In Between Three-Bean Chili Servings...

...we've watched a couple movies this weekend.

Pretty Persuasion (2005) - Ranks behind Heathers and Jawbreakers in the evil rich kid high school dramedy genre. Thought the five-minute explanation at the end wasn't necessary, but the first part is pretty hilarious (and disturbing), the middle is a bit slow, and the end/moral lesson is actually unexpected. Count three uses of the nasty c-word and one of the nasty t-word. 4 out of 5 stars.

Bad News Bears (2005) - What happens when the star of Bad Santa stars in a movie directed by the guy who directed School of Rock? Well, you get a PG-13 movie with just enough cursing (kids included) to make it "edgy", with a good-hearted message at the end. Billy Bob Thornton is probably one of my favorite actors, and he is very good in this movie. It jumps around a little, inserts a pretty random bit about his pseudo-daughter, and picks and chooses which kids to focus on (and the lessons we all can learn from them). The original might have also done this, but I think the original also had the Astrodome at the end. Good flick...a step back if you're looking for a reprisal of Bad Santa, but serves as impetus to rent Bad Santa if you want to see some dirtier cussing. 4 out of 5 stars.

And the Redskins won today!!!