Movies You Shouldn't Watch

So, I am having surgery next week.  When you are about to have surgery there are some movies you shouldn't watch. 

Which one's you ask? 

The movies where people die. 

I know I've said in the past, pregnant women shouldn't watch "Rosemary's Baby"

People having surgery should not watch movies where people die in hospitals.

Like "Terms of Endearment". 





They have all those "conversations" and make decisions.  I am already crying at the drop of the hat, don't need it induced.

Then "My Life" with Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman.





His wife is pregnant and he records videos for his kid telling him how to be a man.  In the process he learns how to be one.  Heartbreaking.


"Stepmom" is a major bad offender.






Sick mom, kids, evil stepmother.  All combined to make you a mess.

I need a good comedy. 

I'll write about one of those tomorrow.

By the way, I am also a firm believer that you should have WebMD cut off when every you are going to have surgery.  It scares the crap out of me. 

I Like That Actor: Julia Roberts Part 4

Julia started mixing it up a little.  Her next movie was blink and you'll miss it with Sam Rockwell as Chuck Barris of "Gong Show" fame.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind




She is sexy and mysterious and turns out to be a bad guy.  It is an interesting movie.  I personally do not believe that the host of "The Gong Show" was a government assassin.


Full Frontal





Doesn't she look like Jane Fonda in "Klute"?




I wonder if that was on purpose.  I have never seen "Full Frontal".


Mona Lisa Smile





Julia is an art history teacher in the fifties at a women's college.  She is a bit controversial.  She is thirty, unmarried and putting ideas in young girls' heads.   Plus look at that flat hair.  As the movie goes on her hair gets more curly, which shows just how wild she is.


Closer





Another I haven't seen.  It also had Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen.  I heard that it had filthy language and lots of partner swapping.  Flat hair, so I guess that held me back.


Ocean's Twelve





So Julia Roberts was a little pregnant with twins when this movie was filming.  She knew when the movie came out she would be a lot pregnant and they wrote it into the script.  Matt Damon's character, who didn't seem to notice that Tess looked like Julia Roberts in the first movie is obsessed with it in the second movie.   Haven't seen it in a while. The first and third movie (which Julia isn't in) are the best in the series.

Charlotte's Web





This is the obligatory, "I have kids and I want to make a movie that they can watch".  She had twins Phinneus and Hazel.  Did she watch a lot of sixties television while she was pregnant? 

Charlie Wilson's War





She is five months pregnant with her third child while filming this scene.  This is why we hate movie stars.  They don't even have the decency to look disgusting while halfway through their pregnancy.  The movie is alright.   I love Tom Hanks in it too.

Fireflies in the Garden





Don't know this movie at all.  Apparently she plays Ryan Reynold's mother.  Not sure how that works.  Maybe it's on Netflix.


Duplicity





And I call myself a fan.  I haven't seen this one either.  I know from the trailers that it is some kind of spy vs spy double cross thing. 


Valentine's Day





I like this movie.  It is cute.  Stay through the credits and catch the "Pretty Woman" reference.  Bradley Cooper is cute and they have great chemistry.   I just don't see how we are to believe that Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine made her though.





Don't see it.

Eat, Pray, Love





Julia is unhappy.  Flat hair.






Julia happy, look at the body and curls.  I read the book and found it a little too something.  Liz seemed selfish and not real.  At least in the move there was a little more ownership. 


Larry Crowne





It's on my Netflix queue.   Don't judge me.  I've been busy.


Mirror Mirror





I so want to see Julia as the evil queen.  Big hair!  Bigger dresses.  I am there.

Love you Julia.  See you again soon. 

I Like That Actor: Julia Roberts - Part 3

Julia started moving toward a mix of serious roles and some romantic comedies. 


Conspiracy Theory





Here is a conspiracy theory of my own.  The flatter Julia's hair, the less I've seen the movie.  I saw this when it came to video as I had to sell it.  I remember Mel Gibson typing a serial killer looking newsletter.  The only other part is where Julia Roberts is on a treadmill listening to headphones.  Mel is in his car watching her through a window and scanning the radio until he finds the song to match her singing.  That is creepy.


Stepmom





I remember seeing the trailer for this movie and tearing up.  I love that there are no real bad guys in this movie.  Susan Sarandon is wonderful and the kids feel real.  Good movie.  And it still makes me cry.

