Intolerable Cruelty - George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones

There is no way I would ever buy a video with that title, but Kathy had seen part of the movie on the airplane and we saw it in a Good Will thrift store for $2.99. And there are some great scenes. I loved the rottweilers hired by Catherine Zeta-Jones chasing the soon to be divorced husband were great, (and they show up again). I thought Edward Herrmann, the famous character actor, overplayed his role a bit, but only a bit, but it is a comedy. Clooney and Zeta-Jones do pretty well within the constraints of the screen play. Don't expect reality. Do expect gamesmanship.

Is it family friendly? Well gee, it is about infidelity and divorce lawyers. And there are morals to the story, money cannot buy happiness, we need something other than work, put your health before you plastic surgery.  And above all, don't sign the Massey Pre-nup and if you do, make sure you keep your copy.

Would I watch it again? Probably. Kathy likes it and I can check my email while it is running.

Firewall - Harrison Ford

OK, if you know me at all, I am a forgone conclusion. From Hackers, to Sneakers, I may not love the movie, but I am going to own it and watch it. This is a genuine movie though with plot and characters and drama, lots of drama.

Harrison Ford has devoted his life to bank computer security and it is thought he might be able to aid in the technical aspects of a large heist. They use a number of methods to get to him primarily his family.

What I like about the movie is that it does not hinge on technology. No need to break a 256 bit cipher in your head in 30 seconds or less. This works on the human side of things and the attackers do a very good job of it. No matter how much they change technology, this will always remain work.

Is it family friendly? Well, I guess you could say the family that is kidnapped together stays together. Seriously, there is no nudity. But these are seriously mature themes. Some movies have what I call , "Disney violence", (think about the old Batman TV show with POW, and SPLAT). Sophisticated kids seem to know that it is not real.  This is not Disney violence. I mean there is the classic Harrison Ford win the day by leading with your chin that no one will take seriously, but to make the plot come to life they mess with the viewers mind a bit, it is close to a psychological thriller.

Will I watch it again? Of course. There is a lot that I can learn for my craft from the movie. Plus, it is a pretty plot with good acting.

The Pacifier - Kid Movie - Vin Diesel

This is a kids movie. We host guests at the lake house every couple of weeks and sometimes they bring kids. I keep a collection of movies that appeal to younger viewers. Basically this is a knock-off of Kindergarten Cop with Arnold. KC is much better, but this is not bad.

Family friendly? Check; genuine Disney. It will not be Christian values per se, but it will be universally appealing.

Will I watch it again? Sure, with the right younger viewer I would be happy to. I will even bring the popcorn.

Closer, Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen

Roberts and Law are two of my favorite performers, but this fell flat. I don't really have a favorite line or scene. Not family friendly, not planning on seeing it again. This goes in the trade in pile.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Michael Douglas

The cameo appearance by Cramer says it all. And in addition Susan Sarandon as Jake's mother, Warren Buffet, Jake Chanos and Graydon Carter as themselves and Eli Wallach, (from the Holidays). What a cast and I just touched the surface.

Do I enjoy the movie? Not really, too close to home. There are some terribly bright spots. "What is your number, I find everyone has a number, what it will take to walk away, what is yours?" "More." Later in the movie, Charlie Sheen has an uncredited walk on part and he did make his number and did walk away. He was not so greedy he had to have more. And the speech by Michael Douglas, where he makes the famous acronym NINA famous, but as NINJA, No Income, No Job, no Assets, was fantastic.

If you are here by way of LinkedIn, NINJA is why I put the post up. I am forced to attend meetings where I hear that we are short of tens of thousands of cybersecurity jobs. I am told that we need people that have skills, hard, technical, hands-on skills. Yet recently, I posted some of those jobs. they got hits, but they got far less hits than my Ashley Madison post. Is a cybersecurity bubble even possible? PANW is at $162 a share and they aren't even earnings positive, FEYE with a market cap of 6B, same story. Worth watching!

Try to make it to chapter 17, (I think I have that right). The "Too big to fail" section. Yes, this is fiction, but it is not so far from the truth. My son, yes that transitioned Marine son, bought me the book. He knew that since it was a gift I would have to read it. Made me want to invest in Green Stamps, (the original bitcoin and just as good for the long term).

