The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Not my type of movie at all, but it was well done. It's very sincere and fairly uplifting without being too sentimental. Will Smith does a fantastic job here, creating a likable, believable character. His son also does a great job playing the little boy. If you enjoy inspiring dramas or whatever you want to call this genre, I highly recommend you check this movie out. 3.5 stars.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Yeah, somehow I never saw this movie. I loved Raiders and Last Crusade, so it's not surprising that I liked this one pretty well, too. The first half hour of it was... odd, though. It was too uneven a mix of comedy and action. However, as it got going it picked up pretty quickly and had a tremendously satisfying ending. Some truly great moments. 4 stars.

Casino Royale (2006)

I'm not a fan of Bond, or of action movies in general. This one was pretty solid, though. Daniel Craig makes an interesting Bond, fairly dark and sinister. He worked well for the role. Overall, though, I have very little to say about this. A well-done, satisfying movie in a genre I don't care for or pay attention to. Definitely worth seeing if you like action films, or the Bond series in general. 3.5 stars.

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Baz Luhrmann is incredible. I've now seen all three of the movies in his Red Curtain trilogy and while I wasn't *crazy* about Strictly Ballroom, I loved the other two. This was a fascinating thing to try and while it didn't ALWAYS work (thus the 4-star rating) it did most of the time. Some truly beautiful moments in here playing with language and visuals and doing all sorts of interesting things. Great version of a classic story. 4 stars.

Meet the Parents (2000)

This isn't a bad movie, but it certainly isn't a great one. Although there are a few funny moments, overall I spent too many moments muttering to the screen, "What is wrong with you people?" Comedies about idiots can be funny as long as you realize from the beginning they're idiots. Comedies that are supposed to be about smart people who then go ahead and act like idiots... Sigh. There weren't enough laughs to make up for the frustration with the characters' actions. Too bad, because this could have been a much funnier movie. 3 stars.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

An odd possible conclusion to the series... wrapped things up a little too neatly, and included a bit too much emo Peter for my taste. I really liked what they did with the Sandman, though, that was probably the best moment of the whole movie. Very cool stuff, visually. If you're a Spidey fan anyway, you'll want to check it out, but for a more casual watcher of these movies, I'm not sure it'd be worth seeing. It's entertaining, but totally forgettable. 3 stars.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

This may well have been one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen, and I don't know how it happened. A traditional love story, no new twists there, paper-thin characters, melodrama galore... and better yet, everyone will sing pop songs? Not original songs, but *pop* songs. Say, "Like a Virgin" and "The Show Must Go On." Hey, I like musicals, but by all rights that should have been cheesy and stupid and all-around lousy. And yet.. somehow it isn't. I was enthralled with this movie by the time the first dance scene showed up. I have never, ever been a fan of Ewan McGregor, but since all he had to be here was sincere, he was perfect. Nicole Kidman was also fantastic in her (also not-deep) role. And the fact that neither one of them have particularly good voices didn't keep me from enjoying the movie - I *really* don't know how that happened. This movie is all about style over substance, and BOY, does it have style. It's got style overflowing and coming out its ears. Dazzling. Stunning. A spectacular film.

I am going to venture to do something I haven't done in a long time, and that is rate a movie 5 stars. I think it deserves it. The movie completely blew me away.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

All right. This is the kind of movie I don't like usually, but everyone else who watches movies does. Heh. That being said, it was actually pretty good overall. Interesting dialogue, interesting intertwining plotlines... I think it was a well-made movie and interesting to watch, but I wouldn't place it in my absolute favorites list at any point. 3.5 stars.

The Holiday (2006)

This is a very satisfying chick flick. The two stories are each interesting, with their own characters and plots. I like all the actors in this fairly well (with the exception of Cameron Diaz, who actually was surprisingly likable here). I will mention, however, this movie unfolds s-l-o-w-l-y. It's 136 minutes long, and because of that, I'm not sure it would hold up to a second viewing because of so much in-betweenness. Also, I felt like the Kate Winslet subplot was slightly underdeveloped in some ways. The ending to her story felt abrupt, which was too bad, because she was the character I was most interested in. Still, a satisfying watch. Recommended if you like romantic comedies. Or perhaps romantic dramas, since this is more dramatic than comedic, although it's somewhat lighthearted. 3.5 stars.

Dead Again (1991)

Ooh, I liked this. People reviewed it comparing it to Hitchcock, and that is absolutely what it was like. A very classy mystery thriller, great atmosphere, great acting... even a few fun twists I didn't actually see coming. The climactic scene, which kept cutting back and forth between past and present (similar to Frequency, although earlier and more interesting), was a great way of holding my attention for a scene I usually would have tuned out of in another movie. Overall, really fun movie. Definitely recommended. 4 stars.

Say Anything... (1989)

This movie is what Sixteen Candles should have been. Funny, sweet, generally charming... small layer of sappiness underneath but it certainly didn't damage the movie too much. John Cusack plays this sort of character so well... lots of coolness points to him. Worth watching as far as these movies go. Nothing deep here, but entertaining. 3.5 stars.

Happy Feet (2006)

This was a thoroughly satisfying movie, although I have no idea why that is. It's not particularly funny. Its themes are not original. Penguins are cute, but so are a lot of CGI creatures. But somehow everything comes together in this movie to create a pretty darn good flick, whether it be for kids or adults. Very enjoyable overall. 4 stars.

Children of Men (2006)

One of the most compelling movies I have ever seen in a genre I am not interested in. The story was interesting, the characters were interesting... and all sorts of little things jumped out at me. Loved the blood splattering on the camera lens, that was just wonderful. The first hour was more interesting than the last, but still a very good movie. I'd certainly recommend it. 4 stars.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

I'm a Richard Curtis fan. I loved Bridget Jones's Diary, raved about Love Actually... but wasn't at all crazy about this. Although it had some very funny moments and generally likable characters, it had one enormous fault: it felt *bleak* to me. I have no idea how this happened. Love Actually, despite a sad ending or two, felt infinitely more cheerful and happy. I can't pinpoint anything in the movie that felt like this to me, but somehow it did as a whole. Too bad, because it's a nice story (oh, that and it was quite a bit rushed in building the relationship. But oh well). 3 stars.

Rich and Strange (1931)

The movie itself is not very interesting, except for some interesting early directing from Hitchcock. There were a few moments that made me sit up and say, "Ooh, that was interesting." Like much of his early work, definitely more for fans of Hitchcock or the genre. 2.5 stars.