Cast: Meryl Streep (Julia Child), Amy Adams (Julie Powell), Stanley Tucci (Paul Child), Chris Messina (Eric Powell)
For complete info, see IMDb's Julie & Julia page.
I might not have enjoyed the parts of the movie with Julie as much as I did if I hadn't heard such horrible things about those parts, but I thought all the parts of the movie were about at the same level. Meryl Streep did an amazing job as Julia Child. I didn't find the story all that interesting (either one, actually), but the cast was great and the story was well done. If you're really into cooking and like Julia Child, the movie will probably be more enjoyable for you.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, Amy Adams, biography, cooking, drama, Meryl Streep, movie, romance, Stanley Tucci
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Sister Aloysius Beauvier), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Father Brendan Flynn), Amy Adams (Sister James), Viola Davis (Mrs. Miller)
For complete info, see IMDb's Doubt page.
I thought the play was great, so when I heard they were making Doubt into a movie, I was a little concerned. Fortunately, the author of the play (John Patrick Shanley) also wrote the screenplay and made sure that they stuck to his original idea. The movie was very well done. Definitely not a happy subject, but if you're in the mood for a drama, I highly recommend this play. It's a great play and they did a good job taking it from stage to screen. The cast is amazing and they used their locations well.
Grade A-
Labels: 2008, Amy Adams, Best Play, drama, Meryl Streep, movie, Philip Seymour Hoffman, play
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:15 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Amy Adams (Delysia), Frances McDormand (Miss Pettigrew), Lee Pace (Michael)
For complete info, see IMDb's Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day page.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day was a bit more interesting than I thought it would be. The only thing I really knew that totally drew me to the movie before I watched it was that Amy Adams was in it. I really enjoy her in movies, so I figured I'd check it out, though the story seemed too contrived and it didn't look all that interesting. This movie was actually a lot cuter than I anticipated and is definitely worth renting.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2008, Amy Adams, comedy, Frances McDormand, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tom Hanks (Rep. Charlie Wilson), Amy Adams (Bonnie Bach), Julia Roberts (Joanne Herring), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Gust Avrakotos)
For complete info, see IMDb's Charlie Wilson's War page.
The cast of Charlie Wilson's War was amazing, so there was no question that I would rent it. I didn't know much about the movie, since I avoid news on a movie once I've decided to see it (I'd rather see it for myself than hear all about it first) and was surprised by how much this movie moved me.
Movies like this based on real people with real flaws (and Charlie Wilson had plenty, it seems) always interest me. This movie shows the real events that took place in Afghanistan in the late 80s and shows how Charlie Wilson helped the Afghans. If you like biographies and/or war movies, you should definitely rent this one.
Grade: B
Labels: 2007, Amy Adams, biography, drama, Julia Roberts, movie, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Hanks, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Julie Andrews (Narrator - voice), Amy Adams (Giselle), Patrick Dempsey (Robert Philip), James Marsden (Prince Edward), Susan Sarandon (Queen Narissa), Timothy Spall (Nathaniel), Idina Menzel (Nancy Tremaine), Rachel Covey (Morgan Philip)
For complete info, see IMDb's Enchanted page.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Enchanted. It looked really cute, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, even though Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz did the music and the cast was wonderful. Enchanted far exceeded my expectations of a cute Disney movie that I'd want to see once. The music is wonderful. The characters are completely lovable. Although they used aspects of almost every main Disney princess story (the apple and hag from Snow White, story book intro & ending used in many, the carriage and shoe from Cinderella, etc.), I thought the overall feel was very much like Sleeping Beauty, my favorite Disney movie. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed Enchanted so much.
I highly recommend renting Enchanted if you missed it while it was in theatres. It's on my list of movies I need to own on Blu-ray DVD (when I get a Blu-ray player) and it's one of the few movies I watched twice before returning it to Netflix.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, adventure, Amy Adams, animated, comedy, Disney, family, fantasy, Idina Menzel, James Marsden, Julie Andrews, movie, Patrick Dempsey, romance, Stephen Schwartz, Susan Sarandon
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams