BLACK SWAN

Movie: Black Swan
Rating: 6
Time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I took my friend Irene to see this movie today and can't say that I particularly liked it. I will have to say that Natalie Portman will probably win an Oscar for her performance in this movie, but I do hope the movie doesn't get an award. It was just too dark and depressing for me, and Irene felt the same way. There are sex scenes in the movie so don't take young children, or even teenagers with you to see this one because it could be embarrassing.

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

Movie: Gulliver's Travels
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 hour 25 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Took my Grandson to see this movie yesterday and we both enjoyed it but liked Yogi Bear better, as you can see from my rating. Gulliver is given an assignment in Bermuda but ends up on some island where all the people are very tiny and he is gigantic. He helps these people and they want him to stay but he wants to go back to NY where he left a girl he had a big crush on, then she ends up on the island with him. Don't want to tell you any more so I don't ruin it for you. I am not a fan of Jack Black but have to admit he does have talent.

YOGI BEAR

Movie: Yogi Bear
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 Hour 19 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Took my Grandson to see this one last week and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. There are all regular people in the movie except for Yogi Bear and Boo Boo. Some evil man wants to take over the park where Yogi and Boo Boo live and cut down the trees so Yogi and Boo Boo decide to stop him. We both found it entertaining and you will too.

UNSTOPPABLE

Movie: Unstoppable
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I went to see this movie yesterday and enjoyed it very much. It was very exciting, had me sitting on the edge of my seat a few times. The movie stars Denzel Washington, an Engineer ready to retire, and Chris Pine, a young and newly hired Conductor. The plot is about a runaway train with no one on board, running at full speed and needs to be stopped before a lot of people are killed. The story is taken from true events that happened in 2001. A real nail biter!

BURLESQUE

Movie: Burlesque
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: My friend Irene and I went to see Burlesque and thoroughly enjoyed it. You have probably seen the previews on TV but if you haven't, Cher plays "Tess" the Madam and owner of "Burlesque". Cher sings two songs during the movie and her voice is as strong as ever. The main character in the movie is Kristen Bell who sings and dances. The other girls are dancers. Christina Alguilera has just moved to LA from Iowa and wants a job dancing at Burlesque. She is first hired as a server and memorizes all the dances so when the opportunity arises, she is given a chance to dance, and then sing, and what a beautiful voice she has! The movie was very entertaining and "almost" as good as Dream Girls.

MORNING GLORY

Movie: Morning Glory
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 Hour 42 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie yesterday and it was light and funny, kept us entertained, but it's not going to win an Oscar. Rachel McAdams was delightful as "Becky", who begs for the job of Executive Producer to a failing TV morning news show. Diane Keaton is her usual funny self as Colleen Peck, Co-Host of the morning news show. Becky fires the male co-host who is obnoxious, and hires a retired famous news man, Mike Pomeroy (played by Harrison Ford), who really doesn't want to work again. Becky has her work cut out for her trying to get Mike Pomeroy interested and to do a good job. I won't spoil it by telling you more. I would just like to say that I would give my next social security check to have Becky's energy for one week! See it, you'll enjoy it.

CONVICTION

Movie: CONVICTION
Jan's Rating: 10
Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hillary Swank was perfect for the role of Betty Anne Waters, who put herself through law school for the only purpose of clearing her brother (played by Sam Rockwell) of a murder he didn't commit. Her best friend, whom she met in law school, was played by Minnie Driver, a great role for her as well. Juliette Lewis did an outstanding job of playing one of the people who framed Betty's brother for the murder. This is a true story and Betty Anne Waters actually went back to waitressing after clearing her brother. I would not be surprised to see this movie up for an Academy Award.

SECRETARIAT

Movie: Secretariat
Jan's Rating: 10
Time: 1 Hour 56 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I saw this movie with cousin Bonnie and friend Patty yesterday and we all gave it a "10". I don't know about the rest of you but I can remember when Secretariat won the Triple Crown, which makes me older than dirt. What a great horse he was! His "family" actually called him Big Red but he needed a fancier name for horse racing. The owner had a secretary who was very loyal to him and his family and her name was Harriet so they came up with "Secretariat" after this lovely lady. The owner was old and feeble so his daughter (played beautifully by Diane Lane) took over the farm and brought it back to life by believing in "Big Red" and seeing him through all the races until he was the big winner. This wasn't easy since she lived in Denver and had a husband and 4 children to take care of so she did a lot of flying back and forth to also take care of her father's farm and stand up to the big guys in the male-dominated field of horse racing. John Malkovich was very entertaining as her trainer. It's a great movie, a true story, and you can even take your kids to see it!

