Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio Movie: ****Catch Me if You Can (2002)

 Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Frank Abegnale Jr. who runs away from home when he has to decide with which parent he wants to live when they go through a divorce.  His father is Frank Abegnale (Christopher Walken) and his mother is Paula (Nathalie Bale).  He decides to go into passing false checks, and discovers the best way to do this is as a pilot.  Everyone trusts a pilot.  So he gets a uniform, and passes himself off as a pilot.  Banks and the airport cash payroll checks for the most, so he makes many counterfeit payroll checks, and cashes them wherever they go.  When the FBI, agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) gets too close he gives up the airport business for a while, and takes up being a doctor.  There he meets a nurse, Brenda Strong (Amy Adams) he he goes to meet her parents (Martin Sheen and Nancy Lenehan) eventually to propose marriage.  He has a very big fraudulent business going, mostly cashing checks--to the tune of over a million dollars.  Over time Hanratty gets closer and closer.  He ever captur4es him on a couple occassions, but he always seems to get away.  However eventually even this comes to an end and he is in a foreign prison and extradited back to the United States.  Even though he is only 17 he is tried as an adult because of the scope and his always getting away, and he goes to prison.  Hanratty then begins using him as a resource for information on checks and forgery.  

Very interesting movie.  It is based on a book Abegnale wrote of his life; however there is some doubt a bout the truthfulness of the book,  He has admitted some of it was exagerated.  Directed by Steven Spielberg.  

Musical Movie Review: ****Dear Evan Hansen (2021)

 The music in Dear Evan Hansen is superb, and you are able to so much better feel the emotion through song.  Towards the first of the movie, Connor commits suicide.  Before this he has a couple of interactions with Evan, not positive.  He yells at him in the hall, and he steals a letter Evan wrote to himself at the suggestion of his therapist.  He also signs Evan's cast.  Evan's parents, Cynthia Murray and Larry Mora find the note, and confront Even to know more of their relationship.  Evan wants to tell the truth, but he doesn't and makes up a history, and his family friend, Jared Kalwani helps him make an email history.   Connor's sister, Zoe, suspects something fishy as the only time he saw them together Connor was yelling at Evan.   Evan's mother, Heidi Hansen is a single mother, and knows of Evan's anxiety but not of his history of having suicidal thoughts.  Sometimes I wonder if making a movie about suicide and depression might make suicide more favorable to someone contemplating suicide.  But in this movie there is hope, in the song Evan sings as a tribute to Connor, You will be found.

Have you ever felt like nobody was there?
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall, and no one would hear?

Well, let that lonely feeling wash away
Maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay
'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand
You can reach, reach out your hand

And oh, someone will coming running
And I know, they'll take you home

Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you're broken on the ground
You will be found
So let the sun come streaming in
'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again
Lift your head and look around
You will be found

Ben Platt as Evan Hansen, Kaitlyn Dever as Zoe Murphy, Amy Adams as Cynthia Murphy, Danny Pino as Larry Mora, Julianne Moore as Heidi Hansen, Amandla Stenberg as Alana Beck, Colton Ryan as Connor Murphy and Nik Dodani as Jared Kalwani

Movie Review: ****Leap Year (2010)

Amy Adams is always good.  In this movie she plays Anna, who is not engaged.  She decides to follow her boyfriend to Ireland to fix that.  She is following the tradition that the woman can propose on leap year day.  Her boyfriend is heart surgeon and they have been dating for four years.  However Anna has the most difficult time getting to Dublin where the doctor conference is being held.  The weather keeps causing delay and diversion, but she finally ends up on a beach in Ireland. There she meets Declan (Matthew Goode) who hopes to make money by driving Anna to Dublin.  

This is a very fun romantic comedy.  Anna can be a klutz, which results in her accidentally pushing the car down a hill into a creek, after she steps in a cow dung.  Her shoe flips off while she is dancing at a wedding, and catches the pride in the head. 

They finally make it to Dublin, and her boyfriend proposes marriage and they become engaged; but the motivations have changed.

This movie is now available on Netflix.

