Traitor

Excellent movie!! Don Cheadle as a devout Muslim who leads a complex life while walking a fine line between his own beliefs and those of the terrorists he builds bombs for. Guy Peirce plays the FBI investigator trying to track him down. Jeff Daniels as an Intelligence operative. I don’t want to give away anymore. Just go see it. Very intense and exciting.

House Bunny

Anna Faris as a bunny booted from the Playboy mansion who finds a new home as a house mother for an unpopular sorority. It’s predictable but cute with some forced laughs. Hugh Hefner and his Girls Next Door make several appearances. Cute movie, but don’t race to the theater to see it.

Henry Poole is Here

Pretty good movie; Quirky and a little sad. Luke Wilson is a sad guy who buys a small stucco house and just wants to be left alone. When his nosey neighbor discovers a water stain on the side of his house that resembles a portrait of Jesus, she sneaks in her church buddies and her priest (George Lopez). People continue to sneak in and claim to receive miracle cures from the water stain. Poor Luke Wilson just wants them all to leave him and his home alone. It was cute, bittersweet, and I only recommend it for those who like quirky indie movies.

Meet Dave

Funny, but wait for it to come out on TV. Eddie Murphy is an alien robot operated by dozens of inch tall people sent to earth to steal the salt from our oceans. The laughs come mostly from Murphy’s hilarious facial expressions as he tries to fit in with humans. One gay character is so over the top, it may piss off some folks in the gay community. But it’s a funny, harmless movie.

Tropic Thunder

Funny, but even dumber than I expected. Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. star as actors who’ve been dropped in a Vietnam jungle to film an action movie. This movie tweaks at actor’s insecurities and egos and also the overly dramatic (sappy) scenes in movies. Tom Cruise also stars as a ruthless balding and overweight movie exec (I loved his dancing scenes). Also starring Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte, plus many other star cameos. The movie used plenty of raunchy profanity and Ben Stiller just over acted too much; even though the movie is a parody and they are supposed to be acting badly, Stiller was just too much.

Swing Vote

I really liked this one. Kevin Costner must decide between Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper as the next president due to a voting machine glitch. This movie is less about which candidate is better qualified, and more about Costner’s evolution from an irresponsible guy who drinks his way through life into someone who starts to care about the world around him. Madeline Carroll as his daughter is adorable and steals every scene – what a great little actress!

Brideshead Revisited

Excellent movie; though without the happy ending I was hoping for. This movie is worth it for the gorgeous scenery alone. In the 1920’s, a young artist (Matthew Goode - Matchpoint) befriends an eccentric gay classmate (Ben Whishaw – Perfume), but falls for his sister instead. A sort of love triangle ensues. The setting, Brideshead, is a gorgeous English estate (or palace - by my definition) headed by Whishaw’s mother, Emma Thompson. It is a setting where Goode’s artistic imagination runs wild, and later, he is taken to scenic Venice to visit the siblings’ dad, Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, among many other things) and his mistress. Goode’s character is brought back to Brideshead many times – as the title suggests – as he tries to come to terms with his conflicted interests. Excellent Academy Award worthy movie. I really enjoyed it and especially the scenery, even though I always hope for the happy ending in movies.

Bottle Shock

Excellent movie! Based on a true story. In 1976, a snooty wine connoisseur (Alan Rickman, better known as Professor Snape) hoping to improve business in his Paris wine shop, decides to travel to Napa Valley and have a contest comparing the frowned upon California wines to the preferred Parisian wines. Meanwhile, a struggling vintner (Bill Pullman) and his spoiled hippy son (Chris Vine) try to prevent their vineyard from going into foreclosure. This is a very well done movie that will make you want to uncork a good chardonnay when you get home.

Pineapple Express

Hilarious! Seth Rogen (Superbad) and James Franco (Spiderman) are two dope-heads on the run from killer drug dealers. Plenty of action, complete with chase scenes, shoot-outs, a few explosions, and a little gore. Thankfully, it is not raunchy like Superbad or 40 Year Old Virgin. But you can’t help but love the two protagonists as they stumble through the movie in a pot induced fog.

Sisterhood of Traveling Pants 2

I liked this movie, but somehow I had imagined the girls to have matured a bit in the two years since the original. They still behave like adolescents. The previews led us to believe that most of the movie would take place on Santorini, Greece, (which I was really looking forward to!) but the girls don’t arrive there until the end. It was a very sweet movie with three of the girls having boy troubles, often bring the drama onto themselves, and the forth girl learning she has a Grandmother who loves her (Blythe Danner). I enjoyed the role by Shohreh Aghdashloo, who plays an archeologist leading a dig in Turkey and also serves as a role model for Blake Lively. It was still an enjoyable movie, and I did sniffle a few times, I just wish more of it took place in Greece like Mama Mia did!

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

This is a fun adventure movie with Brendan Fraser fighting mummies for the 3rd time. It is nearly not as good as the first two Mummy installments though. This time, Brendan’s 21 year old son (I don’t remember him having a kid that old…) uncovers an evil Chinese emperor’s (Jet Li) tomb who of course gets brought to life, with plenty of CGI effects (including some fake looking Yetis). Maria Bello takes over the role of Brendan’s wife, though she is not nearly as feisty and fun as Rachel Weisz. Like I said, it is a fun escape, but not nearly as good as the previous Mummy movies.