Listen up, knuckleheads… If you didn’t like this movie, you’re beyond help.

This movie just about perfectly succeeded in what it set out to do – bring Moe, Larry and Curly back to life just as we left them. It even comes with a completely inane plot. That was the entire point – of course it was stupid. That’s where the humor is, duh. It was just that kind of thing that made the original Stooges shorts so endearing; it was all so preposterous, one couldn’t help but laugh. Beyond that, I’ll just have to say that the physical humor of the Stooges – the pokes, the hits, the slips, etc. (both in the original and in this re-creation) was like dance or poetry… an art form completely unique to these three men. Sometimes, we just need to drop all our pompousness, and laugh at absurdity. And laugh I did!

I was always fascinated with the story of Joy Division, and specifically Ian Curtis – their singer who hung himself the night before they were set to go on their first US tour… just as the band was set to make a big splash. If you listen to Joy Division’s music, and then hear what happened, it’s not terribly shocking. Many of their best songs are just what you might imagine listening to as you sunk into bottomless despair. That emotion had to come from somewhere.

I can’t imagine this movie could have been done much better. It’s in black and white, which fits perfectly. It’s well directed, well written, and well acted. Ian is presented not as some kind of larger-than-life genius, but simply troubled and young; which I imagine was close to reality. Perhaps my only gripe with the movie, is that for all his troubles, he (the character in the movie) seemed rather happy-go-lucky, and somewhat together. The movie didn’t give me a sense that things were spinning out of control… then, they did.  But, maybe that’s how these things go… and I can’t complain much about it.

This is about as well-done of a documentary as I think one could make about the world of Beer Pong. It’s got all characters, drama, hope, victory, defeat, and beer. What’s not to like?

This is about as you’d expect… right down to the ultra-earnest warble of the lead character. Mostly, the movie sticks to the good-hearted, aw-shucks kind of themes… but now and then, it does veer into the real ugliness of war. Of course, you can guess the ending before you even sit down to watch it. So, is it good? Worth watching? you probably already know what this movie is like, so if you like that kind of thing… you’ll like it. If you think it’s going to be too sappy for your tastes, you’re probably right too.

This is one I liked more and more as it went along… It kept the entire story at a high-level… I rarely had the notion that I was watching a “kids movie”. The thing even starts off with a character being eaten. Other characters die along the way too; no kid gloves with this one! That’s part of what keeps it so engaging – you truly don’t know what’s going to happen next – anyone is fair game.

I also appreciated the way Rango didn’t have to start off as some wimp who finds his strength (which is a total cliche). Instead, he’s such a prodigious liar, the lie starts to become the truth. What a refreshing twist.

Jiro has devoted his life to being perfect at what he does. It so happens that what he does is make sushi. It can make you wonder though; is the purpose of our lives really to excel at a skill? To what end? I suppose that is one way to make the world a better place… to have a positive impact.

Anyway, the movie was fun to watch (a little repetitive at times – I mean, how many ways can you say someone’s sushi is great via the medium of film?), and an interesting study of a man who seems equal measures of humble and tyrannical.

The latest take on Snow White… and not bad, really. Yes, it was at times corny and predictable, with silly stuff targeted at kids, and cliched moments, etc… But, it did have its moments. The best bits were the costumes. One distracting thing however… throughout most of the movie the whole kingdom is covered in icy snow, yet nobody is cold – even when walking around with no clothes on. Hello? Was everyone involved in this movie born and raised in Southern California, and clueless as to what cold “is”?

Also, could have done without the Bollywood song/dance number in the closing credits – what was that about?

Wow. Not only was this a great story, it was written & filmed well… and delivered in a wrapper that actually made some sense. Count me among those who believe we don’t know the whole truth about who Shakespeare was. Was this the true story? Part of it? Possibly… Surely, I don’t believe all the details of this particular drama, but I think the premise holds a lot of merit. We hardly know the truth about events that have happened in our lifetime, and we’re supposed to believe that we know the truth about Shakespeare?

I was shocked to realize this was done by none other than Roland Emmerich. Huh?  Now I don’t know what to think of  him. Maybe someone else created the “Worst movie ever” (aka – Independence Day), and Roland Emmerich is a fraud?

This had some good moments, and a good message about always trying to find the next angle. Ultimately, we do get to see enough of the back story of Billy Beane to make sense out of his character.

But, I would have liked to know more about the Bean Counter (the Jonah Hill character – Peter Brand), he’s the one who really made the system work; Billy Beane just gave him a shot because he was desperate. Who was this kid? Why was he working in the bowels of the Cleveland Indians office? did he have any friends? family? Passions? Feelings? He just kind of stood around like none of that mattered. No knock on Jonah Hill, who I thought did a fine job, but I thought the script really short-changed his character.

When this came out, I was turned-off by the negative reviews. But, I do have a soft spot for birding, so I figured I’d give it a try… Wow – what a pleasant surprise! I’m not sure what it was the critics didn’t like. The movie had an interesting premise, good acting, a few laughs and a lot of charm. The characters were multidimensional – we got to see them work to balance their love of birding with the loves of their lives, and the movie just had a real good balance and pace. It’s hard to find honest, uplifting movies that aren’t totally sappy. This one delivers.

One other thing I really appreciated; this movie respected the audience. It wasn’t filled with ridiculous gags you don’t believe, and it didn’t resort to making up bird species with silly names.  The humor was thankfully reigned-in by honesty. And the little tidbits of truth thrown-in, like the Snowcocks in the Ruby Mountains (there is an established population of Himalayan Snowcocks only in the Ruby Mountains – and you can bet that any birder looking for species would seek them out), the trip to Atu, and the role the seasons & weather played in the plot… that is what made the movie. I just have to say “thank you” to everyone involved in this for making it right.