Overboard (1987)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Overboard (1987)

Director:

Garry Marshall

Writer:

Leslie Dixon

Starring:

Kurt Russell

Goldie Hawn

Edward Herrmann

Katherine Helmond

Mike Hagerty

Blurb:

A cruel but beautiful heiress mocks and cheats a hired carpenter. When she gets amnesia after an accident, he decides to introduce her to regular life by convincing her they’re husband and wife.

Thoughts:

I know that Overboard has problems. It definitely takes the premise too far once Kurt Russell’s character sleeps with Goldie Hawn. He should have come clean before then. The thing is, I really like this movie. The chemistry between the two is obvious, and how could I not like a story where a rich person lives life from the other side. It’s great!

Most reviewers seem to disagree with me, and that’s valid. They did go too far. Overboard wasn’t a hit when it came out and barely made its money back. Like so many other movies I own, though, it went on to be a cult classic. I wonder how much of that has to do with the fact that it was played frequently on TV?

The Princess Bride (1987)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

The Princess Bride (1987)

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writer:

William Goldman

Starring:

Cary Elwes

Robin Wright

Mandy Patinkin

Chris Sarandon

Christopher Guest

Wallace Shawn

André the Giant

Blurb:

While home sick in bed, a young boy’s grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

Thoughts:

The Princess Bride is my movie. When someone asks me that awful question, what’s my favorite film, The Princess Bride, is my answer. I used to have the entire thing memorized. My friends and I would take turns quoting the whole thing. One time when I was bored at work, I recited it for a coworker, including acting out the fighting scene on the cliffs of insanity. When I say The Princess Bride is my movie, I mean that it is the movie that had the most significant impact on my life, except for maybe Star Wars.

I’ve introduced a few people to The Princess Bride, and without fail, they enjoy it. It is one of those rare films that is perfect. There is nothing I would change. I’ve had it on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital. I’ve got the criterion collections version. I’ve got t-shirts and the board game. This is my movie.

I’m not claiming to be its biggest fan. Not even close. But The Princess Bride is my ultimate comfort movie. I fall asleep to it because I can close my eyes and visualize the entire thing. I love it.

Blood Heir

Blood Heir (Aurelia Ryder #1)

By: Ilona Andrews

Blurb:

Atlanta was always a dangerous city. Now, as waves of magic and technology compete for supremacy, it’s a place caught in a slow apocalypse, where monsters spawn among the crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions struggle for power and survival.

Eight years ago, Julie Lennart left Atlanta to find out who she was. Now she’s back with a new face, a new magic, and a new name—Aurelia Ryder—drawn by the urgent need to protect the family she left behind. An ancient power is stalking her adopted mother, Kate Daniels, an enemy unlike any other, and a string of horrifying murders is its opening gambit.

If Aurelia’s true identity is discovered, those closest to her will die. So her plan is simple: get in, solve the murders, prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and get out without being recognized. She expected danger, but she never anticipated that the only man she’d ever loved could threaten everything.

One small misstep could lead to disaster. But for Aurelia, facing disaster is easy; it’s relationships that are hard.

Review:

Blood Heir started as posts on Ilona Andrews’ blog. I read the first few but stopped and decided to wait for the book release. I think they actually stopped posting them once the story got bigger than planned. The main character is Julie, Kate’s ward from the Kate Daniels series. I always liked her, but there are apparently a lot of vocal fans that don’t, so that’s why it started as a blog post book instead of a traditionally published one.

Anyway! Julie has changed a lot since we last saw her riding off into the sunset with her grandmother. She’s got a whole new face and everything. At first, I was concerned that she would be too much like Kate, but she’s got a confidence that Kate didn’t have at the beginning. She’s also smarter. The parts I love most about Kate are in Julie, though. Her drive to help those weaker than her and her love of family are some of my favorite character traits.

