Miss Congeniality 2 -- 2005

Miss Congeniality 2

Armed and Fabulous

(2005)

Rated PG for violence, crude jokes and sexual references

My Rating: 3 stars

Sandra Bullock

Regina King

Enrique Murciano

William Shatner

Ernie Hudson

Heather Burns

Diedrich Bader

Treat Williams

I wasn't terribly impressed with this movie for several reasons but the main one was the FBI sequences seemed fake. I kept thinking, “This is a movie. This so would not happen in real life.” That being said, I am the first to admit that I am fairly ignorant when it comes to the real FBI world. I am only comparing this film to others I've seen that featured the FBI (S.W.A.T, Shooter) and other agencies (Mission Impossible 3, Sum Of All Fears).

Summary:

After her heroics at the Miss United States Beauty Pageant, Special Agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is too well known to safely participate in field work. In fact, she almost got herself and her partners killed while on a mission because a bystander recognized Gracie as an FBI agent from the talk shows and magazine covers that had featured her. On top of that blow, her boyfriend breaks up with her, leaving Gracie feeling lost and bewildered. So when her boss offers her a career of being the new face for the FBI, Gracie accepts. Awkward, gangly, Special Agent GS13 turns into a glamorous and famous beauty that isn't allowed do anything that is not packaged and sealed decorum.

Right about this moment, enters Sam Fuller (Regina King) who just transferred from Chicago because of anger management issues. She's tough, mean and ready to beat up anyone in her way. She has a very low opinion of Gracie Hart and Gracie Hart has similar feelings for Sam Fuller. Nonetheless, to their dismay, Sam is appointed Gracie's bodyguard.

With her new glamor and list of rules, Gracie is supposed to be on magazine covers, not field duty but when her friends Miss United States and Stan Fields get kidnapped, she can't help herself. And what happens next is a fairly amusing turn of events.

What I Liked:

1: Regina King is one of those wonderful actors who brings a smile to my face. She's the reason this film went from 2 stars to 3.

2: I liked the unglamorous Gracie Hart. The snort when she laughs, the ratty hair, the unprofessional quality about her and the dedication to her job. She's endearing.

3: I liked watching Jeff Foreman (Enrique Marciano) mature.

4: The humor was often very funny.

5: I love how they use Dolly Parton for the Dolly Parton scene.

What I Didn't Like:

1: The sexual/crude humor.

2: The dress was pretty... well, typical for stars. :-P

3: I didn't like how they abruptly went from Gracie being herself to glamorous. Even though they made it a point to inform the view ten months had passed, the change didn't seem realistic.

4: Parts of the movie seemed completely unrealistic.

5: The language. (There was not very much.)

A movie doesn't have to be realistic. In fact, if you're just looking for entertainment, you might enjoy this film. A lot. It's well done and funny.

My favorite lines are:

“Please don't make me do something unladylike!”

“I don't usually like to do this but...” ::gun cocks::

“She's too young to die and I'm not as old as I look!”

A Cinderella Story

A Cinderella Story

(2004)

rated PG for mild elements

My Rating: 5 stars

Hilary Duff

Jennifer Coolidge

Chad Michael Murray

Dan Byrd

Regina King

Julie Gonzalo

Lin Shaye

I usually go for period films or something that has something to do with history but A Cinderella Story has got to be one of the best chick flicks of all time. When you get an actor like Hilary Duff to be the abused heroine, Jennifer Coolidge to be the evil stepmother, Chad Michael Murray to play the... Mmm. I won't give it away.

Enter the world of Sam (Hilary Duff) who lives in the attic of her stepmother's cottage that could look like a swiss chalet surrounded with the only green yard in the entire neighborhood, even though their part of CA is in the middle of a drought. Sam's father died when she was young and since he left no will, her stepmother got everything: the house, the car, the Diner. Oh yeah. The Diner. Sam's father owned the coolest diner in the valley. Employees and customers were friends and diet was a four lettered word. But when Sam's dad was killed during an earthquake, everything changed. For worse.

Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge) is a horror and her two stepdaughters are just as bad. Sam is their slave, whom they blame everything on, the odd man out in school... she basically doesn't fit in anywhere. Before he died, Sam and her dad had shared a dream together: for her to go to college at Princeton. But the more Sam works towards this dream, the more Fiona works against it.

