Pollyanna

"[reading Pollyanna's locket] When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will. - Abraham Lincoln."

"He was President."
"Yes, I know... but I've never heard *that* before."

Pollyanna (Mills) has a unique gift: the ability to see the good in every situation. Her father was a poor minister and she learned to be glad for everything by playing the "Glad Game" (finding a reason to be happy regardless of the situation). Her parents have died and she is sent to live with her mother's sister, her Aunt Polly (Wyman), who is wealthy and lives in the town that is named for him (Harrington). Harrington is a sad town...the people are miserable and cynical.

The town is swept away by Pollyanna's joyful attitude and her simple stories affect them in profound ways. She befriends Jimmy (Corcoran) the troublemaker orphan and manages to throw her aunt's household into confusion. Will she affect anyone? Will the carnival take place? And what does the future hold for our heroine?


I know this film is somewhat dated, but I love the story. I have read Eleanor Porter's novel several times, and I grew up watching this film. Hayley Mills is charming and sweet as Pollyanna, in fact she won a special Juvenile Academy Award for her performance. Some people feel this feel does not stand up well overtime, but it does. Yes, it's sentimental...but isn't that a good thing? Maybe I'm just an old softy, but I enjoy this film and the idea that one little girl, with a positive attitude can change a town of sourpusses...but thats just me! Agnes Moorehead as the hypochondriac, cantankerous Mrs. Snow is incredible. She almost steals every scene she is in. Also lighting up the screen is Karl Malden's Reverend Ford, he is that part! The rest of the cast is believable and overall lovable.

I grew up watching this film, and I love it! Whenever this film comes on TV (or I find my VHS of this film) I watch it...and love it.

Rent it! It is a wholesome family film and lots of fun!
Dude, it's quotable: there are some classic quips, none of which I can think of right now, but they are there.

Pollyanna (1960) 134 minutes
Director: David Swift
Starring: Jane Wyman as Aunt Polly
Richard Egan as Dr. Edmond Chilton
Karl Malden as Reverend Paul Ford
Nancy Olson as Nancy Furman
Adolphe Menjou as Mr. Pendergast
Donald Crisp as Mayor Karl Warren
Agnes Moorehead as Mrs. Snow
Kevin Corcoran as Jimmy Bean
Hayley Mills as Pollyanna

Lars and the Real Girl

"See they're even fake so they'll never die."

Lars (Gosling) has some issues...he lives in the garage of his parents home, has an awkward relationship with his brother Gus (Schneider), his pregnant sister-in-law Karin (Mortimer) has to attack him to get him to come to dinner, and he tries to keep to himself. And then Bianca comes into his life. Bianca is a lifesize sex doll (who is anatomically correct). Bianca is introduced when a giddy Lars brings her to dinner at his brother's house.

Gus and Karin play along for the evening and suggest taking Bianca to see Dagmar (Clarkson) the local doctor who also happens to be a psychiatrist. After meeting with Lars and Bianca she tells everyone to play along and treat Bianca as if she were a real person. Some people are shocked, so refuse to play along, but some embrace Bianca and welcome her to their town. Leading the pack are Margo (Garner) who works with Lars and has feelings for him, and Mrs. Gruner (Beatty) who takes care of the flowers at the church.
I know it sounds a bit tasteless, but "Lars and the Real Girl" is a really sweet movie. Bianca is not treated as a sex doll (other than everyone's reactions to her), she becomes a character in her own right. I noticed slight changes in 1.) my perception of Bianca, 2.) the other characters responses to Bianca, and 3.) the way she was portrayed on screen...as the film progressed, and I appreciate that this was not just a one joke film "...this guy carries around a sex doll". It has heart.


The cast was amazing, very vulnerable while still convincing. Ryan Gosling is amazing (this comes from someone who HATED, LOATHED, and otherwise DESPISED the film "The Notebook", seriously, what is the deal with that film? But I digress), you love him and can understand why his entire town cares about him enough to go along with his delusion. Equally compelling is Patricia Clarkson's Dagmar and her relationship with Lars... And Emily Mortimer shines in every scene as Karin. Overall an exceptional film that most people won't see because they can't understand the premise.

Dude, it's quotable: more than anything else, you'll laugh-out-loud and truly enjoy this story
Rent it!: worthwhile and enjoyable!

Lars and the Real Girl (2007) 106 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some sex-related content
Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Ryan Gosling as Lars Lindstrom
Emily Mortimer as Karin Lindstrom
Paul Schneider as Gus Lindstrom
Dagmar as Patricia Clarkson
Kelli Garner as Margo
Nancy Beatty as Mrs. Gruner

Death at a Funeral

"[glances into the coffin] Who is this?"
"Pardon me?"
"This is not my father."

Daniel (MacFayden) knows the day is off to a rocky start when the mortuary sends the wrong body to his home, and his father's funeral is only a few hours away! Sharing his grief is his mother Sandra (Asher) who is visibly upset, but still has enough spark to repeatedly snap at her Daniel's wife Jane (Hawes), who can't wait to get out of the house. They are waiting for the arrival of Daniel's more successful brother Robert (Graves) from America.

The family is joined by a dysfunctional crew of mourners (most are family). First the pastor, Reverend Davis (Wheatley) is crunched for time. Their cousin Martha (Donovan) has brought her nervous boyfriend Simon (Tudyk) to meet her father (Egan), but her brother Troy (Marshall) makes things worse. And then there is their hypochondriac friend Howard (Nyman) who brings along sad sack Justin (Bremner) and grumpy Uncle Alfrie (Vaughan). And the funeral is crashed by a mysterious guest (Dinklage).

All Daniel wants is to have a nice, quiet ceremony to celebrate his father's life, but nothing goes as planned. There is death. There is destruction. Oh yes, and Simon runs around naked for awhile (lol).


After seeing the previews (and knowing that Alan Tudyk was involved) I really wanted to see this film...and I wasn't disappointed. Who knew a funeral could be so chaotic and funny? The cast plays to the zaniness of their characters and the situation as a whole. They may not be large household names (although I did recognize quite a few members of the cast), but they are excellent, although Tudyk steals the film and Dinklage steals all of his scenes. I was laughing throughout the film. The characters use a significant amount of language, but it doesn't really detract from the film, it only makes it funnier. The only lesser moments were with the character of Justin...his subplot just doesn't work, although he does add humor to other sections of the film. Superb!

Dude, it's quotable: there are lots of snarky comments and some truly memorable scenes.
Rent it: Totally worthwhile.

Death at a Funeral (2007) 90 minutes
Rating: R for language and drug content.
Director: Frank Oz
Starring: Matthew MacFayden as Daniel
Keeley Hawes as Jane
Andy Nyman as Howard
Ewen Bremner as Justin
Daisy Donovan as Martha
Alan Tudyk as Simon Smith
Jane Asher as Sandra
Kris Marshall as Troy
Rupert Graves as Robert
Peter Vaughan as Uncle Alfie
Thomas Wheatley as Reverend Davis
Peter Egan as Victor
Peter Dinklage as Peter