Fifty Fifty Movie Round Up: Movies 1-5

I wanted to recap the movies in fives, and we've finished the first five, so here we go!

1.  Hamlet 2.  This is not a good movie, but we did laugh a few times.  It's amusing, and I'm glad I saw it, but I'd be pissed off if I bought it or saw it in a theatre.  Steve Coogan has a horrible American accent, but he is funny for sure.  Also, Ricky liked seeing Elizabeth Shue... but how can you not, as she's the lead in Adventures in Babysitting?  Worth a rent, but have realistic expectations.

2.  The Secret of the Kells.  SO GOOD.  I've been meaning to see this since it was nominated for an Oscar a few years ago.  The artwork is really striking, and it's a good story.  Also the perfect length of just a bit over an hour.  Strongly recommend checking out.

3.  Frankenweenie (2012 stop animated version).  Really good.  Reminded us of classic Burton, as it has a lot of neat visual elements and has the heart that a lot of his earlier pieces have (Beeteljuice, Edward Scissorhands) that perhaps some of his newer stuff does not (Alice in Wonderland).  It was nice that he brought back a lot of the veterans from his earlier pieces, like Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, and Martin Landau.  I cried like a baby, even though I KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.  Really smart and clever.  Go see this movie in the theatres.

4.  I Love You Philip Morris.  This movie is made better by the fact that it is a true story and it pretty much happened the way they portrayed it in the movie.  It's definitely weird, but also loving and fascinating.  Jim Carrey is at his best when he's not playing the manic buffoon.  He's really good at this, and is quite engaging.  And you can't not love Ewan MacGreggor.  Rent it.

5.  United.  When I finished this movie, I thought "well that wasn't amazing".  But then I found out it was a TV movie and I decided I liked it for that.  David Tennant is great in it.  Dougray Scott plays his character quite oddly.  Nice supporting role of William from Downton Abbey.  Sadly he has the same fate as William did in DA.  (hint:  he dies)  Interesting story, and they do a good job at it for a TV movie.  Worth the rent.