Do I recommend the movie? Yes, I do. Each of us has a responsibility to leave a legacy and part of that is financial. The movie is helpful in many ways, one of which is the reminder of bubbles, again and again and I am not stuck on tulips. I am not and will never be a financial wiz, but I have seen the damage bubbles cause. Kathy and I have been largely blessed to avoid destruction, but it was dumb luck, not brilliance. Great lead in to my classic family friendly question; is it? I did not see any evidence of nudity and sex, didn't see any violence where arms get taken off and blood goes spurting. But there is a certain type of Wall Street violence going down in spades. I do think this is an opportunity for prepared parents to speak with their older children, especially about greed.

Will I watch it again? This was the second time and it is not feeling jaded at all. So yes, this movie stays on the shelf. And I will not kid myself, it is a good reminder to invest with your mind, (and statistics), not your heart. I keep my trading journal online. My journal helps keep me straight, but it is also for my son and brother in law. It is not exciting. It is far more current that the dates on the files indicate. Maybe it will help someone else and I am very open to ideas and suggestions. None of us really know how the market works, not even those guys who play themselves in the movie.

Abducted

Rich teenager, Taylor Lautner, a "father" that spars full contact with him, anger issues and disturbing dreams.. Sigourney Weaver is his shrink, (nice that they let her play her age).

Aside from Weaver, I did not recognize anyone else in the cast with the exception of Maria Bello. My favorite role for her was Lil i Coyote Ugly. But despite a fairly green cast they do a fairly good job with the basic teenage angst, party, drive fast and all that is before the twist.

As part of a school assignment he finds his baby picture on a missing persons web site. The evidence keeps falling into place. So who are his parents?  The questions come faster than the answers and the screenplay is downright explosive right about then.

Is it family friendly? Hehe, well I wouldn't show it to a 4 year old. It isn't big on sex so you do not need to worry about that. There is some violence, but it is fake violence, most kids will not internalize it; it seems like a Nickelodeon film.

Would I watch it again? Not sure, but I am keeping it on the shelf. We have a kids section since we have guests so often. Maybe, a young teens section makes sense too.

Elysium - Matt Damon - Jodie Foster

Sci-Fi. Haves and have nots. A somewhat dystopian society. Lots of weapons, special effects, what is not to like?

They keep Matt tamed down a bit. Otherwise the plot and cast would allow him to destroy everything two minutes after he got the exo-skeleton. There are some nods to other movies, especially Johnny Mnemonic. I don't think Jodie Foster got to shine in her role. I did like Emma Tremblay as the kid, I thought the story went well and Alice Braga did well as her mother.

Family friendly? I did not see any evidence of sex or nudity, but this goes into the category of shoot em up. I will put one in from time to time when Kathy is out, it passes the time.

Captain Phillips - Tom Hanks

Kathy ordered this from Amazon and it was really well done. It is historically accurate, (at least from the United States point of view). I think you know the story of the Somalia pirates and the Alabama, so I will skip the  plot setup.

Suffice to say, that while Tom Hanks is good from the get go, he really shines in the second half of the movie.

Is it family friendly? Well there is no sex if that is your hot button. There is a lot of threatening, followed by more threatening and some bloodshed. They do give some opportunities to have some important cultural discussions with older children such as the impact of overfishing the Somali seas that led seaman to become pirates.

Will I watch it again? Yes, this is one of the movies where I can appreciate Tom Hanks acting, I do not always like him, sometimes he overdoes it, but this was well done.

Laws of Attraction - Pierce Brosnan, Julianne Moore

Somehow we missed this one. Found it in the $3.99 bin at WinCo. It was surprisingly good. A young Pierce Brosnan, but a great screenplay and excellent play between the stars.

Is it family friendly? Depends, they do imply sex before marriage, but then we see how important marriage is first to Pierce and then to Moore.

The deleted and extra scenes were a lot of fun.

If you are looking for a fun, non-violent film, this might be the one you want to stream. We are going to keep this one on the shelf.

Transcendence - Johnny Depp

Fantastic movie! My first 500 level computer science course was artificial intelligence.  That was a million years ago and Prolog was fun, but you couldn't really do anything with it. Fast forward to 2015. Artificial Intelligence has come into its own. So that makes the movie all the more believable, all the more achievable.

Johnny Depp and Rebecca Hall put in an incredible performance and in four different stages of relationship. That had to be a stretch. Morgan Freeman was, well, Morgan Freeman.

Yes, I can recommend watching it. It is family friendly enough, no sex, the violence is tastefully done enough. Even when people get all busted up, they tend to get repaired.

I will certainly watch it again, especially because the plot requires more than one party to make the hard choice

The Island - Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson

We first saw this movie on an airplane, Alaska airlines, with their portable movie box. It is really hard to hear and see a movie on an airplane, I don't care what kind of noise canceling earphones you have. So we ordered it from Amazon.

