Wednesday, August 22, 2007

A Dr. Monkey Double Movie Review

The League of Mullets is still in the Pacific northwest, getting drunk, searching for Tanya Harding, and pissing on the doors of every Starbucks they can find, so I am stepping in and doing some more movie reviews.

First up is Fay Grim.
This is the sequel to Henry Fool. While I usually love Hal Hartley films I hated Henry Fool and I hated this sequel even more.

Hal my man, you have not made a decent film since that one you made with Sarah Polley and Helen Mirren, and that was borderline. Actually now that I think about it, your last good movie was Simple Men. Sometimes Hal I think the only reason you keep making movies is so that Elina Lowenshon will have work.
Hal, dude, we get it. You love her. You want to bang her. For all I know you are banging her, but I'm begging you now to stop putting her in bad films like this one. Write another character driven movie that doesn't try to be some big budget espionage flick.

My bottom line on Fay Grim is avoid it like the plague.



Next up is Nanny McPhee.

I know, I know it's a kids/family movie. I watched it for free on Cinemax on Demand, we're still getting HBO and Shit-a-max, oops, Cinemax for free so what the heck. This is a cute little yarn about some kids who misbehave in order to drive their nanny's off so that their recently widowed father will not have time to go out and look for a new wife. But as fate would have it, their dad must remarry soon or they will lose their monthly stipend from his crazy controlling old aunt, sounds like someone in my family, the crazy controlling old aunt I mean.

Anyway the kids and the dad and the whole shebang are trapped in a vicious circle until one day the ugly Nanny McPhee shows up. She's magical and she puts the kids to right and everything works out in the end.

Mmmm, unibrow and crazy tooth. Emma you never looked so lovely.
Oh wait, now you look lovely.

Ok Emma, now you're just taunting me.
The look of this film is very distinctive. It takes place in some kind of nether Victorian/Edwardian time period, one in which lime and bright magenta are suitable colors for all sorts of clothes. I rather liked the design of this film and I rather liked the whole shebang in general. ( I just reached my "shebang" usage limit for the next six months.)

Everyone in this lighthearted family movie did a fine job including Emma, Colin Firth, Kelly MacDonald,


Angela Landsbury, the kids, Imelda Staunton, and the gal who plays the woman Firth almost marries.
Some of the kids from the movie.

This is a sweet little movie that your kids will love because it's one of those kids triumphing over adults movies. It's well shot, well directed, and the sets and costumes are something to behold.

My bottom line is if you want to watch a pleasant film with cute kids and some top shelf British actors then you should love this little movie. Watch it if you need a "pick me up." And even if you don't have kids, go on and check it out some time.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love Parker Posey since she was on As the World Turns!

But sadly, don't see enough of her movies. When I need to see her, I just watch Dazed and Confused for a few minutes which turns into the whole movie because who can turn off Dazed and Confused until the football field scene is over?

Love Nanny McPhee!!! The Spawn watched it once and had to have the DVD. BitchMom relented and so. Of course any movie with Emma Thompson AND Kelly MacDonald is one to watch over and over and over.

On another note - have you scene Two Family House, another film with Kelly MacDonald?

Have we had this conversation? It's early and I'm loopy from being up late last night fighting the evils of facsism.....

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

D Cup-I love Ms. Posey as well, especially in the Chris Guest films.

You are the first woman I've known who liked dazed and Confused.

I have not seen Ms. McDonald in the film you mention but I wll check it out. Have you seen her in The Girl in the Cafe?

Anonymous said...

Really? Chicks don't dig Dazed and Confused? Well, maybe because Matthew M's character is so ish! It so reminds me of my youth in a small town! Keg parties in a field? I was there in an Adidas tee shirt, no doubt.

I have seen Girl in the Cafe. Ms. MacDonald is just such a good actress. The movie that I watch over and over is Gosford Park. I love her character in that. The movie is a vertable feast of British actors.....I keep it saved on the DVR and punch it up whenever there's nothing on.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

I love Gosford Park. I have a bit of a thing for Helen Mirren.

NotSoccer Mom said...

hey i liked dazed and confused too! haven't seen it in ages, though...

nanny mcphee was great! i love emma thompson--she can make herself look so ugly and awful! i think she's an awesome actress.

dguzman said...

Ooh, thanks for the hot pix of the oh-so-hot Emma Thompson and Kelly McDonald. LOVE IT!