My Movie Collection

A horror movie done right.

Brilliant, and scary as hell. Gave zombie movies a much-needed kick in the pants.

If you like anything zombie related, see this movie. Different from the first, but still very enjoyable. Thankfully the social commentary is kept to an acceptable level.

My opinion of this movie has changed over the last few months. I now see clearly that the battles weren't as amazing as I originally thought, the characters were as one dimensional as they can be, and I was left extremely unsatisfied with the ending. Yes, I know the Spartans had to die, but the way they did was totally weak in my opinion.

Now that all the negativity is out of the way, I did in fact enjoy 300. Everyone else here has already gushed about the visuals, so I'll just add that they are in fact as good as everyone says. Good dialogue that was pretty funny at times, and a few (though not enough) iconic action sequences. And Lena Headey had the most badass part in the whole movie lol.

Not bad, not bad at all. It's hard not to enjoy a film that's constantly beaming cool seventies music into your brain. Disjointed in places, but not badly enough to ruin the film.

I usually avoid biopics like this, but A Beautiful Mind was well worth watching. John Nash had quite a life, and even if some of this movie isn't entirely accurate, it's certainly one that will make an impression on most people. Both Russell Crowe and the beautiful Jennifer Connelly do excellent jobs.

Just as good as I heard it was. Great acting, and an ending that sticks with you.

A reasonably good crime drama with stellar acting talent. No big twists or turns, but enjoyable throughout.

The first and best American Pie. Funny as hell!

Will Ferrell at his funiest.

I'm not usually a fan of period movies, but Atonement had just the right combination of setting, story and acting to make it worth my money. Young Saoirse Ronan is the heart of the movie, and a a star in the making.

It's nice to see Jessica in a role that has a bit of substance to it, for a change. I thought I had Awake figured out after 10 minutes, but there were enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

Superhero fans of my generation had tons of great cartoons to watch while we we're growing up, and Batman: The Animated Series was right up there among the best. It combined action with a cool art style and serious plots that made the show just as appealing to adults as it was to kids. Mask of the Phantasm is a side-story of that amazing show, so it's no surprise that I still love it all these years later.

Phantasm works so well because it pairs the usual themes of the show with an extremely bittersweet love story and tons of the detective elements that are always present in Batman's best tales. Equal time is spent with the present day mystery of the Phantasm, and Bruce's early experiments with vigilante justice.

It's great to see Bruce Wayne get equal focus in the story, and in many ways the scenes with him out of costume are the most interesting and pivotal to the story. The Joker plays a crucial part in the plot, and a woman is introduced who had a powerful influence on Bruce's decision to become Batman. What more could the true Batman fan ask for? Mask of the Phantasm is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as The Dark Knight and Batman Returns. There's a classic story within its animated trappings.

Thank God that the Batman franchise was rebooted. Everything after Batman Returns was misguided and wrong. Batman Begins is the DC equivalent of the first Spider-man movie. It establishes the the charachter in a way that's interesting and true to what has made that character so popular for so many years.

Besides Katie Holmes' character and a running time that's just a bit too long, I didn't find much to complain about with this movie. The choice of villians was great, Gotham looks good, and Christian Bale makes a great Batman/Bruce Wayne. Batman Begins isn't just a good superhero movie, it's simply a good movie.

I'll always love Batman Returns, but now that I'm older I have to accept the fact that it's not quite as perfect as I thought it was when I was a kid.

Michael Keaton isn't a bad Bruce Wayne, but he fails to live up to the menace and physicality of Batman. Catwoman and Penguin were good in a slightly campy way, but I would like to see how they (at least Catwoman) would be handled in the context of the more modern Batman movies.

Despite the occasional campiness, much of the movie is actually a bit sad. There isn't any of the bleakness that the rebooted Batman films specialize in, but Batman Returns does take place during a very melancholy Christmas. The slightly gothic look of Gotham and its citizens is reminiscent of the animated series (a very good thing), while there's a rather fantastical plot running throughout it all that keeps the realism at bay.

