Movies

This has been the Summer of Movies for me. Rarely have I had an opportunity to hit nearly every blockbuster movie to come out in a summer. But hey... living in a town where a.) going to the movies is one of the only interesting things to do, and b.) we get to see movies for $5.50 on Tuesday nights (plus get free popcorn!), coupled with me not working and being home in the evenings, means mucho cinema for Becky. Thank you, Keresotes Cinemas of Mt. Vernon!

I thought I'd give a little mini-review of some of the movies I've seen this summer:

	Swing Vote I just got back from seeing this movie. I have to admit, my expectations weren't very high going into this movie. Although it has an impressive cast that would warrant more of a plot, I would say this movie ended up living up to my low expectations. I wouldn't say the movie was bad, by any means; I just felt there wasn't much development in the plot beyond the initial story-line: dead-beat dad, prodded by his little girl, learns the importance of voting. Kevin Costner did a terrific job of acting out his character, I just wish there would have been more time to develop his character more. I would have to give this movie a C.
	Batman: The Dark Knight This was one of my favorite movies this summer. I can't say I've seen many Heath Ledger movies (sorry, I had NO desire to see Brokeback Mountain), but his performance in this movie was Oscar-worthy. He did an excellent job of echoing parts of Jack Nicholson's Joker character, while adding an incredibly diabolical twist all his own. Unlike the earlier, campy Batman movies with George Clooney and Val Kilmer, this movie continues along the more dark and sinister path of the Batman comic book series. My only complaint was that the movie was unusually long. The fact that the length was based on a compelling story line, however, made it worth sitting through. My rating: A.
	Wall-E Wall-E was another one of my favorite movies this summer. I went with my neighbor, Amy, and her three girls. I think us adults enjoyed the movie as much as, if not more, than the kids. Whereas I'm not a huge animated-movie buff, I was really impressed at how much communication could happen between the main characters, simply through body language. It's rare to find a movie with so little dialog that has such a compelling plot. This is a nice movie to see on a summer afternoon. My rating: B+.
	The X-Files: I want to Believe When I lived in Austria, we had one communal television set for several hundred girls in our dorm; however, I still managed to watch this show religiously, week after week. (I always liked Dana Scully's voice better in German than in English, but don't tell her that.) This second X-Files movie seemed to pop on the scene rather unannounced. (I hadn't even heard they were filming the movie, and all of a sudden it was in theaters.) The plot was rather average, typical of many suspense movies; but I think I would have watched paint dry, though, and been happy, if it meant I got to see Mulder and Scully together again. I hope they keep the movies comin'. My score: B+.
	Get Smart This was as stupid a movie as the previews let on. Much like Swing Vote, this movie is exactly what you expect it to be... no more and no less. It's funny in all the predictable ways you expect it to be. I don't know that I would pay full-price for it, but for a matinee this summer, certainly. I'd give it a C+.