National Treasure

National Treasure (2004)

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, and Christopher Plummer

Description: Benjamin Franklin Gates descends from a family of treasure-seekers who've all hunted for the same thing: a war chest hidden by the Founding Fathers after the Revolutionary War. Ben's close to discovering its whereabouts, as is his competition, but the FBI is also hip to the hunt.

Review: I thought it was a fun movie. Your typical summer popcorn flick. I did have a good time watching it. The acting was okay and some of the situations were a little hard to believe. I did like the inventions of the founding fathers in hiding this treasure. I thought that was really interesting. One thing it does is make history look fun. I would say its pretty safe for younger kids and would be a good way of introducing them to American History (at least not making it to be boring). All in all, a fun little summer flick.

Score: 2.5 out of 5

Evening

Evening (2007)

Director: Lajos Koltai

Starring: Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Patrick Wilson, Hugh Dancy, Natasha Richardson, Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep, and Glen Close

Description: Evening is a deeply emotional film that illuminates the timeless love which binds mother and daughter -- seen through the prism of one mother's life as it crests with optimism, navigates a turning point, and ebbs to its close.

Review: I thought the movie was okay, but nothing to run to the theater to see. The acting was really good, but the story wasn't all there. I felt they left too many unanswered questions and the character development was sort of poor. Overall, a decent production, but nothing special.

Score: 2.5 out of 5

Book Connections: This movie is based off of the novel of the same name by Susan Minot. I have not read the book, but have been told that there are more answers to my questions in the book. It does sound a bit more depressing, but the characters are more defined. So, if you are looking for a depressing book, this is the one to read.

Evening by Susan Minot (1999)

Orlando

Orlando (1992)

Director: Sally Potter

Starring: Tilda Swinton

Description: Young nobleman Orlando is commanded by Queen Elizabeth I to stay forever young. Miraculously, he does just that. The film follows him as he moves through several centuries of British history, experiencing a variety of lives and relationships along the way, and even changing sex.

Review: Definitely a different movie. I have to say this was one of the more strange movies that I have seen in a while. I think Tilda Swinton did quite a good job with this role. All of the other characters just seemed thrown in the mix in an odd sort of way. It makes me want to read the book just to see what the story really was about. I don't think that Sally Potter really gave enough information as to what was going on. I don't think I would really recommend this movie.

Score: 1.5 out of 5

Book Connections: Sally Potter attempted to bring the novel (of the same name) by Virginia Woolf to the big screen. I have not yet read the book, but I think I will just to see what the real story is all about. The idea is interesting and I really want to see where Virginia Woolf was going with it.

Orlando by Virginia Woolf (1973)

Transformers

Transformers (2007)

Director: Michael Bay

Starring: Shia LeBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Rachel Taylor, Anthony Anderson, Jon Voight, and John Turturro

Description: High-school student Sam Witwicky buys his first car, who is actually the Autobot Bumblebee. Bumblebee defends Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela Banes from the Decepticon Barricade, before the other Autobots arrive on Earth. They are searching for the Allspark, and the war on Earth heats up as the Decepticons attack a United States military base in Qatar. Sam and Mikaela are taken by the top-secret agency Sector 7 to help stop the Decepticons, but when they learn the agency also intends to destroy the Autobots, they formulate their own plan to save the world.

Review: An awesome summer movie! I felt like a kid again watching this movie. All of my memories of the original cartoon came back as I was watching the movie. Honestly, I was a little concerned how they would make a feature length movie about the Transformers, but was pleasantly surprised by a believable storyline. I also loved that they brought back the original voice of Optimus Prime. The only real negative thing about it was the length. It was nearly 2.5 hours long. Other than that, I thought it was really good, especially the special effects. It really looked like they were transforming in real life. All in all, a great summer movie.