I'll still enjoy watching Batman Returns for nostalgia's sake, but it's no longer the best of the franchise. It does strike a good balance between light and darkness, so give it a shot if you're a fan of the character.

An important part of the Battlestar mythos, and a must-have for any fan.

Good movie with fantastic music. The trailer and ads were very misleading.

I thought the beginning was dull, but by the end I was completely into the movie. Good sci-fi.

Will Ferrell + any movie = Great
Funniest movie I've seen this year.

Very funny and very offensive.

A wonderful story that may be a little too deep for younger kids.

What a wonderful restart for the Bond franchise! From the opening scene to the end, this movie keeps the entertainment coming. Daniel Craig steps into the role that Pierce Brosnan left and he does an amazing job playing the new "realistic" Bond. Eva Green is one of the hottest Bond girls ever, and the lack of gadgets is actually refreshing.

The Bond franchise had fallen behind the Bourne and Mission Impossible movies in recent years, but Casino Royal puts the super spy firmly back into the mix.

Tom Hanks...that guy is pretty great. Original and fun movie.

There's not much to complain about in this one. Clive Owen is one of my favorite actors and he does a great job as always. Children of men is a great example of how to translate a book to film.

Entertaining...but I'll admit I winced a few times at the sheer viciousness I was witnessed.

This film is a marvel of special effects and technical film making. Yes, the first person view can be disorienting and almost nausea-inducing at times, but I actually think that this helps further submerge the viewer into the. Here's hoping for an equally good sequel!

I'm reminded of this movie anytime I drive in any city at night.

Eddie Murphy at the top of his game! One of my favorite movies of all time, this is the Murphy that I would love to have come back to us. If you don't love this movie, you seriously do not have any sense of humor.

A decent heist film in the vein of the Ocean's movies.

One of the best and most stylish martial arts films of all time.

It's startling to actually see the amount of creativity, time, effort and preparation that these men and women put into their hobby. The way that these people totally commit to something that most adults would look down on requires an odd type of courage that many of the rest of us probably lack.

Some of the participants view role-playing as an enjoyable diversion, while others draw courage and catharsis from their alter-egos. Each of these groups are handled well and fairly by the documentary makers, and I never felt like they were being exploited or mocked. Watching them practice their swordplay or listening to how they feel more comfortable in the fantasy world than in the real one never felt uncomfortable or embarrassing. It's a good thing that these people have the world of Darkon, where each of them can be who they really want to be, even if it's only for a weekend at a time.

This is a great film for anyone who is curious about LARPing, or who simply would like to watch a novel and entertaining documentary.

Kurt Russell makes Death Proof. All the girls are gorgeous, and they do wonders with Tarantino's dialogue, but Kurt is still the star of the show. He goes from charming to murderous to a huge pansy throughout the course of the movie, and he's excellent at each and every one of those tasks.

Death Proof dramatically changes tone several times, which is to be expected from Quentin. I really dug each phase of the movie, from the chatter of the girls at the beginning to the epic chase scene and hilarious last few minutes. The music is great, the references to old movies as tv shows are as clever as you expect, and I have to say that again that the female actresses are damn good in their various roles.

When I first saw Death Proof, as a part of Grindhouse, I think my impression of it suffered, due to the fact that it followed the hysterical and brilliant Planet Terror. Judged on it's own, it shines much brighter.

Full of ambitious ideas, and it manages to pull most of them off well. You have to be impressed with a movie that has a car chase between two vehicles that are 4 days apart.

An absurd sequence of ridiculous gun fights and crazy situations. I like it!

It's 3 movies mixed up into one, and they all generally kick ass. Suspend your disbelief and just enjoy this one. You won't be any smarter by the time the credits roll, but you will be entertained.

The foundations for the later Bond films are all here in Dr. No. Beautiful, dangerous women, car chases, exotic locations, and a suave James Bond who deftly maneuvers through it all.

Dr. No has a slower pace than modern Bond movies, but that just allows for more time to salivate over the gorgeous Honey Rider once she is introduced. The finale in the island base reminded me so much of an Austin Powers movie, which goes to show what a good job that series did in spoofing the early Bond movies.

