Virgin Movie-Watching

Virgin Atlantic was my transport to and from London last week. I love the individual entertainment centers provided, except mine didn't work on the JFK-Heathrow leg. Sigh. There I was, surrounded by folks enjoying first-run movies while I worked through my sudoku book.

The good news is that I got an up-and-running system on the way home Friday. In the span of 7 hours I managed to zip through 3 and 3/4 films. The reviews are in:

The Queen: Well, Helen Mirren always kicks ass and this QEII portrayal is no exception. Boy, she looks just like old Betty - the pursing lips, the just-so hair, the clunky purposeful walk, the attitude. I hate that Oscars are always given to actors in true-life biographical roles, but I can't imagine Mirren not walking away with this one. She is spot on. The film did dig up all the Diana stuff again. And I wanted to just drop-kick Prince Phillip (but I think everybody wants to do that, so I'll have to line up).

The Devil Wears Prada: Just for fun. Like Mirren, Meryl Streep is always fun to watch. (Which persona today, Meryl?) A fluff film, but enjoyable.

Trust the Man: Really worth the time. Stars Julianne Moore, David Ducovny, Billy Crudup and Maggie Gyllenhaal. A romantic comedy, but more than that. It's good to see Julianne Moore on-screen again - seems she was everywhere 2-3 years ago. A smart little movie.

An Inconvenient Truth: I got about 3/4 of the way through the Al Gore film on global warming before we landed. It sounds like it would be boring; it's anything but. Good mix of serious and funny. Despite his wooden reputation, Gore makes very serious stuff entertaining, believe it or not. You can't help wondering what the world would be like today if the man actually elected President by over 1 million votes in 2000 had gotten to serve. But perhaps he has a higher calling with the global warming issue.

See? "Virgin" movie-watching ain't so bad.