Throwback Thursday: Look Who’s Talking Too (1990)

For many of us, sibling rivalry is par for the course when we are not an only child. The question is, when push comes to shove, do we continue that rivalry or do we put our siblings first?

Look Who’s Talking Too (1990) is the sequel to the 1989 movie, Look Who’s Talking (1989). James (John Travolta) and Mollie (Kirstie Allie) are now married. Mollie is pregnant with Julie (voiced by Roseanne Barr). Big brother Mikey (voiced by Bruce Willis) is not exactly sure about the soon to be new addition to the family. As James and Mollie deal with the struggle of raising two little ones, Mikey and Julie learn to live with one another.

Thirty years ago (is it really thirty years?), the reviewers destroyed the movie. I disagree. It’s not the most original of movies (or sequels), but it is charming. The comedy comes from the everyday-ness of the narrative, the stress that comes with marriage and raising children.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Flashback Friday-The Siege (1998)

September 11th, 2001 is a day that forever changed the world. Before 9/11, the idea of a terrorist attack within the borders of the United States seemed more fiction than fact.

That is the premise of the 1998 film, The Siege. When the leader of a Islamic religious sect is abducted by the US military, the response is a series of terrorist attacks on New York City. Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington) is the head of the FBI’s Counter-Terrorism Task Force in New York. Working with Elise Kraft (Annette Bening), a CIA operative, they must work together to find the terrorists who are attacking the citizens of New York. While Elise and Anthony work on finding the terrorists before they wreak more havoc and take more lives, General Devereaux (Bruce Willis) takes control of the city and declares martial law.

What strikes me about this film is life has imitated art, especially in the last 15 years. While this film is obviously a work of fiction, some of the elements in the film have become part of our every day lives. It also reminds me of how innocent we all were in the pre-9/11 years.

I recommend it.

Flashback Friday-Armageddon (1998)

The end of the world is always an interesting prospect for a story.

In Armageddon (1998), the world is going to end via a asteroid strike on earth. A team of deep core drillers is commissioned by NASA to break up the asteroid before it kills millions.

After an asteroid destroys a shuttle and hits New York City, NASA discovered that another asteroid, as big as Texas is hurling toward Earth. They have 18 days before it hits the atmosphere. The solution comes in the form of Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), an expert in deep core drilling. He bring together a team of expert, but ne’er do well deep core drillers and geologists. Their mission is to implant a nuclear device on the asteroid before it arrives on Earth. While preparing for his mission, Harry is slowly warming up to the idea that his daughter, Grace (Liv Tyler) is not a little girl anymore. She is seriously dating A.J. Frost (Ben Affleck), a member of his team.

While the plot of the movie runs a bit thin at times, it is an engaging, entertaining movie. Add in an iconic theme song by Aerosmith and you’ve got a nice diversion from the realities of our lives.