Movie Reviews: Charlotte's Web and Dreamgirls

"Charlotte's Web" was one of many books I was assigned to read in school and never did. I figured I'd wait until age 36 to see a movie in which a talking pig steals the show.

Though Anne from work has no children, she seems a kid at heart, but I'm not typically a fan of such movies, since I have none either. No kids or kid movies. But this was a good family holiday movie and I'm glad I saw it. I won't say I cried tears of joy, but it was a nice positive story and now I don't have to read the book. Honestly, though, it is worth seeing. Wilbur is a nice pig who deserves to live, and he and the Rat (voiced both well and appropriately by Steve Buscemi) finally work together at the end to save Charlotte's babies after she dies. Julia Roberts had a nice soothing voice for that role. All the spiders I've talked to have had soothing voices, so Roberts made her character quite believable.

That was Monday, and because I'm quite charming, Anne asked me to join her again on Tuesday for "Dreamgirls," which I thoroughly enjoyed. Because I don't try to guess the predictable conflict before it happens, like many cynics do, I wait for the movie to come to me. But once the negativity mixed its way into the story, it took off the way a good plot should. And while Beyonce and Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy delivered good headline performances, it was Jennifer Hudson who owned the film.

I only got into "American Idol" one time, in 2003, but that was enough. Anne tried to convince me that shows like AI are worthwhile because they help jumpstart the careers of talented performers who otherwise don't have the connections to get a break. Hudson is a perfect example both in real life, by advancing deep in the 2004 Idol and parlaying it into a successful career so far, and in her character, Effie White, who gets a lift late in "Dreamgirls." I'll let you find out whether she takes advantage of it. I haven't seen too many movies inspired by musicals, but this one was excellent, thanks in large part to Hudson.