Holiday Feast Part 1

Busy time of year...

Following up the highest grossing movie of all time isn't an easy task, but James Cameron gives it a helluva try with Avatar. It's grand, visually stunning and captivating. However, the core elements of the story aren't very original (outsider is welcomed into foreign community, becomes their savior) and the acting/screenplay was a little bumpy at times.

Those of you who know me, know how I feel about George Clooney, but I saw Up in the Air anyway. What dazzled in this picture was the screenplay. It was great! A couple of the scenes were so elegantly choreographed with dialogue, I just had to smile. Supporting performances by Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick were also wonderful. The general concept of a loner realizing life is better when he's surrounded with loved ones isn't anything new, but I liked the mix of light and dark here, although the real life interviews with people who have been fired didn't really work.

Putting aside the irritation I feel that this is not a true adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, I have to say that Guy Ritchie's vision of the clever detective is beyond fun. I loved this movie as soon as I saw the Warner Bros. logo in the cobblestone streets of 19th century London. The costumes, the scenery, the action, the slick dialogue, Downey, Law - it was clicking on all cylinders. And is there a better Christmas present than Rachel McAdams?

I was underwhelmed by Nine not so much because it wasn't a good picture, but because Chicago blew my socks off, I was expecting something spectacular. Nine further proves my point that solemn, dramatic musicals (Rent, Phantom of the Opera) don't translate as well to the big screen as happy, bubble gum musicals do (Hairspray, Mamma Mia!). Nine was visually appealing - the sets and the costumes were great - and I really loved how so many of the scenes were intercut with black and white footage. Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard stood out in an already great ensemble.

Invictus

A Clint Eastwood film vying for Oscar attention has become a nice tradition. This year the attention is focused on his newest film Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. After years of apartheid in South Africa newly elected president Nelson Mandela (Freeman) uses the nation's commonalities and affections for rugby to unite the country. Mandela inspires not only team captain Francois Pienaar (Damon), but an entire nation to come together as one. While I thought Invictus took a little while to get going, I never thought it dragged and once it did find its momentum it was unstoppable. Freeman, as always, was terrific and Damon gave one of his best performances ever. Invictus is smart, uplifting and truly inspirational.

Everybody Hurts

Again I was duped by dodgy Hollywood marketing. Everybody's Fine looked like a fun, quirky holiday family film. Look at the poster! But it's not. It's really not. I won't ruin the surprises for you, but nobody's really fine and the film is incredibly sad. Judging it as it is, Everybody's Fine isn't all that great of a picture - especially disappointing because of the great cast. There were a couple of scenes that I thought were flat out bad, but what was good was De Niro. He's in nearly every scene and does his best to carry a weak film.

Finally! Oscar bait! It's pretty safe to say that every film for the rest of the year will have Academy Award aspirations. And it's about time! Kicking it off is Brothers. When Grace's (Natalie Portman) husband, Marines Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is presumed dead while in Afghanistan, she and her daughters find comfort in Cahill's trouble maker brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), only to find out later that Cahill is not actually dead. I really liked this film a lot. There's something enjoyable and satisfying about watching a good movie starring people that are your age. That's not why I liked it, that's just a bonus. I liked this movie because of the story and the performances. Maguire, with his wide vacant eyes, was volatile and explosive while still bleeding vulnerability. Portman (I've missed her!) was heartbreaking and raw. Gyllenhaal (yes!) had a more understated role, but carried it off with quiet confidence.

The Messenger

In one of the most boring cinematic Thanksgiving weekends in recent memory, my movie options this week included dying a slow and painful death while watching Old Dogs or seeing The Blind Side for the third time (which I nearly did). Thankfully a third option presented itself, the independent film The Messenger. Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster star in this film as soldiers assigned the heartbreaking task of having to inform next of kin that their loved ones have died in battle. This is a great film that subtlely explores the range of human emotion as well as the effects of war. Ben Foster, so good in 3:10 to Yuma, is even better here and Steve Buscemi in a very small role is perfect.

Precious

Generating a lot of awards buzz is Precious, the Tyler Perry/Oprah Winfrey produced pic about a deeply troubled Harlem teenager. What stands out in this movie are the performances. Newcomer Gabby Sidibe and Mo'Nique are stellar as the title character and her abusive mother. What I particularly enjoyed though were the smaller, less flashy roles. Mariah Carey (yes, Mariah Carey!) was great as Precious's social worker and even better was Paula Patton as Precious's cares too much teacher. Patton really stood out. While I wouldn't classify Precious as "entertaining" - it's far too depressing and disturbing for that and not something you would want to voluntarily watch on a nice sunny afternoon - it is a good and strong movie.