The movie is a bit hard to follow. But the short answer is that they are clones, their purpose in life is to supply body parts the their patrons.

There is a ton of action, it you were looking for something similar it might be Hunger Games.

Is it family friendly? I did not see any nudity other than one scene where there are some pinup girls on the wall. Obviously getting raised to be a body part is an adult theme. There is violence, but it is the kind of movie where they shoot a billion shots and no one ends up dead. There is also some hand to hand, but again it just is not realistic.

Will I watch it again? I am going to keep it on the shelf. It is fairly amusing.

Barefoot - The perfect mismatch

If you are looking for something a bit different to stream, consider Barefoot with Evan Rachel Wood and Scott Speedman. She is the sweet total innocent, home schooled, taught by the television and her deranged mother. He is a very worldly ner'er-do-well. However, somehow they get together and are fugitives on the road with an RV, learn to appreciate and love one another.

It most definitely counts as family friendly unless Finding Nemo is as far as you can go. Will I watch it again? Kathy likes it so the odds are yes, it will play again and I will be blogging something with the movie playing in the background.

Romancing the stone - Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner

We picked this up in the $5.00 bin at Wal-Mart. It had probably been ten years since we have seen it before. I like the opening scene, action, I like it when they show she is a writer.

Then there is a long hokey dry spell, it is comedy, poorly done, it just does not work. I like the dance scene when Douglas and Turner click.

Is it family friendly, I think so. The violence is so hokey, there is little chance a modern child will internalize it.

Will I watch it again? I can't think of a reason to do so.

Tom Clancy's Netforce - Scott Bakula

One of the stupidest movies I have ever seen. I managed to get through it. Don't plan to see it again.

The Holiday - Incredibly well casted

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I have probably seen it a dozen times and I am still teasing out new insights. I like to watch it with Spanish subtitles on so that I can can hear what was said, but also see how they would choose to translate it.

Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Kate Winslet deliver a flawless performance, that rare combination of talent, good screen play, and pinging off each other. I liked Jack Black in this movie and I do not tend to like Jack Black.

The two lovely ladies in the movie have just been in failed relationships. They are very different and from very different backgrounds. As they are trying to figure out how to spend the holidays right after the breakup, they end up swapping houses. The movie starts out a bit slow, but stick with it. I am usually careful about pointing out scenes to avoid a spoiler, but a few of my favorite will be coming. They are:

The break up of Amanda, (Cameron Diaz) and Ethan, (Edward Burns), is great. I love this spunky version of Diaz. In the "Did you sleep with her" discussion, do not miss the gardener trying to wave Ethan off.

Amanda's first night in Iris house and Iris brother, Graham shows up pissed, (no not angry, too much time at the pub). The kiss part of this is really well done and yes, for those who know me, this scene is running through my mind when I say, "Is that a trick question?"

Any and all of the scenes with Arthur.

When Amanda comes to visit Graham's house, the whole time, don't miss the hand holding or not scene in the tent, hmmmmm.

But for me, the movie rental store is the top!

OK, the family friendly thing. This is a classy movie, as far from Fast Times at Ridgemont High as the Middle East is from peace and stability. That said, there are certainly adult themes.

Will I watch it again? Of course.

Mother Lode - Charlton Heston, (young) Kim Bassinger

Great scenery with the view point from a plane and also from the ground. This is a great portrayal of life in North British Columbia, the mining, outdoor life. And the movie is proof certain that any idiot can land a float plane and that is all I have to say about that.

The title of the movie, let's you know there is mining involved; gold mining. This means there are some interesting underground scenes with shall we say vintage equipment. They build tension in a number of ways, the creaky mine(s) go a long way. Then there are the people, do they have an agenda, "What happened to your partner? He died." And of course if there is gold in the thar hills, you know that brings out the best in people.

Heston plays a good role as the old hermit, (and his twin brother). "Takes a steady hand for blasting." he says while trembling. Followed of course by more creaky sounds.

Is it family friendly? They keep their clothes on if that is your issue. There is the tension as already mentioned, and of course that is reinforced by the sound track. In my best Emerald Forest Chief Wanadi voice, "when you hear the sound of the oboe, trouble is not far away".

Will I watch it again? I don't know, it is a B movie. It came with Jeremiah Johnson.

Wag the Dog - Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro

This is one of my favorite movies and if you have not seen it, fix that. If you have not seen it in over five years, fix that. I love the plot and how close to reality it is.

The screen play and acting between Hoffman and De Niro, (this is my favorite De Niro role), is over the top. Anne Heche and Willie Nelson add a lot.

