Cast: Hugh Jackman (Drover), Nicole Kidman (Lady Sarah Ashley), Brandon Walters (Nullah)
For complete info, see IMDb's Australia page.
Though I enjoyed Australia, there's definitely a reason it didn't garner any Oscar nominations and didn't do amazingly well in theatres. When they refer to Australia as an epic film, they refer as much to it dragging on in some parts as they do to the amazing scenes with wonderful imagery.
I've seen longer movies (Braveheart and Hamlet come to mind), but I don't know that I've looked at the time remaining in a film that many times before. Perhaps I would have enjoyed Australia more if I'd been in a theatre environment, though the overall ratings on Yahoo don't really suggest that others did.
I think Australia is definitely worth renting and I'm glad I rented it in Blu-ray. However, I'm no longer sad about having missed it in a movie theatre. I think it was destined to be a rental and it works well there.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2008, adventure, drama, Hugh Jackman, movie, Nicole Kidman, war, western
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Williams
For complete info, see IMDb's Happy Feet page.
Not long into this movie, I found myself in shock that Happy Feet beat out Cars (a Pixar film I completely enjoyed) for the Best Animated Feature award. I'm still in disbelief. About 5 minutes into this movie, David left to do other things. Althhough I found myself saying that I couldn't believe Happy Feet won any awards, especially when it was up against Cars and David said he could't believe this movie had been highly rated, I watched the whole thing and David came back about half-way through.
I'm not sure why Happy Feet won Best Animated Feature. Perhaps it was because of the positive message about being good neighboors to wildlife, especially those in the ocean. Perhaps it was because of Robin Williams, who is hilarious as always. I can't understand it.
Happy Feet is a cute movie and worth the rental, but I wouldn't rush out to rent it right away. It's not even close to any of the Pixar movies in animation or story line, but it's cute.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2006, animated, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:28 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nicole Kidman (Isabel Bigelow/Samantha), Will Ferrell (Jack Wyatt/Darrin), Shirley MacLaine (Iris Smythson/Endora), Michael Caine (Nigel Bigelow)
For complete info, see IMDb's Bewitched page.
I thought the concept of re-doing Bewitched (one of my favorite TV shows growing up) by including the behind-the-scenes stuff and having a witch play Samantha in the new TV show was brilliant. Unfortunately, the reality of the movie Bewitched wasn't quite as great as the concept.
It was cool to see Kristin Chenoweth on the big screen as a friend & neighbor. She's one of my favorite actresses from Broadway, so I'm glad she got a role with such major actors.
I think this is a funny movie and definitely worth renting if you're a big Bewitched fan, but don't expect it to be as magical as the original. Very few things are...
Grade: B-
Labels: 2005, comedy, fantasy, Michael Caine, movie, Nicole Kidman, romance, Will Ferrell
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nicole Kidman (Silvia Broome), Sean Penn (Tobin Keller)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Interpreter page.
I was worried that this movie, which looked so good in the previews, would let me down, but it didn't. I think that The Interpreter was very well written. The cast was great and it was well directed. I also liked that it didn't have the typical Hollywood ending.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2005, crime, drama, movie, Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 3:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nicole Kidman (Joanna Eberhart), Matthew Broderick (Walter Kresby), Bette Midler (Bobbie Markowitz), Glenn Close (Claire Wellington), Christopher Walken (Mike Wellington), Roger Bart (Roger Bannister)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Stepford Wives page.
The original was definitely better and the new version of The Stepford Wives is a lot less plausible, but I still enjoyed it. Though the remake of The Stepford Wives is way too cheesy and out there, I still thought it was enjoyable to watch for a bit. I would probably say it belongs on the rental list, but it's worth renting.
Grade: B
Labels: 2004, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, comedy, drama, Matthew Broderick, movie, Nicole Kidman, remake, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jude Law (Inman), Nicole Kidman (Ada Monroe), Renee Zellweger (Ruby Thewes), Brendan Gleeson (stobrod Thewes), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Reverend Veasey)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Cold Mountain page.