Score: 4 out of 5

North & South

North & South (2004)

Director: Brian Percival

Starring: Daniela Denby-Ashe, Richard Armitage, Tim Pigott-Smith, and Sinead Cusack

Description: This series operates on many levels. At the heart of the series is the tempestuous relationship between Margaret Hale, a young woman from a southern middle class family who finds herself uprooted to the north, and John Thornton, a formerly poverty-stricken cotton mill owner terrified of losing the viability of his business. Around them are class struggles between the workers and mill owners and ideological struggles between the industrial North and the agrarian South. After moving North, Margaret's father befriends his student Mr. Thornton. Margaret has already formed her opinion of Mr. Thornton independently after seeing him treat his workers harshly. As the series progresses, she and we the audience begin to learn that his strict treatment is due to an overarching concern for his mill and by extension, his employees. John Thornton, on the other hand, is attracted to Margaret's independence and position in society as a well-educated Southerner. As in "Pride and Prejudice" the marriage proposal comes in the middle of the series and is rejected by Margaret. Contrary to "Pride and Prejudice" it is mirrored in social upheaval as the entire town is brought to its knees by a strike. The latter half of the series is an unraveling of the former misunderstandings ending in a romantic reconciliation which is again mirrored by reconciliation between workers and mill owners.

Review: I was completely blown away by this production. I am left with such emotion after watching this. The actors did such a wonderful job at bringing these characters to life. I felt like I was right there with them during the story and hoping things would turn out better. The cinematography was wonderful as well. Everything looked beautiful... even the dirty Milton. I highly recommend that anyone see this movie.

Score: 5 out of 5

Book Connections: This production was based off of the book of the same name by Elizabeth Gaskell. I confess that I had not heard of this book, but now after seeing this movie I feel that I need to get myself a copy of this book. Uptdate: I have now read the book and absolutely love it. For a full review, click here.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (1855)

The Way We Live Now

The Way We Live Now (2001)(Mini)

Director: David Yates

Starring: David Suchet, Matthew MacFadyen, Shirley Henderson, Paloma Baeza, Cillian Murphy, and Miranda Otto.

Description: At the centre of the story is Augustus Melmotte (David Suchet), a European-born city financier, whose origins are as mysterious as his business dealings. Trollope describes him as 'something in the city', but the "something" part is not always clear. Within weeks of arriving in London, he announces a new company and promises instant fortune to those who join him in this scheme. Melmotte is surrounded by a circle of decadent aristos, scheming widows and nouveau riche businessmen, all trying to get a piece of the financial pie. His disobedient daughter, Marie, is played by Shirley Henderson, while Cheryl Campbell, Matthew Macfadyen and Paloma Baeza bring to life the aristocratic but impoverished Carbury family.

Review: What an outstanding production. This was a very good costume drama. The acting was very well. David Suchet was outstanding. I already love him as Poirot, but he was just excellent as Mellmotte. I found Matthew MacFadyen to be so alive. He seems so stiff in some other roles, but here he was outstanding. The rest of the cast just made this movie so fun to watch. I also waneted to check this movie out to see what kind of director David Yates was. I found the production so delightful that I can't wait to see what he does to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Overall, this is a mini-series to see.

Score: 5 out of 5

Book Connections: This mini-series was based off of the novel of the same title by Anthony Trollope. I had no experience with this novel, but I find that I am definitely intrigued by it and will have to check it out. From reviews I have read it appears that this production stayed close to the book, but I will have to judge that for myself.


The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope (1875)

1408

1408 (2007)

Director: Mikael Hafstrom

Starring: John Cusack, Mary McCormack, and Samuel L. Jackson

Description: Based on the short Stephen King horror story of the same name, 1408 surrounds supernatural writer Mike Enslin, an author of two hit books focusing on supernatural phenomena. As research for his latest book, Enslin is determined to check out the notorious room 1408 in a New York City hotel by personally staying as a guest in the fabled room. With the intention that 1408 is just a myth perpetuated by stories and rumor that Enslin has collected for his past works. However, hotel manager Mr. Olin has strong objections to Enslin's stay and only warns him of possible danger to come. But Enslin is determined to go through and convinced that the horrific past of 1408 is just mere coincidence and a myth. But what Mike Enslin is about to experience is no myth, as 1408 truly is a room where the guests don't check out by noon.

Review: This movie had me on the edge of my seat. I had to watch many parts with my fingers over my eyes. The soundtrack added that extra "scare" to the movie. Overall, I found the movie to be very interesting and creepy (but a good creepy). I think the message left by the movie was very interesting as well. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Book Connection: This movie was based off of one of Stephen King's short stories (of the same name) in the collection entitled, Everything's Eventual. I have yet to read this collection but do have it on hold at the library. Once I finish that I will give my analysis at my book journal.


Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King