My favorite quote and there are many great ones:  Two things I know to be true. There is no difference between good flan and bad flan, and there is no war.

Is it family friendly? While I did not notice any nudity and the violence is Disney style, these are fairly adult themes. On the other hand if you have an older child, (and future voter), this could be an opportunity to discuss the media manipulation of politics and vice versa, after all if you look at the current slate of would be next presidents, the movie does not seem so far from the truth.

Will I watch it again? Seriously, every couple months, I get a fix. It helps satiate the innate marketer in me.

Sommersby - Richard Gere & Jodie Foster

This is a great movie. If you haven't seen it, watch it. If you have a streaming service and haven't seen it in years watch it. The dynamic tension between Gere and Foster is incredible. Bill Pullman, (American President in Independence Day), adds a great supporting role. And James Earl Jones as a judge in a white courtroom in 1863 was a fantastic touch.

Foster's husband and Gere spent years in a civil war cell and Gere knew every aspect of her life and was able to fit into the role of Jack Sommersby, Foster's husband. Improbable, but they played it well.

Is it family friendly? You will see less skin than a family friendly beach, in fact a lot less. It is much more implied violence, than squirting blood or whatever. And the movie has an important message. Our Western culture values security and comfort above all else, but sometimes you have to make the hard choice.

Would I watch it again. Certainly, I like to space this one out every five years or so, then I do not remember all the details.

SALT - Angelina Jolie

Jolie is certainly in the top five for female action figures and she is surrounded with the kind of budget, film team and stunt team that Tom Cruise enjoys with Mission Impossible. My favorite quote:

Ted Winter: Any chance she could follow?
President's Secret Service Agent: My own men couldn't get through that door once it's closed.
Ted Winter: Yeah, well, unfortunately, she isn't one of your men.

It is mindless, but a fun way to pass some time. Good plot good acting.

Is it family friendly? There is no sex. There is violence, but a kid of any age will be able to discern it is fake violence.

Will I watch it again? Yeah, I will put a calendar entry to watch it in three or four years when I have forgotten some of the twist and turns as the story unfolds.

What's Your Number

Young singles, who have had trouble with lasting relationships. They have friends that are married, or going to be. And a strange curse of sorts, (A Harvard study. If a girl has 20 different sexual relationships she will not be able to have a permanent one.). I tolerate chick flicks, because I can do things like write a blog post while Kathy watches.

I would have ignored it until I realized this was exactly what Mandy and I were talking about last Friday. Her kids and my kid are going through this exact thing and I doubt they would  be excited to know they are living in a comedy. Then I heard this quote, "You guys all have an ideal girl in mind, and if our number gets too high then she can't be that girl. So, I am not going to sneak this into the trade pile. . . at least not till I loan it to Jim and Mandy.

Is it family friendly? I did not observe any nudity. Oops, scratch that, a topless girl was in a scene near the end. There wasn't much vulgar language, or at least I didn't notice it. On the other hand if Anna Faris is trying not to have her 21st relationship, well, you figure it out.

The French Connection - Gene Hackman

Found it in the $5.00 bin at Wal-Mart, that will be the death of me yet. I wasn't sure I would even write this one up. What’s up with the bar scene? "All right, Popeye's here! Get your hands on your heads, get off the bar, and get on the wall!" Two white policemen disrupting an entire bar with large African Americans is so far removed from reality. In the 70s? Though the pill popping in the bar was telling, I guess that was a big thing back then.

Based on a true story, (whatever that means). The real world cops, Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, have walk on parts; now that is cool. One of Gene Hackman's better roles and fun to see him as a young guy. And despite the bar scene, I think it does a pretty good job of portraying on the street police work against big drugs, (forget the candy shops), in that era. One more quote, "And by the time it gets down to nickel bags, it will be worth at least thirty-two million." Perhaps you remember the value of drug busts reported to the media in the 70s.

So far from family friendly it isn't funny, but they do a great job with colorful language. Will I watch it again? Doubtful, goes in the trade-in pile.

The Cell - Jennifer Lopez

This is a psycho-thriller. At first it seems hokey. Then they draw you in. The special effects are pretty good to. There is a lab where you can enter another person's thoughts, and they yours. Lopez has been working with a kid in a coma, but no success in bringing him back.

Then in a desperate move to save a kidnapped girl Lopez enters the mind of a very deranged serial killer. And, like the matrix, if you die in the imaginary world, you die in the real world.

