The Iron Lady
2011 3/5 -good
Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Alexandra Roach, Olivia Colman
Elderly and a virtual prisoner in her own home due to her concerned staff and daughter Carol, Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first woman prime minister, looks back on her life as she clears out her late husband Denis's clothes for the Oxfam shop. Denis is seen as being her rock as she first enters parliament and then runs for the leadership of the Conservative Party, culminating in her eventual premiereship. Now his ghost joins her to comment on her successes and failures, sometimes to her annoyance, generally to her comfort until ultimately, as the clothes are sent to the charity shop, Denis departs from Margret's life forever.
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Meryl Streep definitely deserved her Oscar.
Love Begins
2011 3/5 -good
Wes Brown, Jere Burns, Nancy McKeon, Julie Mond, Abigail Mavity
Clark Davis adventurous dreams of seeing the world are put into jeopardy after he and a friend start a fight which damages a local cafe. Through a plea deal with the Sheriff and café owner Millie, Clark works off his sentence as a farmhand for the Barlow sisters, Ellen and Cassie. Older sister Ellen doesn't understand Cassie's friendly nature with Clark; she agreed to the Sheriffs offer only because the farm has become too much to maintain alone. Clark is slowing winning Ellen over, but suddenly suffers a traumatic head injury in a fall. After Ellen nurses him back to health, her former fiancé returns to win her back. Will Clark travel on or stay behind where love begins?
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This was a cute, sweet movie.I thought the summary was pretty misleading. I had no idea this was a TV movie, made just last year.
Mulan
1998 3/5 -good
Ming-Na, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong
This retelling of the old Chinese folktale is about the story of a young Chinese maiden who learns that her weakened and lame father is to be called up into the army in order to fight the invading Huns. Knowing that he would never survive the rigours of war in his state, she decides to disguise herself and join in his place. Unknown to her, her ancestors are aware of this and to prevent it, they order a tiny disgraced dragon, Mushu to join her in order to force her to abandon her plan. He agrees, but when he meets Mulan, he learns that she cannot be dissuaded and so decides to help her in the perilous times ahead.
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Yeah, my first time seeing it. They didn't even kiss at the end!?
Blue Valentine
2010 2/5 -nothing special
Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling
Dean Pereira and Cindy Heller Pereira are a young, working class married couple - Dean currently working as a painter, and Cindy working as a nurse in a medical clinic - with a young daughter named Frankie. Despite their relatively tender ages, they are both ravaged by the life they've eked out together and by the experiences they've had leading into their marriage.
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Boring and long, and why does Ryan Gosling have to look like a creepo in his movies?
Carolina
2003 2/5 -nothing special
Julia Stiles, Shirley MacLaine, Alessandro Nivola, Edward Atterton
Carolina Mirabeau was raised 'free-spirited' with two sisters by eccentric, domineering grandma Millicent in the country. Carolina's city neighbor, talented and witty Jewish author Albert Morris, is her best friend, confident and the wacky family's favorite guest. Yet she gets engaged with Heath Pierson, an 'all too perfect' upper class brilliant Britton, whom she met in the TV studio where she's fired as dating show candidates-screener. But the past and some truths catch up with all of them.
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It was too long, especially for a wimp out ending like that.
One Week
2008 1/5 -bad
Joshua Jackson, Laine Balaban
Out of the blue, Ben learns he has stage IV cancer; survival, with treatment, is 10 percent. So this risk-averse, slow-to-act, quiet man buys a used motorcycle, says goodbye to Samantha, his baffled fiancée, and heads west from Toronto. He imagines it's a quest for Grumps, a mythical figure from his childhood; he takes digital photos of various "world's largest" roadside attractions; he chats with strangers, including two women; his bike slips on a dead skunk on the highway. Calls to Samantha meet with pleading that he return for treatment and anger that he won't. He doesn't want to be a patient yet.
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Just a boring movie...and ugh, that narration
King Arthur
2004 2/5 -nothing special
Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Mads Mikkelson, Joel Edgerton, Hugh Dancy, Ray Winstone, Ray Stevenson, Keira Knightley
The film will focus on the history and politics of the period during which Arthur ruled -- when the Roman empire collapsed and skirmishes over power broke out in outlying countries
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A little disappointing since it wasn't really about King Arthur, it was about Arthur and his knights.
See Jane Date
2003 1/5 -bad
Charisma Caarpenter, Rachelle Lafevre, Sadie LeBlanc
Single, ambitious, magazine assistant editor Jane Grant has just received an invitation to her younger cousin's wedding, and it's engraved with two of the most dreaded words a perpetually available single can encounter: "plus guest." Come wedding day, Jane had better deliver. After all, she's already told everyone, including her meddlesome and obnoxious Aunt Ina and now-famous high school nemesis Natasha Nutley, that she's in a serious relationship. Now, Jane has two months to find a guy to fit the lie, complete the guest list, and save face.
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It was a little weird seeing Charisma Carpenter like this.
Love Story
1970 3/5 -good
Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal
Harvard Law student Oliver Barrett IV and music student Jennifer Cavilleri share a chemistry they cannot deny - and a love they cannot ignore. Despite their opposite backgrounds, the young couple put their hearts on the line for each other. When they marry, Oliver's wealthy father threatens to disown him. Jenny tries to reconcile the Barrett men, but to no avail. Oliver and Jenny continue to build their life together. Relying only on each other, they believe love can fix anything. But fate has other plans. Soon, what began as a brutally honest friendship becomes the love story of their lives.
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Spoilers. What?! I can not get over that her doctor just straight up lied to her. And then went behind her back and told her husband she was dying.
W.E.
2011 1/5 -bad
Abbie Cornish, Andria Riseborough, James D'Arcy, Richard Coyle
In 1998, an auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor causes great excitement. For one woman, Wally Winthrop, it has much more meaning. Wally becomes obsessed by their historic love story.
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I didn't actually watch this. I watched maybe 20 minutes. It was bad, it was boring, it was confusing. I didn't know who was who or what time period I was watching.