Gangs of New York (2002)

This movie took me three days to watch. I found the story uninteresting, the characters bland, and the acting uninspired. However, there were two high points. I absolutely loved the final scene (not the climactic scene - no, I'm talking about the 30 seconds or so before the credits). Visually beautiful. And Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as the Butcher was chilling. Other than that, it's a difficult movie to watch. Not because of the violence, but because it's so aimless. 2.5 stars.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert (2001)

An incredibly well-cast version of Sondheim's musical. Patti LuPone, who I usually don't like, is absolutely perfect as Mrs. Lovett. George Hearn is also great in his role. The music is amazing, although most of the time it's hardly pretty. The lyrics are fascinating. There's a lot of great dark comedy in here. Overall, quite a treat to watch, especially after the far-more-bland Sunday in the Park With George. 4 stars.

The Number 23 (2007)

My goodness, reviewers were incredibly harsh to this movie. Sure, it had a "twist ending" that's been used before, but it told its story well. Sure, there's at least one gaping plothole, but *nearly* everything fit together. Jim Carrey was certainly fine in the title role. I personally enjoyed the movie quite a bit as a fluffy psychological thriller. It deserves nowhere NEAR the razing it got. 3.5 stars.

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

As you should all know by now, I'm a huge Woody Allen fan, but found this a bit disappointing. It was neither as thought-provoking as his best dramatic work nor as funny as his best comedic work, although I did laugh out loud at a few moments. Sean Penn does a great job of creating the character, though, and it is fascinating to watch just as a quiet character study. Not fantastic, but very solid. 3.5 stars.

Gangs of New York (2002)

This movie took me three days to watch. I found the story uninteresting, the characters bland, and the acting uninspired. However, there were two high points. I absolutely loved the final scene (not the climactic scene - no, I'm talking about the 30 seconds or so before the credits). Visually beautiful. And Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as the Butcher was chilling. Other than that, it's a difficult movie to watch. Not because of the violence, but because it's so aimless. 2.5 stars.

Mallrats (1995)

There's a Fry and Laurie sketch in which Hugh Laurie reads a poem to the audience and Stephen Fry's response is, "Hugh, you chose that poem... For God's sake, why?" This quote kept running through my mind as I tried to write this review. While watching the movie, I kept thinking, "Wait. Why am I watching this again?" And after the movie ended, I still can't come up with any sort of answer. The characters are obnoxious (with the *possible* exception of the one guy who is portrayed as the "nice guy"). The humor is aimed at those people who think the very mention of... well, *anything* to do with sex is absolutely hilarious. I found this movie not only unfunny, but actually unpleasant to watch. 0.5 stars.

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

After this movie ended, it took some thinking before I decided whether I absolutely loved it or absolutely hated it. (Possible spoilerishness ahead, although nothing specific.) I adored the first 3/4 of the movie... and then the ending took a turn that I wasn't expecting and left me feeling wholly unsatisfied. (Possible spoilerishness is over now.) However, thinking back on the theme of the movie and the ideas behind it, I'm now convinced that not only did I love it, but it was a deeper movie than I was giving it credit for. Woody Allen has a way of mixing sorrow and joy in his movies in a way that I really connect with. My only problem was I initially forgot (emotionally, not for real) that I was watching one of his movies... and started expecting something totally different. This is quite possibly my favorite of his movies, after Annie Hall. Also, this movie has confirmed to me once more that Jeff Daniels is awesome. Both his characters in this movie captured my interest and held it until the end. Just great stuff. 4.5 stars.