Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Hollywood's A-list stars come together to pull off the most daring heist Las Vegas has ever known...11 men, 3 casinos, 150 million dollars, 1 chance to pull it off.

    Some may accuse me of being behind in my film, but yeah, I reviewed movies that came out in the 1950's, ok? I work my way chronologically sometimes. I know some people who adore this movie. I can see why. It's kind of like a shorter, sassier The Sting. It's got classic elements that make a movie good - suspense, humor, money...I like that it wasn't super hard to follow, everything was in order, the characters generally explained everything they were doing, it was easy to watch while slightly distracted. At least for me. My "distractions" usually don't consist of much more than trying to pry Chips Ahoy from their packaging. 

    I liked the acting. There are a lot of big stars in this and their chemistry is actually pretty good. In my opinion, this is one of the last movies where Brad Pitt actually looked really good, and George Clooney, who usually gets on my nerves, was his normal smooth self. Julia Roberts had a weird part. That's ok. It wasn't nearly as weird as in the second movie in this series, which, might I add, was a DISASTER. 

    This wasn't a movie I would necessarily choose to see, but I was with a bunch of girls and it was either this or Pineapple Express. The choice was pretty clear, and it was a worthy decision. The movie, though not especially memorable in the ocean of movies, is fun and smart. Why not.  

Whip It (2009)

In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit Bliss finds a way of dealing with the pressure of her beauty pageant mother after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin.

    What I like about this movie is its classic theme set in a throughly fun, raw environment. It enters the sexy sport arena of the roller girls and takes the viewer for a super fun ride that has us cheering on our favorite indie actress (Juno's Ellen Page). All of the acting (with the exception of very creepy, greasy Landon Pigg as Page's love interest) is perched brilliantly on the edge of rather dramatic real people and just plain theatrical acting. Marcia Gay Harden (love that woman's eyebrows, by the way, I would say they're sexy, but she's not an especially sexy person) is a scene-stealing as Bliss'  former Miss Austin or whatever beauty pageant-pushing steel magnolia mother. She made me nervous, which is perfect. She's not one of those characters you feel smug about when our heroine makes a stand for her desires in life. She was like my mother - I like rebelling as much as the next person, but that guilt of disappointing them still breathes inside me. 

     I'm a skater, so I love the scenes with the roller girls in action. I mean, what girl doesn't want to have a super cool nickname, dress super sexy and beat up on other girls while skating super fast around a rink? Seriously. It's awesome. 

    Drew Barrymore directed this, her first movie, and it was very good for her first movie. She has a funny supporting role as a girl frequently injured and who injures others. It's not exactly a chick flick, it's like a sporty chick flick, I guess. The only thing missing was that good love interest, but I guess, realistically, at 17, how good can love really be? The family and friendship love is the focus and it's good. See it. 

The Thing (1982)

Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.

    I have been seeing a lot of alien-related movies lately, haven't I? And I also just bought the full box set of The X-Files. Wow. I am turning into one of "those" people. Anyway, on to review. This reminded me of Alien, like a lot, except where Alien was based on psychological fear, The Thing went all out on that AND the gore. I forgot that the movie was rated R until the first transformation scene where "the thing" comes out of its disguise as a seemingly friendly husky into its true self. It was quite horrifying. As a critic though, I was incredibly impressed by the makeup and special effects required for that scene and others where our characters suddenly become monsters. 

    The acting was good, I don't really remember much, but no one was terrible. It was very down-to-earth, a cast of all men sitting around on a frozen slab of ice with their green-screened computers and furry coats, who either muttered to each other about their work or went ape with terror at the prospect of "the thing" eating them or whatever it does. There was no Ripley character, no real hero, so it just reminded me the movie wasn't really about the characters, it was just the shock value of the sudden appearance of something terrifying out of the body of someone you thought you could trust.

    I didn't really like the movie because of its high gore factor. There was one scene in particular that involved a pen of husky dogs that deeply disturbed me. As a dog lover, I could barely watch. I read on movie threads that many people share my disgust at the scene but I was somewhat soothed by those movie buffs who try to calm the frantic nerves of dog lovers by pointing out the wagging tails of the dogs "in agony," signifying their response to their trainer standing close by on set. STILL. WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARILY, CARPENTER? HMM?

