Welcome to my movie reviews! My kristyscale is 1-100. As you probably can tell, these choices are relative depending on my mood. My old reviews are in the archives, sort of divided by genre. A more user friendly version will be available soon enough.

These newer reviews can also be found on my myspace page, so apologies if you’ve already seen them!

 For older reviews, check out this link: ARCHIVIN’ IT UP, MOVIES THROUGH THE YEARS

MOVIE REVIEWS

22 Because I Said So You are thinking, is this a movie?  Because it probably lasted two weeks at the cineplex.  It is starring Mandy Moore and Diane Keeton, and I bought it on my "on demand" when I was a little tipsy on the 4th.  Completely sober, I don't think I would've made this mistake.  It is so rare to see a romantic comedy that is actually good.  I would venture to say it is one of the hardest kind of films to make because they usually ring absolutely false.  And unlike a great horror film or action movie, there is not enough visual stimulation (unless Diane Keeton in her underwear dancing around does something for you) to keep you from forgetting that the writing is not all that wonderful.  I used to love that string of romantic comedies Julia Roberts was in, but I think it was because I was totally charmed by everything she did. Mandy Moore is not quite so charming.  I think she is much better at playing evil (Saved!) than trying to be a goofball wedding caterer unlucky in love.  There are other actors in this--and some cute boys, at least, but nothing to save the dumb story.  In the end, Diane Keeton apparently ends up with the father of the guy that Mandy gets with, which is a little disturbing to me--and perhaps not legal?  The guy, of course, has an adorable son that he raises on his own.  My favorite part is Mandy's throw away line to her sister explaining to us why the mother is no longer in the picture, "I can't believe his wife like went crazy and left!"  And that was it.  Sounds like my explanation of past relationships.  It could've been OK except for the Jerry Maguire speech at the end (although let me say I am a big Jerry Maguire fan), when they guy says something about how he loves everything about Mandy---I wish I could tell you more details, but I guess my drinking affected my memory.  The speech ended with a kiss, though.  And the movie ended with a wedding!  And Diane Keeton having sex in a polka dot wedding dress.  I would stay away from this movie.    

60 Transformers It has not been an exciting summer of movies for me.  Now I am just killing time until The Simpsons finally opens at the end of the month.  Like any 8 year old girl with an older brother, I played with transformers and was fascinated by the things.  Move this here, that over there, and look= it's a robot!!!  My barbie couldn't even bend a knee---but these guys, amazing!  I remember watching the animated cartoon as well, and I was eager to see how it would all play out on the big screen.  My biggest complaint, as usual, is the length.  If you're making a silly robot movie all about special effects, you DO NOT need to make it 2 1/2 hours long.  If you make a movie about transformers battling each other, they should battle EACH OTHER much much more.  And with all the acclaim for the action sequences, I haven't read a review yet that mentions how hard it is to keep track of what exactly is happening with all the close ups of metal on metal.  I rate a great action scene is one that builds, that continues to surprise and amaze...not one in which downtown L.A. is recklessly stepped upon and mowed down by crazy robots in a matter of seconds.  Wait a minute, that does sound fantastic now that I have it in writing. But this movie isn't bad.  I was captivated everytime it showed the transformations, anytime there were full body shots of the robots walking around.  Anytime the robots said anything, I was charmed by their campy dialogue and deep voices.  They really were a spectacle. Ugh, the human stories were OK in the beginning, typical of any Independence Day, Armageddon, etc...and there are some great actors here: Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro (this man is wonderful in everything he does...I recommend the underrated Unstrung Heroes), Jon Voight (who honestly, was more interesting in that snake movie with J. Lo many years back), and of course, a small part by Bernie Mac.  And all this narrative wasn't bad, it just went on TOOOO long.  More robots!  More robots! I did have a good time watching this.  Michael Bay isn't the greatest with putting heart into a movie, but he is good at making slick films that look good.  You should see it if you're into big summer movies.  I'm guessing it's going to be a much better bang for your buck than Rush Hour 3.    

