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Whoops! I just realized I haven't reviewed a movie since April. Had to look up on Netflix what I've watched because I've forgotten already.

First up is "Mrs. Henderson Presents". Dan totally shocked me by watching it with me (eccentric British characters not being his preference). This movie came out in 2005 and stars Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. Dench plays a newly bereaved woman in 1930's England who is appalled to discover that she is now expected to make idle chitchat at boring society functions for the rest of her life. Fortunately, she is wealthy, so her quirky nature is tolerated, but she causes quite a stir when she acquires a theatre and decides to feature a nude revue. She does have to make some concessions to appease the powers that be, the main stipulation being that the women in the revue must stand absolutely still when nude on stage as though they were art sculptures in a museum. The story is hilarious and touching and for the most part surprisingly tasteful (although I'm sure Dan was a bit taken aback by a brief full frontal of Hoskins). And if you doubt Mrs. Henderson's sanity during the course of the film, after she makes a speech justifying the importance of the theatre, you'll agree that her heart was in the right place all along. I recommend this one, especially for anyone burned out by all the summer sequels who wishes to turn the other cheek, heh heh.

Dan finally picked out some movies he wanted to see, or, rather, ones he was interested in that I might also like. First one to meet this criteria was "Hollywoodland". Part crime story, part biography, it chronicles the life and death of George Reeves, the man who portrayed Superman on television. This role was both blessing and curse for Reeves. He was a dramatic film actor who needed work at a time when television was for the most part still a novelty. He was embarrassed at being associated with what was considered a substandard medium even though this brought him great fame, and he was pretty much typecast for the rest of his abbreviated life. But even though the main story line is about Reeves, it is filtered through the eyes of a sleazy detective who tries to figure out if Reeves committed suicide or was murdered (he did NOT die trying to fly off a building; that is the stuff of urban legend). Several people associated with Reeves are suspected, including a wealthy married woman played by Diane Lane who uses Reeves as a boy toy. Ben Affleck is Reeves, and he effectively portrays a man who never wanted to be a superhero.

Next up was "Stranger Than Fiction". I passed this one up in the theatre because I was not fond of Will Ferrell in film, but I kept hearing that he was actually good in this one, so I put it in the Netflix queue. Excellent choice. Ferrell plays Harold Crick, a routine man in a routine world. Or at least all is routine until he hears a female voice in his head narrating his life. That voice is Emma Thompson, playing an author with writer's block who is trying to figure out how to kill Crick, who is coincidentally a character in the book she's composing. Crick is bewildered to discover that no one else can hear the voice in his head and that his death is imminent. He consults a literature professor played by Dustin Hoffman. The professor initially dismisses Crick as an overstressed man plagued by OCD, but he does eventually believe. There is a hilarious scene where Hoffman quizzes Ferrell as to what sort of literary character he is in the hope of ascertaining the author, and he manages to rule out Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Shakespeare. Ferrell does find Thompson and tries to convince her not to kill him. I don't know which was more surprising, that there was a serious side to the film or that Ferrell was able to pull it off. This is my favorite movie to have come out in 2006. Rent it; you won't be sorry.

After that, I was in the mood for something light-hearted, so I chose "Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit". I must say that claymation has gotten much more sophisticated than it was when Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer debuted on TV in the 1960's. Wallace is an odd man with a love of gadgets and cheese; Gromit is his adorable dog. The two make a living ridding their town's vegetable gardens of rabbits. Their methods are effective and humane, but unfortunately too successful in that their home is now overrun with the bunnies they've captured. Chaos ensues when a scientific experiment goes awry and an evil were-rabbit begins terrorizing the town. This movie is cute and clever and funny.

Next, Dan and I watched "Batman Begins", which came out in 2005. I had put off seeing it, thinking it was part of the franchise that began in the 1980's (although I did like the first few all right). But this is a whole different bat, free of all the Saturday cartoon attitude and the mugging for the camera by the nemesis du jour. This is the story of a man who must overcome his fears and chains of the past who just happens to dress as a bat to fight crime. I really wasn't sure where it was going during all the ninja training, but despite the slow build-up, it actually did get interesting. I enjoyed learning where all the gadgets came from and the evolution of a superhero. You don't have to have ever read a comic book to appreciate this movie.

After that, I was ready for a foray into the world of documentaries. It was only matter of time before I got around to "Super Size Me". Morgan Spurlock of "30 Days" fame conducts a grisly experiment on himself. This completely healthy man decides to eat nothing but McDonald's three times a day for a solid month, upgrading each meal to super-size if asked (luckily, this only happened nine times). He'll eat each item on the menu at least once. Prior to his first McMeal, he is given a complete medical workup by a team of doctors, including cholesterol, cardiac stress test, liver enzymes and other bloodwork. The result of each test plus his weight and other meaurements are recorded, and each doctor gives their prediction as to what effect they think the fast food will have on Spurlock. The general consensus is that his cholesterol and weight may rise a bit, but because he is so fit and healthy, he won't have any serious ill effects. And so he embarks upon his McAdventure. At first, even though he admits the food tastes good, it makes him physically ill. He adjusts to it surprisingly quickly and actually begins to crave it like an addict would. But even more surprising are the drastic changes to his body. The weight gain and rise in cholesterol are far higher than predicted, and the unexpected damage to his liver is quite alarming. The doctors plead with him to stop the experiment, but he sees it through. While I personally haven't set foot in a McDonald's in four years, if I had been a regular patron, I would have sworn off the stuff completely after viewing the movie. For the millions who gotta have their Big Macs, moderation at the very least would be beneficial, like, say, one a month. I was impressed enough by the movie to put season 1 of "30 Days" in my queue.

And then last week, it was off to Metropolis for "Superman Returns". Dan had seen it last year and had recommended it. I had enjoyed the Christopher Reeve version of Superman (was that actually way back in the '80's?) and was reluctant about viewing a re-make with excessive computer graphics. This wasn't a re-make at all: it was a separate story of Superman returning to Earth after a five-year absence, set in modern day. It appears that the world, and most particularly, Lois Lane, is managing just fine without Mr. Faster Than a Speeding Bullet. At least they are until Lex Luther swipes some kryptonite and some neato power crystals that can grow land and sink most of the U.S. into the ocean. I still had a mental image of Gene Hackman as Luther, so it took me a bit to adjust to Kevin Spacey, but he does do a credible evil nemesis. Superman gets re-hired at the Daily Planet as Clark Kent, where he discovers his beloved Lois is married and has a child. But, hmmm, the kid seems a little old to be the product of a relationship that has gone on less than five years. Superman is of course too much of a gentleman to broach the subject, although he does steal a smooch from his favorite female reporter. The story of Superman has always required a massive suspension of disbelief, i.e., that a man can put on a pair of glasses and no one will recognize him, so if you can get past that and Lois escaping unscathed after being thrown around a runaway space shuttle with no oxygen, this is a pretty decent movie. It is less cheesy than previous incarnations, and, to my relief, there is just enough CG to make it exciting but not so much that your head explodes trying to comprehend it. My only major complaint was having Kate Bosworth play Lois Lane. Her performance was flat and her character lacked spunk or humor. I do hope she doesn't appear in any sequels.

Now I'm caught up, at least until I view "Pieces of April" tomorrow. And I've got enough stuff in my queue to last me at least six months (still doing just one at a time), so there will be many reviews to come.

It's a wrap.