This weekend I also saw The Blind Side again and loved it even more. If you want to see a great movie that just inspires you and makes you feel good, I can't emplore you enough to check out The Blind Side.

Life Boats

Nothing like an apocalyptic disaster movie to spread holiday cheer. Based on an ancient Mayan belief (among others) that the world will come to an end on December 12, 2012, the movie 2012 is a great ride. When you go to see a movie like this you go to see the special effects and absolute destruction, plot is an afterthought. Thankfully the special effects do not disappoint and were jaw droppingly spectacular. The plot is fine, about what you would expect for a disaster flick - it could have been a lot worse had there not been such a good cast. This is definitely a film that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Believe it or not, during rock & roll's heyday, the songs were taboo on British radio. Enter Radio Rock, a ship anchored off the coast of Great Britain that broadcast classic rock & roll music. What came to be known as Pirate Radio is the basis for the movie by the same name. I had a great time with this movie. Not only does it have some of the greatest music of all time, but it was just fun to peek into the lives of these DJ's and see how they lived off of their love for music. An obvious flaw in the movie, however, is the unexplained absence of Beatles music. I assume royalty issues were to blame, but it's bizarre to watch a movie that takes place in Britain in 1966 and not hear a Beatles song. Kind of puts a damper on the film. What certainly does not put a damper on the film is the (all too brief) cameo by the always amazing Emma Thompson. Brilliant!

The Blind Side

It had been too long since I treated myself to an advance screening, so on Thursday night I saw The Blind Side (opening November 20). I was a little skeptical at first. How many touchy feely, underdog triumphs sports movies can they make? While it's not groundbreaking in its genre, The Blind Side is a great film and I enjoyed it immensely. Based on an incredible true story, The Blind Side is uplifting, sweet, funny and just makes you want to get up and cheer - which many people literally did during the show. Sandra Bullock gave a wonderful, sassy performance and is matched by every one of her co-stars - each of whom were perfect. If you're looking for a great, feel good movie that'll make you laugh and cry, then you should definitely see The Blind Side!

A Little Bit of Magic

A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite stories. It's a complete classic, basically Shakespeare. In fact, it's a classic story that references Shakespeare. How perfect is that? Unfortunately I don't think the latest big screen adaptation was nearly perfect enough. Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol is visually stunning to a fault. The filmmakers seemed to be so enthralled with making a movie that looks appealing, that not a lot of time appears to have been spent on anything else. The dialogue, while I appreciate that most of it came straight from Dickens, didn't translate well to the screen. Additionally, performances by Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman were overshadowed by the glitzy stage spectacles. I also thought Carrey's accent was horrible. Scrooge is supposed to be British, right? Maybe they didn't know. And lastly I have to mention how oddly frightening this film was. It's being marketed as a fun family film (and does have nice moments and elements to that effect), but I would not be comfortable taking young children to see this. It's often very dark and I'm pretty sure The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is a dementor!

On a lighter note, The Men Who Stare At Goats was a good film that I really liked. Ewan McGregor portrays a Michigan journalist who unwittingly stumbles into a story about the U.S. Military training psychic jedi warriors. No, really. I have to admit that half the fun is watching McGregor, Obi-Wan himself, discuss real life jedis. There's a nice wink to the audience in that. Goats is smart and funny and I just loved the overall tone.

Higher Learning

I started Halloween week off with a stage production of The Phantom of the Opera. It was my second time seeing this show, so needless to say, I enjoy it. The music is beautiful and the stage production is just extraordinary. If you haven't seen this show live on stage you're totally missing out.

I had to see what all the fuss was about, so I saw Paranormal Activity this weekend. This is a good fright flick! It's spooky, suspenseful and makes your heart race; everything you'd want from a scary movie.





I changed things up a bit once November hit and saw An Education. Taking place in England in 1961, An Education tells the story of Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a very clever 16 year old on her way to Oxford, who embarks on a romance with David, a charming and substantially older man (Peter Sarsgaard). This is a great movie that I quite enjoyed. Mulligan is excellent as the naive teenager who all too eagerly tries to grow up. Sarsgaard is wonderful as David and is able to be suave and engaging while all the time portraying a character that is essentially kinda creepy. The supporting cast featuring Dominic Cooper, Alfred Molina and the magnificent Emma Thompson is also outstanding. And I have to mention the sharp and often witty screenplay by Nick Hornby, which made a rather ordinary story sparkle.

