TCP: Best Director

I like Steven Spielberg as he has directed too many good movies and of course he have won couple of awards to as director. Another director to note is Martin Scorsese. I think that both these directors can be considered as one of the greatest film directors of all time.


Anyhow, my movie pick for this week, is the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Its director, Danny Boyle, won the 2009 Academy Awards Best Director.

Slumdog Millionaire. The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

Don't ask me how many times we have seen this movie as I can't count anymore. That's how good this movie is!

TCP: Best Actress

This week's Tuesday Couch Potatoes theme is about movies with Best Actress Awards. Of course, there are countless of movies that had become my favorites whose main actress won the coveted Best Actress Award.

To mention a few, I love the movie Erin Brockovich played by Julia Roberts. I also enjoyed Sandra Bullock's The Blindside. Of course who could forget Meryl Streep who tops the list of having won many Best Actress awards.

This week, my choice is The Silence of the Lambs.


When The Silence of the Lambs was released on February 14, 1991, it received much critical acclaim. The film won the top five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

In the film, Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee played by Jodie Foster, seeks the advice of the imprisoned serial killer and cannibal Hannibal Lecter, played by Hopkins, to help apprehend another serial killer, known only as "Buffalo Bill".

This is an American thriller film that blends elements of the crime and horror genres. If you haven't seen this yet, grab a copy right now and be ready to scream!

TCP: To Love Selflessly

Pompe disease is featured in the above mentioned movie - Extraordinary Measures. The movie is based on the real life story of a man named John Crowely, a biotechnology executive, who's two youngest children are affected by Pompe Disease. Mr. Crowley raises money to help a research scientist, Dr. William Canfield, form a company aimed at developing a drug to fight Pompe Disease.

This is a very powerful movie that you will surely cry. It shows how much a parent is willing to do to help their kids.

TCP: Romantic Love - When a Man Loves a Woman

The first movie that came to mind when I saw the theme for Tuesday Couch Potatoes is the movie Forever Young. This movie is about a 1939 test pilot who asks his best friend to use him as a guinea pig for a cryogenics experiment. Daniel McCormick wants to be frozen for a year so that he doesn't have to watch his love lying in a coma. The next thing Daniel knows is that he's been awoken in 1992.

Because he loses his true love he volunteers to become cryogenically frozen for an experiment. Many years later a group of young boys stumble across his frozen capsule and revive him. He befriends the boy's mother and learns that his old sweetheart is still alive. Can they be reunited after so much time has gone by?



I love this movie and I have seen it a couple of times already.

TCP: Familial Love

My entry for this week is Everybody's Fine. It is a story about a widower who realized his only connection to his family was through his wife sets off on an impromptu road trip to reunite with each of his grown children.



I like this movie and Robert di Niro is one of my favorites.

TCP: Surprisingly Nice

Hello Couchers! It has been a while since I joined but I am back now! My entry for this week is the movie "Kick-Ass"

This movie is about Dave Lizewski, an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.

The movie has a lot of bad reviews. Despite not hearing good things about it we rented it and to our surprise it was surprisingly nice. We enjoyed watching it. Sort of stupid but funny.

TCP: A Family Christmas

THE POLAR EXPRESS

A young boy lies awake in his room one snowy Christmas Eve, excited and alert.

Breathing silently. Hardly moving. Waiting.

He's listening for a sound he's afraid that he might never hear – the ringing bells of Santa's sleigh.

The time is five minutes to midnight.

Suddenly, the boy is startled by a thunderous roar. Clearing the mist from his window he sees the most amazing sight – a gleaming black train rumbles to a stop right in front of his house, the steam from its powerful engine hissing through the night sky and the softly falling snowflakes.

The boy rushes outside, clad only in his pajamas and slippers, and is met by the train's conductor who seems to be waiting just for him. “Well, are you coming?” the conductor asks.

“Where?”

“Why, to the North Pole, of course. This is the Polar Express!”

TCP: Family Adventure

"Christmassy" movies that features family adventure is what this week's TCP is all about. My entry is the movie Christmas with the Kranks. I enjoyed reading this book which they make into a movie. The book is written by one of my favorites, John Grisham.


When Luther and Nora Kranks only daughter leaves and goes to another country they both decide to skip Christmas this year and spend it on a cruise. Now they must survive, facing their neighbors, a house decorations contest and carolers. But when their daughter calls on Christmas eve and says shes coming home for Christmas, the Kranks really get into the meaning of Holiday Rush when they have 12 hours to get Christmas set up for their daughter and her fiancée.

