I discovered something pretty amazing last weekend. I think that my enjoyment of this movie was absolutely a product of the person I watched it with!

Sure, Julie and Julia is an interesting and unique dual bio-pic, based on the book by Julie Powell, which is actually based on her blog the Julie/Julia project. In a small apartment in Queens, would-be-writer Julie decided that she’d start a blog chronicling a year of cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Childs cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

The movie jumps back and forth between Julie’s life in post-9/11 New York and Julia’s story of learning to cook in France. Julia’s relationship with her husband, played by the amazing Stanley Tucci, is wonderfully rich and colorful. Julie’s … well … maybe not as much, but it was still interesting.

So the movie was enjoyable, but sitting next to my sister, my wonderfully rich and colorful sister, made the movie just that much more enjoyable. Every time Julia said said something that tickled my sister, she’d say the line over in her really terrible Julia Child impersonation. We had more fun laughing at my sister than anything else. And then we’d start laughing harder because one or the other of us that had snorted because we were laughing so hard.

That’s my favorite part about watching a movie with my sister. She’s wickedly funny, and watching amovie with her just makes every movie better.

Tags: Monday Movie

Have you seen the new trailer for the final Harry Potter movie? When I first saw it, I believe my initial reaction was “SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!”

I couldn’t say anything else. I couldn’t do anything but shake violently with anticipation and pure joy! Harry is back! And it would appear, better than ever!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m miserable over the decision to split the movie into 2 parts. But not enough to keep me from the theater at midnight on opening day. Save a seat for me because this one isn’t to be missed. Check it out!

Tags: harry potter, Monday Movie

After my recent move, I was looking for someone to share my affection for Jane Austen. I needed a friend to watch the most romantic movies ever with. So last weekend I invited a new friend over, and she brought her collection of Jane Austen movies. We watched an older version of Emma, staring Kate Beckinsale in the title role. I’d never seen it before, so I was eager to watch it.

Apparently my enthusiasm was misguided. In this 1996 version of the story that I have enjoyed in every other version I’ve seen it, neither Emma or our hero Mr. Knightley are likable characters. Knightley is played with such intensity, that every time we see him, he’s either brooding or lecturing Emma. We miss all the humor and playfulness of Knightley in the other versions of Emma. And the actor playing Knightley isn’t what I would picture as an Austen hero. He’s got nothing on Jeremy Northam and Jonny Lee Miller.

And Emma wasn’t any better. Always so serious, her intentions seemed self-serving, never for the best for her friends.

Don’t get me started on the creepy lines in the movie either, like at the end when Knightley says to Emma, “I held you when you were 3 weeks old.” And she responds, “Do you like me as well now as you did then?”

And the continued brother/sister comments. We know that they grew up close, but there’s no need to keep the comments coming. Just plain creepy.

Oh, and the close of the movie … it just w o u l d n ‘  t  e n d. The scenes just kept coming. And coming.

If you’re looking for a good version of Emma, check out the one with Gwenyth Paltrow or the new one with Jonny Lee Miller and Romola Garai. Those are both much more enjoyable.

So then this weekend, I invited my friend over again, this time to watch Sense and Sensibility, a 2008 version I hadn’t seen yet. This one was really excellent. Nearly three hours of beautiful landscapes and coast shots and a very, very handsome Edward. Well-acted and well-filmed, it was fun to watch.

And while the actresses who played Eleanor and Marianne were really great in the roles, there were moments when I felt like they were playing Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, who stared in those roles in the quintessential Sense and Sensibility directed by Ang Lee. I quite enjoyed this one, and I think you might too.

Tags: Jane Austen, Monday Movie

Okay, so I know … it’s been FOREVER since I posted a Monday Movie. But it’s not my fault. Okay. Okay. It’s completely my fault. But I do have a good reason. I haven’t had time to actually watch a movie in quite a few weeks. Lame. I know. But what’s a girl to do? First there was moving across the country, then the actual moving in thing. Then there’s this whole deadline thingy for my next book, starting a new job, and trying to help out with flood relief.

