Movie Review: **** Cars 2 (2011)

 The sequel leaves Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and McQueen (Owen Wilson) in place but adds a spy movie; Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).  They are up against a cabal of lemons who want to destroy race car driving.  Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard) heads the bad guys as a double.  He has made a fake fuel which is suppose to be bad because he is shooting lasers at it.  He hopes to take advantage of the oil field he has discovered.  

Entertaining but not as good as the original.   

Christmas Movie Review: *** Lost Christmas: The Miracle of Holiday Magic (2011)

 This is a movie out of the BBC made for TV.  IUt is a bit confusing, but maybe purposefully so.  It presents two Christmases, the first and its effect on the second.  A young boy hid his father's keys when he was called out to work on Christmas.  He was an emergency responder.  His wife had to take him, and they both died in a car accident.  Next Christmas all is messed up.  Our young man meets a stranger (Eddie Izzard) with amnesia but an ability to find things that are lost.  A bangle is lost, stolen by the boy.  But the boy loses his dog,  A couple lost their daughter last Christmas.  Sometimes Christmas brings second chances.  our mysterious stranger is an adult version of the boy, and he receives a chance to change last Christmas, which prevn\ents the accident, and is father is there to ave the little girl, and he no longer has need for a youth authority.  And finally the strange man fades away.

Movie Review: The Cat's Meow

This is an interesting movie, with a very good cast of characters.  It tells a version of events aboard the boat of William Randolph Hearst (Edward Herrmann).  His wife Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst) is thought to be involved in an affair with Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard).  She is not, but Charlie is in love with her.  Thomas Ince (Cary Elwes) is hoping for a business deal with Heart to keep his career going, and for some reason flames the rumors of the illicit relationship between Chaplin and Davies.  This has terrible consequences for him.  The best part of movie is watching the jealousy of Hearst.  It finally blooms out of control.  A gossip reporter, Louella Parsons (Jennifer Tilly) is also on board, and observes the events.  Herrmann does an excellent job with the part.  Dunst is always good, and this case her bubbly personality comes through.
This movie is enjoyable, and it also is a good study of misperceptions and jealousy.  At times it is just a bit too busy; but since it is based on a party on a cruise, maybe the director intended it to be that way.