48 Surf’s Up I know, I should be watching Sicko or Transformers or something, but I went to see this with my nephew & the previews were pretty good.. It wasn't great.  I love the concept of doing an animated 'mockumentary' style film...well, I love the idea of one done well...but the writers must have been so busy being clever with their documentary funny bits that they forgot to include a story.  The voices were pretty terrific...I mean, James Woods...'nough said.  My brother has the amazing ability to immediately tell whose voice belongs to what actor in any animated picture.  My guess for every character, "Is that Zach Braff?" Apparently not.  Still, it is funny watching penguins surf.  Turns out, it is also funny watching chickens act like surfers.  And that is pretty much enough for my nephew, who seemed to be more absorbed with the M&Ms he was allowed to order---asking his mom every two minutes "more M&Ms?" We had been watching The Lion King over and over again at home, and I miss animated movies like that.  It is beautiful just to watch...and then add the great story, wonderfully rich characters, and addictive songs...I am eager for something brilliant again soon.  This movie did have a fun, surfy kinda laid back soundtrack...every song sounding like Jack Johnson or Ben Harper.  There are definitely moments to smile and laugh at, but I wanted a little more heart and a lot more action (I don't mean that in a dirty way). 

33 Spiderman 3 Terrible.  The worst is that this movie was SO long, yet the action scenes made up only 20 minutes or so.  Every dramatic scene seemed to be frozen in time and then stretched out until I forgot what the scene was even about. Everyone seemed to be acting ridiculously emotional.  I think the latest Batman was successful in its attempt to focus on the emotional life of the lead character, but it just doesn't work for Spiderman.  He seems a little more goofy to me...or maybe that's Tobey Maguire.  And I think Kirsten Dunst reached her peak in Interview with a Vampire.  Her singing scenes are pretty funny, though. The action scenes were great--the villians, fun to watch...but surrounded by scenes with too much dialogue and too many forlorn looks.  It could've worked if it was about an hour shorter. I'd like directors to make each movie in a series shorter than the first.  I mean, really, there should be less to tell--not much exposition necessary...so let's just get right into it. Now, when is the simpson's movie coming out???

70 Knocked Up It always scares me when a movie gets nothing but glowing reviews.  Well, it doesn't scare me, but it makes me a little suspicious.  What I enjoy about other Judd Apatow movies/TV shows is that they sneak up on you.  40 Year Old Virgin wasn't getting "this is the best comedy of the decade" reviews, and so when I saw it--it felt like a nice surprise.  Even with my high expectations, I had a really good time watching this.  Paul Rudd, who I fell in love with during Clueless & am SO happy he's in fine form right now--he was the highlight of this movie for me.  His scene in the Las Vegas hotel room was genius...and that was definitely all about the way he played it.  The cast was really solid all the way around---the "buddies"---I found out two of them were on Freaks and Geeks, a wonderful TV show that was cancelled way too soon---anyway, good to see them acting.  Oddly enough, the main storyline was the least interesting for me.  Or seemed the hardest to believe.  And the reviews are saying how "true" the relationships are portrayed---I felt like Paul Rudd's marriage was more compelling than the pregnant girl storyline...and you could still tell the story was written by a man.  Yes, the woman is the one with the high-powered job and heart of gold, but somehow the man is the hero of the story--because he's willing to change a little bit for fatherhood (ie rent a cheap apartment & read a baby book)---but not TOO much...meanwhile this girl is working non-stop until the baby pops out--and must learn to love the guy "just the way he is," bongs and all. Nothing wrong with that, but I wouldn't say it's more geared to women than any other boy's club comedy.  Not that I don't enjoy it, but I'd like to see what the story would look like if a woman wrote it--might have some more dynamic women characters---other than the ones that just roll their eyes at the boys' behaviors & nag them all the time...OK, that was my only issue--and that's less with the film itself and mostly with some of the reviews I read.  I think the dialogue is super witty and fresh--and unlike what we see in most movies today...Apatow definitely takes risks with the audience...and I like that.  He mixes all kinds of comedy in the movie--pop culture references, frat boy humor, high on mushrooms humor...and it flows together really well. It's gotta be the funniest thing out right now.  And I'm looking forward to seeing Paul Rudd play more "young father" roles very soon.  He's hilarious, charming, and I'm still in love.