Classic Bond can be quite an adjustment, if you were weaned on the more exciting and technologically advanced Brosnan movies like I was. However, if you watch Dr. No with an open mind, you will find it too has much of what makes the later movies appealing.

This movie made me a huge Will Ferrell fan. One of the rare holiday comedies that is actually good. And Zooey Deschanel is always so damn cute. Elf is a fun, funny time for kids and adults.

Very engaging. Gives you a lot to think about.

Well made documentary, and the concert is fun to watch.

Yes, I'm a huge Jessica Alba fan. I know she's not the best actress in the world, but no one can deny that she looks good up on the big screen. However, I have to admit that she wasn't the best choice to play Susan Storm. Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm were well-cast, while Reed and Susan just didn't work.

As for the rest of the movie, it's not as fun as Iron Man, it's not as intense as The Dark Knight, and it's not as eye-catching as the Spider-Man movies. Fantastic 4 doesn't do any one thing particularly well, but it does a lot of things adequately. It's simply an average superhero movie.

First of all, I'm happy that this movie was a manageable hour and a half, many of the movies I've seen lately have unnecessarily stretched the runtime. Anyway, I enjoyed Rise of the Silver Surfer more than the first Fantastic Four movie, and more than Spiderman 3. The pacing was good and lots of pretty special effects were splashed across the screen. It was very predictable though, and I left the theater thinking that the whole point of this movie was to prepare us for the inevitable Silver Surfer movie. And can we please not have any more dancing sequences in our comic book movies?

Wow, wow, wow! Fargo was simply a pleasure to watch! I feel like I'm gushing, but this one is totally deserving. There are clear similarities between Fargo and No Country for Old Men. Both movies deal with the results when average people get mixed up with unfathomable evil and violence. And all for just a bit of money.

I really can't think of a single thing about the movie that I would change. I loved the ending. The music was top notch. The setting was perfection from the accents to the scenery. Every actor fit their role like a glove (Marge has to be one of my favorite characters in a movie, ever). There was just the right balance between the light and dark elements of the film. I absolutely loved it all!

Fight Club is quite the unique experience. From the very beginning I had no idea where it was going, but I enjoyed the ride. I actually think that my rating may change for the better after a few more viewings.

Fans of Final Fantasty VII will enjoy seeing their favorite characters in action again, but Advent Children doesn't really offer a story that's strong enough to satisfy the fan or the newcomer. The special effects and action sequences were certainly impressive enough, but most of the cast beyond Tifa and Cloud really have very little to do, and the finale was pure fanservice and little else.

A HUGE step up from the overrated Knocked Up. These are the kinds of movies that guys and women both can enjoy and laugh their asses off together. Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Russell Brand...Forgetting Sarah Marshall essentially has my comedy dream team in it.

You feel nothing but pity and horror for Jason's character as the movie starts, but he never comes off as so pathetic that you don't root for him. This is one of the more "realistic" comedies that I've seen, even though there are tons of outlandish scenes. The next time you want to watch a date movie with your significant other, try this for a sure-fire hit. It's flat-out hilarious, and that doesn't change with repeated viewings. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of my favorite comedies, ever.

Tom Hanks could make horrible movie after horrible movie, for the rest of his career, and he would still be my favorite male actor of all time because of this movie. Don't you wish we had more people like Forrest in the world? One of the most consistently entertaining movies ever. I could watch it over and over.

Loses itself as the movie progresses, and not as funny as I've come to expect from Futurama. Still, any new Futurama is good news.

How can you not love Garden State? Natalie Portman and Zach Braff are excellent.

I enjoyed every minute of Get Smart. It's an action/spy/comedy movie in the vein of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and I think that it's just as good. The casting is perfect, there are several laugh-out-loud moments, and the action and stunt scenes were pretty cool. It has a basic spy-type story that isn't amazing, but it certainly doesn't detract from the movie. Good comedies don't come along too often, so don't let Get Smart pass you by.