Notting Hill





This movie made me fall in love with the Alison Krauss version on "When You Say Nothing At All".  The movie is cute as well.  I also adore the Alec Baldwin cameo.     Very sweet romantic comedy and the supporting cast are all great. 

I also like the dinner party scene.

[who will get the last brownie?]
Anna Scott: Wait, what about me?
Max: Sorry, you think *you* deserve the brownie?
Anna Scott: Well a shot at it at least huh?
William: Well, you'll have to fight me for it, this is a very good brownie.
Anna Scott: I've been on a diet every day since I was nineteen, which basically means I've been hungry for a decade. I've had a series of not nice boyfriends, one of whom hit me. Ah, and every time I get my heart broken, the newspapers splash it about as though it's entertainment. And it's taken two rather painful operations to get me looking like this.
Honey: Really?
Anna Scott: Really. And, one day not long from now, my looks will go, they will discover I can't act and I will become some sad middle-aged woman who looks a bit like someone who was famous for a while.
Max: [long pause] Nah, nice try gorgeous, but you don't fool anyone.
William: Pathetic effort to hog the brownie.
Runaway Bride





The great reunion of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.  It was cute.  I wrote about this one.


Erin Brockovich





Ed Masry: What makes you think you can just walk in there and take whatever you want?
Erin Brockovich: They're called boobs, Ed.
She won an Oscar and deserved it. 


The Mexican





Aren't these two a pile of adorable.  They tried for quirky, but couldn't decide how far to take it.

America's Sweethearts





Hmmm.....   Oh sorry, got distracted by John Cusack.  Good cast, Catherine Zeta-Jones needs to do more comedies. 

Ocean's 11





Another one I've written about.


Looks like there is going to a be a part 4.  See you then!

I Like That Actor: Julia Roberts - Part 2

Moving on to part two.  Julia started a transition after "Pelican Brief".  She started trying different things.

I Love Trouble




I saw this movie once, right after it came on cable.  The only thing I remember is that she and Nick Nolte had absolutely no chemistry. 


Pret-A-Porter





Didn't see this one.  I am realizing how many films of hers I have missed.  Goodness, some fan I am.


Something To Talk About





Great cast.  Gena Rowland and Robert Duvall (I met him once.)  But I discoverd Kyra Sedgwick in this movie.  She looks like she could be Julia's sister and she is sassy.

[Emma Rae knees Eddie in the groin]
Emma Rae: Grace, the lying cheating sack of $hit is here.
Eddie Bichon: [on the floor] Can't... breathe...
Grace: Oh, my God. Emma Rae, what did you do?
Emma Rae: Well, you said to keep him busy. He's busy holding his nuts.
Grace: Oh, my God. Eddie, are you all right?
Eddie Bichon: No!
Grace: Help me get him up.
Eddie Bichon: No! You stay the hell over there!
Emma Rae: Don't worry. I wouldn't walk that far to help you up.
Grace: My God, Emma Rae. What is the matter with you?
Emma Rae: Consider it a blow for your dignity.
Grace: What is dignified about kicking somebody in the balls?
Emma Rae: Well, I feel better.

Friends





"The One After The Super Bowl" was a classic episode.  Julia was Susie, an old classmate of Chand'er's from grade school.  She seduced Chandler into wearing her underpants and going into a bathroom stall with a sexy promise.  But Susie is "Susie Underpants", victim of an adolescent prank.  It is a really funny episode.

Mary Reilly





Dr. Jekyll's maid.  I think it was the bangs that killed it for me.   That and the preparation of a live eel for dinner.


Michael Collins





Another period film.  Another Liam Neeson pairing.  I just don't think Julia has a look that works for period pieces.


Everyone Says I Love You



Julia sings.  Only in a Woody Allen movie does Woody Allen get Julia Roberts.  This movie has its fun moments but no one in it could sing.


My Best Friend's Wedding





I wrote about this one.   It is a musical too.  A sneaky musical. 


Tomorrow another shift in the career path.  See you then!

I Like That Actor: Julia Roberts - Part 1

I like Julia Roberts.  She is vulnerable and fearless.  She has a laugh that feels real.  So here are her movies.