Julie, now Aurelia, is in Atlanta for the first time in almost a decade, but to keep her family safe, she can’t let her family see her. It’s complicated and makes sense in the story, but it also serves the purpose of allowing Aurelia to shine on her own. She’s as much of a badass as Kate, and it’s so much fun to read her story. I’m excited for more.

4.5/5

Wild Sign

Wild Sign (Alpha and Omega #6)

By: Patricia Briggs

Blurb:

In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It’s as if the people picked up and left everything they owned behind. Fearing something supernatural might be going on, the FBI taps a source they’ve consulted in the past: the werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham. But Charles and Anna soon find a deserted town is the least of the mysteries they face.

Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous — and it has met werewolves before.

Review:

At book six in the Alpha and Omega series, we know the characters pretty well. And that’s kind of the problem with Wild Sign. I liked the story, but it conflicts with information learned in previous books in the series as well as in the Mercy Thompson series.

The government approaches Anna and Charlies to aid in the locating of a small commune that has disappeared. Since it’s on pack land, they agree to help and sidestep the request to join an alliance. The idea of an alliance is cool, and much like in Fair Game with its whole legal side of the story, nothing comes of that. The characters and what they do are the focus and not what’s going on in the world. This is perfectly okay, but I wish the characters had a larger role in the big issues.

Anyway, we end up finding a lot out about Lead, the Marroks wife. Her character in this Wild Sign doesn’t mesh with how she’s acted before. Neither does how the Marrok seems to feel about her. I went back and re-read Cry Wolf, and those changes really stand out. Leah is a bitch. She’s mean and openly hates everyone. We find out why she’s angry and filled with hate, but I didn’t feel like it explained all she’d done in the past. She’s described as a genuinely horrible person in other books. She’s tried to kill Mercy, and she’s said awful things to Anna. We’re supposed to believe it’s all because of memories she didn’t have until this book and because Bran doesn’t love her. Yet she’s also this super strong person that doesn’t care about anyone. It’s a bit of a stretch for me.

Wild Sign makes you question everything you’ve ever thought about Leah and her relationship with Bran. Revelations are made about how they became a couple, and it makes her even more sympathetic. Honestly, Bran does not come off well in this story. I hope there is some character repair in future books because my opinion of him has dropped.

All that being said, I enjoyed Wild Sign, which was a relief because I wasn’t a fan of the previous Patricia Briggs book. I prefer the Mercy Thompson series, and I wish the Alpha and Omega series tackled bigger world issues, but the characters are still entertaining and the stories fun.

3.5/5

Dirty Dancing (1987)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Dirty Dancing (1987)

Director:

Emile Adrolino

Writers:

Eleanor Bergstein

Starring:

Jennifer Grey

Patrick Swayze

Jerry Orbach

Cynthia Rhodes

Blurb:

Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances “Baby” Houseman falls in love with the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle.

Thoughts:

I noticed on my most recent viewing that Dirty Dancing doesn’t have the best acting. I never know what Jennifer Grey’s character is thinking or feeling. Once they start having sex, it’s obvious, but before that, her stare is a bit dead. Patrick Swayze is, of course, very emotive, and I know what he’s thinking.

There’s also the whole she’s supposed to be eighteen, and he’s supposed to be a few years older than that. They’re clearly in their late twenties and early thirties. I end up missing out on the whole forbidden love because they’re adults. Her parents shouldn’t be able to hold her back. I get the class thing, but Baby clearly doesn’t care about that. So the only thing holding them back is her parents. I missed all of that until I read Wikipedia.

I don’t watch Dirty Dancing for the acting so much as I watch it for the music, though. The dancing is also nice, but it’s the music that I love. It’s been a while since I listened to the soundtrack, but there was a time when I was sixteen when I listened to it nonstop for an entire week.

Honestly, I’m not sure if this is a movie I need to own. I have the soundtrack. Do I really need the “story?” I do like the depiction of abortion in the film. It’s realistic, and the woman isn’t shamed. So that’s a big positive in the movies column. I don’t know. I’ll probably keep it. Sometimes I just want to watch Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey crawl across a floor toward each other while lip-syncing.