Excuses? Totally. But I hope they’re valid enough for you. So … I’m sorry. I’ll try not to let it happen again. For a while.

On with the review!

On Sunday afternoon I went to see my first movie since moving to Nashville (unless you count How to Train Your Dragon with my dad several weeks ago, but I didn’t really consider myself officially living here yet). First, let me just say that I was checking out a pretty new theater a few miles from my house. It was a wet and rainy day, so after church I figured it was a great day to be indoors.

The theater wasn’t very busy, when I got there at noon, and I realized why as soon as I got up to the ticket window. My earliest matinee price? $7.50!!!!!!!!!!! What? The Cinemark Theaters back in Colorado Springs had matinees for $6.75 and the earliest show of the day for most movies was only $5.50 or something wonderful like that. When did tickets become to expensive? I mean, we all know they make their real money at the consession stand, so why not give us a break at ticket window?

But I digress. I paid all that money and even made a trip to the snack bar for a little popcorn, which I ate for lunch even though it was a tad on the burnt side. And I drank a medium soda … which was a bad idea about 3/4 of the way through the movie.

Anyway, so I’m in the pretty swanky, nearly empty theater with a rocking seat (no, literally it rocked). The previews were pretty lame, but I was getting really psyched. I’d been waiting for Letters to Juliet to come out since I first saw the preview months ago. It’s very clear from just the preview, that this is a classic chick flick, and it didn’t disappoint.

Sophie is a fact-checker/would-be writer for the New Yorker magazine who goes on vacation to Italy with her fiance Victor. He’s there to meet with suppliers for his new restaurant. She’s there to sight see and spend time together. So when Victor leaves for a wine auction, Sophie explores the city of Verona, where Romeo and Juliet first met.

At Juliet’s house there is a wall where women write letters to the heroine asking for advice. And every evening Juliet’s Secretaries pick up all the letters and reply to them. These women befriend Sophie, and she joins them for a short time, one day finding a 50-year-old letter from Claire, who did not meet her beau Lorenzo when they were supposed to run off together. Of course, Sophie takes it upon herself to reply to Claire.

Less than a week later, Claire’s grandson Charlie arrives at the office of Juliet’s Secretaries and yells at Sophie for replying to his grandmother, who has, of course, insisted on returning to Italy to find her true love Lorenzo Bartolini, which turns out to be a very common name. Claire agrees to let Sophie join them on the hunt for the right Lorenzo, much to Charlie’s dismay, and they begin a beautiful tour through Italian wine country.

While I anticipated Charlie and Sophie’s initial dislike of each other, I was completely unprepared for Charlie’s (played by relative newcomer and Australian Christopher Egan) funny one-liners and subtle charm. In him we find a character that is a stereotypically cold Brit who is uncommonly passionate about protecting his grandmother, who has lost not only her husband but also her son and daughter-in-law. If you can get past his unusual ambling gate, I think you’ll fall for him, too!

Charlie and Sophie’s relationship changes from hate to indifference to attraction at the perfect pace. But we can’t forget about Victor, the fiance consumed with his own needs. He throws a wrench into Sophie and Charlie’s lives, but adds the perfect drama for the movie.

This one doesn’t break any molds, but it certainly made me laugh more than I expected for a drama. And it left me feeling warm and fuzzy. Just what I needed before heading back out into the drizzling rain.

Tags: Letters to Juliet, Monday Movie

Okay, so I haven’t seen this movie yet, but I want to. Very much badly!

You’ll remember from my Easter post last year that I love how Louie Giglio uses pictures from the Hubble Telescope to show God’s amazing creation. The heavens declare His glory, and now we can get an even more exciting veiw of God’s handiwork via Hubble 3D in Imax.

I want to see this so badly, but the timing is totally off for me. But I’m trying to figure out a way for my dad and I to get to see it next week. We’ll have to see what we can work out.

Anyway, visit the website and find out if it’s playing in your area. I hope you all get to go see it.

