Temple Grandin

I've just finished watching this movie, and WOW, what a beautiful, heartwarming story it is! When Claire Danes received her Golden Globe Best Actress award for this movie and she raved about the real Temple Grandin, I knew this was a movie I had to see.

Temple Grandin was diagnosed with autism at age four, but her mother insisted on doing everything she could to help her learn, talk and develop her independence. Temple 'thinks in pictures', and is especially able to visualise the science and technology behind machines and apparatus. She also has a special talent of empathising with animals and being able to see through their eyes.

Temple Grandin has created enclosures that are humane for cattle going to slaughter, by taking away the stressors that make an animal's life scary and changing the environment to make the cattle more relaxed. This was such a revolutionary idea, and it is amazing to see how her inventions came to life in the movie.

I HIGHLY recommend seeing this film, especially if you are a mother, a teacher, or know someone with autism, or other special needs. It is inspiring and uplifting, and the effects used to simulate the way Temple thinks in pictures are fascinating. I am in love with this film!!

My rating:

*****

Leap Year

This is a sweet movie starring Amy Adams. As Anna, she travels to Ireland to meet up with her fiancé, who you can tell from the onset is a right git! Catastrophes occur and she has to be rescued by a guy in a pub in Wales who drives her to Dublin.

Comical moments abound, with car antics, mud puddles, and having to pretend they are a couple.

I enjoyed it. It was a laugh, and there were some convincing romantic moments. Matthew Goode, the guy from Wales, was pretty adorable, the sweeping landscape was beautiful, and Amy Adams wore great clothes.

Tell me, though, why do women in romantic comedies always have to be portrayed as stupid and clumsy? Do guys only go for women because they are pretty? I think not. So why would they hook up with someone so obviously moronic!

Ah, the world of movies! Frustrating, but it works.

My rating:
****

Predators

Predators is promoted on Foxtel as the remake of the original Predator. But it is not. It is actually another writer’s take on what should have happened in Predator 2. Interesting.

If you don't know the story, 8 people are dropped into a jungle and have to fight off strange dinosaur-like animals and monsters. That is the whole story.

I was surprised to see that Adrian Brody was the main star. He doesn’t strike me as the action hero type, but he actually was really suited to the role. Tall, deep voice, serious face, and a great, lean bod.

The cast seemed to me to be gratuitously multicultural, but they worked well together.

The highlight of the film for me was Topher Grace, from That Seventies Show. He was sooo good-looking in this! Also, he was the comic relief and had the best lines.

There were great action scenes with believeable settings, realistic character reactions and scary monster faces. The film was full of running, shooting, chasing and getting dirty; good scary fun!

My rating:
****

Miracle on 34th Street

LOVE this gorgeous old movie, that reminds us to believe in miracles. The casting for this film is exceptional, and every minute is worthwhile. The final scene makes my heart skip a beat every time, and I look forward to it all the way through the film. This is a film you MUST see at least once in your lifetime. LOVE IT!!

My rating:
*****

Separation City

This movie is brilliant! It is about a group of men and woman who are disillusioned with their relationships and the strategies they use to cope. I laughed heaps and learned a lot too.

The film is set in New Zealand and has some stunning shots of the landscape, making me want to travel there!

The characters are quirky and yet so true to life. Each of them is perfectly cast, and completely believable.

This film is highly recommended, especially for those in long-term relationships who will relate to many of the jokes. The final sentence perfectly sums up the secret to keeping a marriage strong. I'll leave you to find out what it is.

Clash of the Titans

People I know have raved about this movie, so I was expecting big things. It’s a movie that should really be seen on the big screen because of the massive monsters and landscape scenes. But we missed that moment.

The story took awhile to warm up, although the opening scenes with Pete Postlethwaite as Perseus’ earthly father, Spyros, were engaging. Liam Neeson was brilliant as Zeus, as was Ralph Fiennes as Hades, although they reminded me of 70s rock stars with their slicked back hair, long beards and sparkling cloaks!

Sam Worthington definitely had the bod for Perseus, but something wasn’t quite right – the accent maybe? Or maybe that he looked more like your average man, rather than a demigod? There wasn’t enough sex appeal in his face. Okay, he was meant to be angry, but he just brooded all the way through. I think the PERFECT actor for this role would have been Tom Welling who plays Clark Kent in Smallville.

He is just beautiful, and looks like a demigod!

The women were stunning, and included Alexa Davalos, as Andromeda, and Gemma Arterton as Io.

 Io was played beautifully by Gemma Arterton; her voice is captivating, and she stole many of the scenes.

Considering the huge budget they would have had for this movie, some of the computer graphics should have been better. Although the ideas for her character were brilliant, the Medusa looked completely animated. The scorpions and the white Pegasus were stilted and unconvincing (but I guess they were a whole lot better than the ones in the original Clash of the Titans film!) The black Pegasus was impressive, as were the scenes with the Kraken.

Ultimately, this film didn’t really grab me. There was a lot of action, but what was really missing was a sense of humour. If you think of other big movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, and Transformers, it is the comedy that adds warmth and endearment. So, if you want to see a movie about the Greek Gods and have a laugh as well, see Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – now that movie has the wow factor!

Valentine's Day

You can't help but adore this movie, about a whole bunch of people and their experiences of one Valentine's Day. There are a heap of famous actors in this, however the main story line is for Jennifer Garner, and Ashton Kutcher (cute!) I love that she is a teacher and he is a florist!

True love, betrayals, confusion, and revelations are all wrapped up in two hours of fun. There were some classic quotes where we laughed out loud! Even your kids can watch this movie with you, as there is nothing offensive in it. Loved it!