TCP: On Ice

Don't ask me how many times I have watched Ice Age. There was a time when we have to watch it every day! I love the movie though. My daughter loves it the most. She can mimic the sloth so good. She also like the opening scene with the squirrel and a nut. My daughter is always animated when watching this movie that is why it is my choice for the week.

Set during the Ice Age, a saber tooth tiger, a sloth, and a woolly mammoth find a lost human infant, and they try to return him to his tribe.

TCP: DreamWorks Movie

DreamWorks has made awesome movies and a lot of blockbuster movies thus it is impossible to choose one. You all know how much I like the movie "Tropic Thunder". It is a DreamWorks movie. I know that If I will feature it here you will be tired of it. I also like the "Shrek" series which is one of the top grossers. Then there is the "Ice Age". The list will go on and on for sure. But, since my daughter likes to watch a movie with horse in it, I want to feature Dreamer.

Ben Crane believes that a severely injured racehorse deserves another chance. He and his daughter Cale adopt the horse (in fact is a mare)and save it of being sacrificed by the owner. The arrival of the mare to Crane's farm, will be the perfect opportunity for both father and daughter to reconstruct their lost familiar bond. "Soñador" (Dreamer in English), the renamed mare, despite its broken leg, maybe could have another chance to return to the racecourse, with the help of Cale, Ben, and his father, Pop.

The movie was loosely inspired by the story of the mare Mariah's Storm. She was a promising filly who was being pointed towards the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies in 1993 but then broke her cannon bone. She recovered and later won some graded races. She started in the 1995 Breeder's Cup Distaff and finished ninth. She was owned by Thunderhead Farms and trained by Don Von Hemel. She's now known mostly for being the dam of Giant's Causeway.

TCP: N

There are couple of movies that starts with letter N that I like watching. National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets are but a few of my favorites. If we include the films that starts with"The" then, I have to include: The Negotiator and The Net.

For this week, I want to feature National Security. I enjoyed watching this movie because Martin Lawrence is one of my favorites.


A white ex-cop and an African-American who he supposedly beat up (which thus got him off the force) team up to save each other's lives. Two mismatched security guards are thrown together to bust a smuggling operation.

TCP: Favorite Steven Spielberg's Film

Nobody can deny the fact that Spielberg is very talented when it comes to making awesome movies. The list will go on and on. Of course, the ET seems to be everybody's favorite. The Indiana Jones series is also full of entertainment. Who can forget the Jaws and the Jurassic Park? Undeniably Saving Private Ryan is also a good one. In fact, I have seen this movie countless of times as we own a collectors' copy of this film. Then there's Catch me if You Can which is very interesting.

Spielberg maybe known for directing movies that are full of suspense but he can also make a movie that will make you cry to no end. Thus, I am featuring his tear jerker The Color Purple.

The Color Purple is a 1985 American period drama film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. The film tells the story of a young African American girl named Celie and shows the problems African American women faced during the early 1900s, including poverty, racism, and sexism. The character Celie is transformed as she finds her self-worth through the help of two strong female companions.

TCP: Life's Gastronomic Pleasures

My choice for this week is the movie Big Night... a failing Italian restaurant run by two brothers gambles on one special night to try to save the business.


Primo and Secondo are two brothers who have emigrated from Italy to open an Italian restaurant in America. Primo is the irascible and gifted chef, brilliant in his culinary genius, but determined not to squander his talent on making the routine dishes that customers expect. Secondo is the smooth front-man, trying to keep the restaurant financially afloat, despite few patrons other than a poor artist who pays with his paintings. The owner of the nearby Pascal's restaurant, enormously successful (despite its mediocre fare), offers a solution - he will call his friend, a big-time jazz musician, to play a special benefit at their restaurant. Primo begins to prepare his masterpiece, a feast of a lifetime, for the brothers' big night...

TCP: Living the American Dream

My TCP entry for this week is My Name is Khan. I am not so sure if it qualifies for Living the American Dream but somehow, I chose this because this is a story about a man from India who now lives in America and tries to build a family despite his condition.

Rizwan Khan (Shahrukh Khan), a young man suffering from autism, lives with his loving and supportive mother in India. When she dies, he travels all the way to San Francisco so that his younger brother, Zakir (Jimmy Shergill) could take care of him. Zakir’s wife, Hasina (Sonya Jehan), happens to be a psychologist and diagnosis Rizwan with Asperger’s syndrome, a neurological disorder that affects his behavior, i.e. making him sensitive to certain sounds and the color of yellow.

