Blown Away

Bridges (True Grit) is an Irish, Boston cop who must protect his family from an Irish bomb maker who escaped from prison played by Jones (The Fugitive). It's decent - it's predictable. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Big

Ah, Tom Hanks movies and the 80s - fun times.

A little boy makes a wish to be an adult. He becomes an adult and goes to work for a toy company. It is very funny. Perkins (Weeds) plays his adult girlfriend. Loggia (Men of a Certain Age) plays his boss. All in all, I say: SEE IT - in fact have an 80s movie marathon and include this one.

Battlefield Earth

I heard this movie was horrible - I also saw that Whitaker (The Crying Game) was in it, so my curiosity was peaked.

IMDb writes, "After enslavement & near extermination by an alien race in the year 3000, humanity begins to fight back."

Pepper (True Grit) and Travolta (Phenomenon) also star. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - it really was bad.

Because of Winn Dixie

Amazon writes, "Because of Winn-Dixie, a big, ugly, happy dog, 10-year-old Opal learns 10 things about her long-gone mother from her preacher father. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal makes new friends among the somewhat unusual residents of her new hometown, Naomi, Florida. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal begins to find her place in the world and let go of some of the sadness left by her mother's abandonment seven years earlier.

With her newly adopted, goofy pooch at her side, Opal explores her bittersweet world and learns to listen to other people's lives. This warm and winning book hosts an unforgettable cast of characters, including a librarian who fought off a bear with a copy of War and Peace, an ex-con pet-store clerk who plays sweet music to his animal charges, and the neighborhood "witch," a nearly blind woman who sees with her heart." It is an amazing book - slightly religious. All in all, I say: READ IT - it's an easy read.

Daniels (Newsroom) stars as the dad in the movie version of the book. The book is better, but the movie does an ok job. Rob (The Way Way Back) does a decent job as Opal. All in all, I say: SEE IT after you read the book. 

Bad Girls

There was a period of time in the 90s where westerns were very popular. So, in 1994 this movie was made. Kind of the girl version of Young Guns.

Stowe (Revenge), Masterson (Mercy), MacDowell (Cedar Cove), Barrymore (Family Guy), Russo (Vegas), Le Gros (Justified), Loggia (The Sopranos), and Mulroney (Crisis). Four protestitue head west to claim some land left to one of them from a deceased husband. They have to flee when someone gets killed. The banker cheats them out of the land and they run into an old boyfriend which causes them even more trouble. It had potential - it just sort of fell short. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Assault on Precinct 13

Written and directed by the master himself - Carpenter (Halloween). A police station in a kind of bad part of town is being closed. A skeleton crew are there on the last day. A very violent street gang attack and the people in inside need to survive. All efforts keep being throated. Will anyone survive? All in all, I say: SEE IT

A brilliant and exciting remake. The plot changes a little. IMDb writes, "A police sergeant must rally the cops and prisoners together to protect themselves on New Year's Eve, just as corrupt policeman surround the station with the intent of killing all to keep their deception in the ranks." Hawke (Gattaca), Fishburne (The Matrix), Byrne (Ghost Ship), de Matteo (The Sopranos), Leguizamo (Ice Age 5), Dennehy (Silverado), and Bello (Prisoners). All in all, I say: SEE IT

Anna and the King / Anna and the King of Siam / The King & I

Filmed in in 1946 with a questionable pick for the King of Siam - Harrison (My Fair Lady). Dunne (Love Affair) was the perfect choice to play the British widow though in my opinion. She wasn't English, but she was an amazing actress. All in all, I say: SEE IT maybe after you see the second one.

Filmed in 1956, this is the BEST version of this story - my favorite. Brynner (Westworld) and Kerr (An Affair to Remember). She was actually from Scotland, but lived most of her life in England. This music, costumes, and directing (Lang from Cheaper by the Dozen) were amazing. All in all, I say: SEE IT - and SEE IT first

This version was filmed in 1999 and was a big budget film. Foster (Freaky Friday) plays the widow who travels to Siam to tutor the children of the King. Yun-Fat (The Killer) is the king. The costumes and setting were amazing. I just didn't think Foster was good for the role. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you like the others and are curious to see a comparison.