Tags: hubble, Louie Giglio, Monday Movie

I wouldn’t say that dragons are really my thing. I mean, I like them as much as the next girl, but I’m not exactly what you’d call a dragon enthusiast. Which is why it caught me completely off guard when I geeked out over How to Train Your Dragon hitting movie theaters this weekend.

I mean–sure, I first heard about it because I was looking up what movies Gerard Butler was coming up in. And then I found out that Craig Ferguson voices a character, too, in the animated romp. What’s not to love about 2 of my 3 favorite Scottish guys in the same movie? (I’ll give you 1 guess who the 3rd Scotsman is.)

I was excited, but it wasn’t until I started watching the Olympics in February and watching the reimagined contests set in the Viking era that I realized the potential of this highly amusing cast of characters.

Based on the book by Cressida Cowell (which I haven’t read but would really, really like to), this is the story of Hiccup, a Viking who just doesn’t fit in with the other dragon-slaying members of his little village. On a regular basis, dragons of various shapes and sizes attack the village, stealing sheep and various human limbs. Hiccup’s father, the chief (and our own Gerry Butler), has raised him to fear all dragons.

But being a bit smaller and more inclined to inventions than the average Viking, Hiccup tries to bring down the most feared and powerful dragon known to their village–the night fury. And he manages to do just that! But grounding it doesn’t kill the dragon. Going against everything that he knows to be true, Hiccup releases the injured animal and the two form a special, if tenuous, friendship.

This friendship is just what Hiccup needs to help him through his dragon slaying classes. But ultimately it leads them to the realization that there’s a danger much bigger than the night fury waiting for them all.

The humor is spot-on with great one-liners. The animation is beautiful. And while I didn’t see it in 3D (the glasses over my glasses thing never works that well), I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It’s a classic boy and his dragon story–with a touching father/son relationship in there, too.

I had hoped that I might be able to watch it with my oldes niece at some point, but it’s definitely a bit scary–fire-breathing dragons and all. But it’s great for the older kids and the kids at heart.

I hope you enjoy it as much as did! And if I can get a copy of the book, I’ll tell you more about that in the near future, too! Until then. -LJ

Tags: Monday Movie

What is it about Jane Austen’s stories that make nearly every girl I know giddy as a schoolgirl? Is it the strong heroines? Or the gorgeous dresses? Or the beyond belief heroes?

My money is on the hero.

Especially in the brand new PBS Masterpiece Theater production of Jane Austen’s Emma.

Some might say that Austen’s Emma is her least likeable heroine. A headstrong matchmaker who can’t seem to pull her nose out of everyone else’s lovelives, Emma Woodhouse (masterfully played by Romola Garai) is matched in her wit and poise only by Mr. Knightley (handsome as ever Johnny Lee Miller). Sixteen years Emma’s senior, Knightley is a lifetime friend of the family, whose brother is married to Emma’s sister.

The worst scene in the 4-hour miniseries is also the most powerful as Knightley chides Emma for her cruel tongue toward a fellow picinic goer, a poor spinster. Though it breaks my heart no matter what rendition of the movie I see, it shows more than anything else that Knightley loves her.

Oh, to have a man of integrity, character, and humor. Perhaps that’s why Ms. Austen’s heroes are so appealing.

Now available on dvd, don’t miss out on the newest addition to the library of Austen classics.

As for me, Katie, Steph, and Amy, we had a great time watching this on Saturday afternoon. Even though it included dodging the relentless rays of the sun coming through the windows above the television, which turned into finding creative seating in the living room.

So while the movie was fantastic and the company lovely, the best part of the day was the Pioneer Woman Queso Dip provided by Steph. A-MAZING!

Wishing you all the Austen you can handle until next time.

Tags: Monday Movie

Okay, so two confessions. I did not see The Hurt Locker in 2009. I saw it last week. But it did come out in 2009 … soooo … that’s something. Second, I was supposed to wait to watch it with Jess and Jess. I didn’t.

Whew! Now I feel better, getting that off my chest.

