Movie Binge

I'm back in Seattle! It is good to be home. Its strange how some places feel like home isn't it? I've spent hardly any time at all in Seattle and in this little apartment but it feels like home. It's such a sweet little homey place. I love it!!!!
While I was away I went on a movie binge. I watched War of the Worlds, The Island, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Machinist, Devil's Playground, Hitch, The Pacifier, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, and Wedding Crashers.
War of the Worlds was fairly good. I give it a C+.The little girl (Dakota Chaning?) carried so many of the scenes that I forgave it for having Tom Cruise as the main character. I think the ending was weak.
I really liked The Island. I recommend it. Definitely an A. It was really interesting. The story was about human clones who don't know they are clones. Than one of them figures it out and the story goes from there. It was very good. I won't go into detail because I think you should watch this movie.
Can you believe that I have never seen Will Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? It was great, a classic. I wish I had seen it when I was a kid. I rented it before going out the see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Big mistake! It really got in the way of my enjoyment of the new movie. And I love Johnny Depp but I hated that movie. I just couldn't get past the original. I read the book right before I saw it too. If you are going to see a movie that was adapted from a book I don't believe you should go out and read the book right before you see the movie. The book is better. The book is ALWAYS better. So just go and enjoy the movie than come back and enjoy the story even more through the book. A lesson I tragically learned sacrificing Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Ahh... it hurts me.
The Machinist was a strange movie. I don't know if I thought it was really good or one of those off the wall movies that you call good because it was original. The lead was played by an anorexic Christian Bale. We're talking concentration camp here people. Skinny! The mood of the movie was Memento-esque kind of. Not as good but gritty. I was riveted the entire movie. You just can't take your eyes off Christian Bale. He's truly a walking skeleton. I think it was worth seeing. I give it a P. (P is for pass)
Devil's Playground was a documentary I found at the local BlockBuster in Milwaukie about Amish teenagers. The Amish cleaved off the mass of Christianity by stating that they believed a person had to be of age to commit their lives to God. And so they do not baptize their children but wait until they are adults and can really make up their own minds. This makes sense to me. So anyhow when an Amish child turns 16 he or she get to experiment living like the "english". (I think anyone who isn't Amish falls into the english category.) Of course they are not really living like the english but are basically going wild with parties, drugs and electronics. The kids were really fascinating. The religious angst they were experiencing was intense. I give it a B.
Hitch was funny. It really was. Romantic comedy about a jaded date doctor and an equally jaded gossip columnist. Love that Will Smith. I give it a B
The Pacifier and also Are We There Yet (which I did not list because I had to turn it off in the first 20 minutes because it sucked so much) were truly terrible. F- Why God, why?
I love Finding Neverland. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. It was touching but not overly sentimental. It was just a really beautifully done movie. (If you don't know it is a story about the writing of Peter Pan.) Absolutely an A.
Wedding Crashers was hilarious. I was laughing out loud in the theater through the whole thing. If you know me you know how strange that is. (I usually laugh on the inside or snicker quietly.) Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson with a Will Ferral cameo. It was awesome! Whew! I'm still laughing. Please go see this movie. A.
So all in all I'd say it was a good movie binge. It had it's dark moments but don't they all? Now I am going to have to get back to reading. My brain won't know what to do.
P.S. Please forgive my terrible spelling and for butchering any names. Thank you.