And who would have guessed that Anne Hathaway would be so good at action roles?

Near perfect movie.

Makes the viewer ask the question "What would I have done?" An unexpected homerun of a film.

Mildly funny, mildly sweet, lots of boobies, tons of raunch.

Not as funny as the original.

An powerful martial arts epic. Incredible use of color to tell the story.

Suspenseful and gory. You'll love or hate the ending.

If you like dancing or Jessica Alba, then you'll like Honey.

Golden! Clearly made by people who know their cop movies. Shaun of the Dead was very good, but Hot Fuzz was even better. You'll laugh whether you get all the movie references or not.

They lost my interest and respect when the mighty Hulk spent 5 minutes fighting two mutant mutts.

Really makes you feel like you're in Memphis.

Taken is a furious, intelligent action film that offers everything you're looking for from these kinds of movies without any filler. There are no extravagant explosions, no "one man versus an army" shootouts, and no plot holes. It all makes sense, and it is all satisfying.

Liam Neeson kicks copious amounts of ass as an ex-goverment operative who left the service in order to have a closer relationship with his daughter. His past job seems to have made him over-protective and paranoid, but his caution is justified when his daughter is abducted during a trip to Paris. You can imagine that he is not too pleased about that, and he immediately puts his skills to use to get his daughter back.

Taken is filmed in a coldly efficient and realistic style that fits its sensibilities like a glove. The movie length is perfect, the action scenes are brutal ...how much more do you need to read? Go see Taken in your local theatre, and then queue up behind me to buy it when it becomes available on DVD. You will be doing yourself a favor.

Benjamin Button is very similair to Forrest Gump, but it doesn't quite manage to capture the charm of that amazing movie. It never manages to be as emotionally involving and consistently funny as the story of Forest. However, despite its occasional lack of originality, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button does merit your hard-earned cash.

It's well-acted, and the scenery and backgrounds are absolutely beautiful. My only real complaints are the length of the film and the fact that besides Benjamin's very unique condition, so much of his life has been seen and done before in other movies. It's only at the beginning when he appears old and at the end when he seems young that Benjamin Button stands on its own and is at its very best.

I've heard so many positive opinions about The Princess Bride that I think I somehow expected it to be more than it actually is. It's a well-done fairy tale, but I hoped that I would find it amazing even without the nostalgic feelings that many people have for this movie from their childhood.

I kept waiting for The Interpreter to kick into high gear and become the thriller that the DVD case advertises, but that never really happened. It's not exactly dull, but calling it a thriller is a pretty huge stretch. There are long periods in its 2+ hours of the same conversations being recycled over and over.

As for the story, it's a bit wobbly. There are a few scenes inserted into the movie seemingly to make sure that the viewer knows the true antagonist long before the story properly reveals what's going on. Nicole Kidman and her pretty hair will only keep you interested for so long, more intrigue and action would have done a lot to lift The Interpreter above mediocrity.

I usually avoid biopics like the plague, but the actors involved in The Aviator and the time period that it spans made me give it a shot, anyway. Did it change my opinion about these kinds movies in general? No, but at least I can add The Aviator to the short list of biopics that I didn't hate.

I don't know much about Howard Hughes, so I can't comment on how authentic the movie was. It managed to be entertaining for the three hours that it lasted, and that's what mattered to me most. Howard had an important, colorful, and occasionally tragic life, and it's a tribute to Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese that they could communicate that story without resorting to the sappiness and melodrama that I've come to respect from this genre.

The best parts of the film were those that dealt with the Hollywood aspect of Howard's life. Kate Beckinsale was a good Ava Gardner, and Cate Blanchett was a phenomenal Katherine Hepburn. She deserved every bit of the praise, nominations, and awards that she received for that role. I'm a sucker for anything that deals with the Golden Age of Hollywood, and those parts of The Aviator made the entire movie worthwhile, for me.