64 Jesus Camp   This is one of the documentaries that was nominated for best doc at the Oscars this year, so of course I was excited to see it. I had recently watched another documentary on HBO --Friends of God--and they both turned out to have the same message...but this move showed more of the kids’ perspective. I can’t say it was entirely shocking. It was surprising to see how many of these kids were being home-schooled by their parents because the parents don’t want strangers teaching their kids. The downside to this, of course, is that the kids hear one way of thinking their whole life & are not taught to be critical thinkers. Somehow, the parents in this film think critical thinking would lead to the kids going down the “wrong path” (they might believe in evolution! oh no! they might read Harry Potter! Ahhhhhh!), but I completely believe that students should be taught--not a doctrine--but the tools to be able to read and critically analyze all the different media texts that they seek out. Then they will make their own decisions. It is weird that this seems so obvious to me, but that a great number of people in the country don’t think this way--and they insist on bringing religion into the front lines of our government...well not just religion, but their religion. And that is the scary part. 

52 Half Nelson   I was so eager to see this crack head teacher movie. I am really impressed with Ryan Gosling, and I love teachers who teach in the inner-city. What is not to like? I forgot my problem with drug movies. Most of the time, it appears that the director is also high the entire film-making process...or because it’s a movie about drug abuse, it doesn’t have to entirely make sense. Or talk about why he actually does drugs in the first place. It was not happy. I guess Gosling did an interesting job with the character, but who knows--he was on crack the whole time! I have no idea what that is like, so I’m guessing he did a good job. The girl playing the student in this is just wonderful--as is her drug dealing friend. But the movie was completely depressing in a way that I didn’t even understand.

56 Music and Lyrics   I wasn't even going to admit I saw this, but how could you NOT go see a Hugh Grant movie? And Drew Barrymore? Hello= so likable. It's movies like this that frustrate me the most--you see that the actors are really talented & their lines are still falling flat. I spent most of the movie wishing they would try the whole thing again with a better script. Also, they spent most of the film working on one song--a song I couldn't get out of my head for the rest of the day because we had to listen to it SO many times. The horrifying thing is that this soundtrack is one of the top sellers on itunes. What? I do like Hugh and Drew falling for one another...I have no idea what their character names were, because they were really just themselves...Hugh a little stodgy...Drew vulnerable and adorable. And such pretty people. I actually think Drew is growing as an actress & seems perfect now in these romantic roles. Hugh is getting older, but it still looks great on him. I still think his best work was in About a Boy a few years ago. You do not need to see this movie, but you probably already knew that. I sort of love the early spring because it's the only time you really see these cornball romantic movies in theatres--the kind you forget in a week, but still a fun way to pass the time on a Saturday afternoon.

80 Zodiac   WOW. I cannot believe I went to a 10:50 showing of this & survived. This movie is long, but I stayed interested in it through most of it (the last section was a little of a let down). I love David Fincher & his passion for creepy, violent, sadistic stories...and really, no one does it better. Serial killers are always a weird fascination, and I went into this not knowing any of the story...so it was quite captivating. Unlike many of the 'horror' films that are coming out these days, Fincher managed to capture some really creepy moments...setting up some incredibly suspensful scenes--I LOVED it. He shoots things really beautifully & in fresh ways...stabbing becomes art! And the construction on the building to show time passing=so cool. But good thing it was based on a true story, otherwise, it would be an unsatisfying film in some ways. I liked the way it showed how messed up cases become just because of jurisdiction issues...you get the feeling this happens all the time with cases. The actors were all really solid...I forgot I missed Anthony Edwards from ER until he showed up in this film. Mark Ruffalo is always a favorite for me...Robert Downey is really unique and quirky, as usual. I think we could've shaved a good half hour off of this thing, but I think the time spent in the theatre helped show how LONG this case went on...I mean, it's still open today! Favorite line of dialogue: "Before I kill you, I'm going to throw your baby out the window." Favorite creepy moment: Jake G. and the organist from the theatre. Keep making movies like this, Fincher. nice work.