My Name is Khan is captivating, well-acted and heartfelt with inspirational, important messages about tolerance, compassion, endurance, hope, honesty and, above all, the power of love.

TCP: Gone Retro

Movies of the 80's... there are so many of them that become on top of my favorite list. I like Eddie Murphy thus I am featuring "48 Hours". This was the time when Eddie Murphy showed being a genius in comedy. I just love his movies during this time.


This movie is about a hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.


Though I like Eddie Murphy I am not a big fan of The Nutty Professor. I do enjoy his voice as the donkey in the famous Shrek Series.

TCP: Autumn / Fall Themed Movie

Sweet November is a movie that is perfect for this week's theme. The movie's trailer is in the video below:

Nelson is a man devoted to his advertising career in San Francisco. One day, while taking a driving test at the DMV, he meets Sara. She is very different from the other women in his life. Nelson causes her to miss out on taking the test and later that day she tracks him down. One thing leads to another and Nelson ends up living with her through a November that will change his life forever.

Favorite Robin Williams Film

I am a big fan of Robin Williams. Though there are some films of his that are disappointing to me, yet I never stopped watching his films. I watched a lot of good movies from him which includes, Goodwill Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams and a lot more.

For this week, I wanna feature Insomnia.


A psychological thriller centering on Will Dormer, a veteran LAPD detective who travels to a small Alaskan town with his partner Hap to investigate the disturbing murder of a seventeen year-old girl. Under the glare of the region's perpetual daylight, Dormer and Hap close in on the primary suspect, reclusive novelist Walter Finch. During a tense stakeout on a rocky, fog-shrouded beach, Finch slips into the mist and out of Dormer's grasp. As he makes his escape, shots ring out and Hap is killed. As he struggles to cope with his sense of responsibility and remorse over his partner's death, Dormer is forced into a psychological game of cat-and-mouse by the brilliantly malevolent Finch. The stakes escalate as Dormer contends with an unproven but perceptive local cop and becomes increasingly entangled in Finch's web of manipulation. Unable to find respite from the relentless Midnight Sun or his own distorted judgment, the dangerously sleep-deprived detective finds his stability gravely threatened.

TCP: Favorite Susan Sarandon Movie

Who can forget Susan Sarandon's role as Louise Elizabeth Sawyer in Thelma and Louise? Her role was performed so well that she won:

• David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress
• London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
• National Board of Review Award for Best Actress
  

She was also:
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama

I really liked the movie that is why it is my entry for this week's Tuesday Couch Potatoes.

Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis star as accidental outlaws on a desperate flight across the Southwest after a tragic incident at a roadside bar. With a determined detective (Harvey Keitel) on their trail, a sweet-talking hitchhiker (Brad Pitt) in their path and a string of crimes in their wake, their journey alternates between hilarious, high-speed thrill ride and empowering personal odyssey even as the law closes in.

Favorite Morgan Freeman Movie

Morgan Freeman is indeed one of my favorite actors. It seems like he has not age all these years. When there is a movie and Morgan Freeman is on it, you will for sure count me in as one of the viewers.

I have seen so many Morgan Freeman movies and some of documentary shows that are narrated by him. His voice is just so perfect that anybody will be enticed to watch the show from the beginning until the end.

My all time favorite is of course The Shawshank Redemption.

I can't believe that Morgan Freeman is over 70 years old. He is still as sharp as he can be as an actor.

He has so many movies that I love and I am looking forward to the movies that he is working on. I can't wait to watch the Movie RED (with Bruce Willis).

If you haven't seen the following movies... time to check them out...

• Thick as Thieves (The Code)
• The Maiden Heist
• Invictus
• Wanted
• The Contract

Favorite Brad Pitt Movie

I like Brad Pitt. So, as usual I can give you a list of my favorite Brad Pitt movie. I know I don't follow rules about this meme but I just like to give my lists when it comes to movies because I like watching movies.

These are just a few of my favorites...


1. Ocean's 11 - Actually, I love the ocean series. First and foremost because of "my boyfriend" George Clooney. These series have many big stars and that includes Brad Pitt.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

3. Mr and Mrs Smith

4. Inglorious Basterds

5. Spy Game

6. Legends of the Fall