what happens in vegas

well obviously (to anyone who's seen the previews) this movie is really dumb, but it still put a smile on my face - in the middle of the end credits. so if you can sit for that long, I think you might find yourself leaving the theatre saying 'I kind of enjoyed that.'

smart people

this movie is all about Ellen Page as a cocky young republican, although Thomas Haden Church's ass has some fine moments too. I think I'll go out and watch all of Ellen Page's movies now, even I Downloaded a Ghost. but whoever thought Sarah Jessica Parker would be a good replacement for Rachel Weisz is certifiable.

dirty laundry

entertaining movie about a man who leaves his swanky life in New York to take care of some business back in Georgia and, after a ten year absence, comes out to his family. it's very disjointed, but that's kind of its charm - it's a mishmash of melodrama and comedy, with Loretta Devine stealing the show as a strict mother who does laundry for a living and drinks too much but, of course, has a heart of gold.

nina's heavenly delights

this movie about a Scottish-Indian woman carrying on her father's legacy of great cooking and fighting her feelings for a lovely young lady is ridiculously full of cliches, but adorable nonetheless.

indiana jones 4

this movie was a hybrid of its 3 predecessors and a Doctor Who episode. it's fun enough, but would be better if they threw in some witty lines or a little bit of character development. just a little....

the diving bell and the butterfly

I avoided this one in the theatres because it seemed too sad, but it's surprisingly inspiring, unbelievable, and compelling. a side story involving the bad luck of a friend Bauby gave up an airplane seat for is almost as shocking as Bauby's sudden transformation. this movie is fascinating.

first sunday

this movie belongs to an odd genre, the religious comedy. it's a tiny bit funny, but not really. I really wanted to hug Ice Cube though, he seemed so dejected and confused through the whole thing.

delirious

although this movie really isn't very good, I got into it. Steve Buscemi is a bitter paparazzi, Michael Pitt is a beautiful homeless kid, Alison Lohman is a vapid pop singer, and they all bump up against each other in New York. Tom DiCillo used to make much more interesting movies, but it's still fun to watch what he's up to. and that was a long time ago....

prince caspian (chronicles of narnia)

the first one was better. and personally, I don't enjoy long battle scenes, even when cute little animals are fighting. there's one really cool scene but I can't tell you what it is because that would ruin it. and the movie's two and a half hours long.

made of honor

standard romantic comedy but cute for what it is. the scottish setting added something slightly new to the mix, and Busy Phillips in anything makes me smile. the only problem with the movie is that the guy really doesn't deserve the girl, but that never seems to matter.

teeth

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie about a high school girl striving for purity and discovering her unique defense mechanism against predatory males. it starts out campy in one way, and ends up really campy in another, and the whole thing is just so juicy, I loved it! Jess Weixler was very good.

how she move

this movie about stepping has good dancing and good characters. maybe it just felt real to me because it's about an area near where I grew up in Toronto. either way, it followed the formula, and I was wrapped up in it the whole time. but yes, I'm a sucker for dance movies.

maxed out

this doc on how the banks and credit card companies prey on poor people and control the government is scary, if a bit confusing and superficial in its analysis. it's well worth watching just to get a glimpse of how millions of people get their lives destroyed every year. fight the credit system! power to the people!!

redbelt

I'm a hardcore Mamet fan and I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to spend over an hour and a half watching Chiwetel Ejofor. He's brilliant! Emily Mortimer's looks are also worth about five pages of dialogue each. This is a great fight movie with a non-traditional structure and all the mamet regulars. Very refreshing in the midst of all the summer blockbusters.

state of play

you should watch this excellent political thriller - a six hour British television show - before the Americans butcher it by turning it into a Russell Crowe movie next year. Bill Nighy, James McAvoy, Kelly MacDonald, Marc Warren...ok, everyone in it is excellent. I haven't been this intrigued by a television show in a while. it feels good.

in bruges

two words: dark comedy.

bickford schmeckler's cool ideas

I thought this might be one of those little undiscovered indie gems but alas it was actually just a pointless story about a college kid (with some trauma in his past) who writes big ideas about the universe in a notebook that gets stolen at a toga party and attracts some followers. John Cho is cute as a D&D master who selflessly promotes 'the book' and Olivia Wilde is a hot leggy blonde who's an artist, a deep thinker, and a nymphomaniac. Matt Lillard has aliens in his head.

iron man

it definitely helps a superhero movie to have real actors who can actually act for the filler character stuff (Robert Downey, Jr,. Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges - I'm not sure Gwyneth Paltrow belongs on this list). but this is still a war/comic book movie with Middle Eastern terrorists who prove to be both evil and disposable - was that really necessary? and it kind of turns into Transformers near the end. but for what it is, it's pretty good.

baby mama

this movie wasn't what I wanted it to be, which was a light exploration into the phenomenon that is surrogacy for would-be moms in their late 30s. instead that initial premise gives way to a bunch of 'comic situations.' the best parts of the movie have nothing to do with surrogacy and everything to do with Steve Martin as a pony-tailed, rich, spiritual entrepreneur. Tina Fey and Greg Kinnear, both being very dull and plain, are a good match I suppose.

88 minutes

I assure you that I would not normally watch a movie where the first 15 minutes consist of the brutal, gratuitous rape and murder of some poor unsuspecting young woman. unfortunately, I was depressed and needed a movie, and this one was playing. it's not only disgusting, it's bad. there's no way you could figure out the 'mystery' so that's not any fun, the plot points make little sense, and the acting's really bad. if I have to find something nice to say about it, I guess it's that I'm always happy to see Deborah Kara Unger.