A History of Violence

Ever wonder about people in your neighborhood? Ever wonder what they are like when you can't see them? Ever wonder what they were like before they moved to your area? This movie is a great story about the past life of one small town's familiar face.

Viggo Mortensen is your typical mild-mannered small-town cafe owner. One day when bad guys come in to rob his cafe he handles them with the aplomb of a seasoned street fighter. He is an instant local hero with expanding press coverage. This exposure brings with it some unwanted attention however.

Ed Harris, who almost always plays the best of genuinely good guys, plays the opposite here. He is amazing, and makes us forget his other roles as Mr. Perfect.

William Hurt is a big surprise as well, but I don't want to give too much away by explaining why.

This movie will take you places you did not expect to go. The title suggests something far more sinister and dark that is actually portrayed. If you skipped this movie back in 2005, I totally understand. But, I highly recommend it as a good rental with popcorn. Yes it is violent. Yes it is brutal and a bit graphic. But I bet you'll relate to Mortensen's character, or to that of his wife, played smartly by Maria Bello. Few wives won't see a bit of themselves in Bello's trusting, faithful character. How far that goes is something most relationships go through at some point.

Watch this movie with someone who will debate with you the pros and cons of how it ends.

The Bee Movie

Have you seen this movie yet? Did you like it? Why? I have not decided yet.

Yes, kids should love this. Lots of colorful action, enough slap-stick to keep them laughing, and a very simple plot - basically. Much however will go over their heads as is usual animation genre. That was the case Bugs Bunny and it's still the case today. Smart cartoon producers know to keep the big AND little kids happy and you'll have fresh material for many generations.

I'm not sure however there is enough in this story to keep us bigger kids fans for more than the duration of the flick. The most fun I had was trying to identify all the famous voices used. The list IS very impressive. There were 4 or 5 I was totally wrong about. How about you?

As Jerry Seinfeld projects go, this one is iffy in my opinion. Again, the voices are what make this movie the most fun for us alleged grown-ups.

The bee puns are everywhere, and some are actually pretty good. But enough is enough already. They do mock several very popular movie concepts too. How many did you notice?

Regardless of how you felt about this movie, I can recommend it to anyone with kids; big or little. Watch this movie with your honey. Oy vey.