OSCAR!!

Check out the Oscar winners of 2007.

Gone Baby Gone

Directed by Ben Affleck. The story takes place in Boston and tells of a little girl being kidnapped and a private investigator, played by Casey Affleck, is hired to find the girl, if she's still alive, and find out who took her and why. I don't want to give away too much, it's a complex story that unravels with few characters being who you think they are. It will definitely have you asking yourself what you would do in the situation of the main character and will have you thinking about it for the next few days. The Afflecks being from Boston do a wonderful job of showing you the real Boston. Great film.

***1/2

Rated R for very strong Boston language, aka lots of "F bombs" and some violence.

Definitely, Maybe

...or maybe not? Will Hayes(Ryan Reynolds) is in the middle of a divorce when his daughter(Abigail Breslin) asks him about how he and her mother met and fell in love. Will then proceeds to tell the complicated love story, changing the names along the way.

Total "chick flick" and much like the movie Be Kind, Rewind...the concept is much more funny than the actual movie. I think here though, the flaws come from the editing. Abigail Breslin steals every scene she is in, which unfortunately are few and far between as they book end the film. Like many romantic comedies these days the plot has a lot of holes and is a tad unconvincing.

** Rentable

Rated PG-13 (sexual content and frank dialogue, language)

There Will Be Blood

And oil man makes his way in turn of the century California.

Yeah there really isn't a whole lot to say about this movie-you just have to see it. It is totally random, very little plot or story line. Very little climax-if any at all, and frankly a lack of blood. Nevertheless I loved it. Daniel Day Lewis is amazing-absolutely amazing! And Paul Dano, who is not one of my favorite actors, was perfectly cast in this. Despite its seemingly lack of story you will find yourself thinking about the movie for days to come. I guess my only complaint about this movie would be, aside from one minor hole, is the score--it is somewhat annoying and kind of takes you out of the movie. Still totally worth seeing.

**** Major Oscar Buzz

Rated R (for some violence)

Gordon B. Hinckley 1910-2008

Gordon B. Hinckley

Cloverfield

Well as luck would have it, this movie was all hyped up and so when I saw it I was all overloaded with high expectations, nevertheless having said that it was still kind of fun. Cloverfield, which I have yet to figure out the relationship between the title and the movie itself, is one of those old fashion monster movies--without so much of the monster. The alienesque monster attacks New York while we the audience are at a going away party video taping the fond farewells.

It was interesting in that the whole movie is told through a home video cameras point of view. That in and of itself make the movie worth seeing I guess. It wasn't an amazing monster movie, but it was a little different and that makes it new and fun I suppose.

**1/2

Rated PG-13 (for thematic elements, violence, and language)

A Little Sundancing

I didn't attend the full plethora of films that Mandy did, only two, but it was fun. I saw Phoebe in Wonderland. Very well done and acted. The Fanning girl (sister of Dakota) does a great job, acting runs in the family I take it, or their parents are forcing them to act and living vicariously through them. Anyway, pretty good movie, a little out there at points midway through, but the ending really brings it in full circle and is a good story.

The other movie I saw was "Stranded". A documentary about a Uruguayan rugby team of 19 year olds crashes in the Andes mountains and is stranded there for 72 days. It's an amazing story, and really makes you question what you would've done in their situation.