As Good as It Gets (1997)

This movie is well-intentioned, but it makes for a hecka weird romantic comedy. There may be enough laughs to make it worth it, but I am very tired of the whole "you fix the myriad of social and psychological disorders I have because LOVE" trope. Moment by moment, this movie is enjoyable, but as a whole, I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking, "Well, THAT'S cheesy," a whole lot more than I should have to. The emotional epiphanies are overwrought, the emotional connections are pretty forced, and although I enjoyed it, it was only because I was successfully overlooking its many flaws. 2.5 stars.

Best Part: Jack Nicholson was fascinating to watch, as he usually is.
Worst Part: Simon's sudden transformation from depressed artist into enlightened guru made zero sense.
Flickchart: #843, below Be Kind Rewind and above Quitting.

Little Children (2006)

Spoilers ahead in this review.

This is a much darker movie than I was expecting. The characters are all in great pain, and generally looking to solve it in the least healthy manner possible. And though I think it's a wonderful portrayal of these characters, I'm not sure I understand what exactly the filmmaker wanted us to take from this. There's obviously *some* sort of message trying to be sent, and I suspect it's supposed to be wrapped up in that final line, which says we've all done bad things in the past. However, I'm not sure that line offers any kind of closure for the Patrick Wilson/Kate Winslet plotline. I don't know what I was hoping for as far as closure, but this wasn't it. Well-acted, interesting story, but I feel like I missed something. 3.5 stars.

Best Part: I really liked the use of voiceover narration here. It really helped to tie things together.
Worst Part: I didn't care at all for Kate Winslet's ending. It didn't seem to fit with the rest.
Flickchart: #542, below The Maltese Falcon and above The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Girl, Interrupted (1999)

I'm fascinated by stories about psychological issues, and so I knew there was a good chance I'd enjoy this. And I did. I felt like all the different psychological disorders were treated very realistically, without overdramatizing them. This made it truly fascinating to watch. What an interesting set of characters. Winona Ryder was especially interesting as the main character - very relatable for me. The ending was hopeful without being overly sentimental. Overall, I really enjoy watching this and was impressed with it. 4 stars.

Best Part: The characterization, as stated above.
Worst Part: Though the characters themselves felt realistic, a few of the situations felt very contrived - the scene where they all sneak to the random bowling alley, for example. I was not at all surprised to learn that didn't happen in the original book.
Flickchart: #312, below Take Shelter and above Music & Lyrics.

Detropia (2012)

I never know how to review documentaries that are topic-based rather than story-based, so this is going to be a short wrap-up. This material felt very scattered, jumping from story to story without any actual bridge between them, sometimes drastically switching subjects in a way that made you think it was supposed to be connected to the previous story when it really wasn't. On top of that, I just had great difficulty finding it interesting. I don't particularly care for politics/economics stories in fiction and, as important as the topics are overall, I'm extremely bored by them in documentaries as well. 1 star.

Flickchart: #1532, below State Fair and above Detour.

Hamlet (2000)

This is my third film adaptation I've seen of Hamlet (the other two are the ones featuring Mel Gibson and David Tennant). Overall, I liked what they did placing it in a modern setting - for the most part, I thought it worked. The movie goes a bit silly at the beginning, playing around with the whole "video editing" concept. It leads to moments where serious conversations are interrupted by a random clip of a jet - that sort of thing. Ethan Hawke's Hamlet is strangely hard to connect with. He is distant and cold, as opposed to the openly depressed or passionately wrathful Hamlets I have seen before. I like that Hawke's Hamlet is something a little different - gives me a new look at the role. The supporting actors do a good job as well. This is, thankfully, a much shortened version from the original, and the quicker pace fits the modern business-y setting. Overall, while Hamlet is perhaps my least favorite Shakespearean tragedy, this is a very interesting adaptation that is worth watching. 3.5 stars.

Best Part: Even in his fairly small role of Laertes, Liev Schreiber was amazing as always.
Worst Part: Even in her fairly short role of Ophelia, Julia Stiles was boring as always.
Flickchart: #688, below Sister Act and above 17 Again.

Hysteria (2011)

IMDB plot summary: The truth of how Mortimer Granville devised the invention of the first vibrator in the name of medical science.
Directed by Tanya Wexler. Starring Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Jonathan Pryce. 

This comedy/drama is far more entertaining than most true story period pieces - not because of the sensational story topic as much as because the characters were interesting and easy to get to like. Maggie Gyllenhaal's character is occasionally a little over-the-top, and the romance comes on much more quickly than makes a lot of sense, but overall it's a fun, interesting movie. 3 stars.

Best Part: I do think the history behind this whole story is fascinating, and this movie did a great job of telling that story.
Worst Part: I can't ever take big dramatic courtroom announcements seriously. I found myself rolling my eyes at that scene.
Flickchart: #960, below Extremities and above The Kids Are All Right.

Roger Dodger (2002)

IMDB plot summary (because I keep forgetting to do this): After breaking up with his lover and boss, a smooth-talking man takes his teenaged nephew out on the town in search of sex.
Directed by Dylan Kidd. Stars Campbell Scott and Jesse Eisenberg.

I was told this movie was extremely funny, so I watched it... I think I maybe smiled once? Roger is a thoroughly despicable character, and I'm not sure whether it was supposed to be one of those things where I laughed because what he said was so outrageously horrific, or whether I was supposed to be sympathizing with him, or what. Either way, this movie just didn't work for me at all on a comedic level. On a dramatic one, I was interested in what was going on with Jesse Eisenberg's character, but not enough to make watching the movie worthwhile. 1.5 stars.

Best Part: The scene at the dinner table was fascinating to watch unfold. Not funny, but interesting.
Worst Part: I am not usually bothered by shaky handheld cameras, but it was distracting and uncomfortable here.
Flickchart: #1219, below The Swiss Family Robinson and above Winter Passing.