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.