The X-Files I Want To Believe

3 out of 5 Stars
Yes, I realize that this was not the best film ever made. Certainly, it had plot gaps and overlooked any sort of conspiracy theories or alien abductions. But I didn't care. It was so, so wonderful to see Mulder and Scully together again, and on the big screen! Duchovny as Mulder remains sexy and intriguing, and Gillian Anderson as Scully reprises the character with the same doubtful and sardonic wit seen in the TV series. This left me wanting MORE X-Files! In the meantime, I'll have to get my fix from watching the DVDs.

Savage Grace

3.5 out of 5 Stars
This was a disturbing and upsetting film. I never read the novel nor was particularly familiar with the true story it was based on. As a film, it seemed 'abridged' and the script felt very rushed. This could have been a film that was a disturbing portrayal of incest, money, homosexuality, corruption, and mental health issues, but instead the script was choppy and it never gave the viewer a full understanding of the motivations of any of the characters. Still, I give it 3 stars for the acting. Julianne Moore was chilling.

Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror

3 out of 5 Stars
Holy crap, this movie was ridiculously funny.

The Dark Knight

3 out of 5 Stars
I give 'Dark Knight' a solid three stars for being a well scripted, well shot, well directed, and incredibly well acted film. This is one of those movies that I recognize as 'good', but like The Godfather Trilogy, it just didn't hold my interest. Maybe I don't know enough about Batman. Still, Heath Ledger was brilliantly creepy as the sociopathic Joker--his performance gave me chills.

The Wackness

3 out of 5 Stars
The film itself lacks a direct plot -- it plays like the film maker's autobiography of the summer after graduation in the 90s. And there is nothing wrong with that. Jonathan Levine assembled an extremely talented cast who not only give realistic and strong performances, but give quite a bit of credibility to what could have been a lack luster and self indulgent script. As a high schooler in the 90s, this film certainly made me nostalgic, and while it has it's flaws, I overall found it enjoyable.

WALL-E

4.5 out of 5 Stars
I can officially add WALL-E to my list of all time favorite films. I am so glad I saw this in the theater, normally I don't see a lot of animated films (even Pixar), I get enough 'child entertainment' being a teacher, but WALL-E is did not at all strike me as an animated children's film. Much like 'Babe Pig In the City' (a film where children were leaving the theater in tears), WALL-E contained many disturbing and graphic images, yet still was able to remain chaste to it's 'G' rating. And this is what makes WALL-E so special -- children and adults interprate the post apocalyptic images differently. The visuals in this film are so beautiful that at times I felt like I was looking at a piece of art, rather than watching a story on screen (I love the opening with the juxtaposition of the musical number from 'Hello Dolly' with the bleak image of the future of the earth), and I also particularly appreciated the credits which give a wonderfully charming depiction of art history. I was completely smitten with robot WALL-E himself, his personality, his character, his will, his drive, his 'love', his ability to feel empathy and kindness. And how all of this was conveyed in his eyes and his movements through animation -- it still takes my breath away. The overall story was touching and plausible, perhaps the social commentary wasn't subtle but I was never annoyed. Only moved. I would definitely see this again!