I am now going to check your freezer for human heads

I've binge-watched the entire Criminal Minds series since my last movie reviews, hence the no movie reviews period. A terrific show, but I'm full to the top with gory murders, horrifying twists, and the word 'unsub.' It's time to see some movies!

The Young Victoria (2009) - "Dominated by her possessive mother and her bullying consort, Conroy, since childhood, teen-aged Victoria refuses to allow them the power of acting as her regent in the last days of her uncle William IV's rule. Her German cousin Albert is encouraged to court her for solely political motives, but, following her accession at age eighteen, finds he is falling for her and is dismayed at her reliance on trusty Prime Minister Melbourne. Victoria is impressed by Albert's philanthropy, which is akin to her own desire to help her subjects. However, her loyalty to Melbourne, perceived as a self-seeker, almost causes a constitutional crisis, and it is Albert who helps restore her self-confidence. She proposes and they marry, Albert proving himself not only a devoted spouse, prepared to take an assassin's bullet for her, but also an agent of much-needed reform, finally endorsed by an admiring Melbourne."
Source: streamed on Amazon Prime
I watched it because: I was on a date, and it was chosen just for me
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 76% Audience: 74%

notable quote: "...you had better master the rules of the game until you play it better than they can."
story: based on, y'know... 
visuals: well lit and shot
costumes, hair & makeup: period dramas have the BEST dresses!
acting: Emily Blunt is not my favorite (by a long-shot) and I'd never have chosen to watch this on my own, simply because she stars. Surprise! She wasn't bad. And Rupert Friend, as Prince Albert, made it absolutely worth seeing. 

intangibles: it's not the best film along this line, but it's a couple hours' enjoyable entertainment
Academy Award winner: Best Costume Design
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Makeup

• Best Art Direction
overall: recommended

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - "Over 10 years have passed since the first machine called 'The Terminator' tried to kill Sarah Connor and her unborn son, John. The man who will become the future leader of the human resistance against the Machines is now a healthy young boy. However, another Terminator, called the T-1000, is sent back through time by the supercomputer Skynet. This new Terminator is more advanced and more powerful than its predecessor and its mission is to kill John Connor when he's still a child. However, Sarah and John do not have to face the threat of the T-1000 alone. Another Terminator (identical to the same model that tried and failed to kill Sarah Connor in 1984) is also sent back through time to protect them. Now, the battle for tomorrow has begun."
Source: streamed on Amazon Prime
I watched it because: y'know that date I was on, when we watched The Young Victoria? We followed it up with this. That is how you know it's a good date, and you're with someone who fits.
IMDB: 8.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 94%

notable quote: "'I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.'

    'You forgot to say "please".'"
story: uhm...
visuals: very dark and flashy and chrome-y
costumes, hair & makeup: see above
acting: oh good lord

intangibles: dumb, but fun. This is my favorite of the series.
Academy Award winner:
• Best Sound

• Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing

• Best Effects, Visual Effects 

• Best Makeup
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Cinematography

• Best Film Editing
overall: recommended

Beautiful Girls (1996) - "New York based jazz pianist Willie Conway heads back to his small hometown of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts for a high school reunion. The trip is as much to go to the reunion and see his old friends - none of whom left Knights Ridge after graduation - as it is to get away from his current life, at which he is at a crossroads both personally and professionally. He is just eking out a living with his piano playing gigs, and as such he is thinking about taking a sales job. He's also not sure if he's ready to marry his long time girlfriend, lawyer Tracy Stover. Most of Willie's Knights Ridge blue collar friends' best days were in high school, they still having that "trophy" mentality of girlfriends and wives. Only Michael "Mo" Morris is happily married with a family. Paul Kirkwood, whose room is plastered with magazine pictures of models, wants his waitress ex-girlfriend Jan back only because he knows now that he can't have her. And Tommy "Birdman" Rowland, who was the big man in high school, is trying to end his affair with his now married high school girlfriend, Darian Smalls. Despite knowing about Darian, Tommy's current girlfriend, Sharon Cassidy, stands by her man through bad and worse. A cousin of their bar owning friend Stanley "Stinky" Womack, the beautiful Andera who is visiting from Chicago, may provide the voice of reason for this group of friends in dealing with their women problems. Some reason is what Willie may need in trying to figure out why he is attracted to Marty, his father's thirteen year old neighbor, especially as Willie learns that Tracy has decided to join him for the reunion."
Source:
I watched it because: this is in my all-time top five favorite movies
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 79% Audience: 80%

notable quote: "You know, there are four words I need to hear before I go to sleep. Four little words. 'Good night, sweet girl.' That's all it takes. I'm easy, I know. But a guy who can muster up those four words is a guy I want to stay with."
story: small town, growing up, wistfulness
visuals: stunning (and cold)
costumes, hair & makeup: perfect for the era
acting: it's all about Timothy Hutton (Willie) - all that gorgeous, twisty emotion - and Natalie Portman (Marty), the definition of 'promise'. And Uma Thurman (Andera), in a small but powerful role.

intangibles: I can't quite explain why I love this one so much. It always gets to me, and leaves me happy.
overall: recommended

[the title quotation is from Beautiful Girls]