Highs and Low

I rarely go to the theater and see a movie I don't like. It's only happened once so far this year, that I can remember. Well, now twice. New York, I Love You is a mess. This movie was shot like a bad 70's TV show. I'm serious, that's what it looked like. There were very few characters or storylines that were even watchable and some of it was just plain boring. You don't start an ensemble piece featuring people like Shia LeBeouf and Robin Wright Penn with Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson. You kill the movie before it even gets started. I spent the first ten minutes trying to figure out which one I hated more. Bilson won, for the record. I loved Paris, je'taime, I thought that was a great film. New York, I Love You completely pales in comparison. If you see this movie stay for the Chris Cooper, Julie Christie, Anton Yelchin, Cloris Leachman and Ethan Hawke storylines - skip the rest.

Immediately after New York, I Love You ended, I went and saw The Boys Are Back. I had to redeem filmmaking as an art. Based on a true story, The Boys Are Back stars Clive Owen as a widower who is forced to reconnect with his sons after his wife's untimely death. I loved quite a bit about this film. Clive Owen was great. He doesn't get the chance to carry whole films by himself very often, but he's more than capable. I really liked the father/son relationships here too - another facet that isn't often shown on film. The relationships are fun, complicated and heartbreaking while still being entertaining. The young boys who played Owen's sons were also exceptional. Lastly, I loved the cinematography. Filmed mainly in Australia, the scenery was gorgeous.

Another fine and beautifully shot film was the Amelia Earhart biopic, Amelia. It's not exceptionally flashy or bold, but it's a good, solid dramatic picture that has the feel of old time Hollywood. I really like how the filmmakers zeroed in on a particularly time in Earhart's life and told that story thoroughly. Hilary Swank did an excellent job of capturing Earhart during the prime of her life. Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor were also great. I was surprised by how compelling the film was. You know how the story ends, but I still found myself on the edge of my seat hoping for a safe landing.

Island Living

It's been a while since we had a fun Vince Vaughn comedy (Four Christmases was pretty underwhelming), so I was really looking forward to Couples Retreat. And it wasn't half bad. The story focuses on four different couples who've come to tropical Eden East for some fun on the beach and marital counseling. Couples Retreat didn't disappoint on the laughs and it was actually kind of sweet. And while I bag on Vince Vaughn (and people like Ben Stiller) for never playing an actual character, just their talkative manic selves, the Vince Vaughn shtick works in this context and is enjoyable.

I don't know about Where the Wild Things Are. Based on the (very simple) children's book, there's really not enough plot here to carry a 90 minute movie. The young star, Max Records, does a really good job by essentially carrying the film, but the rest of the film is lacking and Max's outbursts are a little jarring. Even when Max arrives at Wild Thing Island, there seems to be half a storyline missing. I do think the puppeteering and animation of the Wild Things were extraordinary, but that doesn't mean they still weren't weird to look at.

Jim & Pam

The wedding of the year (decade? century?), the one we've all been waiting for, finally happened this past Thursday night. The cutest couple ever, Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly from The Office tied the knot in fantastic fashion! It was a funny and touching episode full of those special Jim and Pam moments that I look forward to every week. They just make you feel good. Great, great episode.




In movie news this week, I spent three hours at the theater watching Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D! The Toy Story films are my favorite Disney/Pixar creation and it was such a treat to see them again on the big screen. They're just as cute and charming as they were when they were originally released.

Get Some

After a month of crap (sans The Informant!) Hollywood has decided to unleash a cartel of worthy films all on the same weekend. Marketing geniuses! Needless to say, it created an unnecessarily busy weekend for me. Zombieland was my first stop. Even the title makes me smile. Zombieland is the simple story of a group of travelers trying to stay alive in a world that has been overrun by those pesky non-dead cannibals. Zombieland is sharp and cheeky and I loved its style. The slow motion scenes, the numbered rule graphics, the gore - it all worked for me.

I love Ricky Gervais (and Stephen Merchant). If you haven't seen the UK version of The Office or Extras, rent or download them immediately. Absolutely hilarious. To quote my own blog, I "adored" Gervais's last starring role, Ghost Town, so I was really looking forward to The Invention of Lying. I'm sorry to say that I was severely disappointed with Lying. It just wasn't that funny. It had its moments, but the movie is more or less a drama depicting a religious allegory. It does have an awesome cast, including some really fun cameos, but it's just unfortunate that they all came together for a less than average movie. How long do we have to wait for a Gervais/Merchant penned feature?

