.jeri.

Enough with being behind. Here I go with a little bit of catch-up!

Moliere (2007)

Moliere is a costume comedy-drama about the famous author of delightful plays, whose beginnings were mostly in serious theater--and not very good serious theater. As the author finds himself in a series of preposterous situations, including dressing himself as a tutor to help a married man gain the attention of the smartest lady at court in order to pay off his debt (and stay out of prison), he learns a little bit more about what makes a good play. Sadly, the actor who plays Moliere is a little bit creepy and uninteresting. And the wigs in this movie are some of the worst I've ever seen in moviemaking. Luckily, a little bit of heart helps this one go a long way, and it ended up being better than I thought it would. I think the acting of Fabrice Luchini is what holds up this entire film.

The King of Kong (2007)

Who doesn't love a good-hearted geek? Steve Wiebe looks just like Dave from News Radio, and is just as likable. He strives to reach the all-time record for Donkey Kong, and keeps getting thwarted by a shadowy man named Billy Mitchell, who refuses to play head-to-head in live circumstances. Instead, the Nick Cave-esque (only not half as cool) turns in videos of his best games. Never did I dislike a person more in last year's movies than Mitchell's little Smithers figure, who runs around getting people to come watch Wiebe play in the hopes that all the pressure will make him crack. Full of fun and frustration, I loved this one.

Leatherheads (2008)

Leatherheads doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be. Does it want to be a clever, quick-witted jaunt between male and female, or does it want to be a physical comedy? The movie moves back and forth between both, and not very easily. Zellweger can't catch the pace of her own dialog, and the movie suffers from a lot of slow moments. While there are bits of fun and Clooney can catch a cool looking scene (see above), it offers only a few laughs, and is ultimately forgettable.

Blind Chance (1987)

Blind Chance is another of my Kieslowski movies. Apparently, it may have inspired the concept for Run Lola Run, because it operates in a series of three movies. The main character takes a break from his studies. He decides to board a train, and in all three movies is running to try and catch it at the last minute. Whether or not he makes it changes the outcome of his life. There are three different outcomes, all of which make the audience think about chance, fate, and related topics. The beginning sequence of this movie is incredible and took my breath away with how quickly it moved through the main character's life leading up to the moment when he leaves school. The music is so memorable that it was stuck in my head for days after seeing the movie, and I can still remember it now. While I'm not sure the three scenarios are as exciting as the concept and start of the film, it was certainly a great find for me.

The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

This adventure story follows little-growing-bigger Freddie Highmore as twins who discover a hidden world outside their new home, a creepy old Victorian place that belonged to their great-Uncle. The balance of good and evil within this world of interesting creatures is shifted when the evil Mulgarath discovers that the twins have a book that tells the secrets of all things in their world. Mulgarath seeks to destroy them, and they seek to save themselves and the world, along with a little help from their sister, mom, and plenty of tomato juice. While the movie is full of action, I wouldn't call it all that exciting. Interesting for me is the connection of John Sayles as one of the screenplay writers. Too bad it didn't come together as something a little more amazing. Still, it passed the time pleasantly enough.

Untraceable (2008)

Untraceable was one of those "I need to see a movie right now, so what's playing?" movies for Ric and me. We caught it for two bucks, and that's about what it's worth. I'm not saying it's terrible, but it's definitely flawed. It takes the interesting idea of how far the internet and the media can go with coverage of real-time deaths. Lane's character works to find online predators or hoax-makers and have them arrested. When she comes across a website that features live footage of a victim who will be killed more quickly as viewers log in to the site, she is concerned. At first, a little kitty dies, but then the victims are real human beings. She and her team work to find out how the victims are connected and who the killer is. It's an idea, but executed with a lot of lame scenes scattered throughout. I'd say to give it a pass if you come across it. Maybe someone will get it right another time.

Ahh.. Now I've only got a few more to get myself completely caught up! Time for the weekend!