Satisfaction





When a movie is a vehicle for Mallory of "Family Ties" fame, you are starting off badly.  Julia plays a member of an all girl band.  She has big hair and tight jeans.


Miami Vice and other Television stuff.





I only mention her guest star role so I could post her picture with Don Johnson.   She is looking very "Pretty Woman" pre-makeover.


Mystic Pizza





I have written about this one.  More big hair and tight jeans.  Better story.



Blood Red





She was in a movie with her brother, who at that time was more famous.   Have never seen this movie. 


Steel Magnolias





I love this movie.  It is my go-to crying movie.  I have written about this one too.


Pretty Woman





It is this movie that made her America's Sweetheart.  That laugh.  I will get to this one soon.


Flatliners





The big hair makes her pretty.  The glasses make her smart.  Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland and her name above the title. 


Sleeping With The Enemy






Creepy husband, cute boyfriend and blind mother.  I am always amazed at the great houses these women in movies find.  All it takes is a coat of paint and a good cleaning and it is a dream house.  But she is good in the movie.


Dying Young






Young woman falls in love with dying man.  Did you know this movie was directed by her movie mom, Sally Fields?


Hook




A little corny.  Yes, I am immature.  But it was a cute movie.


Pelican Brief





She married Lyle Lovett while making this movie.  It is a great, suspenseful movie. 


More tomorrow! 

Bridesmaids - 2011

Bridesmaids

This is a movie that has broken so many traditional comedy rules.

• Women aren't funny.  That is a load of bull.
• You can't have a successful R-rated comedy.  This isn't the first time that has been proven totally wrong.
• A comedy can't be more than 90 minutes long.  This is a 121 minutes of "OMG I am going to pee my pants funny".
• Comedies don't get nominated for Oscars.  Melissa McCarthy.  That is all. 
• Women don't like bathroom humor.  When it is done right, it is hilarious.

I think it also has a very realistic view of women as friends.  Although there is a competition, it is one I understand, it is natural as well.  Often our lives move at different speeds.  I have a friend that I met the first day of high school.  We were alphabetical and sat next to each other in homeroom.  Our birthdays are exactly two weeks apart.  I have a 23 year old son.  I have been married for 23 years.  She has two children under the age of 10.  The year my son graduated from high school in the spring, her son started kindergarten in the fall. 

When someone is moving at a different pace it is easy to get jealous or simply fall out of touch.   When my child was young and she was still navigating the waters of singledom and falling in love we didn't spend hours on the phone.  Now she is wrapped up in Boy Scouts and school programs and following bedtimes.  My kid works full time, pays rent and can watch the house for a week if I want to go somewhere on vacation. 

When Annie finds out her best friend is getting married, she is genuinely happy for her.  It is only when her singleness is like a spotlight following her around that she becomes uncomfortable.  Soon there is that married friend, the couple friend that brings up the green eyed monster.





I love that Annie makes bad decisions.   She sleeps with the wrong man for the wrong reasons.  She loses her job.  She has to move in with her mom.  She has failed but doesn't give up hope.





I love the way they bring together a realistic group of bridesmaids.  There is the best friend, the cousin, the sister-in-law to be, a groomsman's wife and the friend from work. 

I think most women have had those friends that have never met until thrown together in a wedding.  I got to take the easy way and just had my little sister.  No agonizing about the order of the procession, which is kind of a crazy ranking of the family/friend status.





I love the great bridal store dress face off scene.  I have been in that battle over the least horrific gown that will look halfway decent on all body types.  I have worn a peach silk gown with a gigantic bow accentuating by butt.  There was also a flower wreath on my head.  I pray the pictures of that one were lost in some sad, but no is hurt, fire.

Is there some rule that the bridesmaids should not look attractive?





These are not the kind of dresses I have gotten to wear.  When I stood up for my sister, the dress was a nightmare.  They were rented, which was great.  But it was so loose I spent the morning doing nip and tuck with safety pins.  Then I waited in horror to have one burst at an inopportune moment causing my to lose the deposit and be forced to buy the hideous thing. 

This movie is funny and it is not a chick flick.  My husband went to see it.  My husband will not go anywhere near a girl movie.  It is a great way to spend an evening.  I won't give away too much.  But trust me, all the funny parts are not in the trailer.