Into the Wild - A startling portrait of a man trying to be one with nature. Heartbreaking and stunning.

Gigi - This was a fun and frothy classic musical. The plot is trite, but the music is memorable.
Where the Truth Lies - An odd Hollywood mystery which involves Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth and sex. The intrigue chugs along, but the ending doesn't satisfy.
Easter Parade - Another classic musical, this time with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. The plot and songs were just OK, but it's always fun to watch Judy.
Orlando - Strange gender-bending tale in two time periods starring Tilda Swinton. It's so out there, it ends up going nowhere.
Oscar and Lucinda - Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett in a quirky Australian love story. Once again, it pulled me along but the ending fell flat.
Munich - Oscar-nominated? I didn't get the appeal. Eric Bana saves it from being completely dull.

Pride and Prejudice - This version with Keira Knightley was so heavily edited I was struck dumb at the abrupt ending. Please see the BBC miniseries instead!
In the Valley of Elah - Tommy Lee Jones unravels the mystery of his military son's death. His performance is strong, but the "mystery" was poorly crafted.
A Little Night Music - An early Sondheim musical that's fun to see simply for Diana Rigg. But the plot itself meanders and can't match the good music.

Blade Runner - Although I'm sure it was ground-breaking for its time, I wasn't blown away and hated those Harrison Ford voice-overs.
The Interpreter - Nicole Kidman and the views of the United Nations are striking. The complex mystery drives the plot well, but I wanted it to go further.
Meet the Spartans - Stupid and sophomoric parody of 300? Yes. But is it funny? Yes.
I Could Never Be Your Woman - An absolutely satisfying tale of Michelle Pfeiffer's mid-life crisis. Adorable film, and adorable Paul Rudd. Best part is Saiorse Ronan as the singing daughter!

The Savages - Siblings who hate themselves and kind of hate each other deal with dad's Alzheimer's. Depressing, and that's about it. A disappointment.
21 - This probably makes a better book. Finding out how 5 collegiates broke the Vegas bank is fun, but the plot beyond that is pure formula.
In Bruges - A strangely engrossing tale of lowlifes in picturesque Belgium. May be too violent for some.
Persepolis - This animated tale of a youngster's life growing up in Iran has a lot to teach those of us who grew up in the West.

The Bank Job - A clever heist film that is really about a web of lies and dirty dealing in 1970's London. Great fun and Jason Statham is hot.

3 comments:
It has been awhile.
My favs were Into The Wild, Infamous, I Could Never Be Your Woman and In Bruges.
Outside of these, I've rented the first two seasons of Eureka, a silly, light, X-files by way of Northern Exposure type of show from the Sci-Fi Network. It isn't great TV, but I'm hooked and enjoy seeing how our bumbling sheriff gets along in a town of geniuses and scientific misfits.
Oooh, a lot in this one!
Into the Wild - loved, beautiful.
Scoop - liked, but i'm a Woody fan. Not as good as Match Point, by far, but enjoyable enough.
Where the Truth Lies - in my queue cuz I'm hoping it's hot. Is it a waste of a rental?
Munich - first Spielberg I'd enjoyed in a long time. Eric Bana is great.
Pride and Prejudice - beautiful, made me cry. I rewound and watched the moment with Elizabeth and Darcy in the field over and over again.
In the Valley of Elah - slow and slightly disappointing, like most of the "political" films of late.
Infamous - guess I'll add that to my queue!
The Intepreter - was pretty good, I love Sean Penn. But I was distracted the whole time by how dangerously thin Nic looked.
I Could Never Be Your Woman - I was disappointed, hated the "cutesy" Tracey Ullmann stuff. Rudd was the only thing that saved it for me.
The Savages - I liked it a lot, but I enjoy the talky family dysfunction genre.
21 - slick, overdone, underwritten. Pretty young people, though.
In Bruges - saw it in the theater and LOVED LOVED LOVED. Need to buy the DVD.
Persepolis, Baby Mama, Bank Job - all in or soon to be added to my queue.
Thanks for good suggestions!
Oscar and Lucinda is one of my favorite movies. The end kills me everytime. I know what's going to happen, and it still makes me so sad.
Post a Comment