My World - do you recognise it?

A very famous spot 60 miles from home we have long planned to visit

There's not much out here to see, which is exactly why it was chosen

It's a crossroads in Texas in the middle of nowhere

A world famous actor once stood here trying to decide

Which road he should turn down

The Hubster never saw a redhead in a red truck
If he had, she might have told him the same she told Tom Hanks (Chuck Noland) "Well, that's 83 South. And this road here will hook you up with I-40 East. If you turn right, that'll take you to Amarillo, Flagstaff, California. And if you head back that direction, you'll find a whole lot of nothing all the way to Canada"

It really is as totally silent as it is in Castaway. We went to stand where Tom stood and to pickup the Geocache hidden there, it was a fun trip!
Movie pics courtesy of 20th Century Fox

To join in the fun go to My World Tuesday

What do you think?

Which should we go to see at the cinema today? Have you seen either or both?

Avatar I know nothing about it, apart from it's a huge success, hugely expensive, a fantasy (not usually a fan) and people keep raving about it. But what's holding me back is my fear it will make me feel queasy - seriously! The few times I have put on 3D glasses and watched something, most recently at the Adler Planetarium, even 30 mins made me feel yucky? Anyone have a similar problem with 3D but made it through Avatar okay?

Sherlock Holmes appeals because I love the stories, love Robert Downey Jr even more, action packed and it's a chance to see a wonderful re-creation of olde London I have heard.

Would love some opinions if you have them, and reassurance on Avatar not making me feel sick!

Classic moments I always react to...

Tonight I was indulging in one of my all time favourite movies, The Sound of Music. Which I am delighted to see is also considered essential family Christmas viewing by the networks here. Anyway, one scene got me thinking about those moments in movies that have continued to touch me or connect with me, no matter how many times I see them.

And so I worked me up a little list!

First the moment that inspired the list, from The Sound of Music - 'Sixteen going on Seventeen' the duet sung in the summerhouse with rain falling, by Leisl and Rolf. Why - because it epitomises young love, it's innocence and the thrill of that first kiss.

Next to pop into my head was the infamous scene from Pretty Woman. The one every woman dreams of re-enacting with some snotty shop assistant, because we've all run into at least one sometime!

Vivian: Do you remember me?
Salesperson: No, I'm sorry.
Vivian: I was in here yesterday. You wouldn't wait on me?
Salesperson: Oh.
Vivian: You work on commission, right?
Salesperson: Ah, yes.
Vivian: Big mistake. Big. Huge! [turns away] I have to go shopping now!

An iconic role and movie next, I love this whole movie, but two scenes standout. The last scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's where they are trying to find 'cat' and then Audrey singing 'Moon River', the one I chose to share.

The final scene from Never Been Kissed has one of the greatest movie kisses ever, is just so wonderfully romantic and has a guy to die for in it. It never fails to bring a tear to my eye, plus it has one of the best Beach Boys tracks playing throughout it.

And the last one for now is the ending to Thelma And Louise, the ultimate movie about an unbreakable female friendship. They stand by each other through thick and thin, whatever life throws at them. A tearjerker ending, but in a strange way still positive, as they never give up on each other.

Thanks to You Tube for enabling me to share these moments, I think we can glean from these, I am a hopeless romantic!

Care to share your unforgettable movie moments?

'Knowing'

Well "WOW" would be the first thing I would say about this movie, it was so not what I thought it was! It's certainly interesting and the Hubster knew exactly what it was trying to depict by the end (Biblical connection), and I'll say nothing more so as not to ruin it.

I'm a fan of Nicolas Cage, most of his movies are entertaining and often make you think, and this is another one of those. It wasn't at all what I expected and got pretty spooky in parts and I don't do 'spooky'!! But I made it through, although I did have to go around and close all the curtains to stop me totally freaking out.

Followers or students of prophecy/astronomy will probably have a field day with this film. It certainly made me think and maybe global warming is already out of our hands, this will make you wonder. I'd recommend it but watch out for the 'jumpy' bits!

Simply great entertainment!

New In Town is one of those movies that ticks/checks all the highly satisfying boxes there are.

It's the latest Renee Zellweger rom-com vehicle and co-stars Harry Connick Jr as her love interest. She is the high powered corporate executive from Miami, sent to frigid Minnesota to oversee the downsizing of a smalltown production plant. Think a seriously skinny (which is aging her badly!) 'Bridget Jones' and you're very close to her character here.

