Movies

08.14.2014 Across the Line, Blogs, Harlequin, Movie Review, Movies

Risky Business

Guess who got invited to appear on the Harlequin Blog?

That’s right! Little old me. What a great opportunity to reach new readers. I assume people are short of time, like me, so as always I tried to keep it short. I talked very little about the book and instead reviewed a terrific movie that had something in common with Across the Line.

Here’s a link to the blog. Check it out!

09.25.2012 Entertaining Kate, Movie Review, Movies

Entertaining Kate #2 – Movie

Hubby and I rented Albert Nobbs the other night. I loved it. First, because it was a period piece, and I love the costumes and sets that go with historicals, especially since they go to a lot of trouble these days to remain true to the time. Like remember Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra? I remember that looking so sixties!

Here’s a short blurb.

Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren’t encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man, so she can work as a butler in Dublin’s most posh hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.

I don’t usually find myself caring so much about a character, but there was something about this woman that made me want her to be happy. At first, I was just curious to find out why she was posing as a man. I also wanted to find out why she was saving all that money. (Not a spoiler, you find that out pretty quickly.) By the time the painter arrives on the scene, I’m hooked. The actor who plays that painter is AMAZING.

I also really appreciated the fact that the gay agenda wasn’t being forced down my throat, as is so often the case. (And don’t get me wrong. I support many of the gay issues. My oldest son is gay. But I don’t agree with everything the GLBT juggernaut stands for and it annoys me when they use entertainment to try to manipulate me into believing in this or that.)

Anyway, this is a great movie. I would watch it again, and I don’t say that about many movies.

08.15.2012 Entertaining Kate, Hockey, Movies

Entertaining Kate #1 – Movie

Rented Goon. I think It was the last of my hockey movie list. It was surprisingly cute, laugh-out-loud funny in a lot of places, and I really liked it. It showed a gritty side of hockey that wasn’t present in Mighty Ducks, for example or Mystery, Alaska. The skating looked much more realistic than it did in Mystery. The main character is adorable, honest and sincere, despite his brawny abilities.

Labeled an outcast by his brainy family, a bouncer overcomes long odds to lead a team of under performing misfits to semi-pro hockey glory, beating the crap out of everything that stands in his way.

My only complaint: why didn’t they have subtitles for the hearing impaired, something I’m starting to become??? They had them in Spanish, and that was it. Boo.

06.18.2009 Movies, Thursday 3

Thursday 3: Quirky But Good Movies

Thursday 13 is too much trouble. I only do 3.

This week I’m listing three movies that I liked but are a little “out there.”

1. Martian Child – The romantic drama Martian Child stars John Cusack as a recently widowed science fiction writer who forms an unlikely family with a close friend (Amanda Peet) and a young boy he adopts that claims to be from Mars. The new couple ignores some sage parenting advice from the widower’s sister (Joan Cusack) and gets more than they bargained for when a series of strange occurrences lead them to believe that the child’s claim may be true.

I love John Cusack. While I didn’t buy some of the events that occurred in the movie, it was poignant and funny, both things John seems to excel at.

2. Lars and the Real Girl – In this comedy, Lars Lindstrom is an awkwardly shy young man in a small northern town who finally brings home the girl of his dreams to his brother and sister-in-law’s home. The only problem is that she’s not real – she’s a sex doll Lars ordered off the Internet. But sex is not what Lars has in mind, but rather a deep, meaningful relationship. His sister-in-law is worried for him, his brother thinks he’s nuts, but eventually the entire town goes along with his delusion in support of this sweet natured boy that they’ve always loved.

This was a very strange movie. I didn’t like it at first, but like the character Lars, eventually I went along with it until I was invested in what happened to him. Nicely done.

3. Perfume – Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in the stench of eighteenth century Paris, is born with a superior olfactory sense. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume.

I read the book this movie was based on decades ago, but still remember it as being amazing. I also love Alan Rickman. The movie is definitely edgy and graphic, so be prepared.