We put the Lorax in our Netflix queue, thinking it was the original movie from the 70s. From watching the trailer I already knew I wasn’t interested in the new movie, but here it was, by accident, in our living room. I put in the DVD player and fired it up. It was all downhill from there.

The original Lorax movie was a simple and powerful story – incredible in its depth, and one of the most memorable from my childhood. The new movie is a disorganized circus of preachy songs and silly insulting dialogue, without a likeable character in the whole cast. I guess the producers thought they could do a better job than Dr. Seuss. I think it ended up similar to this…

After 20 minutes I reached my threshold and started doing something else. Cami turned if off not long after that. The original Lorax is in the Netflix queue now. I double checked to make sure it was the right one.

Cami and I were looking for something to watch on Amazon. I suggested To Catch A Thief with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. It’s probably my favorite old movie Cami hadn’t seen it before, and she said she liked it a lot.

Cami and I saw MegaMind while she was visiting. We both thought it was great. From the previews it looked interesting. But, we were cautious about expecting too much. We had recently bought How to Train Your Dragon on video and found it wanting. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t worthy of all the hype either. On the other hand, MegaMind was fresh and fun. I laughed a lot, and can’t wait for it to come out on video.

I’ve been watching The Green Mile on TV. It’s a powerful story with excellent character development. I loved the book, and the movie doesn’t disappoint either. Stephen King sure can spin a tale. It’s one of my favorite movies. Another favorite is Shawshank Redemption, which was also written by him.

Tom Hanks does an excellent job as always. Michael Clarke Duncan puts on a stellar performance as John Coffey. Doug Hutchison is perfect as Percy Wetmore, the cowardly but sadistic prison guard.

The Lovely Bones was on HBO this evening. It’s got a catchy title and I guess it’s supposed to be deep. One word comes to mind: “weak”.

Red Box is headed for trouble. They rarely have anything worth renting, even for a buck. A few days ago I got lucky and found one movie that seemed interesting: Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Paula had recommended it a few months ago so I decided to get it.

In the first few minutes of the show I was about ready to turn it off. Later it got a lot better. It’s no blockbuster hit, but it had some pretty funny parts. I might even see it again sometime.

What are the chances of watching two sports movies back to back, and loving both of them? Sandra Bullock put on one of her best performances, and it was just a quality production overall. During the summer I remember thinking how unappealing the movies are these days. I wondered where all the good stories had gone. My faith is restored…for the moment. LOL.

It’s rare to see a movie where the moral message is allowed to come through unaltered, and undiluted. It’s about a rugby coach in Utah who has crafted a winning team with a stellar record. And, he puts personal integrity and service at the core of it. The story centers around a troubled teen (a rugby player) who is sent to a juvenile detention center. While at the center, he is given the opportunity to play for the local high school team. Under the influence of the coach, his life begins to change. This one is going in my collection.

My sister talked me into watching The Visitor. Some movies have titles that don’t make me want to watch them, so it’s good that she insisted.

It’s a story about a college professor who is trapped in a dreary and meaningless life. Richard Jenkins, the lead actor, does an amazing job of conveying a wide range of subtle emotions. He slowly finds new meaning to life when he accidently makes some new acquaintances and begins to open himself up to new experiences. I’m a fan of powerful, understated stories, and this one didn’t disappoint.