"Be your own hero." I love that sentiment and I love the movie it comes from - Whip It. Directed by Drew Barrymore (she does it all!) Ellen Page plays Bliss Cavendar, a ho-hum Bodeen, TX high schooler who comes into her own when she discovers the rock 'em sock 'em world of roller derby. This movie too just made me smile. I loved its energy and its humor. It has a great coming of age element and an awesome "girls just wanna have fun"/girl power mentality. I want my own derby name! :)

OMG You Guys!

The title of this post refers to one of the uppity numbers from the stage musical Legally Blonde. Based on the popular Reese Witherspoon movie, the stage show is pure fun! You can't help tapping your toe and smiling during the entire show. It's happy and pink and funny and sweet...and better than the movie!

Elsewhere, the new TV season is upon us. Unfortunately, I'm too lazy to add any new shows to my repertoire, so I'm relying on my old stand bys - The Biggest Loser, Law & Order: SVU and NBC's Thursday night line up. It's too early to say how the season will go, but I'm optimistic. I'm looking forward to the October 8th episode of The Office when Jim and Pam finally tie the knot! The Emmys were last week...yea! Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, this year's show was leaps and bounds better than last year when the show was hosted by awful reality show hosts (OMG you guys. See? It's catchy!). I wasn't overly excited about any of the winners (again because I don't watch many of the other shows), but I still enjoyed the broadcast. And at least 30 Rock won again.

Jennifers

I think Jennifer's Body has a clever premise: high school cheerleader turns demon, personifies evil and not just high school evil. There's a lot of good possibilities there. And in the hands of the woman who gave us Juno (honest to blog!)? Slam dunk, right? No. Gosh, no. Jennifer's Body is a mess. It's not entertaining, it's not funny, it's not cheeky or clever. I can't tell if the director and Megan Fox (gag!) butchered Diablo Cody's script or if the script was just that awful to begin with. I'd like to think it wasn't.

Love Happens packs a wallop of an emotional punch. Aaron Eckhart (the charming and beautiful) plays Burke Ryan, a widower and self help guru who can't follow his own advice. While teaching a seminar in Seattle, he meets Eloise (Jennifer Aniston), a local florist who helps him to realize he's "really messed up." But in a good, I can work with this kind of way. Love Happens is a great looking picture. The cinematography, the Seattle scenery, even the wardrobe is splendid. There is a love story here, but the bulk of the story deals with grieving the loss of loved ones and the complexities of that task - hence the emotional punch. It's not one of the best romances of recent memory, but Love Happens is unique and alluring because of Eckhart and Aniston.

The Informant!

This is a tricky little movie to sell...or describe for that matter. Based on a true story, Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a big wig at the agricultural firm ADM who turns informant for the FBI when he learns his company is involved with price fixing. Got it? The Informant! is a quirky, funny picture that definitely succeeds because of Damon. He is great as Whitacre and I have to say that my favorite parts were his absurd and random thoughts. Classic!

All About Steve

For those of you who know me, you know how hard it is for me to not be 100% in love with a Sandy Bullock movie. I'll be honest, All About Steve looked awful. I was not so secretly hoping it would be quietly released straight to DVD and bypass any theatrical embarrassment. Aside from the delayed release date and the unfunny previews, I could smell Steve a mile away because of its writer - Kim Barker. This is the woman who was responsible for the colossal waste of time that was License to Wed. Who gave her another writing job? What kind of actors would agree to be in a movie written by this person? Do they not use imdb? Do they not do research? On what planet is the phrase "from the writer of License to Wed" a good thing? Whew. Now that I've gotten all of that off of my chest, let me say that All About Steve is not entirely awful, although the things that are wrong with it, I blame on the uneven screenplay. I found the character of Mary Horowitz (Bullock) to often be annoying. And why does she have a lisp? What purpose does that serve? Steve is the kind of movie that's silly and just wants to make you smile and feel good about who you are....and for the most part, mildly succeeds.

Oh, and I saw Extract again. :)

Extract

I was able to catch an advance screening of Extract this week. This movie is a great comedy. It's not the kind of movie that has you belly laughing, but it is pretty funny throughout. I wouldn't say it's as good as The Hangover, but it's definitely one of the better comedies of the year.

