Blade Runner (1982)

Aha, one of the classic sci-fi movies that somehow I missed. This movie felt really weird to me. Like . . . I don't even know quite how to describe it. Stuff would happen and I'd just sort of sit there blinking as I thought to myself, "I don't get it." That being said, though, it was beautifully atmospheric. I loved watching the movie just for the sake of watching it. Beautifully dark and dreary and very well-done, even if I think I totally missed some stuff. 2.5 stars.

The Pink Panther (1963)

This was one of those movies my parents kept renting and saying, "Nah, don't watch it yet." Finally I got to watch it . . . but I'm definitely not sure it lived up to the hype. I mean, you can only see someone fall on their face so many times before it loses most of its humor. But this definitely had some entertaining moments, and it certainly wasn't a BAD movie. Maybe it was just the fact that my mom thought it was so great. A decent film for a decent viewing. 2.5 stars.

Bewitched (2005)

This was a true fluff movie. Most romantic comedies are pretty fluffy anyway, but usually they have some sort of underlying theme of forgiveness or trust or faith in people. This really didn't. At all. Maybe that was why it felt slightly sloppy. It seemed like some plotlines were left dangling, or moments were left unresolved and unexplained. That being said, though, I really enjoyed it, despite the fluff and confusion. I'd hardly call it a GOOD movie, but it was fun to watch.

Movie Theater Person Sighting: That's Kristin Chenoweth as the next-door neighbor! Apparently the part was written specifically for her after Nicole Kidman saw her as Glinda in Wicked. 2.5 stars

Spellbound (2002)

Generally documentaries don't interest me. Like, at all. But some of the reviews I'd read of this one made it sound interesting so I went ahead and picked it up. I was not disappointed. It was amazingly fascinating. It followed eight different children and their families as the kids competed in what was apparently the 1999 National Spelling Bee. Everyone in my family ended up picking a kid to root for (although none of our favorites won, sadly). The kids weren't dumbed down at all or made to seem either way cutesy or way mature or way brainy. They just were who they were. I'd definitely recommend this movie! 4.5 stars.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Wow, wow, wow. This was listed as one of the top five scariest movies according to the American Film Institution, and while it wasn't edge-of-your-seat scary, it certainly was a CREEPY movie! Anthony Hopkins did a superb job playing Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster was very interesting in her role as well. One of the things that creeped me out the most was the general sense of inevitability. You just KNEW Lecter was going to escape. Obviously, this movie is not gonig to be for the squeamish. There are a lot of "Oh, yuck!" moments in the film. But did I like it? You bet. 4.5 stars.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Ok, let me just say right off the bat that I was never all that crazy about the books, so while others were breathlessly awaiting this movie, my reaction was more along the lines of, "Oh, sure, I guess I should see that eventually." So when it came to the cheap theater, I decided to actually go watch it. And my reaction coming out was pretty much the same as it was going in. I was NOT blown away by this movie. Although it was beautiful visually, there was nothing that really caught my attention. And I was not all that fond of Aslan's "buddy buddy" image. Still, it's probably worth seeing, especially if you're already a fan. 2 stars.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

I actually went into this very unsure. The few things I'd heard about this movie made me very wary. I bewared, I bewared, I was a very wary bear. But anyway. Despite loving Tim Burton and loving Johnny Depp, I was worried they'd take my beloved Chocolate Factory story and turn it into something ridiculously modern and stupid, a la Ella Enchanted. It was modernized a bit, but it somehow managed to keep the utterly whimsical feel of the book. Freddie Highmore annoys the heck out of me, but Johnny Depp more than made up for it with his marvelous portrayal. I can't think of any other actor who could have pulled that off as brilliantly as he did. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie - I found it fun, albeit a little loony. And I must say, it's the only movie I have ever seen that was rated PG for "Quirky Situations". 3 stars.

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

Wow. I had such difficulty sitting through this movie. I know people raved about it, but it was SO slow and rambly! It had nothing to do with the fact that it was in another language - I like watchng movies in Spanish! No, it was the movie itself that I was struggling with. It was basically Sideways, except political and not nearly as interesting. With three motorcycle crashes in thirty minutes. 1 star.

War of the Worlds (2005)

I didn't think this was nearly as stupid as everyone seems to think it was. Silly, yes. Mindless, definitely. But stupid? Not entirely. I thought it was a pretty decently done mindless flick. The only thing is, it wasn't jovial enough to be a popcorn flick, nor was it intelligent enough to be a good serious flick. It definitely didn't fit any genre, so I think people who went with genre expectations would definitely be disappointed. I certainly didn't mind it, though. 2 stars.