GET LOW

Movie: Get Low
Jan's Rating: 10
Time: 1 Hour 43 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I saw this movie today with my friend Laura and we both LOVED it! What a great movie and great acting! I'll be surprised if this movie and cast are not up for an Oscar. The Enquirer gave it a B+ so for once we both agree. It stars Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek. Robert Duvall plays an old man who has lived like a hermit for over 40 years but you don't find out why until the end of the movie. He decides to pre-arrange his funeral so that he can attend it while he is still living and explain to people why he has had to live like a hermit for over 40 years, and to ask their forgiveness for something that happened in the past. However, you don't know what happened until the end. He definitely gave an Oscar-worthy performance. Unfortunately, this movie is playing only at the Esquire. We did find out that the new Kenwood Theater is opening in November, in case you are interested.

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

Movie: Life As We Know It
Jan's Rating: 8
Time: 1 Hour 52 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I saw this movie today with Cousin Bonnie and my sister Judy and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel star in this movie about 2 single adults who become legal guardians of their baby goddaughter when the baby's parents die in an accident. Neither of them is ready to become parents but they both dearly love this baby. They don't like each other very much unfortunately, but that all changes as they live together trying to be good parents to this baby. Lots of laughs and a sweet story.

WALL STREET: Money Never Sleeps

Movie: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 2 Hrs. 13 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie and we both loved it. I had seen the first Wall Street movie and did not care for it so wasn't optimistic about this one. I am glad I was wrong. Wall Street trading seems to be an addiction with some people, much like casinos are an addiction with others. Unfortunately, the Wall Street guys can get very carried away spending our money and not always investing it wisely. They take a lot more chances than I would take. Michael Douglas plays Gordon Gekko who is just getting out of prison from doing some illegal inside trading, which I have to admit, I do not understand. Josh Brolin plays another crooked guy on Wall Street. Michael Douglas' daughter is played by Carey Mulligan, who is estranged from her Father and wants nothing to do with him or his money. Her fiance is played by Shia LeBeouf, who is as caught up in the thrill of Wall Street as her Father. I don't want to tell you what happens and ruin it for you so I'll just add that it is a great story with great acting.

YOU AGAIN

Movie: You Again
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today and we both enjoyed it. If you want to see a light comedy that will give you a few laughs and you don't have to use your brain, you will want to see this one. It stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White, Sigourney Weaver, and even Cloris Leachman has a small role. With those actors, you know there will be a few laughs. The previews of this movie are on the TV often so I'm sure you already know the story line. Go see it - you'll enjoy it.

YOU AGAIN

Movie: You Again

GOING THE DISTANCE

Movie: Going the Distance
Jan's Rating: 5
Time: 1 hour 42 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: SAVE YOUR MONEY! I gave this movie a "5" rating and I was being generous. It is the worst movie I have seen lately. Cousin Bonnie, my sister Judy, and I went to see this movie. Bonnie left after 30 minutes. The people behind us left after 20 minutes. That left just Judy and I in the movie, hoping it would get better. It did pick up a little bit but not much. The language was just nasty, and no reason to have that in this movie. They should have worked harder on giving the movie a decent plot but that didn't exist either. Drew Barrymore falls in love with Justin Long in NY, then she has to go back to California to finish her schooling so they travel back and forth every 3 months to see each other with lots of sex and nasty words happening when they are together. I have always liked Drew Barrymore's movies but she sure did disappoint me with this one. The Enquirer gave it an "A-" so I should have known then I wouldn't like it since we never agree on a movie's rating.

EAT PRAY LOVE

Movie: Eat Pray Love
Rating: 8
Time: 2 Hours 15 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Bonnie and I went to see this movie today to celebrate her birthday. She had read the book and was a little bit disappointed. I had not read the book and I really enjoyed it. Julia Roberts is a free spirit and reminds me a lot of our daughter Dyan. I would like to add that I am very happy that Dyan did not take this avenue in her life, too risky for a young woman, and her Dad and I would have had a heart attack. I'm sure you have heard what the movie is about, Julia Roberts divorces her husband to goes abroad for a year to find herself. I think she did a good job in this role and I would highly recommend it, especially to women. Not sure if men would like it.

