sunshine

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland team up again (28 days later, the beach) for this sci fi flick about a crew on a space mission to save the world that diverts from its course - a move that always seems to engender trouble for space travelers. Cliff Curtis and Cillian Murphy stand out as sun-lovers. there's a lot of pretty pictures of spaceships and the sun, some good old sci fi thriller fun, and an interesting cast. goes well with margaritas.

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goya's ghosts

I thought this film would be some take on the great Spanish painter, but boy, was I wrong. it's actually a movie about the Spanish inquisition that casts Natalie Portman in two parts, one incredibly disgusting. Javier Bardem's presence and skill dominate the movie and - this should have been a hint - he doesn't play Goya.

paris je t'aime

except for a really annoying film about two mimes and a really stupid vampire tale, all of these little vignettes had something redeeming about them, if only the glimpse of a favourite actor. then again, if they didn't, they went by so fast I really didn't notice. this is foreign, independent cinema for the MTV generation.

superbad

it's funny. it's no knocked up, it's more of a 40 year old virgin for the teen male set. my heart raced with joy when I saw Martin Starr in an all too minor role. Seth Rogen as always was classic and eminently watchable. it's cute and gay and gross and of course, superbad.

the lookout

this is a pretty suspenseful and interesting thriller about an ex-cool kid transformed by guilt and a serious head injury, who is manipulated by a gang of crooks. Joseph Gordon Levitt is good, and Jeff Daniels is great as a fiercely independent blind man. creepy movie, in a good way.

la vie en rose/la mome

this is a stunning biography of Edith Piaf. the narrative jumps around and the movie is most compelling in its longer scenes, but this is a fascinating portrayal of a fabulously talented woman who was drunk, addicted and irrational, all for good reason, and also fiercely charismatic and loyal. the movie is too short to tell the full story, but the pieces presented are lovely fragments of an incredible life. Marion Cotillard deserves the Oscar, no matter who else is nominated.

starter for ten

it's light, but this movie has several elements that make it supremely enjoyable for a person of my tastes. first, it is set in 1985 and has a fantastic soundtrack, featuring songs I forgot how much I loved back then. second, it is about a very nerdy lower class guy navigating university, girls, and a televised quiz show. see what I mean? it's great. stars James McAvoy (Last King of Scotland), who totally pulls off the role.

life as we know it

this is a 13 episode tv series about 3 guys and 3 gals in high school. I picked it out because I wanted to see more of Chris Lowell (Piz from Veronica Mars) and was pleasantly surprised to encounter Missy Peregrym (Stick It, Heroes) , great appearances by Freaks and Geeks' Busy Phillips, Samm Levine, and Natasha Melnick (all grown up), and other cool people like Peter Dinklage and Ione Skye. It ends kind of abruptly so I guess they got canceled suddenly, but there are some nice moments. hard core fans of the kids in high school genre won't be disappointed.

the simpsons movie

if you want to go to the movies to see a long, pretty good episode of the Simpsons, this movie is for you.

the bourne ultimatum

I'm getting so sick of sequels, remakes, adaptations. this year, I'm actually looking forward to the end of summer so that original, decent fall movies come around. of course, that's easy for me to say since I live in an endless summer. maybe if I'd remembered the other two Bourne movies or the books better I would have gotten more out of this, but it seemed like a lot of action with no plot and the most characterless characters possible. I really hope they don't do Bourne Reborn 4, because I'll probably go see that too.

hairspray

to play Edna Turnblad, John Travolta adopted Dr. Evil's accent. odd choice for an odd movie. this is supposed to be about integration. it's actually about how blacks are much better singers and dancers than whites, and how all the civil rights movement needed was a little fat white girl to lead it. never mind that this girl, who wins her way onto a dance show despite her chubbiness, can't actually dance. I have a soft spot for Amanda Bynes and it's always fun to see Queen Latifah, la belle chanteuse, but I was not charmed by this movie after the opening number. the scenes between Christopher Walken and John Travolta are particularly wince-inducing.