This week we take a look down the rabbit hole with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010).  The movie returns as the 19 year old Alice is running away from her betrothal announcement.  As with previous Burton films, including Corpse Bride (2005), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) the cast includes Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (the Red Queen). Burton and Bonham Carter have been engaged since 2001 and have two children together. To add to the fun Depp and Burton have teamed up in three additional films, Sleepy Hollow (1999), Ed Wood (1994) and Edward Scissorhands (1990). You could almost predict there will be more films with this combination.  Listen in for our perspective of the view down the rabbit hole.

“I am Iron Man” the words that lead us into the next installment of the Iron Man movies. Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr fulfills the role as if it were meant to be played by him. The movie by Director Jon Favreau, who also directed Iron Man (2008) and plays the role of Hogan. Gwenyth Paltrow returns in her role as Pepper Potts. There are several more Marvelous characters who are brought into the mix with the sequel, including Whiplash/Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). Rourke brings a raw quality to the role as he continues with his rise back to stardom. Also joining the cast is Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman/Black Widow, who I must say has a KICK-@&% action sequence. I could go on and on about the additional actors…Hammer is there and War Machine….but really isn’t it time to listen to the show and then GO see the movie, like you haven’t already. And stay for after the trailer…glimpses of movies to come.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway “Jeanne and Mike’s Movie Bits”.

An adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story “Where the
Wild Things Are” is brought to the screen by Spike Jonze. Listen as
Mike and Jeanne provide their perspective of the film. Don’t forget
to enter the Movie Bits giveaway.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Movie Bits…you could be the
owner of the limited edition t-shirt. Call us at 240-MOVIE-BIT or

email us at letswatchmovies@gmail.com

Thanks for listening and hope you enjoy the show.

This week Mike and Jeanne take a look at Dreamworks animated film “How to Train Your Dragon” which follows the young character Hiccup. His name is truer to his character than you may think, he is the hiccup in the village, where he goes disasters often follow. Hiccup is not your normal Viking and he sets out to prove himself in an unconventional way. The movie is not really about training a dragon, but more of a coming of age and growth opportunities for our young warrior and his competitors. The move is also presented in 3D and IMAX where available. With voice talent of Gerard Butler as Stoick, Craig Ferguson as Gobber, America Ferrera as Astrid and Jay Baruchel as Hiccup.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Movie Bits…you could be the
owner of the limited edition t-shirt. Call us at 240-MOVIE-BIT or

email us at letswatchmovies@gmail.com

Thanks for listening and hope you enjoy the show.

This week we take a look “Up in the Air” starring George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. Ryan Bingham (Clooney) is the man you do not want to see on the other side of the table, he is the “termination pecialist”. We follow him in his detached, I don’t carry a backpack life as he is forced into the reality of changing times. Ryan meets Alex (Farmiga) who travels for her job as well…although we never really find out exactly what she does. They develop a unique bond as the movie progresses, and to find out what happens…well you’ll have to watch, but listen for our thoughts.
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Up in the Air was written and directed by Jason Reitman, son of director Ivan Reitman, he previously directed Juno. It seems he likes his films where the characters have a growth experience. And while you are listening…I mispoke Farmiga was nominated for an Oscar, but the winner was actually Mo’nique. Also nominated for an Oscar was Clooney for his role.

Zombieland

Zombies have taken over the world, insert Woody Harrelson as the bad
to the bone Zombie Killer. Gore and endtrails required. You will laugh
even as you are totally disgusted by some of the over the top zombie
feasting.

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Couples Retreat, writeup to follow

Let’s start by saying it was Jeanne’s turn to pick the movie…so there will be no car chases or bombs exploding this week.  Instead we decided to celebrate the holiday many love to hate…and see “Valentine’s Day”.  The movie follows the interwoven lives of several couples as they experience the day of love. Some of the couples are in the brand new shiny penny version of love, others are trying to figure out where they stand, some are facing hard times, others reconnecting. And the cast of this movie is A M A Z I N G.  The main character Reed Bennett (played by Ashton Kutcher) is followed through most of the movie, all the other characters are connected through him, either directly or through friends of a direct link.  It’s like six degrees of separation to Reed.  Anyway, there are some serious names in this movie, including: Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Kathy Bates, Shirley MacLaine, Julie Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Topher Grace, Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Jessica Biel, Queen Latifah and Hector Elizondo (who has apparently been 12 films by director Marshall) …whew my fingers are tired and that is just the surface…there are many more. The movie is directed by Garry Marshall, who brought us such favorites as Pretty Woman, A League of Their Own, The Princess Diaries and Beaches.  He had such talent to work with this movie must have been a blast to make.

Join us as we take a look at how small the world really is…and don’t forget to call the new voicemail hotline: 240-MOVIEBIT and tell us what you think, or recommend a movie…or enter the giveaway “Jeanne and Mike’s Movie Bits”.

And the winner is…Meryl Streep for the role of Julia Child in Julie and Julia (2009). So we decided to review the movie, cause we have seen almost all the other films nominated for the Golden Globes. Julie and Julie is based on the true stories of two woman, Julia Child, whom we know from her Cooking show, but this storyline follows her path to becoming the cookie legend. And the second person, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) who blogs her way through Child’s cookbook for a year. The story is interwoven between the two women’s lives. Brought to us by Nora Ephron, who directed and wrote the screenplay. She is known for her works on romantic comedies, including Sleepless in Seattle (1993) , You’ve Got Mail (1998) and When Harry Met Sally (1989). This is not the first time Streep and Ephron have collaborated on a project, they worked together in Heartburn (1986) for which Ephron wrote the book and screenplay. Join us as we review the film and don’t forget to call us with your “Movie Bits” responses.

This week we review the much anticipated James Cameron film… Aliens…I mean Terminator…no no that’s not right..it was Titanic. Actually, hard to believe, but Titanic was the last Big movie directed by Cameron.  Do I have your attention now?  I meant Avatar of course!!!  Written and directed by James Cameron, with a MONSTER budget of sources say anywhere from 280 million, plus marketing (Los Angles Times) to almost 500 million (The New York Times), but we will not know the real figures for months.  Regardless to say this is one of the highest costing films of our time.  With the director putting in some major capital to develop the technology that would make his dream of Avatar into a reality.  And 161 minute timestamp, they really wanted to get their monies worth.

The movie follows our paraplegic Marine into the world of Pandora.  Where the locals are 10 feet tall and BLUE called the Na’vi.  This environment is hostile to humans but rich in unobtanium (Mike prefers to call it Plot-tonium since it moves the plot along), yeah I know, hard to believe they named it that.  The goal is to get to this rock which is worth Billions and the way there is BY FORCE or Peaceful relocation.  This is where our Marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) comes in, with the help of Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and Norm Spellmen (Joel Moore) they intergrate their minds with the human/Na’vi hybrid avatars.  This is a story on so many levels, listen as we tell our thoughts and take you to into the vivid imagination of James Cameron.