#83: "A Christmas Wedding"

Stats: 2006. Starring Sara Paulson, Eric Mabius, and Dean Cain. TV-PG.

Background: I taped A Christmas Wedding the night it premiered … but when I sat down to watch it, I only got about 20 minutes in before turning it off. Why? Because it was painfully obvious that Dean Cain was playing the jerk boss rather than a romantic lead or even a nice guy.

You can probably surmise from that introduction that I didn’t seek this movie out! It was part of the Lifetime 12 Days of Christmas set that I just bought.

Plot: Emily (Paulson) and Ben (Mabius) met on Christmas, got engaged on Christmas, and plan to marry on Christmas. But when their wedding is just a few weeks away, Emily’s boss Tucker (Cain) sends her on a business trip. It turns into the trip that never ends, as a business deal delays her departure for home, then a tropical storm hits, and finally her flight is cancelled, which leaves her crossing the country by whatever means possible. Meanwhile, Ben is left to take care of all the last-minute wedding details while wondering if Emily really does want to get married.

Reactions: A Christmas Wedding is … fine. And that just may be the kiss of death for any film. It’s not wonderful, and it’s not so horrible that it’s laughable. It’s just okay. I think one of the main problems with the film is that the characters are too vanilla. Neither Emily nor Ben seems to have a backbone, which allows Tucker to walk all over Emily. But even he isn’t too bad; if Emily would have stood up to him at any point, I’m fairly certain he would have backed down. Then you add in the fact that it’s not very romantic—Paulson and Mabius are barely in any scenes together, and they don’t have much chemistry—and you begin to wonder what the point of this film even is.

I doubt I’ll ever watch it again, but for now I’ll keep the collection together…

Verdict: Keep with reservations

#82: "Christmas in Paradise"

Once again, we've hit the Christmas season ... and of course, I couldn't resist buying a few more Christmas movies! Here's my take on the first of several I'll be watching and reviewing this Christmas.

Stats: 2007. Starring Charlotte Ross & Colin Ferguson. TV-PG.

Background: I vaguely remember seeing the beginning of Christmas in Paradise back when I had cable, but I only watched the first few minutes before changing the channel. So why do I have it now? Well, this year Lifetime released a movie boxed set called 12 Days of Christmas which contains (you guessed it) 12 Lifetime Christmas movies. Two movies that I’ve been eyeing on Amazon for a long time are in the set (Recipe for a Perfect Christmas and His & Her Christmas), and to buy those two movies would cost more than half of what I paid for all 12 films. That’s how I rationalized it …

Plot: Dan (Ferguson) and his daughters meet Dana (Ross) and her sons when they all take a Christmas cruise to Puerto Rico. Both families are dealing with loss—Dana’s husband passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of the year, and Dan’s wife abandoned the family to return to the luxurious life she lived prior to meeting Dan. They all begin to bond while exploring San Juan, but their new relationships are threatened when Dan’s ex returns unexpectedly. Along the way, both families are frequently serenaded by the Three Kings.

Reactions: If you look beyond the cheesy Three Kings scenes that open and close this movie, you have a great family drama! I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed Christmas in Paradise. One thing I really appreciated was the romance … or lack thereof. While I’m normally all about romance in Christmas movies, sometimes I get annoyed at just how quickly people fall in love and make lifetime commitments. This movie was different. While Dan and Dana definitely had a connection, they didn’t rush into anything. They didn’t make any promises about the future. They didn’t even kiss! When the film ended, I didn’t know if they would end up together, and that was okay. Really, the film was more about each person dealing with his or her grief and resentment than it was about finding love. Sometimes, in the midst of all the schmaltzy Christmas romance, you need a film like this!

Verdict: Keep

#81: "For Richer or Poorer"

Stats: 1997. Starring Tim Allen & Kirstie Alley. PG-13.

Background: I first saw For Richer or Poorer at my cousins’ house when we were in high school. I thought it was one of the funniest movies I’d ever seen in my life. I think I saw it one or two other times, all soon after that first time.

I recently found it in a 4-pack with Ghost Dad, Pure Luck, and King Ralph in the Walmart $5 bin (where else?). I hadn't seen any of the other films, but I figured that $5 for one of the funniest movies from my teen years was well worth it, even if the others were duds.

Plot: After 10 years of marriage, millionaires Brad & Caroline Sexton (Allen and Alley) are ready to call it quits. But just when they decide to file for divorce, they’re framed by their accountant, who has been falsifying their tax returns for years. With two IRS agents on their tails, they flee New York and end up undercover in an Amish community. As they try to blend in, they also rediscover the love they once shared.

