P-s-s-t, pass the popcorn!

Just recently watched some good and one not-so-good films. From bad to good.

• My New Gun (2002) R When Gerald Bender (Stephen Collins) buys his dutiful wife, Debbie (Diane Lane), a gun for her protection, she hesitantly accepts the gift, but has no idea how much trouble it's about to cause. Gerald's plan to protect his wife fails when their handsome but zany neighbor Skippy (James LeGros) swipes the weapon. Before long, chaos ensues as strange people start showing up without warning and bullets begin to fly. (from Netflix) This movie never seems to get going. There is the lacking of a plot, although movies don't necessarily need a plot, they need something to keep the viewer interested. We don't even have dazzling special effects to keep us entertained. The laughs aren't there either.
• Lost in Translation(2003) R Set in Tokyo, this subtle, nuanced film played Bill Murray against type and earned director Sofia Coppola an Original Screenplay Oscar. Two lost souls -- the young, neglected wife (Scarlett Johansson) of a photographer and a washed-up movie star (Murray, in an Oscar-nominated performance) shooting a TV commercial --find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other's company and away from their lives in America. (from Netflix) This is a character piece. At some point you think maybe writer/director Sofia Coppola is day-dreaming. I felt that the characters could have been developed a little better. However, the story of ships that pass in the night is well told. The location shots were great as well as how modern Japanese culture was depicted.
• Body Heat(1981) R In a sizzling-hot Florida coastal town, attorney Ned Racine (William Hurt) becomes involved with the sultry Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner) -- and schemes a way to get her wealthy, much-older husband (Richard Crenna) out of the picture. Ned's knowledge of legal matters may enable both conspirators to escape scot-free -- and Matty is craftier than anyone ever dreamed. Lawrence Kasdan directs this throwback to the early days of film noir. Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke co-star. (from Netflix) I had not seen this hot drama from the 80's. I was good to see Hurt with hair. I really liked this movie--I'm a sucker for a surprise ending. I think I'm losing my taste for sex and violence. ...maybe not!
• Moonlight Mile(2002) PG-13 Moonlight Mile is the story of a young man (Jake Gyllenhaal) who's taken in by the mother (Susan Sarandon) and father (Dustin Hoffman) of his recently deceased fiancée, as he's the only living connection to their daughter. Even as they're all still grieving, Gyllenhaal begins to fall in love with a woman (Ellen Pompeo) whose boyfriend has gone missing. But will Gyllenhaal's former in-laws-to-be accept the new girlfriend? (from Netflix) I really liked this character piece. There are some great subtle effects such as using the seasons in parallel with the story. And extremely well dome film with a great cast. This is a relationship film for everyone.