Good Movies

When it's cold outside & I'm just not feeling like reading a book, I like to find good movies that are slightly off the beaten path. You probably didn't see either of these advertised at a major theater near you (they played at our little independent theater here in Bellingham), but these little sleepers ended up being pretty big hits. Both are available on DVD & are more than worth the rental fee.

These made me laugh out loud & reach for a tissue; I can't wait to add them to my own collection. If you haven’t seen either of these yet, I highly recommend them!

Little Miss Sunshine

This movie stars Abigail Breslin as a little girl with hopes of winning the Little Miss Sunshine contest. Her quirky family is supportive, but can’t seem to get through a day without some kind of mishap. Her father (Greg Kinnear) is a failure as a motivational speaker with his “9 Steps” to being a winner. Mom (Toni Collette) is doing her best to support her family & hold everything together. Olive’s uncle Frank (Steve Carrell) is a renowned Proust scholar who has attempted suicide after falling in love with a male graduate student who falls in love with one of Frank’s colleagues. The older brother Dwayne is a Nietzsche fanatic who swears he hates his family & has taken a vow of silence until he can be accepted into a pilot training program. And let’s not forget Olive’s drug-addicted grandfather who despite his “bad ass” behavior, is committed to coaching Olive in her talent routine for the contest. Circumstances conspire to get the whole lot of them on the road together with the ultimate end of getting Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine contest in California.
Check out the movie at Amazon.com

Kinky Boots

Charles Price grew up with his father in the family shoe business & had no plans of ever taking it over. Yet when his father dies, he learns that Price & Sons Shoes is deteriorating. Desperate to save the business (& the jobs of those who work there), Charles meets a drag queen cabaret singer named Lola. After hearing her complaints of the inadequate footwear for those in her line of work, she & Lauren (an employee of Price & Sons) suggest changing their typical product (high quality, but run-of-the-mill men’s shoes) & instead produce footwear for drag queens & transsexuals. Everyone deals with the skepticism of the employees, Lola’s discomfort in the factory’s very straight-laced small town, & Charles’ manipulating fiancée toward the greater good of Charles' dream to save his father's shoe factory.
Check out the movie at Amazon.com