Reactions: I’m pretty sure the writers of this film didn't know the meaning of the word Ordnung. Every single time it was used in the movie, it grated on me. Why? Because the writers used it to mean “Amish community” rather than “a set of rules followed by the Amish.” On top of that, I didn’t think the film was very funny. Perhaps it just caters to more slapstick sensibilities … I don’t know why I didn’t enjoy it, but I really, really didn’t. 

Verdict: Keep (with reservations—Ghost Dad is on the same disk, so if I like that one, I’ll be keeping it.)

#80: "The Forgotten"

Stats: 2004. Starring Julianne Moore, Anthony Edwards, Gary Sinise, and Dominic West. PG-13.

Background: I remember wanting to see The Forgotten when it released, but I missed it for some reason. About a year later, my roommate and I had free Starz (I think … it could have been HBO or Showtime) for three months. One night, my sister and I noticed that The Forgotten was going to be on, and we watched it. (Roomie wasn’t home—it’s a good thing, ‘cause she would have hated it!) I really liked it, and I bought it shortly thereafter.

Plot: Fourteen months after her son’s death in a plane crash, Telly (Moore) still struggles to let go. Soon, however, it seems she is the only one who even remembers her son—her husband (Edwards), therapist (Sinise), and best friend insist she never had a child. When she runs into Ash (West), the father of a girl who died in the same crash as her son, she works with him to uncover the truth behind the plane crash.

Reactions: If you can, watch the extended version of this film, rather than the theatrical version! My dvd has both versions, so I watched the extended version this time. While the film is by and large the same, the extended version has an alternate ending that fits the rest of the film much better than the theatrical ending. (Most of the changes come in the last 15 minutes of the film. The final scene only has one small change, but it completely changes the feeling you have as you watch the end.)

While at first The Forgotten seems like a psychological thriller, it quickly and decisively moves into compelling science fiction. As a huge sci-fi lover, I think it’s great…and even people who don’t normally enjoy sci-fi might enjoy the psychological nature of the film.

Verdict: Keep

#79: "The Box"

Stats: 2009. Starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, and Frank Langella. PG-13.

Background: I was intrigued by The Box from the first time I heard of it. Of course, a large part of that interest was due to James Marsden’s presence in the film. (I’ve previously mentioned how much I enjoy him!) I wasn’t interested enough to go to the theater, but I intended to rent it one day. I never did. Last Christmas, one of my students let me borrow it to watch while my sister was home. We didn’t watch it then, so I kept it, intending to watch it. Finally, tonight, I put it in. I guess it’s mine now, as Janet didn’t really want it back, and she’s now in college.

Plot: Arthur & Norma Lewis (Marsden and Diaz) are struggling to make ends meet. Arthur, a NASA engineer, has just been rejected for astronaut training. Norma, a teacher at a private school, has just learned her faculty tuition discount is about to end, so their son will have to change schools. One morning, a mysterious box shows up on their doorstep. That evening, a strange, disfigured man arrives with a proposal: push the button on the top of the box and receive a $1,000 payment. The catch? The instant the button is pushed, someone the Lewis’s don’t know will die. Norma does push the button, launching the family on a strange, convoluted journey that culminates in Norma’s own murder.

Reactions: First off, Cameron Diaz’s southern accent isn’t great. It’s too southern—as if they live in the deep south, not Virginia. But with a great movie, I’d be able to easily get past the accent; unfortunately, The Box is not a great movie! It tries to be suspenseful and scary (and the music really wants you to be scared), but it just ends up being boring. I would have enjoyed it much more as a 30 or 60 minute episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits than I did as a full-length film, and I had to watch it in three installments, as I just couldn’t force myself to keep going. If I hadn’t been watching it for my blog, I never would have finished it. And aliens? Really? That was the explanation the filmmakers came up with? Also, what does it say about the writer’s view of women that each person who pushed the button was a woman? 

Verdict: Get rid of (send back to Janet, even if she doesn’t want it!)

#78 "Fools Rush In"

Stats: 1997. Starring Matthew Perry & Salma Hayek. PG-13.

Background: In 1998, on a whim, I went home with a friend for the weekend. She scared me with her driving, we ate lots of KFC chicken, I met one of my current co-workers for the first time, and we watched movies: Air Force One (reviewed here), Dante’s Peak, and Fools Rush In. Fools Rush In was my favorite of the three, and about 10 years later, I picked it up on dvd.

