Cast: Meryl Streep (Jane), Steve Martin (Adam), Alec Baldwin (Jake)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's It's Complicated page.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was definitely not one that needed to be seen on a big screen, since it's story driven and doesn't have any special effects, but now that it's out on Blu-ray & DVD, I highly recommend renting It's Complicated.
The cast is great and the story is entertaining. When you're looking for a good romantic comedy, what else do you need?
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, Alec Baldwin, Meryl Streep, movie, Steve Martin
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
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: Robert Redford (Professor Stephen Malley), Meryl Streep (Janine Roth), Tom Cruise (Senator Jasper Irving)
For complete information, see IMDb's Lions for Lambs page.
I didn't know what to expect from this movie, since I hadn't seen any previews. As soon as I saw that Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, & Tom Cruise were in it, I was sure I'd see the movie, regardless of what it was about. I really like the way the movie went back and forth between the different story lines and how it tied everything together. The cast is amazing and the story is well told.
There were definitely a few slow points and I'm glad I didn't rush out to see it in a theatre, but Lions for Lambs is definitely worth adding to your rental queue.
Grade: B
Labels: 2007, drama, Meryl Streep, movie, Robert Redford, Tom Cruise, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Amanda Seyfried (Sophie), Meryl Streep (Donna), Pierce Brosnan (Sam Carmichael), Colin Firth (Harry Bright), Stellan Skarsgard (Bill Austin), Julie Walters (Rosie), Christine Baranski (Tanya), Dominic Cooper (Sky)
For complete info, see IMDb's Mamma Mia! page.
If you've seen Mamma Mia! on stage, clearly that's a better show than the movie version. However, they did a great job with Mamma Mia!. I was worried, since Colin Firth had pointed out that they never asked any of the actors if they could sing before they got their parts, but for the most part they did a good job. The weakest singer in the cast is probably Pierce Brosnan, who unfortunately sings more than any of the other guys in the show. Of course, they cover by having the ensemble and backup louder than it would be normally to compensate for the weak voice and it works pretty well for the most part.
I knew they would have to cut some songs, but I noticed that my two favorites from the show (oddly enough, not my two favorite ABBA songs) were on the CD. Unfortunately, one of them was used in the credits instead of the show, but they used the full version and it's such a great recording of it that I'll have to download just that song from Amazon. The rest, I don't need to have, since I have the original cast recording of the show.
If you like musical theatre, this is a great fun show. It's very funny and the cast is great. Sure, it's a cheesy show, but they wrote a show to go around songs that already existed. Like all jukebox musicals, the plot is thin, but it's not about the plot. The plot merely exists to bring the music to you. Anyone who liked ABBA's music should enjoy this cute movie.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2008, ABBA, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, comedy, Meryl Streep, movie, musical, Pierce Brosnan, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Dr. Carolyn Ryan), Liam Neeson (Ben Ryan), Edward Furlong (Jacob Ryan), Julia Weldon (Judith Ryan), Alfred Molina (Panos Demeris)
For complete cast info, see Before and After page.
Before and After is a very moving movie with a wonderful cast. I rented it mostly because of Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson (I didn't realize Alfred Molina was in it at the time and didn't remember why I recognized the name Edward Furlong), but the entire cast is wonderful. This movie explores what happens to a family when the son is suspected of murdering his girlfriend.
The fact that all of this takes place in a small town really impacts the way the story plays out. Some of what happened really blew me away, but I guess many things work differently in small towns than big ones. I can't imagine dealing with anything the Ryan family has to handle in this movie. I highly recommend renting this movie. I wasn't sure what to expect, since I didn't remember hearing about it when it was released in 1996, but the movie is very well done and held my interest until the very end.
Grade: A-
Labels: 1996, Alfred Molina, crime, drama, Liam Neeson, Meryl Streep, movie, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestly), Anne Hathaway (Andy Sachs), Emily Blunt (Emily), Stanley Tucci (Nigel), Adrian Grenier (Nate), Tracie Thoms (Lilly), Rich Sommer (Doug)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Devil Wears Prada page.
This definitely got me interested in reading the book, which initially didn't interest me too much, so that's saying something. The Devil Wears Prada offers an inside look at the world of fashion, which most of us will never see. Since most of us think it must be a glamorous world, seeing the truth behind it is pretty interesting, even for those of us who (like me) can't really understand the world or the draw of having one article of clothing worth thousands and thousands of dollars.
The cast is amazing. It was great to see Meryl Streep in this comedic role and the rest of the cast was wonderful, too. I think anyone who's worked behind the scenes in places that are perceived as glamorous or perfect by the outside world can relate a little bit to the idea of the reality being very different from the perception of the outside world. I've heard some horror stories of bosses that assistants have, but this movie definitely makes me appreciate even the worst of bosses I had in my past a bit more. None of them were that bad.
The Devil Wears Prada is a very enjoyable movie. The perfect holiday weekend movie where you can relax and enjoy yourself in the theatre! I highly recommend seeing it. It's a fun summer movie!
Grade: B+
Labels: 2006, Anne Hathaway, comedy, drama, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, movie, Stanley Tucci
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Lisa Metzger), Uma Thurman (Rafi Gardet), Bryan Greengerg (David Bloomberg), Jon Abrahams (Morris)
For complete info, see IMDb's Prime page.
This movie about a woman who starts dating her therapists' son unbeknownst to both of them is cute and definitely worth watching. My husband really enjoyed it, too, so I'm not sure it fits into the chick flick description some seem to be giving it. The humor is definitely stereotype driven, but it works for the movie. Prime is entertaining and funny. It deals with some real situations without getting too serious and kept us interested.
Grade: B
Labels: 2005, comedy, drama, Meryl Streep, movie, romance, Uma Thurman
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Lee Lacker), Leonardo DiCaprio (Hank), Diane Keaton (Bessie Greenfield), Robert DeNiro (Dr. Wally), Hume Cronyn (Marvin), Gwen Verdon (Ruth)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Marvin's Room page.
I loved the play, so the movie interested me immediately. Perhaps I didn't properly describe the play to my family, since they all thought it was well done, but hated it, since it was so sad... What's funny is that there's probably more humor in the movie than the play.
I think that they did a great job with Marvin's Room on the big screen. They used the fact that they could film in various locations to take you to the places you couldn't really see in the play. The cast was wonderful. Leonardo DiCaprio, who normally doesn't impress me, did a great job, too.
I highly recommend Marvin's Room. Just be aware that it is not a happy movie and you'll love it.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, comedy, drama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, movie, play, Robert DeNiro
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Madeline Ashton), Bruce Willis (Dr. Ernest Menville), Goldie Hawn (Helen Sharp)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Death Becomes Her page.
Two rivals in plastic surgery go for learn the down side of immortality in this sometimes comical movie. With the cast, you'd expect a bit more. It was funny, but just got old at points.
Worth renting, but I wouldn't recommend putting it high on the rental list.
Grade: C+
Labels: 1992, Bruce Willis, comedy, Meryl Streep, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:10 PM show | 0 screams