What To Rent

As promised, I thought I'd do a little commenting on DVDs that have been in our player recently. The first is one that ScottE rented (mostly for me) - Nanny McPhee.

Now of course this is a children's film, a twist on the Mary Poppins mythology that was written by (and stars) Emma Thompson. As such, it's not a very deep movie, and it's predictable. But the strength of the movie is in vibrant visuals - terrific sets, colorful costumes, lots of sight gags. The children are led by Thomas Sangster, who was so charming in Love Actually. The maid is played by Kelly McDonald whom I'm a big fan of, particularly because she was so good in Gosford Park. And did I mention that it features my British husband Colin Firth? Even as a bedraggled father of seven, he still is adorable from start to finish. LOVE HIM!

Should you rent this? If you like light escapist fantasy, this might be up your alley. Overall grade from me - B+.

Next I found myself at the store, and just had to pick up Clueless - the "Whatever" edition. Hooray! This movie was a big one for me in college. I had a group of friends that were obsessed with it, and we watched it constantly. This DVD is fun to go back and see all the things that have entered our culture because of the movie - especially phrases like, "As if!" If you've never seen the movie, I highly recommend it. If only to see Paul Rudd being all boyish and cute. Fun fact - did you know that the movie is loosely based on Jane Austen's Emma? Seriously! Go rent the Gwyneth movie, and you'll see the parallels.

Clueless has been out on DVD for ages, but never with any extras. This one has several light and fluffy making-of documentaries, which are all in good fun. The director (Amy Heckerling) is a bit frightening in the interviews - she looks like Tim Burton's twin sister. Overall grade for the movie - A-. For the DVD - B.

Then it was time to watch The Bourne Supremacy, which I got for my birthday months ago but just hadn't watched yet. I. Was. Riveted. And I'd already seen this in the theater! This movie is just THAT good.


If you've seen The Bourne Identity and you were like, "Meh," you still need to see this. It's directed by Paul Greengrass, and he manages to make an extremely exciting movie that keeps the action simple. The cast is great - Matt Damon is at his best, Joan Allen is tough, Brian Cox is scary, Julia Stiles is all class.

Seriously - you must see this movie, even if you're not a big action fan (I'm not, so I know of which I speak). This is a thriller that has everything going for it! I can hardly wait for the third film, which is slated to come out next year.

I haven't had a chance to review the extras on the DVD yet, but I will at least say that my overall grade for the movie is A+.

So what are you all watching now? Summer is prime rental time because summer TV is generally bad, so get out there and send me some reviews! (Although I am kind of excited about Big Brother All-Stars...)

Next blog post will be on the Spelling Bee and StepAfrika! as promised.