A wounded Civil War soldier tries deserts and tries to get back home to Cold Mountain, NC so he can be reunited with his sweetheart. I didn't read Charles Frazier's novel, but I was very impressed with Cold Mountain. This movie examines the way war affects people long after the war is officially over and deals with the harsh reality of war in the Civil War era.
Definitely not for those who can't handle blood (this is, after all, a war drama), but if you can (even if you have to look away), the story is very well done and worth watching.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2003, drama, Jude Law, movie, Nicole Kidman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Renee Zellweger, romance, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:55 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nicole Kidman (Satine), Ewan McGregor (Christian), John Leguizamo (Toulouse-Lautrec)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Moulin Rouge! page.
What a great movie! I was sold from the first preview, but seeing it was even better. I'll definitely see it again in a movie theater, which is just about the best thing I could ever say about a movie. I can't wait until I can own it to see it again. I've heard rumors of them making this movie into a Broadway musical and I hope that happens, too. I would see it in a heartbeat.
Baz Luhrmann did an amazing job directing the perfect cast in Moulin Rouge!. I didn't realize that Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor could sing, but they both have wonderful voices and it was so great to see them in rolls that were a bit different from the norm.
If you like musicals of any kind, you must see this movie!
Grade: A+
Labels: 2001, drama, Ewan McGregor, movie, musical, Nicole Kidman, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Sandra Bullock (Sally Owens), Nicole Kidman (Gillian Owens), Stockard Channing (Aunt Frances 'Fran' Owens), Dianne Wiest (Aunt Bridget 'Jet' Owens), Goran Visnjic (Jimmy Angelov), Aidan Quin (Officer Gary Hallet)
For complete info, see IMDb's Practical Magic page.
I've always liked stories with witches and magic and I loved the cast, so liking Practical Magic was no surprise. It's a very funny movie about some witches trying to fit in and the trouble that can be caused by trying to cover up the truth. It's got a little of everything and lots of laughs with a great cast! I highly recommend renting this one if you missed it.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1998, drama, fantasy, movie, mystery, Nicole Kidman, romance, Sandra Bullock, Stockard Channing
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Lt. Col. Thomas Devoe), Nicole Kidman (Dr. Julia Kelly), Marcel Iures (Susan Gavrich)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Peacemaker page.
A US army colonel and a civilian woman (the nuclear expert for the White house) track down stolen Russian nuclear weapons before they're used by terrorists. I know the plot sounds tired, but this is a very well done action movie. George Clooney and Nicole Kidman work very well together and the movie was well constructed.
Grade: B
Labels: 1997, action, George Clooney, movie, Nicole Kidman, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Val Kilmer (Batman/Bruce Wayne), Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face/Harvey Dent), Jim Carrey (Riddler/Edward Nygma), Nicole Kidman (Dr. Chase Meridian), Chris O'Donnell (Robin/Dick Grayson), Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Batman Forever page.
I loved Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne, but I thought there could have been someone better for Batman himself. In spite of my disappointment in Batman Forever, I do think that Val Kilmer was a better Batman. The down side of the new lead is that he didn't make a very convincing Bruce Wayne.
How is it possible for such an amazing cast to make such a horrible Batman movie? I think the casting was the main thing Joel Schumacher did wrong (other than not leaving it as dark as Tim Burton's Gotham). I'm not saying that he didn't pick an amazing cast, but just that there were too many of them. He introduced too many villains at once and brought Robin (never a character I liked) into the picture, too. I don't think a single movie can handle all of that and still have a coherent story. So, there wasn't really much of a story...
Here's hoping that Tim Burton gets the reigns back for the next movie!
Grade: C-
Labels: 1995, action, crime, fantasy, movie, Nicole Kidman, Tommy Lee Jones, Val Kilmer
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:00 PM show | 0 screams