Jurassic Park (1993)

Really holds up well, which is surprising considering the age of the special effects. Most scenes look great still and the action is just heart-pumping. Not really a whole lot of story…people go to a dinosaur park, dinosaurs get out, people try to survive...but, hey, it works.

B+

Bad Santa (2003)

We saw the "Badder Santa" version.

A true original. Cops out a bit at the end (I won't say how for fear of spoilers), but really worked for Gary and me. We laughed hard -- sometimes out of sheer shock -- but always with thorough enjoyment.

That kid is quite a find, too. What a doll.

B+

The Italian Job (1969)

Yawn. I kept thinking "it's boring now, but once the actual heist begins, things'll really pick up." Nope. Things get a tad less boring…but that's not really the same thing, now, is it?

C-

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Completely disposable, but lots of big laughs. Vince Vaughn excels at playing average, likable guys and Justin Long plays himself to great success. In all, a stupid movie that does its job.

Biggest complaint is Ben Stiller's character...does he have to be pathetic, an asshole AND an idiot? Wouldn't any two of the three have served just fine?

C+

The Broadway Melody (1929)

Compared to the other duds I've seen from this year, it's not bad. No one seems completely comfortable with their lines & some of the acting is a tad histrionic -- but the story's fine, though stretched about 40 minutes too long. And boy…I was born about 60 years too late. My thighs apparently woulda fit right into a chorus line if I'd been alive back then!

C

Hudson Hawk (1991)

When Gary and I saw this in the theater, we both thought it was tons of fun and gave it thumbs up. We have since been shocked time and time again by the passion with which people trash this film. I was wondering if it would hold up when we saw it on tape with our boys more than 10 years later -- it does. Our kids enjoyed it and I was, once again, giggling through so much. Sandra Bernhard just kills me and Bruce Willis does his Moonlighting schtick to great effect. Even Andie MacDowell kinda doesn't suck and that's really saying something! I mean, how can you NOT crack up at the crucifix intercoms in the Vatican? Genius!

B-

Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)

The worst: the kids playing Sam & Sally (Dickie's surrogate sister & brother) -- horrible, horrible actors. The best: the child star anthem that ends the film.

Some of the in-between stuff falls flat and the premise is fundamentally stupid -- but for all its problems, it's surprisingly good-natured and fun.

C+

Bubba Ho-Tep (2003)

An extremely clever idea (Elvis traded places with an impersonator and is still alive in a southern rest home) nearly ruined by using it as a springboard for a schlocky mystical horror movie.

Still - some extremely funny lines ("I'm thinkin' with sand here") and game performances make it worthwhile. Gary loved it.

C+

The Station Agent (2003)

Small, possibly great, film about a dwarf who prefers solitude to the company (and stares) of others but can no longer maintain his distance when he moves to a new town and is dragged into relationships he doesn't think he wants. It's wonderful to see him grow into being needed and realizing his own need. Bobby Cannavale (Joe, the Hot Dog Stand operator) is a fantastic find.

A-

M. Hulot's Holiday (1955)

A series of sight gags filmed almost silently…only some of which are even mildly amusing. Most are of the Mr. Bean variety, but played too gently to really take off. Not my thing.

D+

Two for the Road (1967)

Eccchhh. We see the couplehood of a horrid pair in disjointed flashback (covering three periods plus the present). Kind of a neat device, but the leads are thoroughly unlikable. I hated this film.

D-

Great Expectations (1998)

Chris Cooper's marvelous as Uncle Joe -- but that's about the only bit worth a poo in this film. Gwyneth & Ethan seem self-conscious and wooden; the story cold and uninvolving. A waste of time.

D+

Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)

Amazing film marred only by Errol Morris's occasional need to flick through images at a seizure-inducing speed. McNamara is a gifted speaker and a sympathetic man…I actively wish him well.

A

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Stunning cinematography - an absolutely gorgeous film. But a film can only get *so* far on good looks. Vermeer's wife was insufferable, as was Vermeer himself most of the time. Johansson is lovely, but everyone's behavior (except Wilkinson's) was so muted and melancholy that it rather dragged. More art -- less forced drama, please.

B-

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

A better movie by far than the first two. Beautifully shot and Cuaron seems to understand that Rupert Grint should be on-screen as little as possible -- quite an improvement this time around. The effects and casting were marvelous and this was a joy to watch. I was a little disappointed that they didn't delve into the story of the deep friendship shared by James Potter, Lupin, Black and Pettigrew and the meaning of the names "Mooney, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs" and the whole reason for the shrieking shack/marauder's map...which are all *huge* bits of story to overlook -- but, in all, I was surprised to like it as much as I did.

B

Spartan (2004)

First half good - but it all goes downhill once Val goes rogue. Comes complete with bad guy explaining everything while stalking the good guy, though. That's always good for a laugh.

C+

Wake Island (1942)

Wartime quickie about a ragtag group of marines and civilian contractors hanging tough defending a little island against Japanese barrage. Fails in most respects, but most notably in its stabs at comic relief and sentimentality. Pretty crappy.

D-

Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)

Bonnie & Steve are good - but the story is just not there. Starts out kinda funny & then gets all wimpy and serious. The next-door neighbors are seriously underutilized -- that could have been comic gold!

In a word: eh.

C