Plot: When New Yorker Alex gets sent to Vegas to oversee the construction of a club, he meets Mexican American Isabel, and they have a one-night stand. Three months later, Isabel shows up again, announcing she’s pregnant, and on the spur of the moment, Alex marries her. But the blending of two cultures proves more difficult than either of them imagined, and their marriage is soon on the rocks. By the time their child is born, will they still be together?

Reactions: This is still one of my favorite rom-coms, and I’m pretty sure the reason is Matthew Perry. He’s definitely not your classic leading man, but he has this extreme likability. There’s also an extreme Chandler Bing-ness to his performance, but that’s okay, as Chandler was my favorite “friend.” Plus, Perry and Hayek have great chemistry, making this film enjoyable every time I see it.

Verdict: Keep

#77 "Deliver Us from Eva"

Stats: 2003. Starring LL Cool J, Gabrielle Union, Duane Martin, and Essence Atkins. R. Based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

Background: I distinctly remember watching the beginning of Deliver Us from Eva on cable a few years ago, but then I had to leave, and I never watched the rest of it. I found it at Walmart recently in a three-pack with Something New and The Best Man. I’d previously seen and liked Something New, and The Best Man turned out to be a bust, so I hoped that Deliver Us from Eva would at least be somewhere in between the two. Fortunately, it was.

Plot: Deliver Us from Eva is a loose retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Eva Dandridge (Union) is adored by her three sisters and loathed by their significant others, who believe she has too much influence over her sisters. The men decide that Ray (LL Cool J), the ultimate player, is the answer to their Eva problem. They hire him to woo Eva, convince her to move away with him, and then dump her. The problem? Ray actually falls for Eva, and she decides to turn down a promotion that would require her to move to Chicago because of Ray. If only the men would have left well enough alone …

Reactions: This is the kind of Shakespeare adaptation I love—do you hear me, Coriolanus? Sure, it’s a very loose adaptation (much looser than the Heath Ledger classic 10 Things I Hate About You, which I loved), but it’s also very enjoyable! This movie won’t change the world, but it’s a fun way to spend an evening.

Content Note: Deliver Us from Eva is rated R for “sex-related dialog.” Most of this comes during some crass beauty shop scenes—and frankly, I didn’t even understand half of the references. Otherwise, the language is strictly PG-13. If this movie were released today, it would probably carry a PG-13 rating instead of R.

Watch For: A scene after the end credits reveals that the male hair dresser has a secret ...

Verdict: Keep

#76 "The Best Man"

Stats: 1999. Starring Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan. R.

Background: Have you ever wanted to see a movie, but you have this vague feeling that maybe you won’t like it, and you don’t know why? That perfectly describes me and The Best Man. I have long been interested in the film—the cast alone made me want to see it—so when I saw it on sale at Walmart in a 3-pack with Deliver Us From Eva and Something New, I picked it up. (Something New is the only one of the three I’d seen previously, and I knew I liked it a lot.)

Plot: Harper (Diggs) is a novelist whose first book—which is more than loosely based on his college experience—is about to be released. This release coincides with his friends Lance and Mia’s wedding. As the college friends gather together to celebrate Lance & Mia’s nuptials, long-buried secrets are revealed.

Reactions: About halfway through the film, I realized why I had that vague "I don't know if I'll like this" feeling—my sister watched the movie last year and told me all about it! She was especially troubled by Lance, as was I ... which you'll see in a minute.

I really wanted to like this movie. I mean, what’s not to love about Taye Diggs? Here’s the thing, though: the plot is terrible! First of all, why on earth would you write about a one-night stand you had with your best friend’s girl if you hadn’t previously confessed it to the friend? This is the major conflict in the film—trying to keep Lance from reading the book so he won’t find out that Harper once slept with Mia, and then, following his discovery, trying to convince him to go through with the wedding.

Then there's Harper, who views this wedding as a second chance with Jordan (Long), the one that got away. Nevermind that he's in a two-year relationship with Robin (Lathan). The night of the bachelor party, Jordan invites him to spend the night, and he would have, had Lance not discovered Harper and Mia's one night stand. Yet the next day, Harper is somehow ready to propose to Robin, and she accepts, knowing that he nearly slept with Jordan? Give me a break!