Is it family friendly? You have got to be kidding me. They show breasts, blood, dead people, torture. I am guessing the only reason Lopez took the role is to keep from being type cast as A Maid in Manhattan.

Will I watch it again? Not a chance, this one goes in the trade in pile. But I will give you this, it gets pretty gripping; once.

Bodyguard - Kevin Costner

Sure you have seen this movie, the question on the table is would you watch it again? I would and will and just did. We keep this one on the shelf. You see, our movie shelves in both Kauai and Seattle have limited capacity. We are not going to add capacity. So every time a movie comes up, the question is does it get to enter, or stay on, the shelf, or do we trade it in to try a new movie. It is a bit weird watching it again after she had a drug overdose. It may end up in the trade-in pile based on that.

If you haven't seen it, this is a great movie.  If you know me, you know I, like most of the people that would read this, am/are in the security business. My specialty is cyber-security, but I am sure every person in the trade has had to move into the physical side.

Is it family friendly? I did not observe any nudity. Kevin Costner does go to bed with Whitney Houston, and they are not married, but it is done well. There is some violence. There is a twisted person stalking Whitney Houston.

Deep Gold - Bebe Pham

Who? The concept behind the plot is a lady champion free diver and the love of her life is an AF Pilot chosen to carry a cargo of gold. His plane disappears presumably in the ocean. She sets out to find him.

Not a perfect movie by any means and they violate the laws of diving and even physics a few times, but the underwater work is pretty cool. The "Making of" bonus was my personal favorite part of the movie. Do not miss that.

Is it family friendly? There is no nudity, this is a catholic country. There is plenty of violence, but it is a bit like Star Trek, if you are wearing a red shirt you are probably toast, but the sister's survive against incredible odds and no undue pain and suffering. They keep blood to a dull roar, so it is sort of synthetic violence.

Would I see it again? Probably, I am keeping this one on the shelf. It is worth it for the incredibly poor job of translating some or another language into the subtitles. We do not condone the consumption of large volumes of alcohol, but in the right situation, I think this could play well.

Backdraft - Incredible cast

It has been years since I have seen this movie. Gosh it is good. Decent cast too :) Kurt Russell  as Stephen 'Bull' McCaffrey, William Baldwin as Dennis McCaffrey, William Baldwin as Brian McCaffrey,  Robert De Niro, as Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale, Donald Sutherland, as Ronald Bartel, Jennifer Jason Leigh, as Jennifer Vaitkus, Scott Glenn, as John 'Axe' Adcox, Rebecca De Mornay as Helen McCaffrey, Jason Gedrick, as Tim Krizminski, and J.T. Walsh, as Alderman Marty Swayzak.

The plot, screenplay and a performance worthy of that cast add up to a great movie. There is a scene where William Baldwin as Brian McCaffrey has been transferred to a forensics job instead of fire fighting, the engines drive by on a call. He feels the call. If you have an extra moment do a Google search on "retired fire horse". If you get the fire fighting bug into your system, it will never leave.

Watch the durn movie! It is not even dated, somehow it does not feel like it is 15 years old. Rebecca De Mornay showed a different side than I have ever seen, I stereotype her as the girl in Risky Business.

Is it family friendly? There is no nudity that I observed, but young kids should probably not see this movie. The best advice I can give is for parents to pre-screen. If you do decide to watch it, make sure to have a discussion with your kids afterwards. Before and after the movie, it is a great teaching device. If a fire is suspected, always touch a door before opening it. Never stand in the opening of the door. Be very careful about opening a window unless you are planning to make your exit from the building that way safety net or not.

Will I watch it again? Surely you do not need to guess :)

The Wild Bunch - 1963

Kathy was working on some project in the other room, so it was guys night at the movies. I have a little corner of our movie shelves for just such an opportunity. TWB is in the top ten Westerns ever created.  It is in incredible condition. You can read about how and why, that is a story unto itself.

OK, let's cut to the chase. It is a Western, a lot of people get shot. It is a big budget Western, a whole lot of people get shot. Is it family friendly? Give me a break, it is not. No way, there is the whole, blood, guts and the beer thing throughout the entire movie.

You also have to give a grudging admiration for the died with their boots on Wild Bunch. I realize this could be sexist, but I think it plays better, in general, for guys on a guys night out. That said, I know more than a few ladies that can handle a gun with the best of the guys.

Will I watch it again? Are you kidding, did I mention I have a little corner of our movie shelves for just such an opportunity.

Breakfast club

To quote IMdB, "Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought."

I have seen it before, wondered if I would think it is dated, but was really struck by the dialog. The screenwriters really made it work. I probably will watch it again, try to pick up on some more of the details.