I had sky-high hopes for Be Kind Rewind after seeing its trailer. It looked just like the kind of quirky, offbeat kind of movie that can be a lot of fun to watch. Unfortunately, the actual film didn't live up to the previews.

The movie was quirky, but it was so forced that it was difficult to enjoy. The characters weren't particularly memorable or endearing, and some of them were so unbelievable that it just hurt the overall atmosphere. And it's definitely a bit on the slow side. Once Mos Def and Jack Black finally start making the movies, things pick up a little...but that's not enough to redeem this mild disappointment. I don't really care if I ever see this again.

I never read any Narnia books as a kid, but this movie made me go back and check them out. I'm looking forward to the next movie.

Cruel Intentions was a big deal back when it was released, but it doesn't hold up quite as well now. It was once a shocking look at how cruel and shallow spoiled teenagers could be, but now it only reminds me that Reese Witherspoon used to have huge boobs, and that Ryan Phillippe pouts way too much.

Die Hard was probably the end all, be all of action movies 20 years ago, but by now the things that it helped make so popular have become genre staples. Someone who is seeing the movie for the first time in 2009 (like me) can't help but compare it to all the other action movies that I've seen before.

John McClain is certainly a unique character. It's not too often that you have a main character in an action movie running around with bare feet and talking to himself. But, who wouldn't be a little crazy in that kind of circumstances?

The action scenes are about what I expected. A lot of shooting, a brutal fistfight or two, and some explosions. There's nothing about Die Hard that particularly irked me, I just wish I could have seen it earlier, when it would have had more of an effect on me.

The plot of Die Hard 2 is bad, even for an action movie. How did the enemy soldiers get all their airport equipment? Was there really no other way they could have communicated with the airplanes sooner? Aren't there SEVERAL airports within 90 minutes of the D.C. that ALL the planes could have flown to? Why in God's name would that idiot airport police officer keep being as beligerent and unhelpful as possible in such an emergency situation? Even John McClain couldn't believe that all these things were happening to him once again, right before Christmas.

So yeah, the filmmakers were asking for a pretty huge suspension of disbelief this time around. I have to say that I Iiked the original Die Hard a lot better. The plot made more sense and the villians were much more likeable. More explosions doesn't automatically make a better movie.

Like a lot of other reviewers have said, First Blood wasn't at all what I expected to be. This isn't a typical 80's action movie. It has a heart and a message that elevates it beyond its explosions and gunshots.

Who knew that Sly Stalone had this kind of a performance in him? Maybe his breakdown scene could have been done a little better, but for the rest of the movie he does a great job of portraying Rambo well, as neither a hero or a villian. He's a man who has scene a lot of terrible things, done some himself, and seen his friends die in front of him.

First Blood was the very best kind of surprise; a good one. I really want to see the other Rambo movies to see if they continued to be as good as the first.

The Godfather was one of the dew mafia movies that I was interested in seeing, and it didn't disappoint. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino were both fantastic.

I didn't like this as much as the first Godfather movie. The parts about young Vito were not as interesting as I was hoping for, and the Las Vegas and Cuba storylines weren't as enthralling as the New York-based plot of the original. I also thought that the movie suffered from losing so many of the original's best characters. Still, the movie ended very strongly, and Al Pacino was very good once again.

I'm not too sure about how authentic these "true events" actually are, but The Mothman Prophecies manages to be moderately interesting. At least it got Richard Gere out of rom-com territory and introduced me to the milf-tastic Laura Linney.

Once I accepted the fact that the movie wasn't going to be scary in any way, I could focus on the unraveling mystery of what the hell was going on with the weird events and sightings going on in the small town of Point Pleasant. I can't say that everything was explained to my satisfaction, but the impressive sequence at the end of the movie made it worth the time for me. If you can adjust to the fact that this is not a horror movie, then maybe it will be worth the time for you, too.

Point Break is one of the few "surfing" movies that I've seen, and it is definitely pretty far out there. Sure, some of it doesn't make any sense, but it's really just an excuse to see some stunts and some surfing. An Oscar-worthy screenplay isn't exactly a requirement for that.

