#30 "Daniel Deronda"

Too bad I didn't have a scary movie to watch today, considering it's Halloween. I think the only "scary" movie in my collection is The Ring ... maybe I'll be to the R's by this time next year!

Stats: 2002. Starring Hugh Dancy & Romola Garai. Not Rated. Based on the novel by George Eliot.

Background: I got this as part of the aforementioned George Eliot collection. Other than Silas Marner, which I wanted for my ESL class, this was the movie I was most excited about, simply because it stars Hugh Dancy. My sister and I watched it together at the beginning of the summer … and we soon had a mutual loathing for one of the characters.

Reactions: Words can’t describe just how much I didn’t want to watch this again. My main complaint is that the supposed heroine is completely unlikable. Normally, I root for the hero and heroine to get together and stay together, but not in this case. When Gwendolen married, I cheered, thinking that would end any chance of a relationship between her and Daniel. Not so. So when Daniel finally married the Jewess he saved earlier, I was thrilled!

Watching this for the second time, I actually enjoyed it more than the first. Before, I was worried that Daniel would make the “wrong” choice—after all, Gwendolen is the main female character—but this time, I knew what he would decide, so I could focus on the other plot points!

I do enjoy Hugh Dancy (Daniel), Hugh Bonneville is fantastic as the loathsome Grandcourt, and I like a few of the subplots, but this isn’t a movie I’ll be watching regularly.

Verdict: Keep (in order to keep my whole George Eliot collection together)

#29 "Daddy's Little Girls"

Stats: 2007. Starring Idris Elba, Gabrielle Union, Tasha Smith. PG-13.

Background: Daddy’s Little Girls is the first Tyler Perry movie I saw all the way through. (I’d seen bits and pieces of Diary of a Mad Black Woman on television a few times.) I hated it and loved it, all at the same time.

A couple months ago, after seeing another Tyler Perry movie, which I loved even more than this one, I went on half.com to find it and discovered a seller that had a bunch of Tyler Perry movies for under $5 each. I couldn't resist :-)

Reactions: First of all, Idris Elba is an amazing actor. I didn’t even realize until I looked it up that he was both Monte, the loving, hardworking father in Daddy’s Little Girls and Charles Miner, the uptight, by-the-book replacement for Michael Scott on season five of The Office.

I’d forgotten just how vile the villains in this movie are. Most of the movie is just painful to watch. So why watch it? For the extreme love the main character has for his daughters and for the determination with which he fights for them.

Monte is a hardworking ex-con who loses custody of his daughters to his ex-wife, who is living with Joe, the neighborhood drug kingpin. Everyone is afraid to testify against Joe, so even though he has been arrested several times, the charges never stick. Monte turns to Julia (Union), a partner at an upscale law firm, for help. Of course, Monte ends up with custody of his kids, and he and Julia fall in love.

I thought things wrapped up a little too neatly, but it certainly was a happy ending. Of the five Tyler Perry movies I’ve seen, this ranks third.

Verdict: Keep

#28 "The Cutting Edge"

Stats: 1992. Starring D.B. Sweeney, Moira Kelly, Terry O’Quinn. PG.

Background: I first saw The Cutting Edge at a slumber party in junior high. I was already a huge figure skating fan by that point, so I thought a movie that combined skating and romance was phenomenal! One thing I remember from that first viewing: we had to fast forward through the drinking scene right after they make the Olympic team!

This movie was my first introduction to Terry O’Quinn, who played Kate’s father and is fantastic as John Locke on LOST. It’s hard to even believe the same actor played both roles!

The Cutting Edge is one of the few movies I owned on VHS. A few years ago, I found it on dvd, and I'm pretty sure the video made its way to my parents' house.


Reactions: Every time I think of this movie, two words come to mind: Toe pick!

I have seen The Cutting Edge more times than most other movies, and yet I still enjoy it. I love the banter between Kate and Doug, I love the skating, and I love the ending. The movie closes with Kate’s declaration of love and the long-awaited first kiss … and we don’t know if they win the gold medal! (I think either The Cutting Edge 2 or The Cutting Edge 3 says that they did—but don’t get me started about how much I loathed those movies!) I prefer to not know about the gold—after all, that’s not the most important aspect of the movie!