So … moving forward. If you haven’t heard about The Hurt Locker, then you’re probably not watching any of the awards shows this season. Nominated for best picture in almost every big awards show this year (my bet is that it’ll be nominated for an Oscar tomorrow, too!), this film tells the story of a team of soldiers whose job it is to defuse bombs in Iraq. Right away, we meet the three-man team trying to defuse an IED, but the mission ends tragically when the leader is killed by the explosion. 

Now Sgt. Sanborn and Specialist Eldridge are assigned a new leader–Sgt. James, played by Jeremy Renner (loved him in SWAT and The Unusuals). James is a loose cannon, adrenaline junkie. He doesn’t abide by the rules set up to protect their bomb squad, which drives Sanborn crazy. And Eldridge isn’t sure what to think. He feels responsible for the death of their former leader.

Strong personalities collide in a city where every turn of the corner could mean the death. Tempers crackle and even in their down-time the men can’t help but let their emotions get involved. Pressure rises as the men count down their last 60 days in Bravo Company, and James risks everything for the rush of excitement.

So what makes this movie different than other war movies I’ve seen?

I think it’s hard to say. If I had to give it just one word, I might say heart. Somehow director Kathryn Bigelow has given this film such raw emotion that I couldn’t tear my eyes from the screen. I loved the characters–even when they did really stupid things. Even when I wanted to hate them.

At the center of this story is a man who wants to earn the respect of his team, even as he refuses to do it their way. He wants to save lives and make bombs harmless. And he cares for the men in his team and the little Iraqi boy who sells him dvds, but that often conflicts with his own innate need for the emotional rush that comes with working with bombs. Defusing bombs is the only thing he really loves, or so James tells himself, but I think it’s really what he thinks gives his life worth. I think he’s wrong, but I see where he’s coming from.

It’s not a stark story so much as it is a beautiful story of internal conflict told against the stark backdrop of a war-torn country and a war-torn man.

Renner is absolutely brilliant, and so deserves the Oscar for this role. And the film is totally worth watching–with a couple caveats. The language is pretty foul, as you’d likely expect from a war movie, and there is definitely some violence. But it’s not gratuitous like some war movies. The blood is actually pretty minimal, given the situation. It’s not for kids. But the story is pretty incredible.

Catch it before the Oscars in March. It’s worth it!

Tags: Jeremy Renner, Monday Movie

In 1838 the king of England’s health was failing, and the only heir to the throne was the 17-year-old niece of the king.

Victoria.

This gorgeously filmed and acted period piece is the story of how the young Queen Victoria came to power, the political power struggles that ensued, and the love that she discovered. The love story of Victoria and Prince Albert is stunningly beautiful.

In 2010 Jess Barnes asked me if I wanted to go see The Young Victoria with her. Of course I was interested. What’s not to love about Emily Blunt’s amazing acting in beautiful dresses in literally Victoria’s England?

And it was AMAZING!

I was completely enchanted at the end of the two hours. The dresses were lovely and flowy and satin-y. The dancing was graceful and oh, so sweet. Emily Blunt was brilliant and so believable as the uncertain young woman who grew into England’s longest reigning monarch. And the romance between Victoria and Albert made my tummy fill with butterflies.

I confess that I wasn’t quite sold on Rupert Friend as Albert when I first heard about the movie. If you don’t recognize his name, you might remember him as the awful Mr. Wickham in 2005’s Pride and Prejudice. How could I possibly enjoy him in another performance?

Well, turns out I could. He’s amazing–strong and gentle at the same time. And even though it looks like his mustache is eating his upper lip on several occasions, I can forgive that because he’s just so lovely.

According to my friend Rachel (who reads this blog regularly and can be found at A Thinking Girl’s Guide to Christian Fiction), the history in the movie isn’t exactly 100% accurate. But as you might know, I have a terrible habit of researching for my novels and then throwing it out the window for the sake of the story. It’s a bad habit to get into, I know. But fiction is just that.

Anyway, Rachel highly recommended The Young Victoria. I’m glad I took her advice.

So take mine. Go see it!

Tags: Monday Movie