This movie is laugh out loud funny, with a couple of classic one liners and one particular moment of dialogue in the woods that had me in tears it was so funny! The plant workers have that salt of the earth quirky charm and backwoods dry humour that is just perfect. The character development is good and you just can't help rooting for them and growing attached.

Harry Connick Jr plays it understated perfectly as a foil to Rene, and despite a god-awful beard, you can't help finding him attractive. The other lead character in this movie is the weather which is frigid and it's comic potential is played out beautifully. Also be sure to watch the deleted scenes as they're very funny.

We both LOVED this movie, in fact it will be joining our DVD collection as soon as I get to WalMart. You just can't beat a feel good rom-com that's not a chick-flick and makes you laugh out loud, this is a classic.

Four quickies!

Well after I loaded all the pictures for the four movies we have watched this past week, I chuckled and thought 'wow, nobody can accuse of us of not being diverse'!!

You can't beat a bit of Morgan Freeman, and The Contract is a thriller that we overlooked when it came out. Co-starring John Cusack, it tells the story of a father and son heading out to bond on a camping trip, only to find themselves hotly pursued by hitmen! Why, well they have taken Freeman into custody after he escapes on his way to prison and are intent on taking him back to justice. But Freeman is a mercenary hitman and his team are determined to track them down before the FBI, and rescue him.

We really enjoyed this fast moving thriller, the acting is good, the scenery stunning and the story plausible. We would both definitely recommend this movie, it will hold your attention from the outset.

Bride Wars is an entertaining chick-flick bit of fluff. Starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as life long bestfriends, with the same dream to marry at The Plaza in NYC in June. The problems start when their wedding planner, brilliantly played by Candice Bergan, screws up their dates and one has to give up the dream. Well neither of them is budging, so their weddings are planned for the same day and time, splitting friends and family down the middle. As the big day draws closer, the arch rivals resort to ever worsening desperately destructive tactics, with some laugh out loud moments as a result.

This is not a taxing movie, but it even made the hubster laugh out loud a few times. It's entertaining, has a nice angle on friendship and the things it has to overcome and both actresses are naturally funny. So if you need a fun bit of escapism, with wedding fever thrown in, then give this a try.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is not a movie to watch if your having an 'ugly' or 'fat & frumpy' week, it'll just depress you further! It is full of the creme of Hollywood beauties, with Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem for us ladies. It tells the story of two friend's summer spent in Barcelona, and their closely intertwined relationship with Javier and his crazy ex-wife Penelope. It is a stunningly beautiful movie to look at, reminding me of the classic Merchant Ivory films of the nineties which were just cinematically lush. We loved the narrated style of the story, making it easy to follow and the acting was excellent.

Neither of us are Woody Allen fans, but this is Woody at his most commercially accessible and we enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed it more than the hubster, but it is a movie all about complicated lover relationships and that's often more of a female thing. But this is not a chick flick, as it is subtler and more intelligent. I would give this a good 4 stars, I think the hubster was about 2.5!

Transformers was a loaner from a colleague at work and I have to say we were both extremely dubious, having thought it was a kids film. Well we were pleasantly surprised to find it was more of an action thriller, with a heavy military slant! It stars Shia Le Beouf (Indiana Jones 4) and Josh Duhamel (of Las Vegas and wife Fergie, fame) as they fight against an initially unknown enemy, with the help of the alien Transformers. The special effects in this movie are stunning and we were both pretty much transfixed without speaking for the whole movie. But then that might also have been because this was WITHOUT DOUBT the noisiest movie ever made in the history of the world!! It has one of those incredibly annoying soundtracks where they have the actors and the background noise/music on the same channel, a big pet peeve of ours.

But there was no denying it was entirely not what we expected it to be and very entertaining. I am glad we didn't see it in the cinema as we might have walked out due to deafness, but it's a great Friday night action movie for your sofa.

Overall none of these were bad, we enjoyed them all, but I think we would both recommend 'The Contract' as the best of the bunch.

All 8 were well deserved

Oscars that is! It's so nice to finally see a film that deserves every accolade and award it received. This is without doubt the best picture we have seen in a long time, unlike previous winners that were a big disappointment. This film is brilliantly directed by Danny Boyle and the format of flashbacks depicting the heroes life, worked very well for us.

