Secretariat - 2012

Lived up to the hype.  Dragged at times.  Acting was great.  Fun movie - 3.5 stars.

Brokedown Palace - 1999

Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pulman and Lou Diamond Phillips star in this movie which motive is to teach us  what a true friendship is really worth.  Danes and Beckinsale play two fun loving naive high school seniors set on sneaking off to Thailand for their "senior trip".  Of course they do tell their parents that they are going to Hawaii. 

The girls learn that the world isn't as free as their morals or their attitudes - and actually end up in prison after getting set up by a con man from Hong Kong.  Danes plays the best role in this movie.  You get to see a selfish 18 year old mature into a 20 something mature adult by the end of the show.  Some of it isn't her fault, she didn't have the upbringing that others do, but in the end she has to learn some of lifes greatest lessons in order to learn and grow.  I borrowed this film from a neighbor and would give it 2 stars is all.  I didn't like the lesbian undertones between the two main characters.  My wife thought all the touching between them was genuine and they were just friends, but I felt it had a deeper meaning.  A long movie with bad directing to boot - but the acting from Danes and Beckinsale is actually pretty good.