate Movie.  In fact, watching this in the theater the first time (I went twice), the flipper-ballet on the jetty felt like a Pirate Movie out-take.  And yet, even when Pierce Brosnan is proving himself the worst singing James Bond since Timothy Dalton in Sextette, the movie has more heart than most modern movies.  Much of this is due to star Meryl Streep, who of course out-acts everyone but nearly out-sings everyone, with the notable exception of Amanda Seyfried as her daughter Sophie.  Seyfried has an incredible voice that Mean Girls gave no hint of.  In a plot with an incredibly fuzzy timeline (I think it's set in '97, but this is debatable), twenty-year-old Sophie wants to finally meet her father, and so she invites the three most likely candidates to her wedding:  Brosnan, Colin Firth (very sweet as the now gay one), and Stellan Skarsgård,  Meanwhile, other guests arrive, including Streep's best friends, one played by a surprisingly slapsticky Julie Walters.  Not every moment in the movie works, but the ABBA covers are great and I can't think of a weak one in the bunch.  Also, the Greek scenery is gorgeous.

Norma Atallah was Debra in Yentl and is Irini here.  Kirsty Mather, who's a Hen here, would be John's Boat Girl in Pirate Radio.

Baby Mama

Baby Mama
April 25, 2008
Universal etc.
Comedy, Romance
DVD
B

In some ways, this is sort of the flip-side of Juno, although Amy Poehler is the working-class surrogate mother for the baby that single yuppie Tina Fey hopes to have, rather than an accidentally pregnant teen.  There are more stereotypes here, not just with Poehler's character but also with Romany Malco as Oscar the African-American doorman.  I do feel that the performances and the witty screenplay humanize and expand on these stereotypes, but I can see how some might object.  Similarly, the whole "ticking biological clock" thing can be seen as both '80s dated and anti-feminist, but Fey and the others manage to tweak this.  Similarly, the movie plays with rom-com tropes (most obviously in the "Endless Love" sequence) and applies them to two straight women who become unlikely best friends.  The two leads, friends in real life, play off of each other well, and are ably supported by (among others) Steve Martin as Fey's New-Agey boss, Sigourney Weaver as the 50-something but incredibly fertile manager of the surrogacy agency, the eternal Holland Taylor as Fey's mother, and Greg Kinnear as Fey's love interest, one of the more realistic characters, although not without humor.

Siobhan Fallon Hogan, who plays the Birthing Teacher, was (minus the speech impediment) Stanley's Mother in Holes.  Mark A. Keeton was Sloane's Dinner Companion in Music and Lyrics and is Denim Suit Guy here.  Fred Armisen, the Stroller Saleman here, would be the Pastor in Easy A.

Juno

Juno
December 25, 2007
Fox etc.
Comedy, Romance
DVD
B

It would be fair to say of this movie, as of Clerks, that it's unrealistic for so many of the characters to be that witty and pop-culturally savvy.  Also, like Napoleon Dynamite, the film seems to exist in some present-day time warp, in this case a world where teens don't have cell phones or computers.  And yet, there is an inner core of reality and believability, particularly in the performances by J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney as Juno's tough but loving father and stepmother.  Ellen Page brings just the right balance of cynicism and naivete to the title role, playing a unique but recognizable 16-year-old.  And Michael Cera succeeds with the difficult role of the best friend whom she seduces and becomes pregnant by.  (Admittedly, it is in retrospect a typical Cera part, but at the time it felt fresh.)  Jennifer Garner and Michael Bateman play the Yuppie couple who want to adopt Juno's baby.  The movie does at times get to be a bit much, as with the oh-so indie soundtrack, which is why I can't rate it higher, but overall it's good.

Lucas MacFadden, AKA Cut Chemist, aptly plays the Chemistry Teacher here and was an Ozomatli Band Member in Never Been Kissed.  Brandon Barton, of the Dancing Elk Track Team, would show up as '80s Jock Boy in Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

This is by the way the 300th movie I've reviewed.  I added another D, for two total, but no more D+s.  There are three more C-s and four C's, making 17 and 22 respectively.  C+s have gone from 47 to 59, B-s from 58 to 91.  B's have again more than doubled, this time from 27 to 58.  B+s jumped from 22 to 37.  And A-s went from five to seven, while I actually have two new A's, making three in all.