    So, in a nutshell, think not as good Alien, but gorier for those of you who like that, and it's got Kurt Russell. There's a cool UFO scene, too. I watched it to burn time. It served its purpose. It's a cult film, and I guess I don't fit into that realm of people who are all over this film. Maybe you will be. Watch it and see. 

The Innocents (1961)

Based on Henry James' classic "The Turn of the Screw." The Innocents focuses on a young governess for two children who becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.

     One word: Creepster. Everything about this movie is creepy, and it is brilliant. Despite being miscast because of her age, Deborah Kerr makes up for her disadvantage by giving the kind of performance thriller actresses today can only dream about. Her facial expressions are haunting, perfectly capturing the mix of confusion and terror that any woman would feel during the situations Kerr finds herself in. The children are good actors, but it is the young boy that truly finds his character and nails it. The girl...eh. She's kind of annoying, honestly, but that's ok. It's the boy we watch, and it is the boy that frightens us. 

      "The Turn of the Screw" is one of the most confusing books I've ever read, but also the most fascinating. Because of its first-person perspective, we are left wondering if any of it is real or has this young girl completely lost her mind. In the movie, it's a little less vague, but there are moments when we seriously question the sanity of Kerr's character. It makes the movie open to interpretation, and the intro and conclusion of Kerr's prayer is magnificent. Love it. Totally creepy.

     I like it in black and white. It captures that Gothic mood so crucial to the story that 1960's technicolor would have ruined. In the book, sexuality was a key part of the controversy that Henry James sought, and in the movie it is maintained in its subtleness, adding even more layers to the complex story. 

    This is a real thriller. No gore, no blood, no monsters...just dark corridors, terrified faces, random noises, candlelight and creepy children. It will haunt you. You will spend the rest of your life trying to piece together the puzzle. I don't know if anyone ever will. 

Date Movie (2006)

Spoof of romantic comedies which focuses on a man (Campbell), his crush (Hannigan), his parents (Coolidge, Willard), and her father (Griffin)

    Imdb.com shows this movie as having a star rating of 2.6 out of 10. And yet I watched it. I do not know why. I'd like to blame medication, my lack of school work, anything. But alas, I cannot. I saw this because I actually thought it might be funny. How wrong I was.

     First of all, the acting is terrible and I hated everyone, even Alyson Hannigan, who I generally find appealing. The spoofs were unfunny, vulgar, and random so the movie felt like a series of bad impression sketches, which has been the downfall of other recent spoof movies, like Disaster Movie (which, I will admit, was worse than Date Movie) and Epic Movie (equally bad, I'd say). 

    Seriously, I'm lying belly down on my mattress at 3 in the morning trying to think of anything else to write about this movie, but it was just awful. There was NOTHING redeeming about it. Not one funny sketch, not one moment where I smiled...nothing. This would be an AWFUL movie to take a date to. 

   If you liked the Scary Movie franchise, maybe you'd like this, I do not know. Those weren't that great in my opinion anyway, but they did have a slightly more coherent plot, but still much too crude for my taste. 

    In a nutshell, avoid this movie like the plague. This one finally convinced me to stop watching these spoof movies and give up on my dream of a good spoof film anytime soon. I'll stick to old Mad TV sketches and SNL from now on, thank you. Even Family Guy has better cultural references. I am not joking, and I don't care if I sound obnoxious, BURN THIS FILM. BURN IT. It does not deserve a happy ending.

The Fourth Kind (2009)

Fact-based thriller involving an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years and there are accusations of a federal cover up. -IMDB.com

     First of all, this is not a fact-based movie. The marketing on this film took its cue from The Blair Witch Project and other such similar "documentaries" to such an extreme that Nome, Alaska went up in arms against the deceptive ads. I myself being somewhat a believer in alien encounters, was fooled for a while until I did more research and realized it was all just a way to promote the movie. Moving on from that however, the movie was quite fascinating.

    Because the director had access to "real" footage of interviews and such, the split screen technique was used often, one side portraying the real person with the actor miming the actual events. It was an unusual move and definitely gave the film an amateur, real-life feel (it was appropriate this was released around the same time as Paranormal Activity, a movie essentially filmed like a youtube video). The movie cut between the plot and the director's interview with our victim of the alien encounter. Honestly, she was the creepiest out of any of the movie's characters, human or alien. There was a lot of talk about owls in the movie, and when I first saw her, she reminded me very much of an owl, with her hollow, shadow-rimmed eyes and creepily whispery voice. There are several scenes where she cries, and it was quite possibly the most haunting sound I've heard in my life.

