superman returns

sorry folks, what we have here is yet another morality tale (see yesterday's entry about Click). this time it's about a guy who abandons his pregnant girlfriend and takes off for 5 years. mom refuses to let him resume the role of dad upon his return, even though he is the son of god. in between, there are 45 minutes of lame special effects. also, if you were really in love with someone, would you actually not be able to recognize them with glasses on? because I love someone who wears glasses, but not all the time, and I never have that problem. I'm sorry Parker Posey and Kal Penn, you both deserve so much better.

click

this movie updates It's A Wonderful Life with high technology but, of course, you can't compete with a classic. it's also the second movie I've seen in 2 weeks that features an angel of death. this morality tale warns that family is more important than work, time passes more quickly than you know it, and a few more cliches. Kate Beckinsale is beautiful but vapid, Jennifer Coolidge is always a hoot, and Adam Sandler is Adam Sandler. click.

infernal affairs

a fun way to watch this movie is to put it on pause every 5 minutes just to make sure you have the story straight, and while doing so, make the plot far more extravagant than it actually is. even if you stick to the movie as written, it is still a suspenseful and tricky cop/mole movie that is well worth watching. but don't take it from me - Scorcese is doing a remake for American audiences who are too afraid of subtitles to watch the original.

the lake house

when you make a movie about time warps, it is very important to have a consistent internal logic that allows the viewer to suspend disbelief and still follow the story. unfortunately, this film is confusing at first then seems to make some sense, then completely contradicts itself by the end. it's not unpleasant to watch but if you want a REALLY intriguing story about love and time, read The Time Traveler's Wife. you won't regret it.

the break up

I consider it very odd that the makers of this movie broke into my house, secreted a camera and made detailed observations of my co-habitant's activities for weeks on end. Vince Vaughn managed to perfectly capture the facial expressions and commentary made by my co-habitant while playing video games with youngsters from around the world, watching celebrity poker or expounding upon the correct way to live. I felt invaded and afraid watching this film. Vince Vaughn helped by being absolutely hilarious in the first hour, and although the laughs were few and far between for the rest of the film, it was supremely watchable nonetheless. my friends thought it was sad. I thought it was the truest thing I had ever seen.

an inconvenient truth

this movie had great credits. it took that long to get to the part where you find out what you can actually do about "the climate crisis." for the converted, the 105 minutes before that can feel a little long. Gore is right, he should have been president, my next car is going to be a hybrid. see the movie, by all means, but I was wondering, who's making the money off of it? and if you want a visual, watch The Day After Tomorrow when you get home. Jake Gyllenhal kind of resembles a young Al Gore.

twelve and holding

I had to see this indie before it disappeared - after only a week in the theatres. it definitely didn't deserve to go that quickly - this is a really interesting film from the director of L.I.E. in this character study of twelve year olds, my favorite was the girl, who develops a soul-consuming crush on one of her psychologist-mother's, much older patients. all of the kids experience real change as a reaction to the death of one of their clan. I always love Annabella Sciorra, Jeremy Renner (North Country, SWAT) put in a great performance, and all of the kids were extremely watchable. try to catch it before it's gone.

april's shower

I thought this little indie lesbian flick would be good but sadly, it was filled with cliched, overblown characters about which it was impossible to care. it did have one amusing joke, though, about a buy-sexual: you buy me something, I'll have sex with you. get it?

16 blocks

Bruce Willis looks fabulously down and out as an alcoholic cop; Mos Def is fresh and funny as a key witness/criminal/aspiring baker. together they carry this real-time thriller about corrupt cops in Manhattan. the story is refreshingly simple and there is just enough character development to raise this Richard Donner-directed effort slightly above a formula piece.

a prairie home companion

I'm a huge Robert Altman fan, and this one doesn't disappoint. the movie is a real hybrid: musical, noir, comedy, thriller, drama, supernatural, slice-of-life. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly are brilliant as a ribald cowboy duo, Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin are perfect as the remains of a family country singing group, Garrison Keillor plays himself utterly believably and Virginia Masden shines, literally, as an ethereal, inquisitive angel.

the proposition

Nick Cave wrote this western set in an australia run by white englishmen who terrorize natives and set their sights on retribution for a gang of brothers responsible for a grisly rape and murder. unfortunately, the film got so violent that I couldn't even watch the last scene, but before that it was a fairly mesmerizing portrayal of a gritty, dusty world of sheer ugliness. I was rooting for the murderous brothers, which tells you all you need to know about the humanity of the townspeople and their law enforcement.

the da vinci code

this movie wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, mostly due to the presence of actors I never tire of watching: Jean Reno, Ian McKellen and Audrey Tautou. I was also extremely captivated by Paul Bettany as an angelicly pious killer. the story line follows the book pretty closely minus the awkward phrasing and plus pretty pictures. as for the controversy surrounding the film, all I can ask is, don't you people read? your objection is no longer timely.

dave chappelle: for what it's worth

this concert movie was filmed in San Francisco, giving Chappelle the opportunity to make funny comments about Oakland and not-so-funny comments about the Castro. the laughs are a bit fewer and far between than on the Chappelle Show but there's just no way not to love his hilarious mix of politics, irreverence and observation.

banlieue 13/district b13

this is a french action movie extraordinaire. it's set in 2010 when paris has given up on its suburbs, enclosed them in concrete walls and withdrawn their schools, police and postal services. pacifist leito joins forces with undercover cop damien and many gymnastics ensue. the plot is a little thin but the moves more than make up for it. c'est tres bien.

lackawanna blues

this movie is pure pleasure. it doesn't really develop any characters or plotlines, but it features such an array of amazing actors that it doesn't matter. highlights: a very hot Terrence Howard as the matriarch's philandering young boyfriend; Rosie Perez as a highly sought-after haridresser; Jeffrey Wright as a black history buff with a blighted past. Delroy Lindo, Mos Def, Ernie Hudson and Adina Porter also provide memorable moments.