After seeing it, I can now say that young Keanu and present day Keanu have the same amount of acting ability. I can also say that I've seen Gary Busey in something besides Entourage. Add in the hilarious "shooting in the air and screaming" scene, and you've got a 3 star movie.

Unfortunately, I had seen the end of Se7en before I saw the rest of the movie, so a lot of the impact of the finale was ruined. Still, I can see how a fan of police thrillers would really love this movie. It uses the hook of the seven deadly sins very well, and a lot of the ideas used in the deaths of the victims seem like they could have been the inspiration for the Saw franchise.

Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman did very well with their roles, though both of them are basically treading ground that they've already covered before. Gweynth Paltrow doesn't have as much of a role in the story as I think the importance of her character warrants, but she still managed to make a positive contribution to the movie, however. On the other hand, I HATED Brad Pitt's character. he annoyed me throughout the entire movie. He was even more useless as a police officer than Dennis Franz's character in Die Hard 2, and I thought that was impossible.

I really wish that I could have seen Se7en without already knowing the ending, because I love those kinds of screwed up surprises. Still, I ended up enjoying the movie, despite my lack of surprise. Someone with a particular affinity for these kinds of movies would probably enjoy it even more.

Top Gun is 50% awesome and 50% pure cheese. This movie takes a horribly cliche story and covers it with all the things that make little boys want to be jet pilots when they grow up. Cool names like Maverick and Iceman, awesome aviator glasses, sweeping shots of jets screaming through clear blue skies, and Danger Zone playing every five minutes....what's not to love? Well, like I said earlier, the story that goes along with all the cool stuff can't quite keep up to speed. There's something about a girl and a dad and a tragedy, blah blah blah. It's all just filler to get from one scene with jets to the next.

Another charming Pixar film. Who would have thought that a rat could be lovable?

I liked this movie. It's a love letter to anyone who enjoyed the music of the early 70's, or even is just curious about it. I didn't know that it was a semi-autobiographical story until after I had seen it, but that fact helps explain how genuine the movie is.

Cameron Crowe must really know how to get the best out of his actors, because they all really shine, here. Kate Hudson, in particular, is just amazing in a few key scenes. It really makes me wish that she would someday work with another director who can get this kind of a performance out of her, because she clearly has the talent.

Billy Crudup and his fellow bandmates really gave off the "rockstar" vibe, which the movie wouldn't have worked nearly as well without. Hoffman and McDormand were also as good as you would expect them to be. As brief as Zooey Deschanel's role was, I think it might be one of my favorite performances from her. Young Patrick Fugit is the centerpiece of the movie, and he occupies the character as well as anyone could have done. It was well-suited to him.

These kinds of movies might not be perfectly suited to everyone, but it certainly struck a chord with me. Cameron Crowe is now officially on my radar.

I'm relatively new to these English historical dramas, but I've seen enough to know a good one after I've watched it. The Other Boleyn Girl is pretty good, but it suffers from overly simplistic and two-dimensional characters.

Everyone in the movie seems to possess only one or two characteristics. King Henry is lustful and easily manipulated. Anne is ambitious and vengeful. Mary is sweet and loves her family to a fault. I don't know how true the movie is to actual history, but I doubt that these people were as emotionally shallow as they seemed here.

Scarlett and and Natalie make a good on-screen pair, and both are easy on the eyes in their period clothing. My opinion of which was the more beautiful changed from scene to scene. Check this out if you enjoy either of the actresses or you like a period drama that's not necessarily epic, but is fairly interesting.

I'm not the biggest fan of crime dramas, but I can certainly recognize a good one when I see it. Heat easily falls into that category. It's remarkable that such a long movie could never feel dull or drawn-out, but Heat manages that feat with little effort.

I called it a crime drama, but the actual crimes themselves receive relatively little of the movie's focus. Sure, when the action scenes occur they are very well done, but it's not hard to see that the private lives of the main characters are the real substance of the story. Thankfully, the actors assembled here are more than equal to the task. If you've wanted a thoughtful look at the other side of life for a dedicated cop or a wily thief, then you'll greatly enjoy Heat.

