Movie Minutes

Baby Mama - I love Tina Fey, I loved "Mean Girls," and I loved Baby Mama. Tina & Amy Poehl play their roles brilliantly without turning into caricatures, an even greater challenge for Poehl. A saccharine ending, but a real, touching story about life choices and consequences.

Sleepwalking - I should have slept through it. This is a grim tale about a brother and sister abused by a cruel, heartless father. Years after escaping, the brother returns, with his niece, so the abuse can reach another generation. Seemingly endless panoramic shots of bleak, flat farmland in midwinter. Ugh, you know the old masochist's joke: "Why do you stay with that man?" "Beats me!" Why was this film ever on my list??

Melvin Goes to Dinner - Yuppies kvetching about their insignificant pseudo- problems, and then suddenly revealing much-too-intimate, soul-baring details of their lives. And the guys verge on not-good-looking, so there's not even any distracting eye candy. Claims to be a "film festival favorite." Maybe if I'd been stoned...I don't know, I've lost patience with these yak-yak-yak young-folks- being-introspective films. (Um, old folks, too.)

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - The best movie I've seen in a long, long time. Frances McDormand is one of my favorite actresses, and she does not disappoint in this sweet, funny story reminiscent of the best 40s comedies. Miss Pettigrew is mistakenly hired as a social secretary, and although her life is in shambles, she has a knack for rescuing everyone around her from their own foibles.

The Tao of Steve - I don't think I even made it 30 minutes before just ejecting this pile o' poo. Maybe it's just a guy flick - a 12-year old guy flick.

Sex & The City: The Movie - the clothes are still...daring. And the repartee is still snippy and snappy. (SPOILER ALERT) But who would believe that Carrie still marries Big after being left at the altar the first time? We spent all those years watching her learn to grow a backbone... for that? Nope, not buying it.

10,000 BC - I put this on my list because of my fondness for the "Clan of the Cave Bear" series by Jean Auel. The first one stunk, plot-wise, but set the stage for understanding subsequent books. Which were thrilling, captivating, amazing and the best paper sex ever! Although some of the special effects were impressive, I didn't think this movie was thrilling or captivating.

The Other Boleyn Girl - Ah, finally, a film I can watch without my finger on the fast-forward button! Drama, intrigue, sexual tension, fabulous sets and costumes, and an actual plot. A juicy story: I wondered how much is factual, and how much is conjecture? Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are the sisters. Eric Bana as Henry VIII was a strange choice: I always thought Henry VIII was a giant slobbering tub of a man, not this youthful studmuffin. Whatever - I actually watched and enjoyed the whole movie.