X-Men Origins: Wolverine

When the best movie of a franchise is not the first in the series, one is always hopeful that a new entrant will be worthwhile. Oh well.

Contraband

Engaging wartime "thriller" with all the British trappings of the era and the luxurious conventions of 1940s film-making. The kind of movie I start "just to see what it looks like" and end up watching until the end. Kind of like Hitchcock from the same era. A perfect specimen of a lovely old British spy movie from WWII.

Caprica

More William Gibson-esque than any movie actually based on his writings. It's a tv pilot, so it opens up plot-lines rather than tidily resolving them. And you'll have to wait until 2010 for episode 2. But that doesn't detract from enjoying it as a standalone movie.

I've Loved You So Long

A remarkable film that kept becoming more remarkable, days later.  I know of no better testament about getting through grief.

My first reaction was to admire the portrait, and find the reveal (not really a twist) to be gratuitous, or explain away the rest.  But my first reaction was wrong.

Doubt

Except for Viola Davis there is almost no "there" there. And she almost makes the watching worthwhile. Everyone else does their reverent best with what little they are given to work with.

Kudos for the translation from stage to location shooting. The film doesn't feel claustrophobic nor contrived in its settings. But it's still a play in the sense that it relies on a very theatrical set of innuendo to elicit its effect. And it doesn't.

Hairspray (2007)

Amy Adams should watch her back. Nikki Blonsky is the real deal.

The film? A snappy comedy about civil rights. I guess we will have to wait 40 years for the gay marriage musical that Main Street will embrace.