It's simple. If you like action movies AT ALL, then you should watch Hard-Boiled. It's two hours of stylish mayhem, wrapped around a serviceable story.

The gunplay and stunts really are remarkable. Shotgun blasts explode like rockets. No one gets shot only once, usually it's 8 or more times. Slo-motion is used in such a cool way, that it makes the very idea of it fresh again. Don't let the subtitles keep you from this action classic.

THIS is what I call an action movie. Speed is relentless. This isn't about plot or character development, it's about rushing breathlessly from one extreme situation to the next. 

All of the action sequences work well, even as they get more and more outrageous. Keanu Reeves is well-suited to this kind of role, because it doesn't require deep, emotive acting. He just reacts to every new situation, and this is the kind of thing that I think he's best at. Speed really does have the perfect name. Don't watch it for any other reason than a quick visual adrenaline rush.  

As usual, I have to start my review of any Nick Cage movie by reiterating how much I dislike him as an actor. He simply plays the same exact person in every role I've seen him in, and that person is Nick Cage. I can't even tell if he's a good actor or not, because he never attempts to act.

Anyway, I'll try to focus on the actual movie now. I actually liked it for what it was, and the car chases near the end of the movie were pretty exciting. Most of the actors seemed to be hamming it up and enjoying their extremely one-dimensional characters, so I won't be harsh on that aspect of the film. Angelina Jolie was absolutely wasted, though. How did they manage to make her look so unattractive? The phrase "crack whore" came to my mind several times during her scenes.

In short, the story is just there to serve as an excuse to see the pretty cars, Nick Cage doesn't exert himself by any means, and I was mildly entertained.

Coraline is a modern day, adult fairy tale. Neil Gaiman is known for his imaginative, genre-bending tales, and Coraline is no exception. It shifts in tone from whimsical to frightening to somber, but it's all presented in a truly engaging manner.

Even if the story wasn't as good as it is, Coraline would be worth seeing for its strikingly beautiful art style and fluid animation. It's different from that used in The Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse Bride, but it does remind one of them.

Kids may like this film for its pretty images, but it lacks the snappy humor and wackiness that many modern fairy tales have. It takes a older child or an adult to appreciate the subtleties, melancholic sensibilites, and depths of Coraline.

The Watchmen film adaptation is both helped and hurt by its cool trailer and its source material. The trailer was amazing enough to encourage those with no previous knowledge of the graphic novel (like me) to check it out before the movie was released. Unfortunately, this only served to raise my expectations a bit higher than they would have been if I would have gone into the experience completely fresh.

Taken for what it is, Watchmen is a laudable effort. While a few key scenes and important plot points ended up on the cutting room floor, that's more of a reflection of how well-written the source material is, rather than gaffs by Zach Snyder.

The narrative and overall flow suffers the most from the necessity of having a reasonable running time. At times the movie just feels like it's a string of cool events that are taken directly from the comic frames, separated by a bastardization of the rest of the story. But then again, once I think of how complex the story is to begin with, it's easier to give credit to it being handled the way that it was.

The acting was ok for the most part, by the end of the movie I had basically accepted everyone in their roles. Dr. Manhattan, Laurie and Dan took some adjusting too, while Rorschach, Adrian Veidt and Edward Blake were more of a natural fit. Some of the dialogue that works so well on the printed page seemed a bit clunky on the screen, but that's to be expected. Watchmen was written as a comic book, not a play.

I think that open-minded newcomers who watch Watchmen stand a pretty decent chance of liking it. It works fairly well as a superhero movie, even without all its depth and complexity. Watchmen veterans, on the other hand, will just have to come to terms with the fact that while the movie wasn't perfect, it will be very difficult to make a better version of Watchmen. Perhaps we should enjoy what we have, changes and all, and just be grateful that this movie was even made. Don't expect perfection from the Watchmen film adaptation, that's what the graphic novel is for.

Funny and action-packed.

Great movie, one of Denzel's best.