Movie reviews

One of the other things that happens in my October vacation is that I watch movies, something that I rarely do the rest of the year. My parents really enjoy movies, so it's something we do together while on vacation.

It's been a while, but as I recall, the ones we watched this year were:

The Incredibles: This one really was (almost) as good as everyone said it was, and it's a really fun movie for anyone who was ever interested in superheroes. Movies just don't evoke the strong opinions in me that they seem to in most of my friends, so I wouldn't go rave about this one, but I really enjoyed it. The second half was the best part; the first bit was really slow and boring, and while the smatterings of humor helped me through it, I was glad when the action started.

Shrek 2: This was cute. The first movie was also cute and a fun parody (reminding me of Into the Woods), hampered by a very conventional love story. This was basically more of the same, not as fresh as the original and a bit frustrating in parts, but still fairly good stuff. I like the corporate fairy godmother, and the movie references had me laughing outloud (particularly the Flashdance bit). Also, loved Puss in Boots. It's uneven and doesn't always work -- the first was a better movie -- but if you liked Shrek, you'll probably like this too.

Miss Congeniality 2: Eh. Much made of interpersonal conflicts between people I found annoying, and one of those fluffy, light attitudes towards police work. Didn't really do anything for me, particularly since I didn't really like the main character and very much didn't like any of the people that she liked.

The Aviator: A sprawling dramatic epic about Howard Hughes, who's an interesting if not particularly likable figure. The hearing where he lays into the evil Senator is far and away the best part. The bits about his insanity are deeply creepy and capture the uncontrolled paranoia and obsessive compulsive behavior rather well. Hampered somewhat by the lack of likable characters, as Hughes himself is an asshole (if occasionally one with good ideas). Cate Blanchett does a wonderful job as Katharine Hepburn, though.

The Terminal: One of those quirky Tom Hanks comedy movies. About as good as the other quirky Tom Hanks comedy movies, although I like how the romance was handled. Nice to see some unexpected twists in that sort of stock formula. Hanks's character's inability to speak clear English is a bit frustrating in the comprehensibility department, but then I've always had difficulty with accents. Fun, if not particularly memorable, bits of defiance of authority.

Plus, last night I watched The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at a friend's house, and that I can definitely recommend to anyone who's read the book. I'm not sure it would be as much fun if you don't know the history of the story, but it's a really well-done version. Completely differently than the previous TV series, they nailed Trillian this time, and since she was my favorite character other than Martin (who they also nailed, but who's easier to nail), I was happy. Beautiful special effects that still somehow manage to maintain that quirky Adams feel, which was nicely done. Zaphod and Ford are often annoying, and I was generally disappointed in Ford, but I was willing to put up with that for the good bits. Both the Guide and the Improbability Drive effects were handled wonderfully.