Since I last wrote about movies my view sessions have dropped somewhat. Well at least dropped for me. A few weeks back a visit to the local cinema proved frustrating as I had seen every movie there.

So, here are the latest, in no particular order.

You Kill Me is a small indie film about a Polish hit man sent away to San Francisco to dry out. His drinking stopped him from killing the local Irish mob boss and the Poles are now rapidly losing “market share”. While in SF the hit man, Frank played by Ben Kingsley, meets Luke Wilson at an AA meeting and Tea Leoni at the funeral parlor where he works. The film is dark, somewhat predictable, but at least entertaining. Stephanie insisted we see it, and she fell asleep. However, she had a long day, and as a small film, it had a 10:30pm show time. 10:30 works for me, not for her.

Ratatouille was a pleasant surprise. As the parent of teenagers, its not often I see “kids” movies. But this one was good. I actually liked it better than Shrek the Third. Remy is a rat who wants to be a chef, add in your typical circumstance and he ends up in Paris “working” at a famous, but declining restaurant. The story is full of ethical dilemmas and the usual tug at your heartstrings type moments. It was fun without question.

I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was darker than I expected, but then I have not read any of the books and it appears that dark is the way the rest of this goes. I am always intrigued by the side characters. Sure I care about Harry, but in this movie Lana Luna was my favorite. Maybe it’s because she is cute and quirky. However, when she grows up, she has the potential of being really annoying.

We saw No Reservations at a Sneak this weekend. It was formulaic, but entertaining. Think Raising Helen on the Food Network. The cast worked well. Catherine Zeta-Jones pulls off the lead (even though her accent creeps in and out) while her romantic interest is Aaron Eckhardt (from Thank You for Not Smoking). He does well with what he has. The star is Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine herself. This girl is phenomenal. I hope she plays it smart and does go the way of Dakota Fanning. Over exposure can kill a career and send you into a Drew Barrymore downward spiral.

Sicko was quite entertaining. What so many people forget is that a documentary is rarely unbiased. People complain about Michael Moore and his tactics, but you have to admit, he is entertaining. Sicko is about the US healthcare system and the only real bad guy here is big insurance. It seems like a topic we can all get behind. Of course someone has to complain. This movie really makes you wonder about our country and how we treat each other. Why are we the only western nation without universal health care? It turns out that the reasons most folks say we don’t want it – don’t fly. People do not wait forever in Canada. Doctors are not poor in Britain, and the care provided folks in Cuba is better than most of us have access to. Love him or hate him, Moore makes you think.

I got around to watching Run Ronnie Run. It was a great idea, but it never really went anywhere. The cameos are priceless. Mandy Patinkin singing Ronnie on Broadway, naked was priceless. But nothing topped Jack Black’s “Kick in the Cunt” song (think Mary Poppins complete with animated animals) or Patrick Warburton’s gay conspiracy plan that had its cover “blown” by Kids in the Hall’s Scott Thompson. I read after the fact that Bob and Dave disavowed this film because of the mess the director made. It’s not horrible, it is inspired at times (see above) but My Name is Earl plays country dumb better.

I saw several trailers during this process and three films stuck out. Get Smart and Dan In Real Life both star Steve Carell and look very good in very different ways. Dan In Real Life has Steve as a widowed father who unknowingly falls for his brother’s girlfriend.
August Rush is a music movie about a boy given up for adoption by his musical parents and how music reunites them (maybe).

I have Audition (Japanese horror), Prozac Nation, Grey Matters (lesbian rom com) and Seripico at home to watch. I will be dragged to the Simpsons the weekend and may also check out Brooklyn Rules before it disappears.