Is it family friendly? Probably, if you have older kids, pre-teens and older. There is no sex if that is your issue. It is a teen movie, so there is some pushing and shoving, some potty mouth. There is also a marijuana scene that could be a great opportunity to talk with your kids.  I think that is offset by what the movie teaches. In particular, it brings Ephesians 6:4, "Fathers, do not provoke your sons to anger", to life.

The Departed

I tend to be a fan of Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg so when I read that Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg, with Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, and Alec Baldwin were all in the same movie, I ordered it. That was an amazing set of performances, with Nicholson really pulling out the stops.

It is a thriller with a complex plot and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I had no idea how it was going to end other than through the process of elimination we kept having less people.

It is not family friendly. I didn't see any nudity if that bothers you, but a lot of people wind up in body bags and they are quite generous with the splattering blood.

I don't know that I will watch it again.

McLintock - John Wayne 1963

This is a Western comedy is you can imagine that. There are some of the classic stereotypes regarding Chinese and American Indians. The plot runs along the Taming of the Shrew with Maureen O'Hara as the shrew. In addition to the stars, Stefanie Powers as Becky McLintock, and Patrick Wayne, (yes, he is the Duke's second son), as Devlin Warren give pretty pretty solid performances.

The hang the Indian fight scene is a classic. It is on a hill with a muddy pond at the bottom. I love the father daughter inheritance discussion. The Comanche speech really hits home. I came to the same conclusion with my own son. I can't share my favorite scene without spoiler risk.

By the way, this movie is in the public domain, but the music is copyrighted if you can figure that out.

Is it family friendly? Well it is a John Wayne movie from 1963, so unless Finding Nemo is your limit, you should be OK. There are fisticuffs throughout and you do see some bru And it is one of the great Westerns of the 1960s.

I have seen this movie before and I do think I will watch it again.

His Private Secretary - John Wayne 1933

You know the movie is from 1933 when the two gentlemen in the opening scene are smoking  cigarettes. It is a John Wayne movie where he is not a cowboy.

The primary focus is John Wayne and his dysfunctional father, (Reginald Barlow). John gets married without his father's blessing. His father kicks him out of the company he owns. Evalyn Knapp, (Marion Hall in the movie), goes to explain things and ends up being hired by Wayne's father.

There is no risk of it not being family friendly unless the smoking and a scene where they drink champagne.

Will I watch it again? Probably not.

Just one of the guys

This is your classic teenage angst film with a difference. Joyce Heiser, (Terry in the movie), believes she has not been treated fairly in a contest because of her gender. She switches schools and enters the scene as a guy, coached in "guyisms" by her little brother. Terry has a boy friend and this puts a strain on their relationship, eventually terminating it. They handle the various uncomfortable scenes quite well. I think they do a particular job of handling the rejection that every teen faces.

There is one scene where Terry flashes her breasts to prove she is a girl. I wish they had skipped that or I could give it my family friendly mark. I was going to give a bye to the Playboy centerfolds hanging in Terry's brothers room. If those things pass your  parental smell test, I think this could be a good movie for a teen to see. There is some violence,  (a Disney fist fight if you get my drift), but no blood and some creative violence avoiding.

Will I watch it again? I don't know. I am not going to put it in the trade in pile.

Independence Day - Star studded cast

Going to change the format, you can bet I am going to watch this movie again. We own it in both of our houses. It has to be in the top 20 SCI-FI movies ever.

I am not going to break down the actors, this is a big budget film and they casted a great screen play with an all star cast that gave it there all. Props to Mary McConnell as the first lady, I think she reached her personal best. And the Will Smith - Jeff Goldblum dialog is priceless. Apologies to everyone I did not mention.

So watch, or re-watch the movie! Preferably with a subwoofer. Enjoy the quips!

Is it family friendly? I don't know, if finding Nemo is as far as you can go, no. It is rated PG13 for Sci-Fi destruction and violence. Look, I am not the parent of your child, but kids are pretty sophisticated and it is a 1996 film. It is unlikely, though possible, that kids will translate this as real. My six month old Rottweiler barked at a scary piece of cardboard at an outdoor restaurant.

Marie Antoinette - Kirsten Dunst

Even if it is free to stream this movie, your time is worth something. Save it. Horrible screen play, they take forever to engage in what is known as a plot. Elaborate sets and costumes can only take you so far unless you are a costume seamstress.

