What Happens in Vegas

3 out of 5 Stars
I give this film a solid 3 stars. I normally dislike romantic comedies ('Made of Honor' was absolute torture), but Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher have chemistry! Plus, Diaz is just so luminescent -- it is wonderful to see her in another romantic comedy (ie. she is so, so much more fun to watch than these 'newer' actresses like Michelle Monahan). Okay, so maybe the plot is predictable. And silly. But I fully enjoyed myself for the entire running time *and* I laughed out loud on more than occasion. Which for me is rare. Diaz does drunk scenes like no other (except possibly Angelina Jolie in 'Playing By Heart'). And the supporting cast is also really funny.

Annie (1982)

5 out of 5 Stars
I don't need anything but this movie. Really. Oh, and a bathtub gin martini with drunk Carol Burnett.

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

3.5 out of 5 Stars
Doesn't even come close to the brilliance of the novel but still, Van Sant made a solid and well done movie taken from such a difficult text to adapt to the screen. Uma Thurman is a wonderful Sissy. But Rain Phoenix as Bonanza Jellybean was extremely disappointing. Van Sant captured the wackiness of the novel, I loved his bright color scheme and Robbins narration.

The Abandoned

2.5 out of 5 Stars
This one of the more solid 'After Dark Horrorfest - 8 Films to Die For' films. It was well directed and had a semi interesting premise. The image of the old Russian house was arresting and the idea of being haunted/stalked by a ghost of yourself is not only unique but existentially scary. I think with a few more more script rewrites this could have really had some depth and substance. But the middle part dragged and the director threw in too many sequences of the female protagonist wandering the house and the woods. And the ending was rather silly.

The Gravedancers

2 out of 5 Stars
Don't get drunk at your friend's funeral, cheat on your wife and dance on the graves of evil people. But if you do, this film may give you some ideas of what could happen. You could ostensibly be haunted by sexual sadists/6 year old pyromaniacs/music teachers with a murderous grudge. This film had a semi decent cast and I was disappointed at how *bad* their performances were. Still, the material they were working with was so silly. This film gets two stars for being very funny at times. Not at all scary. Alas.

Made of Honor

0.5 out of 5 Stars
This was a bad, bad movie. It was a waste of an evening and we should have left the theater.

Girl, Interrupted

4 out of 5 Stars
In my opinion, this film may be one of the rare exceptions of a movie surpassing the novel. Kaysen's memoir (of the same title) annoyed me in the same way most memoirs about mental institutions and rehabs do -- I found her self centered and unsympathetic. But the 'Hollywood-ized' version of her experience makes a far better story; the film presents well developed characters and relationships that are humorous, upsetting, and yes, completely riveting.

It's ironic that Winona Ryder chose to produce the screenplay and play Susanna, when she was so obviously outdone by Angelina Jolie as Lisa. Something about Jolie in this film film really moved me -- she's scary, sexy, and brutally honest. Every scene she's in had me completely riveted. Ryder is also outdone by a fabulous supporting cast -- Clea Duvall, Brittany Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg also give some good, if not brief, performances.

Fantastic soundtrack that captures the 60s.