Verdict: Keep

#27 "Cranford"

Stats: 2007. Starring Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Simon Woods. Not Rated.

Background: Cranford is a BBC miniseries based on Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel of the same name. The screenwriters also borrowed plot points from other Gaskell stories for the miniseries.

I bought Cranford as part of a set which included Wives & Daughters and North & South. I loved both of those miniseries, and as it was cheaper to buy the set than to buy the two series separately, I went with the set. All summer, I intended to watch Cranford, but it just never happened.

Reactions: Cranford is delightful. It tells the story of the residents of Cranford, a small English village. The majority of residents are single women, many of them elderly. The story takes place in five parts; each begins in a different month in 1842 and 1843.

June 1842—Several new residents arrive in Cranford. The one who garners the most attention is Dr. Harrison (Woods—Bingley from the 2005 Pride & Prejudice), a young, single doctor. Residents also get to know Captain Brown and his daughter, Jessie (Julia Sawalha—Lydia from the 1995 P&P), and Mary Smith, a young woman who stays with the Jenkyns sisters (Dench and Eileen Atkins).

August 1842—Nearly all the residents of Cranford attend a garden party at Lady Ludlow’s estate. Following the party, two beloved Cranford residents take ill and die, and Jessie must decide on a marriage proposal.

November 1842—While still in mourning, Miss Matty Jenkyns (Dench) also must deal with the reappearance of a suitor after 30 years. Dr. Harrison remains the object of many single women’s affections, yet he only has eyes for Miss Hutton. After deciding to accept Mr. Holbrook, Miss Matty suddenly faces another tragic loss.

April 1843—After watching the previous three installments, I began to wonder if any of the residents of Cranford would see happiness. As Dr. Harrison begins his pursuit of Miss Hutton in earnest, several other women find reason to believe Harrison is actually pursuing them. On May Day, three women expect proposals, but none receives one. And installment four closes … with everyone unhappy.

May 1843—This episode ends the Cranford miniseries (though a Christmas special is set to air this December), and it does a good job of wrapping things up. Of course, there is tragedy, but there is also, finally, love. And in the end, Miss Matty is reunited with her long-lost brother—whose appearance brings new hope to the single women of Cranford!

While I’ve never read any of Jan Karon’s Mitford books, Cranford is what I imagine Mitford would be, were it set 175 years ago in England! (Mitford fans who have seen Cranford, feel free to correct me!) The Cranford residents all have their quirks, but they also genuinely care about one another.

I am certainly a fan of romance, but my favorite relationship from Cranford has nothing to do with romantic love. Harry Gregson is a poor, uneducated boy who takes to poaching to provide money for his family. Mr. Carter works for Lady Ludlow, and, after catching Harry trying to sell poached animals, he decides to take Harry under his wing. He hires Harry to work on the Ludlow estate, and he also teaches Harry to read and do sums. This relationship slowly progresses throughout the miniseries, and Carter comes to view Harry as the son he never had. When Carter is tragically killed, he leaves everything to Harry, on the stipulation that Harry get an education. The most touching scene comes when Harry visits Carter’s coffin, knowing he may not be allowed at the funeral, and reads “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” his favorite poem out of a book of poetry that Carter gave him earlier. Harry reads the poem through his tears, and I watched the scene through mine!

Verdict: Keep

#26 "Cool Runnings"

Stats: 1993. Starring Leon, Doug E. Doug, John Candy. PG. Based on a true story.

Background: I was in seventh grade when Cool Runnings was released, and I remember really wanting to see it in the theater … but I didn’t. I can’t remember when I actually did see it, and I can’t remember when I bought it. How’s that for ya?

Reactions: This movie cracks me up! I love watching the Jamaican bobsled team as they, well, learn to bobsled. It’s really a comedy goldmine. Later, though, it becomes an inspirational story about perseverance, teamwork, and going after your dreams. Oh, and the scene at the end when they’re carrying the sled to the finish line always makes me cry (shocker there, right?)—especially when Junior looks over and sees his father, who is cheering and wearing a Jamaican bobsled team t-shirt.