     I like the plot. It's fast, gripping, and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. It has plenty of gotcha! moments, so much that a girl in my theater screamed during an intense spontaneous levitation scene. It's not an uplifting movie however, shedding little hope to the traumatic experience of alien abduction. However, like District 9, it moves away from traditional alien movies and employs psychological horror instead of special effects - you never see the aliens, only shadows - and since the similar made Paranormal Activity profited so much, I anticipate more movies that stray away from tradition and turn classic movie food into something unique. 

District 9 (2009)

20 years ago, an alien spaceship appeared over South Africa. Now, the aliens been moved to a slum by the government who eagerly tries to learn the secrets of their technology. A government agent, sent to evict District 9 into a new area, finds himself caught in a living nightmare when he discovers a mysterious alien cylinder.

District 9 is revolutionary. Shot in a documentary style, the film pans over African slums, corporate offices and alien vs. human violence. The movie is extremely violent and dirty, from the numerous shoot-outs, other war scenes, medical rooms, and shrimp-looking aliens sifting through piles of garbage. Everything about the alien genre is turned on its head and will not doubt be copied in years to come.

The director was genius in casting unknowns, so all our attention is focused on the story. It uses the popular alien theme to build upon the experiences Neill Blomkamp (the director) had during his childhood in South Africa during apartheid. It forces questions about equal rights, the rules of war and more.

This isn't my favorite kind of movie. It's too grungy, too realistic, too painful to watch. However, it is extremely well-done and thought-provoking because of its similarities to the real struggles in South Africa and other countries. It sticks with people. It's brilliant.

Julie & Julia (2009)

Based on the two true stories of Julia Child, the wife of an American diplomat discovering her calling in Paris, and Julie Powell, an insurance worker with a love of cooking and Julia.


This is the kind of movie that makes you feel good. It's got Meryl Streep and food, two of the best things on this green earth. From the moment the film begins and all you hear is Meryl Streep's Julia Child voice, a smile finds its way unto your face. We watch Julia and her adoring husband fall in love with France and French cuisine, and the Julia Child the world recognizes is born. Meryl Streep is brilliant as Julia. Her physical acting, the voice...the actress once again proves herself to the best professional in Hollywood today. When Amy Adams appears on screen, her unpretentious charm makes you feel right with her in the dirty apartment of Queens as she investigates the tiny kitchen. Her gentle bravery in taking on a project in which she cooks her way through Julia Child's legendary book and blogs is inspiring. I found myself drooling over the collage of food images that Nora (the talented director of classics like "Sleepless in Seattle") flashes on the screen: ducks dripping with butter, chocolate cakes crusted with almonds, raspberry creams, and more.

"Julie & Julia" is the kind of movie that makes you appreciate things more. We went out to dinner after the movie, and I found myself savoring my Japanese Gyoza (pork dumplings/pot stickers) more than I might have otherwise. It makes me believe my little movie blog can be something someday.

G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (2009)

An elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer.


This was not "Gone With The Wind." It didn't pretend to be. It was awful, and it embraced it. No one could act, the dialogue could have been written by a 13-year old boy, and even the graphics lacked something. There was one scene I couldn't believe: a plane flies over a desert, and it looked half-finished. Where was the money going? Sienna Miller's skin-tight, bust-enhancing leather suits?

Ok, I may be being too harsh. It was an awesome toy commercial. It fed into fantasies; the women, the machines, everything was over the top and much more scientifically advanced than we actually are now.

Any relationships developed in the movie happened before the actual movie and were revealed in a series of flashbacks, so the movie didn't have to spend any time on them. They were assumptions.

I can't even write more about this movie. It was laughable. It wasn't screened for critics, and STILL got top dollar. Sad.

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life.

