Movies

Hancock
I watched this with Nick and my brother. I think that of the three of us I was the one who was most awake, and even then I wasn't very. So maybe if I watched it while fully alert I would have enjoyed it more. It was a good movie, lots of really funny moments. But then the purpose seemed to get a bit confused. Is it about identity? Is it about loneliness? Is it about the best way to help your fellow man? I think it's about all of these things but it ends up too bogged down in its own invented mythology(which doesn't always make sense) to make a clear statement about any of them

My Fellow Americans
A slightly older movie that Nick and I borrowed from his Gramma. Two former presidents that hated each other (Jack Lemmon and James Garner) are being framed by the administration of the current president. As they are on the run they start to feel how their policies actually affected nation. Very funny movie. You really can't go wrong with James Garner after all. Enjoyable too if you are (like me) fed up with politics but still want to hope that someday everyone in Washington can get along, or at the very least respect one another.

The Dark Knight
I like Batman Begins a lot whenever I watch it. But it's never really left a memorable "Batman" impression on me. I think this is due to the Liam Neeson villain character. A vigillante in a bat-suit needs villains that are outrageous enough to make him seem normal.
Joker is perfect for this. The quintessential Batman villain. Heath Ledger's performance is incredible, and would have been memorable even if it weren't for the tragedy surrounding the actor. He is simply the beginning of why this is perhaps the best Batman movie of all time, and certainly better than Batman Begins.
The next reason is the replacement of Katie Holmes by Maggie Gyllenhaal as the character Rachel Dawes. Gyllenhaal has so much more presence as an actress. She is able to generate real emotion in both her character and in her viewers. She also brings a sharp intelligence to her roles which I enjoy.
The third reason is the way this film is set up. From the preview I expected the end of this movie to simply set-up for the next movie and the next villain. But it is all-inclusive instead. You aren't left hanging on the plot. The movie doesn't require you to have seen Batman Begins, and it doesn't require you to watch the next one to see all the loose threads wrapped up. What leads you to the next movie is watching the character grow.

In Bruges
Watched this movie with Nick and some friends on Saturday. Didn't know anything about it except that it involved some hitmen in Bruges. And that the opening credits suggested that it was a Focus Features film. That was pretty much enough to make me interested. I have yet to see a Focus film that I didn't like. In fact I've watched their Pride and Prejudice about four times in the past three weeks. And assassins seem to have the most interesting conversations.
This one didn't dissappoint, though I can't think of a single person I would recommend it to. It stars Ralph Fiennes, Brenden Gleeson, and Colin Farrel (in the first movie I've seen him in that was good and where he was good). Farrel plays a relatively new hitman, Gleeson is his handler, Fiennes is their boss. A job in London goes bad, and so Gleeson and Farrel are sent to Bruges (that's in Belgium) until things blow over. So there's a lot of sight-seeing, both enjoyable and boring. A bit of dating new people. The filming of a Belgian movie with midgets. Gunfights, and a really cool part where the character seems to walk into a Hieronymous Bosch painting we see at the beginning of the movie. The painting is described as purgatory, and when the character seems to walk among them we know that is where he is. A lot of discussion about the importance of principles. Like I said, a good movie in its way, but it is rated R for bloody violence, language, and pobably for drug use. So if you think all of those things would balance out then I suggest watching it. If you don't think you'd get it, feel free to stay away.

Enchanted
The only two people I know who wanted to see this movie were myself and my dad. So when I had a bad headache this weekend and Nick was going to rent movies with friends anyway he took pity on me and rented it. And even though he didn't want to see it, he still laughed quite a bit when he watched it with me. It's extroardinarily light-hearted and manages to be both a spoof on and homage to the old Disney classics at the same time. It isn't as good as any of the classics, but it's not bad either. Amy Adams is sweet as Giselle, the princess-to-be. James Marsden is ditzy but honest as the Prince Charming du jour. Susan Surandon is pretty good at being kinda scary in real life, so she had the perfect edge in her voice as the evil queen. Timothy Spall (aka Wormtail from the Harry Potter movies) seems to be trying to redeem his evil toadey persona. There's also this really sweet special effect that blends traditional 2-D animation with live action and an apple being seamlessly passed between the two. So I liked it. And my dad will probably like it when he gets to watch it too. And all the rest of you people who don't want to watch movies with Happily Ever Afters are just silly.