Verdict: Keep

Fun Fact: Cool Runnings is directed by Jon Turteltaub, who has gone on to produce and direct several blockbusters—but I know him as the man who directed my favorite movie of all time, While You Were Sleeping!

#25 "Clueless"

Stats: 1995. Starring Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Paul Rudd. PG-13.

Background: I loved Jane Austen before I knew who Jane Austen was … because I loved Clueless, which is based on Austen's Emma! Clueless is one of the movies I first saw with my high school best friend Dori. Some Fridays after school we would rent videos from Video Kingdom and stay up all night watching them. If I remember correctly, we also rented The Truth About Cats and Dogs the night we rented Clueless.

When I saw it in Walmart’s $5 bin a few months ago, I thought, “Why not?”

Reactions: I’ll tell you why not. Clueless is pretty crass when not edited for television. While it’s still an interesting story (as all Austen stories are), I think it’s more one of those movies to enjoy when you happen across it on TV. And after seeing it on TV so many times (as I always feel compelled to watch it when I come across it), I don’t think I need to own it.

Verdict: Sell

#24 "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"

Stats: Starring Georgie Henley, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Liam Neeson. PG.

Background: A lover of The Chronicles of Narnia since my mom first read the books to me in elementary school, I was thrilled when I learned Hollywood was making a film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I went with some friends opening weekend, and while I enjoyed it, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Nevertheless, I did buy the dvd almost immediately after it was released. And in the intervening years, I’ve seen it a total of one time! (I also own the BBC/Wonderworks productions of four of the Narnia books—and I vastly prefer them to what has come out of Hollywood so far.)

Reactions: Visually, The Lion is spectacular. The CGI is amazing. And it’s a pretty good adaptation of the CS Lewis classic. As would be expected, the screenwriters took a few liberties when adapting the book into a screenplay. Most notably, a fairly major scene—the one where the ice breaks as they’re crossing the river, and Lucy is nearly swept away—is completely made up. I understand that it adds to the adventure, but still … It did stay much truer to the book than its sequel, Prince Caspian, did—don’t even get me started on all the things wrong with that movie!

One thing I must mention is that Harry Gregson-Williams's score is absolutely phenomenal. I don't know why I never noticed it before. It's so beautiful!

Verdict: Keep

#23 "A Christmas Carol"

Stats: 1999. Starring Patrick Stewart. Not Rated. 

Background: I bought this movie to show in my ESL class; we read “A Christmas Carol” each Christmas, and I like to be able to show movies of the books we read whenever possible. I bought this version because it was one of the most recent adaptations … and because it stars Captain Jean-Luc Picard!

Reactions: This is an excellent retelling of the Dickens’ classic. Stewart is superb as Scrooge. He is mean, pathetic, and sympathetic, all at the same time. The script sticks very closely to Dickens’ story, and the special effects are great—they really help make the story believable. It’s pretty intense and has actually scared some of my students, so for kids, it would probably be better to stick with Mickey’s Christmas Carol!

Verdict: Keep

#22 "The Christmas Card"

Stats: 2006. Starring Ed Asner, John Newton, Alice Evans. Not Rated.

Background: I first saw this movie on the Hallmark Channel. I’m a sucker for Christmas movies, especially ones that run on Hallmark, but I enjoyed this one more than most. When Amazon ran a sale on Christmas movies last winter, I picked this one up.

Reactions: I didn’t even want to watch this movie today. I usually have a strict “no Christmas movies before Thanksgiving” policy, so it feels wrong to watch one at the beginning of October!

The last time I watched this movie was last Christmas … so it was a little odd to watch it again now, knowing that sweet Faith (Evans) is also Daniel Faraday’s mother!

The Christmas Card is a cute holiday film. Nothing earth shattering, just gentle and romantic. The basic plot is this: Cody is a soldier who receives a Christmas card from Faith. When his tour is over, he goes to Faith’s hometown—ostensibly to visit his friend and fellow soldier’s widow, but also to find Faith. Of course, Faith and Cody fall in love … They face one of the most popular romantic comedy obstacles—she has a boyfriend—and we’re also “treated” to the ubiquitous kiss-in-the-snow scene. But still, this movie comes off as genuine, heartfelt, and family-affirming.

Verdict: Keep (and watch only during the Christmas season!)