80 Unreasonable Man   This is the Ralph Nader documentary, and I was completely fascinated by it. I have followed him only from a distance...and it's why I love a good documentary. It can really get inside in a way stories in the press never can. All of it was completely interesting-his early work up until the backlash for running in both 2000 and esp. in 2004. The climax was that moment in the doc where we really hear people turning on him. I don't care, I love the guy. If you want to see a contradiction, watch Michael Moore's beliefs reverse before your eyes in this thing. In 2000, telling us to vote with our hearts. In 2004, telling us not to vote for Nader because it will only make us feel "warm inside" for five minutes. Nader has conviction, and I love when he says he did not lose the race for the democrats...and another guy says "they just ran a *hitty campaign." This doc. had great interviews--most importantly, with Nader and his followers...but also journalists, politicians, Phil Donahue (?). And some great historical footage. Also, I fell in love with one of his campaign organizers and must go start my googling search of him now! See this movie! It really hits on some of the criticism of the whole two party thing...as well as corporate control of the government.

68 Who Killed the Electric Car? I know, I’m in a documentary phase. Apologies to those who were expecting a review of that Diane Keeton movie. This is a slightly boring topic to me, so I was interested in how the film was going to try to captivate while educationg me. It really was an interesting history, though, and they really went all the way with the car as person metaphor (even had a funeral for the cars!). It does a good job of showing (in a way I can understand) how exactly different ‘suspects’ (government, oil companies, car companies, consumers) played a part in the demolition of bunches of perfectly awesome electric cars. But it’s still about a car, which could never be as interesting to me as a human story--although Mel Gibson talking about his electric car was pretty compelling. 

64 Friends of God This was on HBO...a documentary, or “travelogue” as it’s called. This is done by Alexandra Pelosi, who did that “Journeys with George” a few years back. Anyway, it’s an introduction to the world of evangelical churches...but at only an hour long, it’s barely an introduction. While I enjoy a short film, I really love a good, long documentary. There are some interesting moments here & characters--no doubt, but to form a fuller picture--I was really hoping for something more. There is a series on Sundance Channel following Jay Bakker (son of Tammy Faye and Jim) & his new rock’n’roll type ministry. For a few episodes, he enters into his father’s world & it’s really captivating and much more personal . Friends of God attempts to show how and why evangelicals are playing a part in our politics, but again, it didn’t take the time to really dig deeper & tell us something new.

78 United 93 I wasn’t all that interested in seeing this movie. It sounded depressing. But I thought it was extremely well done. It sounds like a TV movie--and I was wondering what would kick it up a notch to be an oscar kind of movie. First, the acting is pretty amazing. The pace is incredible--it builds this insane amount of tension & then ends the movie like a slap in the face. What I found most touching, though, was the shots of the hijackers saying prayers...next to shots of the passengers saying their own prayers. It really made you look beyond the obvious good guy/bad guy set up--and realize how messed up religion has become that people truly believe killing other people is somehow the ‘right’ thing to do. Depressing, yes, but it also gets to the core of what went down on 9/11.  

