Toy Story 3

Back to the world of Woody and Buzz Lightyear. And what a wonderfully sweet world it is. When Toy Story 1 came out, I gave it the best review I'd ever given a film- with good cause. The Toy Story franchise is so perfect for kids and adults. I cannot imagine not liking this film. It is funny and probably very exciting for little kids. Of course it has a good ending, but it has a great beginning and middle, too. The animation is clean and colorful and the story line is energetic. After such pap as "UP", it's nice to have a story that sticks to the premise and doesn't take you on a preachy and disjointed plot addition. It is seamless. Don't miss it.

Get Him to the Greek

I thought this movie was very, very funny. I'd like to say it was the magnificent acting, but really, I think only Russell Brand was great. It was,however, the group of actors assembled- particularly using P Diddy as a rock promoter. It was gross and silly and rude and hilarious all at once. I can see how some people wouldn't like it at all. But I laughed out loud about every 5 minutes. It's Jonah Hill's (the nebbish underling) job to get Russell Brand (the rock star) to the Greek theater in LA for a revival of Brand's rock career. The movie is a recounting of how that happens. I would say that if you liked movies like Superbad, well, this is better. So, on a rainy day, if it is still playing, go see it.

Solitary Man

Michael Douglas plays a 60 something year old car dealership(s) owner who is a liar, a womanizer, and basically a man of little character who is divorced and trying to start over after a stint in the pokey for deceptive practice (I think that was the charge- it was murky). His ex-wife, Susan Sarandon, got to keep the gorgeous NYC apartment, and she has moved on with a stellar career in real estate. His daughter, the dead pan Jenna Fischer, tries to have a non-co-dependent relationship with her father while trying to balance her marriage with her father's needs. Douglas plays the role with a level of mindless creepiness that keeps the audience at arm's length. Everyone is believable. Douglas and Fischer are perfectly cast. Anyone could have done the Sarandon role. I liked this film. It isn't a big movie, but it is a very interesting one.

Iron Man II

Okay, I'll get it over with. Paltrow is as nasal and flat and boring in this as she was in the first. Scarlet Johansson is almost as bad but she gets to run around in a cat suit, so that at least distracts you from her wooden acting. There, I'm done. The rest of the movie is great. If you liked the first one, you will like the second one. I found the film predictable except for the fact that the final battle scene (oh come on, you know there's one) seemed really SHORT- I kept waiting for Mickey Rourke to pop back up. Robert Downey Jr is really great- he's familiar with the material. Rourke is always going to play a perfect villain. The special effects are perfect. Aw- just go see it because there was not one curse word, no graphic sex (just some unfortunate, chemistry lacking kisses between Paltrow and Downey), and only one hanging. So, have fun!

Babies

This documentary follows a baby from Japan, the USA, Mongolia and Namibia from birth until they begin to walk. It is exactly as you would think. The baby in Namibia is raised by tribal women, wears no diapers ever, teeths on an old animal bone, is filthy except when his mom spits on him, and is treated like just another kid by the sibs. The baby in Mongolia is tied to a bed when the mother is outside, is allowed to run free with goats and cattle, and is brought home on a motocycle. The baby in Japan is doted upon (even though it is a girl) and is set up for academic work by the age of 1. The San Francico kid is smothered by a boring mother whose reaction is always a sense of ridiculous calm- and when hit in the face, pulls out a book called "no hitting", has her kid in a group where they sing about mother earth while the kid tries to escape (probably wishing she LIVED on the earth like the Mongolian kid), and of course, despite her hippie parents she is surrounded by plastic toys and expensive, unnecessary strollers. It is obvious which babies will grow up to be calm and happy (Namibia and especially Mongolia) and which baby will be pushed (Tokyo) and which will run away at 16 (san Fran). This would be a great film for a pregnant mom to see- it does show how babies are made to survive. And a little dirt doesn't kill them- well, not usually.