10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Plot: A remake of the classic Shakespare play "The Taming of the Shrew.", set in a modern day highschool.

As far as teen romantic comedies go, this one's pretty solid, with only a few minor bumps to keep it from being a good movie. (The moment that inspires the film's title being one of them.) The characters are overall pretty likeable, or at least relateable. Not a fantastic movie, but pretty decent for the genre. 3.5 stars.

Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)

I am under no circumstances going to claim this is a good movie. It's cheesy, the jokes are predictable, the plot becomes totally moronic after the first half hour... but the chipmunks are mildly adorable. And I was in a good mood when I went to see it. So I enjoyed it... but I won't recommend it at all. 2 stars.

The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)

Although there were moments that it dragged somewhat, it was overall a very interesting movie. Surprisingly intense. 3.5 stars.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)

If you liked the first one, you'll like this one. There's not a whole lot of difference between the two, except this one is a bit sillier. 2.5 stars.

Shrek the Third (2007)

Although this did have a few moments that made me laugh, it was overall quite a disappointment. Too much time spent trying to cram in all the different fairy tale ideas, not enough spent on actual character development. The first Shrek remains the best one. 3 stars.

Stardust (2007)

Although I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy genre, this is a really well-made movie with a lot of originality behind it. It's not just the same old stuff, there are some interesting twists and visual moments in here. It actually makes me mildly interested in reading the original novel it's based on. 3.5 stars.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Whenever I watch this again, it might possibly get a 4 1/2, but for now I'll play it safe and give it a 4. This is a fairly marvelous adaptation of Sondheim's show. Tim Burton was the ideal person to direct this story. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter may not be amazing singers, but they're certainly competent, and their acting is so compelling it's easy to overlook any flaws in their singing. (After all, it's not Phantom, where the entire point is the voices.) I thoroughly enjoyed this, and will definitely watch this again when it comes out on video. See, Hollywood? You CAN make great musical adaptations! 4 stars.