68 Little Children This movie is based on a Tom Perrotta novel of the same name. He’s a really great author, and I’ve enjoyed all of his stuff. I read this several years ago, so of course forgot most of the plot. Even as I watched it, I really wasn’t sure what happened. I totally had blocked out the sexual predator stuff--which is an integral part of the movie. Oops. Anyway, to the film. The voiceover angered me--the author co-wrote the screen play, and it seems like he felt like it needed some descriptive narration to tie it together. But it just takes away from the acting--which is terrific all over. The “prom king” father is HOT. I’m not sure about his acting, but he does have a six pack. Kate Winslet--when is she not great? Jennifer C.--all I ever notice about her in any movie is her eyebrows. They mesmerize. There is virtually no arch in them--but they are beautiful. Her acting? I guess that was good, too. And the creepy child molester guy? VERY convincing. His mom was so awesome. The movie reminded me so much of Happiness.  Perhaps it was the masturbation scenes. I’m still not convinced this worked as a film. Like many book to movie transistions-- esp. well written books, it just doesn’t quite translate. My best guess is that the theme tying all the stories together is the desire to fit the mold and the ever-present desire to rebel against it--battling it out in all of these suburban lives. I’m glad I live in the city. This is a dark movie and can wait for rental. I enjoyed it, though.

60 The Pursuit of HappYYYYYYYYYYYYness

Yes, it’s a Y folks, not an I…got it? If not, don’t worry, it’s mentioned several times in this film. Before I start complaining, I’m going to say that Will Smith and his son are both wonderful in this movie. His son is not the typical child actor—he makes some unpredictable choices—perhaps because that’s how kids are & it might be easier since he’s acting with his dad. Also, he’s adorable without milking it—making him all the more adorable. And I have always enjoyed Will Smith—the black Tom Hanks—it doesn’t matter if the movie is horrible (Wild Wild West) or not, he’s good times. So here’s a grown up role, and it works for him. Unfortunately, I thought the movie was pretty slow moving. This is probably because hardly anything happens. If you’ve seen the preview, well, you’ve seen the movie. The movie is an extended version—yes, he’s homeless & interning at a big shot business—a true story & one I had already familiarized myself with. I wanted to see it move beyond the homeless story towards the end, but no such luck. I guess that’s the sequel. And the voice overs I didn’t like. I’m usually a fan, but I think these were super ridiculous (“This part of the story is called ‘internship”---ugh, thanks for clarifying). 

89 Dreamgirls

 I’ve been looking forward to this movie for quite awhile. I must admit I’ve been disappointed about movies this year. I’m sure there was some good stuff out there, but because of my own schedule, I tended to miss ones I wanted to see & instead saw lots of crappy things. But I was here, in downtown Houston, with my eternal movie-going buddy on opening night for this one. Unfortunately, no one told the projectionist that surround sound might be useful for a MOVIE MUSICAL. Yup, no surround sound, so the first thing I will say is that I’m going to see the movie again. There’s been tons of buzz for this thing—and I was already blown away by Beyonce’s performance of “Listen” on Oprah—and have downloaded some of the music before seeing it. I’ve never seen the musical before, though, so I went in with a pretty open mind. I really enjoyed myself. First off, I love movies that are an event—packed crowd just waiting to LOVE a movie—talking back at the screen, bursting out in applause…this is why Netflix will never do for me what going to the movies can. Not that I want every movie to be an event—it’s a whole other feeling to watch a weird indie film in a deserted theater—and can be just as rewarding. Anyway, back to the movie. It’s very melodramatic, but it’s honest about that—and so once you buy into it—I mean, it’s a musical!—you can really start to enjoy it. I think Chicago did a better job of taking the musical numbers from stage to screen in a way that added to the musical. Dreamgirls’ songs feel a little detached from the characters sometimes—as my friend said, he wished some of the songs were “acted” in the scenes instead of “performed.” And I agree. Sure, it’s a little cheesy—but it is also why Hudson’s “And I am telling you” brings the house down—while Beyonce’s “Listen” is just a good performance. Now to the actors. Eddie Murphy is extremely satisfying in this role. It’s hard to describe how he plays it—but it’s both hilarious and devastating at the same time. Goofy fun with lots of sadness underneath—an amazing actor—you can tell he’s taking risks & they pay off—so many subtle and not so subtle choices that make him really watch-able. Beyonce is good—she looks more bland in this movie than in her music…I guess that is part of the character and part of the writing, but there’s nothing bad in her performance. Jamie Foxx: again, nothing wrong & he plays a good bad guy…but he was never very likable—maybe in a couple of the scenes at the beginning, so it was hard for me to understand why the girls let him have so much control over them. Jennifer Hudson IS this movie. She’s terrific in it. I’ve never seen a musical performance on screen that made my jaw drop & hit me on such an emotional level…it was filmed and acted beautifully—and impossible not to clap when it’s over. Her other songs are great, too—though I wish they would’ve moved her off that club stage & gave her some variety during her final tunes. Danny Glover—I didn’t even know he was in the film—he doesn’t have a huge part, but I think he was really great in it. The other dreamgirls…eh, who cares? Oh, the guy playing C.C.—I don’t know his name, but he was SO likable…so sweet. And a great singer. So, overall, a fun time at the movies. It’s the first time I ever would say I wish it was a little longer—or some of the side stories were cut…because I think it’s really important to build up to Beyonce’s and Hudson’s songs—so we can really feel them as part of the movie—not stand alone tunes. This is a great holiday movie, though, and I’m eager to see them take home some Oscars.

