Mid-Day Mini ~ Pretty Woman

by Down from the Shelf, Mid-Day Mini • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Facts:

Synopsis: A man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets… only to fall in love.

Stars: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo, Ralph Bellamy

Director: Garry Marshall

Rated: R

Running Length: 119 minutes

TMMM Score: (8/10)

Review:  Though Julia Roberts had already turned out memorable performances in Mystic Pizza and earned an Oscar nomination for Steel Magnolias, it would be Pretty Woman that sealed the deal and made her a bonafide movie star.  Even more surprising was that this glossy fairy tale about a hooker with a heart of gold was one of the biggest hits of the year and earned Roberts an Oscar nomination as Best Actress.  That thousand-watt smile was put to good use opposite the squinty eyed Richard Gere and the two made a great pair. (This magic was not present in a later collaboration, Runaway Bride).   Watching the movie now, I’m still impressed with how well it sidesteps its adult themes for an admittedly cleaned-up version of Los Angeles and its seedier parts.  Originally intended as a much darker film, director Garry Marshall knew that there was a shiny Cinderella story hidden underneath the grime so he relies heavily on his stars.  Marshall has always been a rather pedestrian director and that’s true here…but his casting is impeccable from Roberts all the way down to the bum that closes the movie.

The Silver Bullet ~ Planes

by Silver Bullet - Trailer Park • Tags: , , , , ,

planes-movie

Synopsis: Dusty is a cropdusting plane who dreams of competing in a famous aerial race. The problem? He is hopelessly afraid of heights. With the support of his mentor Skipper and a host of new friends, Dusty sets off to make his dreams come true.

Release Date:  August 9, 2013

Thoughts: Pixar’s Cars and its sequel were probably my least favorite of their impressive family of films.  So the trailer for their latest endeavor, the off-shot Planes doesn’t send me sky high with excitement.  Originally intended as being a direct to video release, Disney saw a spot in their schedule (though Monsters University is also coming out in 2013) they needed to fill so have bumped this one up to a theatrical run in hopes of increasing their box office take for Summer 2013.  Looking at the box office returns for the Cars series, you can hardly blame them…but at the same time you totally can.  Jon Cryer had recorded all of the tracks for the lead role but was recently replaced by the exhausting Dane Cook…just another reason to have a stay-cation from the movie theaters the weekend this is released.