Enchanted

Enchanted
November 21, 2007
Disney
Fantasy, Musical, Romance
DVD
B

A gentle self-parody by Disney of the whole Princess phenomenon, this is also a tour de force by Amy Adams, who manages to keep her character, sweet and naive Giselle (not actually a princess but "in love with" a prince), intact while still adding complexity.  And when she breaks into song, especially the extravaganza of "That's How You Know," it's hard not to be swept away.  Patrick Dempsey as Robert Philip, the cynical New Yorker whom she falls for, provides some balance in tone, although he, too, is won over.  Interestingly, their initial love interests, James Marsden as Prince Edward and Idina Menzel as Nancy, are not put down to push the main romance forward and in fact find their own Happily Ever After.  (Menzel would go on to be the voice of Elsa in Frozen.)  The other potential couple is Timothy "Wormtail" Spall as Nathaniel and his sexy but evil Queen Narissa, played just right by Susan Sarandon.  Julie Andrews briefly narrates and there are a whole bunch of Disney references throughout the movie.  (My favorite was the Bella Notte restaurant, a subtler Lady and the Tramp joke than in Flushed Away.)  If the movie never quite makes it to "classic" status, it does at least hold up to repeat viewings.  (In the first year of its release, I kept happening to watch it again, including in the unlikely setting of a ferry to the Shetland Islands.)

Harvey Evans was a Chimney Sweep Dancer in Mary Poppins, more than 40 years before he dances here.  Margaret Travolta was Rob's Mom in High Fidelity and does more voicework here as a Radio Therapist.  Amir Raissi was Eli's Egyptian Friend in The Royal Tenenbaums and is a dancer here.  Steven Weisz, who was a Charity Ball Attendee in Two Weeks Notice, is a Stunned Pedestrian here.  Thelma O'Leary was a Concert Attendee in Music and Lyrics and is a Park Attendee here, while Robert Sciglimpaglia was a Class of 1987 Alumnus there and plays a Ball Room Guest here.

"You know this song, too?"

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
July 11, 2007
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Drama, Action
DVD
B

Harry Potter regulars this time (* for newbies):

1. Afshan Azad as Padma Patil
2. Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange*
3. David Bradley as Argus Filch
4. Shefali Chowdhury as Parvati Patil
5. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
6. Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick
7. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
8. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
9. Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort
10. Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore
11. Brendan Gleeson as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody
12. Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon Dursley
13. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
14. Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge
15. George Harris as Kingsley Shacklebolt*
16. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
17. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy
18. Katie Leung as Cho Chang
19. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
20. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood*
21. Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
22. William Melling as Nigel
23. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
24. Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory
25. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
26. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
27. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
28. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
29. Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
30. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
31. Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia Dursley
32. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
33. Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew
34. Natalie Tena as Nymphadora Tonks*
35. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
36. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
37. Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
38. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
39. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2013/12/harry-potter-and-order-of-phoenix.html.  At the time this movie came out, it was mixed in with the feelings of the pending release of the final book.  Moments like when Voldemort tells Harry, "You're a fool and you'll lose everything," gave me shivers because we really didn't know how this was all going to end.  Also, coming after the disappointments of the fourth movie, this seemed like the best entry after Azkaban.

Now I'd put it on a level with the first two movies.  It generally doesn't wow me, although Evanna Lynch is amazing as Luna, Imelda Staunton makes Umbridge even creepier than in the book by making her "nicer" on the surface, and the Dumbledore vs. Voldemort battle kicks arse.  It's a good, solid entry.  My two main quibbles are that new director David Yates has overdone pulling everyone back from overacting and made some of the lines too soft-spoken (Yates himself is soft-spoken, quite a contrast to blustering Newell); and not only has Michael Goldenberg's script (or at least the editing) lost much of the book (this is always noted as the longest book turned into the shortest movie) but there are stray lines and even subplots that are just left hanging.  Most notably, Harry and Cho's romance, which is less awkward than in the book, fizzles out because of a misunderstanding that's never resolved.  Still, kudos for Yates in getting at the emotional core of the series in a way that no one other than Alfonso Cuarón managed.

Siobhan Ellen Williams was in Hufflepuff in Goblet of Fire but is now in Gryffindor.  Paije Richardson is also in both movies, as an unidentified student.  Sarah Harrison was a Schoolgirl in Goblet and here.  Nathan Clarke is in Gryffindor here and in Half-Blood Prince.  Christopher O'Shea was an unidentified extra in Chamber of Secrets and this one, while Tabatha St. Vincent is an unidentified extra in this and Prince.  Peter Best was the Executioner in Azkaban and is a Death Eater here.  Natalie Hallam was Professor Sinistra in Goblet and seems to be reprising it here, although she's uncredited.  Neil Findlater is a Ministry of Magic Panel Member here and would be a Wizard Teacher in Prince.  Rusty Goffe would again play a Goblin in Deathly Hallows 2.  Arben Bajraktaraj is an Azkaban Death Eater here and would be specifically Antonin Dolohov in Deathly Hallows 1.  Daisy Haggard would again be the voice of the Ministry Lift in Hallows 1.

Richard Cubison was the Head Waiter in Wilde and is a Death Eater here.  John Atterbury was Merriman in Gosford Park and plays Phineas Nigellus Black here.  Sam Beazley was a Very Old Man in Bridget Jones 2 and is Everard here.  Brigitte Millar was a Journalist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and plays Emmeline Vance here.  Samuel Gaukroger was a Child at Church in Grint's Driving Lessons and plays a Hogwarts Student here.