stoobushblog

After three months kidnapped by aliens...

Man, it doesn't seem like it's been that long since I've commented here...mostly it's the disturbing lack of movies I've seen in the last few months, but I'll try to get back in the saddle. First, I'll cover the movies I've seen since Alien...

Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King: 4 Stars. Hands down best movie of the year. Loved pretty much everything about it...the acting, the effects, the script...everything! Wept manly tears a few times as well. Despite omitting the scouring of the shire from the books, director Peter Jackson remained remarkably true to them, especially in the (some would say overlong) denouement. The recreation of the city of Minas Tirith has to be a hallmark in movie making...I still don't know how they managed to so seemlessly merge sets and CGI together. Special kudos to Peter Jackson for leaving in the last spoken like of the book.

Miracle: 3.5 Stars. It's funny, but after watching this excellent film about the 1980 US Olympic hockey team, I'm struck by how inappropriate the title is. Sure, it's a good title, but the USA didn't win the gold by some miracle. As the movie shows in sometimes breathtaking detail, the US won by working harder than everyone else, including the Soviets. Working Hard isn't exactly going to have people lining up, though, so what are ya gonna do? Anyway, this tale of coach Herb Brooks and his 20 talented collegiate hockey players is powerful, inspiring, exciting, and -- impressively -- not sappy. Go see it with a sports fan you love.

Yup. That's it. More today, though....no power at work.