Last week I went to the library to pick up a couple books I had on hold (hoping not to lose any of those), and I happened by the spinner for rapid view movie rentals. I love this part of the library. Free movie rental for 3 nights, and they have some newer releases. I chose Vantage Point with Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox of Lost (and who could forget Party of Five?) fame.

Anyway, I’d heard about this movie and wanted to see it in the theater, but I never made it. And then I forgot about it.

Does that happen to you? It happens to me all the time. So imagine my surprise when I stumble across a movie and suddenly remember that I couldn’t wait to see this movie. Such was my visit to the library last week.

Anyway, I sat down to watch Vantage Point last week and was wonderfully delighted. This thriller starts with the a news crew covering the President’s address on a peace summit in Spain. And then suddenly the President is shot and an explosion rocks the public square, leaving the news reporter dead. Then it promptly rewinds back to noon that day, and we see the same events unfolding through the eyes of a different character.

It retells the situation multiple times through the eyes of Thomas Barnes (Quaid), a secret service agent first returning after being shot in the line of duty; Kent Taylor (Fox), a fellow secret service agent; Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker), a father missing his children and trying to recover from a seperation from his wife; President Ashton; Enrique, a Spanish police officer; Veronica, the woman that Enrique loves; and more characters.

And with each new view of the events, we learn a little more. We discover the reasons why and how these seemingly unrelated characters are all interconnected. The alinear story telling is done pretty well. Except at the end, where I felt like because there were so many characters, some of the reasons were lost .

Overall, I did enjoy the movie. There was a bit of harsh language and violence, but it definitely kept my attention. Hoping that you’re enjoying an unexpected surprise movie until next time too. -LJ

I haven’t been feeling just the best this weekend. I have something that’s making me shaky and a little sick to my stomach. So in an effort to make myself feel better, I pulled out the film that’s been my “sick movie” since I was 8–Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

This 1954 MGM musical is a quirky tale of Adam Pontipee, the eldest of seven brothers, who goes to town one day determined to find a wife. And he does in Milly (played by Jane Powell). But Milly has dreams of a farm and home all to themselves, until she meets Adam’s six brothers, who all live on the farm in the Oregon Territory too.

But Milly quickly learns to love her brothers and teaches them how to court and dance and takes them to a barn raising where they all meet the girls of their dreams. The brothers are all love-sick until Adam suggests that they go off and kidnap their women–“like the Romans did.” Things turn bad when they forget to kidnap the parson, and Milly is furious. But count on a classic musical to wrap it up neatly in no time at all.

As I rewatched this last night, I was reminded that it is terribly cheesy. Yet I have great memories of when I was a kid and I got sick, and we didn’t have a tv at the time. We were packed up to move out of the country, and I got sick. So my dad did the 10 minute, Reader’s Digest version for me … including singing and dancing and the whole bit. How could I ever have another favorite sick movie?

If you haven’t seen this classic, go rent it! It’s totally worth it! Until next time. -LJ

Okay, so I don’t have much time today. I’m super-busy trying to get my final proofread of The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn done by Wednesday, plus I’m in the middle of quite a good book, and I’m terribly distracted by Valentine’s Day M&Ms … but I wanted to offer a quick post about the movie I watched this weekend. For Christmas Jess B. gave me the dvd of Northanger Abbey–the PBS Masterpiece Theater version. We had watched it together last year, and it was really my first interaction with Jane Austen’s least known novel. It found it to be terribly clever, funny, and all around lovely (that’s for you, Hannah)!

JJ Field stars as Mr. Henry Tilney, a sarcastic yet every enjoyable younger son of the strict General Tilney. Felicity Jones plays Catherine Morland, a young woman on an adventure to Bath with her friends the Allens.

When Henry and Catherine meet, there is an immediate interest and attraction, but, like in all of Ms. Austen’s stories, money soon becomes troublesome. Catherine, a voracious reader of gothic romances with an amazing imagination, finds her daydreams running wild in Henry’s family’s home–Northanger Abbey.

PBS doesn’t disappoint in this beautiful period piece. And JJ Field is wonderful! I couln’t stop laughing at some of his lines, like the famous, “Now I must give you one more smirk, then we can be rational.”

And who can forget Mr. Allen’s “Resign yourself, Catherine. Shops must be visited. Money must be spent. Do you think you could bear it?”

A delight all the way around! I highly recommend this lovely romance–though I confess I have not yet read the book, which needs to be on my 2009 list. Enjoying Mr. Tilney’s smirk until next time. -LJ