This was an amazing movie. It was chilling, subtle, and perfectly paced. From the first two minutes to the climatic ending, my emotions grew from immediate suspicion to full-blown horror. The reason this film is so terrifying is because it relies on a true-to-life atmosphere. There's no demons jumping out of every corner, no gore, and for the most of the movie, we just watch Rosemary in her apartment growing increasingly worried over her pregnancy. It's very relatable, with a few exceptions, of course. The acting is brilliant. Mia Farrow is excellent as Rosemary, a very young, very trusting individual whose state of mind begins to crumble. Her husband Guy (John Cassavetes) always creeped me out for some reason, but he serves his purpose in the movie. Ruth Gordon as the eccentric neighbor stole every scene she was in. She was funny, over-the-top and scary. She totally deserved that Oscar she got that year.

This is a disturbing movie. It is done so well it seems like it could really happen in any of the old apartment buildings anywhere. Appearances are deceiving. To make matters even MORE disturbing, it was only another year till Roman Polanski's wife Sharon Tate and his unborn baby were brutally murdered by Charles Manson's family. Watch the movie with a firm grip on reality and truth. There is dark power in the world, yes, but the power of good is infinitely stronger.

Some Like It Hot (1959)

When two musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.

I wasn't overly excited about seeing this movie, I thought it would be just a bizarre vehicle for Marilyn Monroe's fading star, but one Blade Runner and three Alien movies later, it was refreshing to watch a black-and-white comedy starring the hilarious Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Marilyn is gorgeous in this, no doubt, but her Sugar Kane is not the focus of the film. It's all about Tony and Jack. The plot is classic and has been rehashed several times in Tootsie, Victor/Victoria, and in Nia Vardalos' atrocity Connie and Carla, but Some Like It Hot is the standard. The mobsters are appropriately cartoonish and Curtis' impersonation of a millionaire/Cary Grant was hysterical to me. It's all so gloriously sexist in a cozy, 1950's sort of way, with "girl musicians" ogled by aging millionaires and the two cross-dressing stars' cracks at their enjoyable situation. While the movie is all about Tony and Jack, seeing Marilyn Monroe as the bimbo-ish Sugar made me smile. She had such a glow about her; it was hard to think that three years later, she would be dead. In a nutshell, this movie is funny, jazzy, naughty and, of course, HOT.

Alien (1979)

A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates with horrifying results.

Within the last two days, I've seen 3 of the 4 "Alien" movies, and this first one is, by far, the best one. Ridley Scott is a genius. I reviewed his "Blade Runner" earlier this month, and I can definitely see his fingerprint on "Alien." The lighting is dark, lit only by the pulsing electric bulbs of an ore carrier ship, and all of the characters are drenched in sweat for the majority of the movie. The soundtrack is perfect for the suspense the movie wants to create, and the jerky/wandering camera angles are guaranteed to make you sit at the edge of your sweat gripping a blanket to your chin. This movie is a must-see for anyone interested in sci-fi; it really turned the genre upside down and set the standard for sci-fi horror for decades.

I love Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, she says exactly what everyone would say in the situations she ends up in, and she's so street-smart, it's painful to watch anyone question her opinion on something. I watched the movies just to see what happens to her (though I wish now I would have just stopped after 'Aliens,' the third one was just awful, and I'm sure "Resurrection" is even worse.) The supporting actors are excellent, that's what made this movie really work for me, they spent time on every detail, from special effects to acting to score, it wasn't just some movie you see "for the graphics."

It's scary, not gonna lie. There's swearing and the kinds of disgusting images a lot of people aren't comfortable with. If you saw "Pan's Labyrinth" and were ok, then this will be fine, too. If you had nightmares about Pan, then don't see Alien. It's the kind of movie that sticks in your mind. I had dreams about it, not nightmares, but I was still thinking about Ripley and Jones and a creeping terror that attacks you from the inside....

Blade Runner (1982)

In the year 2019, genetic engineers have created "replicants," better versions of humans, but upon losing control of them, made them illegal on earth. Decker, a blade runner, is sent to track down four escaped replicants who are searching for their creator.

It's hard to describe this movie. It's...weird, quite frankly, but so many layers of weird, it's incredible. The visuals are astounding for 1982, and I loved the combination of a futuristic city matched with grunge like downtown Chicago and ambience like Chinatown. Everything is dirty, you can almost smell the exhaust fumes and rain, the sweat on a stripper's body, blood...everything is organic and natural. The acting is almost non-existent, nothing really amazing, but that's what I liked. The setting and plot is so over the top, if the acting matched, it'd be just another cheesy sci-fi flick. The music fits perfectly, it's either strains of synth or almost Indian sounding beats as our characters push their way through crowds of raincoats and advertisement lights. It's understandable why a lot of people didn't "get" this movie when it came out. It was ahead of its time.

