Leap Year

"What are you, the Lucky Charms Leprechaun?"

I'm married so naturally I end up seeing a lot of rom coms. I was looking forward to this one (I know, I know hear me out) because of the setting. I love movies set in Europe. I think it make me forgive the story, or lack thereof. I'll start off by saying that this was not the greatest film ever, but the countryside shots are great. I love the pub scene and the whole city versus farmers banter that you find in these films. I am willing to admit that I like movies like The Holiday and Under the Tuscan Sun, but you cannot fault me for enjoying them for the countryside shots.

Okay now that we have that cleared up we can move on. Amy Adams who plays the main character Anna has perfected the innocent/ignorant heroin routine. She waits for her boyfriend to propose and when he does not he decides to follow him to Ireland where in Leap Day a female can propose to her boyfriend. Mayhem ensues as the fates are stacked against her. She has one mmishaps after another. I should say one international travel cliche after another. How many times do we heed to watch an American try to plug in an electric object in to a European outlet? I do have to fault the writers who make this character so Naive and over the top when is come to common sense.

I loved the banter between her and the male lead, Declan, played by Matthew Goode. His part is well written and enjoyable. My wife enjoyed his performance for other reasons. She did not appreciate me leaning over to here every 15 minutes to whisper "I wonder if these two will end up together?"

The shots of the Irish countryside were great. The story was a bit painful and the ending was also a bit painful. It may sound negative, but I did like this movie. I think the banter between the two leads, along with the Irish backdrop, was fun enough to save the movie from dying a horrible rom com death.

6 out of 10

Man on Wire

"If I die, what a beautiful death."

I had been trying for months to watch Man on Wire. It had been recommended to me many times and I had it in my Instant Queue for a long time. I decided today was the day. So, instead of helping my wife get ready for a birthday party I sat down and watch this great documentary.

The film is about a Frenchman named Phillipe Petit. He was famous for his walking in wires, juggling and unicycles. But he was infamous for the same things. The film has some of the best shots of Paris I have ever seen. There was one particular 180 degree shot over the roofs of Paris that I must have replayed at least ten times. There is an amazing video of him breaking in and walking between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral.

The films highlight is when Phillipe learns about the new World Trade Center buildings in New York. He decides that they are too perfect and since they are only 200 yards away from each other he figures it would be perfect for him to cross. After months of training for conditions and planing how to set up a wire without getting caught he decides it's time to go. There were no video cameras there that day only photographs to document him. The photos are amazing.

This film tells us about achieving our goals and more importantly the pursuing of them. Minus one scene at the end that really could have been left out, if it were not to prove the point of the weakness the combination of man and fame, it was a great documentary. The video and photos were amazing and the story of Phillipe's dedication was just as breath taking.

8.56 out of 10

Hachi

Life cannot be captured. The human heart cannot be captured...

Like most others, I am a sucker for animal movies. This one was better than the most. It was nice to see an animal movie that was not comically overdone, or a voice over done by some random comedian. Instead, the dog in the film relayed all the emotion needed through his eyes.

Hachi is a movie based on a Japanese tale of a Professor who happens upon a dog whom he takes home. The family falls in love with the dog and decides to keep him. The dog falls in love with Richard Gere's character, Professor Wilson. The dog follows him to the train each day and then heads home. He then waits for the train whistle to blow and then heads back to the station to wait for him to get off the train. As we see in the preview (not a spoiler alert) one day he does not come home. The dog continues to return the the station, each day, and wait for him. The stories begin and the tears follow shortly. It got downright dust in the room.

I really enjoyed this movie. I was also glad to see that is was rated G. Not to many of those that are not cartoons. It is a great movie to watch as a family. Even if it is a bit sad. I raise many good points to think about. The small things. Taking the joy from every moment with someone, because you never know when they will be gone, and when they are gone never forgetting them.

9.4 out of 10