The only thing that keeps Sam going is her mysterious friend whom she chats with every day. Neither of them know who the other is, only that Sam is a girl and her friend is a guy. The more they get to know each other, the more he talks about meeting. But Sam is scared. Can anything turn out happily in her life?

What I Liked:

1: How funny this movie is.

2: How well acted it is. Perfect actors for the characters. Jennifer Coolidge and Regina King are wonderful.

3: The sappiness of it. Not often do you get a story like this that is so clean.

4: How rich it is... it's vibrant and full of color and character.

5: Lessons on judging character and being courageous.

6: Some of the score was lovely!

What I Didn't Like:

1: The girls tend to dress seductively.

2: Some crude humor... I must admit, however, that it wasn't too bad and it always completed the feel of the scene.

3: The kissing scenes... ditto #2, though. ;-)

4: Part of the score was a little... well, not my style. ;-)

But I do recommend this movie to anyone who likes clean sappiness... I love this movie. It's great entertainment. :-)

Enemy Of The State

Enemy of the State

A Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckhemimer Production

Will Smith

Gene Hackman

Regina King

Jon Voight

Gabriel Byrn

Loren Den

Jake Busey

Barry Pepper

Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality/innuendo

My rating: 4 stars for excellence

Robert Clayton Dean is a successful D.C. Attorney and happily married family man who lives in relative peace. Little does he know that his life will soon be ripped to pieces... and unless he takes drastic action, he won't get it back. Unknown to him, he has in his possession a video of a murder... a political murder. And the murderer is willing to go to all lengths to get rid of it and anyone who may know about it. The result is lots of action, some humor, some tears and a good feeling when you're done watching the film.

What I liked:

1: The wonderful relationship between Dean and his wife. In spite of their mistakes (and there were some big ones), their relationship grew stronger through each storm they weathered.

2: How Dean always had his wife and kid on his brain, regardless of what he was going through.

3: Dean's determination to live, even if it meant doing some of the stupidest, most uncomfortable things he'd ever heard of.

4: Gene Hackman's character and the relationship between him and Dean. It was an interesting physiological mix of hate and respect, that eventually turned to appreciation and, shall I say?, affection.

5: The way I totally got the story and what was happening, even though it moved very quickly.

6: Not being much with electronics, etc, I doubly appreciated how easily I could understand what each piece of technological equipment was for and how it worked.

7: This movie was extremely well acted, well directed, and all the strings were neatly tied when the movie was finished.

8: Even with the elements that I didn't care for, I must admit that nothing seemed excessive or out of place. Each scene and sequence fit very well and helped flavor the film.

9: It seemed totally 100% realistic. Being raised in a home that questions everything about the culture we live in and our leaders, I was very interested in the message of this film. And it was this: we have little privacy. As Will Smith said in an interview, “The only privacy we have is in our heads.” It's a movie that made me think and I think it's a movie that will be around for awhile because (I hope!) there are other people who appreciate being woke up.

The things I didn't like:

1: The language.

2: The sexual content... which, thankfully, was “tastefully done”. There is a scene in a Victorian Secret store, in which Dean is trying to buy some lingerie for his wife. One could cover the screen and listen to the dialog because it is important to the rest of the story. Scene two that is a little colorful is when Dean finds that nearly all his clothing is bugged or has censers. He strips down in an apartment quickly, while the older oriental lady looks on and claps enthusiastically... but Dean only gets down to his undershirt and skivvies (which, thankfully, the bad guys forgot to bug... Lol!) before he starts to run again. That actually was the most disturbing scene for me because I tend to want to respect older ladies and this one had me totally disgusted. :-P Another scene is when Dean and Gene Hackman's character film a congressman having an affair with someone who isn't his wife. The camera pans away before one sees too much and even then, you can simply cover the screen and listen to the dialog, which is also important. The final scene (that I can remember) is when Dean and his wife see each other for the first time in a few days and engage in an affectionate embrace (mostly kissing) that includes Carla wearing the lingerie he got for her. Again, it's tastefully done but personally, I would cover the screen.

What surprised me in this film:

1: The appearance Gabriel Byrne. I love his role from Little Women (2002) as Professor Baer so was pleasantly surprised with his brief but memorable appearance here.

Do I recommend this film? To a mature audience, definitely. If you enjoy a good film, with intrigue, a beautiful romance (I love it when the romance is between a married couple :-)), lots of action, a good message and all the strings tied, watch Enemy of the State.