Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Movies I've Watched Recently

• I've had this one on my embarrassingly long and old Netflix queue for a long time, and its number finally came up. I'm not a huge Keanu Reeves fan, but I generally like almost anything Sandra Bullock does. This one was all right. Not great, but not bad, either. It's not on my Oh My Gosh!!!! I have to own that list, but I might watch it again if I stumbled across it on cable.

• Somehow, when we rented this movie, we completely missed the option to set it so we could understand it. We watched the entire movie, able only to understand what Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett said. Once we figured out how to change our options, we rewatched the final story (set in Japan) just so we could figure out what the h*** was going on. I have to say, we didn't miss much without the dialogue -- now we just have to figure out whether that means the dialogue sucked, or the acting was superb.

• A few months ago, my daughter, who is living with me for the time being, got on a Gerard Butler kick. I'm still trying to figure out why. I wouldn't say he's a bad actor. Not at all. I'm just still trying to figure out what it is about him that makes her think he's so wonderful. This movie was ... mildly interesting. While I might watch it on cable if nothing else was on (including reruns of Deadliest Catch or Dirty Jobs) I also might opt to watch that rogue wave one more time.

• This one made it into the house because the same daughter is always on a Kevin Spacey kick. I wouldn't say this was one of Spacey's best. I'd opt for The Negotiator any day. But it was pretty good.

• This one was a completely forgettable film. Seriously. I barely remember anything about it. Another in a long string of mediocre films by Ms. Aniston, I'm afraid.

• Okay, there's something seriously wrong with the world when Kurt Russell -- Kurt Russell !!!!! -- plays the expendable Dad character in a movie. That's all I have to say about that.

• Another occasion where I was the casualty of the Gerard Butler "thing" going on at my house. Thoroughly unlikeable characters, decent acting.

• Because sometimes you just have to watch something you know is going to be good, mindless fun. There's something appealing about Jack Black, no matter what he's in, and this movie is no exception. This one was just good, stupid, fun.

• It's really hard to go wrong with Judi Dench. This isn't my favorite movie of hers, but it was enjoyable.

• Blood. Gore. War. Battle. Love? I was fascinated by the battle scenes, not so much by the plot. I might watch it again if nothing else was on.

• For anyone who doesn't already know, I'm a Western girl. Give me mountains and pine trees and horses and ranch property, and I'm pretty much yours, no matter what else you have going on. When you add Robert Redford, who was better in this movie than he's been in a long time, and Morgan Freeman, who is just a god when it comes to the movies, you've got a winner. Jennifer Lopez was definitely the draw here for me, nor did she carry this movie in any sense of the word, but I thought she held her own, which is a compliment, considering who she was on-screen with. The relationship between Einar and Freeman's character is worth getting the movie for.

• Can you see a pattern here? Gerard Butler, yet again. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this one. It's based on the novel by the same name by Michael Crichton. It's teetering right on the edge of my "I'd Like to Own This One" list.

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• I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to like this movie quite as much as I did. I am so not a fan of the news media, that I long ago burned out on Princess Diana news coverage. I watched this one because I wanted to see Helen Mirren's performance, and I have to admit, she blew me away. An incredible performance.

• Remember when Robin Williams was pretty much a guaranteed good time? Maybe it's just because he's getting older and slowing down, or maybe it's because he's out of rehab, but the last few things I've seen him in have been disappointments. This one doesn't fall quite far enough down to be a complete disappointment, but it didn't rise to the level of anything more than mildly amusing and completely predictable. Okay, yes, I'm being generous.