The Happening

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest is better than I think most critics gave him credit for. Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel are caught in the middle of an unexplained event that is causing people to go a little nuts before committing suicide. I kind of liked the theme of nature restoring balance. I liked it, it wasn’t too weird, it wasn’t too scary. It was just the right amount of creepy. And I like seeing Mark Wahlberg mature as an actor.

Get Smart

Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is back fighting Chaos in Russia with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). I was expecting this to be really dumb, but I wound up enjoying it. It wasn’t what I’d call side splitting, but there were plenty of laughs and fun poked at Bush and Homeland Security. James Caan is amusing as the US President. A fun movie that brought back plenty of memories from one of my favorite shows when I was a kid.

The Incredible Hulk

Ed Norton as the big angry guy in hiding in a fun action movie that is left wide open for a sequel, and in fact at the end they tie in a teaser for the sequel including another big action hero. Liv Tyler stars as his love interest and William Hurt as the bad guy general who wants the Hulk back for government testing. Tim Roth stars as a report to Hurt’s general, who is hot for the challenge of conquering the Hulk. Nice cameo from Lou Ferrigno – I swear the man hasn’t aged and he is still HUGE. I have two complaints: 1) the fate of “Mr. Blue” isn’t clear. I assume he will be in the sequel, but a more of a teaser would have been nice. 2) one of the bad guys sort of has a change of heart (though I am sure it is self-serving) but it is not clear what he has to gain from this. Other than those possibly intentional loose strings, it was a fun action thriller, with really cool special effects.

Kung Fu Panda

Cute movie geared at boys who love Kung Fu, lots of action and fight scenes. Jack Black as a Panda who dreams of being a Kung Fu warrior, and gets his wish to train with the most elite. As the title implies, there is a LOT of Kung Fu and action in this movie. May be too violent for very sensitive youngsters. My only complaint is that the Tigress, voiced by Angelina Jolie, looks like a male, walks like a male and dresses like a male. But it is supposed to be a girl. Where’s the big pretty eyes and long eyelashes? Even the female snake looks like a girl. Fun action flick, but not as inventive as say Shark Tale, among others.

The Fall

This an artsy independent film, with some gory violence. The movie takes place in the early 1900’s in a small hospital. A bored and precocious little girl with a broken arm wanders around the hospital and makes friends with a man (Lee Pace / Pushing Daisies, Miss Pettigrew) with a back injury, who tells her a fantastical story that takes place in faraway lands. Much of the movie follows the outlandish characters in Pace’s made-up story, though his story vaguely parallels his own problems in life. The movie shows some breathtakingly gorgeous landscapes from around the world and is very artfully done. It is strange, fantastical, tragic and kinda cool. I enjoyed it, but I only recommend it for those people who enjoy strange, artsy movies.

Made of Honor

Well, this one is better than What Happens in Vegas, but that isn’t saying much. Patrick Dempsey stars as a rich womanizer who decides his best friend, Bridget Monaghan, is the one for him. Unfortunately, Bridget falls for a handsome Scottish man and asks Patrick to be her Maid of Honor. Very similar to My Best Friend’s Wedding. Some of the movie is cute and there is some beautiful scenery of Scotland with quaint villages, castles and cathedrals. Unfortunately, much of the “comedy” is overdone and just not funny.

Then She Found Me

This is one of those low budget independent films with an all star cast. Helen Hunt stars as a school teacher who has pretty much every tragic thing that can happen to one person, happen all at once in about two months time. Mathew Broderick as her immature husband wants a divorce. Her adoptive mother dies. She starts dating Colin Firth only to find out she’s pregnant with Broderick’s child. Out of the blue, her birth mother, Bette Midler, wants to meet her. There’s more, but I won’t give it all away. Helen Hunt is really good at playing the tired and haggard woman who desperately wants to be a mother. Bette Midler is wonderful and lively as usual, and is a real bright spot in the movie. I enjoyed it, but I only recommend it to those who enjoy low budget, independent films.