Reviews 1, 2 & 3

Over the long holiday weekend I ended up watching three movies from my list for the mini movie challenge that I signed up for!

1) Northanger Abbey (2007 version starring JJ Field and Felicity Jones)

I am pretty sure I have read this Jane Austen book, but it has been awhile, and I had never seen a movie version of this one before. So I was really excited when I got it for Christmas, and when my baby sister came over to hang out with me on new years eve and wanted to watch it, I was so happy to be blessed with such a wonderful little sister! (Something in all us Binkley girls just love anything/everything Austen!!)
I enjoyed this movie thoroughly... it doesn't go on my favorite list, like this version of Mansfield Park, but I did really enjoy it. The story in this one is really fun, with the main character having such a crazy imagination, because she reads too many novels! The actors were good looking, which I would say wouldn't matter, but I found out it did (read my review on movie #2) and I think that for the Austen heroines, Catherine is really quite a funny character. I feel that normally the Austen heroines are really complex characters, but Catherine is refreashingly young and adorable and a simpler character than normal. Not that she didn't have enough depth, just different. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE Austen's other heroines, I just liked the change of pace with this one!
If you are a Austen fan, or you like a victorian era movie, than I would certainly suggest giving this one a watch. It is worth your time! (It really made me want to read the book again, so we will see if I can fit that into my busy reading schedule soon!)

2) Persuasion (1999 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds)
This is another one I got for Christmas. I have watched a different version of this Austen classic before, and read the book, so I had a lot of expectations for this movie. I was a bit disappointed. I like the story in this one, but I wasn't impressed with the movie. It felt long, normally (even though Austen movies are often very long) I don't want them to end, but this one felt like it dragged on a bit. I am not sure why. It might have been that I stayed up too late the night before and so I was too tired when I watched this (I watched this with my sister on new years day morning), or maybe it was the actors, or director...I am not sure. I really can't remember much about the other film, because it has been too long since I watched it, but I saw that it will be airing on PBS soon, so I will have to watch it again. Back to the review: The actors were not beautiful in this film, which as I type this I want to kick myself for even thinking such a thing, forget typing it out, but lets face it....Hollywood has us setting EXTREMELY high standards when it comes to beauty in film and I wasn't impressed. Not that the actors weren't nice looking, just not what you feel like you would normally see in a movie! I guess I have become super shallow when it comes to the people I want to watch. How embarrassing, but I think that has to be at least part of it. I watch a ton of movies, so I think I am open to anything, but I was really kinda bored at parts in this film. Not entirely, I still liked it, and I am not saying I wouldn't ever watch it again, it just wasnt' as good as I had hoped. Maybe that is the problem right there, I had too high expectations for it!!

3) Sherlock Holmes (In theaters now starring Robert Downey, Jr, Jude Law and Rachel McAdams)

I was so excited to see this film, and I was still very pleased when I left the theater. That is saying something, because often times I get so excited about a film, it has no chance of living up to my expectations. I have never been I huge Robert Downey, Jr fan, but I thought he did a great job in this film The chemistry between him (as Sherlock Holmes) and Jude Law (as Dr. John Watkins) was great. (They were perfect as best friends!!) I love Rachel McAdams (plays Irene Adler). It was fun to see her as this style of character, I thought she did a great job with it. Maybe it is the director, I don't know, but I was truly entertained and left wanting more at the end. I would say that is a job well done for a movie, especially in this day of sequels, trilogies, etc. I remeber reading some Sherlock Holmes and watching either movies or tv specials about Sherlock Holmes growing up, and this was a fun new version of his character. I had always thought of him as being more refined, but maybe that was just because of what I had seen him portrayed as before. Although it wasn't like anything I had seen of Sherlock Holmes before, I bought into it and really enjoyed it. I would vote go see it!