THE SWITCH

Movie: The Switch
Jan's Rating: 6
Time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I saw this movie with my friend Laura today and we agreed that it was "cute" but were a little bit disappointed. The movie is pretty boring as it starts off, to the point where I dozed off a few times, but then it picked up and was better. Jennifer Aniston stars as a single woman who is looking for an egg donor because she wants a baby but hasn't found anyone she wants to marry yet. Jason Bateman is her close friend of many years who isn't thrilled about what she is doing. The little boy genius that she ends up having is the cutest part of the movie. Don't know if I would pay to see it at the movies again, but would rent it.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Movie: The Kids Are All Right
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 Hour 44 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Saw this movie with Cousin Bonnie today and we enjoyed it. Yes, all you young people who think YOU invented sex, WE enjoyed it! :-) I thought the acting was excellent. It has to be good for two straight women (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) to kiss and make it look like they enjoy it. I do think it must be difficult for kids to have 2 Moms or 2 Dads instead of one of each but this couple did a good job of raising 2 well-balanced children. We agreed that the sperm Dad, Mark Rufalo was pretty hot. I thought the movie was well done and as long as you aren't offended by gay people or the "F" word, you should like this movie too.

SALT

Movie: Salt
Jan's Rating: 6
Time: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Angelina Jolie play Evelyn Salt (hence the title "Salt"), a CIA Agent who is accused of being a Russian spy as she searches for her missing husband. I saw this movie with my friend Laura and we both agreed that many parts were unbelievable, where you would say to yourself, "yea, right". Angelina is a good actress and is impressive in this movie. There is a lot of action and violence, so if you like that kind of thing, you will like this movie.

MARMADUKE

Movie: Marmaduke
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Jan's Opinion: I love movies with cats and dogs and this one was a fun one. I took my grandson to see it today and we both enjoyed it. Marmaduke, a loveable big old Great Dane, moves with his family from Kansas to California and has to make new friends with the dogs there. They don't want to accept him at first but he won their hearts and he will win yours. Owen Wilson is the voice of Marmaduke and I do love Owen, what a sweet guy, just wish he could find a nice girl to marry.

THE KARATE KID

Movie: The Karate Kid
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 2 Hours 15 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I took our grandchildren to see this movie. My grandson Danny rated it a "10" and Bonnie's granddaughter Kendall rated it an "8", so maybe boys enjoy it more than girls. Danny and I both agreed it was better than the first one. It stars Jackie Chan (the teacher) and Jaden Smith (the student). Jaden Smith is the son of Will Smith and Jada Pickett Smith and I must say, I wouldn't be surprised if this young man won an academy award for his role in this movie. He did all his own stunts and was an amazing actor for one so young. We definitely recommend this movie to everyone.

DESPICABLE ME

Movie: Despicable Me
Rating: 10
Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I took Danny and his friend Amanda to see this movie today and both children gave it a "10". Steve Carell is the voice of Gru, an evil ogre who tries to prove to his Mother that he is a worthy person by inventing a rocket. During this time, he adopts 3 adorable children (for selfish purposes of course) and they end up turning him into a "softie". The Enquirer gave this movie a B- but we thoroughly enjoyed it, and the storyline, which the Enquirer claimed it did not have. Go see it and you will enjoy it too.

TOY STORY 3

Movie: Toy Story 3
Jan's Rating: 10
Time: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I took our grandchildren to see Toy Story 3 yesterday and we all enjoyed it. The children gave it a "10" so who am I to argue with their wisdom? The toys in "Toy Story" have been owned by "Adam" for years but now Adam is going away to college so the toys are worried about what Adam will do with them.....take them with him? Put them in the attic? Put them in the garbage? You will have to see the movie and see for yourself what happens, but all children, young and old, will be able to understand the movie and enjoy it. However, Cousin Bonnie got a little bit teary at the end.......

PLEASE GIVE

Movie: Please Give
Jan's Rating: 6
Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: The Enquirer gave this movie an "A-" rating so again we disagree. My friend, Laura, and I went to see this movie today at the Esquirer in Clifton, which is the only place in Cincinnati it is playing. Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt are a married couple living in an apartment in NYC. They have a daughter who has a bad case of acne and going through those teenage years that no parent wants to re-live. Next door to them is an elderly woman who lives with her two Grandaughters, one of which is Amanda Peet. Their Grandma is not a very pleasant woman, to put it mildly. The married couple next door (Catherine and Oliver) own an antique shop and they watch the obits for people to die and then buy their belongings real cheap and sell them for a lot more of course. I thought it was a bit boring and dozed off a couple of times. If you want to see this one, my advice would be to wait until it comes out on video instead of paying full price at the movies.

