Paul (2011)

Need a good spoof of Spielberg sci-fi movies like Close Encounters, Star Wars, and ET?  This movie was as much fun as Fan Boys.  So if you enjoyed that one, you will most likely "get" this one too.  The fun part is recognizing all the connections.  If you miss them, the story is more or less just average.

Simone Pegg and Nick Frost are goofy comedy geniuses.  Either that or they are the UK's version of Jack Black.  I prefer the first observation.

The other fun surprises here are the great performances from some very familiar faces like Jane Lynch, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, and Seth Rogen.  These are not the only ones of course.  The entire cast was clearly having a good time.

Don't watch this movie with high sci-fi expectations.  Instead, have a bunch of popcorn and your sense of humor completely intact.  And I do recommend the unrated version for the out of control language and "alien behavior".

The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

Mel Gibson at 26. Sigourney Weaver at 32. Linda Hunt at 37. All are a bit older now and have done some very popular, and not so, work.

Linda Hunt won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar here, and her character is the fulcrum point for the other 2 main characters played well by Mel and Sigourney. Bottom line, this is a story about learning to give up whats urgent for what's important.

It is beautifully photographed and set to music. The characters who come and go are well set for the story. While it is a difficult story to watch at times, it is a fairly historical look into a time in another country most of us are totally unfamiliar with.

The best way to watch this movie is to put yourself in the place of one of the 3 main characters and ask yourself what you would have done in their place.

Watch this movie with someone who may not be familiar with how international news was reported prior to the internet.

Wall-E

It's all about sound. Watch the DVD Extra Features and see, or hear, for yourself.

Some have said this is the best thing Disney has done with Pixar since Finding Nemo. I disagree. The Incredibles is still the best thing since then. Wall-E is good; very good even, but not Oscar material. I may however be proven wrong on that count because of the moral of the story.

This movie is a little preachy but entertaining enough that you may not mind. This is certainly a good family movie. Kids will enjoy the sounds and the action. The story teaches some pretty good lessons to kids if the parents are clever enough to discuss them. The lessons are there for us so-called grown-ups too if we are honest enough to admit them.

Count how many Apple tie-ins you can spot in this film. You'll need more than two hands.

Fred Willard is the only "live" actor in this movie (a first for a Pixar feature-length project), but he is certainly animated enough to fit right in. His face and voice are perfect as the leader of the corporation that ruins the planet and then abandons it.

You may also recognize the voice of Sigourney Weaver, Kathy Najimy, John Ratzenberger, and Jeff Garlin.

As with most animated shows these days there are different layers of entertainment for different age groups. Watch this movie with someone who will have fun on at least 2 of those levels.