The Kids Are All Right (2010)

This is one of those movies that I liked immediately and know that I will only love more with repeated viewings.

There's just so much going on here -- such richness from everyone single one of the five principals. And although no one can be faulted for their acting, Annette Bening just WOWED me. Her temper and pride just a thin sheen over her vulnerability...I mean, seriously. Wow.

The film is just chock-full of moments of beauty and humor that served a story that is both powerful and authentic. A simply terrific film.

A

Nine (2009)

Not the disaster I was expecting.

Still, the story is about a guy and the women he uses and the plain fact is that this particular guy is neither interesting nor sympathetic enough to warrant being the center of attention. There were a few songs -- Guido's opening number and both of Cotillard's, to be specific -- that were at least somewhat affecting.

Overall: meh.

C-

Manhunter (1986)

William Petersen's brooding know-it-all profiler goes after a family killer, chats up the imprisoned Hannibal Lektor (no, I don't have any idea why the spelling's different here than in Silence of the Lambs) and, generally, made made us giggle with all of his intense monologues.

The movie's not terrible, but the soundtrack truly is.

C+

Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)

James Nesbitt knocked my socks off with his portrayal of a bitter man who, as a child, witnessed the politically-motivated murder of his brother 33 years prior. During those years, he's watched his parents fall apart, been assigned blame that wasn't his, and generally simmered in anger while the murderer (Liam Neeson) has served his time and is now a highly-sought and well-respected speaker on the topic of mindless violence. The victim has finally been given the chance to confront his brother's killer for a television interview and he's rather eager for it.

I don't think the second half quite lived up to the power of the flashback and then interview preparation. The storyline takes a bit of a turn into message-movie territory -- you know, "let go and move on" -- but it's still well worth seeing.

B

Inception (2010)

This just didn't live up to the hype.

Although the "hacking into dreams to steal secrets" premise is really cool and the manipulation-of-scenery visuals were stunning, those elements of the film got shafted in favor of "don't steal...plant" and "conjure up guns and make this dream an action movie instead of sticking with the FRESH stuff." I mean, whose bright idea was it to make the timelines of the embedded dreams the focus -- as if that was the big hook?? I mean, I'm not saying it wasn't clever, but I am saying that my favorite parts were all about the visual.

Wound up just being an "eh" after my initial "oooooh."

B-

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

It felt really odd to have voodoo play such a large part in this story aimed at children (at least I think that would be the target demographic). The main "trick" of the movie has the Prince Charming fellow imprisoned as a frog while someone takes his form by wearing a pendant full of the prince's blood. Um....

But without the voodoo stuff, the story is just plain weak. We're given no reason to believe that the frog nee human couple would even tolerate each other, let alone fall in love. And the animal sidekicks come off as stupid/desperate rather than naive/charming.

A boring misfire.

C-

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

A mess from start to finish. It's through-sung, but the music sucks both lyrically and melodically. The best...well, let's say least annoying...song starts with the lyrics "I'm infected. I'm infecTED by your genetics!" That's not gonna make it onto too many mix CDs.

It's grimy and ridiculous and doesn't bother to make a whole lot of sense. And it stars Paris Hilton (as an actor, not a character)-- but her face falls off at one point, so there's that.

D

Music From Another Room (1998)

I have no idea what type of person could read this script and say "I've got to be involved in this movie!"

I guess it's supposed to feel like an epic romance. See, at five years old, the guy (grown-up version played by Jude Law) helped deliver the girl by using his little hands to unwrap the umbilical cord from her neck. Right then and there, he declares he's going to marry her. Huh? What five year old has marriage on the brain? Unfortunately, the girl turns out to be Gretchen Mol: a tightly wound bore whose defining characteristic seems to be poor acting.

Listen, we all say some stupid shit when we're kids. Yeah, it'd be a cool story if you wound up getting with her, but when the object of your childhood verbal betrothal turns out to be, you know, a shrew, just chalk it up to youthful babblings and move on, pal.

D+

Taken (2009)

Tough little father-rescues-daughter movie. Good twist to have the father as a trained professional in tracking and recovery so there's a lot less emotion and a lot more ass-kicking.

It was pretty much what I expected it to be.

B

Death at a Funeral (2007)

One of those "lots of wacky things happen" movies that just doesn't pay off at all. Veered too far into obnoxious and unbelievable.

D+

Persuasion (1995)

Gary and I kept looking at each other and exclaiming things along the lines of "what the HELL is happening??" The production (and, possibly, the source material) kept us in the dark for most of the story, only explaining the obscure actions of main characters in the last 10 minutes or so. This resulted in the aforementioned outbursts and honest questions like "Why is she such a pill around him?" and "Why did he just do that?"

I was almost annoyed to have to wind up kind of liking the story because I spent so much of my time confused. Sure, it all made sense after you know some backstory, but this isn't the Sixth Sense, people. If I want a twist that makes me go "Oh!" I don't generally look in the literary adaptations for it. And, to be fair, I didn't feel as though I was being jacked around in Sixth Sense like I did during this movie.

One other mark against it: the leading lady was dull as dishwater. The fact that her family treated her as though she was below them would've been reprehensible if it weren't for the fact that she seemed to behave as though she was there as a willing doormat.

C+

Bright Young Things (2004)

We follow a group of privileged (for the most part) young adults as they flit from party to party -- no true relationships in sight. What I think was supposed to be funny wasn't very and what I suppose was meant to be touching wasn't either...it just felt false and forced from start to finish.

Two good things: 1) there was a particularly lovely bit of acting by James McAvoy when he was begging for invite after being banned from a party (embedded below) and 2) David Tennant! Even though he was playing a character we were all supposed to dislike for his milquetoastiness and for stealing away the girl from our "hero," I just love him so there.

As a whole, it was lazy and whatever big points Waugh may have made in his novel were completely lost in transition to screen.

C-