Penelope

I saw Penelope tonight (a Tuesday night) for a few reasons

1. I like Christina Ricci and James McAvoy
2. I needed a break from the ultra violent movies that I've been watching lately
3. I got a dinner to go for tomorrow night
4. TGV still has its Ladies Night rates (RM7)

I can't believe that it took so long for this movie (nearly 6 months) to reach Malaysian shores, but that's not an excuse. There was only me and about 7 other people in the whole screening room. Which can't be a good thing.

Anyway, basic gist of the movie is that Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) is born with a pig snout and ears as a result of a curse placed on her family generations ago by a witch after her daughter was jilted by the rich blueblooded family - that the first girl born into the family to have the pig snout after generations and generations of sons, until one of her own could accept her for who she is for the curse to break.

Sounds like a fairy tale, no?

Fairy tale or not, I enjoyed this movie a lot. It was pretty funny at some bits, especially when the potential suitors all jumped out the window after seeing her for the first time, and then they got the butler bright red sneakers so that he could chase them better. (P.S. the butler's the aforementioned witch, which makes the red sneakers funnier with the Wizard of Oz reference...)
Okaylah, James McAvoy also very nice to look at in this one, with the hair and the oh-so blue eyes all. His American accent also not bad. You would think that he could use his Scottish accent when the movie's shot in England and just about everyone else is English.

The supporting cast also not bad - Peter Dinklage as the reporter who chased the story of the Wilhern baby for years and lost an eye in the process; Richard E. Grant as the hapless father, and Katherine O' Hara as the mother. Frankly I've no idea why Reeese Witherspoon is on the movie poster at all - her character doesn't appear until halfway into the movie. I know lah she the producer all, but still... I also couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Russell Brand in this movie, though he's only on screen for a few minutes, tops.

Any movie which uses music I love at any point gets my vote: Sigur Ros's Hoppipolla was played at the end of the movie and a little into the closing credits. Couldn't be happier.

Anyway, it's a pretty sweet movie - it's up to you whether you want to see this one or not.