DATE NIGHT

Movie: Date Night
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 Hour, 28 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: My daughter and I went to see this movie last night and it was cute, predictable, what you would expect from a Steve Carell movie. I like to compare him with Steve Martin, same type of humor, play in same type of movies, light, goofy, unrealistic, but gives you a few laughs. In Date Night, Steve Carell and Tina Fey are a married couple who need some spice in their lives so they decide to splurge and go into Manhattan for dinner at a fancy restaurant. Of course they couldn't get a reservation so they took someone else's reservation that didn't show up. Unfortunately, there were bad guys after the couple that didn't show up, and the bad guys thought Steve and Tina were the other couple, and that is where the excitement begins.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER

Movie: Shrek Forever After
Jan's Rating: 8
Time: 1 hour 33 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I took our grandchildren to see this one and they really enjoyed it, gave it a high rating. I enjoyed it too but don't think it was quite as good as the first two Shrek movies. However, I don't know of another animated character that has the charm of Shrek. He is an ogre I would love to meet.

SEX AND THE CITY 2

Movie: Sex and the City 2
Jan's Rating: 8
Time: 2 Hours 26 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I had read only bad ratings about this movie so since I wasn't expecting much, I ended up enjoying it very much. I agree it is not as good as Sex and the City 1, but cousin Bonnie and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made us wish we were younger! There was a story around each of the girls and as always they shared everything with each other, which is what good girlfriends is all about. I agree the movie was a lot about fashion; I lost count of how many outfits each girl wore in the movie. However, it was fun to see these fashions and I have to admit most of them would only look good on pretty, skinny young girls. That's Hollywood, folks.
Sorry, Enquirer, I disagree with you yet again.

LETTERS TO JULIET

Movie: Letters to Juliet
Jan's Rating: 8-1/2
Time: 1 hour 45 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I saw this movie today with my friend Patty and we both enjoyed it. If you like a good romantic story with a predictable ending, be sure to see this one. Do not pay any attention to the Enquirer, USA Today, or other newspapers, or you will miss a sweet and romantic movie. You have probably seen the previews where Vanessa Redgrave plays an older woman who regrets walking away from a romance she had in her teens. Enter Amanda Seyfried who travels through Italy with Vanessa and her grandson searching for her lost love. Of course it's predictable, but it's the fun they have along the way that leaves a warm feeling in your heart.

CITY ISLAND

Movie: City Island
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 hour 40 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie yesterday and we both LOVED it! I have never seen a more dysfunctional but loveable family. Andy Garcia (sexy guy that he is) plays the Father and Julianna Margulies plays the Mother. Andy is a Corrections Officer (Prison Guard) and discovers the son he never knew he had. Andy is taking acting lessons but doesn't tell his wife so she thinks he's having an affair. I don't want to say too much more and give away the plot, so please go see it, you won't be disappointed. If you live in Cincinnati, it is playing at Mariemont and the Rave in West Chester. Even the Enquirer gave this one a B+!

THE JONESES

Movie: The Joneses
Jan's Rating: 6-1/2
Time: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: This movie is about 4 people who pretend they are a family.....Mother, Father, teenage Daughter and Son. Demi Moore plays the Mother and David Duchovny plays the Father. A marketing firm has hired these four people to pretend they are a family and they move the family into a very wealthy neighborhood and supply them with products from makeup to cars that they want this family to brag about to their friends so their friends will go out and buy the products also. I really thought I would enjoy this movie but it wasn't one of my favorites. There really weren't any laugh-out-loud scenes for me. However, Cousin Bonnie enjoyed it more than I did, which is why I'm giving the movie a 6-1/2 instead of a 6.

THE BACK-UP PLAN

Movie: The Back-up Plan
Jan's Rating: 8-1/2
Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today and we both LOVED it! Just ignore the Enquirer's rating of C-. This movie had us laughing out loud several times, and was a good romantic story also. Jennifer Lopez stars as a woman whose clock is ticking, she has no special man in her life, and she wants children, so she gets artificially inseminated. And wouldn't you know, the day she finds out she's pregnant, she meets Mr. Right, played by Alex O'Loughlin. Had not seen or heard of Alex before but hoping to see more of him in the future!! This is just a delightfully funny movie that all women, young and old, should see.