One thing the movie taught me is that I am glad I was not a king, queen, prince, duke, dauphine etc in those days. I like it when our server at a restaurant keeps our water water glasses full, maybe even throws in a lemon, but one or two people is enough. The idea of dozens and dozens of servers gives me chills. After her first child was born the movie started tracking the story of her life, but it was extremely understated. Unless you already knew about changing the costume of the court for instance, you are very unlikely to pick it up here.

When it goes downhill for Marie, as happened in real life, the movie does track it, but again, if you do not know the historical account, it is unlikely you can track the nails in the veritable headless coffin. Near the end, they do get plain about the queen of debt perception. When she claps at the opera and no one joins her, you would think most movie watchers would  pick up that she is in serious trouble, but they should have planted the seeds.

Another strange aspect of the movie is the sound track, they switch between the sounds of the period and modern music. This does not work for me.

I very much doubt I will watch this movie again, and if Kathy agrees, will put it in the trade-in pile. Heck, they don't even have Spanish subtitles.

Is it family friendly? Well, if skin is the big issue, you see her, (or her body double's) backside. There are some transparent white gowns where you see her nipple. These are in the early part of the movie, I think the filmmaker was hoping these would convince people to watch the end of the movie. I am not qualified to comment on the historical accuracy of the adultery scene, but it is artfully done, (nothing shows). There is not much violence, they flip to French Revolution and some war, (American Revolution?), but it is minor, just a quick flash and not up close and personal.

Rob Roy - Liam Nelson

Intense movie, but then this is a version of the story of Rob Roy McGregor. I thought Jessica Lange played her part quite well, this might be her best role. Liam Nelson was good, but I honestly think he had more gas in his tank.

I liked waterfall and buffalo scene. Cunningham, (Tim Roth), the bad guy, was a very good bad guy.

Will I watch it again, maybe, great scenery. Is it family friendly? There is no graphic sex, but enough blood and gore to give a child nightmares.

Angel Eyes - Jennifer Lopez

This was a great movie. It is absolutely imperative that you watch the beginning of the movie closely, there will be a quiz at the end :) I always liked Jim Caviezel from Person of Interest. However, his acting is off the charts here. The plot and screen writing is excellent.

It is not family friendly. They do not show any bodyparts if sex is your issue, but it has bodybags, bullets in Jennifer's bulletproof vest, (she is a Chicago police officer). There is spousal violence that passes down a generation. But they handle it well, it is a story that needs to be told, that stuff really happens.

I will watch this movie again, it has details and depth.

Windrider - Nicole Kidman

A fantastic sleeper flick. PC, (Police Car), is that guy in The Man From Snowy River, (Tom Burlinson, Jim Craig), but younger. He is very high energy, but one of his true passions is wind surfing. High end, push it hard, wind surfing. And he meets a lovely gal, Nicole Kidman. They fall in love, have a spat, break up. Then he loses some of his edge, that can happen when a shark bites off the nose of your board.

The movie was filmed in Australia and it has some of the classic Aussie quirks. Kathy and I have been there seven times and it is great to have these reminders.

I would like to watch this movie again and glad that Kathy picked it up. It is not family friendly, there is nudity and this, that, and the other thing is implied.

Zardoz - Sean Connery

This is a John Boorman film. I think I need to bite the bullet and order the lot of them. You have to love the originality of the opening proposition, the penis is evil, it shoots seeds that poison the earth, go forth and kill. You have to give it creativity points.

And it is a young Sean Connery. That man aged very well producing intense films at every step of the way.

The overall theme of the movies seems to be what happens when a highly involved brute meets a highly involved civilization.

My favorite line in the movie, "You can't equate their feelings to ours; just entertainment."

Is it family friendly? Heck no. Body parts, small breasts only, (and they are well casted and pretty rare) and it starts and ends with guns. But let me tell you what I like about it for adults. I remember, when I was growing up in the 60s how magazines like Time and Newsweek would tell us we were going to live forever due to medical advances. Does this strike you as a good idea? Remember Genesis, the garden and the trees? These people tasted of a man-made tree of immortality and wanted an out.

This one stays in the collection. There are lessons I want to remind myself of from time to time.

Urban Cowboy - John Travolta

Somehow, I managed to go the entire 35 years since this movie went to press without seeing it. But I am in a bit of a Scott Glenn mood after last night. He is actually very low key in this movie, just a step above cardboard. I think it was scripted that way, the only time he came to life was woman abuse counts for something. That said, near the end of the movie when he is sitting in the bar with Debra Winger, and we cannot hear what either of them are saying it is a powerful scene.

