12 Angry Men (1957)

Plot: A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.

Don't know if I ever mentioned it, but I think this is one of the best classics ever. Not necessarily my favorite, but one of the best. In the short space of two hours, it manages to flesh out very thoroughly twelve distinct characters, at the same time keeping you intrigued with the mystery aspect of it. I found myself watching eagerly every second. Would I recommend this? You bet! 4.5 stars.

Bride and Prejudice (2004)

Oh, boy, was this fun. Light, fluffy, random musical numbers with really lame lyrics . . . what more could one ask for? :-) Seriously, this was THE perfect light and fluffy romantic comedy. Definitely didn't work as a musical, but part of the fun was the sappiness and ridiculousness of the musical numbers and their overacted choreography. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of watching this. Nice contrast to Bend It Like Beckham, which was a teen sports movie with a bit of substance to it. This has no substance at all. But if you loved the original Pride and Prejudice story, you're bound to love this one, which follows the original story much, much closer than, say, Bridget Jones's Diary. Good stuff. 3 stars.

Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

Hmm... getting a musical solely on the fact that it's a musical certainly doesn't guarantee it'll be good. Irving Berlin's never been a favorite of mine, so very few of the songs really made me sit up and take notice. "I've Got the Sun the Morning," while ridiculously unnecessary to the plot, was fun, and "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" was simply classic. To my horror, though, my two favorite songs from the show ("Old-Fashioned Wedding" and "I Got Lost In His Arms") were cut! That alone brings this down a couple notches. But Betty Hutton's charming performance as the eager, tomboyish Annie Oakley, brings those notches back up. ;-) 2.5 stars.

Hercules (1997)

As far as Disney movies go, it was a real disappointment. The songs were good, and one or two parts made me chuckle, and I got a big kick out of hearing theater person Susan Egan as Meg, but other than that, it was pretty lame. And what the heck is with those titans? Somebody forgot to study their Greek mythology... 1 star.

Big (1988)

This is one of those strange movies that I remember I liked, but when I sit down to actually write about it, I can't remember why, or even much of the movie. I do remember being far more impressed with Tom Hanks' performance than with the actual movie. He was very believable as his character, and really, he was the one who made the movie. Not bad for a second viewing, but I'd never buy it. 3 stars.

Baby Boom (1987)

As far as romantic comedies go, this one isn't bad. It's got one major plus - a very cute baby - and one major minus - the girl returns to the country. Dang it, why aren't people ever content to stay in the city? I've seen too many of these "city doesn't fulfill, country does" movies, and they make me angry. Still, the baby was cute, and Diane Keaton's character was very likeable... so I suppose that compensates enough. 2.5 stars.

Elf (2003)

Awww!!! This may be the first time I've ever totally loved a movie dude who wasn't intellectually smart. *thinks* Yep. I think so. This movie was incredibly funny and quite sweet without being as preachy and sappy as I thought it would be. Yeah, the climactic ending scene was pushing it a bit far, but it certainly wasn't as bad as some other Christmas movies I could name, but won't because I'm being diplomatic here. Anyway, the movie was generally great, and Will Ferrell was utterly charming as Buddy. Wouldn't mind watching this one a couple more times! 3.5 stars.