Movies
The Devil Wears Prada
My rating: 3.5/4
Click
My rating: 3/4
Nacho Libre
My rating: 2/4
It’s a funny concept from the maker of Napoleon Dynamite, but the jokes are too few and far between. Still, you can’t deny that Jack Black has a knack for physical comedy and his Mexican accent is hilarious.
An Inconvenient Truth
My rating: 4/4
Al Gore makes a pretty irrefutable argument for the need to act now to reduce the causes of global warming (read: SUVs). This one has had me thinking for a long time. Check out www.climatecrisis.net if you’re interested in more.
A Prairie Home Companion
My rating: 3/4
A great movie adaptation of one of my favorite shows on public radio. Great ensemble cast (Lindsay Lohan!?) directed by Robert Altman.
Noting Hill
My rating: 3.5/4
I will watch anything with Hugh Grant. Sure, he plays the same character in every movie, but like they say, don’t fix what ain’t broke.
Clerks II
My rating: 3/4
Much cruder than the original (beware of interspecies erotica!), but it’s nice to see Jay and Silent Bob are back and just as funny as ever.
Who Killed the Electric Car?
My rating: 2.5/4
It’s an informative documentary but not very convincing. I think the electric car was a concept DOA for the American consumer. My bet for the future: plug-in hybrids.
Bruce Almighty
My rating: 2/4
A fairly predictable tale of a man given the powers and responsibilities of God. It’s funny in the first half hour, but never quite takes off from there.
Scoop
My rating: 2.5/4
Worth the ticket price just to see Scarlett Johansson in a red bathing suit. Otherwise, it was an amusing, but not great, Woody Allen flick.
Edison Force
My rating: 2/4
I had no idea Justin Timberlake ever played a leading role in a movie with LL Cool J, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey! It’s a silly movie with a silly premise, but vaguely entertaining nonetheless.
The Prestige
My rating: 3.5/4
Director Christopher Nolan (“Memento”) is a masterful storyteller, interweaving timelines and building up suspense until the very end. Although some people may figure out the twist to Christian Bale’s character, I loved that I never saw the other thing coming.
Stranger Than Fiction
My rating: 3/4
I left the movie theatre with a newfound sense of hope that one day Maggie Gyllenhaal will fall in love with me and bake me chocolate chip cookies. Overall, a cute and funny movie that goes well with popcorn any day.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
My rating: 3/4
“Borat” takes you from one outrageous and cringe-inducing moment to the next without ever taking a breath. Given the success of “Borat,” I’m looking forward to a movie featuring Cohen’s Bruno character from the Ali G Show.
Casino Royale
My rating: 3/4
Blood Diamond
My rating: 3.5/4
A pretty powerful movie that will give every man an excuse not to buy his future wife that expensive diamond ring she’s been eyeing at Zales. “Sorry honey, but there are children in Africa being kidnapped and forced to join rebel groups financed by the diamond industry.”
Apocalypto
My rating: 2/4
Mel Gibson has succeeded in making the first slasher movie set in the Mayan civilization. More blood and guts than you’ll ever need to see in your life. The violence is unrelenting and exhausting.
Little Miss Sunshine
My rating: 4/4
Simply one of the best comedies I’ve seen in a long time. You cannot help but fall in love with this thoroughly dysfunctional family and root for them all the way through. This little gem of a movie made it to my list of all-time favorites.
The Holiday
My rating: 2.5/4
The movie is a shameless tear jerker. No big surprises here. Jude Law is charming, Cameron Diaz can’t act, Jack Black has a few funny moments (though too few!), and Kate Winslet stands out above the crowd. But really, who cares? It’s all in good fun.
Babel
My rating: 3.5/4
This is not exactly a cheery date movie. “Babel” is a heavy drama that explores the terrible unintended consequences of really poor decisions through a number of loosely-connected storylines.
Dreamgirls
My rating: 3/4
Jennifer Hudson (of American Idol fame) steals the show with her amazing musical performances. The plot covers a lot-- expect a montage that fast-forwards through a lot of character development. And like the songs, the movie is more pop than soul, but you’ll leave the theatre with a grin on your face.
The Departed
My rating: 4/4
Please, would somebody finally give Scorcese the Oscar? This is a great crime thriller involving two men on opposing sides who infiltrate the institutions that they are working against. I was impressed by the strong performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and particularly Matt Damon.
The Queen
My rating: 3.5/4
Helen Mirren simply transforms herself into Queen Elizabeth II, giving the audience a glimpse into the sheltered and exclusive life of the royal family as it struggles to find its place in the public’s eye in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death.
Volver
My rating: 3.5/4
I was disappointed with Almodóvar’s last movie, “Bad Education,” which I found way too absurd. But “Volver” is a great story of women in difficult circumstances (often because of the men in their lives) who find strength and comfort in one another.
Little Children
My rating: 3.5/4
This movie about a few deeply flawed characters who populate American suburbia is unsettling on many different levels. I have to say that I’m becoming a big fan of Kate Winslet, who gives a pitch-perfect performance here.
Notes on a Scandal
My rating: 3.5/4
Although it’s not a horror flick, it’s scarier than most. I feel a bit hesitant recommending this movie because I found it so incredibly disturbing. Be warned: The character played by Dame Judi Dench rivals Hannibal Lecter in creepiness.
Pan’s Labyrinth
My rating: 4/4
This is the story of a young girl who creates a fantasy world to escape from the harsh realities of life at a military base commanded by her new stepfather, a brutal “Capitán” sent to quell a popular rebellion in rural Spain during General Franco’s rule. This is one of the most imaginative films I’ve ever seen.
Children of Men
My rating: 2/4
After establishing its interesting premise-- that human beings can no longer reproduce and the world has declined to chaos as a result-- the movie unfortunately turns into one of those long chase sequences you’ve seen a hundred times before.
Letters From Iwo Jima
My rating: 2.5/4
This strangely pro-American film (with one notable exception), recounts the battle of Iwo Jima from the point of view of Japanese soldiers clearly doomed to defeat. Perhaps I’ve grown numb to war movies by now, but this one failed to strike a chord.
