Addams Family Values (1993)

There's been too many signs and hints throughout the day that I should write my thoughts on this movie. Namely there was a great geeky facebook question: "has there been a sequel/ remake that was better than the first?" This was the movie that came to mind. I love this movie sooo much that I don't really remember the first Addams family movie at all.

I remember watching the television show and loving it. I even loved the Munsters. I love these oddball family shows. Family shows that turn typical shows upside down. In both shows, for a family of horror, I always wanted to hang out with them! Well..I wouldn't want to walk anywhere close to the spider webs.

In "Addams Family Values", we are swept right back into the normal life of the Addams family. Gomez and Morticia are in love as usual. Wednesday and Pugsley are still attempting to kill each other. Uncle Fester was still eccentric. The grandmother is still a witch. Lurch is still tending the ground. Except now, Morticia now has the baby. With the new baby came new jealousies with the older siblings who now focus their attention on killing the new baby. The murder attempts spur Morticia and Gomez to hire a new nanny. We learn that the new nanny is the infamous Black Widow and has her eyes set on Uncle Fester, Forbes richest man. So begins the tale of the fragmentation of the family. How they survive is just awesome.


My favorite segments to watch is when Wednesday and Pugsley are forced to a camp. Holy moly. From the cabin where they're forced to watch Disney to the Thanksgiving play, it is just joyful to watch the destruction of normal people.

Compared to the television, the casting for the movie was awesome. Christopher Llyod as Uncle Fester was particularly hilarious. Anjelica Huston as Morticia is spot on. How the hell she walks in that tight dress boggles my mind. I really love how theres always some sort of shadow on her face.

Once again, Christiana Ricci outshines the cast. She is my absolute favorite actress. In my eyes, she can really do no wrong. She will always be Wednesday. Man, did I envy her those braids.

As a sequel, it has everything for me. macrabe atmosphere, tongue in cheek jokes, cute romance, amazing characters. Fun, suspenseful, and awesome. I seriously can't remember what the first movie was. Doesn't matter. Kinda hard to beat the most coolest dialogue ever:

[Gomez at the police station speaking to a police office]
Gomez: Has the planet gone mad? My brother, passion's hostage. I seek justice - denied! I shall not submit! I shall conquer! I shall rise! My name is Gomez Addams, and I have seen evil!
[Grandma waves Pubert in the air]
Gomez: I have seen horror!
[Lurch waves]
Gomez: I have seen the unholy maggots which feast in the dark recesses of the human soul!
Morticia: They're at camp.
Gomez: I have seen all this officer. But until today, I had never seen *you*!

Damn I love this movie.

Penelope (2006)

I love the fantastic and surreal. The kind of movies that are magical and romantic. I especially love modern retakes of fairy tale idea.

"Penelope" jumps into mind immediately. Not only does it star one of my favorite actresses, Christina Ricci, but also my new favorite male actor, James McAvoy. I fell in love with McAvoy after the movie and again in "Wanted".

The base of the movie is absurd but it's all right with me. Ready?Penelope is a young aristocrat that was born with a pig nose.

Still there? Good.

The story goes that her ancestors had stopped the romance between a servant and of the aristocrats son. The son goes on to marry another of his peer. The servant girl was heartbroken and committed suicide. The mother of the servant was so furious she laid a curse upon the family. A curse for any future young girls of the family to be born with a pig nose.The curse went unheeded for several generations since only sons were borne in the family. Until now.

The only way to break the curse is when the young heiress will be loved by "one of her own".

Cursed with a pig nose, Penelope's family forces her to hide herself until she can find someone who can break the curse. When she becomes of age to get married, her family hires a service to find suitors. They would be interviewed through a mirror. They would confess their interest and she decides to come out and face them. Unfortunately they would bolt.


Poor girl. How much of that would mess up her self esteem?

Fed up with the long trail of terrified males, she escapes her mansion. With a scarf wound tightly around her nose, she experiences the outside world. She meets new friends and falls in love with Mc Avoys character.

There's a whole bunch more to this movie. It's sweet and romantic but that's not the main point. The highlight is Penelope's acceptance of herself and having the courage to go through with life. It's another female empowerment movie amidst the comedy and romance.

Fun enjoyable movie that makes you cheers up. If your a girl.