Birthday Girl (2001)

 

This Nicole Kidman flick didn't get much attention at the box office, but I enjoyed it. An Englishman gets more than he bargained for when he brings home a Russian Internet bride. 

Rating: C+

Jason Bourne (2016)

This film adds nothing to the series. In fact, it detracts from it. Terrible plot. A camera operator with Parkinson’s. Fabricated suspense where there was none. A complete waste of time.

Rating: F

Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups) (2001)

Not your typical French film. Tons of action, Hong Kong style fighting sequences, and some great special f/x.

Rating: C+

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Not as smooth and fun as the first. The cast is great once again, but the plot is almost too confusing to follow at times. The characters still make it enjoyable to watch, especially Julia playing Tess playing Julie.

Rating: C+

Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

A vast improvement over the second film, which isn't saying much, but not as fun as watching the first film for the very first time. Still, it was great to see this fantastic cast reunited and up to their old tricks once again. The plot is much simpler than the previous two. They set up their big plan, and then follow through with it. No fancy twists and turns like in the previous Oceans. This means you can sit and enjoy without trying to outsmart the movie.

Rating: C+

Shrek (2001)

Highly entertaining. They took a creative story line and went crazy with it, pulling in a terrific cast to voice the characters. It's one of those family movies you can enjoy watching with the kids because most of the good humor is way over their heads anyway. Some fun extras on the DVD.

Rating: B-

Mesrine: Part 2: Public Enemy #1 (2008)

Spent most of the film waiting for this a-hole to get his due. How did such a smug ignoramus escape permanent incarceration for so long? The movie is watchable, but I hated the main character too much to enjoy it.

Rating: D+

Black Swan (2010)

Massive Darren Aronofsky fan here. Black Swan covers some very different material, but his familiar tone is there throughout. His films often portray characters spinning out of control. In Black Swan, that happens metaphorically and literally. Portman is committed 100% to her character. Her Oscar win was deserved. A bit odd seeing Winona Ryder on the screen, but it worked.

This is a very dark film, sometimes bordering on scary. It’s beautifully shot and will enthrall the viewer. With that said, it’s not one of my favorite Aronofsky films. That honor goes to Requiem, then The Fountain.

Rating: B-

Mesrine: Part 1: Killer Instinct (Mesrine: L'Instinct de Mort; Public Enemy Number One: Part 1) (2008)

The problem with real stories about criminals being told on film is that your main characters are scum bags. When it's an original screenplay, writers can massage the story to give the audience someone to root for. That's not the case with Mesrine. He's a complete a-hole and it's hard to care about the film when you don't care about the main character.

The direction and editing are very choppy, however the raw cinematography works. I wasn't very impressed with part 1, but I feel invested enough that I'll probably watch part 2.

Rating: C-