72 The Devil and Daniel Johnston

 A friend recommended this doc for me (it just came out on DVD), and I was eager to see it. I’ve never heard of Johnston—this odd “folk” singer with some mental issues—who really became big news in the Austin folk scene for a couple of years & Kurt Cobain became a big fan…anyway, it is for the most part, a really well done documentary. It helps that Johnston made endless tape-recorded letters and journals of his life—though the director never directly interviews Johnston, he captures him through these tapes and video of him—and of course, playing his music. He’s also quite the artist—and showing these works of art alongside his story really adds to the whole thing. The most heartbreaking part of the film is the parent and sibling interviews. Being a “crazy” artist can make you a star. But the toll mental illness takes on Dan and his family is just tragic. And you can literally see and hear the stages Dan goes through as his life progresses—he becomes increasingly more delusional…when you just thought he was kind of quirky and “spacey” early on in his career. I think it’s a really solid documentary—and you don’t have to be a fan of his music to appreciate the film.

28 A Night at the Museum

 This was such a crappy movie. CRAP. I don’t think you can make a movie based on a concept (“imagine if everything in the museum comes to life at night!!! Wouldn’t that be cool!!!”)—did any of these actors actually read the script? Because the story is so thin it’s almost not there at all—and certainly doesn’t engage the audience. I was looking at my watch so much at the end, I’m not even sure how the movie ended. Ricky G. of course made his part hilarious—because he’s a comic genius (and yes, I can’t wait for Extras to come back on HBO in a couple of weeks!)…everyone else---yawn! I’m so angry about this, I’m done with my review. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson---what were you thinking?

77 Little Miss Sunshine

 This got some fairly good reviews back when it came out, and I meant to see it—but I went to see Superman and other summer blockbusters instead. Now it’s out on DVD, so I had the opportunity to watch. It brought me back to my early infatuation with those smaller independent movies (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness)—strange, funny, dark, great acting, good writing, interesting characters, small stories. The actors I thought were amazing—casting was great. The writing was so good that it gave each character a certain amount of depth, humility, failure—and you wanted to cheer the family on through their journey. I only had a couple of issues with the film—the Grandpa bit (during the last half)—what was up with that? Stealing from Vacation? I didn’t feel it really fit with the film or was necessary. I also thought we could’ve gotten away from all the dark comedy & brought in a few lighter moments for the family to bond over. I did like the whole idea of chasing dreams—even if you don’t succeed—just the idea of always striving for what you really want…even if no one else ‘gets it.’ OR was it saying that life isn’t in the dreaming? It’s in the actual moments with people you love? Maybe this movie was too deep for me. You’ll like it, though. It’s funnier than I make it sound.