The Yellow Handkerchief and Fireproof

 I saw this 2008 flick, "The Yellow Handkerchief" on Netflix and decided to give it a whirl.  I love the unexpected relationships between the characters.   Basically three strangers are thrown together and I love how each dynamic plays out.  The character that William Hurt plays is my favorite.  He is soft spoken and beautifully understated.  Most of the story was a bit uncomfortable because of the character that Eddie Redmayne plays, he's just creepy and I can't get used to him even in the end when he straitens out.  Kristen Stewart was pretty good in this role but I think that is because she wasn't required to act any different than she does in any of her other films or in real life for that matter, mumbly and strange.

I give this 2 buns....@@ (still no bun icons from Baron)

This movie, "Fireproof" was also released in 2008 and was patterned to be about the book 'The Love Dare'.  I read The Love Dare last year and had seen this movie on Netflix but was never interested till the other day.  I really liked this movie.  It stars Kirk Cameron and even though his MO is cheeseyness lately, I still like him.  This is a Christian based film so it is a bit low budget and the script in parts is like a road show but I think that aspect really lets you feel some tender moments.  I thought the story was sweet and it made me want to read the book again and take the dare.  I cried through the end.
This is one that I would like to own for times when I'm down.

I give it 3 buns....@@@(buns please Baron!)

Broken English

Broken English stars Parker Posey and is about a woman who is essentially a mess in every aspect of her life.

I was on the fence about this movie till the adorable Frenchman entered the scene. This is an independent film so a lot of the camera shots are a bit odd and the whole movie seems to be blanched of color. I honestly didn't like any of the characters including Parker's character until Melvil Poupaud (the adorable Frenchman) entered. The feelings of disgust and annoyance for the main character slowly turned to compassion and by the end I was rooting for her.

There were certain scenes that really got to me and changed my view of the whole movie. For example, the Frenchman was leaving early in the morning to go back to France and Parker's character decided not to go with him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed as he sat up on the edge of the bed. He responded by tenderly begging her to stop crying. Such a simple scene but I tear up just thinking about it. There were at least a dozen tiny scenes like that, sweet, innocent, and pure. If I had one word to describe this movie it would be 'honest'.

I give 'Broken English' 3 buns! (Bun icons to come!)

The Ramen Girl

The Ramen Girl stars Brittany Murphy. This is another movie I had never heard of that popped up on Netflix. I usually don't like Brittany Murphy but her usual style of acting (ditsy) worked for this role.

Brittany's character is stranded in Tokyo and decides she wants to be taught to make ramen. Apparently it is a much bigger deal than just boiling noodles with veggies and meat. Her brut of a teacher is tough on her and requires her to really dig deep inside herself to make the perfect bowl of ramen.

The film is almost entirely in Japanese with subtitles. The story is endearing and even though there is a huge language barrier between Brittany's character and everyone else it forces the characters to communicate more spiritually.

I loved that each ingredient in the ramen soup has a meaning and each bowl is a gift to it's recipient. The film delivered a sweet story and a great message about never giving up. It also made me want noodles, noodles, noodles!

The only qualm I have is although Brittany played an innocent and a tad ditsy, sometimes it was a bit over the top.

I give The Ramen Girl 3 1/2 buns!

Suburban Girl

This movie stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin. At first when I saw 'Suburban Girl' had popped up on Netflix I thought it would just be a cheesy chick flick but it ended up to be much more.

It's the all too familiar tale of a girl who is unsure of her self and relys on others for her self esteem. What is different about this story is the dynamic with her love interest and how it is paralleled to the relationship she has with her father. I loved Alec Baldwin in this, he took on the arrogant lady's man with a very apparent soft spot. It was endearing how he took care of Sarah Michelle's character.

The acting was solid and the chemistry was even better. The ending wasn't wrapped up in a neat little bow and some how that made the movie even better.

I really enjoyed this unexpectedly great movie and totally recommend it!

I give Suburban Girl four buns! ( I still need Baron to get the buns icons for me)