At least we didn't see "RV"

Now that I'm caught up on the season finales, let me give you the rundown on some movies we saw in theaters recently.

Since it is blockbuster season, we made sure to see the two biggest. First up was The Da Vinci Code. Now I confess that we weren't super-excited about this one, and our expectations were low. Why? I can name it in 5 words - Tom Hanks and Ron Howard. And that hair! But I knew we'd still see it, partly because we loved the book (and yes I KNOW there are some of you out there who hated it), and partly from others in the cast. In my mind when I read the novel I had cast Audrey Tautou in the lead role, so I was happy to see that. And you can't go wrong with Ian McKellen.

It turns out that low expectations pay off, because I'd give the movie a solid 'B'. Tom Hanks was actually not that bad, although I still think he was the wrong choice. The ending was a bit off, and it was really missing a lot of the rich symbolism that the book discusses, which I suppose is understandable. But most of the key points are covered, and McKellen was particularly good. You could certainly wait to rent this, however.

Next up was the one we'd waited for since I-don't-know-when - X-Men United. And it was...not as great as we'd hoped. Hugh Jackman being hot as heck? Check. New mutants to ooh and ahh over? Check. Nasty villainy from Ian McKellen (again)? Check. But it also had the cheesiest dialogue since Center Stage. So conversely I say you SHOULD see this in the theater, because it's mainly about cool action and special effects. All of that will fizzle out on the TV screen at home. (Unless you have some kind of giant plasma thing, in which case I hate you.) On a side note - what the hell was up with Jean Grey's costume at the end (far right, below)? Does her power now cause her to wear Victorian garb?


Overall grade - B. Jean's costume above - D-.

And then we rounded out a nice long (and hot) weekend seeing Kinky Boots with Joyous. Ever since we heard about it, we knew this was the one for us - a British comedy with drag queens. It is indeed a fabulous movie, even if it is predictable and drags (sorry for the pun) at times. If you like Britcoms, then this is certainly one for you. But fair warning - it may cause a rampant desire to purchase footwear. "The sex, my darling...is in the heel."

Overall grade - B+.

Next up in my week of catching up - video reviews! And stay tuned for posts on the National Spelling Bee and an amazing group called Step Afrika!