Movie Review: ****Trouble with the Curve (2012)

****Trouble With the Curve  Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams portray a father and daughter combo which is very fascinating.  Mickey (Adams) has grown  up around baseball, as her father, Gus, is a scout.  However at a young age Gus sent her away, and Mickey has struggled with the rejection.  This year Mickey goes on a scouting trip with him because of his failing health.  On the road the run into a player previously scouted by Gus, Johnny (Justin Timberlake) with whom Gus rekindles his friendship and Mickey starts a relationship.  They are scouting a player who is a great high school player.  However, a good batting average with lots of homeruns is not always what it seems.  Mickey meanwhile scouts out a prospective pitcher on their trips.  John Goodman portrays Gus’ boss.

Movie Review: ****Justice League (2017)

Something is coming and with Superman dead, who is going to keep things in order.  Batman (Ben Affleck) is desperate to build a team.  He puts together a pretty good team with Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher).  It is still not enough as they face Steppenwolf and his minions who feed on fear.  Steppenwolf is seeking three boxes with incredible power.  Batman and his team use the box they possess to bring Superman back to life.  His body did not decompose even though he was dead.  Something about his cells.
This movie is fun.  There is plenty of action and struggle, and teamwork.  Each gets to be a hero and save others.

	Ben Affleck	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
	Henry Cavill	...	Superman / Clark Kent
	Amy Adams	...	Lois Lane
	Gal Gadot	...	Wonder Woman / Diana Prince
	Ezra Miller	...	The Flash / Barry Allen
	Jason Momoa	...	Aquaman / Arthur Curry
	Ray Fisher	...	Cyborg / Victor Stone

Movie Review: ***^Batman vs Superman (2016)

This movie is a bit confusing.  It seems like they are trying to spend most of the movie explaining why Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill)  have it for each other.  In the end it is blackmail by the part of Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg) that gets them to fight.  It was Luthor manipulating things all along.  Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) also play significant parts.  Senator Finch (Holly Hunter), along with a committee gets blown up by Luthor.  Luthor is a really bad man through this entire movie.  He summons a terrible monster using technology from Krypton.  He also develops a weapon to kill Superman.  Big fight at the end, first between Batman and Superman, and then against the monster.

Movie Review: *****Enchanted

"Enchanted" is a great movie.  They do the theme of a Disney Princess in New York so well.  The song "How does she Know" keeps everyone bouncing and is a favorite.  This was a charming take on what happens when fairy characters land in New York.  It also makes fun in its way of fairy love stories as compared to our world.  Of course vice versa is also appropriate as our love stories don't make sense to those from a fairy world.
In this story the wicked mother, witch, sends the true love of her son the Prince, to New York.  Amy Adams plays Giselle and this movie introduces Amy Adams to the world.  She does such a great job as the naive, innocent princess you can't help but fall in love with this movie.  And then you have the evil witch and her cohort chasing her around trying to get her to eat an apple.  It is too fun.

Movie Revie: ***Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

I really wanted to like this movie, the first was so funny, however in the end it just fell sort of flat.  Ben Stiller was his usually funny self, but some of the other characters where just too canned--this the Egyptian Pharaoh who was jealous of his brother, or Napoleon who didn't like short comments.  In just seemed to carry everything too far.  I really wanted to like Amy Adams.  I love her in  "Enchanted."  But in this case her Amelia Earhart is just just too canned.  By the end of the movie I hate the way she walks.  In this show George Custer (Bill Hader) is very cute.  In this case it starts with the cookie cutter Custer, and then he evolves and questions himself, and is real.  The bit between he and Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck) is well done.  Custer says, "I'll yell charge and then we all charge."  Sacajawea responds, "Why tell everyone you're going to  charge, doesn't that take the surprise away."  The bit with the monkey is good, but overdone.
A brief story.  Larry Daley has left the museum, pursuing free enterprise.  In the meantime, most of the exhibits are being sent to the Smithsonian for storage, away from the magical tablet that gives them life.  However the monkey steals the tablet, taking it to the Smithsonian.  That causes all kinds of havoc. 
Oh I liked Abraham Lincoln in his big form.  He turned the tide.
I found this movie mildly entertaining.  The original is better.  The theme of doing what you enjoy is a good one.  However, it was the free enterprise that allowed him to step in and save the museum.  The decide to open the museum at night, so the exhibits can interact with people when they are awake.  That was well done.