OK, the movie. I found it sad. Really sad, it got better, sort of, towards the end, but why do we need to endure so much, oh no, to get there. The rodeo competition was fun. The crazy thing is this is three movies in a row where a letter, well, card in this case, played a fairly significant role. I have actually ridden a mechanical bull once, in Texas, in fact at Gilley's. Only the Gilley's we went to wasn't in Dallas, it was a 35 minute drive. Didn't last long, no desire to do it again.

I did really like the midnight shift chat with Uncle Bob, (Barry Corbin), before the lightning/fire that took his life. He told Bud, (John Travolta), how pride had nearly been his downfall more than once. If I was to ever watch any of this movie again, it would be that talk.

And I loved the Charlie Daniels Band performance snippets. In fact, I liked the soundtrack not just the music, (which is epic), but the way they laid it out, it made my home theater stand up and dance. I cracked up when I heard Joe Walsh's All Night Long. I was at his concert in Jacksonville and he collapsed, dead drunk, in the opening number.

Family friendly? Not a chance. They were pretty careful about exposing body parts, it isn't really violent, I mean there is the fight at the end and you are kinda cheering for the winner. But, all the sleeping with the wrong person stuff, ARRRRG.

I am totally on the fence. I want to keep it versus I don't plan to watch it again, so it is in a pile to trade in. I don't have to decide tonight, but I will put it in the trade pile, I always end up extending mercy to a few flicks before I send them out.

Nights in Rodanthe

Richard Gere and Diane Lane are two hurting people that slowly start to know and appreciate one another and their acting is solid, but Scott Glenn really pulls his role off well. The bed and breakfast house is amazing. Then they go through a storm together and grow close. This is the second time I have seen this moving and it has enough depth that it is on my "keeper" list.

I can't say it is family friendly, there is no violence, no sex in the sense of body parts showing, but it is deeply emotional and I don't think it is suited for young kids.

Something's Gotta Give

Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves and Amanda Peet, what could possibly go wrong?

Jack is older, really the star of Bucket List really is older and I can relate. I am older too. He has a deep desire for younger women, (less than 30 years of age). I can't relate to that.

Brilliant script, the actors deliver it flawlessly.

This is the second time I have watched this movie and I hope to watch it again. I am going to skip the family friendly stuff, your kids would be bored to death.

Tortilla Soup

I first became aware of Hector Elizondo in Pretty Woman, (and I still think that is his best role, though I love him in this movie).

True confession, I am a sucker for cooking centered movies. I think about new dishes all the time and if it wasn't so much work, I would open a restaurant.

The family dynamics are incredible. The food prep scenes are exciting. The dynamic between two cooks, father, (traditional), and daughter, (more modern/fusion) is really fun and. The troubleshooting scene at the beginning of the movie is fantastic.

I have seen this movie twice before and will almost certainly see it again. I think it is OK for the whole family. Parents may want to pre-screen, there is an underage girl drinking wine, there is the appearance of sex, but unless you are limited to the Sound of Music, it should be fine. But, they did cast Rachel Welch!

The food and menus were created by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. Clearly they are not latinos, but they surely delivered! I surely hope to visit Border Grill and Ciudad Restaurants next time I am in LA.  And if I have the chance, I hope to take a class from Monique King.

Kevin Costner in Dragonfly

Whew, this movie INTENSE. I will freely admit that I can't handle horror movies and such. Early in the movie they introduce Joe's wife. A crazy event happens and she is missing and presumed dead.

I think they do an incredible job in increasing the intensity of the "clues" and really get inside your head.  Is he going crazy or is she trying to contact him? I don't think I should say anymore than that other than expect to be at the edge of your seat.

Live Free or Die Hard - Bruce Willis

We will get to the movie in a minute, but foxsblyray.com sucks. The have these previews that you cannot chapter forward or fast forward. Making people watch the Simpsons is just not cool. I picked this movie up in the $7.50 bin at Walmart.

The movie starts with a very dramatic start, who knew that pressing the delete key would cause your house to explode. The FBI is really mad about something, I missed exactly what and then we see the softer side of Bruce Willis as a father.

The movie follows the Die Hard formula. His daughter makes it clear she doesn't like him, gets captured, he saves her, now they have a relationship. As always the bad guy is very bad, played by Tim Olyphant.  Justin Long is cast as the young hacker that ends up sharing his fate with Bruce Willis.

Fakest part of the movie in my view was the fight between Maggie Q and Bruce Willis, I am guessing she weighs 110 pounds. I don't care how much Kung Fu you have studied, a cop with 30 years experience would know a bit about fighting.

I am keeping this movie in my collection, I suspect I will watch it again.