Slumdog Millionaire is a film that pulls no punches, showing the real side of life, not the polished Hollywood 'reality'. It is gritty, funny, heart-rending, horrifying, nervewracking, uplifting and ultimately just a joy to watch. It shows that despite living through hell, a persons humanity can survive intact and their spirit ultimately triumph.

I'm not going to add anything else, other than to urge you to see this wonderful film, you won't regret it.

Sunday Review

Nights in Rodanthe is based on the book by Nicholas Sparks, one of my favourite authors, although I have not read this particular book. So I can't comment on whether the movie is true to the book, but I can tell you I was slightly disappointed in this movie.

I had been looking forward to seeing this for awhile and certainly the location and sets lived up to my expectations. The lead roles are taken by Richard Gere and Diane Lane, they are well cast but neither of them light up the screen.

It tells the story of their meeting on a stormy weekend at a very upmarket B&B on the beach in Rodanthe. They are both damaged goods, him by the loss of a patient during a routine surgery and her by the collapse of her marriage. As they ride out a hurricane, they slowly reveal their problems to each other and find solace in sharing. I won't reveal anymore, or I will be giving away too much of the plot.

So why was I disappointed, well it was a bit like putting on a favourite pair of sloppy, comfy tracksuit pants (bottoms). It was just everyday, not fancy, slightly saggy but still comforting when there's nothing else to put on!

As nice as both Diane Lane & Richard Gere are to look at, neither of them have ever been the greatest actors. Richard in particular seems to have a set range of expressions and I found myself watching thinking 'yep, seen that one before Richard'! It just didn't stir up any real emotion in me, so I guess they failed to connect with me as characters.

I thought it was okay, but it's nowhere near as good as another charming Diane Lane film, Under the Tuscan Sun and so I'd recommend seeing that instead!

And if you really want to be moved and connect emotionally this weekend, then go and watch THIS. It's what made me cry on Oprah and has again twice since!

Sunday Reviews

We watched Australia on Friday night and really enjoyed it. It's a long movie, far better suited to the comfort of your sofa than the cinema, but it kept us both engaged throughout.

It stars the wonderful Nicole Kidman and the deeply delicious Hugh Jackman, who were both perfectly cast for these roles. It tells the story of Lady Sarah Ashley's takeover of her deceased husbands Australian Cattle Ranch and her relationship with the Drover (Jackman), and Nulla a half-caste Aboriginal boy. The story follows their fight to keep Nulla from the authorities, and the driving of her 1500 head of cattle to Darwin to be sold to the military. But there's a hitch, in the form of a Cattle Baron who has the cattle market monopoly apart from her ranch and is determined to get it.

It's all set against the backdrop of the impending attack by the Japanese in WWII, which by the end of the movie is well underway. This is a Baz Luhman movie, he also made Moulin Rouge, and so it has a different feel to it that we personally loved. He makes use of old maps as screenshots, a slightly mystical element in the filming and the whole thing is lush to look at.

We'd highly recommend this movie, it's a sweeping epic, with a great cast and a good story. I spoke to a friend yesterday who also saw it on Friday and they felt the exact same way as us.

Now just a quick book review...I am right in the midst of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. It took me 2 books to really get into them, but now I'm hooked and loving the adventures of this 'off the wall' female bounty hunter.

The characters are developed more with each book, the plots are believeable and at times I laugh out loud at the humour. I am a relative late comer to these books, as detective type stories are not usually my thing, but these are great and I highly recommend them.

Sunday Movie Reviews

We watched Changeling starring Angelina Jolie last weekend. It is inspired by the true story of a woman who's son went missing in 1920's Los Angeles and her battle with a very corrupt LAPD. Desperate for a successful outcome to this widely publicised case, they claim they have found her missing son Walter, only for it to be the wrong child.

Due to the times (of female repression) and pressure from the LAPD, she takes him home despite knowing it's not her son. Over the following months and years she fights the LAPD to prove he's not her son and continue their search, whilst the LAPD resort to truly desperate measure to cover-up her story and discredit her. Eventually an LAPD detective stumbles on the truth and an even bigger case emerges.