Death and Music

Because I've seen the first three films, I thought it only appropriate that I see The Final Destination. Unfortunately, I thought this was the worst of the Final Destination films. Like The Goods, this movie seems to be comprised of spare footage that was just laying around a studio somewhere. The script is - wait, I take that back - there was no script. In movies like this the script seems to be an after thought. The death scenes were pretty neat, but the sheer unbelievability of all the events and the poor, never realistic special effects more than bugged.

Taking Woodstock is based on the true story of how the locale for Woodstock came to be. It centers on the Teichberg family and how their family owned motel becomes the epicenter of a hippie invasion. There are a lot of things to like about Taking Woodstock. I liked the story, the characters, the humor. It's a great little gem of a movie. My only complaint is the wall it hit about 4/5 of the way through. Elliot's acid trip totally tripped up the movie's momentum and made the rest of the film drag. But aside from that one nuisance, I really liked Taking Woodstock.

Mad Men

Randomly and because of a lack of creativity, I decided to check out The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard this weekend. I obviously was not expecting a lot, but alas I was still disappointed. Jeremy Piven (generally delightful, excruciatingly irritating here) plays Don Ready, the man with the golden touch when it comes to selling used cars. A floundering Temecula car dealership hires the services of Ready and his team to ensure big sales during their 4th of July event. What follows is one lame joke and plot contrivence after another. Some jokes land, but most fall flat. The Goods seems like the kind of movie that was quickly thrown together by a bunch of guys who found their own jokes to be so funny they didn't realize they were the only ones laughing.

I'm torn on Tarantino. I love how his movies are always a big event. They're big and bold and grand. I like that. I'm not a big fan of Pulp Fiction, but I absolutely love Death Proof. Go figure. I think I fall right in the middle with Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino sure does like his dialogue and there was a lot of it in Basterds. Sometimes it worked beautifully, sometimes I got impatient waiting for the characters to get to the point. I think that general opinion sort of applies to the whole movie for me. There were parts of the movie that were clicking along and were great fun and had a lot of laughs, but there were also a couple of scenes that I just wished would end.

Time and Space

I saw The Time Traveler's Wife twice this weekend. The second time I really liked it. When I watched it the first time I was too busy comparing it to the book. The book was better - but isn't that always the case? During my second viewing I was able to see the movie on its own merits. Although I think a little more character development would have been ideal, I was completely engaged with Clare and Henry's endruing love story. It is a very sad and heartbreaking story, but ultimately leaves you hopeful with a smile. And has McAdams ever looked more beautiful?

I'm not a big sci-fi nut, but if I was, I think I would have enjoyed District 9 even more. As it is, I was thoroughly entertained. I really liked the documentary style in which the story was told. It immediately sucks you into the picture and keeps you interested until the very end. District 9 was a nice surprise and something totally different to see at the movie theater.

It's official: I'm in love with Summer. I have to mention how much more I loved 500 Days of Summer after seeing it for the second time. If you haven't seen this little gem, I'd advise you to check it out very soon.

August Rush

Busy, busy week. Just some quick reviews.

Saw an advance screening of Adam. Great picture. I really liked it. Improbable romance between an NY teacher and a man with Asperger's syndrome. Sweet, funny, emotionally satisfying. All good.






G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra was pretty good. You won't learn anything while watching, but it had some fun action. Too bad our hero Duke (Channing Tatum) is dreadfully dull.






The documentary about the existence of love, Paper Heart, had just that. It's a delightful film, if a little safe. The romance between star Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera was adorable.






Julie & Julia was a great time. I liked this one a lot too. Laughs, heart and I think Ephron really wove the two stories together well. Streep gives a jubilantly glowing performance of Julia Child - no doubt on her way to her 394th Oscar nomination.




A friend of mine mentioned how much the previews for A Perfect Getaway terrified her, so naturally I had to see this picture in order to tease her relentlessly. Unfortunately, I guess the joke's on me. This movie isn't even worth reviewing.




Oh and I knocked out viewing number three of The Proposal. Check it out!

Relatively Amusing People

In Funny People, Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, a stand up comedian and actor who's forced to take stock of his life once he learns he has a terminal disease, only to find out soon after that he's in remission. Unfortunately, this is the weakest of the three Judd Apatow directed films. For me, it didn't have the great mixture of heart and laughs that make the other Apatow films so great. Funny People had its moments, but they were too few and far between. In addition to being (almost an hour?) too long, the film doesn't cover any new ground. How many times can the same group of actors have the same conversations about love and sex? It gets tiring - especially for Seth Rogen; although I will say that he was by far less annoying in this picture. I also thought that Eric Bana was wasted in his small role. He's a great comedian (no, seriously - YouTube it) and I wish they had given him something funny to do.

