Arthur

April 12.

I can’t imagine a world where if I was a poor woman scraping money together to pay for a one bedroom apartment in Queens where I lived with my sick father and a billionaire offered me a million dollars as a sorry I lied to you I wouldn’t take it. I know we’re all supposed to pretend we are above money and that integrity is more important, but come on.

This wasn’t the only false part of the Russell Brand reboot of Arthur, but I have to admit, I didn’t hate it like I thought I was going to. It is too sad to really be a comedy and too silly to really be a drama but I found Brand and his nanny, played by Helen Mirren, to be a great team and enjoyed his antics and seeing some beautiful New York scenery.

I saw the original Dudley Moore version but I was a kid and don’t really remember it, actually maybe I only saw part two. Either way, I did think a few times that Brand was trying to imitate Moore, but then I found out that they are from the same area of England. So maybe they just sound the same when they are pretending to be drunk.

Rating: Like

Gnomeo & Juliet

February 13.

Awwwe. Gnomeo & Juliet is so cute. These angry little garden gnomes live in neighboring English gardens and come to life whenever their owners disappear.

Just like in the original Romeo & Juliet, the two families are feuding but we don't really know why. Gnomeo is a blue and Juliet is a red but when they first see each other they miss the color of the others hat and fall in love.

Things get complicated when they find out who the other is, but anyone who knows Shakespeare's story knows what's coming. Of course this is a cartoon about Gnomes so there isn't as much sex or death, but the general components of the classic tragedy are there.

The story isn't the only thing that's cute. The animation is also unique and creative. The gnomes are all a little scratched and dented, which make them look lifelike.

I should admit, I boycotted the 3D version for the old-fashioned 2D, so I can't comment there. But I don't know that any movie needs 3D, let alone Gnomeo & Juliet.

Rating: Like

Made in Dagenham

January 15.

I love movies set in places – and times – I want to visit, so a film about England in the 1960’s is perfect for me. Made in Dagenham centers on Rita, a wife, mother, and seamstress at the Ford factory in Daggenham, just outside London. She, along with about 200 other women working for Ford, goes on strike to fight for equal pay for women.

Everyone who works at the factory also seems to live with their families in a sort of dorm right on the property. All the women’s husbands also work at the factory, making a lot more money. So with the help of a union rep, played by Bob Hoskins, Rita becomes the face and voice of the Ford women.

 As the strike drags on, and with no seat covers, the factory comes to a halt. No covers, no cars. Rita travels around England to other Ford factories and gets more seamstresses to strike making waves with Ford in the U.S., until she finally gets the attention of national politicians and sets world-wide changes in motion.

Made in Dagenham has great performances, an engaging story, and the music and costumes are fun.

Rating: Like

A Room with a View

April 11.

I caught the Masterpiece Theatre version of E.M. Forster's "A Room with a View" on PBS. (I heart PBS) I had, of course, heard of the book, but hadn't read it or seen any of the film adaptations.

I could tell the story, about a British girl living in Edwardian England and visiting Florence, Italy, was something I should love, but the movie didn't quite work. I've seen many Masterpiece Theatre movies and always loved them. Masterpiece's "Pride and Prejudice" may be the best adaptation of that story. But, this one felt rushed and not complete.

I read that there is an Oscar-nominated version starring Helena Bonham Carter from the 80s, so, I added that to my Netflix queue. I hope that version does a better job of telling the whole story. Maybe I'll have to skip the movies and pick up the book.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

January 1.

After Orson Welles, I stopped by the grocery store for provisions and saw this movie in the Red Box rental machine. (I'd never used the box, which is awesome. Pay $1 a day for new movies and bring it back whenever you want.) "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging," - which, yes, I know, is for 14-year-olds, but so is "Twilight" and no one is making fun of anyone about that!! - was suggested to me by Netflix because I have a weird obsession with all things British. And I had to get this one because it's set in a seaside town on the southern coast of England, near where I studied abroad 10 years ago. (I will absolutley watch a movie because of where it is set.)

Angus has a really cute story that brought me back to my Judy Blume days – worrying about boys and “mean” girls. Brighton and Eastbourne are beautiful, and the girls who play Georgia and Jas (Georgia Groome and Eleanor Tomlinson) are perfect. "Angus" was directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also made "Bend it Like Beckham," another British-14-year-old-girl story that I love!

By the way, Angus is Georgia's adorable, fluffy, gray cat.