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.