July Out

The Hurt Locker has been getting such amazing reviews, I had to check it out. My review isn't quite as glowing as the others, but I can understand why everyone has been raving about it. Set in Baghdad in 2004, The Hurt Locker tells the story of Bravo Company's bomb squad, an expert crew whose responsibility is to defuse (or otherwise extinguish) explosives. The movie more than delivers its share of suspense and tension. At times it's riveting. What else stands out are the strong performances from a mostly not-so-famous cast. What was missing for me, however, was a unifying story. So much of the film was just day after day of defusing bombs, which can be entertaining, but wains after a while. There's no real arc or journey to follow. Additionally, the film severely lacked character development, which prohibited me from really caring or getting involved with the characters on screen.

The tagline is "There's something wrong with Esther." I'd like to change that to "There are some things wrong with Esther." Or better yet, "Esther is messed up. Big time." After the loss of their unborn child, Kate and Tom Sullivan (Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) adopt Esther, a nine-year-old girl, who has....issues. Orphan begins with a horrific nightmare and soon finds its footing as a satisfying drama with a couple of thrills. I really liked the family dynamic here - especially Farmiga and Sarsgaard. I wish we could have explored their relationship a little further. What also stands out in this film are the children. Isabelle Fuhrman, as the title psycho, is extraordinarily evil and so dang good at it. The Sullivan's other two young children played by Jimmy Bennett and Aryana Engineer are also exceptional. Orphan is not for the squeamish, as some scenes do become quite graphically violent, but if you're looking for a good summer thriller, I'd give it a go.

Ah, Summer. I've been waiting for months for the release of 500 Days of Summer. And the previews were right - this is not a love story, this is a story about love. The authenticity of this film really got me. It doesn't shy away from the ugly relationship stuff and does its best to present an accurate, non-Hollywood, version of love. It presents the happy, wonderful moments of course, but I think the movie excels when it shows the heartbreak and utter despair and anguish without glossing over it. What knocks this movie out of the park for me is the cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom) and Zooey Deschanel (Summer) are simply wonderful together. I say simply because their chemistry and character portrayals appear completely effortless. We see Summer and understand how Tom could fall in love with her. We see Tom and understand his sorrow over losing Summer. 500 Days of Summer is blithe while being grounded in something real.

And just to note, I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince again and totally loved it more the second time!

Harry Potter!

I always seem to be disappointed with the Harry Potter films. Not because they are weak films, but because I've read each of the seven books at least twice. Because the books are so great, the films always seem like a let down. I do love every Harry Potter film (and was giddy with excitement for the sixth enstallment), but because I know what happens next or what's left out of each story, it always feels like the films are choppy and rushed. It's hard to view them in a purely movie context. However, in my attempt to do just that, I have to say that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a great movie and stayed relatively true to the book. I'm most appreciative when scenes and even dialogue are lifted straight from Rowling herself. Even the some of the omitted material didn't bother me too much. (For example, the end battle sequence at Hogwarts was cut, but I think it's for the best since Deathly Hallows covers the same material). What does irk me is when the filmmakers cut sequences from the book, but then go ahead and make up their own scenes to use instead, i.e. the attack on the Burrow. Absolutely unnecessary. Even though I thought it was lacking some action and excitement, I really enjoyed Half Blood Prince for the wonderful humor, story and further character development. I think it serves as a great set up for Deathly Hallows and I can't wait!

I'm Brüno

Yes, I saw Brüno. Yes, it is the most inappropriate, offensive, vulgar movie since Borat. Yes, it is wildly laugh out loud funny. And yes, I did it enjoy it quite a bit.

WICKED!!!

Best week ever! I was able to catch two (two!) performances this week of the Broadway musical Wicked. I absolutely love this show. The music is wonderful, the characters are incredibly delightful and it is laugh out loud funny. Additionally, the story is uplifting and inspiring; and teaches friendship, acceptance and equality without ever losing its zest or charm. Wicked is enormously engaging and beyond bewitching.

The movie of choice this Independence Day weekend was Public Enemies. Johnny Depp portrays famous bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale plays Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent trying to catch him. I liked how the movie started already mid-story, there was no boring exposition to sit through. Solid performances from the three leads - Depp, Bale and Marion Cotillard as Dillinger's love interest - also worked. While I was never really bored and quite enjoyed the cat and mouse moments, I don't think the movie needed to be as long as it was and it ultimately left me wanting just a little more.