THE LAST SONG

Movie: The Last Song
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 Hour 47 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Saw this movie with my friend Patty and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. However, if you read the book, you know it's a tear jerker. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth (her beau in real life) did an excellent job of portraying two young people dealing with the feelings of love, and of hurt. I would definitely recomment this movie but take several tissues with you!

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID

Movie: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jan's Rating: 10
Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I took my grandson to see this movie today and we both enjoyed it very much. He is the one who rated it a "10", and I decided to go along with that rating because, not only was it a good movie, it teaches a lesson about bullying. You just have to hope that when kids watch this movie, they see how hurtful it is to bully someone else, and that they aren't entertained by it and think it's funny. Danny made the comment "that doesn't really happen" and I had to tell him that it really does happen in a lot of schools. Fortunately, he said it doesn't happen in his school. It is definitely worth taking your children to see it.

THAT EVENING SUN

Movie: That Evening Sun
Jan's Rating: 8
Time: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: This is definitely a movie that people my age can identify with, whether it be good or bad. Cousin Bonnie and I went to see this movie today and we both really enjoyed it, thanks to a great performance by Hal Holbrook. Hal plays the role of an 80-year old man whose son has put him in a nursing home and he is bored and doesn't want to stay there anymore so he packs his suitcase and leaves. He goes back to his farm in Tennessee but he finds another family living there because his son has rented it. Hal is not happy and is as determined to stay there as the renters are; thus begins a feud which is worth watching....funny and sad.

BOUNTY HUNTER

Movie: Bounty Hunter
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 hour 50 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I saw this movie with my friend Patty and her daughter, Kris. We all gave the movie a "7" rating. Of course the Enquirer gave it a C- because it is a chic flick but being a chic, I happen to enjoy chic flicks. The movie stars Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler who have a great chemistry together. Jennifer is a reporter who is hot on a case and skips bail to get more information for her case. Gerard is her ex-husband, the Bounty Hunter, and he is hired to bring her to jail. She doesn't make it easy for him which is where the laughs come in. It wasn't a "Ten", but was a cute and enjoyable movie.

2012

Movie: 2012
Jan's Rating: Hard for me to rate since I don't like this kind of movie.
My husband gave it a "3", my grandson would give it a "9".
Time: 158 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: As I said above, this is not my kind of movie so I did not enjoy it at all. In fact, we turned it off after 2 hours so don't even know how it ended. It stars John Cusack, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson. It is a story about the world ending in the year 2012 and shows how cities collapse and continents crumble into the sea. Good computer graphics but a depressing movie. Glad we rented it and didn't pay to see it at the theater.

THE OSCARS!!

My daughter, Dyan, says I need to blog the Oscars and she is right, so here is a short version of my opinion....................

Best Movie: I predicted it would be "Hurt Locker" but honestly, I think "Blind Side" or "Precious" should have gotten the Oscar.

Best Actor: I haven't seen the movie "Crazy Heart" yet, but I hear it is unanimous that Jeff Bridges deserved that award.

Best Actress: It should have been a tie between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep. Who else could mimmick Julia Child the way that Meryl did?

Best Supporting Actor: I really didn't care who won that one.

Best Supporting Actress: Mo-Nique - hands down - no argument!

Best Dress: Sandra Bullock - 2nd: Penelope Cruz

Worst Dress: The one with the purple ruffles! Need I say more??

Best Body for her Age: Demi Moore

Worst Body for her Age: James Cameron's wife. Sad since last I saw her. She could be the poster woman for anorexia.

I would appreciate your feedback.

DEAR JOHN

Movie: Dear John
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Saw this movie yesterday with my friend Patty and her daughter Kris and we all enjoyed this movie but wouldn't rate it a "10". Amanda Seyfried (from Mamma Mia) played a young woman who meets and falls in love with a (very handsome) young man played by Channing Tatum, whom I had never heard of, but let me tell you, he is one good-looking Hollywood hunk! Anyway, back to the story...... he is a soldier ready to ship out and of course they fall in love. It is difficult to maintain a relationship long distance when you don't know when you will see each other again. This movie has its sad moments but it does have a happy ending so go see it and enjoy it. I thought he would get killed in the end but he doesn't. I usually don't tell endings but in this case, you do need to see how it ends happily.

VALENTINE'S DAY

Movie: Valentine's Day
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 2 Hrs. 5 Mins.

