Detour (1945)

Saw this in my film class as examples of film noir and B-movies. Prime example of both. :-) However, as far as B-movies go, it's actually fairly decent. Plays the genre nicely, and although the acting is even more over-the-top than the well-known, classic noir, it was still a fairly satisfying film overall. I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone who couldn't get past the cheesiness of it all, though. 3 stars.

Goldfinger (1964)

On the recommendation of the guys over at All Movie Talk (www.allmovietalk.com - everyone go check it out now!) I sat down and rented this movie. Bond sounded like a fun character, and I was hoping I'd get a good evening's entertainment out of this film. However, I forgot one important part of the equasion... I don't actually like action films. Or spy films. I was hoping that this would be interesting enough that I could get past that and just totally love it... but not quite. I was able to sit and enjoy it, but I'll most likely never see it again. I think I will check out a few more Bond films to see if the character grows on me enough to watch them all. (Actually, I'll probably end up watching all of them, since I intend to watch everything, eventually.) However I'm giving it a medium rating because my not liking it had little to do with the movie's quality and more to do with my attitude toward this genre in general. 3.5 stars.

Awakenings (1990)

This. Movie. Is. Wonderful. From the opening shots to the closing shots, it was fascinating and beautiful and touching and completely captured my attention. This is one of the best performances I've ever seen from Robert De Niro (of course the last thing I saw him in was Hide and Seek, which, you know, WASN'T his best role). Not overly sappy. Not overly cynical. Just from beginning to end, it's a beautifully crafted movie. I'd definitely recommend it. 4.5 stars.

A Man For All Seasons (1966)

Plot: The story of Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarriage.

This movie was fascinating. I didn't actually think I'd enjoy it as much as I did, but the dialogue is beautifully crafted. It didn't surprise me to learn that it was based on a play. It all centers around the dialogue. It was fascinating, given that it's so highly focused on moral values and private consciences as well, something that's not really given a lot of praise in the entertainment industry these days. Even in places where I disagreed with Sir Thomas's beliefs, I had to admire the steadfastness with which he held to those beliefs. Pressure from the government couldn't shake him from what he believed to be right. Quite an interesting story... I'd love to see it on the stage some day. 4 stars.

Broken Flowers (2005)

I saw Lost in Translation and liked it quite a bit... Not so sure about this one, although Bill Murray's character is essentially the same guy. This had a good beginning and middle, and I was getting very interested in and wrapped up in the story and all of a sudden... nothing. It ended. It was over. Not even a satisfyingly sad ending. Just a nothing. This is a trend that I'm not particularly fond of in movies, the not-ending ending. Meh. I'd rather have some sort of resolution, even if it's a tragic one. 3 stars.

American Dreamz (2006)

I don't traditionally like pop culture comedies, or political comedies, so I pretty much got this with my fingers crossed hoping it'd be entertaining. Turns out, it was. Even the political stuff didn't bug me, and the American Idol spoofing was dead-on and absolutely hilarious. This flick hit all the right notes for me while managing to be the sort of film I never enjoy seeing. Now that's pretty impressive. Much of that is due to the nearly-always-present charm of Hugh Grant, but not all of it. Most of the other actors do a wonderful job as well. Even Mandy Moore is much funnier and more interesting than usual, creating a character I could actually believe in this time around. Good stuff. 4 stars.

Annie Hall (1977)

This movie was absolutely delightful. Two characters who felt very real even in the outrageousness of their neuroses. An ending that appealed to my cynical side with a middle that appealed to my sentimental side. Noteworthy lines and moments all the way through. I'm not sure how well it would stand up to a second or third viewing, but I really very much liked it the first time around. I'm really surprised it isn't rated higher than it is on here. 4.5 stars.