This movie was well directed by Clint Eastwood and is very true to the period and times. Angelina portrays the mother with great sympathy and emotion, she is a character you cannot help but care about. I very much enjoyed this movie, the Hubster did too, although he felt it could have been told in less time.

On Friday night we watched Body of Lies starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott.

The movie is about Roger Ferris (Di Caprio) a CIA operative in the Middle East; Ed Hoffman (Crowe) is his control at Langley. After a stint in Iraq, Roger works with Hani Salaam in Amman, Jordan's head of security, whose only dictum is "Don't lie to me." The Americans are after a fanatical cleric who's group places bombs all over Europe. When Hani rebukes Ed's demand that Jordan allow the Americans to use one of Jordan's double agents, Roger and Ed hatch a plan to bring the cleric to them. The plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse.

This is very much about modern warfare and makes you realise what's actually going on over there. The use of satellites for spying, cell phones, computers and setting others up is all covered in depth.

I loved this movie, but then I am a big fan of spy/espionage plots and Leonardo Di Caprio, a seriously under-rated actor in my book. The Hubster was tired and so thought it was okay, but he dozed off a couple of times and this is a movie you need to watch closely due to all the twists. Just a note to the squeamish, there are a few gory shots, but I got through them fine.

In summary, both these films are recommended, but Body of Lies gets the highly recommended.

Eagle Eye

Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes them into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.

This movie has a surprisingly stellar cast with Shia LeBeouf (Indiana Jones), Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton and Michael Chiklis.

It is a very fast paced action movie, many big stunts (reportedly not CGI) and with lots of intrigue thrown in to the mix. The plot, in this day and age of constant surveillance, I thought was perfectly plausible. We both really enjoyed this movie and were glued to it for the whole two hours.

Traitor

Traitor stars the superb Don Cheadle, Jeff Daniels and Guy Pearce in a movie all about espionage, politics, the world of terrorism and the ongoing fight against it. It is an intelligent and fast paced plot, with alot of twists and turns.

This movie tells the story of an FBI agents chase to catch a former agent who has gone over to the other side. It travels across the world through Yemen, Spain, France, England, Canada and the USA.

I can't tell you anything else without giving away critical parts of the plot. But we both loved this movie and would highly recommend it.

The Duchess

The strange relationship of the fifth Duchess of Devonshire, her husband and the Lady 'Bess' Foster has fascinated historians for decades, and there have been at least three major biographies written on their relationship in the last twenty years. Even on her own though the Duchess would have been a fascinating character.

This wonderful movie tells the story of the marriage with three people in it, and her growth as a person, in a compelling and sympathetic way. It is positively sumptuous to look at from the locations, through the amazing costumes and all the way to the spectacularly tall hair! If you love to see England, then you'll enjoy this movie as much as the Hubster did, the scenery is beautiful and features some famous English landmarks.

The lead actors were well chosen; Keira Knightley was made for corsets and costume drama, and yet again she does not disappoint. The Duke is played by a wonderfully austere Ralph Fiennes, who epitomises how the aristocratic men of the time were expected to behave and live. It is also the most realistic portrayal I have seen yet, of women in the 1700's having no control over their own lives.

Princess Diana was a direct descendant of the Duchess and apparently was fascinated by her and the similarities their lives shared. There are moments when the parallels in their lives across hundreds of years are uncanny, and I thought of Diana alot as I watched.

If you enjoy this kind of historically factual costume drama, then we would both highly recommend this classy movie.

What a laugh!

I borrowed Fred Claus on DVD off a work colleague and what a laugh this movie is from start to finish!

I think the Hubster was a bit dubious, but we both thoroughly enjoyed it and I laughed out loud numerous times. It has a great cast with Vince Vaughn (who I love), Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates and Kevin Spacey. It tells the story of Santa's older and ever so slightly bitter elder brother.

After ending up in jail for impersonating a charity Santa on the street with a money tin and a brawl with 20 real charity Santa's, he has to go to work at the North Pole to repay his brother for bailing him out. He is soon causing chaos with the elves, including a very funny scene with Chris 'Ludacris' Brown, as the annoying elf DJ Donnie who plays 'Here comes Santa Claus' on a loop! Kevin Spacey shows up as an efficiency expert looking to shutdown the North Pole and Santa.

This one comes highly recommended, even after the Christmas period is done and dusted! It is definitely one of those movies that successfully straddles the fine line between being, just a kids movie or entertaining for adults too.

