White Oleander

What a downer. It's probably not the best choice if you've just found out first-hand that Polansky's wrecker service will totally screw you by charging $524.95 to move your vehicle four miles after it has been rendered useless by someone who drives like an idiot and you're trying to focus on all the good things in life. And it won't be a favorite of your husband's when his top two requests are gunfire and nudity. In fact, you may find that he has disappeared before half of the movie is over, and soon afterwards you may hear him snoring loudly.

But what a good movie! There are a lot of big names attached to this movie, which could mean a sucky flop, but each character was excellent. And the story is great. (It's about a teenaged girl named Astrid whose artist mother has been sent to prison for poisoning her ex-boyfriend, leaving Astrid to bounce between horrifying foster homes . . . what do you mean, that doesn't sound great?) I kind of sort of want to read the book now, except that my wish list is tooooo long and I'm being very picky about what I add to it.

This movie is not corny, sappy, overdone, or a tear-jerker. It is just the opposite of all those things: original, undiluted, subtle . . . and I didn't cry or feel like the movie thought I was supposed to. Two thumbs up, and a middle finger for Polansky.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

I saw this movie Saturday afternoon but wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, so I didn't blog about it right away. One thing I was immediately certain about, though: I won't be taking the kids to a movie again until my memory of it has faded enough that I go back to thinking it's a good idea. One asked questions loudly, one kept telling me she needed to pee (girl, get it straight! I'm not leaving Harry Potter to go to the bathroom! Oh, yes, Mother of the Year once again) and the third farted throughout the entire thing. Didn't even try to hide it.

But about the movie. Of course I've been excited about seeing it for years (no more so than the other HP movies, but still, excited), so the fact that it did not disappoint me speaks volumes. And it's a little bit unfair of me to complain that it was so dark and depressing, and that there wasn't much lighthearted humor in it--after all, that's the way the book was. And there's no point in whining about the parts that were left out; just as with all of the other HP movies, there's just no way to fit in every detail.

But there were two parts I am going to complain about. First, there were significant changes made to the scene where Harry and Hagrid escape to the Burrow on Hagrid's flying motorcycle; the way Harry betrayed himself was changed, and their crash was much less crash-y than in the book. Second, Harry (as Polyjuice Potion Runcorn) did NOT steal the eyeball. That kind of upset me. Those were not the only two changes, but those were the only two I disagreed with.

After only two significant missteps, you would think I would have a favorable opinion of the movie overall, but it left me with such a somber and serious feeling. Of course it's a must-see movie for any Harry Potter fan, of course they did a good job with it and it's an exciting movie, but I didn't love it. It's not my favorite. (It didn't help that Cedric Diggory doesn't show up in this one at all.)

The Corpse Bride

I prefer The Nightmare Before Christmas. Especially the music.

Panic Room

I kind of meant for this to be one of my Fright Month movies, but I couldn't manage to squeeze it in October. As it turns out, it was more of a thriller than a scary movie, anyway. It was unfortunately predictable, too. There were a couple of tense moments, and it's not like it was boring, but there just wasn't much to it. I prefer thrillers that keep me guessing and wondering and questioning, and there wasn't much of that here. At least now I've seen it and I can mark it off my list.

Fright Month: Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Fright month ends, not with a bang or even a ghostly wail, but with a chuckle. I don't think this movie is supposed to be a comedy, but most of it sure passes for one in my book. Except for the scenes where I felt sorry for the monster.

My favorite part was when the old blind hermit taught Frankenstein how to drink wine and smoke cigars. The monster kept grunting, "Mmmmm, gooooood," which made me giggle. Then when he met up with Doctor Pretorius, the monster almost reminded me of Herman from an episode of The Munsters.

Looks like a remake is coming out next year. I wonder if it will actually be scary?

Her hair is buick. Wish I could get mine to do that.

Fright Month: Frankenstein (1931)

Yet another non-scary scary movie. I'd never seen this movie before, but I knew all of those bits and pieces that have been embedded in our cultural history--Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster out of old body parts and brings it to life, shouting "It's alive!" with his trusty hunchback (not Igor, but Fritz) at his side, and terror ensues.

I read the book just over a year ago, so I already knew that the original story differed quite a bit from those tidbits mentioned above. But I was hoping the movie would impart some thrills and chills, especially since not many of my other Fright Month flicks did.

Too bad my hopes were dashed. I found nothing creepy or frightening in this movie. But even though it was lacking in tension, it was still an interesting and entertaining film. Probably one that everyone should watch at least once. I mean, it's a classic, right? But now that I've seen it once, I'll probably be stopping there.

I must admit that, though it may not have scared me at all, this movie did create quite an iconic image of Frankenstein's monster. This is exactly the way everyone pictures it.

Fright Month: The Broken

I'm not as freaked out as I was during the last part of Session 9, but here's another creepy one. Gina McVey sees a girl driving by on the streets of London, which wouldn't be a problem at all except for the fact that the girl looks exactly like Gina. She follows her double, and things get weird. I like weird. (And surreal, and mind-bending, as the netflix synopsis describes this movie.)

If you pay attention to a few small details, what should have been a big surprise at the end isn't so surprising. But I will be kind and not tell you what those details were, because if you're looking for them  you're sure to notice them. And being surprised is always more fun, isn't it?

During the first little bit of the movie nothing is very scary except for the music. In fact, it seemed a bit silly with tense, dramatic music and no reason for it. But I suppose they were setting the tone. And, as long as I'm complaining, I'll mention that I could have done without the sister-in-law-in-the-shower scene, which was a bit over the top in an otherwise subtly tense movie. But overall, I give this one a couple of thumbs up.

I am left wondering . . . why? And glad in the knowledge that my kitchen is directly on the other side of my bathroom mirror. There's nothing scary in my kitchen.