My biggest beef, though, is with Lance. Lance—by far the most promiscuous of the bunch—claims to be a Christian. After he messes up, he apologizes, goes to the Bible for comfort, and then cheats on Mia again. Apparently amid all the (sometimes obscure) Scripture he memorized, he neglected John 8, where Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery to "Go and sin no more." He is publicly vocal about his faith ... but his public and private personas don't match up at all. I’m not saying I expect Hollywood to portray Christianity accurately, but to have Lance be the only Christian in the film perpetuates the idea that all Christians are total hypocrites. Also, there is a fair amount of sexuality in the film and an even larger amount of cursing, which makes my decision easy …

Verdict: Throw away (Thank you, whoever designed this 3-pack, for giving each film its own disk!)

#75 "Follow the Stars Home"

Stats: 2001. Starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Campbell Scott, Eric Close, and Alexa Vega. TV-PG. Based on a novel.

Background: Follow the Stars Home is one of the zillions of movies I taped off TV. I’m pretty sure I saw it when it first aired as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special, and then watched it every time I came across it on cable. A couple years ago, I bought the dvd from Amazon ... but that didn't stop me from continuing to watch it every time I found it on TV!

Plot: Dianne (Williams-Paisley) and Mark (Close) had a whirlwind romance that ended once they learned their child would be born with severe genetic abnormalities. After Mark takes off, Dianne raises their daughter Julia on her own with assistance from her mother (Blair Brown) and Mark’s physician brother David (Scott). When an accident brings Mark back into Dianne’s life, she wonders if perhaps he’s finally ready to be a father to Julia. But David has loved Dianne since before she met Mark, and he longs to care for both her and Julia. How will Dianne choose between the brothers?

Reactions: I love this movie! It’s so sweet … and while the romance is there, it’s more about motherly love. And I love the proposal at the end: “Marry me and eliminate lower back pain.” You’ll just have to watch it to see what I’m talking about!

Also, it’s fun to watch old TV movies and see where people are now: Blair Brown (Nina Sharp on my current favorite show Fringe), Patricia Belcher (Caroline on Bones—she was responsible for Booth & Bones’ first viewer-seen kiss), and Octavia Spencer (Oscar winner for The Help) all have supporting roles!

Verdict: Keep

#74 "The Flying Deuces"

Stats: 1939. Starring Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy. Not rated.

Background: The Flying Deuces is one of the few movies we owned when I was a kid. And, as it was one of our only movies, we watched it often. I remember thinking it was so incredibly funny. A while back, I found it in the CBD catalog for 99 cents. How could I pass that up? I pictured showing the movie to my (still future) children and watching them enjoying it as much as I did as a kid.

Plot: While he and Stan are staying in France, Ollie becomes smitten with Georgette, the innkeeper’s daughter. When he learns she is married to François, he first decides to drown himself. But a man-eating shark scares him away from the river, so he instead decides to join the French Foreign Legion. Stan, who allows Ollie to completely control him, joins him.

Being in the Foreign Legion is much more difficult than they expected, and soon they decide to leave. They are charged with desertion and sentenced to death by firing squad, but they manage to dig their way out of their prison cell. They escape by stealing an airplane, but, as they don’t know how to fly, they crash, and Ollie dies and becomes a talking horse, à la Mr. Ed.

Reactions: Boy, was I ever bored as I watched this! The physical comedy that I found so absolutely hilarious as a child didn’t make me snicker even once. And it’s really quite dark wrapped up in a comedic exterior—just go back and read my plot summary! Honestly, I’d be happy to never watch this again. Still, I think I’ll keep it in the interest of my future children …

Verdict: Keep

P.S.: You can watch it for free here.

#73 "Did You Hear About the Morgans?"

Stats: 2009. Starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. PG-13.

Background: I first got Did You Hear About the Morgans? through Netflix, back when I had both the disks and streaming. Shortly thereafter, it showed up on instant streaming, and I watched it again. I enjoyed it both times, though it’s not a movie I would have said I “had” to own. But then I saw it on sale at Target for $4.75, and I couldn’t resist!

Plot: New Yorkers Paul & Meryl Morgan—he a prominent lawyer, she a high-powered real estate agent—are separated, thanks to Paul’s infidelity. When they witness a murder, they are sent into witness protection in Wyoming. As they adjust to living in a rural setting, Paul also tries to win Meryl back. But the murderer is fast on their trail …

Reactions: There’s just something about Hugh Grant’s bumbling Englishman that I really like! (In fact, the same weekend that I watched this film, I also watched Two Weeks’ Notice, and I would have watched Notting Hill if I’d had enough time!)

Really, there’s nothing special about Did You Hear About the Morgans?—it’s just another romantic comedy. But as I happen to greatly enjoy your run-of-the-mill rom-coms, and as this one is just about as clean as they come anymore, I think it’s a keeper!