Jan's Opinion: I have been snowed in lately and not been able to get out to the movies so I finally got out yesterday, and though there are several I want to see, I chose to see Valentine's Day. I went with my friend Patty and I think we both agreed it was a cute movie but definitely not a "10". There were a lot of stars in it (which is really what made the movie) and each one was celebrating Valentine's Day in one way or another. Some were happy and romantic, some were sad and rejected, and one gal had a "I hate Valentine's Day Party". There were some laughs in the movie. I think the stars had a good time making the movie but all knew it wouldn't get them an academy award. I'd wait until it is out on video to see it if I were you.

THE HURT LOCKER

Movie: The Hurt Locker
Jan's Rating: 8
Time: 2 hours 10 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: I didn't see this one when it was out because I didn't think I would like it but since it has been nominated for several awards, I decided to rent it, so Dave and I watched it this afternoon and enjoyed it, though some parts were hard to watch. Had to make sure to get it in before the Super Bowl! Jeremy Renner, whom I have never heard of, did a great job of acting in this movie. Interesting trivia.....in case you didn't know....the director of The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow, is the ex-wife of James Cameron, the director of Avitar. When you watch this war movie, or any other war movie, you have to wonder how these guys are able to do what they do there, and then come home and live a normal life. The scariest part of their job is not knowing where the road-side bombs are planted. One of my favorite charities is Disabled American Veterans just because of how they risk their lives every day so we can live in a free country. The movie is definitely worth seeing just to remind us how much we owe these brave men.

GREY GARDENS

Movie: Grey Gardens (and HBO Movie)
Rating: 10
Time: 104 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Since we don't have HBO, we hadn't heard about this movie until it was up for Best Movie awards on (I think) Critics Choice and Golden Globe. Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange were both up for Best Actress and Drew won both times, though I personally think it should have been a tie. They were both excellent in their roles. The movie is about Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier-Beale, Mother and Daughter, who were aunt and cousin to Jackie Kennedy Onassis. They have a beautiful home in The Hamptons but fall on hard times. This is a true story and I do believe I remember when this came out on the news and Jackie did go and help them. If you haven't seen this movie, go to Blockbuster and rent it. Dave and I highly recommend it.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Movie: Inglourious Basterds
Jan's Rating: 3
Time: 2 Hrs. 30 Mins.

Jan's Opinion: Since I did not get a chance to see this movie when it was in the theaters, my husband and I rented it last night and now we know why it didn't stay at the theaters any longer than it did. We watched 3/4 of it thinking it HAS to get better but it didn't. And may I add that Brad Pitt's Southern accent was very fake. Don't waste your money on this one.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?

Movie: Did you Hear About the Morgans?
Jan's Rating: 8
Time: 1 Hour 43 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: My friend Patty and I went to see this movie and we loved it! The Enquirer really needs to hire someone else (like me) to critique the movies for them as they gave this movie a "C-" rating when it deserved at least a "B". They don't seem to like chick flicks for some reason. I will agree that this movie does not deserve an Academy Award but it sure gave us a lot of laughs. Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant play a couple who have separated because he had an affair. He talks her into going out on a date and they witness a murder. Of course the murderer sees them and is out to kill them so the Police put them in the Witness Protection Program out in the middle of nowhere. It is exciting in parts, sweet in parts, and funny too. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

IT'S COMPLICATED

Movie: It's Complicated
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 Hour 58 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: It definitely does turn out to be complicated when a man has an affair on his young wife with his ex-wife! However, Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin do a good job of pulling it off. Meryl is such a good actress and gets so "into" her role that she magically makes you feel that the story is real. I just don't think they come any better. People were laughing out loud in the theater. My friend Laura and I saw this movie and we both loved it. Steve Martin was also good and funny in his role.

UP IN THE AIR

Movie: Up in the Air
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 Hour 49 Minute

My hubby Dave and I saw this movie New Year's Eve and we really enjoyed it except for the ending. I hate movies that don't have a happy ending. The movie actually started out kind of slow and I thought it was going to be boring but we soon got into it. George Clooney is so handsome that if he did anything wrong you wouldn't see it! George flies so much for his job that he doesn't have a home. He finally makes the Ten Million Mile Club but by then, he isn't as happy with his accomplishment as he thought he would be. We really liked the gals who played his girlfriend and work associate, though we had never heard of them before. We recommend this movie and hope you won't be as put off by the ending as we were. I would have given it a "9" if it had ended differently.