Elf (2003)

Netflix Synopsis: When young Buddy falls into Santa’s gift sack on Christmas Eve and is inadvertently transported back to the North Pole, he’s raised as a toy-making elf by Santa’s helpers. After growin up to be a misfit who never quite fits in, the outsized elf (Will Ferrell) decides to go to Manhattan and find his real dad. Co-stars Ed Asner, Mary Steenburgen, James Caan and Bob Newhart. Directed by John Favreau.

Review: Will Ferrell plays an man who was raised as an elf in the North Pole. Once the other elves decide he has to leave, he sets out to find his real father in New York City. Fun, silly, cute (the movie, not Will). What more can I say?

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Submitted by: Heather 12/17/04

The Terminal (2004)

Netflix Synopsis: Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is a man without a country; his plane took off just as a coup d’etat exploded in his homeland, leaving it in shambles. Now, he’s landed at Kennedy Airport, where he meets a beautiful stranger, Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). But with a passport that nobody recognizes, Viktor is quarantined in the transit lounge until authorities can figure out what to do with him. Is he doomed to live in “no man’s land” forever?

Review: This movie was directed by Steven Speilberg and stars Tom Hanks. Hanks plays a man whose country has just been overthrown therefore his passport is no good in the United States. He becomes stranded in a New York City terminal until the situation can be straightened out. This was a superb film. I highly recommend this one.

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Submitted by: Heather 12/17/04

Breakin’ All the Rules (2004)

Netflix Synopsis: Upon being dumped by his fiancée, a spurned lover (Jamie Foxx) authors a book on how to deal with the undeniable ups and downs of the break-up process. But everyone (including the author) is caught off guard when the book becomes a best-seller. Co-stars Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Jennifer Esposito and Peter MacNicol.

Review: This was a romantic comedy that definitely had a great mixture of love and laughs. Here again, Jamie Foxx shines. He plays a depressed man who has just been through a rough break-up. I really did not expect to enjoy this movie but I was pleasantly surprised.

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Submitted by: Heather 12/17/04

Maria Full of Grace (2004)

Netflix Synopsis: Maria Full of Grace is the harrowing story of an atypical drug-running “mule.” Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno, whose portrayal earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead) is a smart, independent 17-year-old girl from Colombia who agrees to smuggle a half-kilo of heroin into the United States for a shot at a normal existence in the magical land of “El Norte” — where she imagines the city streets must be paved with gold.

Review: This was a fantastic film about the life of a mule, a person who carries drugs across country lines in her stomach. Her life is very normal, and the series of events that led her to make the choice she did are extremely sad. I really enjoyed this movie, though it was depressing. I must mention this movie is in Spanish with English subtitles.

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Submitted by: Heather 12/17/04

Collateral (2004)

Netflix Synopsis: Max (Oscar nominee Jamie Foxx) takes a job as a taxi driver to make ends meet, hoping to one day run his own business. Twelve years later, he’s still driving the same cab and is about to have his craziest day on the job yet when he discovers that Vincent (Tom Cruise), who’s just paid Max a handsome sum to be driven around all night, is a hit man. Now, it’s up to Max to save the life of Vincent’s final hit … while keeping his own life intact.

Review: A movie starring Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise plays a ruthless hit man who abducts a cab driver for the evening. Jamie Foxx plays the cab driver who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He played this character very well. I liked this movie, though I do not need to own it.

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Submitted by: Heather 12/17/04

The Incredibles (2004)

Netflix Synopsis: Meet the Incredibles, the award-winning Pixar team’s superhero family that comes out of banal, suburban hiding to don their old costumes and save the world again. Bob Parr (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) has given up his swashbuckling days to log in time as an insurance adjuster and raise his three children with his formerly heroic wife (Holly Hunter). But when he receives a mysterious assignment, it’s time to raise hell one more time.

Review: Wow, what can I say. This was a visually stunning film by Pixar about a family of superheroes forced to live a normal life, until they can no longer let the world crumble around them. It was definitely a very fun movie to watch and I cannot wait to own it on DVD.

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Submitted by: Heather 12/17/04

Elephant (2003)

Netflix Synopsis: Elephant is a tale about high school violence that unfolds on an ordinary school day, inside a typical American high school filled with the usual goings-on — schoolwork, football, gossip and peer pressure. For each of the students we meet, high school is a different experience: stimulating, friendly, traumatic, lonely or just plain hard. Directed by indie film auteur Gus Van Sant.

Review: This was a movie by Gus Van Sant about a shooting that takes place in an average high school filled with average students. The movie is very slow and deliberate. I did not care for the style of the movie.

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Submitted by: Heather 12/17/04

Raising Helen (2004)

Netflix Synopsis: Young modeling-agency assistant Helen (Kate Hudson) has a powerful boss (Helen Mirren) and a career that’s right on track. But just as she’s about to be promoted, her sister (Felicity Huffman) and brother-in-law are killed in a car accident. As the new sole guardian to her sister’s three kids, she tries to keep it together while managing her new duties. Upon moving to Queens, she finds a friend in a local pastor named Dan (John Corbett).

Review: This was a cute romantic comedy, but at times it felt flat. Kate Hudson plays a young woman who lives an exciting life until she loses her sister, and learns she has been chosen to take care of her sister’s children. She has to grow up quickly, and take charge of not only the children’s lives, but her own.

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Submitted by: Heather 12/17/04