Verdict: Keep

#72 "Coriolanus"

Stats: 2011. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave. R. Based on the play by William Shakespeare.

Background: About a month ago, I was watching My Week With Marilyn, one of my Vine review products. Coriolanus was one of the previews on the disk. It looked mildly interesting, and I generally love all things Shakespeare, so when it showed up last week as a product I could request from Vine, I chose it.

Plot: As best as I can tell, here it is: Coriolanus (Fiennes) is a Roman soldier who loves nothing more than fighting for Rome. When he returns home from battle, he is pressured to run for consular of Rome. The common people hate him, though, and eventually he is banished. He turns to his sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius (Butler), to help him exact his revenge on Rome. In the end, he signs a peace treaty with Rome, and Aufidius kills him.

Reactions: Um, yeah … if I hadn’t agreed to review this film, I never would have finished it! First of all, I had no idea what was happening. The film is set in the present, but they kept the Shakespearean language, which just seemed odd. It also made things hard to follow. At times, I just wanted to yell, “Speak in modern English, would you?”

Then there’s Coriolanus. Why do the people hate him? Why does he go from being the presumed consular to being banished? And why does he join up with Aufidius? Perhaps if I’d read the play prior to seeing the film, I would have understood what was happening. There’s a “making of” documentary in the special features that helped clear up some of my confusion regarding what actually happened … but I shouldn’t need to watch the special features in order to understand the film!

All that said, the performances were really good—especially Gerard Butler as Aufidius and Vanessa Redgrave as Coriolanus’s mother. The movie was well done … I just didn’t get it.

Verdict: Throw away (after 6 months, which is how long I’m contractually obligated to keep Vine products).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product free for review from Amazon.com through its Vine reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

#71 "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"

Stats: 2010. Starring Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley. PG. Based on the book by C.S. Lewis.

Background: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favorite of Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve read it more times than any of the other books, and when I was young, if I ever had a choice as to which of the BBC movies we’d watch, I’d pick Dawn Treader. After the fiasco that was the Hollywood adaptation of Prince Caspian, I was nervous about what they’d do to Dawn Treader. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, odd green mist aside, the filmmakers basically followed the plot of the book!

I originally saw it with my sisters, mom, aunt, and uncle on Christmas Day 2010, and I recently picked the dvd up when it was on sale at Target.

Plot: Edmund and Lucy are summoned back to Narnia, along with their obnoxious cousin Eustace, to help King Caspian search for the seven missing lords of Telmar. Along the way, they discover a variety of enchanted islands, and they must find a way to defeat the sinister green mist.

Reactions: Really, this is an enjoyable film. It sticks close enough to Lewis’s plot to keep me fairly happy, and it really is fun to watch! Also, Will Poulter (Eustace) is quite the talented actor! All the funniest parts of the film belonged to him.

Verdict: Keep

#70 "Flyboys"

Stats: 2006. Starring James Franco, Jean Reno, Martin Henderson. PG-13. Based on a true story.

Background: One Friday night, I was home alone and bored, so I decided to see what Hulu had to offer. When I came across Flyboys, I remembered my sister telling me how much she liked it, so I decided to give it a go. I really enjoyed it, and when I found it in the Walmart $5 bin about a year later, I picked it up.

Plot: Before the United States entered World War I, several young American men went to France to join the Lafayette Escadrille and learn to become fighter pilots. This fictionalized tale follows a group of new recruits as they learn to fly, shoot, and fight for freedom.

Reactions: I’m a sucker for war movies. And though the plot in this one isn’t particularly gripping, I still enjoyed it (though if I’m honest, I liked it more the first time around). James Franco and Martin Henderson may play the main characters, but I loved the supporting cast even more—Tyler Lebine as snobbish rich boy Briggs Lowry, Abdul Salis as African-American boxer Eugene Skinner, David Ellison as couldn’t-hit-the-broad-side-of-a-barn Eddie Beagle, and Michael Jibson as devout Christian Lyle Porter. This diverse group is the heart and soul of Flyboys, and it’s fun to note that they are based in part on real World War I heroes. (Though it does seem to be a loose adaptation of real people—see this article for more.)

Verdict: Keep

#69 "Fireproof"

Stats: 2008. Starring Kirk Cameron, Erin Bethea, and Ken Bevel. PG.