Thank you ABC!

For filling my Sunday evening with nostalgia, wonderful music, great acting, humour and Kleenex! Did I ever tell you I adore The Sound of Music, it just makes me so happy I'm an emotional wreck by the end!

Hubster Heaven!

It's 10:20am Saturday morning, there are no jobs needed in the house, it's 32 degree's outdoors so better to stay in. And on AMC channel they are showing Hang 'Em High, the Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone spaghetti western. He's in hog heaven and I just heard him say to one of the kitties:

"That's the kind of lawman dad would have been back then"!! I just sniggered and shook my head.

MEN!!

My 12 loves of Christmas - 7/8

It just ain't Christmas for me without watching The Sound of Music. I am sure many of the other Brit's born in the 60's/70's can confirm it was shown on the BBC every year sometime over the holidays. So now it's just part of Christmas for me, thanks to the Beeb! The Hubster does not feel the same way and usually sleeps through it!

And whilst watching the movie you'll probably find me munching on a Minced Pie with a mug of Earl Grey Tea. I have found that not many of the Americans I know like these little traditional Christmas Pies. They are basically a sweet pastry, with a dried fruit in a rich sauce filling. The last time I checked, they sell about 40 million of these in England during November & December! It's a Brit' thing!

'Your' one and only James Bond is....

With a resounding 15 clear votes, he's gonna take some catching!

Mr Craig came a distant second with 5 outright and alot of 'he might eventually surpass Sean' votes. It seems he's made a promising start in the fans eyes.

Who's your Bond of choice?

With the latest Bond movie Quantum of Solace fast approaching release, I thought it would be fun to find out your fave and give my thoughts on the Bond boys.

George Lazenby just didn't have the 'oomph' and screen presence for this ultimate leading man, although the movie was good.

Sean was an all round class act, who still to this day epitomises James Bond for many. He had the rawness required, the bad boy charm, humour and the style. Plus none of the others have ever said "Mish Moneypenny" with quite as much inuendo and charisma. He gets my vote by a hair.

Sorry Roger, but I just don't know what their thinking was when they chose you. Unless they figured there was no way to replace Sean, so lets just go to the complete opposite! Way too smooth and smarmy for me, in fact almost put me off for life!

The much maligned Timothy Dalton, was in my mind a huge improvement on Roger and a much better actor. He brought back the rawness of the Bond from the original books, but just never quite connected with the audience.

Now Pierce was within a miniscule whisker of Sean as my all time fave. Admittedly I was a huge fan from way back in his Remington Steele days and fervently wanted him as Bond for years. Well I got my wish and he lived up to my expectations. He blended the required elements Sean had, although leaning slightly more towards the charm and humour side. I loved all the films he made and was sorry to see him retire.

And finally Mr Craig, who has always been a great character actor. I personally think given the opportunity he may just turn out to be the best Bond ever, if people can get past the nostalgia for Sean. His first attempt was a huge hit and he made Bond slightly dark and dangerous, just as the books originally intended. He has the rawness and some emotional complexity, the dry Brit' humour, less of the charm, but the charisma and sex appeal literally drips off the screen! I for one will be queueing up to see the new film and Casino Royale is already in our DVD collection.

So who is your ultimate Bond and why?

A legend passes the finishing line

Paul Newman passed away yesterday, after a long battle with cancer.

He was a man of many public faces; a master craftsman of acting, a passionate and highly skilled racer, business entrepreneur and loving committed family man.

This Oscar winner left us with many memorable movie moments; The Hustler, Color of Money, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in particular.

He was married to Joanne happily for decades, there was never any of the usual scandal surrounding his private life. He was simply a gentleman, family man and always showed class.

He started making salad dressings in the basement of his home and grew a hobby into a multi-million dollar, worldwide successful brand - 'Newman's Own'. All the profits from this business were given to charity. He was quite the philanthropist, in 2005-06 he gave away $120 million.

And if all that wasn't enough, he then followed his true passion for motor-racing and built one of the all time great racing teams under his leadership. But he was also the fastest man on the planet of his age, we watched a race last year, where this 82yr old won by a mile with ease!

I will always smile at the thought of him wearing a hat and circling the yard on an old bike to 'Raindrops keep falling on my head'.

Rest in peace Paul.