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

An insane general starts a process to nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to stop.

Ok, apparently this is a movie of 100 laughs. I thought it was amusing, but not exactly uproariously funny. It was a masterpiece for its time, a time capsule, if you will. Peter Sellers is very funny, however, I love how he can play three characters so different; I knew he played three, but I didn't even realize he was the President. George C. Scott was hilarious, I loved how worked up he got, with that insanely harsh voice and crazy smile. It's a perfect satire, combining true terror of nuclear war with humor, only Stanley Kubrick could pull that off. It's the perfect length at barely over an hour and a half, and it goes back and forth between the confines of the war room and a plane headed for inevitable destruction just often enough to keep a restless audience interested. Kids my age (18+) might not get this movie, but if they're informed about the context of the film, it's really interesting to see and Peter Sellers' acting is timeless.

North by Northwest (1959)

An advertising man is caught in the middle of an FBI case when he is mistakenly taken for a spy by mysterious and threatening strangers. His situation becomes even more dangerous when he is accused of murdering a UN official and is seduced by a beautiful woman who is very interested in his plight.


I really don't understand why this is considered one of the best movies ever made, it's certainly not Alfred Hitchcock's greatest works. Cary Grant plays a man much younger than himself and his acting style is just so over-the-top and melodramatic it's hard to really feel for him. James Stewart in his glorious naturalness would have been better. The plot, though interesting, drags on for way too long. The movie reaches over two hours, leaving lots of room for the editing knife to hack out some ridiculous sexual dialogue between Eva Marie Saint and Cary Grant. It was like a less interesting James Bond movie, with a beautiful woman inexplicably falling in love with our hero half-hour after meeting. Cary Grant, though almost constantly in the hands of death, still finds time to engage in biting remarks to the gruff silence of his enemies. This film reminded me of "The Man Who Knew Too Much," which has Doris Day singing that song again and again and again: not that great.

My Project/Sunset Boulevard

I decided last night at about 11 p.m. to go through my beloved book of 101 movies one must see before they die and try to watch as many of them as possible, beginning with Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard." Here goes.



While attempting to escape his growing debt, a struggling screenwriter stumbles upon the mansion of silent-film star Norma Desmond. He cannot imagine what horror will follow when he agrees to look over the aging glamour queen's script.

I love everything about this movie. I didn't know much about it, except what I gathered from watching clips of The Carol Burnett Sow on Youtube, and I was surprised at just how amazing the film was. The acting is electrifying. Gloria Swanson gives the performance of a lifetime as the self-centered, delusional Miss Desmond, and William Holden is subtle and conflicted as our narrator and hero. His inner monologues are melodramatic, and yet perfect for a story about movies and how they can consume lives, The very title "Sunset Boulevard" is reflective of the dying star Norma Desmond represents, a person caught in the sunset of her life, but who can't accept it. Get the family together, pop some popcorn, turn out the lights, and watch this movie in rapture. This is what cinema is all about.

Eden Log (2007)

A man wakes up deep inside a cave. Suffering amnesia, he has no recollection of how he came to be here or of what happened to the man whose body he finds beside him. Tailed by a mysterious creature, he must continue through this strange and fantastic world.

When I saw the trailer, I knew I HAD to see this movie. I searched online for hours until I found a Japanese website that offered a streaming version that loaded at about two minutes of film for every ten minutes of real time. It was the most unusual movie I've ever seen. It played out more like a video game than a movie, starting out with zero knowledge of our character or where he is or what's happened to him, and gradually he collects clues as he moves up "levels" in this strange grid of steel and plant-life. It's a French movie with English, but I'd rather it was just in French. The plot itself isn't original, it has a classic sci-fi vibe to it, a horror story of what happens when humans become consumed by the body of society and forget the individual. However, the execution is what makes it unusual, though it's not well-done. There is essentially no dialogue, no character development, and no visibility. The entire movie is bathed in darkness and the action is done in painful strobe-and-cut scenes, like a manic-depressive disco ball. Just as a movie-watcher, and not a critic, I would say this is a terrible movie. However, if one wants to think really hard about the filmmaker's choice of story and such, it's a really interesting experience.