Background: I knew I wanted to see Fireproof as soon as I heard that Sherwood Pictures was making another film. I’d seen Facing the Giants, and while it was no cinematic masterpiece, I’d enjoyed it. Our local theater was one of the first in the area to show Fireproof—in the small upstairs theater that holds about 75 people. My sister Blendy and I saw it the second weekend the theater had it (the theater is only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights), and it was sold out. People traveled from surrounding towns to see it, and in that moment, I was so proud of my little hometown theater!

Plot: Caleb and Catherine are in a lifeless marriage. He’s addicted to porn; she’s started flirting with a doctor at the hospital where she works. When Catherine asks for a divorce, Caleb’s father challenges him to “The Love Dare”—a plan to show love to Catherine unconditionally. Caleb agrees reluctantly, and in the process falls in love with his wife all over again. Most importantly, though, he also begins a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Reactions: No, the acting isn’t Oscar-worthy. But it’s far better than in Facing the Giants, and the message of the film is one worth hearing. Every time I watch it, I’m struck by two things—how horrible the acting is in the movie’s first scene and how quickly I move past that and get completely sucked into the story. I love this movie, and I highly recommend it!

Verdict: Keep

I also wrote about Fireproof on my other blog. You can see that post here.

#68 "Anne of Avonlea"

Stats: 1987. Starring Megan Follows and Colleen Dewhurst. Not Rated. Based on the novels by L.M. Montgomery.

Background: I have loved Anne of Avonlea since I first saw it when it aired on PBS’s Wonderworks in the late ‘80s. At some point, I taped it, and I rewatched the final scene more times than I’d care to admit! (So many times, in fact, that the tape basically wore out.) Somehow, though I own dozens and dozens of movies, I never got Anne of Green Gables or Anne of Avonlea. Half of that problem was remedied last week, when I used a Barnes & Noble gift card from Christmas to buy Anne of Avonlea.

Plot: Anne Shirley is living at Green Gables with Marilla and teaching at Avonlea School when her world begins to change. Diana announces her engagement, Gil declares his feelings, and Anne is offered a position at a girls’ school in Kingsport. Believing she can never care for Gil as he cares for her, Anne decides to move to Kingsport—where she discovers a formidable enemy in the affluent Pringle family and a possible romance with the dashing Morgan Harris.

Reactions: This is still one of the greatest movies ever! It had been at least 3 years since I’d last seen Anne of Avonlea (or Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel as it’s called on my DVD), and this was the first time that I really understood the attraction between Anne and Morgan. Before, I always saw him as someone in the way of Anne & Gil’s happiness, but you know what? I think Anne and Morgan would have been happy together! Don’t get me wrong; I still love Gilbert, and I adore the way the movie ends … but I also think choosing Morgan would have been a valid choice. That said, the giddy teenager in me came out of hiding as the minutes ticked down to Gil's proposal on the bridge! (I guess that's what it was, though he never actually said the words, "Will you marry me?")

Verdict: Keep

#67 "The Count of Monte Cristo"

Stats: 2002. Starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pierce, and Richard Harris. PG-13. Based on the novel by Alexander Dumas.

Background: My sister got The Count of Monte Cristo on VHS when our local video store went out of business (Nancy’s, for you Central City people)—but I’m fairly certain I had borrowed the DVD from the library before that. I have absolutely no recollection of buying my copy, though … I was just looking through my DVDs the other day and saw it, filed in its rightful place under “C.”

Plot: Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) is falsely accused of treason and sent to prison at Chateau d'If. There he meets a fellow prisoner (Harris) who teaches him to read, write, think, and fight—and who gives him a treasure map. After 14 years in prison, Dantes escapes, finds the treasure, and reenters French society as the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo. Bent on revenge, he seeks out his best friend Fernand (Pierce), who betrayed him, and his former fiancée Mercedes, who married Fernand only a month after his arrest.

Reactions: As I watched this movie, I had no idea how it was going to end. Yes, I remembered that Fernand got his due … but beyond that, I couldn’t remember who lived and died or if the story ended happily. It was almost like watching the film for the first time, and I found that quite enjoyable.

Confession time: I don’t read classics. At all. They bore the pants off of me. I survived my years as an English major by relying heavily on Sparknotes.com. So trust me when I say that it was a big deal when, while watching the movie, I thought, “I should really read this book.” What this means is that if (and that’s a big if) I ever feel compelled to read a classic, The Count of Monte Cristo is the one I’ll go for. And then I’ll probably read about 20 pages and decide to just watch the movie again!

Verdict: Keep

P.S.: Look for a young Henry Cavill (Superman in the upcoming Man of Steel and Charles Brandon on The Tudors) as Mercedes’ son Albert.