Movie Micro-Reviews: Edition 57

It's a long list today, with all of the movies we've been watching as Leah wraps up here time at home, and Sherry & I try to get through some of our Netflix queue. (And I'm not even listing the ones she's watching by herself while healing, or the ones she and Sherry watch while doing crafts....)

Shine	70	An extraordinary performance by Geoffrey Rush, playing David Helfgott, a piano player of genius, living in a damaged mind.
Sunshine Cleaning	68	Interesting concept, believable, excellent performances. But I just didn’t relate to the characters as much as in other Emily Blunt & Amy Adams movies.
Stand and Deliver	62	A “based on a true story” tale of a teacher who inspires kids others have discarded. Edward James Olmos is the math teacher who fights the norm and eventually gets his students to pass the AP Math test, sending them to college. EJO is wonderful. The rest of the story is fragmented.
Freedom Writers	72	Another “based on a true story” tale of a teacher who inspires kids others have discarded. Hilary Swank is the English teacher who finds a way to reach the gang kids. The characters were fully formed and very well performed. Oh, and Imelda Staunton played the role of the head of the English department in this film the same year she was Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter 5 – it’s the same character!
Battlestar Galactica: Razor	84	While not technically a “movie” because it’s an additional story inserted into the BG universe, it holds together pretty well as drama. I hope to see more of Stephanie Jacobsen, who was the main character, and it’s always great to have another reason to see Michelle Forbes.
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan	78	This is a “movie” for people who have already seen Battlestar Galactica in its entirety. On that basis, it’s a great treat – see the early part of the saga from the point of view of the Cylons: what were they thinking? They were more human than they wanted to be. But, oooh, the “1” who was onboard the Galactica – he was one cold Cylon! [But if you’ve never seen Battlestar Galactica, don’t bother with this.] [Initially reviewed in Edition 43.]
3:10 to Yuma	69	Pretty darn good; by the end, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I like that in a story. Not quite as immersive as “Open Range” and not as many likeable characters as “Silverado.” But worth a viewing. [Originally reviewed in Edition 26.]
Last Song (The)	58	Pretty standard teen romance, with some good relationship issues between kids and parents. Nothing special, sorry Miley. Greg Kinnear was good, but didn’t get enough of the story.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day	66	Reminded me of nothing so much as one of the wild comedies we see at the civic theater. Worth a viewing.
Star Trek	90	A thrill-ride. By the time we were 30 minutes in, I was already convinced I want to see more of this cast in these characters. Yes, it’s a re-visioning of the characters. But it fits. It’s great fun! [Initially reviewed in Edition 32.]
The Mummy	81	FX galore; plot moved; Fraser seriously funny [This was one of my first micro-reviews, from back in 2000. In retrospect, the rating is a bit high. But it is a fun movie!]
Footloose	74	Shows its age, but it’s still a fun coming-of-age show. Lithgow’s character is great, and he’s so good at it. [Initially reviewed in Edition 8.]

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