HOT: The Money Pit

I know this movie. I know pretty much everything about this movie, but for some reason I think this may have been the first time I have watched it all the way through in one sitting.

Something about it turned me off a bit back when I first may have been watching it - not sure what it was.

Anyway, The Money Pit stars Tom Hanks as Walter Fielding, Jr., an attorney who is currently seeing Anna Crowley (Shelley Long), a violinist in a symphony.

While sleeping over at Crowley's house, a man enters their bedroom and Fielding finds out that Crowley is in fact living in her ex-husband's Max (Alexander Godunov) house.

Forced to move out, they begin searching for a place to stay and find this huge, gorgeous house being sold by Estelle (Maureen Stapleton). Apparently Estelle's husband is in trouble overseas and she must sell the house quickly and cheaply to go and help him.

Thinking they got a steal, Walter and Anna scramble to find the $200,000 for the mansion and move in together.

Then, everything begins to fall apart - in both the house and their relationship.

The house is a perfect metaphor for a relationship. As one thing begins falls apart another behind it comes down soon after. As the house begins to drive the couple apart, and the repairs continue to mount up, Anna tries to sell some paintings to Max that she was awarded in their divorce. She ends up getting drunk and wakes up in her old bedroom.

This appears to be the last straw as Walter believes she has strayed from him.

But, will the house be repaired? And if so, at what cost?

After finally getting through the entire film, I still don't understand why I never finished it before. The house/relationship metaphor I felt was outstanding and oh so true. It's amazing how strong a relationship can be and yet still begin to crumble when outside factors get in the way.

This was a perfect way to tell that story. And, I finally enjoyed it.

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Tuesday's With Movies: 1/31/12

Drive: Not only does this film look amazing, but it has actually been getting some praise by award shows and critics. I've been looking forward to checking it out - ad of course continuing the year of Gosling.

In Time: This was one of the films that when I saw the trailer I was very intrigued with. But, it appears to have gotten some flack out there. That never really turns me away from a film because I always try to form my on opinion. I am actually still very interested in seeing it.

The Thing: Not really sure about this one, but from what I am told I don't think this one is for me. Also, I find it odd that a film that is supposed to be a prequel has the same name as the original - not sure why.

The Big Year: I am not really sure what to think about this one. I have always enjoyed Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson/Jack Black every so often. But, a bird watching movie? Not sure.

The Double: This one sort of went under the radar. I think I may have heard of it way back when it was first announce, but then nothing again until the DVD release. I like Topher Grace so I may give this one a try.

Dream House: Again, one I will run out and get right away.

10/50x2: Point Break

Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is a former Ohio State quarterback that leads a bunch of rag-tag players to victory......oops, that was The Replacements.

Anyway, Reeves plays yet another former Ohio State quarterback in Point Break. Here, instead of heading back to the gridiron, he becomes an FBI agent.

Utah is a rookie agent that teams up with Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey). Pappas has been tracking a string of robberies in the area by a gang known as the "Ex Presidents" because they each wear a mask of a former president to protect their identity.

Pappas has a theory that this group is a bunch of surfers, and following that theory Utah goes undercover as a guy wanting to learn to surf. He befriends, and lies, to a former orphan Tyler Endicott (Lori Petty) to help him become a better surfer - and also get him in with some of the other surfers.

He is welcomed into a group of surfers led by Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). The group is extremely close and appears to do everything together - but has Utah stumbled upon the correct gang?

The above is really just the beginning. Pappas and Utah do some serious investigating and staking out to track down the "Ex Presidents".

Just a fun ride. Reeves and Swayze are very good in this movies as friends and possible enemies. Petty was also really good as Tyler, a person who Utah lies to and falls in love with.

I have been told to watch this forever, and it has been recommended to me a bunch of times. I now see why. It was a very good, fun movie.

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HOT: Every Time We Say Goodbye

As you can tell by me actually doing a Hanks-O-Thon, I am a pretty huge Tom Hanks fan. He is my favorite actor of all time.

So, it is pretty odd when researching Hanks' films that I find some never even heard of.

Every Time We Say Goodbye is one of those films. Hanks stars as David Bradley an American pilot that joins World War II fighting for the Royal Air Force before the United States entered the war.

Bradley's plane gets shot down and he is sent to Jerusalem to recover from his injuries.

While there he meets Sarah Perrara (Christina Marsillach) a Jewish girl of Spanish descent when he is dragged to a party by his friend.

They immediately hit it off, but she pulls back because Bradly does not come from a Jewish background. She feels that it would be frowned upon in her community and more importantly her family.

Even though they separate, they continue to run into each other in the small town - and eventually give into their temptation. But will it be able to last once her family discovers it?

The film, like so many, reminded me a bit of Romeo & Juliet. It's under different circumstances, but ultimately it is two people who are in love that cannot be together for reasons outside of their control.

Was the movie good? It was okay. Hanks was great and even Marsillach, who hasn't been in a ton of movies, was good as well.

I know the movie was made in the '80s and it was a movie about the '40s, but it felt even more dated to me - just the look of it.

Overall it was good for a one-time watch, but unlike most of Hanks' films I probably on't be rewatching this one any time soon.

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9/50x2: The Fighter

I am a sports writer by trade, but there are a few sports out there that just don't really appeal to me. Some of those sports are those involving hand-to-hand combat. Boxing, MMA - heck even hockey - are just a few sports that I really have no desire in ever watching (except the occasional Pens game).

That being said. Why is it that boxing seems to almost always make a great movie?

The Fighter is based on a true story about Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his rise in the boxing world. And, may be to an even bigger extent, his brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale).

Eklund is Ward's trainer and former boxer himself. His claim to fame is that he once knocked Sugar Ray Leonard to the mat during a televised match. Since then he has found himself getting addicted to drugs and spending time in jail.

Mickey is also being managed by his mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), who despite Mickey's talent and being an all-around decent person, still treats brother Dicky like her favorite.

Dicky also happens to be filming a documentary on what he is claiming as his comeback attempt into the world of boxing.

Mickey values and loves his family, and that may have been what kept him as what some people claim as a punching bag for other fighters as they make their way up through the ranks. He is saddled with a manager/mother who seems content with keeping him nearby and not allowing him to flourish - and a trainer/brother who would much rather be getting high than spending time in the gym helping his brother get better.

Mickey, however, gets involved with Charlene (Amy Adams) who sees the greatness in him and what his downfall has been - his family. She encourages him to sign with a place in Las Vegas that will pay him as he trains. The lone stipulation is that Dicky must not be allowed to help him.

Just a great film filled with tons of amazing performances.

Bale continues to impress with the way he can transform his actual body image for a film, and then throw himself into that role. Leo has proven just how good of an actress she can be, and here is no different. Adams was amazing as the girlfriend who helps push Mickey in the right direction (and she wasn't too hard on the eyes either). All three were recognized for the effort with nominations for Academy Awards, with Bale and Leo both winning in the Best Supporting category.

The one who wasn't nominated was Wahlberg. I feel the guy gets a bum wrap for the most part - perhaps because he was once known as 'Marky Mark'. I don't know, but I thought his performance in this film was outstanding - and he continues to improve as an actor. His struggle between what he wanted and what he thought he wanted was amazingly portrayed. I felt he deserved some recognition as well.

You've all heard that The Fighter is a great movie - and I can tell you for a fact it was. Again, not a fan of boxing, but they sure do make great films. Check it out if you haven't yet.

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