Ice Age 3: The Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

Following the events of Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, life has become relatively stable for the self-proclaimed "weirdest herd." Manny and Ellie are expecting a baby, leaving Sid eager to become a parent and Diego insecure about his age. When Sid steals three dinosaur eggs and is kidnapped by the mother dino, the herd is forced underground to the world of the dinosaurs in search of him, led by the clinically insane weasel Buck. Meanwhile, Scrat is torn between his beloved acorn and a foxy flying squirrel pursuing the same acorn.

The Ice Age franchise always struck me as trying desperately to fall in place with the Pixar masterpieces. The first one, I thought, was very close, and then went down hill with the second and now third. The simple plot and small cast of the first made it so charming; it left lots of room for every actor's voice work. When they added Queen Latifah and those very annoying possums, it started getting cluttered. Now, with the third, it gets even more chaotic, with a multi-layered world of ice age creatures and dinosaurs. However, the addition of Simon Pegg's character was a good move, his voice work was hilarious and overshadowed every other actor, even everybody's favorite sloth, Sid. It's a kid's movie through and through, though, as in the second one, there are some clunky, awkward sexual innuendos, but nothing that isn't encountered in every day life ANYWAY. The animation has moved in leaps and bounds since the first chunky shapes of the first movie, and the new technology is used to its fullest in creating colorful, spiky dinosaurs, furry creatures and the lush jungle of the underground world of the dinosaurs. The music is always cute, too, with old-fashioned sounding tunes and glittery instrumentals. I'd give this about two and a half stars, take the kids, but don't expect to be as entertained in Pixar's "Up."

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

This is one of those rare films where every frame is soaked in beauty. It's nearly impossible to believe that the story is original, it seems like it was pulled right from the pages of some ancient fairy tale. Its Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay was deserved. The characters are either beautifully or terrifyingly drawn. The young heroine and her stepfather are exact opposites of each other in every way, where she is innocent, he is corrupt, where she is good, he is evil incarnate. There were so many aspects to the film, it was fascinating to see. It combines the history of Fascist Spain with eternal concepts found in fairy tales like good, evil and obedience. The soundtrack is tailored exactly to the movie's mood, and has some of the most haunting melodies I've ever heard. The movie is excellent, but not for everybody. My mother watched it with me and some of the images really disturbed her. The stepfather character's actions are repulsive, and some other people I know who watched it said he made them physically ill. All in all, the lines of good and evil are clearly drawn, and the ending is victorious. This is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Up (2009)

By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

I remember seeing the teaser for this months ago and thinking, "How can they do it? How can Pixar make a movie about a grumpy old man and balloons a hit?" They succeeded, in fact, they made one of their best movies. After the initial introduction to the movie, there's about a minute of no dialogue, just animation and music which describes the course of 40-odd years. It's brilliant. The next hour that follows is funny without trying. There's no unnatural gags or set-ups, just naturally humorous situations and conversations, which is perfect considering the movies' message of embracing the simple pleasures in life as the most significant. The voice work is excellent (my personal favorite is Dug the dog) and the soundtrack, though repetitive, fits perfectly. This is the kind of movie that proves animated films are just as credible as live-action, and, after seeing Bride Wars on cable the over night, much more credible. It's a story for those who have lived life and experienced its joys and pains. When I saw in theaters, there was a very young child in the audience, and I found it interesting her parents were enjoying the movie more than she (she got bored and starting singing to herself and chatting). "UP" is definitely one of Pixar's masterpieces.

Cthulhu (2007)

A homosexual Seattle history professor, drawn back to his estranged family on the Oregon coast to execute his late mother's estate, is reaquainted with his best friend from childhood, with whom he has a long-awaited tryst. Caught in an accelerating series of events, he discovers aspects of his father's New Age cult which take on a dangerous and apocalyptic significance.

This was a bizarre movie, but strangely fascinating. The plot is based on famous horror author H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," which was written in 1926. Cthulhu has since then become a media icon of Pagan horror, present in other stories, films and video games. The story is interesting, but extremely incomplete and confusing. The ambiguous ending made me very angry; the movie had succeeded in getting me wrapped up in itself, and then completely slapped me in the face. I liked the eerie atmosphere; it would be a really good video game. It's an indie film, which I'm not especially "experienced" in, but still worth it to burn a couple hours on a Saturday night when nothing's on T.V.